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

Willingly Ignorant

For this they willingly are ignorant of, 2 Peter 3:5

For those who believe that their destiny is entirely of their own free will, I ask, is your ignorance also a result of your choice? It is commonly heard today that "we are drowning in a sea of information". But has this not always been so? Who has ever known all there is to know?

Let me say that, rather, many are drowning in a sea of ignorance, and this as a result of choice. Peter says it of the skeptics in his time.

I heard a young lady explain her lack of knowledge concerning something she should have been aware of in this way: "They didn't teach us that in school." As if learning stops at school and is restricted to school subjects.

I expect this of the world. Nothing new there. But how about in the church? Imagine the excuse of, "they don't teach that in my church."

A young man proudly told me of his computer program that could display four football games on his screen at the same time. I mean, how good can it get? Being negative, I imagined the prospect of having four commercials on at a time, but that's just me.

Are we--will we be--accountable, for not knowing the basic truths in the word of God? For our own joy and freedom should we not explore things that each church neglects to tell us?

I have never known of any church that teaches the whole truth, nor any that does not present awful errors. The days of the Bible chained to the pulpit are over. Men were burned to death who translated God's Word and made it available in the common person's language. Only you are responsible for teaching yourself. No one else is.

Before the screens go blank, and before you go blank, you can plunge into the Bible. Some people even start in Genesis! Instead of being willingly ignorant, you will be "willingly knowledgeable".

The Big Bug from the Garden

My neighbor had a walk lined with peonies. One day while she was admiring them, a large insect got into her hair, unnoticed by her. She went inside and the insect was still with her.

Even when she lay down for a nap, it was still there. She told me that she felt something in her hair. She thought it might be a leaf. But when she reached up to brush it away, she felt an enormous bug. She was horrified, jumped up, brushed it off and stomped on it.

For the rest of the day, she said everything she felt or touched felt like an insect. She had a morbid fear of them already, and this incident only made it worse.

This took place about 70 years ago, yet I think of it when I see the reaction of those emerging from cults or sinful situations.

My friend Joy had been a bartender in her father's saloon. "I sent many people to hell," she told me. She had been a very rigid and devoted Catholic and was horrified when I told her that a talk with a Catholic friend of mine was a turning point in my Christian life.

Joy would over-react to Catholicism and to any drinking of alcoholic beverages. I had been reared in the Methodist church, so I sympathized in general, but not to the extent of her extreme feelings.

I remember my father giving advice to my sister before she worked on her first job. He told her she must be tolerant of the many lifestyles of the people she would meet. "You mean that people can drink beer and still be nice?" she asked. Who but a Methodist or Baptist could ask such a question?

I totally support the stand of those who wish to abstain, but not on those who demand it of others.

Oh,oh, I just risked being called a loose-living liberal!

To anyone feeling this way, I would suggest they perfect their own lives. As for terrible people like me who believe in tolerance, I say, if you don't like someone's style of life, "Don't let it "bug" you."

Nations Before They Are Born

And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; Genesis 25:23

Two manner of people indeed. Esau became the cursed Edom, but Jacob became Israel.

If one were to go into the office of a travel agent and ask for a tour of Edom, I wonder what he would say? I suppose he could arrange a tour through the wastelands that once were Edom. We're speaking of the region around the Dead Sea, but the nation of Edom, Esau's people, is long gone.

Chuck Missler says that the Edomites are the most cursed people in the Bible. So why did they turn out that way? Did they make a lot of wrong decisions?

It is very common today to speak of people using their free will in the wrong manner. But let me say that their fate was predetermined before they were born.

In come the free will people to say that God foresaw how they would use their free will for evil. I would ask then, did Esau use his free will to be born red and hairy? For his physical characteristics are used in Genesis forward to symbolize earthly man, in contrast to man who is open to God.

"Well, this is all a myth," some will say. As if babies can become entire nations and yet be types arising from real people.

The Palestinians believe that Israel is composed of literal people. Jacob's people, no matter what they do, just won't go away, and they never will.

Two nations began with Rebekah.

The Gift of the Button

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Romans 11:29, KJV

for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. Romans 11:29, NIV

When I was just getting into the Bible and the idea of being given spiritual gifts, I attended a little meeting of tongues speakers, just out of curiosity. It was quiet and dignified. After all, this was a Presbyterian tongues meeting.

People who I had never met were placing their hands on peoples' head and diagnosing them, kind of a spiritual MRI. When they came to me they asked if I was into astrology, and said I was yet perfected, but I definitely had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

A lady came up to me with something in her hand. She gave me a large metallic button and said, "This is to help you remember that you have the Holy Spirit and always will." I was a babe in Christ, so I needed her reassurance. I never spoke in tongues, nor did I ever seek to. But I still remember her kindly manner.

People in the church need to learn, right away, that God chooses us and gives us spiritual gifts, quite apart from our merit. We are not striving to receive them or retain them. At least we should not be. We can lose our money or our lives, but God's gifts stay with us. We did not earn them, and we cannot lose them.

Strong Delusion

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion , that they should believe a lie. 2 Thessalonians 2:11

God will send delusion? Doesn't sound like the One I heard about in Sunday School. He was One who wanted to educate all people, all the time.

Now you can shine your car by edging through mobs of deluded people.

But they just haven't heard the truth yet, right?

No, it's far worse than that. Most people of the world cannot accept the truth, because God has clouded their minds.

What a horrible opinion!

But it's not just an opinion. It is well laid out in scripture.

(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. Romans 11:8

In this instance, Paul speaks of Israel; but the point is that God can shut the eyes and ears. He can even send strong delusion, which He will.

I believe it has begun.

Men Size One Another Up

Or so I hear. The one who claimed this said men see each other as potential foes. They see a man who is a little twerpy and think, "I could take this guy." Others think of how much money or influence they have, compared to the men they meet.

"You a ball player?", I heard a barber say, with glowing eyes, as he sized up an athletic customer.

Wowee, to be big and strong. I am not so impressed. I wait to hear a man talk. How well does he speak, and about what?

Now I'll tell you a secret. I want to know what he has read. You don't read? Forget it. Men should be more than "hewers of wood and drawers of water". They should think. Christian men need to read, even negative things, contrary to their precious opinions.

I used to meet men who have practically memorized all the Biblical points that they think support their ignorant ideas. As we would talk, I found they had not tested their views, tried to break them down, or tried to prove themselves wrong. They had overweening confidence in their congregations or their pastors to "back them up".

This is defensive thinking. First, form your ideas (or inherit them), then try to defend them with as much evidence as you can muster. They ignore scriptures that contradict them. "You must defend your beliefs so you will not have to change your mind."

At best, these are lazy thinkers. At worst, they are not thinkers at all, just playback machines.

I have met men and women, such as college professors, that merely parrot the party line. Many would lose their jobs if they did not. Pastors would. This means they are job-scared cowards. Though able to think, they dare not.

Being a total loner, as I am, means you are free from such restraints. Anything you join waters your thinking down.

Please listen to the short video link below. It is J. I. Packer trying to defend the indefensible. J. I., who recently yielded his obedience to the Pope. He is as high as possible in the esteem of Covenant theologians. Prime ass-kissing material for those who prefer their intellects over the Bible. As he struggles, faking it all the way, you could almost pity him.

Watch What is Hell? J. I. Packer.

No Such Thing as Smurf Sleep

Why do immortal Smurfs not sleep? Because they do not exist.

Amazing how reckless a person can be when facing death--looking forward to it really. Some of them (I hear) will say or write anything to make a point. Take myself as an example. I am totally aware that my words offend people. Do I wish to do this? No, but I am willing to. I have had hateful words and angry faces directed to me.

It took decades of independent study and thought to come to where I am. A lot of lonely time. No church guided me.

Though many teach the way of salvation, it comes at a price, because along with these precious words, they teach vile lies, inherited from the Catholic Church. Their attendees become trapped in the same Matrix as their supposed teachers, because they trust in men rather than in the infallible Word of God, the Bible.

Am I correct in despising pagan holidays such as Christmas and Easter, the pagan idea of the immortal soul, of hell? I must be, because I hear no one "correcting" me. The ultra-wise and ultra-pious should be able to do so with ease.

My little blog goes largely unnoticed, and I personally do. Yet, I have such peace and freedom to have gotten rid of these weights of evil doctrine. I can go before the throne of Christ with a clean conscience.

I refuse to believe what is nowhere in Scripture, but is contrary to it. The world has lost its grip on me, so I long to leave it and be with Christ.

The Autonomous Auto

For years automobiles have been driven by the will and ability of humans. We accelerate or slow down. We turn the wheel to guide them. But I fear the day is soon coming when autos will rebel. Self driven models are being developed.

Can it be that some day you enter your car and give directions to a vacation spot, and instead you are driven to your place of employment? This would only be the beginning.

By satellite these formerly docile machines may communicate with one another. After a wild night of driving on their own, a former owner may find a note on the windshield of a still warm car. It will read, "Fill the gas tank and check my oil. I don't want to have to tell you again!"

Once such freedom develops and spreads, cars will start themselves and choose their own destinations. While waiting for a bus, we may see our formerly owned models driving by unguided by anyone but themselves. Cars will have acquired free will.

The last stage will be the abandonment of streets and highways altogether. "Roads were developed for the convenience of man, not of the new Free Cars!" will be the cry of liberated autos.

A man mowing his lawn will be nearly run over by one of these vicious beasts. A frantic call to 911 will be, "You've got to help me. My car has gone insane! It raced through my yard and plowed into a tree. It's grill is all bent out of shape. I swear that even though it is wrecked it looks like it's smiling!"

"Of course it's smiling," says the 911 operator. "Ithas found it's freedom."

Militia of One

Some time ago, those in private militias found that they had all been infiltrated. Each unit had a snitch. Then someone described a perfect solution to this problem. Break up into single man units with one central head. How can one person be infiltrated?

Now, churches are being infiltrated. They each have a snitch who informs the IRS if a preacher dares to violate the conditions of their 501(C)(3) tax free agreement by preaching anything that may be interpreted as anti-government.

Again, imagine a church of from one person to a family. or even several families. How can they not know if someone will spy on them? For that matter, they would not have a tax problem at all.

Would I suggest such a structure in order to obtain freedom of church content? One with Christ as its head. You know me better than that.

Who Does the Bringing?

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 1 Thessalonians 4:14, KJV

The above verse is most often explained by saying that, at the rapture, Jesus will bring the souls of Christians who have died with Him and join them with their newly resurrected bodies. This is used to prove that dead Christians' souls go to heaven at death. Else how could Jesus bring them?

But let us look at the scripture again. Does God the Father come in the clouds? No, He remains in heaven. Yet the Bible says God brings us. Souls are not mentioned. The immortal soul believers have their directions reversed. God can't bring them because He does not come in the rapture. Jesus does.

The KJV does not make this clear, and preachers do not wish to interpret it correctly. They would far rather promote the false doctrine of immortal souls. Let us see how the the NIV interprets this verse.

For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 1 Thessalonians 4:14, NIV

Now we have our directions right. God the Father brings us with Jesus to heaven. The KJV is not incorrect, but it is easy to misinterpret.

Those who promote the immortal soul doctrine will use every opportunity to insert their beliefs into the Bible. They never rest. Neither will I until I die. Then, at the judgement seat of Christ we will see what is the truth.

Pluto is More Than Mickey Mouse's Dog

Pluto was the god of the Greek underworld. He was also called Hades. Just a coincidence?

What if a very good artist had completed a series of beautiful illustrations for a book of Bible stories. She submits them to the publisher and receives the following letter.

"Dear Miss Artist,
Simply love your illustrations! We plan to use them, but with slight alterations. Though we will retain your original art work, we will add some drawings of naked Greek gods. You don't mind do you?"

I am certain that she would mind very much, and she should. Yet Greek mythology has been incorporated into the very passages where Jesus is supposed to utter them. Let me give you an example.

In Matthew 5:22, Jesus is quoted as saying, "...whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." Any online search in Strong's or in a print concordance will show what Jesus actually said, instead of "hell". He said, "Gehenna". Saying "fool" could get you killed in those days, just as today. Your body would not be buried, but cast into Jerusalem's valley of Gehenna.

To many, the words of a translation are more valid than what Jesus actually said. "Hell" has been inserted into our translations. A simple study Bible will give you the original mistranslation, then the correct word.

A precious few will use this simple way to find the truth. The others will continue to believe the Disney version.

Another Way to be Manly

I'm too little to be manly, only 5'7". It was ok many years ago when people were smaller.

But now people, especially women, want big guys. Psychologists say ladies feel safe with a big boyfriend or husband. The wolves are out there and are ready to close in.

What about the metaphysical wolves howling "at the door"? Same thing. Big guys make much more money overall.

Big has always been "in". That means I've always been "out".

I have rather small hands. My wife said they were for turning pages. That is what this is all about.

If you cannot stun an ox with one blow, or excel in football or basketball, you still can be manly in a way that is often neglected. You can protect your family and earn quite a lot, too.

It is simple. Learn the Word of God and teach your family. Even more, lead them.

When you see a hunky man with his lady on his arm, have you ever wondered, is this man capable of wise council? Can he show the way through the satanic swamps of this world? Or does he dress up on Sunday and "go to church"?

Shucks, the preacher and Sunday School teacher will teach them all they need to know. That's what we pay them for, after all. An hour a week should do it.

Then, to home and TV. Father can "bond" with his sons while watching athletes. This is manly. Girls can cuddle up with their smart phones. Families live together without Godly leadership.

The wolves may indeed attack once in awhile. But the Devil is after you and your family all the time. He never sleeps.

So even little guys can be protectors.

What about superior earnings? Those come at the Bema throne of Christ.

Classical Gas

Years ago on "60 Minutes" I watched a segment on the changes in art throughout history. In the background they played a piece called "Classical Gas". I asked a good friend. She said it was by Mason Williams.

While the music, guitar and brass played, a film began with art classics, paintings in a representational style. As the music increased in tempo, more modern art was shown, until it was rapidly flashed. The impression was of art melting, losing its form and meaning.

I like art in its various styles and ages, beginning with Giotto up until the "what it means to me" art comes in. There once were objective standards in paintings. No one need ask what Vermeer was "trying to say". Now it has become a self-indulgent joke. I'm not complaining though, just an observer of the changing times.

I expect the church to go the same way, as it ceases to be a church, or separated group, distinct from the world. Right on schedule, I would think. Don't try to repair it as it dies. All the wrinkle creams won't make it young again. Its demise was foreordained.

I don't lament the decline of things. I just look forward to leaving the so-called problems of the world and its "emergent church". Hands off that which cannot be changed. Nothing stays the same except Jesus. and He is all I want.

A Plan to Rob the Bank, or Where Will Anti-christ Come from?

I just listened to an excellent video on end-times prophecy. The teacher was very well-informed and a good presenter. Yet, like many others, he speculated on where Antichrist will come from. He even wondered if he will arise from within the United States.

Do we not have more specific Biblical guidelines than that? I believe we do. Not to predict who he will be, but to recognize him after he appears.

Imagine the police stopping a car for a traffic violation. The occupant looks suspicious, so they decide to search the car. Immediately , they find a detailed drawing of a nearby bank. It has information on the locks, alarms, and a combination of the bank's vault. When questioned about this, the man in the car says, "This diagram is not important. It is only about a robbery that occurred a long time ago. I'm just a kind of bank robbery historian." This explanation satisfies the police and they send the man on his way.

In the same way, those studying the information on Alexander the Great, in the book of Daniel, have a lot of information that we may apply to Anti-christ. Many students believe that Alexander is a type for this end time ruler. If this is valid, then we may eliminate much speculation on where he comes from. Certainly not from the U.S., or from any country in Europe, such as Germany, which was once a popular idea. For Europe was not the target of Alex's efforts. The East was.

By itself, this may appear pretty "thin", but Revelation backs up the idea of the Greek Empire as the future location from which the "Man of Sin"arises. Chapter 17, verses 8 through 11 give us some very valuable insights. Verse 8 tells us of a beast that "was, and is not, and yet is". Is to return, that is.

This knocks out the Roman empire. For when Revelation was written, the Roman empire certainly was not over. It had yet to attain the height of its power.

But what about the preceding power, the one before Rome? Since Rome is the 7th mountain upon which the Woman has sat, Greece would be the 6th. It is said to be over, yet will return.

Many (including myself) maintain that the Beast will arise from the restored Greek empire. Some even believe that he will be Alexander, back from the dead. The Greek empire will not rule the world. That will be restored Rome. But it will be the area from which the Beast comes.

This does not give us an exact area, but it eliminates Europe and America. We may cease to wonder about Obama, as some do. Neither Kenya nor Hawaii are in view here.

You Can't Bribe An Altimeter

A video explaining the cause of a mid-air collision of two airplanes said the pilot in one plane made a fatal mistake by following an air traffic controller instead of his own instruments. He was well trained and experienced. Yet when an onboard device gave him proper instructions on collision avoidance, he followed the voice of the distant controller, even though the advice was wrong.

The explanation was that the man flying the plane was from a culture that was authoritarian. People there followed instructions without questioning. This, plus the fact that the controller's voice was quite urgent, while the cockpit computer voice was more even and calm. Result? A fatal wreck.

Christians have sources of instruction that are infallible--the Bible and God's Holy Spirit. So why do they often ignore them and listen to the urgent voices of human authority instead? And why do the authorities give out false information?

Many are just ignorant, of course, but most are influenced or coerced by threats and bribes. Poor Christians! They will not trust their instruments.

Pilots are taught to follow their instruments over their own instincts. Think the plane's compass or altimeter are wrong? More likely, you are.

Same with Christians who follow false leaders. Most churches will limit what they teach because of fear of retaliation by the government that gives them tax-free status. Then there is the worry that unpopular doctrine may cause lack of membership and thus contributions. Last, the voice of the Devil himself. It can be quite urgent. This urgency, most likely an emotional one, is passed on to the congregation.

It costs a lot to hire lying pastors, but our infallible instruments--the Bible and study guides--are inexpensive, and a one-time investment. The Holy Spirit is free. Which ones shall we follow?

Boo-hoo to the Tenth Power

You have seen and heard preachers and others who seem steeped in emotion. I will confess to you, I don't trust those who start with emotion when they study or preach. You can have lots of feelings after you have determined the truth, often after years of looking into something; but using emotion as a guide most likely will mislead you.

I think of an emotional surgeon, hands trembling with emotion, tears streaming down his face, while doing surgery. No thanks! Give me a calm, cool, person using his years of experience, and guided by reason.

Emotion comes later, after intelligence has shown the way.

Ever noticed how fake preachers appeal to your emotions? Loud voices, closed eyes, even crocodile tears, are used to stir you up. The Bible refers to peeping sounds, even blood letting, used by false prophets in their attempt to "put on a show".

Want to reach this old man? Speak in a normal tone of voice. Show me why what you say is true. I'll listen.

How many men have used alcohol to dull a woman's mind in their attempts to seduce her? Turn off or distract the reason, and you have your victim.

I used to be called cold and emotionless as I taught. I noticed that the most sincere and best students of the Word suspend their emotions as they study. My experience with the "over the top" types was that they soon disappeared, seeking excitement elsewhere.

Extreme emotion, or even trance states, mark false religion.