Tag: Apocalypse

So not going to read the news before bed

I am SO not going to read the news in the evening again. I read an article about the President of the United States sending letters to all schools encouraging school administration to allow students to freely choose which bathroom they want to use.

The Profound Unfairness of the Baltimore Riots - The Daily Banter
Baltimore Riots – The Daily Banter

So, anyway, I had a couple dreams during the night. In one I dreamt that somebody shot the Angel G-d assigned to maintain order upon Earth. I saw people in the streets laughing and rejoicing that the restraints were lifted. Cars came to a stop in the middle of the streets and people got out and started rioting. It was happening all over the world.

 

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. Romans 1:28-32

The dream was not a nightmare; there was no fear that I felt. I only experienced sadness. Not even shock. Just sadness. It’s been nearly eight years since I felt in the Spirit that G-d was beginning to gather His own. An Ingathering. A Spiritual gathering of people who would praise and worship and pray, linked together in the Spirit. And in Revelation an Angel of G-d travels the Earth marking the People of G-d. This comes before the antichrist calls for all people to be marked with the mark of the beast. There is a division happening. Over the past eight years so much has happened. Preachers and Christians are coming out of the woodwork, declaring their allegiance to ideas never before associated with Bible-believing people. They are in the physical Christian church but are not Christian in their belief. Now they begin to articulate a false view in public. There truly is a falling away of Biblical Christian viewpoint, of True Christian belief. And those espousing non-Christian ways remain in the shambles of the Physical Church, taking it over, making it their own. A coup.

abandon-hope-all-ye-who-enter-hereIt’s as if for the past six-thousand years the Spirit of G-d has maintained a certain order on Earth. An order that limited chaos. Limited evil. Not totally supressing  it, but limiting how far it could go. But now. . . evil is beginning to take center stage. Evil is consuming the people of Earth. There seems no limit to what people will do, what people will support others doing. The Earth dances at the edge of decadence, ready to take the plunge, ignoring the Dante’s sign warning: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”

But for those who marked by G-d, whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, we are taught by the Apostle Paul that:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8: 31-39

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Dreams and Why I don’t usually Dwell on Them

Dreams come easily to me during the night. While I rarely sleep during the daytime,when I do I’ll dream then too. Mostly I don’t dwell on my dreams, letting them alone to have their way, and be forgotten. Some, though, are so vivid, so intense, that I have to write them down so that I can later return to them to take a closer look.

Early one morning recently, I dreamed two interesting dreams that persisted in my mind for some time. In one, I am on my touring bicycle, in the left lane of a road. I am about to turn left on to a highway that rises sharply upward into the mountains. A car that might be a Land Rover with a large pipe grill guard appears from my left, and looks like it is going to force me to move right. I desperately want to stay in the left lane, and I refuse to move over. As the vehicle comes up next to me, I seem to know now what the driver is going to do; he’s going to let me catch a ride with him. I grasp the front grill guard with my left hand and the Land Rover powers me up the hill. All is going well until we come to an overhead bridge crossing the highway. It looks like I won’t be able to make it underneath it. This doesn’t make sense, of course, as I am riding next to the man. We do make it beneath the bridge, and I see that there is plenty of room. Then we come to another bridge. I am not going to make it under this one. Some how I am now on top of his vehicle and I must ride on to the overhead bridge. I do so, and stop. I look around and I see that this isn’t a normal bridge, and that I’m stuck up on what appears to be a roof across the highway with no way done.

In another bicycle dream the following day, I was on same stretch of highway. The other vehicle was going the same speed as I was, and we came to the top of the mountain at the same time. But apparently the other vehicle was in need of a rest, or its occupants. I offered to take them to my grandparents home, which in the dream was close to that mountain pass. We arrived and were sorting out where we were going to sleep, when I saw my grandmother sleeping on the deck. She got up and I thought it odd that she was there, as I’d thought my grandparents were away. Then my grandfather came in and we spoke for a minute. I left the room and the people I’d brought to the house began to speak with my grandparents in either Norwegian or Dutch. I thought that odd, as I didn’t think my grandparents spoke any other language except English. At some point we were all getting ready to leave, and I had a plant I was going to leave with my grandparents. I also was leaving some stuff in a locker in their house.

Looking at these dreams, I discover that the highway is Highway 101, the old 101, from back in the early 1970s, where it ascends from San Luis Obispo, CA, to a pass near Cuesta Peak. The highway continues north along the Salinas river, past Atascadero and Paso Robles, then onward to San Miguel and Camp Roberts. I am very familiar with this highway. I lived in the area many years. Back to the dream. It seems that in the first dream someone is trying to help me, and ends up getting me into a mess. In the second dream, the people are alongside, but later at the summit I help them. The end of the dream is okay.

This morning it occurred to me why I don’t immediately mull over my dreams when I arise. The day begins too quickly; the clock alarm sounds, I rise up to awake the dawn. . .

My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth.

—Psalm 57:8-11

. . . though certainly not as King David describes.

Up at 5:30. First things first, letting out the dogs, feeding the cats. Making a salad for my wife to take to work, and coffee in a travel mug for her to sip during her commute. Wishing her well as she leaves the house. Asking of the Lord His blessings upon our family, to watch over us, to work in and through us—all while cleaning up the kitchen mess. Doing dishes left from the night before. Adding to a list kept handy things to buy from the store on the next trip. Thinking of things to be done during the day. Letting the dogs inside, giving them each a biscuit.

Whew! Deep breath. . . fix a bowl of oatmeal, add honey, pour a cup of coffee. Open Daily Tehillim and find the day’s Psalm. Today it’s Psalm 39. King David is writing the Psalm “To the Chief Musician; for Yetoodoon.” I switch over to another web page to search on Yetoodoon, wanting to know to whom King David refers. I’m easily distracted. I look at an email. I think of something that I want to do tomorrow, that needs some preparation today. I push my head back to the Psalm. It’s a Psalm about the fragility of humankind. According to one commentary (Jamieson, Fauset, and Brown), “. . .depressing views of his frailty and the prosperity of the wicked, the Psalmist, tempted to murmur, checks the expression of his feelings, till, led to regard his case aright, he prays for a proper view of his condition and for the divine compassion.”

Behold, thou hast made my days as handbreadths; And my life- time is as nothing before thee: Surely every man at his best estate is altogether vanity.

Psalm 39:6

“David composed this chapter while suffering from a painful and debilitating illness, which caused him such discomfort and distress that he had to restrain himself from speaking harshly against God.” — Daily Tehillim

I recall a sermon in which the preacher explained that King Solomon was severely depressed when he wrote Ecclesiastics, and declared Vanity, Vanity. All is Vanity. The sermon attempted to counter this depressing notion; it echoed the theme, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Huh! I suppose depression ran in the family then, as King David says it too. Or perhaps there is another way of looking at life here on Earth. “In our greatest health and prosperity, every man is altogether vanity, he cannot live long; he may die soon. This is an undoubted truth, but we are very unwilling to believe it. Therefore let us pray that God would enlighten our minds by his Holy Spirit, and fill our hearts with his grace, that we may be ready for death every day and hour.” — Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary.

Psalm 39, while somber, teaches “the proper approach to suffering.  David does not purport to give a definitive explanation for suffering, and he acknowledges the instinctive drive to challenge divine justice during periods of pain and anguish.  He demands, however, that a person overcome this natural tendency and approach suffering as a call to introspection and repentance.  Rather than insist on his righteousness and cast allegations against God, one should instead recognize his frailty and shortcomings and appeal to the Almighty for compassion and forgiveness.” — Daily Tehillim.

It’s almost nine o’clock in the morning. There are people to pray for, things to do, maybe even places to go. And I still want to watch the rest of a YouTube video of a sermon by Pastor David Wilkerson, “Moving your Mountain.”

And what of last night’s dreams? I have yet to take a complete look at the two bicycle dreams, let alone the many that I’ve had since. Are dreams meant to be examined, explained? Or do they operate on us without intervention?

Wait. I return to Daily Tehillim commentary on Psalm 39 in which the author says, “David does not purport to give a definitive explanation for suffering. . .” Here’s the rub, as the expression goes: good people and children suffer. Who can watch shows about St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the kids it treats without feeling so badly for the children with cancer. Children. Suffering. Dying. We question why bad things happen. We question why bad things happen to good people. The Lord Y’shuaJesus was asked about a man’s disabilities and what sin was it that caused it. Job’s wife, responding to Job’s suffering, told him to curse G-d and die. It’s G-d’s fault. He’s to blame. Should we raise our fists toward Heaven, cursing G-d for the suffering of good and innocent people?

The lesson from King David is that despite suffering, whether ours or others’, we must hold our tongues, restrain ourselves, from speaking harshly against G-d. We must learn to find some contentment—as Apostle Paul did—in all things. The question may not be why people suffer, why we suffer, but rather are we so righteous, so good, that we shouldn’t suffer. Isn’t that vanity?

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Life is a Balancing Act

Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of His people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
Lord, who can dwell in Your tent?
Who can live on Your holy mountain?
The one who lives honestly, practices righteousness,
and acknowledges the truth in his heart —
who does not slander with his tongue,
who does not harm his friend
or discredit his neighbor,
who despises the one rejected by the Lord
but honors those who fear the Lord,
who keeps his word whatever the cost,
who does not lend his money at interest
or take a bribe against the innocent —
the one who does these things will never be moved. Psalm 15

“David here outlines the virtues that render a person worthy of dwelling in Hashem’s “tent” and residing in His “sacred mountain.”  According to the Radak, David refers here to the resting place of the soul in the afterlife; it is thus here where we are told how a person earns his eternal share in the world to come.  The Radak draws proof to this reading from the chapter’s final clause, where David exclaims, “he who does these shall not falter, forever.”  The term “forever” implies that David refers here to eternal peace, which would suggest that he speaks of the soul’s reward in the afterlife.

“In listing these virtues, David focuses first on proper interpersonal conduct: honesty and integrity (verse 2), and refraining from crimes such as gossip, causing others harm, and nepotistic protection of unworthy relatives (verse 3).  In verse 4, he imposes an important qualification on the virtues of loving kindness and concern for others: “Nivzeh Be’einav Nim’as,” which Rashi translates to mean, “The shameful one is despicable in his eyes.”  Although this prototype acts with love and sensitivity, he is at the same time prepared to confront evil and its advocates, rather than extend to them the same kindness and compassion he shows generally.  He respects those who deserve respect, while condemning behavior that warrants condemnation.

“The Ibn Ezra and Radak explain this verse differently, as meaning that the person sees himself as “shameful” and “despicable.”  Despite his many fine qualities, he recognizes how much more he has to grow and accomplish in order to achieve perfection.  Rather than falling into the trap of stifling complacency, he constantly strives to improve and to accomplish more.

“The message conveyed by this Psalm is thus a dual one.  On the one hand, David promises eternal life to everyone who lives in accordance with the basic values of honesty and Godliness; the world to come is not reserved for only the great Tzadikim who have reached the highest levels of spiritual devotion.  At the same time, however, to earn eternal life one must spend his life in the pursuit of perfection, working each day to grow and become better than he is.  This Psalm does not demand that everybody be perfect, but it does not demand that everybody work towards and strive for spiritual perfection.” —Daily Tehlllim Psalm 15

“Here is a very serious question concerning the character of a citizen of Zion. It is the happiness of glorified saints, that they dwell in the holy hill; they are at home there, they shall be for ever there. It concerns us to make it sure to ourselves that we have a place among them. A very plain and particular answer is here given. Those who desire to know their duty, will find the Scripture a very faithful director, and conscience a faithful monitor. A citizen of Zion is sincere in his religion. He is really what he professes to be, and endeavors to stand complete in all the will of God. He is just both to God and man; and, in speaking to both, speaks the truth in his heart. He scorns and abhors wrong and fraud; he cannot reckon that a good bargain, nor a saving one, which is made with a lie; and knows that he who wrongs his neighbor will prove, in the end, to have most injured himself. He is very careful to do hurt to no man. He speaks evil of no man, makes not others ‘faults the matter of his common talk; he makes the best of every body, and the worst of nobody. If an ill- natured story be told him, he will disprove it if he can; if not, it goes no further. He values men by their virtue and piety. Wicked people are vile people, worthless, and good for nothing; so the word signifies. He thinks the worse of no man’s piety for his poverty and mean condition. He reckons that serious piety puts honor upon a man, more than wealth, or a great name. He honors such, desires their conversation and an interest in their prayers, is glad to show them respect, or do them a kindness. By this we may judge of ourselves in some measure. Even wise and good men may swear to their own hurt:but see how strong the obligation is, a man must rather suffer loss to himself and his family, than wrong his neighbor. He will not increase his estate by extortion, or by bribery. He will not, for any gain, or hope of it to himself, do any thing to hurt a righteous cause. Every true living member of the church, like the church itself, is built upon a Rock. He that doeth these things shall not be moved for ever. The grace of God shall always be sufficient for him. The union of these tempers and this conduct, can only spring from repentance for sin, faith in the Savior, and love to him. In these respects let us examine and prove our own selves.” —Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Two perspectives on a psalm of King David. One from a Jewish Commentator; the other from a Christian commentator. Both perspectives point to the obligations to live in the balance between justice and kindness. Rev. Henry wrote: “The union of these tempers and this conduct, can only spring from repentance for sin, faith in the Savior, and love to him. In these respects let us examine and prove our own selves.” From Tehillim we learn that “. . . to earn eternal life one must spend his life in the pursuit of perfection, working each day to grow and become better than he is.  This Psalm does not demand that everybody be perfect, but it does not demand that everybody work towards and strive for spiritual perfection.”

The only difference I find between the Jewish and Christian way of living is those who know Y’shuaJesus as Messiah have accepted they work toward perfection so that they may live eternally in the House of the LORD, yet understand it  is never earned, but granted by the one Who gave His life, that died, rose, and lives so we may live today without regret and live forever with Him in the House of the LORD.

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Ebola. . . A Bowl of What?

Not long ago, here in American, there was a lot of talk in the news about Ebola. Not a little fear spread around. A number of countries barred their borders to persons traveling from West Africa. While the U.S. President did not, responding to public pressure, some American States’ Governors did. Some news outlets, at least that’s what they call themselves, tried unsuccessfully to bring the pot of fear to full-boil panic. That’s all changed. While certainly other newsworthy events have pushed to the media’s “front page,” a Presidential appointee, Ron Klain, Vice President Joe Biden’s former chief-of staff, was appointed to coordinate the Ebola response. Perhaps through his doing, mention of Ebola is nearly wiped from the media’s collective attention. This is certainly keeping panic down. The epidemic, however, was far from over. America fell into the “Hear no Evil” mode. The World Health Organization released newly consolidated data early last December, saying that 16,169 cases of Ebola had been reported, with almost 7,000 people dying. The three countries most affected by the outbreak are Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. While certainly that’s tragic, it hasn’t made it to the quarter million as some sources predicted. Within a month, another four thousand cases of Ebola had been officially reported, bringing the total to over twenty thousand. And still we Americans went merrily along not knowing the true nature of this epidemic.

“For more than a year, Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone have been experiencing the largest and most complex outbreak of Ebola in history. Cases continue to be reported in Guinea and Sierra Leone. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia on May 9, 2015, meaning that 42 days (two incubation periods) had passed since the last Ebola patient was buried. The health system in Liberia continues to monitor for new cases and to take precautions to prevent transmission in the country. CDC is also closely monitoring the situation and will update information and advice for travelers as needed.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported.

So Guinea and Sierra Leone continue with the outbreak. American public health personnel continue to travel for short tours of duty to Sierra Leone. And Americans continue business as usual. Well, not quite. There’s something new on the horizon that is a continuation of the racial divide in Ferguson, MO. The news focus is about bad police officers (white police officers) and their racism and violence toward black people. Racial tension seems higher now that it was fifty years ago. More things for which we are to be fearful. Fear is a useful tool.

Crisis breeds fear; unchecked fear leads to panic, which results in lawlessness. But crisis makes for news. So it seems that we move from one story to another, one fear to another, and remain just fearful enough but never so much as to panic. Why would anyone want to incite fear? I don’t seriously think the media in general wants to incite fear; it is simply a byproduct of crisis, which sells papers, attracts viewers. Perhaps there are others, however, that find a crisis, and resulting fear, useful. American politician Rahm Emanuel is reported to have said: “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.”(1)

While the reporting of police violence is a central component of the news cycle, it seems clear that the one of the greatest crisis in America during this century is the act of war against America by Islamic forces. These forces destroyed the Twin Towers in New York, part of the Pentagon, and four passenger airplanes. One might argue that this act sparked the beginning of WWIII. Out of that crisis was born the Homeland Security Agency. This was a response to what was perceived as a lack of coordination between various law enforcement agencies in the United States, and the lack of a national command structure to oversee both domestic and international interventions. Another response to the attack was the PATRIOT act. “the PATRIOT Act is an Act of Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. The title of the act is a ten-letter ackronym (USA PATRIOT) that stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. On May 26, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act of 2011, a four-year extension of three key provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act: roving wiretaps, searches of business records (the “library records provision”), and conducting surveillance of “lone wolves”—individuals suspected of terrorist-related activities not linked to terrorist groups.” (2) The argument has been made that the PATRIOT Act allows the government to set aside the American Constitution in order to fight an undeclared war, a war on terrorism committed by groups and individuals rather than nations. Fear of terror, additional acts of terror, enable implementation of PATRIOT Act activities on broad scales within America, and are used to forge America’s international response to perceived threats around the world.

For the PATRIOT act, and its sweeping away of Constitutional protections, America must constantly face new and ever-greater threats to its national security. Its a vicious cycle fed by fear. We fear an enemy, whether a nation, a group, or one person acting alone, or a disease. Our fear paralyses us. We accept measures that will make us feel safe, not considering the effects. Appeasement. We are willing do give up our own personal liberty to feel safe from a perceived threat.

And all the while, we are being led to believe we can no longer trust our police officers. The underlying message brought to us is that They are not serving and protecting us. Some “conspiracy” theories say that Americans are being led toward a massive federal take over of law enforcement duties. Some “conspiracy” theories say we are being led toward a massive civil war.

So, back to ebola. It’s still going on. It’s not dead yet. All that needs to happen is to announce a new case in the United States, brought back by health workers, perhaps. The news establishment doesn’t need to start a new crisis to get attention—just recycle an old one. Doing so helps cool the on-going crisis, distracting the public. Distracting us? Yes, distracting us from another, eminent crisis. But wait. What else is going on in the news at the moment? How about hackers? We seem to be having a lot of breaches of information that is contained on computer servers, both commercial as well as government.

It’s a bit like a magic show. The magician distracts our attention to the left while he does something on his left, and then to the right as he does something on his right. Eventually, when all is set up, the magician springs the trap. So, what’s the finale? I suppose it will be a financial crisis. Perhaps hackers cause the banks to close up shop. Perhaps “Wall Street” will ring the bell early one day. People have spoken about the potential of a financial-system collapse looming over us.

But enough gloom and doom. Let us rise above the fear. Let us not look for solutions here or there or in any human form or agency. And whatever you do, don’t sign a loyalty oath. Be loyal to our Father in Heaven and His Son our only Savior. Let us remember the words G-d breathed to His servants long ago:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:1,2)

 

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(1) Brainyquotes
(2) Wikipedia

The Movie: GoodBye World!

goodbyeworld13-9In programming classes, during the dawning of the computer age, I recall the phrase, “Hello World.” It was used as the first statement a newbee programmer would have his first program write to a screen. This movie, “Goodbye World!” used a spin-off of that phrase as the last thing to be displayed on all cell phones as the computer age crashed into night. The movie, set in Northern California, centered on a group of old college friends, now middle-aged, that managed to get together as the world plummeted into chaos. It is explained that after college, after these friends went their own ways, two of the them, James and Lilly, were awakened to the fragility of the world, especially food production, electricity, and transportation. They not only saw that the modern world was headed toward an abrupt halt, they acted upon that vision. They left the city, heading to Northern California to build a self-sustaining home high on a mountain.

. . .let us keep awake and be sober. (1 Thes 5:6)

It is in this home that the old college friends gather. It’s not a movie with “we all lived happily ever after.” Right from the start the group finds it must deal with diverse personalities and perspectives. Ever the pragmatist, James has collected a sizable cache of food and medicine, and developed a large truck garden. He has a filtered well and solar panels providing power not only for the well, but also for the house. Lilly, on the other hand, would rather not think about tomorrow, and simply eat, drink, smoke dope, and be happy for the moment. James and another, more pragmatic friend, head into town to the small grocery store to pick up some supplies. They find that a motorcycle gang has taken over the store, and raise the prices a thousand percent. They pay with cash and a gold watch. Once outside the store, the witness three men taking groceries away from another man, and they leave without helping him. On the way home, they stop at a neighbor who often has sold them meat and things they don’t raise. They buy it at the same cost, added to their “tab,” that they’d always paid. They are neighbors, after all.

Internal tensions rise in the house as they learn of the extent of civil breakdown in the United States, and that two members of this old-college group, have contributed to the meltdown of society through their computer-hacking and virus-creating activities. Then the neighbor who’d sold them some meat comes by the house to ask for spare medicine. Someone from town has an infection and the motorcycle gang took all the drugs from the store when it left town. James says he doesn’t have anything to offer.

Next major event is that many of the neighbors from lower down the mountain have gathered at the home below James’s. Along come two armed National Guardsmen. They are told they can’t stay at James’s home, that the Constitution forbids it. They don’t leave the area, but settle in with the now larger group living in the home farther down the mountain. Trouble brews when that group is stirred up by these “soldiers,” when they learn of the large food cache and medicines that James and his friends have in their home. These soldiers come to James’s home, and at gun point, declare that James will not only share the food cache, but give all medicine to them. James sees no recourse, and agrees. The next day, James takes food down the hill, but not the medicine. He says that he will share the medicine, but the ill must come to him. It is his preparations, after all. One of the soldiers, a man named Damien, decides to kill James to make a point that to all not to defy Damien and his authority. That group does nothing. Just as Damien is about to kill James, he is shot by one of the old college friends, a woman, who’d come down behind James. She then makes a speech that begins with one spoken by General George Washington:

“The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.” (Address to the Continental Army before the battle of Long Island, Aug. 27, 1776.)[Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/washington_george_ii.html#x4CP8VkwaPuVvH70.99]

Someone yells, “Who’s our enemy?” To which the woman says, “We are are own enemies.” She then goes on to say that we need to work together, for if we are are going to live free, we must work together.

What strikes me from this movie is that the character James is a hippie sort, yet wants to maintain control of that which he has stored, without sharing beyond his own household. Additionally, while wanting to maintain his home as his, to maintain his freedom and liberty, he is unwilling and unable to fight for it. It is the woman who ends up shooting the soldier Damien, that is willing to not only share, but to band together to form a cooperative, to work together for all their common good. And obviously she is willing to fight for that freedom, that liberty.

This soldier, Damien, represents the reign of tyranny an individual can inflict upon a community. These tyrants are not leaders, not rulers, not raised by G-d to serve people. They only wish to dominate, to control, to live at ease at the expense of humans for which they have no respect, no love. They gather others around them who’d rather join them than be against them. They suck the lives out of those they attempt to control. They are bullies. They deserve nothing more than to die. This is my opinion. As Christians we have a moral obligation to work toward righteousness, keeping always an eternal perspective. What does that mean? I think the meaning includes that the righteous have nothing to do with the schemes of the devil. I think the schemes of the devil include using willing humans to bring chaos and slavery to the lives of the righteous. If we fail to be on guard, fail to watch, we are going to sleep and darkness will fall upon us and we will be enslaved, economically, socially, morally. We will lose the rewards that we’ve gained, we will lose our crowns. If, as so many believe, the time is short, we must be doubly sure that we fall not into the devils way.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine . . .

A pastor in Pakistan wrote the following letter:

Shalom,
I think END TIME started since 2013 beginning in Pakistan.
I personally visited Joseph Colony and talked to the people about the number of homes burned in this tragic incident, but exact number is missing, yet Govt. will prepare 257 homes there.

tnIntroduction.
This is a pure Christian colony, only one Muslim family was staying there at rent with a Christian family, and at last this association become a conflict, and it created such a terrible incident.

Reason.
Thursday last[7th March] both of these families quarrel with each other at drinking table and insulted and humiliated, blaming and abusing each other, and in the end it become Blaspheme. The very Christian person Sawan Masih was arrested under rule, he was in police station at that time, mean while it was planned by Muslims and police requested the people to exit the colony and save themselves. People do so and took refuge in their relatives homes in Lahore considering we will come back when all the matter will resume.
After 36 hours the mob gathered and they have a special ammunition  material with them as well as equipped with guns, revolvers, and all type of arms run over the colony. They looted first and then set fire each home, not a single left.

Damages.
The mob looted their household things first, and which they could not able to take with them they burned at the place. The burned things are TVs, Fridges, Washing machines, Almarahs, sewing machines, bikes, cycles, boxes, clothes, household utensils, wooden beds, blankets and quilts, gas pipe lines and electricity connections, fans burned and melted on the ceiling, double and triple stories buildings are destroyed in such a manner that they are no more in use. Iron was melted and bricks were in powder form.

Help.
Government has announced to make new homes for them, and PKR 500000/= as help. Now people from all over Pakistan visit them and serve the with food and other necessities of life. Even Govt. is also providing necessities of life for them. At this time they are sitting and living in tents provided to them by different agencies.

Recommendation.
They all are needy so being brothers and sisters in Christ we must help  them and pray for them.
In Him

[Name Withheld for the Pastor’s Protection]

teotwawki: the end of the world as we know it

There’s really nothing new under the sun, as King Solomon was inspired to write. So it is with the idea that we should always be prepared for the end of the world as we know it.

In a recent article published in The Trumpet, the author, Joel Hilliker, praises James Wesley, Rawles, and Survival Blog, and his compassionate approach to preparing for any calamity. The author wrote:

“Survivalist thinking is often associated with paramilitary activities, racism and religious extremism. But as global stability deteriorates and threats to civilization increase, it is becoming more mainstream. For his part, Rawles is avowedly anti-racist, and apparently moderate in his religion. He emphasizes preparing in a way that enables a person to fulfill the “moral imperative” of charity, giving to the needy in times of crisis.

“There is something to be admired in the clear-eyed pragmatism of those taking steps to face calamity. Unlike the far more common head-in-the-sand approach, it acknowledges the seriousness of the times, and recognizes the need to do something—to work while it is day, since the night is coming.”

In the article, Mr. Hilliker spends some time and citing scriptures that say that we should be aware of the potential for disasters, especially the End Time Tribulation period, The Last Days. He rightfully urges us to “to condition our minds for catastrophes, because they [The Last Days] are coming. It is because of the human tendency to ignore such realities that Jesus Christ warned,

[T]ake heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day”—that is, the period of destruction just ahead of us—“come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

(Luke 21:34-35).

That said, Mr. Hilliker goes on to totally disagree with practical preparedness, citing various scriptures beginning with this one:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal,” Christ instructed. “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also

(Matthew 6:19-21).

In his conclusion, Mr. Hilliker states, “In a 1966 article, “Don’t Store Up Large Quantities of Food,” Herbert W. Armstrong wrote, “Do not spend extra money on foodstuffs above your normal supplies and perhaps some few ‘staples’ which could carry you through a temporary food shortage on a vastly curtailed and reduced diet, in a severe and temporary emergency, for only a few WEEKS! … If you ever store more food than the normal laying up in summer for winter—you’re hoarding, and God Almighty may well withdraw His protection from you!” [emphasis added]

Wait Just One Minute, Please! Take a look at Israel living off G-d’s handouts in the desert waiting for an entire generation of Israelis to die off before it can cross over into the Promised Land. Mr. Hilliker uses that experience in his justification for Faith Alone as the key to Being Prepared. He says Spiritual Preparedness, not physical, is Being Prepared. I disagree. I respect the view that being right with our Lord Y’shuaJesus is all that is required to physically survive in a long-term survival situation, a situation where help will never come from any human. G-d can intervene. G-d can provide. We can trust G-d. But did Israel leave Egypt with nothing? And did Israel plan to spend forty years in a desert with no provisions? Israel left Egypt with wealth given to them by the people of Egypt. Israel left fairly well off for a trek though the desert to the Promised Land. It was disobedience that resulted in an extended stay in the harsh conditions of the desert. It was disobedience that required G-d to provide sustenance to prevent the all the people from dying off in the desert.

It seems to me we need a more balanced approach, and we need to look at a few other scriptures. How about starting with Y’shuaJesus’s parables for instance that tell us that we are to be practical in our approach to live. It was the foolish bridesmaids that didn’t come prepared to wait for entrance into the festival hall for the Feast of the Groom. It was the the man who failed to invest his “talent” that was chastised by the Returning Lord of the Land.

And let us not forget that it was Joseph who had Egypt store up seven years of grain for the seven years of famine that would come about. And it was stored up in preparation for Israel to come down to Egypt to live, though Joseph didn’t realize it at the time.

There was a pretty good movie that circulated in the mid-1980s that pitted the Spiritual with the Totally Practical, the peaceful protest with the armed protest. I don’t recall the name, but it was set during the time of the Spanish conquest of South America. Two priest, two friends, each choice a different approach to protect the inhabitants of a village. One priest gathered villagers to pray, the other trained villagers to protect themselves. In the end both priest died as the Spanish conquest of the land was completed. The end left the viewer to decide which priest took the most appropriate defensive strategy. In a purely rational view, neither priest failed, neither priest succeeded. Both died. It leaves one understanding, however, that each is judged later, by the Lord. That each did what he thought right. There was a special moment at the end of the movie that showed the two dying priests crawling toward one another, to grasp hands. I, as a viewer, felt there was no judgement of one toward the other for his way of protest. They did what they had to do.

And so it is with us, today. Pray now before the coming collapse of our delicately intertwined society, which is dependent upon a fragile supply chain. We must, as Mr. Hilliker points out, repent and trust in G-d. G-d will provide! It is for you to decide if G-d will provide your sustenance now or later. If now, so be it. If later, okay. In the end, we it is our mandate to trust G-d and follow what He places in your heart.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Last Days (4)

Again, let me say that there’s more to the Book of Revelation than death and destruction, the end of the world that is depicted in the doomsday media, which seems only to lead us to think of G-d’s plan for humankind as being annihilation. Yet parts, taken out of context, say just people will die out there. Take a look at these verses:

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Revelation 6:12-17

Fear. Intense fear. Fear that is getting out of control. Fear that makes people want to dig a hole and bury themselves alive. I awoke one night thinking about the use of fear in the media today. Especially in the financial adviser realm, where we become fearful of losing whatever savings we have and think perhaps they may have the answers to save us.

But there’s something within humans that seem driven to want to experience fear. A lot of people like horror movies and “amusement parks.” I don’t. I don’t like roller coasters. But roller coasters are tame compared to some of the new rides. And then there are various other “sports” that people engage in. I admit, I’ve been on one of those long, peak-to-peak mountain zip lines myself. And maybe it has some value beyond the harnessing of one’s fear. And then there’s bungee jumping. Jump off a bridge with a stretch cord wrapped around your ankles designed to stop you just before you crash headlong into the rocks below. Fun!

But what are we doing to ourselves by allowing our senses to be dulled by all these fearful experiences? I wonder. We feed into what the media is all to willing to give us.

I’ve heard it said that the Viet Nam Conflict (Undeclared War) came to an end as a result of journalists graphic reports on the evening news including video of our soldiers dying in combat. Americans watched it during their dinner, and were sickened by what was going on. Sure, we’d had great journalistic reports in the newspapers, especially during WWII. But a picture “is worth a thousand words.” And these pictures were the same day and of bloody kids, American kids. It was a lot more powerful. And Americans were aghast. But we’re desensitized now. We are no longer shocked at combat, death. Or, perhaps we are still shocked, but feel powerless to do anything about it.

Okay. Moving right along. Fear can direct us into a different course of action. Like the movie Contagion, fear of a deadly virus leads us to accept the word of our government that a vaccine is safe, and to take it. Fear can be used to manipulate us into doing things we would not otherwise do. That can be a good thing, too. I suppose. In some circumstances. But in Revelation, at the point of the Sixth Seal, whatever happens certainly will be big, really big. It will be big enough to really get our attention. And it will be the fear of the LORD. Being really afraid, terrified. Horrified. Not the King James Version of fear the Lord in the psalms. That kind means to look with awe upon Him. No, these people have already apparently made their choices against the Lord our G-d. They are fearful of Him. They are terrified of what is going to happen next.

Now, there is a point, before that Sixth Seal experience, in which people during trials and various other calamities come to look for G-d. At this point, many come to repent. They turn from their current ways—ways of the flesh; ways called sinful—and accept Y’shuaJesus as Lord and Savior.

So. I began with the word apocalypse being used as “The End of the World” or doomsday. And for many the Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse, is just that. It’s in the media portrayed as that, too. I mentioned that the definition of apocalypse is from a Greek word that means uncovering. The Book of Revelation uncovers more fully the Gospel of Lord Y’shuaJesus. There’s Good News! Yet, there’s also some really bad news. Bad news for some, at least. The media focus is on those people. It’s on the Apocalypse as death and destruction. In the Book of Revelation there are two seals that we are shown that people can receive. (See Matthew 24 for Y’shuaJesus telling about one seal a person can receive.) One is a seal given in a world with no use for Messiah Y’shuaJesus. The other seal is one given to those who are willing to give themselves to Messiah Y’shuaJesus. Two groups of people. For those sealed with a demonic mark, the Revelation of Y’shuaJesus as Messiah comes too late, and it means enduring the wrath of G-d, suffering destruction, and death.

For those sealed by the Lord’s angels, sealed with the Holy Spirit, there may come persecution, tribulation, but there is Life in Y’shuaJesus.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .