Inflation: A Biblical and Historical Examination

Inflation is a fact. And it sure doesn't look like it is going to disappear very soon. I feel it is important that we try to understand both the historical and the biblical perspective concerning our nation's problem of runaway inflation. If, as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God here on earth, we are to take back territory from the kingdom of darkness, isn't this as good as any area to reclaim? I will begin by telling you that I am not an expert in economics or economic policy. But I'm astute enough to recognize that the financial health of our nation is failing, and our policies are very sick indeed. And I know that this is not how God intends for His people to prosper. So, I wanted to see if history can shed any light on how we got here; and what God's Word has to say about the situation we find ourselves in. So, I hope you will give my layman's analysis some grace, and let's see if we can discover how to pray and take action.

I don't need to tell you that the cost of food and fuel are rising at an alarming rate. These are two of the primary indicators of the stability of a nation's economy. We learned yesterday that the inflation rate, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is 8.6%, the highest in 41 years! But I learned today that this calculation is misleading. I would like to introduce you to Kerby Anderson, president of Probe Ministries, a Biblical ministry that pursues ongoing research to address today's issues through honest and respected Christian scholarship. On his probe.org website, Mr. Anderson explains that "Most Americans are starting to realize that the current inflation rate is different than the Consumer Price Index." What that means is that we are told the inflation rate is 8.6%, when in reality that figure is associated with the CPI. According to Anderson, the reason that this figure is misleading is because it excludes food and fuel costs from its rate of "core inflation", even while the media suggests those very commodities are at the heart of the figure they quote as the inflation rate. (Are you scratching your head like me, about now)? He goes on to say that there are various economic websites that "conclude that the real inflation rate is more than twice the CPI estimate!"

So, what is the projection for the state of our economy (and I would submit, for the existence of our country)? Can history shed any light on our circumstances, and does the Bible offer any clues or advice? First of all, it always seems that the Roman Empire is used as "the gold standard" to measure the success and longevity of nations and societies, as well as their collapse. I went to DailyHistory.org to avail myself of the information included in their article, What Role Did Inflation Play in the Collapse of the Roman Empire. I urge you to read this informative article because the parallels to what we are experiencing will astound you. 

As you will read, Rome's collapse was the result of several factors that combined to create a “perfect storm” of civilizational destruction. Among them is the often over-looked role of inflation. The article asserts that "once the Roman economy was hopelessly ravaged by inflation, the borders of the empire were open for the Huns, Goths, and Vandals to take what they wanted." Sound familiar? 

But at the beginning of the Roman Empire's economy, the value of their currency was literally worth their weight in silver, bronze, or copper. As the Empire grew, so did their economy and they enjoyed the effects of prosperous trade with the world's markets. Sound fiscal policies helped the emperors keep inflation in check. "The money supply increased proportionately with the increase in trade. Taxes were also kept low: each province only paid a one percent wealth tax and a flat tax on all adults. All of this helped keep prices low and the wheels of government moving effectively, but by the end of the second century AD things began to change."

As the article on DailyHistory.org infers, around 200 AD, the Empire suffered a recession, which was compounded by the so-called “Antonine plague,” which was brought back from the eastern provinces by Roman soldiers. Since the plague led to the widespread decimation of the Roman population, wages increased rapidly – much too rapidly. In our current state of affairs, this sounds a lot like "the stimulus packages" that flooded money into our economy. In Rome, the result was a drastic increase on the prices of goods that had never before been witnessed in Rome: inflation was only one percent in the first two centuries AD, but prices doubled after the plague. And to make a long story short, other factors included an influx of people from the countries they conquered, the exponential growth of their military industrial complex, and the devaluation of their currency due to too many coins in circulation. Again, I ask ... sound familiar?

But now, I come to the part of this post that interests me the most. What is the Bible's view on this monetary nightmare that is overwhelming our country? We recognize that our national debt is soaring. Our government is spending more than it is making. It is that simple. We are allowing our southern border to be inundated by unprecedented numbers of people who are being subsidized by the government. Where is that money coming from? It is being printed, not earned through trade. We are swimming in an ocean of debt, both nationally and personally. And what does the Bible tell us is God's opinion on this? I think Proverbs 22:7 sums it up quite nicely: "The rich rules over the poor; and the borrower is servant to the lender." I think "slave to the lender" is more appropriate.

The Bible also warns that both individuals and their government should have honest weights and measures. Proverbs 20:10 tells us "False weights and unequal measures— the Lord detests double standards of every kind." The manipulation of our currency is dishonest and corrupt. It is cheating the American people whose hard-earned money is being confiscated for immoral purposes. But what can we Christians do to minimize the pain of inflation and poor economic policies? We must begin by getting out of debt. The Bible makes it clear that we are to "owe no one anything", "and the wicked borrows but does not pay back". Being free of debt is one of the best ways to avoid the consequences of runaway inflation. We must live within our means, even if our government has not. Sadly, we, like the Roman Empire, have gotten used to our prosperity and instant gratification. Our grandparents saved until they could pay for their needs with cash. If you didn't have the cash, then you learned to live without it. "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? (Luke 14:28).

But we have become used to having whatever we want, whenever we want, by swiping a plastic card. When interest rates are low on those credit cards, then paying them off, or at least making the minimum payment, convinces us that it's a good practice. Why should we deny ourselves the pleasures of life? But as we face inflation, recession, and rising interest rates on everything, that pain is about to become palpable. And being a Christian does not forgive us those debts. 

We must also see ourselves in the economic woes of biblical Israel. As Probe.org points out, "God pronounced judgment on the land because the country that once was full of justice had debased the currency and its products. Your silver has become dross, your best wine mixed with water (Isaiah 1:22). People were cheating each other by adding cheaper metals to their silver and by adding water to their wine." Probe.org further explains that "In a statement by someone regarded as one of the most important economists of the twentieth century, British economist John Maynard Keynes noted how inflation affects a nation and its citizens. He said: “By a continuing process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens. He also added, “There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law that come down on the side of destruction and does so in a manner that not one man in a million is able to diagnose.”

As Americans, we know that there are economic laws that govern the prosperity of our nation. As Christians, we know that God also has moral economic laws, and His laws are higher.  We must not despair nor think that He cannot deliver us from this quagmire in which our greed and corruption have us mired. But we must do our part. We must not live in debt and we must demand that our leaders be moral and upstanding; that they govern with righteousness. As 1 Corinthians 4:2 says, In this case, moreover, it is required [as essential and demanded] of stewards that one be found faithful and trustworthy. We do not need to follow in the footsteps of ancient Israel or the Roman Empire. Do we have the will to make the personal sacrifices needed to set our overspending back on track? Do we have the courage and strength of mind and faith to call our elected officials to account for the trust and responsibility we have consigned to them? I fear we have greatly offended God by the manner with which we have stewarded the blessings He has given us. It's time we repent for our negligence and return this nation to righteousness. Educate yourselves and make the necessary changes that are pleasing in His sight.

Ezekiel 22:12      In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take interest and profit and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; but Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord God.

 

God, The Constitution, The Supreme Court, and Roe v. Wade

 I'm going to begin this post by stating [very clearly] that I am not a Constitutional scholar.  I am a lover of American history and I try to look at all sides of our history from my Biblical worldview. That means that I've carefully considered the question, "Does the Bible have authority over the Constitution of the United States"? 

We know that Article 6 of the Constitution states that "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States ... shall be the supreme Law of the Land". So, what is our understanding of the origination of "Law"? From the foundations of the world, it is clear that a system of rules [called Law] was instituted to govern the actions of men. But who created Law? In the Declaration of Independence, our Founding Fathers gave credit to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" that endowed men with certain unalienable Rights -- Rights given to them by their Creator -- and among them are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. 

The Bible states that "the Lord is our lawgiver" (Isaiah 33:22); "the law is holy" (Romans 7:12); "the law of the Lord is perfect" (Psalm 19:7); and "the perfect law" is "the law of liberty" (James 1:25). At this point we can understand that Law is important to both God and to our system of government in this nation. In fact, just as God sits on His throne in the Heavenly Court as Supreme Judge over all Creation, we have a Supreme Court that plays a very important role in our Constitutional form of government. As the highest Court in this earthly realm, it is the last resort for those seeking justice. But what happens when our Supreme Court has been compromised by agreement with sin?

In light of the current volatile case before the Supreme Court, here's what I think the citizens of the United States need to consider: I don't think abortion advocates, the courts and judges of this land, and the Supreme Court of our nation have considered that abortion is the sacrifice of a baby for the benefit of the mother. The Creator God of the Universe has a legal entitlement to demand that we respect what He has created. And He has made His opinion well-known.  In Leviticus 20:2-5, He states,  “Say to the Israelites: 'Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molech is to be put to death.' "  Got it?  It is an act that the God who created me, you, and the baby has declared is abominable and worthy of death. Child sacrifice, in all its forms, is unacceptable to God. Period. 

And so, I refer you to 1 John 3:4, which says, Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness [ignoring God’s law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing—being unrestrained by His commands and His will]. Isn't that exactly what we did in 1973 with Roe v. Wade, when the Court thought they could over-rule God? And isn't it what the Supreme Court did in 1992, when hearing Planned Parenthood v. Casey, they asserted that the right to an abortion was a liberty protected by the 14th Amendment? At the time, the Court stated, "[at] the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life." To me, it sure seems like the baby isn't allowed a voice to define it's existence.

 One of the core concepts of the 14th Amendment is the tenet that says, "nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Again, where is the protection of the baby's life or liberty, or right to choose? Where is the baby's equal protection under the law?  

This most recent resurrection of Roe v. Wade before the Supreme Court of the United States (and the subsequent leak of Justice Alito's draft opinion) have sparked a firestorm across this nation. Sadly, this does nothing more than cause further division between pro-life champions and abortion supporters. The question now becomes will the Supreme Court Justices be swayed by political persuasions? And even more consequential, it is plain to see that both God and the Bible have become more irrelevant in our society -- indeed, despised. 

We can see that both the Bible and the Constitution have lost their place in the governance of our nation. In fact, there is a third player in the game, and it is Government, with a capital "G". Since our society seems to want to eradicate the influence of both the Bible and the Constitution, does either have any remaining moral value?  Clearly, the Bible is being mocked, derided, and re-conceptualized to serve the needs of the ungodly. And, in its tattered state, is there enough of the Constitution left to warrant any real authority?  

Perhaps the more appropriate question is this: Is there enough of the Bible's influence in the Constitution to withstand its destruction by the Government?  Ultimately, as a faithful Christian, I have to go back to the one Truth that overrides all ... YHWH is Sovereign, Supreme, and the absolute Head of this State.  His Word is authority over everything man-made ... whether it is a governing document like the Constitution, or a governing body of men like the Supreme Court. That might not be the politically expedient answer to give in this time of division and rancor, but we are at the stage in this nation (and the world) where it is time to quit playing the political game, and recognize Who has the real Power in this world. We must pray that the highest Court in our land has enough courage and fear of God to uphold His righteous laws of Liberty and Justice. 

Even if Justice Alito's opinion represents the majority of the Court, it won't solve the abortion question in its entirety. Each state would have the ultimate decision whether to allow abortions to be performed as part of their governing laws. But I know that it says in God's Word that He appoints rulers over nations by His authority, and we are to be loyal to that government... as long as they are loyal to His laws. I truly believe that God was involved in the creation of our Constitution through the men that He put in authority. At that time, these men foresaw a nation of individuals who were generally governed by Biblical precepts -- checks and balances and a limited government were at the center of the Constitution, and would serve such a Biblically-minded society well. Then, as now, I believe that the Bible has authority over each of us as individuals, and the Constitution has authority over the government. That combination has worked for us for 246 years, and contributed to a generally balanced co-existence among individuals and government, as long as this nation continued to embrace Biblical morals and principles.

So, I pray for the nine Justices who are caught in this quagmire of deceit and subterfuge. I pray that they will be led by moral consciences and not persuaded to abandon their sacred duty to the people of this great land. We stand on the precipice of rule by lawlessness, and we know what the Bible says that leads to!

2 Chronicles 19:6    He told them, "Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for mere mortals but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict."

Why The Old Testament's History Speaks To Us Today

 

This week as our Home Church/Ekklesia meets, we will be diving into the Bible's Genesis, Chapter 11, which features a short exposé on Nimrod and the Tower of Babel on the plains of Shinar. We have also asked our group to read chapters 7-9 in the Book of Jasher, a book in the Apocrypha, which is a group of texts that aren't in the Canon, but have a thread related to the canonical biblical writings. Plus this ancient Book of Jasher is referenced in Joshua 10:13, 2 Samuel 1:18, and 2 Timothy 3:8. 

I subscribe to the suggestion of Proverbs 25:2, which says, "It is the Glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to search it out". Since we are called priests and kings in Revelation 5:10, it makes sense to me that God references this ancient Book so that we will search out more of what God wants us to know. Also, it fills in a lot of historical gaps in the Bible and, for me, actually helps me to better understand the lives of the Biblical characters, and see how it relates to modern man.

But the focus of this blog post is not extra-biblical and apocrypha books. It is about connecting what God is showing us at the beginning of the Bible to help us understand and see what is happening in what I believe are the rapidly approaching Last Days. I know the skeptical will say, "Why do you spend so much time delving into the Old Testament? We have a New Covenant with Jesus, and everything that happened before Him is obsolete for us." I have a different viewpoint.

The God of Genesis is the same God of the Book of Revelation. He hasn't changed, and everything about Him should be important to us. The entire Bible is meant for us to learn from; to learn His Nature and Character; to learn the strategies of the Enemy; to see how God has worked throughout history to reconcile Himself to His creation and restore us to our original purpose in Genesis -- to manage this earth as a colony of Heaven; to rule with the authority and dominion He gave us; and to make Earth look and act like Heaven. I find it extremely helpful to see the ways in which the Enemy tempted men to rebel, and then to go further and learn from the mistakes that men made out of their pride, arrogance, and lust for power and wealth. And we must not forget Jesus's warning, As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man!

From the Bible we only get the hints of what it was like in the days of Noah. But when you add the historical background that the Book of Jasher provides, you see that the lives of Noah, Nimrod, and Abraham all overlap. For instance, did you know that Abraham studied at the feet of Noah? Abraham was the eight times great-grandson of Noah, and was sent to live with Noah when his life was threatened by Nimrod, who was the tyrant of ancient Babylonia, and his reign was wicked and brutal. He was the most powerful king of the ancient world, and Abram's father, Terah, served him as "the prince of Nimrod's host [army]". On the night that Abram was born, Nimrod's wise men and conjurers saw a very large star in the East sweep across the sky and swallow up the stars of the four corners of heaven. They said to each other, "This only betokens the child that has been born to Terah this night, who will grow up and be fruitful, and multiply, and will possess the whole earth, he and his children forever; and he and his seed will slay great kings, and inherit their lands" (Jasher 8:4).

Just like King Herod at the birth of Jesus, King Nimrod demands the death of the child, Abram. His father, Terah, secrets him away to live in a cave for 10 years, and then "when Abram came out from the cave, he went to live with Noah and his son Shem, and he remained with them to learn the instruction of the Lord and His ways, and no man knew where Abram was, and Abram served Noah and Shem, his son, for a long time" (Jasher 9:5). That's a lot of information that explains a lot of unanswered questions in the Bible. And for me, it explains why Abram listened to the Lord when He said, "Go away from your country, and your relatives, and from your father's house to the land which I will show you" (Genesis 12:1) and verse four that says, "So Abram departed [in faithful obedience] as the Lord had directed him". 

Keeping in mind that in the culture of the time, "your father's house" could mean your ancestor's home (such as your eight times great-grandfather, Noah), and why Abram recognized God's voice. He was raised to know the Lord by Noah and Shem! And Abram would certainly have known of the wicked reign of Nimrod, who not only built the city of Babel, but other cities as well, and Jasher 11:4 says Nimrod "vexed the Lord, and rebelled and transgressed against Him". Verse 7 says he "continued in wickedness and teaching wickedness to the sons of men; and Mardon, his son, was worse than his father, and continued to add to the abominations of his father."

But it is not only the ancient books that give us additional information that supplements the Bible, but the writings of Josephus, a Jewish historian who was born just a few years after Jesus's crucifixion, and who provides a treasure load of cultural significance to the history of the Bible. Of Nimrod, Josephus writes, "Now it was Nimrod who excited [the residents of Shinar] to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, who was the son of Noah -- a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded [the people] not to ascribe [their prosperity and plentiful condition] to God, as if they could believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny -- seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence upon his power" (Chapter 4, Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews). Sound familiar?

Josephus goes on to write of Nimrod's arrogance and attempt to take revenge on God for what He had done to their forefathers; by building a tower to conquer God for sending the Flood and destroying mankind. These events that took place at the Tower of Babel have had a devastating effect on mankind ever since. Nimrod was the first to attempt to establish a totalitarian world government and religious system that discredits God and ruthlessly dominates the world. It resulted in the Kingdom of God versus the Rule of Man (sponsored by the kingdom of darkness). It has been the objective of Satan since the Garden of Eden -- a one world order that governs the earth through tyrants that he places in power. From Genesis to Revelation, it is a book of rebellion against God. 

Throughout Biblical history [and the history of the world], it has been a story of man's attempt to thwart God's Sovereignty over His Creation. But, at every turn, we see the power of the Lord to stop the events that attempt to glorify mankind instead of Himself. And, so, it should not surprise us that we see it continuing in our own time here on earth. But we, who believe and trust in Jesus Christ, know how fruitless those attempts will be. We know the present plans, and all future plans, to dethrone God from the earth are futile and in vain. We know the truth of the Word and the historical testimony the Bible gives to the Divine Will of the Creator, and eventually, there will be a last rebellion of man against God, and every knee will bow and all mankind will be brought into submission to the Lord. We must pray that the growing rebellion we see across the globe will be quelled by the appearance of the Lord with His Heavenly Host! We will sing and shout praises of His Glory as we witness the defeat of Satan's influence in the earth, once and for all!

Philippians 2:9-11   For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father.

If You Haven't Penetrated These "Veils of Our Existence", Now Is The Critical Time!

I originally wrote on this topic in 2012, shortly after I launched this site. The post was based on a theory proposed by the late Don Harkin, former Editor of The Idaho Observer.  Mr. Harkin suggested the existence of a world system of Power-Elites that the masses don't comprehend because these Power-Elites have cleverly developed a virtual pasture so green that few people seldom, if ever, bother to look up from where they are grazing to notice that they are being led over the cliff. It was Mr. Harkin's conjecture that there were at least 8 veils of understanding that a person needed to penetrate in order to see the real purpose of our existence.

From that first posting in 2012 to the second posting in 2016, my understanding that each level of these "veils" included spiritual battles had increased exponentially, and I added a "new perspective" to my original perception. I then revised my "perspective" again in 2019, as the realities of our existence were changing dramatically. And now, here we are closing in on 2022, and if the sheeple are still convinced the virtual pasture is as green as ever, it is critical that they be warned before the pasture ceases to exist at all. 

I still think each of these stages exists and is valid, and in order to progress to a higher understanding of just how we are to maneuver through this existence called life, we must be able to pierce each successive veil and move to the next level.  It is part of our human journey on this earth... only now, I believe the human race is running out of time to reach that eighth veil. It's critical to revisit this interesting speculation, and see if we grasp any new revelations that we can add to Mr. Harkins' original conjecture.  If this is not the first time you've read this post on my blog, then I hope you've pierced your way through the veils to true enlightenment. So, let's see how far we've come in the last decade...

The First Veil (2012) = Politics. There are over 7 billion+ people on the planet.  Most of them will live and die without seriously thinking about anything other than what it takes to live and breathe for one more day.  That means that 90% of all humanity will live behind this first veil and never pierce it.  That leaves 10% of us who will vote, be active in our societies and have an opinion.  Our opinions are often shaped by government officials, the Mainstream Media, or other "experts" who claim to be voices of authority.  But of those with an opinion, 90% will never really think for themselves and will adopt the opinion of others, while 10% will pierce the second veil and move forward in their thinking.
     My 2016 Perspective:  All this remains true, but now I see that there are spiritual forces behind those involved in the government, Mainstream Media, and "experts", or voices of authority.  Of those of us within the 10% who form their own opinion, how many understand that politics is not the answer -- that our power will not come from our affiliation with whomever wins elections, but from Jesus Christ?  And what small percentage of that 10% realizes that our time on this earth should not be spent supporting man-made power structures, but using our power from Christ to "do the things He has done, only greater"? (John 14:12).
     My 2019 Perspective: In the last four years I have grown from an understanding that I have spiritual power and authority transferred from my Savior, Jesus Christ, to a revelation that I am a citizen of Heaven and an Ambassador for the Kingdom of God and His government here on earth. I am to be a member of Christ's Ekklesia (governing body of Christians who implement God's laws/government in our culture and nation). I now understand that our 21st Century model of a Church building full of Christians has not accomplished what Christ intended when He trained and equipped His disciples to go into the world and heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse the spiritually unclean, raise the dead, and pread the Gospel of the Kingdom. 

As we approach 2022: The dirty veil of politics has come off, and we see all the ugliness of the Power Elites manipulating the puppets of man-made government. Trust is at an all-time low. Corruption is no longer hidden, and the average citizen's voice is close to being silenced. Tyranny and oligarchy are the governing policies of the day. If you are part of the 90% still stuck in politics as the solution, I fear you're running out of time to reach the 8th veil!

The Second Veil (2012) = History.  Once we've pierced the first veil, there will be 10% of us who will explore the world of history, the relationship between man and government, which will then lead to the meaning of self-government through constitutional and common law.  Ninety percent of this group will live and die without going on to pierce the third veil.
     My 2016 Perspective:  The Constitution is no longer my route to real freedom.  Man's laws and self-government will only get me so far.  My true freedom lies in letting Jesus heal my spiritual wounds, and recognizing that I don't have to suffer the "fiery darts" of the Enemy.  The history that consumes me now are the experiences of those -- both from the ancient world, and the modern -- who have learned what it means to transcend the tyranny and oppression from the spiritual realm to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.  That is true freedom.
     My 2019 Perspective: The Constitution is being undermined and usurped as Evil begins to come out from behind the veil and boldly reveal itself. Man-made laws that have governed in times past are ignored and I now understand that if we Christians do not stand up and govern as an Ekklesia, then someone else will write our laws. We can see that in the Colorado law that does not require gender specification on a birth certificate. We are in new [and increasingly terrifying] territory when it comes to what history has shown to be traditional forms of law and government. The gloves are coming off. 

As we approach 2022: We are dangerously close to repeating history because we have not learned the lessons of the past. It's been a short 81 years since the evil at Auschwitz concentration camp was perpetrated upon defenseless Jews. They were subjected to vile medical experiments, with the goal of complete eradication. In the last century, we have seen democratic countries adopt socialistic and communistic models of government, resulting in the disappearance of personal freedoms and liberties. Consider for yourself, how far down those roads we have come.

The Third Veil (2012) = Resources of the World.  Of the group that pierces this veil, 10% of us will come to realize that the masses are controlled by extremely wealthy and powerful families whose old world assets have been manipulated to become the foundation upon which the world's economy is currently indebted.  (Think Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, the Royal Monarchs).  But sadly, 90% of this group will never pierce the fourth veil.
     My 2016 Perspective:  Yes, the masses are controlled by these extremely wealthy and powerful families; and behind them are the spiritual forces of wickedness and evil.  I believe that they have sold their souls for earthly wealth and power that will prove false when the Day of Judgment comes.
     My 2019 Perspective: Those that have held this control are feeling threatened as Jesus's Remnant is awakening to the truth of their power and is fighting back spiritually. Therefore, the Wicked are accelerating their evil through sex trafficking, child sacrifice, and sex rituals, as well as reallocating resources of rare earth minerals to their advantage.

As we approach 2022: Nothing has changed since 2019, except that the battle is even more heated between Good and Evil. With the world trending towards higher dependency on technology, the acquisition of rare earth minerals, which are crucial to the manufacture of many hi-tech products, has become extremely important. Nations like China, Russia, the U.S., India, and Australia are scrambling to increase their reserves, as worries over the supply chain become heightened. In addition, Water is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity, with state and federal governments regulating the use of water on private property. Watch for these two resources to be in the headlines.

The Fourth Veil (2012) = The Illuminati, Freemasonry and other secret societies.  There are 10% of us that recognize these societies use symbols and perform ceremonies that transfer mysterious knowledge that is used to keep us ordinary people in political, economic and spiritual bondage to the oldest bloodlines on earth.  This has been seen frequently at Super Bowl halftime shows (Beyonce flashing "the Rockefeller" sign; Madonna sporting symbols of the occult) and during the Grammy's (Nikki Minaj's ode to "Roman", the demon whom she says possesses her).  Just check out the Youtube videos for each of these demonstrations!  But once again, 90% of those who have reached this level of understanding will never pierce the fifth veil.
     My 2016 Perspective:  Boy, has my understanding of this grown in the last few years!  The Lord has shown me just how much devastation has been sown on families steeped in these secret societies.  The oaths and curses taken during secret ritual ceremonies have resulted in great oppression among many Christians, who don't even know these secret societies have permeated their families or their Churches!  And the evidence that these societies have infiltrated our entertainment industry is overwhelming.  I am literally seeing the signs and symbols everywhere I look throughout our culture.  Sadly, I believe that our country is steeped in the occult mysticism associated with these groups, and they are influencing every area of our lives.
     My 2019 Perspective:  These last years have seen Mark and I grow in our ministry of Inner Healing and we certainly have seen an increase in the iniquity in family lines that demonstrate the characteristics of demonic oppression. And it is so much more in the open! People are now willing to reveal the torment they are under and are desperate for a solution. So many people are suffering that it is almost becoming mainstream among our society. So, now we are no longer able to ignore the evil permeating our homes and families. What are we going to do about it? Is the Church willing to finally get on board with the knowledge that evil exists, spiritual warfare is real, and we have to fight back? 

As we approach 2022: From my own perspective, I have added the Anti-Christ Spirit to this phalanx of evildoers. In fact, it is the Anti-Christ Spirit that feeds the hunger for power and wealth and control of the world's populations in these occultic and ungodly organizations. More and more people [including Christians] are becoming educated about what is behind the deceptive images they project. But now is the time to start learning how to defeat them in the spirit. They are so entrenched in the world, that only with the help of God and His strategies, can they be unmasked and exposed for who they ultimately serve.

The Fifth Veil (2012) = Technological advances by these Secret Societies.  I may lose some of you at this point, but I urge you to do your own research and study the Bible in depth.  There are hints of the knowledge behind this fifth veil, but you have to be willing to connect the dots.  There are 10% who make it this far in their understanding who learn that the secret societies are so far advanced technologically that they are able to do things that were considered science fiction just decades ago.  The inventions of Ray Kurzweil and his prediction of "man's singularity with computers" is an example of such advanced technology.  But what's interesting is that this technology is actually ancient, and compares to what Nimrod was trying to accomplish at the Tower of Babel; namely to become like God. Are we getting dangerously close to that concept again?  Nearly 90% will never get beyond this understanding to the sixth veil.
     My 2016 Perspective:  To say that technology has surpassed science fiction is putting it mildly.  Human-animal hybrids are being created in Great Britain, and a surgeon plans to reanimate human corpses.  Books are being written that tell us immortality is accessible to everyone, outside of any religious worldview.  Inventors and artists openly admit that they are "channeling" spiritual sources of knowledge.  All this is being downloaded from entities in the spiritual realm to control and deceive the human race.  We better understand who we're dealing with.
     My 2019 Perspective: It's just more of the same and at a faster pace. Pedophilia and child pornography rings use technology to spread their evil; people are so intrigued with getting their technology "fix" quicker and easier, that we have gone from cell phones to watches, and implants can't be far behind. There is still talk of moving our brains to "the Cloud", and Siri and Alexa know everything we say and do. How long until we're dealing with the real-life scenario portrayed in 1984's Terminator movie? 

As we approach 2022: It is my personal discernment that these secret power-hungry Elites are so covetous of world domination that they will explore greater technological advantages to overpower and destroy populations to maintain their wealth and control. Nanotechnology, neural link technology, and all kinds of emerging technologies that we haven't even heard of yet, will soon be unleashed on millions of unsuspecting humans. Stay educated!

The Sixth Veil (2012) = Aliens and Monsters may be real.  It is going to take a huge leap for the 10% who get to this level of understanding.  But if you study your Bible closely, you will see mention of fallen angels mating with earthly women to give birth to Nephalim (Giants) (Genesis 6:4 and 2 Samuel 21:20, for example).  There are many modern-day Biblical scholars who are prepared to say that the minotaurs of old and the UFO and alien sightings of today are evidence of these fallen angels.
     My 2016 Perspective:  My, how far we've come in these last three-and-a-half years!  The growth of the remnant of the Church who understands the truth of Genesis 6 has been astounding!  I know that there are "spiritual monsters" and they are called demons.  I have encountered them in deliverance sessions, and seen them stare out of the eyes of people who had no idea they were being oppressed by them.  Savage and brutal and bizarre attacks upon people are increasing and are evidence that the Enemy is bringing the spiritual battle to our physical world.  Although, yes, these demons are real, we should have no fear because He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.
     My 2019 Perspective: I think perhaps the most surprising new revelation I have received in the last nearly four years is the cooperation between evil men and Satan's demonic forces. TV shows like Stranger Things may appear to be a form of conspiracy entertainment, but it is based on real-life government experiments in the so-called Montauk Project, involving space, time, and opening portals into other dimensions -- which, naturally leads to the question of what is coming through those portals and are Christians awake and prepared to do battle in these spiritual realms?

As we approach 2022:  Again, I reiterate that the Anti-Christ Spirit is active in the world, and he is preparing the way for the Beast to make his appearance on the earth. And that preparation includes demons and forces of evil to infiltrate the human race, governments, and even the Church. If anyone still thinks these entities are not real, all I can say is, Heaven help them -- because they're about to need it!

The Seventh Veil (2012) = Peace of the Lord.  If you have made it this far and can conceive of the concepts behind the sixth veil, then perhaps you can see that what waits for us behind the seventh.  It's hard to imagine, but I can foresee a small group of people whose soul and spirit is so evolved that they can exist on this earth, yet be unafraid of the evil that abounds in this realm.  The only way I can describe it is to have such peace from God that you are unafraid of death.
     My 2016 Perspective:  Actually, my perspective has moved in a new direction on this veil.  It's not such a small group that sees the evil ascending on the earth from the second heaven, or spiritual realm.  These last few years has seen an amazing growth in this knowledge within the Body of Christ.  It's as if the Holy Spirit has done a massive data dump upon Christians!  We not only know and discern this spiritual warfare, but we also have been given the knowledge that we have the Authority of Jesus to fight [in this war] through the Power of the Holy Spirit.  And that's where our Peace comes from... knowing that we can rebuke the devil and he will flee; knowing that the Lord is our banner in this fight and goes before us; and we know that Jesus will not only never leave us nor forsake us, but He who began a good work in us will complete it.  That is called Peace!
     My 2019 Perspective: This knowledge of supernatural peace has only grown! Once again, I am seeing panic among the general public, and even among some of the "religious" Christians, as they once again sense that the noose is tightening around our comfortable way of life. But those of us who pierced the previous six veils have journeyed for awhile now in the peace that only comes from understanding [and accepting] that evil will increase before Jesus comes back to administer His swift justice. In what might be perceived as an unorthodox mindset, we actually receive the certainty of advancing evil as a sign that our Lord is near to returning. We are ready and both physically and spiritually prepared. We are no longer restive in the midst of the anticipation of evil, but are serene and calm in the certainty of our victory.

As we approach 2022: Actually, I'm seeing the Body of Christ being divided into two spiritual camps. After coming to the knowledge that Ephesians 6 is true, and that we are in a spiritual battle, this first group has been so spiritually devastated by the chaos, fear, and death associated with the pandemic of C-19, that they want to retreat to a status of Prayer Warriors. Nothing wrong with that! We certainly need intercessors and people to lift our prayers to the throne of God. But they struggle to find their Peace in the Lord. But the second group that is in the spiritual battle have come to realize that we cannot drop our guard; that we have to take the fight to the Enemy; and that this is the time to dedicate our lives to the cause of the Kingdom. There is Peace in knowing that we were created for a time such as this, and Jesus will equip us to go farther in our strategies than ever before! There is Peace in knowing He is that close!

That brings us to Harkin's Eighth veil (2012), which can only be the pure energy, authority and life force that is God.  We can only hope to tap into that Power, and I think the closest we can come to that is to seek a personal, intimate relationship with the One True God, the Ruler of the Universe and abide in Him.
     My 2016 Perspective:  Yes, a personal, intimate relationship is necessary to tap into that Power, but it is incumbent upon each of us to know that it is available to us.  We are not to be mindless robots, sitting idly by waiting for God to win this war all by Himself.  We are created in His image, exhorted to imitate Christ, and called to an inheritance in Christ.  He dwells in us!  That energy, authority and life force are not to be squandered, but used to gain ground in defeating the Enemy in our lives!
     My 2019 Perspective: The knowledge that we are to have a personal, intimate relationship with Christ is now seen through an entirely new lens. He is our King, and we serve Him in His kingdom here on earth. He is our model, and we are to hear and see His directives on managing this earth, just as He followed everything the Father showed and told Him. This picture of citizenship in the Kingdom of God on earth still includes love, compassion, mercy, and grace ... but it has expanded to taking back territory from the kingdom of darkness in people's lives. Mankind was given dominion over the earth at our creation, and it is time we step into that mandate and take up our mantle of authority, using the power of Heaven through the Holy Spirit. who resides in us. 

As we approach 2022: With all that we have endured these last two years since a global pandemic engulfed the human race, it is hard to understand how anyone could not be seeking God. He, alone is our answer to the Evil that is coming hard and fast against us. And it is not partial to whom it destroys. So, if people are not closing in on piercing through to this last veil, then I can only think how hopeless and scary the world must seem. And for all of us who have arrived at this pinnacle of understanding, it weighs heavy on our hearts and spirits to see people who are still positioned at the first or third, or even the fifth veil. 

Because, with each veil of understanding that is pierced, the number of people "who see" gets exponentially smaller.  When I first wrote this blog post nearly 10 years ago, I saw mainly through "worldly" eyes.  I was focused on "the low information voter", and the gullible citizens who I saw as useful idiots and tools of the state.  I actually thought my vote really mattered and changing the politics of the nation would solve the world's problems.  I didn't see the spiritual component.

When I reassessed my understanding in 2016, I can honestly say that I believed I was at that Eighth veil, and I was so grateful to my Lord and the Holy Spirit for helping me to see through the murkiness of the veils and how they obscured my vision of God's Truth.  I saw that my existence here on earth was more than just this physical realm, and my victory in this life depended on my readiness to work with Jesus and the Holy Spirit to do battle in the spiritual realms.  I truly knew that I did not battle against flesh and blood, but had the Authority and Power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to free myself of spiritual bondage.

Then, in 2019, I had grown to realize that my comprehension of that eighth veil was rudimentary. Yes, it was important to know the true intent of Jesus's Great Commission for us Believers. And, yes, it is not only our privilege, but our responsibility to work with Him and the Holy Spirit to "set the captives free" from their demonic bondage to Satan's lies. But we aren't to stop there. Once we are free, we are to use that energy, authority, and life force that is "God in us" to continue the purpose that Jesus came for -- to re-establish this earth and its inhabitants under the governmental authority of the Kingdom of God.

But I did not foresee how quickly and destructively the Enemy would partner with evil men to try to bring about an apocalypse and initiate the mass extermination of millions of people. They're like sharks in the water, and they taste blood. So, it is imperative that we humans fight the fear that is being engendered, and put on our spiritual armor. We are literally in a battle for the earth -- it's the kingdom of darkness against the Kingdom of Light. Not only is the destiny of this current world at stake, but every single person's eternal destiny is at risk. It is to be won or lost depending on the decisions and the actions you make today! It's critical that we push through these veils of understanding and reach the summit -- and then help others to push through for their personal victory. It's not too late, but the time is short, and it is the most critical time of our lives!

2 Corinthians 3:16   But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see.

Genesis ... The Creation [and Re-Creation] of the Earth

In case you are wondering why I am so focused on the Book of Genesis in this season of time and in this series of posts, it is because this book sets the stage for the rest of the Bible, as well as the history of mankind. If you have a discerning spirit, then you are probably wondering about the state of the world and this nation, and may be confused about how we got here. As I reveal some deeper truths within Genesis, I believe that the present state of affairs will become clearer. So hang with me, as I follow the rabbit trail through man's earliest history and pick up the puzzle pieces along the way!

Today, I want to share my thoughts on the "gap theory". That's the controversial and disputed premise that there is an undetermined gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. If you've never heard of this argument, I'm not surprised. This thought is usually ignored by the mainstream Church, or at least relegated to the "New Age" or "Unbiblical" category of Christian apologetics.

But, I do not think we should intentionally disregard it, especially when you approach it from a serious desire to understand God's creation of this planet we live on. And, for me, it shows an important facet of God's character. So, let's just dive in. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. How many of you, like me, took this verse for granted for far too long? That verse is easy and straightforward, I told myself. What more could there be to understanding that simple sentence? We know God created the universe, which exists of heaven and earth. What more could I possibly derive from this first verse of the most important book ever written for mankind?

Well, let me share what a heightened curiosity and diligent study can provide. I credit much of what I'm about to share to the immense amount of time that my husband, Mark, has put into developing his Biblical worldview. And it all started when a dear friend that he was trying to reach for Christ asked him a question about where the dinosaurs fit into the Bible -- and he couldn't answer it. That deeply troubled him, so he made a decision that he would never again be at a loss to explain what our Bible reveals about God or his character. That led to a several-year-long study of trying to understand the original language of the Bible and filter it through the versions we have today. So, as he would tell you himself, don't take what I share today as me saying you should believe the research that he [or anyone else] has done. Instead, let it spark your own hunger and do your own investigation to come up with your own biblical worldview. In these days of secular, religious, and political push-back, it will serve you and the Kingdom of God well to know what you believe and why.

That said, let's begin at the beginning .... literally. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. So, when was the beginning? The beginning of what? Time, the universe, or the beginning of God? I will tell you that once you step into this deeper realm of thought, you can't ever read the Bible the same way again! What I have discovered is that God not only created time, but He is outside of it. He's always been! So, this "beginning" is not the beginning of time, but to my mind, this is a specific moment in time when He began to consider creating the heavens and the earth. It's referring to the starting point in the expanse of boundless time when God conceived of the idea of heaven and earth. 

"In the beginning" in Hebrew is Bereshith, and the correct use of the word is in an "old world" or previously existing world/old world context. Fully exegeted, it translates "what can be seen before this age was created". If this understanding is accepted, that means the Bible is referring to a time period before Adam and before Lucifer's fall from Heaven, and before the earliest time of this earth.

Next, do we understand what is meant by the word "God"? In the Hebrew, that word is translated Elohim, and it is plural. It is the Divine Ones reflecting divine majesty and power ... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all involved in the creation. In the Hebrew understanding, it is also acknowledged to be not only God, the Creator and Ruler of the World, but "superhuman beings including God and angels, who are called "sons of God" or "sons of gods [angels]". If that's not blowing your mind yet, this idea of Elohim will come into play later in that most contentious of verses, Genesis 6:1-4. For now, let us stay concentrated on the creation of the heavens and earth.

Which takes us to that powerful word "created". It is Bara in Hebrew and means "to create from nothing". Only the Supreme God of the Universe could do that. He didn't take something that already existed and form the heavens and earth. He spoke it into existence! As men, we can only create by starting with matter that YHWH created. He used no pre-existing matter or ideas from an earlier creation. He declared them to be, and they were. 

Now we take a look at the heavens and earth. Heavens is plural and exists of the three heavens the Bible reveals to us. The first heaven is our sky and atmosphere (Genesis 6:7 and James 5:18). The second heaven is beyond our atmosphere and extends into the realm where spiritual warfare takes place between Satan's angels and God's angels (Matthew 24:29 and Ephesians 6:12-13). The third heaven is where God resides and where His and Jesus's thrones are (Deuteronomy 10:14, Hebrews 8:1, Acts 7:55, and Hebrews 9:24). In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew word for "earth" is Eretz, and is translated land or material world. If you can wrap your mind around all that, then hang on because next we're going to tackle Genesis 1:2!

It reads, The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. As we break it down in the Hebrew, I think you are going to be astounded at the picture that begins to emerge. The words "without form" are translated tohuw in Hebrew, while the word "void" is translated as bohuw.  In English, tohuw and bohuw is rendered "a desolate wasteland; an empty ruin; formed out of chaos; an indistinguishable ruin". Does that sound like a place that God would consider worthy of establishing His Garden of Eden or placing His creation of man? If today, we consider ourselves ambassadors of the Kingdom of God on earth, then this desolate place in Genesis 1:2 is not worthy of being a representation of God's Heavenly Kingdom! So what happened?

Scripture goes on to tell us that darkness was over the face of the deep. The Hebrew word for darkness is chosek, and it means "misery; destruction; death; sorrow; and wickedness". I'm sure that none of you think God would speak that into existence as a representation of His creative spirit! If His creation becomes "dark" [desolate, empty, a ruin, and chaotic], then we can pretty well understand that it was corrupted by evil -- in this case, most likely Lucifer being expelled from Heaven and cast down to make this pre-existing habitat his home base. Furthermore, there is an understanding that chosek means an evil that is combined or linked with judgment.

The word "deep" is the Hebrew word tehom, meaning an abyss (as in a surging mass of water). The rest of verse 2 tells us the Holy Spirit was "hovering" over the face [surface] of these surging waters. The word "hovering" means "a shaking or a tempest" in Hebrew. So we get a pretty precise picture of what Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 are trying to show us. These two disputed verses seem to suggest a pre-existent world that was covered in evil darkness and which the Holy Spirit shook in judgment. I say all this because it appears, beginning in verse 3, that God is creating a new world which He calls Earth. But He already created it in verse 1, right? Read Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 again. This earth [lower case "e"] is declared a ruin, evil, and dark. God saw the Earth [capital "E"] in Genesis 1:9 and declared it "good". It wasn't good in 1:2! Death and wickedness existed there! They don't exist yet in 1:9 until Adam and Eve sin in the Garden. And they haven't even been created yet!

After hours and days and months of study and research, I believe that something devastating and evil happened to God's created earth between verse 1 and verse 2 in Genesis, Chapter 1. The earth came under judgment and God decided to re-create it beginning in verse 3. I do not think He destroyed the first earth. I think He just renewed it and restored it, just as He will at the end of the Millennial Age, as noted in Revelation 21. Think about it this way .... when we come to Christ in our Salvation experience, we are not destroyed. We become "a new creation"; remolded and reshaped into the original design God had planned for us. So, it is in the case of the earth in Genesis. 

I don't know about you, but this account and understanding has so much depth and meaning that I find myself even more in awe of God Almighty. And wait until I take you on the next step of this journey where we will take a deeper look at what was set in motion in the Garden of Eden. You will see a bigger picture than a snake and an apple, and a bigger understanding of how it has affected all of history. You will be able to recognize the weight of what God shared with man and how that knowledge is still in play this very day. You will not hear the nightly news in the same way ever again! So be prepared for a huge wake-up call in the next post as more of the conflict between man and God comes into view.

Isaiah 65:17   For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.

 

I'm A Christian Contrarian, And I Wouldn't Change A Thing!

It has taken me a while to come to the realization that I'm a contrarian by nature, and when you add "Christian" to that identity, it has led me on an interesting path in my faith life. So you know where I'm coming from, let me define "contrarian" as it pertains to me -- and I'm pretty sure to a growing number of my Christian brethren. I'm a person who is not afraid to question or look deeper into conventional beliefs, opinions, views, or philosophies. I do not "go along with the crowd" for the sake of needing to belong with the majority. I guess the simplest way to describe it would be to say I'm a seeker of truth, not a blind endorser of conventional or prevailing philosophies. That doesn't mean that I reject traditional or mainstream thinking. I am simply not a mindless follower. I'm sure many of you identity with me.

When it comes to my faith, I am a believer that attempts to be as Biblically correct as possible [in my understanding], even when my views and opinions are unpopular or do not follow the status quo of accepted Church doctrine. Again, my goal is not to willfully and purposely reject established teachings, but to correctly discern God's message. I just want to be as close to God's perspective as it is possible for me to be. That has often resulted in finding myself outside accepted interpretations, but rewarded with a richer understanding of God's original purpose for inspiring the Scripture. As you can imagine, that doesn't always mean I'm welcomed with open arms in religious circles, but I'm okay with that. I have a greater fear [as in awe and reverence] of my Lord, than I have a fear of man.

You see, I often hear that my understandings of Scripture are not "biblically correct" because they can't be found in chapter and verse in any of the various translations. They are often purported to be false or misconceptions; even myths made up by men. So I guess that would put me in company with C.S. Lewis, who is quoted as saying, "All myth is an attempt to shine light on truth. True Myth is the ultimate Light shining on the ultimate Truth". As an example of C.S. Lewis's thoughts on this subject of divining God's Truth from myth, consider this example he gave ... Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with a tremendous difference that it really happened: and one must be content with accepting it in the same way, remembering that it is God's myth where the other's are men's myths. In other words, the pagan stories are God expressing Himself through the minds of poets, using such images as He found there, while Christianity is God expressing Himself through what we call 'real things'." 

Are you with me so far? All the stories and myths and fables [many of them written down and preserved] from antiquity that mirror the "God stories", including a death and resurrection component, are often dismissed by modern Christians as "pagan" because they can't be found written in whatever version of the Bible they believe is the best one. And they are often relegated to the genre of "mythology" and dismissed as having any veracity. But the pride in which we view our twenty-first century knowledge of Scripture misses the possibility that those ancient myths still exist because it was God speaking to those writers in their time, and in their languages and images that their faculties could understand; that He was choosing to give "a description of Himself" in a way that fit their experience and ability to comprehend. Does it occur to anyone today that our "doctrines" are simply how our faculties and minds have translated the concepts and ideas that God revealed to later "poets" and "writers" that resulted in our Bible? And please know that I recognize the divinity of our Bible and do not mean to say that all writings throughout antiquity have been God-inspired, and therefore deserve equal status with the Bible. I merely want to present the idea that some "myths" may actually carry the seed of God's Truth and are worthy of consideration as we study to filter through the prejudices against them.

All that being said, as a Christian contrarian, I firmly believe it is not my duty nor responsibility to persuade or convince someone of the "rightness" of my own reasoning in spiritual or Biblical matters. In fact, I am more interested in sharing what I've discovered in the hopes that it will encourage others to do their own research and reap the joy and blessings of receiving more of God. Make no mistake, I'm not afraid to present a different view from mainstream Christian thinking or well-established doctrinal positions. But I don't do it out of rebellion or a desire to confuse or cause skepticism [about the Bible] among the faithful. In other words, I'm not out to disagree for the sake of disagreement, but rather to search out the real truth of God's heart on a specific matter instead of simply accepting man's interpretation. In that sense, I am convicted about researching the literal meaning of words, the cultural context in which Scripture was written, letting Scripture interpret Scripture, and listening to what Holy Spirit counsels.  And that sometimes puts me at odds with conventional Church understanding. So be it.

To be honest, I welcome more contrarians like myself. I do not want to see our faith and beliefs become subject to a method of interpreting Scripture according to what is agreed upon by a majority. That comes dangerously close to what is called "groupthink", and I hope we can agree that our society, our culture, and yes, even our churches have fallen prey to this psychological phenomenon. Groupthink occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness, in a group may produce a tendency among its members to agree at all costs. The Word of God deserves greater consideration!

I fear that as history takes us further down the road toward the persecution of Believers [that Jesus prophecies in Matthew 24], we will see the "go along to get along" attitude of the Church that has resulted in compromised denominations. As the pressure increases upon the Body of Christ to conform to accepted practices and ideologies, the need for more Christian contrarian voices will be vitally important. We must be diligent to resist calling them heretical, New Age, or some other derogatory epithet just because they refer to an ancient or pagan myth in clarifying some point of Scripture.

 For instance, I'd like to share this opinion from Apologetics Press and Dr. Caleb Colley: "Many times in Scripture, inspired writers use other sources of information; sometimes these sources are inspired, and sometimes they are not. For an example, one occasion when an inspired writer used an uninspired source is in 1 Corinthians 10:4, where [the Apostle] Paul apparently made a reference to Jewish legend to support his own inspired interpretation of Israel’s wilderness wanderings (Lenski, 1937, pp. 392-393). On other occasions (Acts 17:28; Titus 1:12-13), Paul quoted from pagan poets to support his own assertions, and even told his audiences that the specific portions of the pagan writings he referenced were accurate. Did Paul claim that these extrabiblical materials were inspired? Certainly not. Paul used supporting materials that would have been meaningful to his audiences. The noncanonical works that were cited by New Testament authors were highly respected. The fact that Paul used noncanonical sources to add an extra dimension to his message should not motivate us to regard any of Paul’s writings as inferior, or to totally disregard them."

Now, you may or may not agree with this opinion, but can you see that this additional information about the sources of Paul's writings adds another dimension to the understanding of them? For me, I am able to discern that God inspired Paul to use those sources, and in no way does it disparage the Truth of the Bible. It stands as it does today, sufficient for the spiritual needs of Christians. But I also believe that God can and will use contrarians such as Paul, and writers and believers like C.S. Lewis and Dr. Colley [and in some small way, even myself] to broaden and expand revelation and understanding in order to shine His ultimate Light on His ultimate Truth. I stand convicted ... I am a Christian Contrarian, and subject to the divine inspiration of my God as I search for more of that ultimate Truth!

Acts 17:28    For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’

Inquiring Minds Want To Know...

I've always loved the study of history, both in the modern age and ancient Biblical history. I've got an inquisitive mind and am not likely to accept a tradition or ritual simply because the masses are willing to believe whatever explanations are given to them. And I have been guilty of spending hours and days chasing down meanings of words and the cultural context of ideas and philosophies. In the past week, here are two that have kept me occupied ...

I'm always fascinated when new terminology seems to take the Body of Christ by storm. All of a sudden, it will seem as if a word or phrase comes into vogue and it becomes the latest buzzword in Christian circles. It may be a term that has been around for awhile, but it is as if it suddenly has a light shined on it, and its popularity soars. Such a word (to me, at least) is kairos. If my understanding is correct, this word (in Biblical terms) refers to "an appointed time"; ostensibly by God. It represents the right season or a fitting opportunity. 

Crosswalk.com gives an excellent example of how the Body of Christ would understand this word in Scripture. For example, in Luke 1:20, Zechariah didn’t believe the news when God’s angel revealed Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, would give birth to a prophet, so the angel told Zechariah he would not be able to speak until this miracle did indeed happen. As the angel said, “And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time” (Luke 1:20). The original Greek used here was kairon, a version of kairos, translated by scholars into English as the “appointed time [or season].” Further in the article, it is explained that kairos is also seen as "the time seen from the divine side." 

I have also heard it referenced many times that this season we are in, the season of birth pangs leading up to the Day of the Lord, is a kairos time -- fixed [in time] by Him, and to be used for His purposes. We may not know the day or the hour of these specific God-ordained times, but we should be sensitive and discerning of them; knowing that they are favorable opportunities given to us [by God], and recognizing that they are given to us to share God's will and His glory.

So, I found it interesting when Crosswalk referred to seeing kairos "from the divine side". Of course the word divine recalls a meaning of "godlike". But, did you know that there is a significance to the word kairos that is not Biblical? Did you know that Kairos was celebrated as a god in Greek mythology?  According to several websites I researched, he was usually considered the minor son of Zeus, and half-sibling to Hermes. The website, Greek Gods and Goddesses, says that Kairos was the Greek god of opportunity, and was in fact, considered a spirit. He personified the favorable moment which comes and passes quickly.

I also found it interesting that in front of the ancient stadium at Olympia there were two altars, one dedicated to Hermes and the other one to Kairos. The stadium was a holy place to the ancient Greeks, where all the sports activities were dedicated to the god, Zeus. Kairos was seen in the intelligence of Athena, in the love of Eros and even in the wine of Dionysus. Later, in the genealogy of the gods, he seems to be associated with all of them, as a manifestation of a specific moment. Now, I do not point out the association of a false god in the Greek pantheon as a way to discredit our Christian notion of a kairos moment; and I do not mean to suggest that the connection equates our Most High God with the worship of false gods. I merely wanted to show you that we in the 21st Century are not always the innovator of our theology. Nor do we always have a full understanding of the context of our belief system.

And speaking of theology, that idea is also evident in the second terminology that I found myself researching with a heart to know more about its origins. It is commonplace among Christians today, during the sacred ritual of baptism to have it spoken over them, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost". Yet, when the Holy Spirit falls on the 120 or so disciples of Jesus at Pentecost, the multitudes of Jews who were there for Passover, heard them telling of the mighty works of God in their own languages. They asked Peter and the apostles, "What shall we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Why would the Bible record Jesus giving His disciples one instruction in Matthew 28:19, and then record Peter, who had received that instruction from Jesus, giving a different command in Acts 2:38? 

Once again, we, in the 21st Century, should not assume that our "formula" is necessarily correct just because we are supposedly an advanced society. I know the differences in these two Scriptures has been a stumbling block within the Body of Christ and caused needless conflict. We can get a historical perspective by understanding the following ... we need to recognize that our Bibles have been translated and re-translated many times. That doesn't mean I am saying the Bible is corrupt. I acknowledge that the Spirit of God will always give us correct revelation and interpretation of God's Word. But it is also true that Satan has influenced men to try to change the understanding of Scripture and it is up to us to search out the truth of what God wants revealed. That being said, in reality, both of the baptism Scriptures can be seen as correct when looked through the lens of historical and spiritual perspective.

Let's look at how the historical and the spiritual intersect. Baptism was nothing new to those participants at Pentecost. It had long been a purification ritual for pagan conversions into Judaism. It was seen and practiced as a cleansing water-washing initiation by different sects of Judaism, by John the Baptist, and by rabbis, who all baptized their disciples. But when Jesus gave His Disciples the Great Commission in Matthew 28, He was distinguishing His baptism from all others, declaring that it was to be conducted with the full authority of God in Heaven, and in all the fullness of Him (as Father, Son and Holy Spirit). It was spoken by Jesus as a command that would bind all nations under the fullness of the Godhead. When Peter was given the opportunity to instruct the multitude gathered in Jerusalem for Passover, his assignment was to bring these Jewish people to and understanding [of], and submission [to] Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus came to the nation of Israel. To expect them to understand that He had ultimately come for "all the nations" would have lost them and impeded the process of their coming to Christ as the Messiah.

So, in theory, both expressions are correct. Jesus is both the Messiah that Israel has been waiting for, and the fullness of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in one person that has come to the nations. It is appropriate to baptize someone in either name or names. I am a woman, a wife, and a sister. But I'm not three separate persons. All those "names" identify me as the one person named Pam. They represent different parts of my identity and character. So it is with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being identified as the ONE, true God. I don't really get worked up over which is the correct usage for a baptism.

But there is another concept I want you to consider. In the First Century Church, Messianic Jews were a significant portion of the "Body of Believers". They accepted Jesus as the Messiah and followed His ways. But as he always does, Satan seeks to cause conflict and division among God's people. That came to a climax in the 4th Century when the Emperor Constantine, who hated the Jews, sought to drive them from Christianity. Knowing their religion was monotheistic (in contrast with the polytheistic nations who worshiped multiple gods), Constantine changed the baptism tradition so that people were baptized in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, rather than in the name of Jesus. He caused confusion by instituting the religious concept of the Trinity (intimating that Christians worshiped three Gods instead of the one God, YHWH, of Judaism).

I bring these two ideas to you in the hope that you can appreciate how important it is that our spirits be at one with the Holy Spirit; seeking His guidance for the context and the culture of Scripture. In the end, neither of these two ideas I've presented should change anyone's faith. But I have found that a fuller knowledge of history and the Bible can enhance our opportunities to witness to someone who doesn't know Jesus, or who doubts in the importance of faith in Him. As Christians, we must be able to defend our faith and be prepared to answer the sometimes unanswerable questions to bring someone into the Kingdom of God. So do not embrace skepticism, but seek Godly knowledge and wisdom. You just may be the instrument God uses to give eternal life to someone.

2 Timothy 4:2    Preach the Word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
 

The Bible and The Constitution: Still Relevant, Or Inconsequential?

 

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the state of our nation. I can only imagine that many of my fellow citizens are doing the same. It isn't too difficult to come to the conclusion that our historically unique plan of government [that the Founders of this nation constructed] is in very real danger of being dismantled, or at least drastically altered. This isn't the beginning of such a de-construct plan -- in fact, we have been seeing the development of such a plan for some years now. 

This realization has caused me to go back in the archives of this blog to revisit my thinking on this matter. In 2015, I wrote about a question that was presented to Dr. Ben Carson during his run for Presidential office. During a Meet The Press interview, Dr. Carson was presented with this question: "Does the Bible have authority over the Constitution?" Interesting question! The question is still relevant today, especially since I would venture that the intervening years attest to the growing truth that both the Bible and the Constitution have seen a decrease in their influence and authority among the citizens of this land. Just read the previous blog post or turn on the nightly news.

But I would suggest that it is incumbent upon those of us who call ourselves Christians and Patriots to consider our answer to that question, along with these subsequent queries: When it comes to the laws of this nation, how do you view the authority of both the Bible and the Constitution?  Is one superior to the other?  Is it possible for them to work together to govern this land? When the Constitution was written, did the Founding Fathers give any consideration to the Bible? 

I want to answer those questions in light of the influence that Marcus Tullius Cicero had on the thinking of the Founding Fathers.  Cicero was a Roman statesman who was born nearly 1900 years before the founding documents of this nation were written. Yet it was his commitment to establishing a democratic Republic as the form of Roman government that most influenced our Founders. It is in the eminently profound book The 5000 Year Leap, written by W. Cleon Skousen, a faith-based political theorist, that we find Cicero's own theory that good laws, sound government, and the formula for happy human relations rests in the existence of "Natural Law". We find the spirit of that term in the language of the Declaration of Independence ... When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

In his book, Skousen elucidates this idea of Cicero's influence when he writes, "To Cicero, the building of a society on principles of Natural Law was nothing more nor less than recognizing and identifying the rules of "right conduct" with the laws of the Supreme Creator of the universe." In his own words, Cicero wrote this: "There will not be different laws at Rome and at Athens, or different laws now and in the future, but one eternal and unchangeable law will be valid for all nations and all times, and there will be one master and ruler, that is God, over us all, for He is the author of this law, its promulgator, and its enforcing judge." 

And these concepts were understood and endorsed by the Founding Fathers as they approached the structure of a new government that would be the law of the land in the newly formed United States of America. These concepts are interwoven into the declaration for our Freedom and into our Constitution, As espoused by author Skousen, "The Law of Nature or Nature's God is eternal in its basic goodness; it is universal in its application. It is a code of "right reason" from the Creator Himself. It cannot be altered. It cannot be repealed. It cannot be abandoned by legislators or the people themselves, even though they may pretend to do so. In Natural Law we are dealing with factors of absolute reality. It is basic in its principles, comprehensible to the human mind, and totally correct and morally right in its general operation."

These ideas and precepts are as sound today as when they were espoused by Cicero nearly two millennia ago; and they are emphasized in our founding documents nearly two-and-a-half centuries ago. But here is where we find ourselves today... our society is not in agreement that our Creator exists, nor that absolute moral authority exists in Him. In fact, Moral Rightness or Truth have become relative... they can mean something different to different people. And when God is not your authority of what is right or true, then it is far too easy to declare that any law or laws based on those concepts of law and government [or the Holy Book that proclaims them] can be ignored or changed. It will become far too easy to alter, repeal, overhaul, or abandon them by an immoral and unjust citizenry, or body of legislators. 

You see, our Founders believed that the common man should have control over his own destiny. And they believed that through Divine guidance men could live a good, virtuous, and moral life. But they were no fools -- they recognized that laws were necessary to curb the actions of immoral men. And they sought to establish a system of laws that operated similar to the laws God laid out for the ancient Israelites, with Leviticus 25:10 as the heart and soul of government: "Proclaim Liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants". [Note: This verse is inscribed on the Liberty Bell]. And then there is what is at the center of this astounding and unprecedented new form of governing ... our Founders deliberately structured a form of government with all the power in the people! 

And to be historically accurate, they didn't initially get it right. After much debate the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, which offered no executive or judiciary oversight; nor was there any taxing power to financially support the government, and no power to enforce laws. It came pretty close to operating under a system of anarchy. It wasn't until 1787 that our Constitution was approved and the ratification process began. The result was a document that was designed to maintain political equilibrium between the people in the states and the federal government. The emphasis was on strong local self-government, keeping the power base close to the people. There was a healthy fear of political extremists that could swing the needle of Liberty from monarchy to anarchy. And only the Constitution could protect the people from being subjected to the whims of such extremism.

I truly believe that God was involved in the creation of our Constitution through the men that He put in authority.  At that time, these men foresaw a nation of individuals who were generally governed by Biblical precepts -- checks and balances and a limited government were at the center of the Constitution, and would serve such a Biblically-minded society well.  Then, as now, I believe that the Bible has authority over each of us as individuals, and the Constitution has authority over the government.  That combination has worked for us, and contributed to a generally balanced co-existence between the two powers -- as long as we continued to embrace Biblical morals and principles. And that's where we find ourselves today.

But as God and the Bible have become more irrelevant in our society -- again, refer to the previous post and results of a national survey -- we have seen that both the Bible and the Constitution have lost their place in the governing of our nation.  In fact, there is a third player in the game, and it is Government, with a capital "G".  Since our society seems to want to eradicate the influence of both the Bible and the Constitution, is it even relevant to the masses to ask which has more authority?  Clearly, the Bible is being mocked, derided, and re-conceptualized to serve the needs of the ungodly.  And, in its tattered state, is there enough of the Constitution left to warrant any real authority?

Perhaps the more appropriate question is this: Is there enough of the Bible's influence in the Constitution to withstand its destruction by the Government?  Ultimately, as a faithful Christian, I have to go back to the one Truth that overrides all ... YHWH is Sovereign, Supreme, and the absolute Head of this State. His Word is authority over everything man-made ... whether it is a governing document like the Constitution, or a governing body of men.  That might not be the politically acceptable answer in this debate, but we are at the stage in this nation (and the world) where the individual freedom of men and women is at stake. It is time to quit playing the political game, and recognize Who has the real Power in this world. 

It is clear to me that God is the Ultimate Authority in this world that He created.  But I also know that His Word says that He appoints rulers over nations by His authority, and we are to be loyal to that government... as long as they are loyal to God's laws.  It is also clear that we have a spiritual Enemy that seeks to usurp God's authority in this nation. And now we find ourselves in a unique situation -- the leader of our government is still unresolved. So I pray that the goals of the Founding Fathers will be realized as they expressed their hope for the new nation .... I thank God that I have lived to see my country independent and free. She may long enjoy her independence and freedom if she will. It depends on her virtue (Samuel Adams) .... Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other (John Adams) ... The sum of all is [this], if we would most truly enjoy the gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people; then shall we both deserve and enjoy it. While, on the other hand, if we are universally vicious and debauched in our manners, though the form of our Constitution carries the face of the most exalted freedom, we shall in reality be the most abject slaves (Samuel Adams). 

 So, what shall be our destiny? The Bible proclaims the path to a righteous and prosperous nation. And the Constitution was designed for a moral and religious [faithful] people. Will we reap what we have sown, or will the cries of the truly repentant restore our nation to one that God will recognize and bless? I exhort the Ekklesia in the land to join with me on our knees, praying together as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God for a return to righteous government. And then rise, and staying focused on Jesus, our Authority in Heaven, we will declare a revival of morality and virtue in this nation, and it will pierce the hearts of all those in rulership positions -- that hearts will be turned away from self-aggrandizement and humbled in servitude to meet the needs of all people. Pray that if God determines that judgment is due our land, that it be swift and completely cleanses us of our sins. And finally, we find our strength and our truth in the Word of God. It is still relevant and it is still Light and Life to our souls and spirits. God bless each of you as you seek solace in the Word today!

Jeremiah 18:7-10      If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.