Anti-Christ Time

Continuing the thought:
How do we know that we know?

1 John 2:18-27

1. Live It
2. Love Differently
3.Listen to it

Watch Out
Its Anti-Christ  time!
The term Anti-Christ is only found in John's writings.
Seven times in his letters.

There has been lots of conjecture since the first century as to what or whom this is!
Lots of theories.

Here the term is plural - Anti-Christs.
Whom will judge you for not worshiping them.

Listen Up
Its all about Jesus.
An Anti-Christ denies Jesus is the Messiah/Christ.
Unity of believers in Jesus.
Anti is all those against Jesus.
There is no middle ground.
No reinvention of whom Jesus is.
We each must get Jesus connected.

Stay Put
Live out the story.
Some will fall away.
Some will not reach Heaven.
Some will appear to be our brethren.
To abide means to be transformed, to follow.

****
I have a real problem with the term Christ.
It is used as if a last name for Jesus.
But it is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew term Messiah.
And in spite of bad Roman Catholic documentation, the New Testament was written in Aramaic.
Should Erasmus have paid attention to the earliest Syrian writings, this mistake would not have occurred.
The oldest copy of the New Testament is in the American Library of Congress - a gift from the Turkish government.
It predates all of the Greek fragments in existence!
So ... I try to avoid the term Christ all together.

Russian Fires

Today, Friday, I was in dialysis, watching the weather channel.
There just is nothing on cable.
If you are not into sports or those creatures collectively known as the Kardasians!
No wonder Bruce Jenner was so screwed up!
Or, why those women were!
Hard to say which way the rot went.

Anyway ....

They were talking about the jet stream and showing weather photos.
The point was the fires in Siberia.
And how the smoke is being carried by the jet stream and dumped oin us on the West Coast of the US.

But it was raining.
So Who really cares.
The water will carry the smokey to the ground.
Right?
We will see.

But, I was reminded of the prophesy that the King of the North will be destroyed by fire.
Well, I guess that will mean smoke flavoring for the rest of us.

Minor Prophets

Been doing an awful lot of re3adsing with all of my down time.
So, decided to start reading the Minor Prophets of the Bible.

You know the spiritual state of Israel, Judah and surrounding nations was obviously not great circa 8th century BC.
What was precious to God that His chosen people did not violate?
Nothing, absolutely nothing!

And as I read through these short books again, I was struck by how closely what was said about Israel and Judah - up to the time of their take down by enemies raised up to destroy them.

I listed the woes and the sin which had brought those judge3ments from God, upon themselves.
I found I was looking at a State of the Union address of condemnation upon upon our society, culture and nation!
We are unfaithful and sin filled.
Pretty much just the same as Israel and Judah by the time of their falls.
And our prophets proclaim peace and happiness can be found in materialism ...

And even right down to the idea that we should welcome The Day of the Lord!

But in Amos 5:
¹⁸ Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.
¹⁹ As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
²⁰ Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Yeah, God pretty much covers eerything wrong in this generation and yet He holds back his wrath.

But one has to wonder for how much longer will He?
 

Failing Yourself

One last post on my trip from a week ago.

The first day of the cruise, you know everyone has to explore!
The ship was about two football fields long and 15 floors high!

While in line, waiting to board, I had observed a young teen girl whom seemed "odd".
And odd always draws my attention.

She was with her older  sister, whom has the problem so many young people seem to have.  I am sorry but with this amnesia, I have no idea what it is and it is common enough and blamed on vaccines, I think.

So, now I am placing younger girl at a solid 12 or 13, sister no more than 15.
And though my heart remains burdened for teens, I have nothing but prayer to offer.

I observed her often everyday I was out and about on the ship.
She seemed to never leave the ship.
Could always be found in high traffic areas.
Definitely was "displaying" herself!
But the last thing I am going to do is have a talk with her!

All week long this was her behavior.
I had to wonder where were her parents!
If she even had any, thinking of the young girl in Colorado last month!
And older sister was missing until Friday!

As I mentioned, her behavior was more problematic as the week continued.
She dressed more and more provocatively.
She dressed more and more like a hooker.
And from what I observed, she was pretty much shunned by everyone.

Oh, make no mistake, there were "professionals" on board.
They were hard to miss as they flaunted themselves about.
shudder!

So Thursday comes.
I am sicker than a dog and trying to eat watermelon.
.In walks her entire family.
The parents were residents of the casino and bars from my observations.
The girl was dressed "normal", but not for her, and with huge sunglasses!

Her parents left without a word, matched the meal well.
The girl lost it shortly after this.
Such heartbreaking sobs!
And her sister got up and walked around and just held her.
I was touch be such a display of love!

Yeah, it seems someone had taken her up on her offer.
And now, she is realizing part of the cost of what she has done ...
Innocence crushed by scum sucking swine and negligent parents.
I prayed for a witness to come into her life.

Consequences

Not so long ago I mentioned God Hardening Pharaoh's heart, you can read about this in Exodus.  Pharaoh refused to listen to Moses time after time and finally, God had enough of this puny man and smacked him down!

Exodus 7 - 12

Pharaoh worshiped; God did:
The Nile River; Water turned to blood
Frogs; Appear everywhere!
Gnats & Flies; Everywhere!
Locust; Plaques the empire!
Sun; Drkness covers the empire!

To further make the point:
Livestock dies
People covered in boils
Hail crushes the crops
First born mysteriously die!

Who is your God?
Popular?
Cultural?
Represented by anything?

Then you have not met God yet .....
The Egyptians worshiped 80 "gods".
Idols were everywhere and worshiped with gusto!

Who is the Real God?
The one whom created you.
The whom can lead  you to a meaningful life.
The one whom the world hates.
The one wants you to find Him ....

It is interesting that the tenth plaque brought the death of the Egyptian first borns.

The remembrance of this event is known as Passover.
Jesus died at Passover ......

Signs

"When you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near." - Luke 21:31

No one can tell us with certainty what tomorrow's weather will be except the one who causes it - God - but by listening to the weather report or looking at the sky, people use their eyes and their brains to at least make an educated guess about tomorrow's weather. Likewise, no one can tell us with certainly when the exact timing of Jesus' return will be except the one who will cause it to happen, God the Father (Mt. 12:36), but by listening to the right information sources, people can use their eyes and their brains to at least make an educated guess about how close we are to the return of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that when you see certain things begin to happen:

"Look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near," and "when you see them happen the kingdom of God is near" (Luke 21:28,31).

Jesus and Paul both taught that the proper way to wait for His return is to therefore be watchful, ready and sober (Matthew 24:42-44,25:13; 1 Th. 5:6).

The apostle John wrote that when Jesus appears, we who believe in Him will become like Him, and everyone having this hope in Him purifies himself (1 John 3:2,3). John also wrote that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). So two benefits of studying Bible prophecy and comparing it to world events are personal purification and a better understanding of Jesus. Also, in 1 Th. 4:18, Christians are commanded to encourage each other with words about the return of Christ. Hebrews 10:24,25 also says that as we should regularly meet to encourage one another, especially as we see the Day of Jesus' return approaching.

Although we cannot say with certainty how today's events are related to Bible prophecy, it is unwise to ignore them. Following are 10 for your consideration. The first seven are already happening. The last three are in preparatory stages:

Signs that are already Happening

---

1. Wars and rumors of wars

"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom."(Matthew 24:6,7)

Since World War II, many countries have been building up massive arsenals of conventional and nuclear weapons. The potential for war grows day by day. In addition to potential nuclear war, we have todays war on terror.

---

2. Famines, Pestilence, Earthquakes

"And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." (Matthew 24:7b,8).

Due to flooding and droughts, world food supplies are running very low. Many people are expecting a global food shortage and famines in many places.

In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning that infectious diseases are emerging more quickly and spreading faster around the globe than ever before, and they are becoming increasingly difficult to treat. The UN said in its 2007 annual world health report that an outbreak or epidemic in one part of the world can easily threaten billions of people in other parts due to large numbers of modern day air travelers.

Regarding earthquakes, scientific data does show that we have been seeing a large increase in seismic activity. According to a number of scientists (whom I strongly disagree with!), another star or large planet is affecting the sun's magnetic field, which is also affecting the earth's magnetic field - both the core and the ionosphere. The north pole is shifting at an accelerated pace, and the earth seems to be expanding. Thus, we should see a continual increase in earthquakes and volcanic activity in coming years.

---

3. Deceivers who claim to follow Jesus

And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you for many will come in My name saying that I am the Christ and will deceive many." Mt. 24:4,5

Although the Bible teaches that Jesus is the promised Jewish Messiah and is "the only begotten Son of God" (see John 3:18), who created the world and everything in it (see Col. 1:16), at the end of the Church Age many people will be teaching these truths, yet they will have other teachings that that are not consistent with the Bible and will deceive many. Perhaps the majority of professing Christian teachers in the world today fall into this camp, as most have fallen away from sound Biblical teachings and instead place traditions of men and/or the goal of increasing church attendance figures above the authority of the Bible. Some are subtle, and some are blatant. Sincere followers of Jesus should come out of these wayward institutional churches and seek to fellowship with people who follow and teach what Jesus and His apostles did.

---

4. People of Israel return to their land

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that ... I will bring again captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God." (Amos 9:13-15)

"Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel.'" (Ezekiel 37:21,22)

• During the last 140 years Jews from 108 nations have migrated to the land of Israel.
• In 1882 the first wave of modern immigration to Israel started as Jews fled persecution, or followed the Socialist Zionist ideas of Moses Hess. From 1882 to 1919 around 75,000 Jews immigrated to Palestine, mostly from Russia. They bought land from Ottoman and individual Arab landholders and established agricultural settlements. During this period the Hebrews language was revived, newspapers and literature were published in Hebrew and political parties and workers organizations were established.
• In 1917 during World War I, the British government in its Balfour Declaration supported plans for a ?national home? for the Jews in their promised land. Later, the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) lost control of the Middle East. This made it possible for hundreds of thousands more immigrants to arrive from Europe. Anti-Semitism drove most there. Many more would have come had it not been for Arab protest and resulting British restrictions on immigration.
• During World War II, the Nazis killed around 6 million Jews in the Holocaust, so it became clear to the Jews that they needed a homeland. Many Holocaust survivors immigrated illegally to Palestine. When the British pulled out of Palestine in May 1948, the state of Israel formally declared its independence. It was immediately recognized by the USA, followed by Guatemala, Nicaragua and Uruguay. A few days later, the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and South Africa did the same. No Arab states have ever recognized Israel, but several have attacked them. However, Israel has successfully defended itself against numerous Arab attacks. As a result, Jews throughout the Middle East have also been forced to immigrate to Israel, and the nation has grown strong. It has turned a desert into an agricultural success, and it?s technology industry exports cutting edge innovations.
• Today, Israel's population is over 7 million. In 2018, Israel will celebrate it's 70th anniversary, but some of its neighbors hate it and want to "wipe it off the map". It is still mostly a secular state, but it has a growing percentage of Orthodox Jews and Christians. Today, the Aliyah immigration movement continues to embrace Jewish newcomers, help them become a part of communities and help them learn Hebrew.

---

5. Increased wickedness & loss of love

"And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." (Matthew 24:12)

Today, more and more people are living primarily for themselves and their own happiness. The idea of denying themselves, taking up their crosses daily and following Jesus (Luke 9:23) is a foreign concept. What TV and movies show as "normal" has affected the values of those who indulge in them. At the same time, couples are divorcing, and children are growing up with deep unmet needs as a result. Many couples are not even marrying but living together without approved community knowledge (in blatant sexual sin). The result has been the blood sacrifice (murder) of hundreds of millions of innocent, helpless children through abortion and the birthing of even more children who lack a healthy home where they can receive love and training from their own father and mother.

---

6. Reemergence of Demigods

Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man." (Matthew 24:37, Luke 17:26).

From Genesis 6, we see that not only that "the wickedness of man was great on the earth" (Genesis 6:5), but we see another interesting phenomenon, demigods, i.e., powerful hybrid offspring of gods (fallen angels) and humans:
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4)

Some Bible translations use the word "Nephilim" instead of "giants", because in Hebrew the word is נָפִיל (nĕphiyl). This word occurs three times in the Bible, once in Genesis 6:4 and twice in Numbers 13:33:
And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:33)

 Will we see a return of "super" humans?  (by what ever means!)

---

7. Strong delusion

And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie. (2 Th. 2:11 NKJV)

The primary focus of the deception is use of the controlled corporate media by the Prince of the Power of the Air. TV, radio, Internet, cell phones, PDAs, etc. keep people completely preoccupied and oblivious to the fate that awaits unbelievers. The goal is also to prevent people from hearing the Gospel of Jesus, and if they do hear it to forget about it and be entertained constantly. Most people in developed countries are now in a fog due to the impact of these media that lull them into a false sense of security and into a false sense of right and wrong. This delusion can be seen in three areas:

• Spirituality, today's pagan church has become so pervasive that most churches in developed countries will tolerate abortion (murder), sexual sin and almost any other violation of God's law. Just think: how many churches will excommunicate a person for involvement in these sins?
• Finance, many people are unaware that an international government / banking cartel partnership is stealing their wealth and using the funds to control the world.  The stealing is done through the printing of fiat money (money not based on gold or silver but on debt), through interest on money that does not exist (due to fractional reserve banking laws) and through the saw tooth effect of markets that draws people into bad investments over a long period of time and then makes them lose large portions of their life savings when markets drop.

Signs that are still in preparatory stages

---

8. One world government

"And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything: and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. (Daniel 2:40 NKJV)

---

9. One world ruler and an assistant emerge

I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon [Satan, or the devil] gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:1-4)

It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:7,8)

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4,9-12)
Most religions expect a savior or a man who will bring world peace, justice and unity. Here are three examples:

• Muslims are waiting for the Mahdi or the 12th Imam. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated that his mandate is to pave the way for the coming of this Islamic messiah. An Islamic film has been produced about this current hope of many Muslims.
• Buddhists are waiting for the Buddha of compassion, Maitreya, or a world teacher and unifier, the 5th and coming Buddha of the present era.
• Hindus are waiting for their completer and savior, Kalki, the name of Vishnu in his tenth and last avatar. According to the Usborne Encyclopedia of World Religions, "The tenth and last avatar has not yet appeared.  It is said that at the end of the present age, Vishnu will come to Earth as Kalki, riding a white horse, to destroy the wicked and re-establish order."

A false prophet emerges to assist the world ruler and savior.
"Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed."(Revelation 13:11-15)

Muslims are waiting for Isa Bin Maryam (i.e., Jesus, the son of the virgin Mary) to appear with the Mahdi, praying behind him
Jews are still waiting for their Messiah, Emmanuel.
Christians are waiting for the second coming of Jesus, but most no longer believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible, so many will be deceived.
Recently, the Roman Church has elected a new pope whom some people say will be the last pope and may be the beast out of the earth described in Rev. 13:11-15.

---

10. Technology to control the world

"He [the second beast] causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666."(Revelation 13:16-18)

Today, smart cards are popular, but they can be lost or stolen. It is likely that the eventual solution will be an implantable RFID chip or some form of high tech tattoo on the right hand or forehead. Already, 99% of commercial transactions in many countries are done without cash. Most paper money is not even backed by gold or silver anymore, so it's value is purely psychological. When the current monetary system crashes, technology is available to redefine currency and commerce in a seamless way that people will want as a solution to their need for quick spending.

Lamentations

I have mentioned a few times that I have been studying and meditating upon this rather depressing book of the Bible.

The prophet Jeremiah was not well liked by the rulers of the day because he continually pointed them to God and repentance ... for as the rulers go, so goes the people ...  And he wrote these five little chapters to lay out how far the Hebrews had fallen.

So, what can we say about a lamentation?  Read Lamentations 1

State The Problem
Acknowledge YOU have a problem
Confront the problem
Admit the problem
Move beyond the problem
Praise God what He will do

Be Shocked
As then, no one will listen
No one will react
No one will condemn

Hear The Stories
But not just the victors!
Use your brain and investigate what you hear!

Lessons From A Fig Tree

One of the earliest lessons I can remember from my wee years as a Christian, is about the fig tree ... and as I have pondered this passage again, I realize again how wrong my teacher's got it!

Mark 11:12-25

It is all about faith, right?  If my faith is great enough, then I can command - and it will be done!  Jesus said so - right hear!

And, well, no he did not - the context is what is so important and within that, Jesus said no such thing!

1.  Be of Substance
Figs have two cycles of fruit bearing.  The first is called "buds" or "green" figs.  They are small, tasty and set early before the real fruit.  As child I used to climb my neighbor's fig tree and chow down on these.  They were great and less messy than the real fruit!  He did not like the "little" ones, so they were all mine!

But, Jesus found no early set of fruit - just leaves.

God wants substance from us - not buildings, staff, programs, self directed ministries!

And, Jesus will curse us if no faith is to be found in us!  Show will be our end.

What we believe affects our lives - and it shows to all with DISCERNMENT!  It is what I have hammered on my entire life: fat, self satisfied "Christians", whose leadership long ago has lost its way.
Yup, we are ripe for a judgement now, just as we were back in 1974 when I figured out what this verse was really about!  And think about how low we have fallen as Christians in the passing 40 years!

2.  People and Prayer
Israel had piety, but no actual belief any longer.
The had programs and priests to lead them - and profits for those without faith.
The priest were fleecing the poor - and God notices such things and will act in His time.
Over turning the tables was but the beginning of God's judgement on the Temple.
Covetousness is at odds with God's demands for Holiness!

Think in terms of Christianity being no different than Judaism - because it isn't!

1.  Christianity began with a period of Fellowship amongst the believers.  Think Acts.

2.  Christianity expanded into Greek culture and became a Philosophy.

3.  Christianity became organized in Europe and became the prevailing Culture.

4.  Christianity became an organized Big Business in America.

We as Christians have come full circle!  We followed the exact same path that failed the Jews in their relationship with God.  And TAAA_DAAA!, we are there, in the same condition before God as the day Jesus walked into the Temple and made a whip .....

3.  The Final Temple
So, Jesus passes by the fig tree again.  It is withered and dead - it will never bear fruit again!
The temple is about to be spiritually dead and then destroyed.
There is no fruit now or will there be ever.

The Temple, God's dwelling place with man is about to be closed by Him.

But, Jesus tells us that there will be a comforter whom will be in us, upon us, empowering us!  God's Spirit will now dwell in each of us.

And just like the worthless priests of old, we are just as apt to trash, cheapen and defile our temple - as they did theirs .....

*****
What was it that Jesus really did say?

Contextually, he had just flogged a group of merchants and made a mess, more than likely, of the Gentile's court - where blemish "free" offerings could be had for a slight mark up.  And to God, that was not acceptable.  But, the Jewish Rabbi's had replaced God long ago in their own faith and were robbing their countrymen, before God!

"God does not see".
"He is only a make believe at best".
"I can make a fortune being the chief priest!"

And Jesus strolls in.  Probably nothing changed across his entire life, but now he acts!

The fig tree is cursed.  Not as a symbol of Israel as has been taught for eons, but as a symbol of the barrenness of the  Temple in Jerusalem.

He clears out the merchants and makes a mess of things for the greedy priests.

He returns to see the fig tree dead and tells the disciples, "... Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea ...' ..."

And I have known many a brash Christian since whom in front of me and many others have cursed a mountain and ordered it to be thrown into the sea - but that is not what the passage is saying.  And, well, it seems their faith was not so great as they thought ....

"THIS MOUNTAIN".

What mountain?  Zion of course, the Temple Mount! is what Jesus is talking about.  And though He could have done this, He did not because He had already condemned the Temple by illustration through the fig tree.

And as you might remember, only a week away from this passage is the tearing of the Veil in the Temple, the curtain which separated the Holy of Holies from the world.  The place where God's Spirit dwelt was to ripped open and His Spirit removed.

Only to then be allowed to indwell each of us - for His purposes, not our own.

No Easy Choices

Friday I watched a show on ABC, called 20/20, usually I ignore ABC, never have been impressed with 20/20 and certainly anything to do with ISIS is an utter turnoff - I know what affect that subject will have on me - and I already crippled Islamic expansionism out of Yugoslavia once.  Conversely, I also crippled the Slavic Army's attempts to mass murder Muslims in Bosnia.  Hey, am at my core still a Hutterite - I hate war and murder!

But, the program seemed to be about refugees in Iraq, so it might be interesting ...

Link to the program: http://abc.go.com/shows/2020/listing/2015-12/18-2020-121815-escaping-isis

If you are not on a system which allows you to view past programming, you can get the idea via numerous sources here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=escaping+isis

You really do want to get the idea before you read further:  Rape and murder of women and children, execution for all adult males.

 ... INTERMISSION ...

As I mentioned yesterday, I have been rereading my Bonhoeffer.  He wrote two noteworthy books: "Cost of Discipleship" and "Letters From Prison".  In Cost of Discipleship, he takes a hard look at the cheap grace being sold to the masses through religion and calls for faithful followers of Christ to realize that being a Disciple of Christ comes with a Cost - a very personal and steep cost.  End result however was isolation of the believers and empty piety - the very things he was hammering the Lutheran Church about!  Book backfired because the laity did not understand how to transform from a dead church into a living belief.

His collection of letters from prison make up the second book and you can follow his thoughts across time as he at first believes he is going to be set free shortly, to realizing that he hosed up badly and the gallows awaits him.  Yesterday's quote from him came from the point of realizing he was being held responsible by God.

And so, I watched the Escape From Isis, on ABC.  The story of a refugee camp in northern Iraq of families whose town was run over by Isis.  A Christian town utterly destroyed.  Christians running for their lives - literally!  Of Christians asking the hard questions: "Why" and "What now?".  Ten thousand of them, trying to live their faith in the absence of everything!

Bonhoeffer saw the disappearance of the Jews, he had to have heard the rumors of the camps.  And he did nothing.  He saw the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and never muttered a word in public - although in private he did equate Hitler to Satan incarnate.  And that belief, that Hitler really was Satan, led him down a path of becoming involved in the attempt on Hitler's life!  And a corresponding death sentence for himself and all of the other males in his family whom were involved in the plot.

Coincidental with Bonhoeffer's silence was the rise of the White Rose Group (Die Wiesse Rosen) in Munich.  Kids whom saw the apostasy and lies - and published fliers telling the hard truth of National Socialism and the War on the Eastern Front - which also revealed the existence of the concentration camps.  Bonhoeffer was to follow them to the gallows.

I contemplate the travails of the Iraqi Christians and the cost they are paying for their faith.  Here at home - no one actually cares.  "It does not affect me..." syndrome.

And we, as Christians, now stand at a crossroads - the decisions we make, the leadership we follow, will all have a telling effect upon our our Christianity and witness - or the lack thereof.

God never guaranteed to save any of us from persecution and martyrdom.
God never said life was going to be easy.
God did say He would meet our needs.
God did say all was to be to His glory.

We, like it or not, are to be of one body and we are currently represented by an apostate western church, unworthy of the  price being paid in Iraq by those isolated Christian believers.  The same could be said of believers in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Liberia, Yemen, Egypt, etc, etc, etc!

Get the point?

Christianity is under attack worldwide.
Evil has raised its head.

Now, what are you going to personally do about?  Yes, your choice will be judged and you will be held responsible.  To act is to draw that evil upon you and your loved ones.  To not act will eventually cost the lives of you and your loved ones ...

And what did Dietrich Bonhoeffer think?  Continued from yesterday's poem:
"Until thou wipe out our guilt,
Keep us in quiet patience.

"We will silently prepare ourselves,
Till thou dost call to new times.

"Until thou stillest storm and flood,
And thy will does wonders.

"Brother, till the night be past,
Pray for me!"

So, your move: stand for God and thwart evil or support evil through your disinterest ...  And remember, to fight in God's world is to do so on bent knees - and He will move or He will tell you to.

Daniel's Detractors - Addressing Names

From out of the 1870's came the " German Higher Criticism"; really nothing more than an attempt to discredit the Bible at a time of philosophical end fighting between scientific humanism and theologians over the mind of man.  Of course what was really at stake was the validity of the concept of God and salvation (much less sin!).

The greatest attacks were against the creation story - which no one can PROVE one way or another via scientific inquiry.  Though I sorely wish that there would be found ... but we are called to faith, not scientific observation, as the basis for salvation.

Falling not far behind is the attack against the book of Daniel.  If you can successfully break the book of Daniel - you have broken the Bible.  Or so were the boasts of the anti-Bible league.  So successful were the attacks on Daniel that even to this day, Christians buy into the arguments against the validity of Daniel .... !

However within 16 years of "German Higher Criticiam" published works on Daniel were some very well researched worked disputing, if not totally discrediting, these arguments - point by point!  And, the arguments are just repeated as though still true ...

The real argument mostly revolved around the lack of archaeological evidence, Babylon had still not been excavated by Europeans, hence obviously, no one in the book of Daniel could actually exist.

And when the Babylonians texts were translated, the detractors were correct; Daniel, Darius, even Nebuchadnezzar, not a o one of them existed in the records ...  End of argument.  The book of Daniel was obvious just a story, perhaps an Israeli pro-nationalistic play, but in no way could it have been true.  Sigh.  However as scholarship has shown, even to the point of actually talking to the people whom lived in the area, Babylonian was far more complex than first thought.  It was far more complex than any modern language and yet, it was phonetic - if you knew how to pronounce the characters.  (a strong argument for actually talking with the people of any area and not assuming you are smarter than everyone!)

So let us take Darius, King of the Medes, the one whom figured out how to break into the walled city of Babylon.  He does not exist because nowhere in the Babylonian texts is anyone with a name spelled Darius to be found.  Then again, on a mountain side was found, in huge letters carved into a cliff face: the deeds and victories of this non-existent ruler, Darius King of the Persians.  I wonder how Cyrus felt about that claim chiseled into eternity!  This was easily read by those in the valley for over 2,500 years before Europeans discovered it.  And in the Babylonian texts, Darius is known as: Darayawaush, Dorejawosch, Dara, Darab, Dareious - all variation of his name.  It depended upon the language his name was written in and to be read by.

Want a really hard one?  Try Nebuchadnezzar!  No matter how you try to decode his name,  you will end up with something appearing to be An-pa-sa-du-sis!  And here is where talking with the locals came in handy to the one whom broke the Babylonian Class 3 codes.  This odd An-pa-sa-du-sis actually is pronounced "Nebukadurriussur".  Okay, pretty darn close ...

Worse part was that all of this was known before 1857!  Long before the German Higher Criticism decided to attack the book of Daniel; including the name mess ups between English and Babylonian translations ....

Naw, no agenda there ....  But, certainly a concern when people of limited education decide to attack something they do not wish to believe in.  What can you say?  Man will always listen to those whom tell them what they want to hear.  And the the harder the understanding, the easier it is to prove an argument against it.

But, 140 years of confusing Christians or those whom might investigate Christianity, has taken its toll in the public arena of thought. 

Death of a Nation

I have been reading a great deal in the book of Isaiah lately, mostly because I have had a feeling for many decades that Isaiah's warnings to an unlistening nation - may well be applicable to this Western Pagan Culture we are a part of (worldwide) - driven by the United States of America.  Certainly no greater spiritual whore has ever existed in millenia than what we are seeing today.

But, the Old Testament is full of warnings to both Israel and Judah, words falling on deft ears - even to the breaching of city walls!  God warns and warns - but honestly, mankind does no more listen to Him than their own conscience!  Then, God moves.  And man laments the horrors brought on him by his own sin and "stiff necks".  But by then their hearts and minds are so hard that none will turn their face to God, except in anger.

So what does bring about the death of a nation?

1.  Religious Apostasy - turning from worship of God to worship of ourselves and our desires.  It is pagan idolatry - pure and simple!  Sure few are actually bowing down to a physical idol, however man has become addicted to greed, power, sex, pleasure, chemical stimulants!  What will it takes for the world to divert your eyes from the living God to the fake one? ... you will be tried subtly, so much so you will never see it coming until one day you wake up and find out that God is no longer there for you!  And He does WANT you, personally, in a relationship with Him.

2.  Loss of Morality -following  on the heels of an appearance of Religious Apostasy, comes the break down in relationships, marriage, sexual barriers, no concept that lying, cheating stealing is wrong, murder increases because man has no value - except in how you can use him.  Warfare, disingenuous politicians, those whom will lead you astray from the pulpit.  Heavens we see all of this happening!  (So guess what has happened already!  Yeah, number 1!)

3.  Political Anarchy - everyone wants to do what they think is best for them and their interests!  No one listens, no one learns!  Since God does not exist then there is moral guidelines, there is no valid law, the is no absolute truth.  The government and its officials will work diligently in their own interest - or at least against you if you truly are a believer in God.  The world will brand you alien, outlaw, attempt to silence you.  I wish I could say this does not happen but I could readily point to a host of countries fighting against God and His desires.  Countries for whom peace is meaningless unless it is on their terms!

*****

Yeah, this is a dismal list!  Heavens, apostasy began in the Reformation Movement!  Our Bibles are good but man injected little things which were never there - but if you can use a Syrian Bible, if you can find one - it does have the original first century texts - because it dates to the first century!  (and Erasmus with his Catholic beliefs could not contaminate it!)  Man rejected the Syrian text because it was not Western (not invented here syndrome!).  And the apostasy began - the fruits of which we see today in churches worldwide!

There are no more morals.  It saddens me to know that my children were part of this hook up culture, not a respectful culture. I have worked for years with youth trying to show them that is approach to life is not only dangerous but un-Godly as well.  Classic answers? "Well, that was okay in old times but we live in another time / another culture!"  "It will not happen to me!"  "It is okay, besides it is fun!"

Yeah, there is little difference between this culture and that of the Roman Empire in sexual freedom terms - with the exception that women have a right to say no these days.  Any time, any where, any Roman male citizen could demand your body for their usage.  You had nothing to say about this as a woman, you were literally a sex slave in that culture - just by the fact of existing!  How is that different than hooking up these days?

Yeah, it will happen to you.  You are not an exception.  Disease, some fatal, all await you and your hormones.  God's displeasure is not something you want to have to endure!  And He does know your sin you think hidden so well, and He does care, and He does know what is best for you.

Sin is fun, face it, no one would sin if there was not pleasure, fun or something to gain by doing it!  And, Satan knows how to play us like you would not believe.  "It" has much experience at destroying humans - you are just one more opportunity for  it to prove to God that mankind is not worth the effort and "its" way is far better.

America is at a major decision point.  Continuing Godlessness or begin the slow turn away from the satanic direction this country has been heading for generations!  The wrong choice in the ballot box and the fate will be sealed - but we have a chance to turn from sin - but it has to begin in your heart!  Anarchy is not pleasant to live through, civil war is horrible, totalitarianism is not going to solve this cultures ills.  But, paganism holds so strong a grip on this nation's people that I hold little hope for a miracle.

But, at least for me, I know I am His, as are my loved ones.  Yeah some of them play their games and believe it does not matter to God, but at least they can be called out sin to wake up because they are His in the first place.

*****

Psalms 2:1  "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?"
Habakkuk 2:4  "The just shall live by His faith."

Joy of the Redeemed

Isaiah 35

1 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.  Like the crocus,  

² it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.  The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.

³ Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;
⁴ say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
⁶ Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.  Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
⁷ The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.  In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

⁸ And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way.  The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.
⁹ No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there,
¹⁰     and those the Lord has rescued will return.  They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.  Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Daniel 12

In many ways, modern commentators have completely lost the point of the book of Daniel.  They want a book and it is no more a "book" than your own personal diary is!  If you have one.

So, I am thinking on how unsatisfactory chapter 12 is - "Seal up the book Daniel ...".  Really?  No nice and spell it out - the anti-christ is ....... ! Rats!  Yeah, too far into the future to worry about Daniel ...

And yet, that really is the best way in reality.  Just think if the tribulation period is still 200 years away, there is no more reason for you to know than Daniel had - nor would it be of any more use to us!  Conversely, what if it is only 10 years from now!?!?!?!?

Well, you are supposed to be constantly watchful already and waiting for Jesus' return, 200 years or 200 days, you are still to be waiting.  So, yeah, Chapter 12 - good ending ...

However, think on these few verses about what  you are supposed to be doing:

1 John 3:2 (everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure)

2 Peter 3:12 (what sort of people ought you to be)

1 Corinthians 15:58 (always abounding in the works of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord our labor is not in vain)

Daniel's Beast

Commentators just love the date setting and exposing whom Daniel's beast is.  Just think of it - you can sell hundreds of thousands of books by coming up with your best guess - and people will believe you for at least a minute and a half until the next best guess out!  Of course, never mind that Jesus said you ain't gonna know until it is too late ... but that never stops those whom see the flock is for sheering, eh Hal?

Anyway, this past weekend we got into it over Daniel 8:24 - 25 ...

v24:  strong, but not by his own power

v24:  cause devastation and will succeed

v24:  destroy mighty men and holy people

v25:   deceit to prosper, thinks himself superior

v25:  when secure, he will destroy and stand against the Prince of Princes

v25:  he will be destroyed but not by human power

And, having read this list, a pig pile of commentators select this to be historical and a reference to Antiochus Epiphanes.  Make no mistake, Antiochus was a royal pain in the backside to the Jews!  He treated then with disdain as their ruler, rose a statue of himself in the Holy of Holies and when it was torn down and beheaded - he slaughtered the priests.  Then he slaughtered a pig on the altar and ended up having to kill quite a few more Jews before God struck him down!

Judah had not seen anything like him before or after!

On his death bed Antiochus even wrote that he really could not understand his treatment of the Jews and was remorseful for the atrocities committed by him against them!

All of verse 24 fits him and the history we know about him. 
All of verse 25 fits him as well!
So he IS the anti-Christ!  Right on!

Only Jesus is quoted as saying we are to "watch for the abomination which causes desolation spoken of in Daniel".

But, if Jesus said we are to be watchful, then that means the anti-Christ has not yet come!  So, Antiochus could not be the anti-Christ!

Now take the following verses and see if you can map them with Daniel 8:24 and 25 !
Rev. 13:2
Rev. 13:3-4
Rev. 13:7
Rev. 13:5, 13-14
II Thes 2:3-4, 9-10
1 Thes 5:2
Rev. 19:19
II Thess 2:8

Looks interesting when you put them together!

Daniel's Vison of the Beast

Just been reading and thinking on Daniel chapter 7

I have piles of commentaries on Daniel and so many writers take a purely literal approach, except that they are not paying attention to words ...

Like a lion
Like a bear
Like a leopard

It does not say these empires were actual lion, bear or leopards!  Nor that they even possessed characteristics of any of these three animals.  But, so many writers will take you down rabbit trails about what these animals are like ...

The fourth animal is the most important and the one which Daniel was most concerned about.  There is  no term "Like" associated with it, because there was nothing to compare it to.

And interesting Daniel 7 takes place between Daniel 4 and Daniel 5, between Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar.

No need to think about whom or what the fourth beast is, it is not its time and so no one on Earth will no because the time has not yet come ...

But, interesting to read and think on.

Fall of Civilization

They sit easily before their forms of entertainment, snug in their assurance that they are safe within their self controlled lives.  Their countries are powerful, their economies are thriving and nothing could possibly go against their desires.  They shake their heads when they hear the daily news, of the stupidity and misery others must suffer through – always someone else, somewhere else.  Why can’t others live as they do?  It is all so simple.  Nothing could ever happen here, “We are the blest people.” they say!  And yet, the news seems to be getting stupider and more miserable; and now the events are coming from closer and closer locations to their homes.  How can this be?  Is there a reason for this?  Is someone, somewhere trying to tell them something?  Are they not listening?  What is going on, in this confusing world?

Does this sound familiar?  Well, long ago, this interesting analysis on history was offered – which you might consider carefully:

“The following five attributes marked Rome at its end:  first, a mounting love of show and luxury; second, a widening gap between the very rich and the very poor; third, an obsession with sex; fourth, freakishness in the arts, masquerading as originality, and enthusiasms pretending to be creativity; fifth, an increased desire to live off the state.”

Edward Gibbon, wrote this line between 1776-1788 in his book, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.  What an interesting observation he made.  Was he correct?  Certainly, about the Roman Empire, without a question.  And you know as well as I, these five cultural conditions did not just ‘happen’ and then suddenly came the end of Rome.  Surprise!  No, it took time, it came gradually, across several generations.  But, none the less, the mightiest empire, the world had ever seen, fell to a group of Visigoth invaders from central Europe.  It wasn’t superiority of line commanders’ intellect, nor Visigoth weapons’ technology nor did the Visigoth’s field a larger army, but it had to do with internal corruption within the Roman Empire itself.  The rot ran from the lowest peasant to the highest officials.

If this was what destroyed Rome, as Gibbon’s observed, then can this be true of other empires?  In other words, can we learn something here by looking at history?  Certainly, these attributes were true of the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Israelites and all of the Persian empires.  The far flung British Empire, 20^th century Fascist and Communist states and even China sure were not exempt from these conditions.  And, they all fell due to their internal failures as well as the predominant culture at the time of their conquests.  Apparently, with wealth and security comes the degradation of the standards for culture, morality, value on human life and then comes the end. 

So, it is well for us to consider Mr. Gibbon’s words, from 250 years ago, as we read Daniel chapter 5 and see if what he has told us is documented in some form within Daniel’s telling of the last day of the Babylonian Empire.

Okay, time to go back now and think about the fall of Rome, the fall of Babylon and see if we can come up with any similarities.  Here is Gibbon’s list:

From Daniel chapter 5 and archaeology:

Gibbons Conditions Of Rome	Observations on Babylon
Show and luxury	Babylon was very big on show and luxury in the 6th century bc.
Large gap between rich and poor	Those in Babylon lived as kings, while the rest of kingdom was in many ways only peasants.
Obsession with sex	No details from Daniel, but from archaeology we know they weren’t as bad as some.
Weird art	Um, to the western eye, yes very weird and often sex related.
Masses desiring to live off of the state	Certainly we know from Daniel there were at least 1,000 if not 2,000 present for the final feast of Babylon.  The army was treated as a guarantee of livelihood with little requirement to endanger yourself – at least until the end.

So I would say that 1, 2, 4 are definitely met as conditions, while 3 is unknown and 5 is a strong possibility.

What I want you to see here is that Babylon had rotted from the top to the bottom.  The top of society no longer cared about anything, except themselves (save for Nabonidus, Belshazzar's father and King of the Empire, but then he was on tour when all of this happened, so he was sort of an “I don’t care kind of guy as well.”).

The vast population was in crushing poverty, having never really recovered from Nebuchadnezzar’s wars of conquest which had flatten whole regions so that there was nothing left standing and they were taxed beyond their limits.

Their culture, like so many, was a little weird on their view of sexuality and religious observances – same kind of stuff that Israel – the northern kingdom was destroyed for by God using Assyria as His hammer.  Too bad for Judah – the southern kingdom didn’t learn from other's mistakes!

Okay, I think you get the point.  Babylon’s culture and leadership were in decline and God, having had enough of them, used Cyrus of Persia to crush them.

Now look at your life, the culture in which you live, are Gibbon’s conditions for decline and fall being met even as you read this? 

Gibbons Conditions Of Rome	Observations on Western Culture
Show and luxury
Large gap between rich and poor
Obsession with sex
Weird art
Masses desiring to live off of the state

• Will you suffer if this culture is judged and destroyed? 

• What can you personally do, that can make even the tiniest difference in how God will view this culture? 

• What will make you different? 

• What will make you a Daniel and not one of the nameless masses that didn’t fair so well that distant night?

To quote Edmund Burke (1729-1797) and repeated by many others since:

"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."