My Thoughts

My Thoughts on Christianity and Other Things

Archive for the tag “Religion”

30 Jan 2014
5 Comments

Revelation 4: The Main Characters

Orion Spitzerlrot photo by NASA

Orion Spitzerlrot photo by NASA

Doing this post took me a lot longer than I expected. I did I lot of reading and a lot of studying but I now have a little better understanding of things.

This is what I learned about the main characters. Of course two of the main characters are the Lord Jesus and God Himself. But there are two other interesting groups of characters here. I have wondered about these beings for a long time. But first I must tell you what I have learned about the seven spirits of God. A commentary said the seven spirits were “various gifts, graces and operations of the Spirit of God in the churches of Christ.” After looking through the scriptures I found the 7 gifts of grace which are: prophecy, serving others, teaching, encouraging others, giving, leadership, and showing kindness. I found this in Romans 12:6-8 .

So let’s start with the twenty-four elders in Revelation 4:4 and many other places through out Revelation. Who were they? And dare I ask, are they human? Or are they spirits? I read a commentary that said the elders were upstanding people from both the New Testament and Old Testament. If they’re human, why or how could they be so important to be elders in Heaven without having their names mentioned? If they were men like Moses or Elijah I would think they would be mentioned by name. (Yet the two witnesses mentioned later on, also were not named.) If these twenty-four elders are spirits… well I wondered if there were such elders anywhere else in the Bible.

I looked up elders and got 187 entries in the English Standard Version. (Different versions had different wording.) Every one of entries for ‘elders’ seemed to be very human except for Isaiah 24:23 Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.
Yet Isaiah 24:23 in the New Living Translation says: Then the glory of the moon will wane, and the brightness of the sun will fade, for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion. He will rule in great glory in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people.

There are a lot of prophecies in Isaiah I don’t understand, but there are some that I do. Reading Isaiah 24:23 in the New Living Translation reminded me of Acts 2:2 The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. Acts 2:2 is a quote of Joel 2:31 The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives.

So are the elders Revelation 4:4 men or angels? That’s up for you to decide. I say angels because of the four creatures in Revelation 4:6-8 , but of course I could be wrong.

Revelation 4:6-8
In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.
In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

There are no creatures like these on earth. But what can we find out about them? Has anyone else seen them? Isaiah did in Isaiah 6:1-3 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Or at least I assume they are the same. They have six wings and they praise the Lord. I once heard they cover their face because the Lord is too holy to look at. They cover their feet because the floor was too holy for their feet to touch, so they fly. Sounds good. But when the guy on the TV show started talking about what the different faces mean, the close caption went goofy; so I don’t know what he said.

I read a couple of commentaries about the creatures and both of them basically agree that they are courageous as lions, mighty as bulls, wise as men (I question that one), and as swift as eagles.

Another passage that is interesting to me, is Ezekiel 1. They seem sort of the same but not really. Instead of six wings they only had four. One thing that really seems odd to me is that they were on wheels. If they could fly, why would they need wheels? What kind of vehicle were they on? They had a wheel within a wheel and they could not turn. If I didn’t know any better, I would say the vehicle or vehicles (four of them) had a gyro-compass in them. I couldn’t find a good picture of one, but I remember a little of what it looked like on the ship I was on nearly 40 years ago. I remember seeing a machine about 3 feet (1 meter) tall or more with a fast spinning wheel inside. The axles in the wheel always pointed true north. If these four creature couldn’t turn then they could only follow the longitude and latitude lines of the earth. I’m only guessing here of course.

Several times the last few days I have told my wife that I really wish I had a good Jewish Rabbi here to explain things to me. One more thing I wonder about. (OK, one of the hundred million zillion things) before the fall into sin, did Adam and Eve ever seen any of this?

Well that’s it for now. Please check out everything I have said. And if I am wrong, please tell me. After all I have no training in this at all. The two commentaries I used were Geneva Notes and Matthew Henry’s Commentary. If you find an error, please let me know, and I will check it out to the best of my abilities.

2Pe1_5-1024x576

Posted in Christianity, Prophecy, Revelation and tagged , , , , ,
08 Oct 2013

What Are You Talking About?

1 Corinthians 3:1-2
Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,

About 35 years ago my wife and I were visiting her Grandmother. I had been a Christian for only a couple of years then. Anyway her grandmother told me that she was reading about when Jesus was talking to Abraham. The way the Bible was opened; I could tell she was reading in the Old Testament. So I asked “What are you talking about?” “He was one of the three angels.” She said as she showed me in her Bible, but I couldn’t read it. It was written in Norwegian.

When we got home I looked up Jesus in the concordance. But Jesus was not listed in the Old Testament. I looked up Abraham and read Genesis 18, but I didn’t recognized Jesus there.

Soon after that our church was showing a video for a few weeks by Francis Schaeffer. And I thought ‘What in the world is he talking about?’ Many other people wondered what he was talking about too. He was talking way over everybody’s heads. The only thing I got from the videos was that he was some old guy with long hair, wore strange clothes and no body could understand him. (Reading A Christian Manifesto by Francis Schaeffer still makes me go cross eye, a little.)

Years later my wife and I were going to a church with a very knowledgeable pastor there. But many times, many of us didn’t know what he was talking about. He wasn’t saying anything wrong, he was talking way out of our league.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2
Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,

One thing these three people had in common was they weren’t just having spiritual solid food, these people were enjoying spiritual steak!

A couple of times, when I have been talking to someone about the Bible, they have said that they wished they knew more about what the Bible says. All I can say is, start reading, and keep reading.

There several thoughts on reading the Bible and learning from it. One you can use a reading plan. There are many of them around, just pick one. The first time I used a “Though the Bible in a Year” plan, it only took me 15 months to through the 12 month reading plan. Yes I missed a few days. But I also been looking up places on maps, taking notes, and cross referencing things. For an example from Isaiah I wrote:

6:2-3 same creatures in Revelation 4:6-8?
6:8-13 is maybe the fall of Israel a long time ago
7:14 the birth of Jesus

Another way to read is to pick a subject and study it. What does the Bible really say about judging? Is it always wrong for us to judge? Does the Bible really say Paul fell off his horse when he saw the flash of light? Those who say yes, well you’re wrong. Bible didn’t say Paul was on a horse then.

A third way is to sit down in your easy chair and read it from start to finish. You can’t learn God’s word without reading God’s word.

Any reading or listening outside the Bible, even this blog, you should check it out. That is why I add links to my blog. To make it easier.

1 Thessalonians 5:20-21
Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.

Getting back to my wife’s grandmother. She was right about Jesus being one of the angels with Abraham. I recognize Jesus there now, as well as many other places through out the Bible.

Posted in Christianity and tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment
25 Sep 2013
3 Comments

Dark Fire?

Pipe

Luke 16:24
24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’

Matthew 22:13
13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Many of you are familiar with these parables Jesus told. For a refresher, click on the links. Both of these parables talk about people not going to Heaven, but instead going to the other place.

So what will Hell be like? Will it be dark? Will it be fire? Is there a contradiction here? If so, why would Jesus contradict himself? Or did He? If both are true, then that would mean there is dark fire. But, what is the pipe up above all about?

I have seen dark fire. In fact many mechanics (like myself) and welders and plumbers that have been around for a while have seen dark fire. Also those who cook with natural gas or propane.

Just over 30 years ago, I was outside in the dark heating something up with a propane torch. I was amazed at how little light the flame put out. (WARNING – THIS IS VERY, VERY DANGEROUS. IN THE DARK ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN. YOU COULD GET 3RD DEGREE BURNS, OR DEATH. YOU COULD BURN DOWN YOUR HOME, OR WORSE. IT’S BEST IF YOU DON’T DO IT.)

When I light my oxygen-acetylene torch, and only the acetylene is burning, the flame is very bright. Bright enough to hurt your eyes. But when I turn on the oxygen the flame gets smaller. When the flame gets to be only a ¼ inch long, it’s no longer as bright. But it’s very hot. If I remember correctly, it’s about 5000 degrees Fahrenheit. (2760 Celsius) When I cut the pipe above, the flame wasn’t that bright. But the melting steal glowed so blinding bright, that dark goggles were a must.

Acetylene only burning

Acetylene only burning

Acetylene with oxygen burning

Acetylene with oxygen burning

Right now some of you are very interested, but some of you are bored. Sorry. But the point of all this is that it shows that dark fire is real. Which gives credit to what Jesus says in the two parables in Luke 16:19-31 and Mathew 22:1-14.

Revelation 20:15
And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Now this is scary. And when you consider Luke 16:19-31 where the rich man is not being consumed by fire but suffering endlessly; well that’s very scary.

The good news is none of us really have to go there. God loves us enough that He sent us His son Jesus so that who ever believes in Him will have ever lasting life with Him and not in the Lake of Fire. This is good news. Good enough for us to be telling others.

Posted in Christianity, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , ,
12 Aug 2013
1 Comment

What Happened?

Jeremiah 52:17
The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars in front of the Lord’s Temple, the bronze water carts, and the great bronze basin called the Sea, and they carried all the bronze away to Babylon.

Jeremiah 52:20-23
20) The weight of the bronze from the two pillars, the Sea with the twelve bronze oxen beneath it, and the water carts was too great to be measured. These things had been made for the Lord’s Temple in the days of King Solomon. 21) Each of the pillars was 27 feet tall and 18 feet in circumference. They were hollow, with walls 3 inches thick. 22) The bronze capital on top of each pillar was 7½ feet high and was decorated with a network of bronze pomegranates all the way around. 23) There were 96 pomegranates on the sides, and a total of 100 on the network around the top.

So my question is, “What happened? Why?” I don’t mean why the Babylonians took the stuff, I mean why were they not able to measure the weight of them. What happened to their education?

Let’s start with the pillars. I am not an engineer, but I’m sure it was a real engineering feat to move the pillars from where they were made to the temple. Otherwise why would they be made hollow if not to cut down the weight so they could be moved?

So if Judea and Israel had the skill to make the pillars, why did they lose the skill to even calculate the weight? Why did they become ‘dumbed down’? What happened to them?

The Jews are God’s chosen people. But they sinned greatly from time to time. Sometimes because of their sin God allowed their enemies to attack and rule over them.

So did this dumbing down happen before the enemies attacked and conquered them, or after? Has this ever happened before? Has it happened since?

Job 26:7-8
7 God stretches the northern sky over empty space
and hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He wraps the rain in his thick clouds,
and the clouds don’t burst with the weight.

Many people including me believe Job lived shortly after the world wide flood, about 4,500 years ago. Yet they knew that the earth hang in empty space with nothing holding it up. They also knew that clouds are not just light fluffy stuff floating in the sky and they are in fact very heavy. Yet for maybe a few thousand years we have forgotten this knowledge until a couple hundred years ago.

Like I said I believe Job lived shortly after Noah’s flood. Did he live before or after the fall of Babel? I’m thinking maybe before, but I honestly don’t know. I do know that the great flood and the fall of Babel was because of people’s sin. The number one sin I can find for them is in Genesis 9:7 when God said, “Now be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate the earth.” They didn’t do this but instead stayed in one area. Did people became dumbed down before or after the fall? I’m not sure.

So here we are in the year 2013 after Christ, many of us in the United States of America. And we are being dumbed down. Everybody knows this, but no one wants it. We have some very good teachers. I’m even related to a few. So what’s happening? For some reason, some young people aren’t learning. I have seen this first hand when I went back to school in my early 50s.

Is America sinning? The first commandment is “You must not have any other god but me.” Exodus 20:3 Yet we worship false gods. Hindu gods, witchcraft, Allah, reincarnation, fantasy science called evolution (I’m not against real science, only the fantasy of evolution) and others. We also worship fancy cars, money, sex, power, you name it, whatever we put before God.

Exodus 20:7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.” how many times have we heard God’s name used in cussing? Since Jesus is God, how many times has His name used as cussing?

Exodus 20:13 “You must not murder.” Think you’re OK here? Guess again. Everyone has their own DNA. (I know identical twins share one) But your human DNA is different from your parents. Your human DNA is different from your mother when you were only a toddler. You had your own DNA the moment you were born. You had your own DNA the moment before you were born. You had your own DNA the moment you were conceived. Killing a being with this human DNA is scientifically murder, morally murder, Biblically murder. And anyone who approves of this murder… well it’s not good.

This was only three of the Ten Commandment and we as a nation failed. We also failed the others too. Is this country falling? I honestly don’t like saying this but, it might be. Is there hope for us? YES!!! But this nation need to change our hearts to God. The God of the Bible, and as a nation it won’t be easy. Another thought I just thought of, what if God’s judgment to this country is to fall under the attacks of terrorist. This would be shameful.

The good news is God is still God and His loves us and will be with us if we turn to Him through His son Jesus. Our Lord Jesus will come for us. Hopefully very soon.

Posted in Christianity, Prophecy, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , ,
06 Aug 2013

Truth About the TV Show “Zero Hour”

I have watched everyone of the episodes of the TV show Zero Hour, and the best thing I can say about it is the writers had imagination. The other thing I can say is not so nice.

When Hank Galliston in Zero Hour starts looking for his wife after she had been kidnapped, he finds all kinds of shady characters who are suppose to be ‘believers’. The show suggests that the believers are leaders of Christians who are willing to kill and destroy to protect the truth. What truth? Basically the only thing the show got right is that there is a book called the Bible and that there was a man on this earth 2000 years ago named Jesus. Everything else they seemed to got wrong.

Half way through the series, you find that some of the people wanted to clone Jesus using drops of blood from the cross. This cloned Jesus would be his second coming. So let’s look at what the Bible says about all this.

Many times in the New Testament, it talks about Jesus being God. One example is John 1:1 combined with John 1:14.
John 1:1
1 In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
John 1:14
14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

After Jesus died on the cross He rose again physically from the dead, with his own body. Luke 24:37-43 talks about his disciples seeing Him after He physically rose from the dead with His own body complete with holes in His feet and hands. He even ate in front of them!

Luke 24:37-43
37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!
38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet.
41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he ate it as they watched.

Another important thing to read is Mark 16:15-20.

Mark 16:15-20
15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. 16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. 18 They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
19 When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.

This is important because He told them to spread the Good News to everyone. Plus it shows Jesus is still alive in His own body in Heaven. Then His disciples went everywhere and preached. The TV show Zero Hour said that Jesus needed to be cloned for His second coming. Why? His still alive. He will return on His own when it’s time.

Luke 21:27
27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory.

There is no weird plan as in the TV show Zero Hour to help God. There are not 12 disciples today running around trying to kill people to keep God safe. God is God and we are not and never will be. There is no great secret to protect, it’s all in the Bible for everyone to read. There is no need to clone Jesus. He is still alive, he is Lord, and He will return when He sees fit, and there is nothing we can do about it.

Two other things were important in Zero Hour, the cross and the 144,000. First let’s start with the cross. Does it exist still? I doubt it. But if it does, it does. More likely it have either decayed back into the dirt, or maybe it was cut up and burnt. The 144,000 is talked about in Revelation 7:4-8. What follows is something that many people for some reason refuse to see. Revelation 7:9-10 says:

Revelation 7:9-10
9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

The 144,000 Jews from the twelve tribes definitely are not be alone. A whole lot of other people will be there. By the way, in case some of you don’t know, the Lamb is Jesus as ‘The Lamb of God’ because He was killed for our sins. In the Old Testament they killed lambs as a sin offering to God so they could be forgiven. However a lamb is only a temporary solution to an eternal problem, which is sin. Since Jesus is eternal, He is the solution to the eternal problem, sin. If we believe in Him, we avoid judgment and are forgiven of our sin.

So why am I fussing about a TV show that ended August 3 in the US? Over the years I have noticed that for some reason people seem to love a lie. Often times when people hear a lie about the Bible or Christians and Jews in general, they will most likely to believe it than to check out the facts for themselves. I am trying to spread the truth. After all Jesus did say in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”

Posted in Christianity, Prophecy, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment
01 Aug 2013
3 Comments

Into The Future III

Isaiah 42:9
Everything I prophesied has come true,
and now I will prophesy again.
I will tell you the future before it happens.”

As I have said before, there is so much I don’t understand about Bible prophecies. Well here I go again.

I was reading Isaiah 19 and, well, it brought up a lot of questions. Isaiah 19:2-4 talks of a lot of unrest in Egypt. Could this be Egyptian Arab Spring? If so, what about the other countries in the Middle-East that are going through turmoil? Like Syria? Why would Egypt be singled out?

During the Egyptian Arab Spring there was riots in the streets then the Muslim Brotherhood took over. But now only a short time later, there is trouble in Egypt again. This group is against that group, and there are so many groups that are against each other that I can’t keep up with it. (To be honest, I really haven’t tried.) All I know is you hear about it on TV news and the internet.

So now Isaiah 19:2-4 is starting to make sense.

2 “I will make Egyptian fight against Egyptian—
brother against brother,
neighbor against neighbor,
city against city,
province against province.
3 The Egyptians will lose heart,
and I will confuse their plans.
They will plead with their idols for wisdom
and call on spirits, mediums, and those who consult the spirits of the dead.
4 I will hand Egypt over
to a hard, cruel master.
A fierce king will rule them,”
says the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

But what about Isaiah 19:5-10 where it talks about the Nile River drying up? I have done some research on this and found that the Nile River has never failed to flood. It also has never completely dried up either. So obviously this part of the prophecies hasn’t happened yet. But I wonder; will this be because of climate change, or because somebody built a dam.

But what really interests me is Isaiah 19:17-25 where Egypt becomes afraid of Israel. Then some of the Egyptian cities will start speaking Hebrew and start worshiping God. How can this be? I have never known or heard of Jews forcing their beliefs on others. So why would Muslims give up and willingly abandon Allah and willingly follow the true God of Israel?

Here are my thoughts about how this might happen. Of course I’m no expert, but looking over my notes I think I can put together a possibility.

In Jeremiah 30:20, talking about modern Israel, God says He will punish any who will hurt Israel. With the Obama administration seemingly wanting to under cut Israel as far as security and it’s capital Jerusalem; I believe the United States will either fall or at least not be a great nation any more. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t believe I am. With the US out of the way some of the Muslim countries may feel empowered to attack Israel, and they will. Right now, many of them are already quoting Psalms 83:4.
“Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation.
We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”
However they will fail. Psalms 83:13-18 says Israel’s enemies will become terrified, ashamed, and utterly disgraced. They will learn the Lord God of Israel, alone is Most High.

Psalms 83:13-18
13 O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed,
like chaff before the wind!
14 As a fire burns a forest
and as a flame sets mountains ablaze,
15 chase them with your fierce storm;
terrify them with your tempest.
16 Utterly disgrace them
until they submit to your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be ashamed and terrified forever.
Let them die in disgrace.
18 Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord,
that you alone are the Most High,
supreme over all the earth.

Psalms 83:5-8 has a list of the countries involved. According to the maps I looked at, the modern names of the countries involved are Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt. These are the countries that will go to war against Israel and lose. Big time. In the end people from both Egypt and Syria will be worshiping, freely the God of Israel and not Allah. They will also be at peace with Israel according to Isaiah 19:23-25.

I believe the war that the Anti-Christ creates against Israel will come later and it will be a very bad war involving many of the countries of the world. It will look very bad for Israel. But then God Himself will step in and fight for Israel. Israel will again win. Then the Lord Himself will sit on the throne as King in Jerusalem, Israel. He will come from the line of David. Many people today know Him as Lord Jesus. He will be our King.

Posted in Christianity, Prophecy, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , ,
22 Jul 2013

Telling Others About Jesus

Mark 16:15-16
15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. 16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
New Living Translation

I try to do this, but it’s hard to do at times. Most of the time I’m quiet. I say nothing. However sometimes I do speak up and tell others about Jesus. I defend the scriptures. However unlike some with other religions; I don’t defend God because I rely on Him to defend me. But this too is difficult. I am human with a sinful nature.

I have never gone to a Bible college, or a seminary. I have never had any Bible training at all. (except for some home Bible studies) basically I am untrained in speaking, teaching, preaching, or anything about the Bible. Compared to many of you, I am uneducated.

However I have many times over the years told people about Jesus. I have told people about Heaven and Hell. About God’s judgment and more importantly His grace. Grace that we can not earn but can have freely from God. I have talked openly about the true Living Lord Jesus to anyone who comes to my door.

So if I, an uneducated man, have done this, and if many of you never have; what is your excuse for not telling others about Jesus? So many of you are much more qualified than me.

Some may say “What if I mess up?” All of us mechanics as well as Do-It-Yourself people have scraped our knuckles. Does that stop us from ever working on something again? No of course not. We love building or fixing things. What if someone on a bicycle (there are lots of people riding bicycles in the Northwest) take a tumble on the road or the trail? Would that person never ride again? If that person loves riding, of course he or she will ride again. What about those of you who loves baking? If you burn something you will still keep baking? Of course you will.

Years ago I asked someone why he didn’t tell people about Jesus. He said that here in America everyone has already heard the Gospel. They already know the truth and just need to believe. That’s like saying that since everyone has already heard of Ford and Chevrolet, these companies no longer need to advertise. Right now I’m sure that the CEOs, and business owners, and managers are laughing at the idea of not advertising. We must not keep God’s word a secret.

John 3:16-18
16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

One day a Mormon asked me, “Would a loving God send anyone to Hell?”
To that I answered, “YES, because of our sins, our wrong doings. That is why He sent us Jesus. To save us from our sins. (our wrong doings) If we believe in the true Jesus, the Lord Jesus, we will be saved from Hell. But only through Him and Him alone.”
Of course he didn’t like my answer.

A long time ago I used to have a canoe. Since we used to live only a few hundred yards from Puget Sound, I would often go canoeing after work. One day a childhood friend of my wife wanted to go for a canoe ride but was afraid. She had heard that all canoes were tipsy and that she would tip over into the water. My wife and I told her she was safe, but she wouldn’t believe it. Once when she finally got into the canoe with me, the canoe rocked back and forth. She was scared. I told her to turn around and face me. She did. I told her to hold on tight and watch. I then rocked the boat just as hard as I possibly could. The water came up to about two inches from the top and no more. “See? We won’t tip over.” I told her. She then turned around and enjoyed the ride.

If we believe in Jesus, we too will be safe. From judgment.

I believe so much in this, that I almost got out of the National Guard because of it. Back in the 1980s I thought if I went to war, (there was no war then) and if I shoot and kill someone, I could for the most part, be sending that person to Hell.

I must add that a pastor that I knew and respected from British Columbia said that it is a good and honorable thing to protect your country and your love ones. If I wanted to stay in the military, it’s OK. Those who choose to not believe in our Lord has made their choice. But don’t stop telling others in love about Jesus.

If a Christian dies, then that Christian will go to be with Jesus. However if a non-Christian dies, the that person is judged for their wrong doings. (Everybody has done wrong. That is why we need Jesus.) The non-believers will then be thrown into a lake of fire.

We must tell more people about Jesus in hope to save them from God’s judgment. And yet as I type this, I am reminded that I too have fallen down on the job, way too much.

Posted in Christianity, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
01 Jul 2013

They Came to My House

Last week, there was a knock at the door. Thinking that it was a customer coming to pick up a part I’ve ordered for him, (I repair lawn mowers at home part time) I went out through the garage to meet him. But instead of finding the customer; I found two Jehovah Witnesses. A man and a woman.

Now what? I know many people would politely or not so politely close the door on them. But what should we do as Christians? Well all through the New Testament Christians were going out into the world spreading the Word. But what do we say when the Jehovah Witness or Mormons comes to our door? First be nice and show respect. After all most of them are respectful, and so should we. We must also stand firm on God’s true Word. And remember these people are not the enemy; these people are in the need the true Jesus.

The true Jesus? If I told you that I believe in President Obama because he’s a fine Chinese-American man who grew up in Texas; you could say that I really don’t believe in him, because I don’t know the first thing about him. Well it’s the same with the Lord Jesus. Many claim they believe in Him and yet don’t know the first thing about Him.

I heard once that both the Jehovah Witness and Mormon are trained to answer questions; that they are suppose to teach. Good, we’ll start there.

The man of the Jehovah Witness said something about doing good. I quickly interrupted and asked, “What if I have done bad all my life, and then got sick. What if because of this sickness I am laying on my death bed unable to do anything? Is there any hope for me?”

Both the man and the woman had no answer for me. The man was thumbing through his Bible hoping to come up with some kind of answer. He then said something about Jesus. (for those who are new to my blog; I do have a hearing loss)
I interrupted again, “Who is this Jesus?”
He calmed down some and said Jesus is son of God.
“Son of God? What does that mean?” I asked.
He started thumbing through his Bible again. He clearly didn’t know the answer. Finally he came to the book of John and said Jesus is the word.
“Who or what is the ‘word’?”
He answered saying the ‘word’ is a god, and then he showed me John 1:4 in his bible.

In the last few minutes something has happened to this Jehovah Witness. I was asking questions he couldn’t answer. And since he’s trained to teach; in a panic he was looking for answers. Any answer. His mind is now open for the truth. Or more open anyway. Right then I told both of them that I’m getting something and will be right back.

I went into the living room, grabbed my laptop, told my wife the Jehovah Witnesses are here, (she always prays for me, which is very important) then I went back out to the garage.

I opened the Bible software on the laptop and went to John 1:1-4.
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.

I read it again slowly. “In the beginning the Word” I held up one finger. “The Word was with God” I held up another finger symbolizing God. “The Word was with God” I said again as I moved the two fingers together. “Word was God.” I then wrapped my hand around around the two fingers symbolizing they’re one. I continued, “And in verse 4 says nothing about ‘a god’. In fact it says the Word, ‘Jesus’ gave life. Only a true God can do that. Jesus is God.”

The man was looking over my shoulder at the laptop. I showed him New Living Translation, American Standard Version, New King James Version, and The Message. Each time I showed him the thing with my fingers. The man now realize there is a problem with his bible. Again I reminded him that there is only one God, therefore Jesus can not be just a god because He is God.

Then I did something I have never done before. I went back to the first part of Genesis. “In the beginning God created.”
Right then the woman spoke up “I know, God created us in His image, which means we’re gods.”
“No. Not true.” I answered. “We were created in His image as in representative.” I pointed to the closest logo. “See that Tecumseh logo? That logo is not the company itself, but only an image or representative of the company with that name.”

This logo is an image or representative of a manufacture

This logo is an image or representative of a manufacture

I went back, “In the beginning God created. When Adam and Eve sinned the Lord walked through the garden calling for them. I believe this is God in the form of Jesus. But before all of this you have the Spirit of God going over the water in the beginning. So now you have the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

I wanted to talk more and so did he, but now there is a car sitting in front of my house waiting to pick them up, they really had to go.

So if a Jehovah Witness or Mormon comes to your home, don’t slam the door in their face. Talk with them. Listen to what they have to say. But keep this in mind:
No matter what you hear, remember Jesus is Son Of God. He is Lord. He is 100% God and yet 100% man.
Our sins (our wrong doings) have separated us from the very just God. Our sin has made it absolutely impossible to be good enough to be right with God. The wages of sin is death. We are saved only through the grace of Jesus.
Jesus died and on the third day rose physical back to life with is own body.
Another thing to remember is even though the person who comes to your door uses scripture to back their claim; it is often out of context.

Here is an example.
One day I was talking with someone about a hernia operation, and how the incision broke open. A woman who was eavesdropping only heard part of it and laughed at me said something about how I should have followed doctor’s orders and not be doing something stupid. She laughed again and left. What she heard was out of context. The truth is I was driving when someone pulled out in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and the seat-belt broke the incision open. I did nothing wrong.

If you would like to read more about how I have talked to people about Jesus (and how some have talked to me about Jesus) please read my book, A Whole Mess Load of Grace.

Posted in Christianity and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
17 Jun 2013
1 Comment

The Anti-Christ

The anti-Christ; Who is he? I don’t know. The end.

Well I think I just wrote the shortest post ever.

Seriously, I don’t know who he is, but I do know a little about him. I also have heard a lot of rumors about who he could be. Over the years I have heard that it’s Bush (I or II), Obama, Clinton, President Kennedy, Hitler, Prince William, the Pope (pick one). And believe it or not, I have even heard that the Wizard on the 1939 movie Wizard of Oz, was the anti-Christ. (You may want to turn up the volume since this link is not captioned.) Amazing. I honestly believe we can rule that guy out.

In Matthew 15:19-20 Jesus said:
For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”

So let’s try and stop this foolishness on saying so-n-so is the anti-Christ. Now what do we know about the anti-Christ? The Bible says the Beast (anti-Christ) would have everyone receive ‘the mark 666‘.

Bush (I and II), Clinton, President Kennedy, and Hitler, never did this ‘mark’ thing and are either out of office with no more authority, or dead. The current Pope is so laid back, I can’t imagine him getting very much involved in world politics. And the last one no longer has authority and he never pushed the 666 mark either. So far we have President Obama and Prince William left.

Revelation 13:4
They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?”

President Obama just barely won both of his elections, has low approval ratings, several scandals, and many in the Middle East don’t respect him. It’s safe to say Obama doesn’t qualify for being the anti-Christ (the beast).

Prince William? Well I don’t pay attention to tabloids. All I know about him is he’s a young guy with a wife and a kid on the way.

Revelation 13:1-2
1) Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God. 2) This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority.

Does “rising out of the sea” mean an island? If so, you would think the Bible would say island. The other possibility is either a navy man on a submarine or a scuba diver. Prince William is not in the Navy, but instead is in the Air Force. Doing a little research on Google I was surprised to see that he does like to scuba dive. But so does a lot of other people.

I have no idea what ‘seven heads and ten horns and crowns’ means. Some say it’s the European Union. Maybe, but if so the EU would need to loose some countries. The part of Revelation 13:2 that says: ‘looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion’ seems like a crest. But if it is a crest, it doesn’t exist yet. So I don’t believe it’s Prince William. His clearly has a lion and not a leopard on it.

So what do we know about the anti-Christ? The Bible says the beast is going to be killed but brought back to life again. People will worship him and he will have authority for 3-1/2 years. In Revelation 13:11-15 a second Beast will come with the same authority as the first one, but will be able to do miracles on behalf of first one. And not only that but he’ll also have people make a resemblance of the first beast. This resemblance (image or statue) will be given life, then people will be forced to worship it. As far as the ‘resemblance’ some translations say image and others say statue. Could this be 3D video? Also it sounds like to me, one beast is a ‘puppet to the other.

How could the anti-Christ come about? I’m just guessing, but what if there is a con-man who cons many into thinking he’s Mohammad? Now you’ll have some Muslims following this guy as well as some politically correct non-Muslims. The persecution of Christians and Jews would increase. Now comes another con-man and this one forces everyone to worship the first using a statue or image (or what I believe is maybe a 3D video). And this causes more persecution of God’s people. Now I honestly don’t know if this is the way it will happen, but it’s a thought. It seems to fit with Revelation 13. I do believe it will be a demon possessed con-man bent on evil, more so than any other con-men before.

So who is this anti-Christ? I don’t know, but I do believe he’s coming soon. The technology of 3D video that could be seen in the home and marking people with something (chip or code scan) so they buy or sell did not exist 30 or so years ago. Is the anti-Christ ready to take power now? Maybe. But he may still be, only a toddler pooping in his drawers, asking his mom for a cookie. I don’t know.

Posted in Christianity, Prophecy, Uncategorized and tagged , , , ,
09 Jun 2013

The Creature From Job – Supplement

If you remember from the first time I posted the article The Creature From Job I had trouble looking up Job 41:30 in Hebrew. So I asked one of our pastors Noah. This is what he said in his own words.

“The reason why you aren’t seeing Job 41:27- the end of the chapter is that English and Hebrew have the verses numbered differently. This happens often, keeping in mind that verse and chapter demarcations weren’t added till thousands of years after the original texts were written. In many cases the English verse numbers are beholden to the tradition of the King James version, which wasn’t translated from Hebrew and Greek at all, but from Jerome’s Latin Vulgate, which was done in the 400’s. Jerome was working from a different set of texts than what modern translators are working with… so in some cases there are some textual variances, or just variances in the way the verses are numbered.

In any event, in this case, all the same information is there it is just numbered differently. The English chapter 41 starts after the Hebrew Chapter 40:24… The Hebrew text continues with chapter 40 until verse 32.

So English 41;1-8 = Hebrew 40:25-32

That throws the numbers off for the rest of Job Chapter 41. The verses you are looking for are starting at Job 41:27

So
Job 41:27 (English) = 41:19 (Hebrew)
Job 41:28 (English) = 41:20 (Hebrew)
and so on…

Here’s the verse you’re after in particular:

NIV Job 41:30 His undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.

You’ll find that in your Hebrew Bible at 41:22

So pretty much everywhere in Chapter 41 the numbers don’t match, so if you were looking at Hebrew and matching up the numbers you were really looking a few verses ahead.

Noah”

So I looked up in Hebrew Job 41:22 and there it was. King James Version ‘sharp pointed things’ in Hebrew is charuwts.

OT:2742 – charuwts (khaw-roots’); or charuts (khaw-roots’); passive participle of OT:2782; properly, incised or (active) incisive; hence (as noun masculine or feminine) a trench (as dug), gold (as mined), a threshing-sledge (having sharp teeth); (figuratively) determination; also eager:
KJV – decision, diligent, (fine) gold, pointed things, sharp, threshing instrument, wall.
(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Mystery solved. I what to thank Pastor Noah Hormann at Creekside Covenant Church.

Posted in Christianity, Creation and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →