Malchymist

Finally we come to the great and awful day of reckoning! The name alone tells us that it is what we have seen and heard so much about.

We find this judgment recorded in the book of Revelation.
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown in the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book o life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.Revelation 20:11-15 (NASB)

The first and most important thing for us to know about this judgment is- “Who is there.”
The Scripture specifically says, “the dead.” It additionally tells us these dead are brought forth from the earth and the sea.

Let’s review some of the things we have learned:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NASB)

He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18 (NASB)

Thus the Bible specifically states that those of us who are born again shall never die, but shall have everlasting life. It then adds that we shall never be faced with any judgment.

Remember also that having been born again our spirit is one spirit with the Lord, and so, even if we should die physically we are to live eternally with Him in heaven. You may note that none of those brought forth to this judgment are brought from heaven.

In fact the Church, that is all those who have believed in Jesus Christ and are born again, have been removed from the earth 1000 years prior to this judgment! (In the great rapture where we appeared at the Bema of Christ and received our rewards.)

The second and most dreadful part of this judgment though is the outcome. It is the same for every single person called to appear. For those who are summoned to it are “the dead,” those who did NOT believe in Jesus and become born again. The outcome for all is the same- The Lake of Fire, and that for eternity.

The "Judgment Seat" of Jesus Christ

2008-04-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Romans 14:8-12

This scripture is sadly used to promote three incorrect teachings. First- that “judging our brother” means we cannot tell anyone that their actions are wrong. Second- that ALL people will stand before Christ for judgment. Third- that our appearance before Christ is like that described in the previous chapter of the judge pronouncing the judgment “from the bench.”

To briefly dispel the first two: One- judging a person (which we are prohibited from doing) is a completely different thing from judging a person’s actions. The Bible clearly directs us to declare sin to be sin, and to help our brothers to understand and overcome it. Two- clearly from the context of the chapter, including verse 8 above, “we are the Lord’s,” the “all” means born again Christians shall stand before Christ in this event.

As for the third false teaching, which perhaps is the most critical- it involves the very concept of a judgment seat. We know that the New Testament was written in the Greek language. The phrase “judgment seat” here is the translation of the single word- bema. This word means a “step.”

However by the time that Paul wrote this letter the word had developed a long history in Greek culture, for the word “Bema” came to represent a structure.

Below is a picture of the Bema in the Pnykx in Athens, Greece, built about 300 years before Christ.

Picture Source: http://www.freewebs.com/ekklesiaeng

Bemas like it had two very common usages, one of which you may recognize from looking at the picture. The first use was the speaker’s platform for the assemblies of the citizens. The Bema above was the place where the Assembly of Athens met. The second use is the judge’s stand where the winners of the athletic games were presented with their awards. The awards stands where the athletes receive their medals today are virtually identical to this.

So then, what actually takes place at the “judgment seat” of Christ?
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10

Remember from Chapter 6 that those of us who are born again and regenerated are made one with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. We thereafter share HIS righteousness, and have ALREADY been found “not guilty” of sin and condemnation. It is here that Jesus comes for His own and gives us the rewards we have earned in our life in Him.

Where does the Bema of Jesus Christ take place?

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1Thessalonians 4 :13-18 (NASB)

The Lord Jesus will return for His Church and take us up to be with Him in Heaven. This is what is known as the “Rapture.” The world will be left wondering and making excuses for how all believers disappeared in an instant.
While that is taking place, we will be receiving our rewards from Jesus “in the air.”

JUDGMENT

2007-12-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

Now we return to the issue raised in the consideration of the statement
“I’m basically a good person and I try to keep the ten commandments.”

We have now learned the true meaning of salvation. Being born again we are forever joined in spirit with God and thus permanently assured of our place with Him in heaven.

Yet... people will still return to this concept of qualifying in some manner through a judgment process weighing their good and bad deeds to determine (again!) their eternal destiny. If this were true it would mean that God is fickle and places us under double jeopardy.

The reason for returning to this idea of “everyone” having to go to some future Judgment is that many churches still teach this doctrine. In this way “Christian“ societies have transferred it to literature, popular culture, to the very psyche of Christendom.

The idea of judgment has become such a basic concept that people often focus on it more than on the outcome. Some who question the existence of hell still speak of the judgment. Others say, “It doesn’t matter what I do. I’m going to hell anyway.” This because of their sins of the past (some in fact truly great, some due to never going to church, along with its many requirements). This has been greatly enhanced by whatever contact they have had with Christians incessant preaching against sin.

We can learn the truth we need to overcome this false teaching of the Judgment Day, where all people, Jews, heathens, Christians, believers of any other religion, atheists and agnostics must stand before God and give an account, by studying the TWO principal judgments Scripture relates to us.
The clear understanding of each can then remove us forever from any future concern so that we may stand firmly in our knowledge of our PRESENT already judged (and declared righteous) condition.

The two Judgments will be discussed individually in the following two chapters:

1. The “Judgment Seat” of Jesus Christ.

2. The “Great White Throne” Judgment related in the Revelation.

Hypocrisy

2007-11-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

When the occasion arises where someone says to me they have some issue with the church because "they are a bunch of hypocrites" I have two responses to that person.
1. You, sir, are a hypocrite
2. You, sir, have no idea just how hypocritical they truly are.

re 1: All people are hypocrites. It is the natural condition and it is only built upon and developed by daily life and the education we receive through dealing with others.
No honest person can deny such a truth about themselves.

re 2: People entering the church to escape their lives of sin are then confronted with a world of knowledge unknown outside, a world which magnifies their sin and hypocrisy.

Roman 7: 5, 7, 8

5 For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.

7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."

8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.

Of course, Paul is writing these things in the context of teaching the total freedom from them in Christ through grace.
But the outsider only sees the sin. And unfortunately the churches are constantly beating the poor Christians and anyone else within earshot with the Law.
How strange! That which is known to cause sin is what is the primary focus of all of these people- those inside and those outside.

Romans 7:6
But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

How about releasing some more prisoners of sin?
Preach Christ, crucified and risen, the grace we have been given to be free, and the Spirit He will give us to lead us into all truth.

Yes, I am a hypocrite. A hypocrite set free and most anxious to let you know how you also may be free.

SALVATION

2007-08-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. John 3:3-7

The means of salvation is by being "born again." This is known as regeneration. It is the work of the Holy Spirit.

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5

The process of regeneration, or "new birth," causes the spirit of man and the Spirit of God to be joined together. Because this joining is with God the Holy Spirit Himself, this resulting ONE nature is everlasting. The spirit of man and the Spirit of God are forever "one spirit."

S/spirit

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:17

Here lies the very heart of salvation. All of our understanding is built upon it.

From the time the Holy Spirit enters and regenerates a person forward they become ONE Spirit. The Bible no longer distinguishes between the sprit of man and the Holy Spirit within him. That is not to say that man is in any way God, or that the Holy Spirit is in any way contained within man's body.

Once joined, there is never again the possibility that the person may be separated from God.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38,39

It is through this oneness with God that the life in Christ is experienced. It is through this oneness that the Christian obtains the absolute assurance of his salvation and eternal destiny.

No rules of religion will ever be able to accomplish this joining together or "regeneration."
No rules of religion will ever be able to cut off man's spirit from God. No sins committed by the Christian in his body or mind can cause a split in the one spirit now at the root of his new nature.

When the person who has been born again dies his body returns to dust, but his spirit is freed to join with Christ where He is in heaven, seated at the right hand of God.

REVELATION

2007-08-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

In light of the fact that God created man a rational being, it is logical to conclude that God would want mankind to have knowledge of Him. Foremost in our concern of that knowledge would be what requirements God has for man.

It is fair to ask if God has any requirements at all. That is, whether He created the universe and man, and then simply let them loose to run throughout time on their own while He sat back and watched. In fact, there are some people who say that very thing. They are known as Deists.

God has revealed His plan for mankind.

He has shown in progressively clearer and ever more detailed ways who He is, and what it is that He desires. He has had people live out their lives as examples, each one showing a different aspect or fuller view of God's complete plan. He has provided an account of these things in the Bible.
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In the Bible the lives of these people, and the acts and edicts of God, are recorded for all succeeding generations to see and gain understanding.

As previously covered in the discussion of religion, the central element in this revelation was the need for the sacrifice of a life to atone for or "cover" sin. Sin which kept man apart from a sinless and holy God.

Some of the Bible accounts illustrating this include:

Adam and Eve - After they had committed their sin, they covered themselves with leaves. God showed that more than a plant was needed to cover up their sin. God replaced the plant coverings with the skins of animals to give Adam and Eve a "cover" for their nakedness before Him. (Genesis 3)

Cain and Abel - Cain offered plants, Abel offered animals. God accepted Abel's sacrifice and rejected Cain's. (Genesis 4)

God gave Moses the Law in which was set forth the Day of Atonement- On the set day each year, the high priest went into the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle and sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice upon the Mercy Seat. So each year the sacrifice was made to cleanse the people of their sins from the previous year.
(Leviticus 16)

In the Old Testament the Bible records the Law. There it contains rules of life and the requirements given by God for the sacrifice which was to be done every year on the Day of Atonement to remove the sins of the people. Following on through the Old Testament the prophets revealed how God would provide a man who would be perfect and without sin to redeem His people from the penalty of sin.

The New Testament reveals that man to us. Not just a man, but God Himself, Jesus Christ. The Gospels tell us how Jesus came and announced Himself, and then offered Himself on the cross as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. They also reveal His resurrection from the dead, the proof that all He had said was true. After His resurrection, and His ascension into heaven to take His rightful place at the right hand of God, He sent the Holy Spirit into the world in His place.
Jesus went to the cross, taking upon Himself the sins of mankind. (Ephesians 2) The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish believers to show that what was done in the Old Testament was a type, that is, a symbol of what Jesus would do for those who put their faith in Him. It explains clearly how Jesus fulfilled perfectly those things required in the Old Testament laws.

It tells us that after Jesus offered Himself on the cross He entered into the Heavenly Temple. As the perfect High Priest who Himself was without sin, He there poured His own blood upon the Mercy Seat. This sacrifice met the need to once and for all time cleanse those of us who believe in Him of all of our sins. (Hebrews 9)

He then chose the Apostle Paul. Paul was to be the one to explain all of these things to us in this completed state. The things which were revealed to Him by the Glorified and Risen Christ.

There is one book which the person interested in knowing the truth regarding religion should know. That book is the Book of ROMANS. Most questions raised by honest searchers pertaining to God, man and salvation are explained in this book. (Of course this means in the context of knowing the whole Bible!)

It is the book of Romans which was the key element in sparking the Reformation. Martin Luther felt this book was so important that it should be memorized by every Christian.

In order to truly understand Christianity one must know this book.

The closing chapter on Revelation is The Revelation of Jesus to John the Apostle. In this, the last book of the Bible is recorded the things which will come to bring about the completion of God's dealings with His creation and with man.

Not until Christ returns will there be more to know and be said.

RELIGION

2007-08-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

"I'm basically a good person, and I try to keep the 10 commandments."

Throughout all history mankind has had an ingrained desire to relate to God.
Cain and Abel were the first two people born. They felt that desire, so they performed the first acts of "religion." (Genesis 4)

Religion is the attempt to worship God by performing some act.* Cain and Abel made offerings. Many older religions revolved around various offerings or sacrifices to the many "gods." These offerings were made for many reasons- to appease the gods, to thank the gods, to make them happy, to bribe them into helping the people, or to meet the gods' desires for "victims."

After God gave the Law to the Jews, religion became more and more the practice of keeping regulations of lifestyle. The religious scholars began interpreting the meaning of the laws and making regulations to insure that none of the laws were broken. In time those regulations grew to far outnumber the law (called "the Torah"**) given by Moses in the first five books of the Bible.

These rituals and regulations became the primary focus of the Jewish religion. This practice has been repeated in some Christian churches who have added rituals and regulations to the truth of the Bible and create the Christian "religion." Others have taken the Bible and mixed it with the pagan ideas of God and life to create new religions.

That is what the main thrust of religion remains to this day. People "do" things in order to approach God; or to please God; to become "like" God; some even supposedly to "become God."

Those people who believe in "the Judgment Day" do the things they think will weigh in their favor when God judges them, weighing the good and the bad to see whether they should go to heaven or to hell.

It was through the Bible, and the Law given to the Jews that the one true God explained the reason for sacrifice. That reason is Sin. Sin is the wrong that people do. The wrong which separates them from a pure and holy God. God provided a means for removing that sin. That means of removal was the sacrificial substitution of an innocent life for the life of the sinner.

Those who are raised in a "christian" cultural environment are indoctrinated into the concept of a Judgment of all people by God when they die. Religion says that the decision made for either heaven or hell is based upon how well the person has managed to adhere to and accomplish the rules and regulations that have been laid down.
It is in that context the person brings up the claim, "I'm basically a good person, and I try to keep the 10 commandments."

An honest review of this statement shows it to be at best an admission of ignorance. The person does not really have any idea what he should have done and is simply hoping for the best. It can also be seen as an acknowledgement of awareness of personal sin and failing to meet the requirements of holiness that would befit a relationship with a holy and pure God. Thus:
"I am basically a good person, and I try to keep the 10 commandments."

Isn't this really saying "I am not really (100%) a good person, and I haven't actually kept the 10 Commandments" (not to mention the 600+ other commandments given)?

Let's be honest, doesn't every single one of us have to admit this?

Through learning the true nature of salvation a person can move from this position of hopeful ignorance to one of solid knowledge. As a result we come to understand that the hopeful claim quoted above is completely irrelevant when it comes to the determination of our eternal condition.

John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. NASB

John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. KJV

The New American Standard Bible and the King James Versions are presented here side by side simply to point out the concepts of "judge" and "condemn." In the chapter on JUDGMENT we will come to understand the fact that these two ways of translating this verse are both exact, and true.

Meanwhile you may reflect upon how they do indeed promise that the "hopeful claim" is truly irrelevant in relation to any judgment of the Christian.

*Remember this definition of "religion." It is important to know that religion is not the way to heaven. We will see that God wants us to have a relationship with Him, not to practice some religion for Him.

**The first five books of the Bible collectively known as "The Torah" are: Genesis, Exodus Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
The book of Romans in the New Testament has a correlation to these first five books in that in it is given the doctrine establishing the basis of the theology of Christianity. It is for this reason that from the earliest days of the church it was placed first in the books of the New Testament after the Gospels and Acts, even though it was not the first book to be written.

I'm Basically A Good Person

2007-08-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

"I'm basically a good person and try to keep the 10 commandments"

When talking about the subject of salvation, it is very common to hear a person express their feeling in a way very similar to the quotation above.

The statement shows that most people understand the term "salvation" to be somehow related to the concept of "judgment." It is, in fact, a kind of preliminary defense used to express their hopeful good treatment in any such trial.

It is only to be expected that judgment is brought up since it is, after all, that very same judgment that the person is hoping to be "saved from."

Those who believe in this idea of judgment, and salvation as the hopeful outcome of it are victims of what Dr. Dwight Pentecost calls:

"a mischievous habit" that has led the Christian world to speak of the judgment as being one great event taking place at the end of the world, when all human beings, saints, sinners, Jews and Gentiles, the living and the dead, shall stand up before the great white throne and there be judged. Nothing can be more wide of the teaching of the Scriptures."

(quoted by C. I. Scofield in Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth, The Five Judgments, chapter 5)

Counteracting this "mischievous habit" (actually it is a Great Lie) will be a central goal of this study. The means of correcting it will be by presenting God's truths pertaining to the facts and mechanics of the Salvation Process.

That is not saying it is some kind of "scientific" explanation. It would not be rational to attempt to apply scientific principles to explain spiritual truths. The two are simply unrelated. Science is a part of the physical realm and can not explain the things belonging to the spiritual realm.

At the same time this is not principally an academic or theological explanation of salvation (called Soteriology from the Greek words for "save" and "word" or study). Hopefully it will be a very practical guide to understanding the truth about the great salvation that has been made available to us through the sacrificial work of Jesus on the Cross.

The study of Salvation will include such topics as:
Religion, Revelation, The Nature of Man, Salvation, Judgment, Faith, The Cross, Resurrection, and Heaven and Hell.

Read Exodus 20:1-17 to refresh your memory of the 10 Commandments.
Bible reminder tip: 10 (X) + Exodus (X) = 20 (XX)

AM I SAVED?

2007-07-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Galatians 4:16

Probably the most well known and loved verse in the Bible is John 3:16-
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
A simple verse with such great depth!

In spite of John 3:16 being the most well known verse, almost no one knows the verses following it.

17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

Now this verse is very nice. It tells us that Jesus did not come here to condemn people, but to save them. We are to be like Him in this way. As Christians our job is not to condemn people. A question comes up though when we think about the second part of this verse. - the world through Jesus is saved. And what of those who are not? And what about those who are relying on some other way? What is their condition? The next verse tells us:

18. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

It seems that we started out on such a "good" note talking about "love" for the world, and not condemning the world. But we see it quickly turn more sober. We don't condemn the world- because they are already condemned.

Some people want to focus on the love part of these verses, and have a feel good religion where we "love everybody," and don't say somebody is wrong. But what does God want?

We know from the Bible he wants to save people. He wanted it so much that He allowed His Son to die a horrific death to provide the salvation and forgiveness we all need.
How do you think He feels about people who don't value that sacrifice? People who say "I am a Christian," but who don't believe Jesus was the Son of God. What about those who say he was a "great teacher" or "one of many great teachers" who show us "the way."
We don't have to guess at how He feels. The Bible is the Word of God. In the Bible He tells us everything we need to know about both life and eternal life. And we know already from v.18- they are condemned already. We don't have to condemn them. And it is not us who condemns when we tell them that they are.

To love a person does not mean to lie to them, "Oh no, your cancer won't kill you."

When I say to the wicked, "You will surely die," and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand."
"Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I iwll require at your hand. Ezekiel 3:18,19

Not everyone who says to Me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and in Your name cast out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?"
" And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you: Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness". Matthew 7:21,22

I hear people say all of the time, "We are all God's children." But that is just not true.
Everyone is not a child of God. It is John again who tells us this:
But as many as received him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in His name. John 1:12

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Galatians 6:14

Charles Spurgeon Quote

2007-07-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

Mike Ratliff at Christian Researh Net brings us this Spurgeon quote:

"If we had lain in hell forever, yet divine justice would not have been fully justified,for after thousands of years of suffering there would remain still an eternity of debt due to God’s justice.

If God had annihilated all the sinners that ever lived, at one stroke, he would not have so honored his justice as he did when he took sin and laid it on his Son,
and his Son bore divine wrath which was due to that sin.

For now there has been rendered unto divine justice a full equivalent, a complete recompense for all the dishonor which it suffered."

In these few words I am struck by two great losses - the fine teaching of the great truths of the Atonement and the ability to write clearly and succinctly in this sort of way to transmit these truths.

Finally ! ! !

2007-03-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

After 10+ years of daily internet surfing the last three months without any internet service have been . . . not good.

So now back to surfing and also working on the SATE posts. Got some new stuff to post, and some variations completed (Spanish labeled).

Isn't it great getting to write notes to myself on a blog that nobody else reads?

Never Mind . . .

2006-12-20T10:17:00.000-08:00

About all that stuff I wrote regarding salvation, (and all that is still waiting to be blogged regarding the sacrificial death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our commitment to Him in faith).

Apparently all it takes to get into heaven is a card issued by Robert Schuller from the Crystal Cathedral.
Simply sign this card and get in free!

I only wonder about all the people:
That do not know the name of Jesus.
That don't know about the card.
Are not able to read.
Are not able to write and thus sign their name (maybe an X will do, assuming they can obtain a writing tool)
Those who do not have a wallet or even pocket to keep it in.
That have such poor self-esteem they feel they don't deserve such an offer, not knowing about the "Be-Happy Attitudes."

But mostly I wonder about what God Himself said regarding the matter.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Romans 5:1,2
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Faith in JESUS CHRIST or faith in a card?

Ludicrous Diversion

2006-11-28T10:07:00.000-08:00

A documentary focussing on the 7/7 bombings in London and the British Big Brother state.
youTube video

The commenters over at Hot Air
don't like this film, assigning a plausible agenda to its creators.

However, this is what struck me:

"We are constantly told that the terrorists, especially the CIA created Islamic group alQuaida, are attacking our way of life and our freedom.
But these transparently absurd claims are made only by our government, never by the terrorists themselves who consistently cite very different and very specific grievances.
And ironically it is not the terrorists attacking our way of life, but our own government. Through the expansion of police powers and stringent anti-terrorist measures being imposed upon Britain they are using our fear for our safety to restrict our liberty. And they are using their false promises of security to erode our privacy..."

"The terrorists cannot take away our freedom or change our way of life, only our elected leaders can do that.

And they are."
[emphasis added] (from end of part 1, beginning of part 2)

Somehow nursing mothers, blue haired grannies, Congressional Medal of Honor winners and Ann Coulter are a threat to our National Security requiring further investigation, but young Moslem males cannot be questioned.

...and don't get me started on the "war on drugs"

ASPECTS of SALVATION

2006-11-26T16:01:00.000-08:00

SPIRIT

Regeneration is the process spoken of in the previous post on Salvation: Being Born Again. At the moment of rebirth the Holy Spirit enters into the spirit of man and gives him eternal life, reversing the curse of death inherited from Adam. At that moment it is full and complete, there is nothing lacking for a person to be saved. The person born again is a new creation, now one with Christ in complete union for all eternity.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Romans 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

SOUL

Sanctification is the ongoing process of following the Holy Spirit's leading and applying the truths of God's word to one's inner and outer life and becoming more and more like Christ in heart, mind, attitudes and actions. This process takes place throughout life to greater or lesser degrees and is never wholly completed in this lifetime.

Romans 12:1,2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

2 Tim 3:16,17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

BODY

Glorification occurs when Christ returns and the dead in Christ are raised and those of us that remain are caught up in the air with Him and are there transformed into His likeness, a glorified spiritual body.

1Thess 4 :13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Cor 15:42-58 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Flatheads Forever

2006-11-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

Took the granddaughter to a local car show today.
Got to teach her some of the important facts of life...
How to identify a flathead.

Nice 24 bolt!
In a sweet 50 Ford.
Of course she liked the one next to it with the Edelbrock heads better. *Shiny!!*

Corrected Diagram

2006-11-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

While working on the diagram of the Aspects of Salvation I wrestled with the placement of JUSTIFICATION.
The standard on the Salvation process(es) is stated-
"Justification, Sanctification, Glorification."
While this is true, almost from the beginning of creating the diagram I realized that Justification was not an internal event. I eventually overcame my attachment to the phraseology that had become ingrained and moved to the rational application of the components.
Justification is indeed the crux of Salvation.
It will be addressed in the following posts.

Backup You Clown

2006-11-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

Note to self-
When you think you might oughta back up several hundred files representing a couple years work you really should go ahead and do it.

And while you are at it make sure you have all the restore and recovery points set up for that nasty, rotten program you sold your soul to 15 years ago.

That way when W____ XP crashes and burns like you have always known that it will you don't spend a week hoping for any crumb you might dig out; and everyone telling you they do NOT have a clue.

But, happy day! we managed to rescue ourselves!!!

Now to go fix the previous post and continue on in the TECHNICAL EXPLANATION of SALVATION.

Aspects of Salvation

2006-10-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

SALVATION OF THE WHOLE PERSON
Being born again the spirit of man is regenerated and made one with the Holy Spirit. This is the seat of salvation, but it is not all of salvation. Salvation is for the whole man, not merely the spirit. The Soul and the Body are indeed part of salvation.

Each of the three components of man has a distinct experience of the salvation process. The three individually differ as to timing, duration, means and result. These differences are expressions of the individual character of the spirit, soul and body, not differences in degrees or type of salvation itself.

To be continued. . .

SALVATION

2006-09-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. John 3:3-7

The means of salvation is by being "born again." This is known as regeneration. It is the work of the Holy Spirit.
The process of regeneration, or "new birth," causes the spirit of man and the Spirit of God to be joined together. Because this is God the Holy Spirit Himself, this resulting ONE nature is everlasting. The spirit of man and the Spirit of God are forever "one spirit."

S/spirit

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:17

Here lies the very heart of salvation.
From the time the Holy Spirit enters and regenerates a person forward they become ONE Spirit. The Bible no longer distinguishes between the sprit of man and the Holy Spirit within him. That is not to say that man is in any way God, or that the Holy Spirit is in any way contained within man's body.

Once joined, there is never again the possibility that the person may be separated from God.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38,39

It is through this oneness with God that the life in Christ is experienced. It is through this oneness that the Christian obtains the absolute assurance of his salvation and eternal destiny.

No rules of "religion" will ever be able to cut off man's spirit from God. No sins committed by the Christian in his body or mind can cause a split in the one spirit now at the root of his new nature.

MAN

2006-09-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: Genesis 1:26

After all the rest of creation was completed God turned to a final special work. The entire universe and every kind of created being had been "made." They were spoken into existence. Man was unique. He was "formed" by God from the elements of the Earth.
Being formed in the image and likeness of God has multiple implications.

In some essential manner the human form is representative of God. The principle illustration of this is in Jesus Christ Himself. The eternal Son of God came to dwell among us in human form. More than that, the glorified body in which He now and forever reigns is human in form.

Secondly, after the manner of the Trinity, Man was created with a tri-partite nature.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7

This verse reveals the three components of the nature of man. From the earth itself came the BODY of man. Into that body God breathed His SPIRIT (this like no other living being of creation.) The spirit energizing the physical body created the living SOUL of man.

The BODY was made from the earth and functions to allow man to interact with the world surrounding him.

The SPIRIT which was breathed into him is the means by which man relates to God (Who is Spirit).

The SOUL of man is composed of the MIND, WILL and EMOTIONS. It is by the soul that man is conscious. By this consciousness he is aware of himself.

GOD

2006-09-17T19:07:00.000-07:00

The Bible begins as the universe began . . .
"In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth."

It begins in that manner for two reasons. First, the Creation is told by Moses as a corrective to all of the false alternative stories which had arisen in the intervening time. Secondly, to begin with God is to set the path for all succeeding knowledge. The person who does not acknowledge God need not pursue the matter any farther. For, the Bible tells us, "The fool has said in His heart, 'there is no God.'" (Psalms 14 & 53)

The TRINITY

God has revealed Himself to us through His word, and later through His Son, Jesus, and finally through His Spirit.
He has revealed Himself to be ONE God in THREE Persons.
It is impossible in human terms to fully understand how this can be. Yet it is so, and any who deny it at this point in time have to be considered outside the realm of Christian belief. With the centuries of debate and ponderings, the searching and weighing of the Scriptures, the result is the absolutely concrete truth of the Trinitarian nature of God.

Even though it is impossible to fully illustrate an infinite God in a two-dimensional diagram, one similar to the type shown here has been most helpful to people for centuries.
By following the Diagram one can quickly see that the ONE GOD is revealed in Three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of these three IS God, while at the same time each IS NOT the other.
The Father is God, but He is NOT Jesus.
Jesus IS God, but He is NOT the Father. Yet at the same time Jesus is able to say, "I and the Father are one" without contradiction.
The Holy Spirit IS God, yet He is neither the Father nor the Son.

REVELATION

2006-09-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

Third in the series SALVATION: A Technical Explanation

In light of the fact that God created man a rational being, it is logical that God would want mankind to have knowledge of Him. Of foremost concern in that knowledge would be what requirements God has for man.
It is fair to ask if God has any requirements at all. That is, whether He created the universe and man, and then simply let them loose to run throughout time on their own while He simply sat back and watched.

God has progressively revealed His plan for mankind.

He has shown in progressively clearer and ever more detailed ways who He is, and what it is that He desires. He has had people live out their lives as examples, each one showing a different aspect or fuller view of God's complete plan. He has provided an account of these things in the Bible.
In the Bible the lives of the people, and the acts and edicts of God, are recorded for all succeeding generations to see and gain understanding.
As previously covered in the discussion of religion, the central element in this revelation was the need for the sacrifice of a life to atone or "cover" for sin.

The Bible gives the following accounts:

Adam and Eve - After they had committed their sin, they covered themselves with leaves. God showed that more than a plant was needed to cover up their sin. God replaced the plant coverings with the skins of animals to give Adam and Eve a "cover" for their nakedness before Him. (Genesis 3)

Cain and Abel - Cain offered plants, Abel offered animals. God accepted Abel's sacrifice and rejected Cain's. (Genesis 4)

The Law and the Day of Atonement- On the set day each year, the high priest went into the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle and sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice upon the Mercy Seat. So each year the sacrifice was made to cleanse the people of their sins from the previous year. (Leviticus 16)

Jesus went to the cross, taking upon Himself the sins of mankind. (Ephesians 2) The book of Hebrews tells us after that He entered into the Heavenly Temple. As the perfect High Priest who Himself was without sin, He there poured His own blood upon the Mercy Seat. This sacrifice met the need to once and for all time cleanse those of us who believe in Him of all of our sins. (Hebrews 9)

The closing chapter on Revelation is The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John the Apostle. In this, the last book of the Bible is recorded the things which will come to bring about the completion of God's dealings with His creation and man.

RELIGION

2006-09-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Second in the series: SALVATION- A Technical Explanation

Throughout the history of humankind there has been an inbuilt desire to relate to God.

Cain and Abel, the first two people born, felt that desire and so initiated the first acts of "Religion." Religion is the attempt to approach God by performing some act. Cain and Abel made offerings. Many older religions revolved around various offerings or sacrifices to the many "gods." These offerings were made to appease the gods, to make them happy, to bribe them into helping the people, or to meet the gods' desires for "victims."

After God gave the Law to the Jews, religion became more and more the practice of keeping regulations of lifestyle. That is what the main thrust of religion remains to be today. People "do" things in order to approach God; to please God; to become "like" God; some even supposedly to "become God."

Those who believe in "the Judgment Day" do the things they think will weigh in their favor when God judges them, weighing the good and the bad to see whether they should go to heaven or hell.

It was through the Bible, and the Law given to the Jews that the true God explained the reason for sacrifice. That reason is Sin. Sin is the wrong that people do. The wrong which separates them from a pure and holy God. God provided a means for removing that sin. That means of removal was the sacrificial substitution of an innocent life for the life of the sinner.

Those who are raised in a "christian" cultural environment are indoctrinated into the concept of Judgment of all people by God when they die. Religion says that the decision made for either heaven or hell is based upon how well the person has managed to adhere to and accomplish the rules and regulations that have been laid down.

In that context the person brings up the claim,
" I'm basically a good person, and I try to keep the 10 commandments."
Any honest review of such a statement shows it to be an admission of ignorance. The person does not really have any idea what he should have done and is simply hoping for the best.

Through learning the true nature of salvation a person can move from this position of hopeful ignorance to one of solid knowledge. As a result he eventually understands that his claim quoted above is completely irrelevant in relating to the determination of his eternal condition.

SALVATION: A Technical Explanation

2006-09-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

This is the first in a series of posts on Salvation: A Technical Explanation

"I'm basically a good person and try to keep the 10 commandments"

The above quotation is widely the beginning and the end point of the general response to the subject of "salvation."

It also leads quickly and directly into the topic of "judgment."

While salvation is such a broad topic, judgment is virtually always the immediate topic raised. This may be expected, since it is judgment that one is "saved from."

Those who submit to this premise of judgment, and salvation as an outcome of it are victims of what Dr. Dwight Penecost calls:
" 'a mischievous habit' " that has led the Christian world to speak of the judgment as being one great event taking place at the end of the world, when all human beings, saints, sinners, Jews and Gentiles, the living and the dead, shall stand up before the great white throne and there be judged. Nothing can be more wide of the teaching of the Scriptures."
(quoted by C. I. Scofield in Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth, The Five Judgments, chapter 5)

Counteracting this "mischievous habit" (actually a Great Lie) will be addressed in this series by the presentation of the truths of God pertaining to the facts and mechanics of the Salvation Process. It is for this reason that it is here referred to as a "Technical" explanation.
This by no means implies a "scientific" explanation, which is not rational. For example, one would not employ Chemistry to explain Music, the two are of different spheres and unrelated. Science is of the physical realm and can in no way explain the spiritual one. It is at the same time not principally what would be an academic "Theological" explanation of "Soteriology" (the study of Salvation in a fancy word).

An apt analogy may be that an engineer designs a car, a mechanic repairs it. The mechanic is a technician following a Technical Manual explaining the components involved and their functions. This manual does not go into the theory, the physics and electronics, but, rather, the parts and how they fit and work together to accomplish locomotion.

In coming installments the following topics will be addressed: Salvation, Judgment, The Trinity, Religion, The Revelation of God, The 3 Part Nature of Man, The Cross, Faith, Life after Salvation, Life after Death.

The Exodus Decoded

2006-09-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

I saw a History channel program on the Jews and their Exodus from Egypt.
I began watching with my usual trepidation. How many of these shows bring in the "theologians" that explain awayall that the Bible said?
But this show was GREAT! It repeated what we have seen over and over and over.
When truth seekers take the scriptural accounts and look for who and what they say, where they say and when, marvelous thing occur.
I cannot recommend this program highly enough!!!

From the History Channel:
The story of the Exodus invokes an epic tale--Pharaohs and Israelites, plagues and miracles, splitting of the sea and drowning of an army, and Moses. It's at the heart of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. After much research--working with archaeologists, Egyptologists, geologists, and theologians--filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici concluded that the Exodus took place hundreds of years earlier than thought. With a new timetable, Jacobovici reexamined artifacts and discovered that the traditional consensus on the date was reached without reference to Judaic texts that record the oral traditions. When Jacobovici consulted these texts, they revealed names of people and places unknown to researchers until recently when extensive excavations in the Nile Delta took place. Teaming up with special effects designers, he created a unique digital experience of the Exodus. Blending archaeological findings with eye-catching effects, Jacobovici creates a virtual museum to showcase his discoveries.

One can only imagine what all will come together when (if) the Egyptians allow full and open exploration of the archaeological sites. And even more when Jerusalem is treated with scientific respect. Although I wonder if that won't take place when the Lord returns and rules from there!

The Gnathograph

2006-09-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

Is there anyone who could be led to believe that this device will help this person speak with grace, compassion, love or truth? Or not curse or lie?
Could such a tool help to follow the scripture,"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Eph. 4:29

James says, " For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. James 3:2,3
Yet there are those who would apply the epistle of James as this type of device with the goal of making Christians demonstrate their salvation through their works, that is, conforming to the commandments given by Christ.As this mechanical device is an external tool forcing compliance to a predetermined path, these people would apply the law to outward appearance of behavior.
We must distinguish the body (soma) from the flesh (sarx). It is not the body which causes us to sin.

All change must come from within. It is the Spirit, through the mind, controlling the body which brings about holy living.

h/t: Modern Mechanix

2006-09-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

Carl Jung, darling of the "spiritually minded" psychologies wrote extensively on alchemy.
As noted in these two quotes from crystalinks.com-
"He conceived that the Christian religion was part of a historic process necessary for the development of consciousness, but he thought that the heretical movements, starting with Gnosticism and ending in alchemy, were manifestations of unconscious archetypal elements not adequately expressed in the varying forms of Christianity."

"For Jung, alchemy was not the search for the substance that would transform lead into gold, but the transformation of the soul on its path to perfection."

As all who forsake the Bible as the source for this transformation, Jung and his psychologically minded descendants turn to the doctrines of demons for guidance.

Rather than according to the true book of knowledge which tells us-
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 2 Peter 1:3

they neglect the true way of transformation-
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1,2

2 Kinds of Faith

2006-08-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

The 2 Kinds of Faith
"Unanswered prayer stands between the individual and a faith life."

That is the opening sentence of a booklet by E.W. Kenyon titled The 2 Kinds of Faith.

I have spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on that supposition. How many, I wonder, are involved enough in their Christian walk to have this kind of thought rise to the surface of their consciousness? In our society today there is such an excess of plenty that one can obtain an acceptable level of living purely by osmosis. It is easy then to say, "Praise the Lord!" because it is obvious it came from Him and, after all, they DID pray for it.

At that point life splits, however. On the one hand there are those as above who get what they are satisfied with in a reasonable amount of time and simply go on living as always. These are the same people that populate the "Success" seminars and make all the positive thinking preachers (religious or secular) rich.
The other side of the split is those who do not obtain what they want or need. Of the many, many books on the subject of unanswered prayer the overwhelming majority present the solution as some form of sin correction.

This booklet provides one of those light bulb moments in understanding the workings of faith. In it is presented the contrast between "Mental Assent" and "Faith."
To give the most basic point of relevance on these two consider the Bible teaching about Jesus. How many people give "Mental Assent" to the truth regarding Jesus, yet never exercise "Faith" into Him for their personal salvation?

2006-08-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

ELEMENTARY THINGS ?

If we have put aside the elementary principles of the world-

See to it that no one take you captive
through philosophy and empty deception,
according to the tradition of men,
according to the elementary principles of the world,
rather than according to Christ.
Colossians 2:8

And if we are now pressing on from the elementary teaching about the Christ-

Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ,
let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of
repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
of instruction about washings and laying on of hands,
and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
Hebrews 6:1,2

What are we to now teach?

Don't Kill Me, I'm Just the Messenger

2006-08-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

Don't Kill Me, I'm Just the Messenger
The prophet Amos says:
Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? Amos 3:6

I have always liked the rhythm of calamity in this phrase: Shall there be calamity in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
Whenever I have attempted to teach it though, calamity is what happens to me. It is difficult to face a group who refuse to admit that calamity, or evil could be the meaning of this verse.

Strong's definition is very clear on this point. So many of his definitions are a few words long, but here he expounds:
From H7489; bad or (as noun) evil (naturally or morally). This includes the second (feminine) form; as adjective or noun: - adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, + displease (-ure), distress, evil ([-favouredness], man, thing), + exceedingly, X great, grief (-vous), harm, heavy, hurt (-ful), ill (favoured), + mark, mischief, (-vous), misery, naught (-ty), noisome, + not please, sad (-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked (-ly, -ness, one), worse (-st) wretchedness, wrong.
Pretty much covers the territory.

It is difficult for me to grasp the disconnect for people who can count off the traits of God: Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent; but refuse to move on to the knowledge regarding His control of all things.
The secular teaching that it was the "primitive belief" of peoples of the Old Testament that calamities were the judgment of God for their sin has become the bedrock for the mindset of even Christians in modern times.
Add the sappy New Age and New Thought appropriation of the phrase "God is love" and you have an emasculated and miniaturized God who only does "good" things, and those according to our definition, not His.
So I am frustrated. And I am forced to hear continually how "Satan has been attacking me lately" as the simple password for virtually any difficulty or temptation that has been taking place in their life. Satan is given a huge amount of time and credit in church meetings, all of it reflecting his power.
Well, I sure won't resolve that problem here.

But I will reiterate, Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
No.

Jacob's Ladder 21st century

2006-08-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

Genesis 28:
10And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
11And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
13And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

Every once in a while I creep myself out wondering about who(?) might be around and watching all of my actions.

Hebrews 12:1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

"Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't watching me."

Music of the Spheres

2006-08-14T23:31:00.000-07:00

Those from the tyme we sange hymns in churche may recall the old classic This Is My Father's World.
I love that song.
The first line and chorus are:

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

Not once. Never, has anyone either questioned nor explained the meaning of that phrase in my realm of knowledge/ experience.

I love the internet. I have done many searches and read much concerning these spheres and their music. Yes, most of it is garbage.

But now, lookahere.
The Shape of Song
Doesn't explain much, but it shows something. Something at the deep level. Something like the knowledge intuitively gained from looking into the stars at night.

And look at the obvious results of the mathematical applications to Bach and Beethoven.

Re: Colorized pictures

2006-08-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

Recently Phil Johnson has posted a colorized picture of C.H. Spurgeon at the Pyromaniacs site.

Inspired by this DRBrooker (http://drbrooker.net) has done his own of Horatius Bonar. (excellent job!)

Now to my real point.
While I have GREATLY appreciated the Phil Johnson History sites, I was sadly disappointed after marveling at the handiwork on the photo (I've done it, it's tough) to read the threatening copyright restrictions appended.

This may come from two sources.
1. My general "Antinomianism" (Unknown to me until reading the xxxxxxxxx Reform blogs)

2. My extended exposure to the "Copyleft" and Creative Commons movement. I had seen the internet as the ideal democratic equalizer. All people in all places having all access to all knowledge. I grew up anti-communist, in my adulthood I have embraced anti-fascism in every manner possible. Didn't anybody else read 1984 and Animal Farm?

Before this, going back to the 1980's I specifically marked my work as free use by any who may wish. I was under the conviction that nothing I created (especially "intellectual property") was truly my own. What God has given to me was for me to pass on, not to grasp or use as a tool for gain.

Since Mr. Johnson can freely distribute this photo for "personal use," it appears he obtained the photo as public domain. Now this copy moves it back into the copyright lockbox.
Oh, and good luck on getting the copy printed. The copyright frenzy has made it so most places won't print anything they think might possibly be "owned" by someone else. Try taking in some pictures you personally took working to make them professional.

Mal

Opening shot

2006-08-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

I have finally decided to create this blog solely (at present) to be able to comment on other blogs I read.
I previously had a free standing website which often served effectively as a blog. I didn't continue it or create a blog after realizing that I was not that interested in the work of writing every day- since in all reality NOBODY was reading it anyway!!!

Mal