How Close Are We To A Post-Human World?

     That is a question that Sir Martin Rees, the British Astronomer Royal attempts to answer in his astute article in The Telegraph.  Before giving you some of his insightful theories on this subject, I must admit that, as a Christian, I believe some of his prognostications will never materialize, because God will not allow His creation to become so violated.  That being said, I absolutely believe that what Sir Martin predicts will be attempted by those who think they can out-maneuver God.  Therefore, it is important for us to be able to recognize the machinations of such "geniuses".
     Much of what Rees reveals is what we've been hearing for awhile ... due to the overcrowding and over heating of the earth, technology will become an important part of our "survival", and it will have profound ramifications on humankind; most importantly, in the sphere of agriculture, biotech, and robotics.  Because our ecology is threatened, and our "footprint" is too big, scientists and futurists tell us that something must be done to save the planet.  So, it all comes down to this realization: We can now control the weather, the development of viruses, and robotic systems; all of which have the potential to affect how -- and if -- we live.
     Perhaps one of the most chilling statements that Sir Martin made was this:  "And there are downsides to the huge advances in biotech, despite the bright prospects these offer for medicine and agriculture. There were reports last month that Chinese researchers had been gene-editing human embryos using a new technique called CRISPR, raising controversial ethical issues about “designer babies”. But more disquieting are the experiments at the University of Wisconsin and in the Netherlands that show it’s surprisingly easy to make an influenza virus more virulent and transmissible. Last October, the US federal government decided to cease funding these so-called “gain of function” experiments."
     Rees pointed out that such "experiments" are hotly debated among his colleagues, with some wanting to stay one step ahead of natural mutations, while others are concerned about the danger and the risks associated with such scary science.  "What would happen, for instance, if an ebola virus were modified to be transmissible through the air? And they worried that the risk of failure to contain the pathogens within the lab is too high to justify the knowledge gained."  I'm glad someone is being clear-sighted!
     But I found it especially frightening when he discussed the dangers that will come from millions of people having the capability to misuse biotech, and who might have access to biomedical labs, just as millions can misuse cybertech today.  "Not all those with “bio” expertise will be balanced and rational. My worst nightmare is an “eco-fanatic”, empowered by the biohacking expertise that may be routine by 2050 [when 2 billion people will occupy the planet], and who thinks that “Gaia” can only be saved if the human population is reduced. The global village will have its village idiots, and they will have global range."
     Sir Martin also joins the chorus of voices such as physicist Stephen Hawking and Tesla Motors CEO and product architect, Elon Musk, who all warn of the dangers of the rapid ascent of artificial intelligence (AI).  "We’re witnessing a momentous speed-up in artificial intelligence (AI) – in the power of machines to learn, communicate and interact with us. Computers don’t learn like we do: they use “brute force” methods... Experts disagree on how long it will take before machines achieve general-purpose human level intelligence. Some say 25 years. Others say “never”. The median guess in a recent survey was about 50 years... And there is disagreement about the route towards human-level intelligence. Some think we should emulate nature and reverse-engineer the human brain. Others say that’s a misguided approach – like designing a flying machine by copying how birds flap their wings. But it’s clear that once a threshold is crossed, there will be an intelligence explosion."
     All these summations bring the question of ethics and responsibility to the forefront.  But when has that ever stopped mankind's sinful nature?  From the Garden of Eden, to Nimrod's Tower of Babel, to the Third Reich's "experiments", to Ray Kurzweil's plans to transcend biology by merging our brains with computers -- the purpose of all these evil designs is to assume the role of God in our own lives.  Is it in our future "to lose our individuality and evolve into a common consciousness" with computers and robots; in essence, to spiritually "go over to the other side"?
     What I found so compelling about Sir Martin's discourse is that he is the Astronomer Royal, the head of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich (a position in existence since 1675) and the official scientific advisor to the British government -- and, I could go into all the conspiratorial implications that this suggests, but that is a different topic for a different day.  Nevertheless, sometimes it is best to listen to what those in prestigious positions have to say; and he appears to be warning us to pay attention and be on the alert for what is going to be inevitable in our near future.
     As the chief expert on the stars and the heavens, so to speak, Rees has a particular viewpoint that I think we should heed.  In the matter of human/computer integration, listen to what he says:  "Let me briefly deploy an astronomical perspective and speculate about the really far future – the post-human era. There are chemical and metabolic limits to the size and processing power of organic brains. Maybe humans are close to these limits already. But there are no such constraints on silicon-based computers (still less, perhaps, quantum computers): for these, the potential for further development could be as dramatic as the evolution from monocellular organisms to humans. So, by any definition of “thinking”, the amount and intensity that’s done by organic human-type brains will, in the far future, be utterly swamped by the cerebrations of AI. Moreover, the Earth’s biosphere in which organic life has symbiotically evolved is not a constraint for advanced AI. Indeed, it is far from optimal – interplanetary and interstellar space will be the preferred arena where robotic fabricators will have the grandest scope for construction, and where non-biological “brains” may develop insights as far beyond our imaginings as string theory is for a mouse... So, in the far future, it won’t be the minds of humans, but those of machines, that will most fully understand the cosmos – and it will be the actions of autonomous machines that will most drastically change our world, and perhaps what lies beyond."  Does anyone else think that this is simply Satan's 21st century plan to recreate the Tower of Babel and help man gain access to the Heavenly realm and God's throne room?
     Can you see how far our human pride has taken us?  Do you really think God is going to let man -- whom He created -- usurp His creation of the Universe?  And if we are really that close to crossing the line into altering the organic make-up (the God-formed structure) of our brains, how long before God decides we've gone far enough, and it's time to pull the plug?  We know that God allows all things for His Glory.  Because of the speed with which these technological events are happening -- and the determination that their "creators" are exhibiting -- His Glory is soon going to fill the earth!  I can hardly wait!!

Isaiah 44: 9, 20:    All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame... a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
   

Is CERN Recreating the Tower of Babel?

     Are you ready for a mind-blowing topic?  If you are reading this blog post today, then we can determine that the world has not been sucked into a dark vortex, or atomized into more than a trillion particles.  If you are wondering why I would make that astounding statement, it is because yesterday, March 15, 2015, CERN was set to restart its Large Hadron Collider (LHC) for its second 3-year run.  This event would have seen the world's most powerful particle accelerator double its collisional energy.  (As of this morning, I can find no news reports or evidence that they went through with their plan.  I guess we will have to wait and see if they make some kind of big splashy announcement).  But I plan to show you how, once again, Man is trying to "become like God".  And we know what happens every time we try to break into that barrier that separates us from the throne room of God, right?

A portal, or star gate, or wormhole;
Is this what Nimrod had in mind?

     To begin with, if you are like myself, and you are not really sure what CERN is, or what it does, all we really have to go on is information that they disseminate about themselves on their own website.  In the course of describing their mission, CERN maintains that they are an organization of European physicists and engineers who are "probing the fundamental structure of the universe. They use the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments to study the basic constituents of matter – the fundamental particles. The particles are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives the physicists clues about how the particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature."
     The pursuit of discovering how matter is created began in 1954.  In the past 61 years, the scientists at CERN have developed many accelerators whose purposes include sending a beam through 732 kilometres of solid rock to a project in Italy; boosting negative hydrogen ions to high energies, which will become the source of proton beams for the Large Hadron Collider in 2018;  and conducting all kinds of experiments with "super colliders", which boost beams of particles to high energies before the beams are made to collide with each other or with stationary targets.  Detectors then observe and record the results of these collisions.  One has to ask him or herself, just why do we need this information?  Read on.
     Oh, yeah, one of the scientists involved with CERN -- Dr. Peter Higgs -- is responsible for discovering the "Higgs boson", a particle that gives mass to other particles, and is otherwise known as the "God particle".  And that brings me to the crux of my discussion today.  I readily admit that I am no scientist, and physics was not my favorite subject in school.  But anytime that man determines to explain away the Sovereignty of God in creating the world by dismissing it as a simple matter of "a particle that gives mass to other particles", then I have a problem, and I sense the hair on the back of my neck begin to rise.
     Furthermore, when these same men begin "colliding" these particles at extremely high energies, supposedly for the purpose of discovering how the universe works, then I also smell a rat.  In fact, CERN's own website brushes off the extremely dangerous work of these super colliders by posing these questions:  "What is the universe made of? How did it start?"  They then want us to buy into their seemingly altruistic mission by assuring us that "Physicists at CERN are seeking answers, using some of the world's most powerful particle accelerators."
     In reality, what these scientists are doing is smashing protons which are moving at 99.999999% of the speed of light into each other in order to recreate the conditions a fraction of a second after the Big Bang.  However, there are many far wiser than I who think that what these scientists are really trying to accomplish is far more sinister -- they are trying to open a wormhole.
     In case you are unaware of this term, a wormhole is a theoretical passage through space-time that could create shortcuts for long journeys across the universe. Wormholes are predicted by the theory of general relativity. But be wary: wormholes bring with them the dangers of sudden collapse, high radiation and dangerous contact with "exotic matter".  Our knowledge of the existence of wormholes is a result of the research of physicists Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen, who used the theory of general relativity to propose the existence of "bridges" (which became known as "wormholes") through space-time.

     Still with me? So exactly why would these scientists at CERN want to create a wormhole?  Could they possibly be trying to recreate the mission of a Sumerian king named Nimrod, who ruled over 4300 years ago from Babylon, and thought he could build a tower (actually a gate) to heaven?  And what did God do?  He destroyed the tower and scattered the peoples across the earth, causing them to lose their common language, and reducing them to strange tongues (babble) so they couldn't understand each other and collectively conspire against Him.
     In so doing, Nimrod became known by many different names ... Baal, Gilgamesh, Orion, Adonis, Apollo, and in Egypt as Osiris, the god of resurrection.  In fact, inside the ancient Greek god Sety’s temple at Abydos, in the Osiris Chapel, is the magnificent depiction of Osiris as a pillar or tower.  The Egyptians called this Osiris pillar the Ta-Wer or ‘bond between heaven and earth’.  This sure seems to mimic the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel, doesn't it?  Think it is just coincidence or some ancient fable?
     But what does that have to do with CERN and its mysterious. and potentially dangerous, experiments?  Does it make you nervous at all that scientists are messing with the universe, and attempting to open a hole -- or portal -- to the unknown?  Is this what Nimrod was trying to do?  If you are a student of the Bible then you know that there are levels of "heaven", and the "dark forces of the spiritual world" live in the second heaven.  Remember Ephesians 6:12, in which the apostle Paul tells us, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places"?  Could these be the "exotic matter" that we have the potential to come in contact with through wormholes?
     Was Nimrod trying to gain access to that next realm and enlist the spiritual forces of evil in his quest to conquer God?  Did he think that opening a portal, or gate, to this next realm that these forces could "come through", so to speak, and strengthen his position, as well as increase his knowledge of how to overpower and become like God?
     The prophet Daniel mentions such beings as "Watchers", or holy ones, who report to God and make decrees on behalf of God.  But Watchers were also mentioned in pseudepigraphal books, such as Enoch and Jubilees, which were popular and influential in the First Century, and ranked alongside the Torah, Psalms and Isaiah in importance to Jews.  These apocryphal books were also alluded to by Peter and Jude in the New Testament, giving them at least historical credibility.  In these instances, "Watchers" were among a superior class of angels, some of whom fell from heaven, led astray by Satan.  In the 7th and 18th chapters of the Book of Enoch, some of the Watchers who fall are imprisoned in the 2nd heaven, and others are cast to earth where they take human women (Enoch 7:3, 18:4) who bear giant offspring (the Nephilim of Genesis 6).
     Again, I ask:  Was Nimrod trying to open the gate to this 2nd heaven?  And what was his goal ... to slay God and take over the throne?  If you read the historical text of the Book of Jasher, you will find this about Nimrod and the building of the Tower of Babel:  "And the Lord knew their thoughts, and it came to pass when they were building they cast the arrows toward the heavens, and all the arrows fell upon them filled with blood, and when they saw them they said to each other, Surely we have slain all those that are in heaven."
     Or was Nimrod trying to create these "wormholes" to allow the Watchers to enter our realm, enlisting their aid in order to gain their knowledge of heaven and help him (Nimrod) attain his goal?  And zooming into the 21st Century, is it possible that these CERN Scientists have already opened portals with their discovery of the so-called "God particle"?  I could certainly entertain that concept as I witness the increasing amount of Evil present on the Earth.  They may not be using arrows to create a portal to the next heaven, as Nimrod did, but wouldn't their powerful beams of atomic matter serve the same purpose?
     In order to fully dissect all the implications of CERN and their experiments, it would take me days of singular posts.  I'm not sure I could ever adequately cover all the connections and significance to our future.  Suffice it to say, that my spirit discerns something more than just scientific advancement for the future of mankind.

     The sculpture of the ancient Hindu goddess Shiva (coming through a portal) at the entrance to the CERN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland does nothing to allay my discomfort.  Shiva is the third god in the Hindu triumvirate. The triumvirate consists of three gods who are responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world. The other two gods are Brahma and Vishnu. Brahma is the creator of the universe while Vishnu is the preserver of it.  So that leaves Shiva as ... you guessed it ... responsible for the destruction of the world.  Still think CERN is all about scientific experiments?
     And it doesn't help to qualm my fears when I hear famed scientists such as Stephen Hawking sounding the alarm bells; it seems somehow prophetic when he warns that the "God Particle" could destroy the universe.  Other well-respected scientists warn that CERN's Super Collider is so powerful it could produce particles of dark matter, the mysterious stuff whose gravity holds the galaxies together.  They warn that there is a possibility of a cataclysmic event in which CERN creates a black hole that swallows the earth ... their words, not mine.
     I certainly am not qualified to make any kind of prophetic statement or even guess as to where this all leads.  I only know that it seems that once again, instead of worshipping the Sovereignty and Supremacy of God, Man thinks he can become equal to God, or ... heaven forbid ... become greater than the Creator of the Universe, Himself.  That only leads to inevitable judgment, devastation and God's justifiable wrath.  Have we become as arrogant and rebellious as Nimrod that we are about to repeat ancient history?  God have mercy on us!

If you are interested in reading more about CERN and its connections to the Tower of Babel, click here and here. 

Hebrews 11:3   "By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible."

History and Idolatry: Where Will It End?

     Officials at the United Nation's are calling it a "war crime" ... the world's archeologists and historians are mourning the loss of world heritage sites.  And it's all because ISIS is set on a path of destruction.  The furor is over the recent demolition of ancient historical sites in the Middle East.

     It began last summer when the radical terrorists destroyed the tomb of the prophet Jonah in the ancient city of Nineveh, near Mosul.  It has continued with the latest attacks in the Assyrian city of Nimrud in northern Iraq, destroying the 3,000 year-old winged statues placed at the gates of the Palace of Ashurnasirpal.  (If you know your Biblical history, this city was named for Nimrod, the king who rebelled against God and was responsible for the building of the tower of Babel).
     Over this last weekend, ISIS began the destruction of the 2,000-year-old city of Hatra, where a temple to the Shamash sun god still stands more than 1,750 years after the Sassanian empire razed the Mesopotamian city.   ISIS were also seen carrying away ancient artifacts.  And in the last few days, they have set their sites on Khorsabad, the ancient capital of Assyria built by King Sargon II shortly after he came to power in 721 B.C., and abandoned after his death in 705 B.C.  It features a 24-meter thick wall with a stone foundation and seven gates.  Shortly after the unexpected death of Sargon in battle, the capital was shifted a short distance south to Nineveh.  The sculptured stone slabs that once lined the palace walls are now displayed in museums in Baghdad, Paris, London and Chicago.

     So what is the significance of these ancient cities to the religious fighters, ISIS?  The official reasoning for all the destruction of these ancient sites is the militant group's plan to rid its territory of symbols they say promote idolatry.  In early 2015, they announced their intention to destroy many ancient artifacts, because they are graven images or are otherwise un-islamic, and they have destroyed thousands of books and manuscripts in Mosul's libraries.
     In February 2015, ISIL destroyed Akkadian monuments in the Mosul Museum, and then came the attack on Nimrud, as they bulldozed its archeological site on the basis that they were blasphemous -- which one attacker filmed declaring, "These ruins that are behind me, they are idols and statues that people in the past used to worship instead of Allah. The Prophet Muhammed took down idols with his bare hands when he went into Mecca. We were ordered by our prophet to take down idols and destroy them, and the companions of the prophet did this after this time, when they conquered countries.”
     The first thing that comes to mind is the similar contempt that Christianity has for idolatry.  YHWH commanded the Israelites to worship only Him, and when they failed (as they did so many times when they turned to idol worship), it was God's wrath that was poured out on men and nations. And this where I see the difference.  Throughout the history of Christianity, it was God who destroyed the idols.  Here are just a few examples:
Ezekiel 30:13:  This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis. No longer will there be a prince in Egypt, and I will spread fear throughout the land.
Micah 5:13:  [And in that day, says the Lord]:  I will destroy your idols and your sacred stones from among you; you will no longer bow down to the work of your hands.
Zephaniah 2:11: The Lord will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth;
      What one must recognize is that man builds the idols, but it is the power of God who destroys them.  Just as when the prophet Elijah defeats the prophets of Baal, it is the power of God that gives him the victory.  What I am seeing in Iraq, is ISIS determined to promote a fiercely purist interpretation of Sunni Islam, in defiance of Iraq's majority Shi'ite Muslims.  Is it really about honoring their god, or is it about rejecting the religious shrines of their sectarian rival, and the holy sites shared by Christians and Jews in the area? It appears as if they want to wipe any trace of other religious influences from Iraq in their goal of establishing the Islamic Caliphate.  What better way than to destroy ancient artifacts that bear witness to the diversity of faiths throughout history?
     But here's my question ... if they are trying to establish a fundamentalist identity and erase the historical proof of other religions, what is to stop them from distributing their destruction to other "shrines" in Israel, Europe, and the West?  Haven't they declared that the Caliphate will dominate the world?  Will they be the ones to try and institute a One World Religion?  It's obvious that is what they desire.
     I also find it ironic that our Bible predicts the destruction of Babylon and her idolatrous ways at the end of days.  The connections between radical Islam; the destruction of ancient idols and shrines in Nineveh, Nimrud, Hatra, and Khoursabad; and the mention of Babylon, which was begun by Nimrod cannot be denied.  Is this just the beginning of God's judgment upon the earth for the centuries of idolatrous worship of foreign gods?  Will ISIS clear the way for the Anti-Christ to reveal himself, by using their religion to establish himself --- and then when they have served their usefulness, he destroys them, and declares himself God?
     I don't know what it all means, but it sure seems as if it's all connected.  History is being destroyed before our very eyes, and I have to wonder, when and where will it end?  I feel God's hand in it, and the only thing I know for sure is, that whatever happens, He will be glorified.  All the shrines and false idols and false religions will not hinder Him!

Isaiah 45:20   "Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save."


   
   

Was Tesla The Conduit Between Fallen Angels & Our Technology?

     I find it extremely ironic that Tesla Motors founder and CEO Elon Musk is escalating his warnings that our obsession with Artificial Intelligence technology (AI) is the biggest threat to our human existence.  "With artificial intelligence, we are summoning the demon," he is quoted as saying.
     To be honest, he is not the only pioneering whiz to sound the alarm.  Even the genius astrophysicist Stephen Hawking is on record as saying, “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.”  He warns of the consequences of creating something that could potentially become smarter than its creator.  But hasn't that been the prideful sin of every enemy of God; from Lucifer to Nimrod, to all those throughout history who have followed in their footsteps and embraced their spirit of evil?
      “[AI] would take off on its own, and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate,” Hawking said.  “Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.”

Nikola Tesla

     But it is Musk's comments that I find the most fascinating; especially as chief executive of rocket-maker Space X.  He calls self-learning artificial intelligence “potentially more dangerous than nukes”.  And is it purely coincidental that he is the head of a company named after Nikola Tesla, the Serbian American inventor, engineer, and futurist who, by some accounts was a genius who wanted to illuminate the earth; the man who was "robbed" of the title of "Father of Electricity" by his rival, Thomas Edison.  (I really wish Glenn Beck would do his homework on this man whom he idolizes).
     To others, Nikola Tesla was a dangerous man; a man who believed that "In black holes, (what astronomers talk about), are the most powerful sources of energy and life."  He was a man who conducted experiments, trying to discover "what to do in the Universe, so [that] every being is born as Christ, Buddha or Zoroaster."  (Zoroastrianism is a pre-Islamic religion, revealed to man by a "god" named Ahura Mazda.  It is my contention that this was a fallen angel entity.)
     In an 1899 interview, from his Colorado Springs laboratory, Tesla opened up about his "other-world views": that the Light of the Universe filled his six senses; about building a machine, that by vibration, provokes a feeling of bliss; that humans once had real and visible wings.  He speaks of being aware, as a child, that there was an Energy in the Universe, and of trying to awake that energy, and figure out how it could influence people.  He told his interviewer,  "My eyesight and hearing are perfect and, I dare to say, stronger than other people. I hear the thunder from a hundred fifty miles away, and I see colors in the sky that others cannot see. This enlargement of vision and hearing, I had as a child. Later I consciously developed [it]."
     He speaks of being seriously ill during his youth, and of discovering that "The source of most disease is in the spirit. Therefore the spirit can cure most diseases ... I was cured because my father finally allowed me to study technology, which was my life. Illusion for me was not a disease, but the mind's ability to penetrate beyond the three dimensions of the earth."  Does anyone else think that perhaps this man had tapped into a force outside our human realm; and that perhaps it didn't  necessarily possess a benevolent spirit?
     In case you think I'm over-exaggerating, Tesla recounts this memory from his childhood: "Once, in childhood, I was walking along the river with Uncle and said: 'From the water will appear the trout, I'll throw a stone and it is cut.'  And, that's what happened. Frightened and amazed, his uncle cried: "Bade retro Satan’s!" ("Get back, Satan!") He was an educated man, and he spoke in Latin."  And -- if you need further proof -- later in the interview, Tesla finishes up a segment of his interview by declaring, "There are many fallen angels on Earth."
     At times, as I read his interview, his words seemed the farcical meanderings of an intellectual eccentric. But then there would be a passage that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck, such as this excerpt:  "Life is a rhythm that must be comprehended. I feel the rhythm, and direct on it, and pamper in it.  It was very grateful and gave me the knowledge I have."  (He speaks of "It" as if it was a person or entity!)  "Knowledge comes from space; our vision is its most perfect set. We have two eyes: the earthly and spiritual. It is recommended that it become one eye. The Universe is alive in all its manifestations, like a thinking animal."
     Does that creep you out like it does me?  Is he promoting the "all-seeing Eye"?  And does anyone else perceive the Prince of the Air prowling like a lion? And this Knowledge that comes from space --- could it be fallen angel technology that has been shared throughout history with mankind ... from the technology that allowed Nimrod to build the tower of Babel; to the branch of knowledge that resulted in the building of the ancient Sphinx; to the occultic knowledge possessed by Hitler and the Nazis; to the modern applications being employed in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Transhumanism?  Was Tesla trying to tell us that this knowledge is supernatural and unhuman?  What could he have possibly meant by this statement?  "The Universe has only one substance and one supreme energy with an infinite number of manifestations of life. The best thing is that the discovery of a secret nature reveals the other. One cannot hide, they are around us, but we are blind and deaf to them. If we emotionally tie ourselves to them, they come to us themselves."

"Faust Conjures Up the Spirits"
by Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein (1788-1868)

     And listen to his rendition of how he discovered the rotating magnetic field and induction motor: "One summer evening in Budapest, I watched [the sunset] with my friend Sigetijem. Thousands of fire was turning around in thousands of flaming colors. I remembered Faust and recited his verses and then, as in a fog, I saw a spinning magnetic field, and induction motor. I saw them in the sun!"  And in case you are wondering what the significance of Faust was, and how that could have played a part, contemplate this fact:  Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend. He is a scholar who is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, so he makes a pact with the Devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited universal knowledge and worldly pleasures.
     So how many champions of Nikola Tesla are aware of this aspect of his genius and the influence behind his inventions?  Would Glenn Beck still shamelessly promote his exceptional creativity if he knew to whom Tesla gave credit?  There is no doubt that Tesla possessed great knowledge and produced great results from his experimentations; he is often called the Father of Radio, Television, Power Transmission, and the Induction Motor.  Less publicity is given to his mysterious inventions, including those that caused buildings to sway, earthquakes to materialize from his electro-magnetic oscillator; and a directed-energy weapon, called a death ray.  And would it surprise you to know that conspiracy theories swirl around his death and his legacy?  Some promote the idea that he was murdered by the Nazis for the work he did on electronic devices that would have been of great significance during WWII.  Then there is the rumor that soon after his death, the United States Government (with the help of the FBI) seized all of his research materials and writings, most of which never again reappeared -- (except perhaps as HAARP; the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program.)
     But here's the bottom line:  It is difficult to know the truth about this enigmatic genius; is he a hero or a villain?  One thing is clear:  Throughout his life, Tesla asserted that he had indeed discovered a limitless power supply from a source that no one else had knowledge of, but he never revealed the source.  In fact, I think this following quote, by Tesla himself, establishes that his genius was supernatural:  "Ideas came in an uninterrupted stream and the only difficulty I had was to hold them fast ... In less than two months I evolved virtually all the types of motors and modifications of the systems which are now identified with my name."
     And now, nearly 73 years after his death, Elon Musk, the Founder of a company that bears his name, and one of the foremost entrepreneurs that have benefitted from the genius and experimentations of Nikola Tesla is announcing that we may have gone too far ... that we may be "summoning the demon."
     To make his point perfectly clear, Musk gives us this analogy: "In all those stories where there's the guy with the pentagram and the holy water, it's like, yeah, he's sure he can control the demon. [It] didn't work out."
    But who is able to stuff that genie (uh, I mean, demon) back in the bottle?  History has shown us that once man agrees to accept that Satanic power source, it becomes a race towards human destruction.  The only thing that has ever stopped the total ruination of man has been God.  But has mankind reached its full quota of evil upon the earth?  Is it nearing the time when God will no longer save us from ourselves, and finally pronounce His Judgment?  Maybe He's providing us clues; if we will only pay attention and recognize that all technology is not for our good, perhaps we stand a chance.  Tesla believed that there were certain truths we needed to learn in order to be healed in this human existence. But here's the deal ... Our survival, and our eternity, depends on whose Truth we seek.

You can read the entire 1899 interview with Nikola Tesla here, and make up your own mind.  He's a fascinating character study, and I truly believe his story is part of the spiritual battle in which we find ourselves today.

1 Timothy 4:1   "Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,"


 

Bacchus, Dionysus & The Zombie Apocalypse: Satan's Bloodthirsty Rerun

     Have you ever wondered where the Zombie phenomenon came from?  How did it suddenly take over our culture, imagination and conscience?  And could it possibly be intertwined with an age-old deception and strategy?  Sure, it had a brief rise in popularity during the 1970's in The Night of the Living Dead movie genre.  But, we are now at the point where even the CDC and the Pentagon offer ways to protect yourself from "the Zombie Apocalypse".
     Well, it seems that this ghoulish sensation isn't such a new occurrence after all; and may not be as fictional as you think.  As with every evil personification in history, you can find demonic involvement.  You may be surprised to find out that your average zombie shares the same characteristics with the ancient worship of the God of wine, abandon, and revelry, known as Bacchus, or Dionysus, in the Greek.  For the purpose of this discussion, we will use his Greek name.
     So, by all mythological accounts, Dionysus just sounds like he was a party hound deluxe.  But there's more to him than just being the champion of "a good time".  According to Greek mythology, he is seen as "the protector of those who do not belong to conventional society and thus symbolizes everything which is chaotic, dangerous and unexpected, everything which escapes human reason and which can only be attributed to the unforeseeable action of the gods." (Wikipedia)   But that's not all.  Those who partake of his mysteries are possessed and empowered by the god himself.  His cult is also a "cult of the souls"; his female followers feed the dead through blood-offerings, and he acts as a divine communicant between the living and the dead.  Starting to get a picture of who this "god" might be?  Well, let me take you a little farther.
     In 410 B.C., the Greek dramatist, Euripides, proclaimed the greatness of Dionysus in his play The Bacchantes (who were members of a religious cult that swept over Greece in the 600s BC, a period of social and political upheaval).  Euripides portrayed Dionysus as having "put off the god and taken human shape".  In the play, Dionysus boasts that he has fallen to earth, sent by "the one who will loose me" to do his evil work.
     The play accurately depicted the real-life followers of Dionysus, who had no love for moral guidelines or laws of the conventional world.  Dionysus had been sent to help them gain a spiritual state of ecstasy through their rituals.  And just what were those acts of worship? On the conservative side, women migrated in frenzied hillside groups, dressed in fawn skins accompanied by screaming, music, dancing, and licentious behavior.  But that didn't satisfy their lust for "anything goes".  In fact, any creature that dared to resist or flee their perverse rituals was often subjected to sparagmos (tearing apart) and omophagia (consumed raw).  This lifestyle was so rampant and so depraved, that it was eventually outlawed by the Greeks and Romans.  Beginning to see a resemblance to Zombies, now?
     While you may think this ancient cult wished to possess the soul of the one consumed, the goal was actually more demonic.  They really sought to capture the essence of Dionysus and bring him through a portal of incarnated rage within humans.  It is not surprising, that the Hebrews of that age believed demonic possession was actually a result of the rituals of these followers of Dionysus.  And apparently something called a kestatot (magic band) was used to capture the souls of people by magic.  Even the prophet Ezekiel warns against them:  And say, Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew pillows to all armholes and fasten magic, protective charms to all wrists, and deceptive veils upon the heads of those of every stature to hunt and capture human lives! Will you snare the lives of My people to keep your own selves alive? (Ezekiel 13:18; Amplified Bible).

Statue of the "Rites of Dionysus"

     To give further credence to this worship of Dionysus, the Apostle Paul (in Acts 17:34) mentions a man by that name who was delivered from this cult and came to faith in Jesus.  This is significant because to be named Dionysus either meant that his parents had been followers of the demonic god and had predestined their child to the same perversion, or that this man was under the spell of the magic arm band (kestatot).  This band had some kind of connection to a container called an orca, or kiste.  And here's more evidence that this all ties together as demonically influenced -- Wherever a kiste is inscribed on sarcophagi or on Bacchic scenes, it is depicted as a sacred vessel or soul-prison with a snake peering through an open lid.
      But there's more to understanding Dionysus and his significance in Greek mythology.  According to Wikipedia, "the Dio-element has been associated since antiquity with Zeus" -- another name for our old friend Nimrod, a clear representative of Anti-Christ.  Furthermore, he was the son of a mortal woman and Zeus, king of the gods.  (You should recognize this as imitating the Bible's Genesis 6 account of fallen angels mating with human women).  There are a couple of different versions of the birth and death of Dionysys.  In one account, his mortal mother asks Zeus to reveal himself in all his glory as proof of his godhood.  He came to her wreathed in bolts of lightning; mortals, however, could not look upon an undisguised god without dying, and she perished in the ensuing blaze.  (Another attempt by Satan to counterfeit God's Shekinah Glory in ancient mythology). Zeus rescues the unborn Dionysus by sewing him into his thigh, and later releases the fully-grown baby from his thigh on Mount Pramnos in the Aegean Sea.
     Another version has Dionysus as the son of Zeus and Persephone, the queen of the Underworld.  Zeus's jealous wife, Hera, enlists the aid of the Greek gods, the Titans, to dismember Dionysus.  Once again Zeus saves his son by retrieving the heart and sewing it into his thigh, from whence a reborn Dionysus emerges.  Both stories present an enigmatic death and rebirth legend that came in handy to various pagan religions that reverenced the mysteries surrounding this "god".  (It also didn't hurt Satan's cause of counterfeiting Christ's death and resurrection).
    These "Dionysian Mysteries" were, in one sense, a ritual of ancient Greece and Rome which used intoxicants and other trance-inducing techniques (like dance and music) to remove inhibitions and social constraints, liberating the individual to return to a natural state.  There were elaborate (and debauched) rituals initiating people into this cult, which are too depraved to recount here.  Suffice it to say, that a partial rendition of the Invocation of Dionysus gives you a clear picture of the nature of this religious veneration:  "I call upon loud-roaring and revelling Dionysus, primeval, double-natured, thrice-born, Bacchic lord, wild, ineffable, secretive, two-horned and two-shaped. Ivy-covered, bull-faced, warlike, howling, pure, You take raw flesh, you have feasts, wrapt in foliage, decked with grape clusters...".

     By now, you should be seeing some of the similarities between this ancient Satanic cult and our modern obsession with Zombies.  There are those who will tell you that the Zombie phenomenon is fiction, and fairly new to our culture.  They are pictured as mindless, reanimated human corpses (sometimes animals) with a hunger for human flesh.  In truth, though, they are just the latest embodiment of the flesh-hungry undead, who have been a fixture of world mythology since its earliest recordings.
     One of the oldest written stories on earth (between 2750 and 2500 BC), called The Epic of Gilgamesh, records the vow of the Goddess of the Underworld, Ishtar (also known as Nimrod's wife):  I will knock down the Gates of the Netherworld, I will smash the door posts, and leave the doors flat down, and will let the dead go up to eat the living! And the dead will outnumber the living! 
     This could perfectly describe what we witness each week on the current TV blockbuster, The Walking Dead.  It is no coincidence that we are seeing this recurring theme once again in human history.  As I said earlier, George Romero's frightening 1968 movie Night of the Living Dead brought the concept of "the devouring undead" to our conscious minds.  However, he didn't refer to them as "zombies" in this first movie, but rather "ghouls"; which is actually more appropriate because in Arabic folklore and myths, ghouls are demons.  In the sequel to the movie, Dawn of the Dead, we first hear the term "zombie", which is thought to be a reflection of Voodoo resurrections of the dead in such demonically-influenced cultures as Haiti.
     Fast forward to our modern fixation on the "Zombie Apocalypse"; a breakdown of society as a result of an initial zombie outbreak from a plague/virus, which spreads and threatens to consume all of mankind. By now, it should be clear that our addiction and preoccupation with Zombies has become, perhaps, just a subconscious realization that they represent the coming of the complete, and final, destruction of the world as presented in the Book of Revelation.

     Taken all together, the mythology of Dionysus and his Mysteries, and the Zombie Apocalypse, literally comes down to the question of whether one will "be turned" to an existence that is exemplified by a rotten, putrefying soul; reanimated to devour others (demons) -- or "be saved" by receiving a true resurrected body; a new life after dying, showing the power of the One, True God and glorifying His Son, Jesus.
     Throughout the ages, Satan has attempted to influence mankind to come over to the dark side.  And he has been creative in his efforts, I will give him that.  Whether he tells his story through the lure of uninhibited revelry, the legends of mighty gods, or the seduction of a frightening apocalypse, Death is his perpetual theme, and the process of decay is ongoing.  We must not become distracted by Lucifer's intelligence and beauty.  We must be mindful to guard ourselves against the mania that takes our eyes off our only Source of True Life.
     If we belong to the Lord, we don't have to fear Satan's demonic influence in our culture.  Zombies are just the latest manifestation out of his ancient playbook.  The story never changes; he offers only death and decay -- and we know the ending!

Revelation 1:17-18   "... Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Ever-living One [I am living in the eternity of the eternities].  I died, but see, I am alive forevermore; and I possess the keys of death and Hades (the realm of the dead)."
   
     
   

Evil Is On the March

    As I write this, it is the afternoon of June 12th, 2014 and I am experiencing an overwhelming sense of futility and sadness as I reflect on the news coming out of Iraq.  The Daily Mail out of Britain has an in-depth article on the collapse of the city of Mosul. Combine that with the more recent fall of Tikrit, and the imminent assault on Baghdad, and it is quite clear that the war in Iraq is not over. While the photos show the heartbreak of families fleeing the brutal insurgency of a new terrorist group, ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), I cannot help but think about the tremendous cost in lives and treasure.
     Reuters has reported that the U.S. war in Iraq has cost $1.7 trillion with an additional $490 billion in benefits owed to war veterans; these are expenses that could grow to more than $6 trillion over the next four decades counting interest.  But worth more than these overwhelming figures is the cost in human lives.  A total of 4,486 U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq between 2003 and 2012.  University researchers in the U.S., Canada and Baghdad, along with the Iraqi Ministry of Health, have estimated that nearly half a million people in the country of Iraq have died since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.  These figures cover not only violent deaths, but other avoidable deaths linked to the invasion, insurgencies and subsequent social breakdown.
     So what happens now?  As trite as it sounds, only the Lord knows.  ISIS is not a name I was familiar with, but preliminary research has shown that they are so brutal, that even Al-Queda shuns them.  One headline announced the depth of their evil cruelty .... Marauding ISIS Militia Beheading Their Way to Baghdad.  What makes this group so frightening (and why Al-Queda has distanced themselves) is that these beheadings, crucifixions, and assassinations have been carried out against rival jihadist groups.  This all comes as the leader of this brutal group continues to attract hardline Islamic fighters from around the world.  Reports say that ISIS has in excess of 10,000 fighting men in its ranks. Many of its fighters are thought to be radicalized Western Muslims who have poured in from Europe and North America to join the fighting in Syria and elsewhere in the middle East.

     ISIS is being led by a shadowy figure known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.  You can imagine my alarm when I heard retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Ralph Peters compare Osama bin Laden to John the Baptist, as the forerunner to this al-Baghdadi.  Are we looking at the emergence of an archetype of the Islamic Savior known as the Mahdi? Will he be able to unite the jihadists around the world and bring on another holocaust of God's people?  He has certainly manifested himself as a brutal power in a very rapid manner, and one cannot help but look back at history at the other representatives of Evil who appeared in similar circumstances.
     The news agencies spell out the danger that threatens to engulf the entire globe.  Reuters says, "Sunni rebels from an al Qaeda splinter group overran the Iraqi city of Tikrit on Wednesday and closed in on the biggest oil refinery in the country, making further gains in their rapid military advance against the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad."  Over half a million people fled the city of Mosul in the wake of that conquest.  And for those of us who see the headlines from a biblical perspective, we cannot dismiss the words of a police captain who fled the city of Tikrit, "We are fighting devils and not ordinary people".
     But I have to tell you that I think there is even more Biblical significance to what is happening.  The Christian Science Monitor reports that "It's well known that Mosul has been a target for ISIS... the city is the capital of northern Nineveh Province."  Now where have we heard that name Nineveh before?  Genesis 10:11 records that none other than Nimrod built the city of Nineveh.  And if you don't know who Nimrod is, well just suffice it to say that the root meaning of Nimrod in the Hebrew language is "the rebel".   And it is very possible that “Nimrod” may not be the name of an actual man, but is more likely a derisive term of a type, or a representative, of a system that is epitomized in rebellion against the Creator, the one true God.  We can identify his "type" throughout history in the personages of Antiochus Epiphanes, Gengis Khan, Stalin, and Hitler, amongst many others.
     It is also important that the city of Nineveh and the city of Babylon are closely tied together as Nimrod's power bases.  And would it surprise you to know that the ruins of ancient Babylon sit just 53 miles south of modern-day Baghdad?  There are those who will scoff at my implications, but the fact that the conquest of Iraq is happening so quickly in the wake of the more than $14 billion we spent in training Iraqi forces to defend themselves, cannot be easily dismissed.  I cannot disregard the ancient prophecy in Jeremiah 51:7-8:  "Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad. Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken...".  This corresponds with the End Times prophecy in Revelation 18:10 that foretells the fall of Babylon in one hour.  For the skeptics that will tell me Baghdad is not Babylon, I would say, the spirit of ancient prophecies rest upon this land, as well as future pronouncements regarding the End Times.  We would do well to pray for our deliverance from the consequences.
     And to those of you who do not see these world events through the lens of the Bible, I must tell you that I cannot see them otherwise.  It is my hope that the urgency of what is being reported would cause you to check out my assumptions; to examine the Bible yourself to see if it bears witness to what I suggest.  These events could have immediate effect upon all our lives through the takeover of strategic oil fields in Iraq, along with the possibility that any number of the North America jihadists lining up with ISIS might hold U.S. passports.  At the very least your comfortable American life might be headed for some serious and far-reaching changes.  But at the heart of my post is the hope that you will recognize that, most importantly, it is your eternal life that is in jeopardy.  Evil is obviously sweeping the Middle East, and why would it stop its campaign for world dominance at the borders of Iraq?  Now is the time to make preparations for your soul.

I Thessalonians 5:3    While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.


     
   
   

The Scariest Interview I've Ever Heard

     They appeared calm, cool and collected; attempting to reassure the TV audience that were simply benevolent purveyors of freedom; the ticket to free information to those who lived under despotism.  But Executive Chairman, Eric Schmidt, and Director of Ideas, Jared Cohen, --- arguably among the most powerful men in the world --- are the at the helm of Google, and their appearance on The Blaze was both chilling and menacing.
     I'm not sure if they simply think the American people are so dumb that we can't see behind the innovations, or that they are so arrogant; knowing that their power and those same innovations cannot be stopped.  Frighteningly, I think it's probably both.

     When asked about the possibility that their monitoring of our lives could turn sinister, they kept repeating adnauseum their mantra that it could never happen because the environment and soul of the company centered on making the world “a better place for each and every citizen” -- an ideal embraced by senior executives and every employee at Google.  They kept insisting that they operated under the social code of "Do no evil."  Awww, isn't that nice?
     But they cannot deny that being the most-used search engine in the world has catapulted them into a class of their own; and a very powerful and influential one at that.  They dismissed any concerns that their collection of our personal data -- emails, phone calls, texts, internet searches, spending habits, credit card information, passwords, videos and all other private personal information -- might infringe upon our freedoms.  Instead, they kept insisting that their search engine and data collection delivered the opportunity for an unlimited supply of information and the lofty prize of freedom to those whose freedoms have been suppressed.
     But consider these prescient words from Edward Bernays, the sinister Father of modern day Public Relations and Propaganda:  “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of."
     And guess who is the Keeper of those "organized habits" and "opinions"?  Google! I am not denying that Google has contributed in positive ways to the explosion of information and technology over the past few years.  It has given us the opportunity to discover anything that our imaginations can conceive, and that applies to the web giant, itself.   Consider their recent hire of futurist and transhumanist advocate, Ray Kurzweil.   Anyone who has followed his career has to be a little nervous about his alliance with the some of the most powerful men in the world.

     Both Schmidt and Cohen attempted to downplay Kurzweil's recent prediction that, within 15 years, robots will be smarter than humans.  Does that mean a robot/computer will possess consciousness, i.e. an awareness of its own mind and the world?  And doesn't that present all kinds of social and moral problems?  They insisted that consciousness was "many, many years away", and seemed to liken Kurzweil to a crazy uncle in the attic, working away on his fanciful inventions.  Yet that is exactly what they hired him for!
     Regardless of all the ethical questions that I feel are paramount -- such as, "What is your ultimate goal in integrating humans and computers?"  (They can't deny that this is Kurzweil's dream.)  Or, "Where does personal privacy fit in this equation?" --  I keep coming back to God and how He views us messing with His creation.
     My husband, Peace-Loving Warrior (PLW), is currently reading a book originally written in 1876 by George Pember, an English theologian.  In his book, titled Earth's Earliest Ages, Pember wrote for our age, when he left us with these wise thoughts to ponder:
1.  Knowledge in this life is a gift fraught with peril ... unless it be accompanied by a mighty outpouring of grace, it causes undue elation.  When our human pride begins to tell us that our aspirations are more important than God's will, the weight of that power will lead to our downfall.
2.  In our own days the leaders of science are too often the leaders of infidelity, the despisers of God, and of prayer.  This was written in 1876!  Just think how far down that slippery slope we have come!  Search my past posts on Kurzweil and the Global Congress 2045 and their campaigns for transhumanism, and you can see the personification of Pember's thesis.
3.  And the law of Satan is this:  That we seek all our pleasures in, and fix all our heartfelt hopes upon, this present age over which he [Satan] presides; and that we use our best endeavors -- by means of various sensuous and intellectual occupations and delights, and countless ways of killing time which he has provided -- to keep our thoughts from ever wandering into the Age to Come which will see him a fettered captive instead of a prince and a god.  
     If you understand nothing else from this post, please grasp this truth:  the Age of Computers is a tool in the hands of the one who would separate us from our Creator.  But only if we let him!  Can anyone dispute that their iPhone or iPad occupy "countless ways of killing time" -- ways that keep us from engaging with God?  And can inventors such as Kurzweil, or executives such as Schmidt and Cohen, deny that they are immersed in such "intellectual occupations" as to not only change who we are as humans, but to deny us the liberties of personal privacy?
     I fear we are way past the time for philosophical discussions on "consciousness" and "personal privacy issues".  Google has already surpassed those milestones.  The scientists/inventors now conceive of themselves as their own god.  The tragedy is that they have enticed far too many of us to take our eyes and hearts off the true Creator, and we now lust after the designs of the one who will soon be "a fettered captive instead of a prince and a god."
     Just like Nimrod and the folks at the Tower of Babel, our modern-day technological geniuses want to become famous by displacing the need for God.  Motivated by pride and arrogance, they have made a name for themselves.  But perhaps they should revisit that section of the Bible and learn of the destruction that was the result of such conceit.  God will not allow His Sovereignty to be usurped; and not only did they not achieve the greatness they sought, but they suffered His Divine Judgment.  Watch and see ... history is going to repeat itself.

Luke 1:51     "He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts."

Nothing New Under The Sun

     For those of you who share my Biblical worldview, you will know why I am writing this post on this particular day.  For those who are new to this perspective, or outright reject it, then simply regard this as a history lesson.  In order to fully explore my premise, I must give you a bit of historical background.  You may wonder where I'm headed with all this, but stick it out, and I think you will connect the dots.
     I was shocked when PLW pointed me to an article on the BBC News Magazine site, titled "The Greeks Who Worship The Ancient Gods."  I urge you to read the entire article, and I hope to be able to inform you of the deeper significance of what will be happening in Greece today.
     In case you weren't aware, today, June 21st, is what is known as the Summer Solstice.  You may think that only means that it is the longest day of the year; when the tilt of the Earth's semi-axis is in the southern hemisphere and our planet is most inclined toward the sun.  But to followers of ancient religions, it is one of the most important days on their calendar.  And it just so happens that there is a segment of the population in Greece who worship the country's pre-Christian gods.
     June 21st begins the Promethia Festival, which celebrates the ancient Greek hero Prometheus.  It is also the most important annual festival for followers of The Return of the Hellenes - a movement trying to bring back the religion, values, philosophy and way of life of ancient Greece, more than 16 centuries after it was replaced by Christianity. Those with a knowledge of the Bible will recall the Hellenists, who battled both the Jews and the Christians in the arena of faith.
     For the Israelites, returning from exile in Babylon, they faced the threat of losing their identity in a new Greek empire and culture as promoted by the Hellenists.  This led to the rise of the hyper-conservative Pharisees and their added, unnecessary laws.  One of the ways Hellenism influenced Christianity was through Gnosticism.  The Gnostic Greek philosophers taught that the earth was created not by the Most High God, but by an underling, several levels below, who imbued the physical nature of his creation with imperfection. The physical was seen as evil. Only the spirit was good. These beliefs manifested in several ways. If the physical is evil, then Jesus cannot be fully man and fully God; He either only appears to be physical, or He cannot be the Son of God. Similarly, if the physical is evil, there is no resurrection from the dead. Instead, "salvation" is reuniting in spirit with the High God.  You can see how this line of thinking negates the full revelation of Jesus.
     What is being celebrated this very day in Greece is an attempted revival of this ancient belief system.  To give you the full ramifications of this movement would take too long and probably be information overload.  So I will try to show you why this seemingly innocent festival has a much deeper and dire meaning.  That's why we need to look more fully at the historical implications presented in the Bible.  Then I hope to show you how those facts play into what is happening in Greece today.

Nimrod

     If you know your Bible, you are familiar with the story of Nimrod, the ruler of Babel (ancient Babylon) as presented in Genesis 11.  Unless you have taken the time to research different interpretations of the Bible and ancient texts, you may be unaware that Nimrod was the great-grandson of Noah.  (I could really blow your mind by revealing the genetic makeup of Nimrod, but for the sake of our subject today, let's just agree that he was an evil person who rebelled against God).  Josephus, the Jewish scholar, tells us that Nimrod rebelled against God because he hated God for judging mankind in Noah’s Flood.  He set himself above the plans and purposes of God.
     You most likely know the story of the Tower of Babel -- which was an attempt by Nimrod to bring all the people together under one banner, speaking the same language, and to convince them that if they could build a tower high enough, they could reach the heavens, overthrow God, and become gods themselves.
     Well, we know how that worked for them, right?  God squashed their plan, confused their language and scattered them over the earth.  Now all these different groups spoke different languages and could not understand each other, lessening the chances that they could reunite as one rebellious nation.  But perhaps what you don't know is that Babel indicates the god they worshipped; none other than Baal (also known as Bel). You might know Baal as an evil entity, but you most likely do not know that he was believed to be the son of El, the chief god.  Starting to see Satan's plan to introduce a false concept of father/son worship?  And Nimrod as the mighty king, was a true Baal worshipper, and an instrument of Satan.  He is also considered to be the prototype of a rebellious people, his name being interpreted as "he who made all the people rebellious against God".

Hercules

     After his death, Nimrod and his wife were confirmed by their priests as gods and his attributes were set forth under different pseudonyms.  He has been worshipped throughout the centuries, and because the scattered inhabitants of Babel spoke different languages, he became known by these different names throughout different cultures and down through the ages.  The ancient Greek and Roman gods, with names like Zeus/Jupiter, Hermes/Mercury, Hades/Pluto, Hercules, Apollo, Pegasus and Helios (the Sun God ... how appropriate for today!) were all manifestations of the "mighty hunter" Nimrod.
     Indeed, the "Spirit of Nimrod" has been displayed in rulers like Oden of the Vikings, the Pharaohs of Egypt, the Kings of Assyria, Babylon, and Persia, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Hitler and Mao Tse Tung, to name a few --- they have all followed Nimrod’s path to power and bowed at his altar.  The Nimrod Spirit comes upon those who want to rule over other men, establishing tyrannical government and putting themselves above God and His purposes.  The Nimrod Spirit deceives the followers of the Tyrant through a false religion such as paganism, or a false philosophy such as communism, which legitimizes the power of the Tyrant.  For those who are not deceived, the Hunter rules through fear and terror.
    Whew!  That was a lot of information!  But it brings us right back to my original point concerning the Summer Solstice.  This group in Greece -- this group that wants to bring back the religions of ancient Greece bear a great resemblance to their ancient ancestors.  Over the course of the three-day event, there are public prayers, two marriages, and a naming ceremony, where followers choose an ancient name - like Calisto, Hermes or Orpheus - and "cleanse" themselves of their modern Christian ones.
     They make statements like "It's going back to the roots. It makes me feel the continuation through the millennia."  They offer sacrifices of flowers and fruit in simulation of the animal sacrifices made in ancient Greece.  They focus their worship on the 12 main gods of ancient Greece and consider their country under Christian occupation.  "When Christianity came in, it claimed it was unique - that there was one God, and all the other gods were false gods, and therefore had to be banished."

     They dress up in togas with wreaths in their hair and by all outward appearances are a benign group.  But it is their willingness to embrace ancient religions that makes them so susceptible to the ancient deception.  In fact, this group states that their movement "is simply an acknowledgement of the gods, in the hope that the gods will help you."  So if they are simply paying homage to their history and cultural rituals -- why would I find that disturbing?
     True, they are very likely unaware of what they are doing, but by bowing to the altars of Apollo, Zeus, etc., they are unwittingly bowing to the Satan-inspired spirit of Nimrod.  Ignorance of who you are worshipping plays right into Satan's hand.  These people have no idea of the fire they are playing with.  These gods are not just fables and fairy tales.  The worship of these entities is rooted in pagan worship of evil idols, which always leads right back to Satan's plan of deception.
     But people are so hungry to connect; to identify with any group that promises renewal and rewards and a sense of "belonging".  It can start out being hopeful.  Just look at how Hitler was able to deceive the German people.  So, yes, you might think that this group celebrating the Summer Solstice is harmless, but I really think that if you open your mind, you can see this same scenario repeated from the beginning of time.  It starts out innocently, and then ..... "In the beginning, they were making jokes, then they were ignoring us, now they are interested," says tax manager Persis Argyros, who has been involved since the start of the movement. "We became too big to ignore."  And that is what worries me!

Deuteronomy 12:30-31    "Take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’  You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods .... "

The Veils Of Our Existence

     You're going to need to put on your tin foil hat for this one!  Peace-loving Warrior handed me an article written in 2001 by Don Harkins, the Editor of the Idaho Observer.  Mr. Harkins passed away in 2009, but I was so intrigued with the thoughts expressed in his commentary, that I thought it worthy to bring for your consideration.
     Like Don Harkins, PLW and myself can become frustrated with friends and family that are unable to see what we so often see clearly and objectively.  We think we are bringing sharp, focused arguments and examples that should wake them up and see what they term as our "conspiracy theories" for what they are .... truth borne by facts.  Why can we see the truth and they are unable?  Why is it obvious to us that there is a world system of Power-Elites that exploit and enslave the masses, yet they can't even contemplate such a network?  Is it as simple as they don't want to see it?
     Mr. Harkins developed a theory of his own that I believe could have some validity.  He conjectures that the masses don't see it because the 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.

So what makes us different than the rest of the sheep?  Harkins asks us to imagine that there are veils over our existence; eight to be exact.  In order to progress to a higher understanding of just how we are to maneuver through this existence, we must be able to pierce each successive veil.  Stick with me, here.  It's about to get real interesting.
     The First Veil = 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, MSM 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.
     The Second Veil = History.  There will be 10% of us who will explore the world of history, the relationship between man and government, which will 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.
     The Third Veil = 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.
     Get ready to tighten down your tin foil hat!  The Fourth Veil = 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.
     The Fifth Veil = 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.

 

     The Sixth Veil = 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.
     If you are able to go beyond an unwillingness or inability to believe the concepts behind the sixth veil, then perhaps what waits for us behind The Seventh Veil = Peace of the Lord.  It's hard to imagine, but I can foresee a small group of people whose soul 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.
     That brings us to Harkins's Eighth veil, 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.
     So, as you can see, with each veil of understanding that is pierced, the number of people "who see" gets exponentially smaller.  The majority of the world's population is what the alternative media calls "the low information voter", and they are seduced by the modern Babylonian culture.  And you can understand that a person who may have pierced the fifth or sixth veil will be seen as crazy by those who haven't tried!
     I will concede that Mr. Harkin's theory will be labeled as far-fetched and absurd, but the basis of it is at least reasonable.  The majority of the people on the planet are useful idiots; tools of the state.  They are gullible citizens who give no thought to their votes for politicians who are willing to sacrifice the lives of the innocent masses to further the greed of the Power-Elites.
     It's a long road to progress through these veils, but if you are one that finds yourself frustrated because others don't see as you do .... then perhaps you now have a better idea as to why they can't see and why you are seen as a "conspiracy nut."  And if you are just beginning to awaken, then I hope you can see that living, breathing and thinking are just the beginning to greater understanding.  And finally, for all of us, we should understand that the greatest adventure of our life is just behind the next veil, because it is one less obstacle between us and God.

2 Corinthians 3:16-17      "Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
   

Are We Building The Tower of Babel Again?

     At first glance, the headlines seem outlandish; even imaginary or phony:  Harvard Professor Seeks Mother for Cloned Cave Baby .... Human Intelligence Will Be Overtaken By Technological Evolution.  You might think you were reading something out of the latest sci-fi Magazine of the Month.  Why would we want to even pay attention to these bizarre notions?
     Follow along with my thought process and see if it doesn't make some modicum of sense.  As you know, the Bible is my source for Truth.  I'm one of those who believes that it still has relevance in today's world; in fact, if you dig deep enough you will find parallels to many of our modern situations.

     First, let's look at what the crazy headlines above are really telling us.  According to The Daily Mail, Professor George Church of Harvard Medical School believes he can reconstruct Neanderthal DNA and resurrect the species which became extinct 33,000 years ago.  The obvious comparisons to Jurassic Park notwithstanding, this is really creepy because in order to complete his experiment, Professor Church needs to artificially create Neanderthal DNA based on genetic code found in fossil remains. He would then put this DNA into stem cells.   And here's the creepy part .... these would be injected into cells from a human embryo in the early stages of life, which would steer the development of the hybrid embryo along Neanderthal lines, rather than human ones.  The ‘neo-Neanderthal’ embryo would then need to be implanted in the womb of a surrogate mother.   Does anyone else think that this is messing with God's creation?
     Next, let's take a look at the Human Intelligence vs. Technological Advancements scenario.  Inventor and Futurist Ray Kurzweil has come up with a theory he calls "The Singularity".  What this means is that he predicts -- in the very near future -- that there will be a profound and disruptive transformation in human capability.  Translated into language we can all understand, he predicts that we are very close to creating a nonbiological (read "artificial") intelligence that will be one billion times more powerful than all human intelligence today.  Mr. Kurzweil was recently interviewed for a Time Magazine article, and the writer, Lew Grossman, summed up the Futurist's theory in this manner:  Once hyper-intelligent artificial intelligences arise, armed with advanced nanotechnology, they’ll really be able to wrestle with the vastly complex, systemic problems associated with aging in humans. Alternatively, by then we’ll be able to transfer our minds to sturdier vessels such as computers and robots. He and many other Singularitarians take seriously the proposition that many people who are alive today will wind up being functionally immortal.

     You read that correctly!  Technology is advancing so rapidly, that one day, robots will not only interpret our thoughts for us, but become part of us, thereby securing our immortality!  In addition, Kurzweil feels confident in his theory to make the following predictions:  (See this article on The Blaze for in-depth reporting on Singularity).

•  Our brains will extend to the cloud, which will allow us to learn new things at any age.
•  We will be able to selectively erase pieces of our memory.
•  We’ll be in augmented reality at all times.
•  By 2029, machines will be able to match the intelligence of humans, and they’ll be able to make us laugh and cry.
•  Around the 2030s, tiny “nanobots” able to repair and preserve our organs will keep us healthier and smarter.
•  3D printing will be even more common than it is today, with public 3D printing stations for people to print out clothes, toys, and anything else.
•  Within 25 years, computers will be the size of a blood cell and we’ll be able to connect it to the brain without the need for surgery.
•  Society will reach a state of “technological singularity” in 2045 where technology enables superhuman machine intelligences to emerge and people and machines become deeply integrated.
     I could write volumes on all that just these two headlines portend.  But I want you to consider that in one way, these events are not new.  We've been here before in the history of man.  Let me point you to Genesis 10:8-9:  Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth.  He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”

     If you are familiar with the story of Nimrod, you know that he is largely held responsible for being the instigator behind the Tower of Babel.   Now you might think that Nimrod is a good guy, based on these couple of verses.  But every commentary I have ever read states that the Greek to English translation of this Scripture is weak.  You have to go to the Jerusalem Targum (a Hebrew translation into the Aramaic language, which was used in Christ’s day), to grasp the full appreciation of these verses.  The Targum states, “He [Nimrod] was powerful in hunting and wickedness before the LORD, for he was a hunter of the sons of men, and he said unto them, ‘Depart from the judgment of the Lord, and adhere to the judgment of Nimrod!’ therefore it is said: ‘As Nimrod [is] the strong one, strong in hunting, and in wickedness before the Lord.’”
     The word “before” in verse 9 actually should be translated “in defiance of.” Even his name—Nimrod—means “one who rebels” or “let us rebel.” Nimrod was a Rebel!  He also was a hunter, “a mighty one in the earth,” a hero of the people. With his skills of hunting and war, he protected the people against wild animals, thus causing people to turn to him for protection instead of God.
     And we all know the rest of the story.  The ancient historian Josephus says this about Nimrod:  Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God.... He persuaded them not to ascribe anything to God, as if it were through His means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness.... He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! 
     And what did God do?  Genesis 11:6-8 tell us,  The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.  Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.  
     It seems to me that when man begins to think that he is bigger than God, or smarter than God, then he begins to think he can BE God.  God knew that Nimrod planned to replace Him among the people on the earth, so He confounded their plans and the Tower of Babel was destroyed.  Do you see the similarities with our modern-day hypotheses?   Monkeying with DNA .... messing with the human mind and trying to create immortal beings?  It looks to me like the created are trying to replace the Creator!   Furthermore, it appears as though we are getting dangerously close to assuming the arrogance of Nimrod; and we saw how that turned out for him, don't we?
     The arrogance of it all!  It astounds me that man, who was created in the image of God, would have the audacity to think they could improve on His work.  What God has created is sovereign and supreme!  But if these men knew who God was, they would not dare to challenge Him!  I shudder to think how He will destroy this rebellion against His authority.

Romans 1:20-21      " For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."