Category: Scripture for Today

The First Adam

 

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

For years I’ve listened to non-believers state they cannot believe mankind began with Adam and Eve. The account in Genesis is simply too far fetched to be credible. My question is… what is the alternative? Evolution? While the idea of a supernatural being creating a man and a woman, putting them in a garden and instructing them to “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” seems hard to grasp for some, once I thought about it, I had a real hard time wrapping my head around any alternative. Think about it.

Lets talk about genus. A genus is a scientific classification. A quick search online yields this definition: “a principal taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family…” Now here’s the thing about genus – different genera cannot interbreed. Yes, you can cross a horse with a donkey and produce a mule but mules cannot reproduce to breed more mules. It stops there. Interbreeding within a species is possible, thus we have terriers and dobermans, but they are the same genus.

How does man fit into this? All humans are Homos. The genus is Homo. Modern humans are classified as Homo Sapiens to distinguish us from previous species. The question is where did the genus “Homo” derive from? According to my understanding of evolution theory, all life evolved from a single-celled entity. Every new genus would have to evolve from a current genus. How would that work… exactly? Mutation is the answer I’ve always heard. So let’s jump the ladder from that “first life” and go directly to man, the Homo genus.

What genus did the Homo genus evolve from? How would that have happened? Because when it comes right down to it, the process would likely be the same no matter the genus, lets just say we came from the genus Simia or apes. How would that work? Consider the mutation idea. Let’s say a female in a group of apes produced the first Homo baby. Wonderful. A new genus is born. For the new genus to reproduce it would have to mate with another of the same genus. Okay, so lets just say somehow a female in this same group of apes gave birth to another Homo baby. One of these babies was male and the other female. For the sake of simplicity, lets suppose they both had the same parents. Yes, I know, incest is taboo, but it happens. Besides, I’m sure they wouldn’t know any better.

So here you have the first human Homos. Male and female. Now, I suppose it is possible that the same Mom and Dad ape produced more mutant offspring. Maybe they had a whole bunch of mutant kids. Who am I to judge? Now for this to happen, each mutant baby would have to have exactly the same genetic makeup of the new genus. Fraternal twins maybe? It cannot be maternal twins as these are always the same gender. To produce fraternal twins, two eggs would need to be fertilized by two sperm. Both the eggs and the sperm would have to contain the same mutation that produced the mutant. This alone seems like a pretty tall order.

What is the alternative in this scenario? Well, maybe Daddy ape had the mutant gene and he spread it around the group. Okay, so that is possible. Again, this mutant gene would have to be dominant and it would have to impart the essence of the new genus. Otherwise this mutant gene would have to spontaneously erupt in multiple locations and somehow these Homos would have to find each other to reproduce. Now that stretches the most active of imaginations.

Let’s just go with the mutant Daddy gene idea for the moment. Daddy is prolific and he’s making Homo babies like crazy. Let’s say he’s got twenty kids. Just for kicks, let’s suppose only one is a boy and 19 are girls. So the boy has this built-in harem and he goes to town. (I’m supposing because only the girls can give birth so this would be most productive for the purpose of expanding the genus.) It wouldn’t take long before the new genus would be well established. Great. Where are they? Huh?

If such a scenario happened, there would likely be significant evidence of the event. Moreover, if mutant Daddy could accomplish this then it is likely there would be other “mutant Daddies”. The problem with this is each new genus would be a different genus. Otherwise how could several different carriers pass on the same mutant gene? It is not likely.

The other problem would be in order for a new genus to reproduce, one would need both a male and at least one female to accomplish the task. How different is this scenario that that of Adam and Eve? To me, not very. But there is yet another question that needs answering.

According to Biologyonline, in 2018 the Catalogue of Life quoted 173,363 accepted genus names for both extant and extinct species. Okay, fine. How did they come into existence? If one subscribes to the mutant theory, then, since the beginning of life on earth, genera would have had to evolve at least 173,362 times (other tallies come up with different totals). This rather suggest new genera would evolve on a fairly regular basis. Personally, I’ve never heard a whisper of a single new genus being documented as ever happening. Ever.

Maybe there is another theory on all these different genera came about. I do not see where it matters as nobody is even facing the elephant in the room: where are all the new genera? Has evolution stopped entirely? Why? How?

Let’s revisit Adam and Eve, shall we? In light of all of the acrobatic twists and turns evolutionary theory must subject itself to in order to simply get to where it is today, the story of a supernatural being creating life on earth, including the first couple, doesn’t seem all that hard to grasp to me. Bluntly put, it seems very straightforward. Ah! But then you are forced to accept a superior being! You say. Well…

Why don’t we simply extend evolutionary theory just one step beyond man. After all if evolution has not simply ceased then it is only natural to accept that our Homo genus is not the end. Would it not then be inevitable that a being superior to man will eventually evolve? How far could evolution reach? Could it produce a being so advanced, we would have to call it supernatural?

Now for some simple math. The earth is said to have been formed 4.5 billion years ago. Some estimate the first life formed on earth 3.77 billion years ago but others have moved that up to 4.41 billion years. I suspect because I’m not the first one to venture down this road and they are running scared as they run the numbers. You see, according to the Smithsonian, Homo Sapiens came into being about 300,000 years ago. That is the current species. I have yet to find when the genus Homo came into being so for tickles and grins, lets go with the 300,000 number. Now I cheated. I used the 4.5 billion number for the total number of years and divided that by 300,000 as a period of time for one genus to evolve. That works out to 15,000. What is 15,000? Well, if a new genus (not species, mind you) evolved every 300,000 years from the beginning of the formation of the earth then we would have a total of 15,000 genera by now. Well, wait just a gol-darned minute! First of all nobody ever said new genera would evolve like clockwork. True. Besides lower level genera would likely evolve faster! Also true. Granted, I’ve never worked out any kind of a timeline to see how it might work. I’ve stuck to the simple math because it satisfies my suspicion that the time crunch makes the whole concept of evolution not feasible. Again, even when allowing for accelerated development for less evolved genera, one major question remains to be answered.

Where are the new genera? Why hasn’t mankind seen even ONE new genus of any kind evolve… ever?

For me, the more I examine evolution, the more questions I ask, the more convinced I am of God’s creation. It is simply far more logically plausible than man’s theories.

If I were seeing this post for the first time, I know what would be on my mind. It would be that 300,000 years of Homo Sapiens. Hmmm. Adam and Eve only goes back about 6,000 years. Let’s talk about that.

I will stipulate to the scientific evidence of Homo existence extending far beyond the biblical 6,000 years. I’ll simply move forward on the assumption those figures are accurate, though it would not surprise me if strong indications of major problems were uncovered. As far as I’m concerned, it does not matter. The first verse of Genesis, accurately understood, is sufficient for me.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

The King James Version is useful because it italicizes a lot of added words. For the purpose of this post, I added the italics for was because my software does not copy and paste this as is. Notice the first “was” in verse two is NOT in italics but the second “was” is italicized. Why? First understand there is no verb “to be” (is, are, was, were) in the Hebrew. There IS however a word for “become”. Simply put the first “was” represents an actual Hebrew word – the verb “to become” while the second “was” was added.

Thus this first is more correctly rendered

Genesis 2 And the earth became without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

In other words, God did not CREATE the earth without form and void, it became that way. Why? I don’t know. What I do know is this indicates a passage of time between the original creation and when the earth became null and void. It is reasonable to me that during this period of time was when dinosaurs roamed the earth and earlier versions of man existed. Scripture picks up beginning with the events in Genesis 2b “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Further evidence of this is found in Genesis 1:28 where He tells Adam and Eve to replenish the earth. Replenish means to fill again, suggesting it was filled before it became “void and without form”.

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Again, this is far more plausible than what evolution theories offer. Even science has identified five “top” extinction events since the earth was first formed. Other extinction events are also indicated. While scripture does not explain the whats and the whys of the previous history of the earth, I certainly don’t want to be the one to tell God Almighty of His “mistake”. Surly an Almighty and All Knowing God has His reasons for what He does and does not do.

So one can conclude life in earth did exist before Adam and Eve and the events of Genesis 1:11-27. What about Homo Sapiens that existed before Adam? Well, here is where things get interesting. Would it surprise you to learn that scientists who study these things are not at all in agreement? According to LiveScience.com

““There’s a H. sapiens fossil from Ethiopia that’s about 195,000 years old, and it has the basic features of modern humans,” Stringer told Live Science. “From 195,000 years onwards, we find fossils we can call H. sapiens reasonably accurately.”” (Bold added by me)

Did you notice how slippery their language is? Language such as “Basic features” and “reasonably accurately”? The bottom line is they don’t really know. Thus it is entirely reasonable to suggest that these earlier “Homo Sapiens”, while possibly, even probably the same genus, are different in species. I say they are “probably” Homo Sapiens however… “Scientists do not agree on an exact definition of what constitutes the genus Homo, according to a 2015 review published in Science.” By the way, this same article also says the oldest Homo fossil so far is said to be 2.8 million years old, so my own “genera calculation” above is way off and not in the evolutionists favor!

Oh. That’s disturbing. So what constitutes the entire genus Homo is in question but they can “definitively” say what a Homo Sapien is? Well, as I said before… no, they cannot.

So why do I stipulate to science even if those scientists aren’t all that sure about their own scientific findings? For me, the science doesn’t change anything – not because of “faith” but because of actual plausibility. Yes, faith does play a part. The word “faith” means belief. I believe scripture because time and time again, scripture has proven true, even when I don’t completely understand it. I also believe in gravity because what we know about gravity has proven true time and time again, even when I don’t completely understand it. Science indicates that life, including some form of what we call “human” life existed before Adam. Science can ascertain certain things about this life, including the “humans” possessed a certain amount of intelligence and exhibited certain social behaviors. Why put the word “human” in quotes? I do this because nobody knows for sure exactly what they were like, just as we do not know why they became extinct. Were they actually human or did they simply have some aspects that resembled humans? I doubt if mankind will ever find an answer to that unless we crack the time barrier.

It can not only be said that “we don’t know what we don’t know”, but we cannot even be sure of what we think we know. What I can be confident in is God knows.

God knows what happened before Adam and Eve. He knows how it happened and why it happened. He knows we would discover the fossils and artifacts left behind. He even knows the true science behind it all and the mistakes our scientists are making. The “why” behind it all needs to be left to His wisdom. It is all here for a reason. I see no cause to go wandering off in search of answers we may never be able to find, especially considering we may not even be asking the right questions.

The scriptures we have been given are clear enough and plausible. They are far more plausible than anything offered up by man. In fact, science has again and again proven these scriptures to be accurate. If fact, an increasing number of scientists look at the universe in awe as they begin to understand how perfectly arraigned it is. So much so that if a single minuscule aspect was not “just so” then the entire universe would collapse.

Seriously, is it that hard to accept that God created the heavens and the earth, that He placed all the genera on the earth, including the first man? How much harder is it to accept than the idea that life first came into being 4.1 billion years ago and evolved from a single cell to the massive variety of plants and animals living here today, as well as those that became extinct along the way?

The Great Delusion Revisited – Steaming Towards The End Times

As the continuing saga of the so-called pandemic rages on, one question has come up on more than one occasion. Is this the “great delusion”? There are a couple of places in scripture where such is alluded to. The first place is in 2 Thessalonians

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

As always the context should be considered.

2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

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

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

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

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

As I read this verse 11, the question comes to mind. Whom does the term “them” refer to?

Verse 10 says “…them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

Now reading from the top, the first two verses say.

2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

Keep in mind paragraphs as such are all added by men. They carry no Godly authority at all. So if you were to read these two verses as one:

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand

Now it is clear the author is moving from the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him” to the day of Christ (kurios – Lord, not christos – Christ)

Let us consider where it says “the day of Christ is at hand”. Here is where the inherent accuracy of God’s Word shines. The word “Christ” in this verse is the Greek word “kurios”. It NOT “christos” that is typically rendered “Christ” as in “Jesus Christ”. Rather, the word “kurios” is usually rendered “lord”. Thus verse 2 should read “the day of the Lord is at hand”. Why bother with just one word? This word – kurios – tells is the topic is a specific period of time in prophecy and scripture. It also tells us what the following verses pertain to.

 

Now consider 2 Thessalonians 2:3

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

This is where things get interesting. Note the term “falling away” is the Greek word “apostasia”, rendered in English “apostasy”.

From biblefood.com

The Greek word “Apostasia” is a compound of two Greek words: “Apo” = “to move away”, “stasis” means “standing or state”, or “to stand”.

Literally, from its basic definition, “apostasia” means “to go away from”, or “depart”, or “change state or standing from one state to another”.

Another common interpretation is “a falling away”, a “defection” (Theyer’s and Strongs) or a “revolt” (NAS Exhaustive Concordance). These suggest a basic turning away from the True Word of God. Well, we’ve certainly seen plenty of that already. Let’s not forget the second part of this verse.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 …and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Wait! There’s more!

2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Two separate events are referred to here – this “falling away”, apostasy, and “that man of sin will be revealed”. There is not much detail about this apostasy. Whether one takes it as a “revolt” or a general turning away from God or a “departure” as in the rapture, it does not matter here. The more crucial question we are seeking an answer to is “what about this “strong delusion” in verse 11? We are getting there.

Now… about that delusion. From the scriptures laid out on this page, I think it is safe to say the “strong delusion” in verse 11 of 2 Thessalonians pertains to the events surrounding this “man of perdition”.

2 Thessalonians 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

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

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

It is those who reject Christ who will be received.

In the gospels, Jesus is recorded in both Matthew 24 and Mark 13 speaking of many being deceived. The text of Matthew 24 is below. Mark is quite similar, but by all means, look it up for yourself.

Matthew 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In verses 4 and 5

Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

In verse six, he indicates the when…

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

He states this in answer to the question about when shall be signs of the end.

Now consider whom Jesus is speaking directly to – his disciples. His disciples were Hebrews – Jews. His ministry was entirely to the nation of Israel. Note this distinction made in the epistle to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 10:32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

Three separate groups are identified here: Jews, Gentiles and the church of God. While this is not definitive, this passage certainly indicates “the church of God” as a unique group. What separates us? The new birth, as it was not available until Pentecost.

Since Jesus would not have been speaking to the church of God, aka, the body of Christ, it follows that these things do not pertain directly to those of us Christians living in this age of grace. Thus, the “elect” he speaks of must be Israelites in the end times.

Even for those who might take exception to my logic here, the deception spoken of by Jesus is quite specific. Those who are deceived are not “the elect” and they are being deceived by false prophets and false Christs who show great signs and wonders.

While there are rumblings about false messiahs in the past few years – some held up Barrack Obama as a “messiah” and more recently, some are promoting the idea of praying to Anthony Fauci. While I certainly agree that Fauci should indeed be counted as a false prophet and the idea of BO as a messiah-type is as abominable as one can get, I don’t think we are quite at the point Jesus was speaking of.

The bottom line is, while this virus pandemic is certainly a grand deception, we have not yet entered into the end times. How much longer? I don’t know. From what I can ascertain, the world will move into that period soon after the rapture takes place. Some do not believe there will be a rapture, however my studies over the years indicates that it will indeed occur. Is this wishful thinking? I do not believe so. For one thing, I do not care one way or another. While I yearn to depart and be with my Lord, forging through tribulation times holds a certain appeal of adventure and excitement. Much like war, I am certain the realities of those times will be far more difficult that one’s glorious visions.

In any case, my hope is to live long enough to see Jesus coming and meeting him in the air. While the world seems to be preparing for this to happen, who knows how long it will take?

Long ago, I had a friend who did not believe. His retort was always “What if you’re wrong?”. My response was always along the lines of “I’d rather be wrong being for God than against Him.” Of course the one thing I could not explain to my friend was I just knew I wasn’t wrong! Such knowledge can only come from being born again of the spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior then I strongly suggest you do so now. Time grows shorter every day. One of the major reasons I believe in the rapture is through a careful study of Revelation. Reading that, it becomes clear those living in that period are not under grace. This glorious age where anyone can be born again by confessing Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead will end. While it will still be possible to be accepted by God, I cannot say how this will happen. What I can say is right now, as of this writing, the words of the Apostle Paul stand clear:

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Christians were never promised to be free of tribulation.

Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

However “The Great Tribulation” (caps mine, no divine authority) as indicated in the end times is something altogether different. It is the final wake up call for those who reject God, who refuse to believe no matter what. What possible reason would there be for a loving God to subject His children to the horrors detailed in scripture. I can think of only one – we are needed to help those who are will to change their minds. As far as I’m concerned, if this is what God wants for me, I’m in. For the time being I’m happy enough to encourage anyone reading this to accept Jesus as Lord now. Accept deliverance from the wrath to come.

Will Our Nation Be Restored?

This has been the question on my mind in my daily prayers… more or less. Meaning, I cannot say I’ve raised this question every day. That said, I’ve long held our nation is at a crossroads. Yeah, I know it’s not a stretch. I never claimed to be a prophet, only an observer who sometimes extrapolates what I see. This crossroads, as I see it branches three ways. One is utter destruction as our nation collapses within itself. This is what the controllers are vying for. Another is an internal war. Again, the controllers would be fine with this as they see the end result would be the same… or nearly so. Finally there is restoration. This would be an act of God Almighty. My ideal would see our nation not only restored to a constitutional republic but to the republic as it was always meant to be. Thus WE the PEOPLE would step up and do our part as proper citizens, holding those we elect to represent us accountable. Bluntly put, I doubt if I would ever see my ideal come to fruition, however I’d settle for almost anything moving in this general direction.

Now my prayer is always for restoration, of course. Sue me. I believe in miracles and in the power of Almighty God. This morning I actually received an answer. As usual it was not the answer I might expect. What was the answer? It doesn’t matter. Yes. You are reading correctly. Strangely enough, I was not disturbed by this. On the contrary, I was at total peace. Why?

With the revelation I had, and I can only call it a revelation, I understood how I can best serve my Heavenly Father and my Lord Jesus the Messiah. What is that? Do good. Speak the truth. In other words, steady as she goes. No matter how the storm rages around me, I am to simply trust. More on this in a bit. Here is where things get, um, well you be the judge…

Granted I wrote the sentence above as thunder booms out my window. It’s the first rain we’ve had in quite a while. We can all write that off as my mind incorporating the surrounding environment as I write – right? Before I started this essay, I made my morning rounds to a couple of news and blog sites I frequent. This morning I was greeted with a warning about trouble stirring ahead in the form of major lockdowns to the extent of one needing “papers” to travel even within the state. Yeah, yeah, I know. Yet another warning about the coming evil. Along the same lines, we are being inundated with illegal aliens swarming across our southern border, the Delta variant is infecting both inoculated and those who are not. Yesterday, an article warned to get ready for the National Guard to start going door to door, jabs in hand or some such. A report from Florida says they’re experience the highest Covid deaths ever, though word has it the delta strain is less deadly than its predecessor. In other words, the future of this nation has not looked so bleak in my lifetime.

It is easier than ever to give in to the gloom surrounding us. The controllers are not letting up. Indeed they are doubling down. Without divine intervention they will succeed! I am certain of it. Certain but not concerned. Why? My trust is in God Almighty. Consider this passage from scripture:

Mark 14:32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;

34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.

35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?

38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.

40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.

41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew the scriptures so he understood he would be beaten so badly as to be unrecognizable. He knew he would be crucified. He knew his side would be pierced. In other words he knew he was in for a world of hurt. He also knew he didn’t have to go through all that! That’s right. He suffered all of this by choice. Even standing before Pilate (and I expect it took everything he had just to stand at that point.), he stood firm, with full knowledge the worst was yet to come! Yet for all of this his heart was “not what I will, but what thou wilt”.

Now if my Lord Jesus could endure all of that… if he could trust his Heavenly Father to deliver him… why can’t I? I am reasonably certain I will not have to go through anything like Jesus did.

Luke 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

My prayer for my nation remains for the restoration of this nation but my stance is the same as that of my Lord Jesus as he faced certain death: “not what I will, but what thou wilt”.

1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

For decades I prayed to understand God’s Will for my life. I sought His Will in many other ways also. I prayed for wisdom and guidance for many different situations and a variety of circumstances. It took me a very long time to understand the true freedom I’d been granted by God Almighty. His Will for me has always been the same. No matter what I do or where I go, I am to:

Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Anything I do in accordance with the above is blessed by God Almighty. Anything. During my time on earth I have done many things that I’ve regretted. No, they were not all bad things, just, well, not optimal. Some of these I did actually believing they were what God wanted me to do. Were they? Possibly. Possibly not. IF I had set my sights on God rather than struggling to do whatever I thought He wanted me to do, I believe things may have turned out more favorably. I cannot say. What I am saying is seeking God’s Will is much simpler than most of us suspect. Are we putting God first in our lives? Is what we are looking to do in line with “love thy neighbor as thyself”?

Many of the decisions I made in the past, prayerfully or not, were made based on circumstances – a job offer or things happening in my current employment – some event or opportunity available to me. Many times these decisions were made under stress. Had my focus, my trust been upon my Heavenly Father, my decisions would have been far easier. This is not to say the outcome would always be without issue or as one might expect. Consider the plight of Joseph, for one.

The bottom line is, whether or not our nation is restored, as Christians, we need to keep our sights on God Almighty. This in no way guarantees a smooth ride to the end. As a matter of fact, we can expect turbulence and tribulation. The good news is we’ve all been able to peak at the ultimate outcome. Spoiler alert! God wins.

Enjoy! Our “Fearless Leader” Grants Permission to Celebrate Our Freedom!

If you somehow missed the irony of the headline, read it again. For us “normal” deplorables, Happy Independence Day!

Apropos for today, Chris Tomlin’s “America”. Please consider the words carefully.

 

Today is the day we mark the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

The text is below courtesy of The Bill of Rights Institute:

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Now consider Psalm 18 – attributed to David

Psalms 18:1 ¶<<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said,>> I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.

There are a couple of differences one should note.

First of all, David, of course, lived before the new birth became available. Why is this significant?

David stated:

20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

As a Hebrew, David was obligated to follow the law of Moses. Whereas we have an advantage:

2 Corinthians 5:21  For he hath made him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Romans 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
5  For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
6  But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7  Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8  But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

David was righteous because he was diligent in following the law of Moses. WE are righteous because our Heavenly Father made us righteous when we believed on His Son, Jesus.

Another important difference is David was also a warrior. One of his first and best known acts was to defeat the Philistine champion Goliath. Scripture is loaded with many battles won by David. He wrote this Psalm after one such victory. None of this indicates we need to follow David’s example. Just as we come about righteousness differently, I believe victory over our enemies can also be realized differently… and without bloodshed.

This is not without precedent. Consider the lepers in 2 Kings 7:

2 Kings 7:5  And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.
6  For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.
7  Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

Every battle won by Israelites had one common thread: they relied on Almighty God for their victory, usually in the face of overwhelming odds against them. Isn’t this like we face today?

Again, I implore my brethren in Christ, take a lesson from 2 Chronicles 7:14

May God bless you and keep you!

James Chapter 5

The first chapter of James states this epistle was written specifically to “to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad”.  By the time we get to this fifth chapter it should be obvious some if it applies to a broader audience. As you read the chapter below, feel free to ask yourself… has these things come to pass, does this speak of the present or is it still future?

James 5:1  Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2  Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3  Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4  Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5  Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6  Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
9  Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
10  Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
11  Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
12  But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
13  Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
15  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17  Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

As for myself, I keep asking… are the last days upon us? What more is to come? I have no answers as of yet… only questions.

All I can say is, if you are not ready for the return of the Messiah Jesus, what are you waiting for? While the time TO be ready as always been now – time has never been more of the essence.

God bless,

Andy

Psalms 127:1 This is what I read this AM

My regular reading – this is what came up. Make of it what you will.

Psalms 127:1   Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
2  It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
3  Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4  As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5  Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

PS: Here the word “LORD” is from the Hebrew “Jehovah” – more accurately translated YHWH. This is the proper name for our Heavenly Father. WE are His children.

According to E.W. Bullinger’s Companion Bible “they shall speak with the enemies in the gate” indicates the children negotiating or fighting.

Tomorrow I read Psalms 128. I have not memorized this passage nor do I remember what it says. It may be just as relevant or it may not.

God bless,

Andy

Your Mother Knew… and So Do You!

Every family has secrets. Some come out. Some stay hidden forever. No matter what the secret, chances are Mom knew. She may not know what. She may not have any details but she knew something was wrong. She might ignore it. She might deny it, but she knows something is amiss. Fast forward to the 2020 election.

We are all “Moms”. We know this election stinks – no matter what side of the political spectrum you side with. Maybe you want to hide your head in the sand. It won’t work. The stink pervades everything. Start with the very basis of the voting. First the decree that “everyone” has the right to vote. This is dishonest. No, “everyone” does NOT have a say in our nation’s business. The right to vote is conferred with citizenship. Period. This is the very basis of our constitutional republic. In almost every other instance I will defend the right of someone to refuse to present “papers”. When it comes to voting – it is essential ONLY citizens are voting and thus must present proof of citizenship in the form of a valid voter id.

As for the claim require a voter id somehow discriminates against the poor in our nation – get real. The poorest in our nation qualify for financial help from our governments – local, state and federal. While I personally feel this, in itself, is entirely beyond the framework of our constitution, the simple fact is, our governments take from those who produce and gives to others. In the process, they must identify themselves. In other words – the poorest in our nation are by no means without the means to produce a valid government id. Sorry but that “argument” holds no water.

Of course the radicals on the left go even further by claiming everyone has a right to vote regardless of citizenship. This is absurd. They may as well claim the oceans are really made of soda pop. Of course one must not drink the ocean with a straw but otherwise… My point, for those who need the word “cat” spelled out is, anyone can claim anything but claims do not make anything so.

The bottom line is: not only did the cheaters cheat and cheat big – but they open defy even any sense of the rule of law. This is to the point where they even deny any wrongdoing at all. All of a sudden they are acting like there is no possible way there could be any funny stuff about this election. This after nearly four years of “investigating Russian collusion”. Why the sudden turn about? We all know why – because their man came out on top, that’s why. So what do we do about it?

At the time of this writing the state of California has certified their election, giving Joe Biden enough electoral votes to win the presidency. Is that it then? From my understanding, no, as legal challenges concerning the validity of certain electoral votes remain. I expect the Supreme Court will eventually weigh in. That said, as of now, it appears Biden and Harris could be inaugurated in January 2021. What then?

There’s been talk of war on both sides. The left has been waging guerrilla warfare for years now, lately in the form of attacks on police, riots and other violence upon our nation’s citizens. Their propaganda war has been in full force for an even longer period of time – decades, actually. For the most part, those of us on the right have taken to open and legal means to elicit changes – voting, truly peaceful protests and court challenges, among other things. While one could point to a handful of instances attributed to
right-wing actors, those are not only far and few between but also quickly denounced by nearly everyone on both sides of the issue. You cannot say the same for violence perpetrated on the left. Is this what our nation will resort to? At least one observer believes we are already involved in a civil war. His points are well taken. The problem with this is nobody will win such a conflict. Either the left will destroy our nation to erect an new openly communist state or the right will devastate the land in an effort to save it. It is a no-win situation. Is there an alternative? I believe there is only one way.

We Christians must repent and turn to God Almighty and His Son, our Lord Jesus the Messiah, for the salvation of our nation. It is the only way. Scoff if you will, but in doing so, you will be denying the Lord that bought you with his precious blood. Our nation is in this current sorry state because we turned to the world and subsequently turned our backs to God.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

We see these things happening before our very eyes! I say to you, you can either renounce this evil or you will be counted with those who do such things – whether or not you join them. Isaiah was not finished:

Isaiah 5:22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25 Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Do not forget this was prophesy specifically unto Israel and not onto those of us in this Grace Administration. Even so, can you be so confident and believe you are immune? Seriously? Look around you!

Verse 24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust

Is this not happening before our eyes? Do you not see our nation crumbling? LOOK around you! God Almighty will not protect this nation simply because some of us who claim Christ as Savior remain here! Look at China, Russia, Venezuela, Taiwan, Iran – the list goes on and on. If we want our nation saved – if we want to reclaim the blessings He bestowed upon us – we MUST ASK!

James 4:2 …ye have not, because ye ask not.

Simply asking is not enough – consider the context of the above verse:

James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

There is more to this than these two verses. I urge you to read James in its entirety. Here are a couple more highlights.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

Ask yourself… what will war bring us other than a broken and destroyed nation? Would you rather our land be restored? Those who promulgate evil yearn for our destruction. This is not speculation – they have said as much over and over again. Their minions have literally burned large parts of our nation’s cities. This is the path they would lead us on. We must resist but our resistance must be Godly if it is to succeed.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

As Christians, in this nation and all over the world, we’ve turned away from God Almighty and turned to our own lusts. Many no longer believe God can or will step in. We’ve walked so far away from God, many no longer believe God has the power to change the course of their own lives, much less the entire nation. Many do not believe God parted the Red Sea, brought down the walls of Jericho or raised the dead. If God Almighty cannot raise the dead then did He then not raise Jesus from the dead?

1 Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

I know there are many among us who believe. It is you whom I now call upon to turn to God in prayer. Pray for His deliverance. Pray for Almighty God to step in to save our nation. Repent of whatever secret sins you’ve been hanging on to and ask for forgiveness. You know He will forgive you. Our nation can be restored but it will not happen by taking arms.

One more admonition – do not think just because I quote the “Old Testament” so frequently, these words have no application today. As I have shown, the state of our nation and the world speaks loudly. However there remains other indications of my words. Below are just two songs written by modern artists. One of these – Rick Pino – proceeds his song with what is described as a word of prophesy. The Old Testament proof of a prophet was whether his words came true – 100%.

 

God bless,

Andy

Sunday Scripture – Beware Those Who Mock God Almighty!

To my brethren in Christ,

I urge you to pray for this nation, not for God’s mercy, not for God’s judgement, but for God’s Will for us! We need to ask forgiveness for our part in where we are today as a nation. For remaining silent as the righteous are condemned while those dwell in inquiry not only escape their due but are exalted.

Now more from Isaiah 5:

Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Also consider Psalm 92

Psalms 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.

4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

5 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.

7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:

8 But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.

9 For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.

11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.

12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

 

God bless,

Andy

The Full Force and Fury of the Leftist Radicals – WHAT? Me Worry?

Do not be fooled – they are communists… pure unadulterated Marxists. They are here in our nation and bent on taking it down. None of this is new. None of this should surprise anyone. What may be a shock is the sudden realization that today, right here in the United States of America the Marxists have unleashed their “Tet Offensive” against us – aided and abetted by our “own” representatives and corporate America. Strong words you say? Yes.

My words are fully document able – not by any “extensive research” on my part. Not at all. ALL I needed to come to this conclusion was read the headlines, a few articles by established and well-trusted authors and THINK.

One such article is published on The American Spectator. Many of the details laid out in this article have already been heavily established by other well-respected publishers. Such as “Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrice Cullors repeatedly says ‘We are trained Marxists‘.” If this is the first time you’ve seen this quote, you need to crawl out from under that rock. Another reference in this article is a video interview published long ago by G. Edward Griffin with a Soviet defector and former KGB operative named Yuri Bezmenov.

I am familiar enough with this interview that I didn’t need to see it again. I know exactly what he said and how relevant his words are today. Maybe this quote will ring familiar to some of you:

“[T]he useful idiots, the leftists who are idealistically believing in the beauty of the Soviet socialist or Communist or whatever system, when they get disillusioned, they become the worst enemies. That’s why my KGB instructors specifically made the point: never bother with leftists. Forget about these political prostitutes. Aim higher. […] They serve a purpose only at the stage of destabilization of a nation. For example, your leftists in the United States: all these professors and all these beautiful civil rights defenders. They are instrumental in the process of the subversion only to destabilize a nation. When their job is completed, they are not needed any more. They know too much. Some of them, when they get disillusioned, when they see that Marxist-Leninists come to power—obviously they get offended—they think that they will come to power. That will never happen, of course. They will be lined up against the wall and shot.”

― Yuri Bezmenov

Yeah. That’s right – ol’ Yuri is the guy who made the phrase “useful idiots” famous. Is that bell ringing yet? So why is this relevant today? Look around you. This from Seattle:

Seattle held ‘segregated’ training session on ‘undoing whiteness,’ encouraged staffers to forfeit ‘guaranteed physical safety’

This is not an isolated concept by any means. Surely you’ve heard repeated calls for “reparations” for decedents of former slaves.

So… should you be worried? No. Not in my opinion. Here’s why..

My trust is in God Almighty. In an ideal situation Christians in this nation would turn to Him – individually and in groups and such would put a stop to all this in very short order. Even if I am the “only one” turning to God – I assure you I am not – God is faithful to honor my pleas. So what if the worst happens and I end up somewhere I really do not want to be? I remain faithful. Consider the journey of Joseph. He was sold as a slave. He bounced back again and again until eventually he was counted only second to Pharaoh himself. Sometimes things looked pretty bleak but Joseph never lost sight of God. The same goes for Daniel. And David. Scripture is filled with examples of this lesson. Focus on God.

Lately I’ve been reading Psalm 37… a LOT. It is an amazing, inspiring Psalm. No doubt you’ve stumbled across parts of it yourself such as…

“Psalms 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth;”

While this is a great quote, when taken in context, it is even better:

Psalms 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

WOW! This entire Psalm bursts with such thoughts! Right on the heels of this passage there is another shouting out to my ears:

Psalms 37:14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.

Look closely at Verse 15 “Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.”

Have I not said nearly the same thing? Give credit and glory to God, as it is from HIS Word where anything worthwhile I say comes from. How else can I so confidently say the house of cards the leftist radicals have built MUST come tumbling down?! The underlying principles come from God Almighty and because they are principles they must apply in every relevant circumstance.

We must be and remain faithful. God will not turn His back on us but if we turn our back on Him, He may withhold help from us. This is why I do not worry. This is why I will not fear.

Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

God bless,

Andy

Why The FIRST Amendment Secures Freedom of Speech

Sometimes it takes me a while to catch on, even to the simplest concepts. For years whenever I considered the First Amendment to our Constitution, I mostly wondered why our right to keep and bear arms came second. Only recently did it dawn on me why our freedom of speech is enumerated before our right to defend ourselves and our nation.

First take note: freedom of religion is at the very TOP of the list and rightfully so. One can argue till the end of eternity, if one was to believe in such, about whether the founding fathers truly believed in God Almighty or what they believed. No matter what else one can say, it is indisputable where they placed the words “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”. Here is the First Amendment in its entirety:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Freedom of speech comes second, followed by freedom of the press (i.e. the right to PUBLISH ones words). As for the final two: “or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” one may wonder if these should be rendered collectively or individually. Why not both? I see no reason to insist one activity be dependent on the other.

Please understand, I am in no way saying the order of our declared rights specifies any inherent ranking. That said, could there be some sort of “divine design” in how these are ordered?

As a Christian, I am obligated to put God first and foremost in my life – or at least make every effort to do so. Fallible as I am, I cannot count how many times I’ve missed this mark. Even so, acknowledging God Almighty is most important to me. I fully believe this is important to God Himself also. So take it as you will. After all you have every right to believe or not, but I see an incredible divine logic in the placement of the very first declared right.

Coming back to our freedom of speech, has anyone else ever wondered why the founders considered this so important? For me, this goes far beyond the simple freedom to speak one’s mind or to write one’s thoughts. It goes deeper than this – way deeper. How so?

Think about it – what is speech but the formation of words and what are words but the expression of thoughts and ideas? Dig deeper. This is basic. It delves into the very nature of human existence. It is what rises us up to the top of all earthly life and sets us apart from every other living thing.

Words. Thoughts. Ideas. Along with the capacity to express them, the very ability to form them are crucial to our lives. Ideas are far more powerful than any weapon conceived by mankind. Our nation was established by them. Wars are always fought because of them. All of our lives… our very existence centers around the words we think, say and act upon.

The most feared weapon in the world is not the “Bomb” – it is the TRUTH! It is the bell that cannot be unrung. This is why the controllers and their media minions first attack all truth with lies, then move to silence all who oppose them. They know their falsehoods cannot stand against truth. They know once they are exposed for the frauds they are they cannot easily regain the trust they gambled. This is why they are determined to shut down all dissidence. This is why our freedom of speech is prominently included in the FIRST amendment!

This truth reveals another potent truth – words are powerful. Scripture is called The Word of God. Our Constitution consists of words. A picture may say 1,000 words, but a few words, properly crafted into a meaningful phrase can change the world. Consider the following words:

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Those of you who believe know exactly how powerful these words are. Those who reject them shall one day find out.

First Amendment or not, our freedom to worship God Almighty, our freedom of speech is not something granted by men. Nor can mere men take these away. They do not have such authority! No matter what happens in this nation, no matter what nation you are a citizen or subject of, your freedom is granted to you by a Holy God in Heaven. You need not ask permission.

In this nation, these United States, the controllers will attempt to shut down anyone who speaks the truth. They already ARE doing this and making inroads. Speak the truth – this will overwhelm them. They cannot stand against a Holy God. They are powerless against the truth. The controllers know this and this is why they are making every effort to eradicate our First Amendment rights. No matter what happens God will have the final say. It is written.

God bless,

Andy

The Truth Is Right HERE!

 

The other day I met an impressive young man. He actively seeks God to the point where he has delved into scriptures while eschewing traditional church doctrine. One might think I am impressed with this fellow because his research validates much of what I have come to believe. No so, actually. From our conversation I’d say we indeed have come to some similar conclusions but I know from experience digging deep will likely turn up some strong points of contention. It reminds me of an experience when I was a young believer.

A friend of mine and myself happened upon a Christian man. We talked for a bit before he invited us in for further discussion. He sat down and opened his bible and began to verify and dispute things according to his understanding. Likewise, I encountered a pastor who visited my home every Wednesday evening to discuss a major point of contention. I remember little of the first instance other than I could not keep my eyes off his pretty daughter. Hey! I was young… okay? I was new and more along for the ride. As for the second round, the pastor would point out a scripture. I would read it and either say, “Yep, that is what it says!” or continue on to read the context. We both never got much past what we wanted to see. In all cases the truth was right there for those who would seek it.

Today, I point this revelation out to you. How many times has someone touted knowledge of this or that “secret message” in the bible or some other place? All my life I’ve come across this person or that alluding to some “hidden knowledge” guaranteed to change my life. It is all nonsense.

Back to the young man I met, he was long gone before I realized what should have been obvious: God isn’t “hiding” the truth from us! My own background began in scripture research and study. While I am grateful for this, I finally came to understand the “truth” is not in the “words” it is in the thoughts behind the words. This is not to say delving into scriptures is not useful or beneficial. It is not to say one need not consider the source – I’ve seen a single comma entirely change the meaning of a sentence – but the truth WILL out if you seek it.

So many gain recognition by claiming to have “found” truths “hidden for centuries”. I cannot count the number of times I’ve fallen for such garbage myself. Really!? Ask yourself… why? Why should any truth be hidden? Is it because “You can’t handle the truth!”? Actually that statement was proven wrong in the very movie from whence the quote is attributed.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Jesus said this and much much more. Read the scriptural record again, if you haven’t already. Did Jesus reveal any new “truths”? No! He simply held forth the very same truths taught from the beginning!

Psalms 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

While there are many things we do not know, we do have what we need!

2 Peter 1:3 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:

I’ll leave you with one example not directly connected with scripture – our Constitutional Republic.

Most of my posts in this blog center around the concept that our Constitutional Republic is, it itself, a gift from Almighty God. Who else has every stated this to you? Is it true? Do your “rights” as detailed in the Bill of Rights emanate from the Constitution? Are they “granted” by men? Does your right to govern yourself require permission from men? Does not all authority come from God Himself?

Nobody taught me any of this. I came to this conclusion by prayer and logical reasoning – tools available to every man, woman and child. This truth was never hidden, it simply was never taught. Thus this truth was not “revealed” to me. It is not a secret. So many times I want to kick myself because I failed to see it for most of my life. It was right in front of me all along.

This is true of ALL THE TRUTH YOU NEED to live a fruitful, prosperous, happy life. It is all right in front of you. All you need to is open your eyes and/or pray the scales be removed from them. Yes, some remain blinded.

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

1 John 2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Some will ever fail to see the truth but this need not be you! If you are reading this, you are seeking and seeking the truth is the most important thing.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

No one sincerely seeking God’s truth will be denied. NO ONE! God is NOT who is keeping you from knowing the truth. He puts everything we need right in front of our eyes. Those who are “blinded” have been deceived and misled. Many are happy to wallow in their deception. This need not be you. Seek the truth. It is not hard to find. It is right in front of you.

God bless,

Andy

Divine Intervention

Are you waiting for Almighty God to save you? Did you ever consider the idea we are all in the same “boat” right now?

Over the past few decades, I’ve been in all kinds of unpleasant situations. Some them seemed quite dire at the time. Dire, as in broke, discouraged and in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country where I couldn’t even begin to speak the language dire. Worse, I ended up there fully believing God Himself had lead me there. Ouch!

Often I had to remind myself – God is in control. Even now. Guess what?

God IS in control – even NOW. Divine intervention is happening now. Where will it all lead? I have no idea. I have hopes and dreams and aspirations. I have a vision for this nation. Don’t get me wrong – this “vision” is what “I” would like to see happen – not what anyone would call a “Godly vision”. Know the difference! I cannot tell you what will and what will not come to pass. I simply do not know. Here is what I DO know:

Our nation remains a Constitutional Republic. WE HAVE the authority to self-govern. There are those who desire to strip this authority from us. They work towards this end as I write. Since the very start of this nation and even before, men, mostly men, have dedicated themselves to usurping our God-given authority. In many cases they succeeded. In fact, in the entire history of our nation, we citizens have NEVER fully realized the power and authority granted to us by Almighty God. It is safe to say, at best, we only scratched the surface. Why?

Ignorance, for one thing – a lack of knowledge. We’ve lacked knowledge of how our republic was divinely designed to operate. We’ve lacked knowledge of the true source of the gift and our birthright. We’ve lacked knowledge of our true authority. Worse, we’ve lacked knowledge of the true source of our authority – God Himself. If we, or our ancestors, had truly turned to Almighty God, we would only need to ask to uncover the truth. How do I know this? Because I asked. These writings are the result – the answers I received.

Note these writings are not “prophetic” as most understand prophecy. They are not deep spiritual secrets. These words I write, these concepts are neither hard to understand nor do they require massive intelligence. The wisdom I receive from God is nothing special – in other words – they are nothing any of you could not receive if you were to do just one thing…. ASK!

I asked and I received. Maybe you asked and maybe this is one way God is answering you. Just sayin’. The question I’m asking now is…. what do we DO with this knowledge? Now that I KNOW our Constitutional Republic is intact, that WE HAVE the authority along with stewardship – responsibility, what now? Well, this is where consternation sets in.

What if you were on a boat over deep water and someone was drowning? The problem is you can’t swim and there is nothing in the boat to offer help? Would you feel helpless? This is sort of where I am at now. All I can do is “shout” for help. It’s frustrating because while there are plenty of boats (citizens) around me, nobody is listening.

I am only one man with a very unique perspective. Worse, unlike the controllers, my very beliefs in independence abhors the very thought of forcing anyone to my point of view, much less forcing anyone to listen to my cry. The good news is, I am not alone.

Once again, I’ll refer to the 2A sanctuary movement here in Virginia. If there was an organizing force behind this movement, I am not aware of it. How did this come about? It was a reaction to events here in Virginia. From what I can gather citizens simply showed up. We need more of this – a LOT more!

This movement is a model for citizen action. While it may not be a perfect model, the power displayed was awe inspiring. The whole nation took notice! The best part is, it all happened with nary a word from yours truly. Sure I posted some stuff and even sent a letter of support to the local papers, but this all started without my input and would have continued if I had not participated at all.

Again, I am just one man, one voice. MY voice is not important. OUR VOICES are what count! This is what our Republic is designed for. For our Republic to be strong it takes many, rather than a few.

You do not need me to schedule meetings. They are already on the calendar. They are YOUR village, town and county board meetings. This is where YOUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES meet on a regular basis. If you go with someone or take someone with you, all the better. If you can encourage others to go – it would be great, but do not let the failure of others prevent you from doing what is right.

Each of us citizens have a say. We have stewardship and thus are charged by God Almighty to do our part in governing ourselves. It is not for you to “control” anyone else. You control yourself. If you are wise, you submit to Almighty God of your own free will. The foolish submit to ungodly individuals who usurp authority they have not been granted. They – the controllers and those who submit to them may enjoy some short-term victories and relief but the price they will pay is a hefty one.

As I am not responsible for your actions – or failure to act – you are only responsible for your  own actions. No one answers to you or me. We all answer to God Himself. I urge you to turn to God now. ASK! Ask what is on your heart. Ask Him to show you what is true. He is faithful. He will reveal more than you could ever guess.

God bless,

Andy

 

 

Chinese Wuhan Virus – Is God Judging Us?

Where is God in all of this?

Some will undoubtedly say God is judging us. Others will insist God has abandoned us. There are those who will point to this pandemic as evidence God does not exist. Some will stay faithful. As I speak of God often, you may wonder about my perspective. Wonder no more.

Of course, God is here. This is not judgment. How can I be so certain? I firmly believe if God was going to judge us – He would make both the judgment and the reasons for it plain for all to see. Rather He is allowing all this to occur, but one way or another, this is man’s doing.

Is there a spiritual battle going on? I’d say constantly and, yes, a good portion of current events is spiritual. We have the controllers, working for the adversary, attempting to foment panic, chaos and fear. My question is, where are the children of faith? Maybe they are speaking out. I don’t know. Certainly some pastors have openly defied “authority” by holding services. Good for them – if they were led by God to do so.

A recent story says a large number of worshipers were infected. This is blamed on church services. True or not, I do not believe God Almighty told anyone to toss prudent behavior out the door. Allow me to be clear on this: you need not be in a church or among brethren to seek God. You can do this right where you are, right now or anytime. God does not care one way or another. The important thing is to seek Him… always.

Rest assured everything happening today is no surprise to the Master of the Universe. Nobody is going to die before their time. Nothing will happen beyond His Will.

The most important thing you can do now is pray. Pray for this nation. Pray for the World. Pray for those you know and for those you don’t. Pray especially for those who don’t know God.

Mike Lindell of “MyPillow” fame was derided for publicly advocating turning to God during this time of crises. He did so while in the national spotlight next to President Trump! When I first head of this I thought he read one of my favorite verses:

Apparently, this is not the case. He merely encouraged those listening to read the bible and pray. How awful! You should see some of the media headlines I saw as researched this. From The Guardian: “Trump uses White House cororanvirus briefing to promote corporate allies”. Lindell said nothing about MyPillow. He was there because he converted his factory to produce 50,000 masks per day to help alleviate part of this crisis.

Unlike Lindell, you are not likely to have a national platform available to encourage others to pray. You will not get national disparagement either. Be content with your neighbors thinking you are weird. At times you may feel you are speaking to a brick wall. Do no be fooled – scripture says God’s Word never returns void:

Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

This is what keeps me going. I am no prophet. I am not a teacher. I am a simple believer who tries from time to time to share what I’ve learned. As much of what I understand seems to go not only against the world but established doctrine, I tend to feel my voice goes unheard. Deep down I understand as long as I speak the truth, it will not be lost in the wind.

God bless,

Andy

Is Psalm 2 Relevant Today?

This is a short Psalm so it only takes a minute to read it all (KJV)

Psalms 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

How relevant is this today? I’d say very relevant. It speaks mostly to those called “rulers”. In our nation, one might be inclined to include those who think themselves “elite”. In my own warped sense of things, claiming my birthright as a citizen in a constitutional republic, i.e. self-rule, I would include all citizens. That said, while I do not see us, as citizens, taking counsel against the LORD (YHWH) and against His annointed (Jesus). I can see this of the “elite” and others deemed rulers – rightfully so or not. So what is the bottom line?

Those in positions of power and authority let such get to their heads and then conspire against those whom they have or have usurped authority and power. They do bad things while ignoring and disrespecting Almighty God. You tell me. Is this relevant?

I dare say it is not only relevant but eminently pertinent. The time of reckoning draws nearer every day. You can choose to acknowledge the Creator of heaven and earth and His only begotten Son or you can laugh in derision. Choose wisely.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

There will come a time when these things are no longer relevant. You may or may not have an opportunity to change your mind if you scoff now. I, for one, would not want to wager such large stakes. If your mind is made up, so be it, but if you have even an inkling of a doubt, I strongly suggest you follow that thread until you gain the assurance you lack.

God bless,

Andy