2 Chronicles 24:20

"Because you have forsaken the Lord, 

He has also forsaken you."

       As I've told you before, I am reading the Bible (again) from Genesis to Revelation; only this time it is with a much deeper yearning and a more discerning heart for God's message to me, a repentant sinner.  I am on the tail end of the Books of 1 and 2 Kings/1 and 2 Chronicles, and I'm sure you will understand when I say that it takes some serious study to keep all the kings and their deeds separate. 

     First of all, it is important to glean that 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings give a political history of Israel and Judah, while 1 and 2 Chronicles present a religious history of the Davidic dynasty of Judah.  While it is easy to think that it all runs together and the narrative regarding the various kings reads the same, nothing could be further from the truth.  After Solomon died and the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah came into existence, there are stark differences in the two kingdom's attitudes toward worship, the way they ran their governments, and how their rulership affected the people they served.

     There were 19 Kings that ruled the northern kingdom of Israel, beginning with Jeroboam, an Ephraimite, to Hoshea, the last king of Israel, before it was captured by Assyria.  The history of the nation of Israel, and its subsequent kings can be summed up in 2 Kings 17:22-23 ...  For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. 

     As hard as it is to believe, there was not one of the 19 kings of the Kingdom of Israel that was not wicked.  As you read their histories in the Bible, it is noted of each of them, "And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin."  It is important that we know exactly what those sins of Jeroboam were, so great were they that they infected the entire history of the nation of Israel.  

     Here's what he did:  1) He urged the people to turn from worshipping at God's Temple in Jerusalem to temples he established in the kingdom of Israel;  2)  He made two golden calves and called them "gods", leading his people to worship false gods and idols;  3)  He established shrines to these false gods;  4)  He appointed priests that were not from the tribe of Levi as God had commanded; and 5)  He proclaimed his own feast day, and made sacrifices to false gods on unholy altars, using priests not sanctified by God.

     To a Holy God who had made a covenant with the Israelites in return for them obeying His statues and commandments for all their generations, this was obvious rebellion.  The consequences are stated in the chosen Scripture for today ... Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you.

     The consequences were profound.  Jeroboam had been given the great commandment to reign over the 10 tribes of Israel.  But his idolatry and apostasy caused him not only the life of his son, but would result in the scattering of the 10 tribes of Israel unto this day.  

     The nation of Judah shares in the sins of Israel with their own kings who embraced idolatry and apostasy -- with a striking difference.  From Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, to Zedekiah, there were actually eight good kings who walked in the ways of the Lord.  From King Asa, who was a righteous man, and who "took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made" -- to good King Josiah who restored the Torah to the Jews, which resulted in the reinstitution of Covenant between God and His people, the restoration of Passover, and reforms in how the people of Judah worshipped the Lord.

     But God is a Holy and Righteous God, and the sins of the rest of the kings of Judah, and the people, outweighed the attempts to keep them obedient to the Lord's commandments and statutes.  Time and again, the kings of Judah were tempted to follow after false gods, and the Lord would send a word by his prophets and raise up a good king to return the people of Judah to His ways.  But God, by His Sovereign plan, tolerated only so much, and as it says in 2 Chronicles 36:16, "But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people; till there was no remedy."  King Nebuchadnezzar and captivity in Babylon was their punishment.

     What will be ours?  For surely, we have sinned against God as greatly as the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.  Our God is the same God they worshipped, and we know that God is consistent in His commandments and His justice.  History has shown us that the northern kingdom of Israel was so rebellious and disobedient that God scattered them.  The kingdom of Judah was the only tribe with whom God kept His covenant because they humbled themselves and repented.  However, they did not escape discipline and were often weakened before their enemies and exiled.  So how will our history be written?  Will we remain rebellious and break our covenant with the God of our fathers?  Or will we humble ourselves and repent and turn back toward the Lord?  

     The one thing we need to realize is that those scattered tribes of Israel have not been forgotten by God.  He will soon send His Son back to earth to redeem them.  All Israel will be saved.  The question remains ... what about the other nations of the world, including us?     

     

Scientists and Sin: What They Don't Understand

   

     In light of yesterday's post, I just want to point out the obvious.  Now that the futurists and scientists are gleefully clapping their hands over the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a powerful possibility for the human race, they are contemplating a new reality and philosophical question ... what if AI decides to turn on its creators; and can it be pre-programmed to make moral and ethical decisions?  Will it be responsible for its actions?
     Hmmm, don't those considerations sound, well, distinctly "human"?  Is the Intelligentsia unknowingly coming into conflict with what we Christians innately know as flaws in our human nature ... Sin?  Could it be that even if they are able to create a "being" that is as much computer as it is human, they cannot escape the inevitable sins that serve to endanger the existence of not only the created robots, but their human creators, as well?
     Secularists and Scientists and Skeptics, through medicine and philosophy, have tried to cure humanity of the pesky reality called "sin" for several generations now.  Moral relativism and Atheism have done their best to convince society that God is unnecessary, and we are capable of managing ourselves and plotting our own future.  Just in the last 100 years, we have had two World Wars, countless regional conflicts, and at least 7 attempted genocides resulting in nearly 18,000,000 deaths  (Armenians in Turkey; Stalin's forced famine; the Japanese atrocities at Nanking; the Nazi Holocaust; Pol Pot in Cambodia; Rwanda; and Bosnia-Herzegovina) ... so how has that worked for us?  Do they really think if they create drones that can decide for themselves when to pull the trigger, that it will result in a better outcome?  Or that they can avoid that annoying certainty called "death" by developing ways to isolate our brains from our decaying bodies?  If they only knew how disdainfully their Creator looks upon their schemes.
     There is no better description of the vanity of man and the depravity of human nature, than that described by David in the Bible:  The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the Lord?  (Psalm 1-4).
     Yet, it is amazing to me how safe and secure these small "c" creators feel in their godless world.  They do not see their wickedness, their folly, or the danger they are in.  They are what the Bible calls "workers of iniquity".  As the noted theologian Matthew Henry describes them:  "they design it, they practice it, and take as much pleasure in it as ever any man did in his business."  They refuse to acknowledge the role God plays in His Universe, and their view of themselves as superior in the knowledge of what the future holds, only serves to showcase their blind and selfish motivations, as well as their utter foolishness. They mock God and they have no idea of the eternal danger in which they have placed their souls.
     But wait ... they aren't interested in "souls", are they?  After all, they are trying to redesign human existence and remove the "spirit" component from the human mind/body/spirit bond, which was made in God's image.  Yet, they will one day learn that those who refuse to fear God will reap the rewards of their folly.  They, who refused to admit His existence; who saw themselves above His Righteous Judgment and Sovereignty, and felt capable of creating their own eternity, will stand in awe and abject terror at what their pride has cost them.  Oh, they will experience eternity, alright -- it just won't be where, or when, or how they convinced themselves it would be.

Proverbs 17:24    "The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth."

     

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?”
   

The Immigrant Experience: Yesterday and Today

     This is a topic that has been on my mind for several days, so I'm going to just jump in.  Immigration has been a hot button subject in our national conversation for some time, and is sure to be at the center of the Presidential election debates in the coming months.  For sure, it is quite controversial.  But immigration has been at the heart of the history of our great nation since the beginning, and has contributed immensely to our success. So I wanted to take a look at how and why our opinion of it today is so contentious.

     We often look back on our history of immigration through the lens of nostalgia and view it in a sentimental light ... We are all familiar with poet Emma Lazarus's invitation engraved on the Statue of Liberty:  “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”  Those words have inspired millions of people to make the dangerous journey to our shores.  I think it is important for us to recognize both the similarities and the differences in how immigration has impacted our nation.

     First the similarities:  The last great wave of immigrants to our country happened between the 1890s and 1920s and consisted primarily of Eastern Europeans.  Today's surge of immigration began in the 1960s and is still growing strong.  Most of these new immigrants hail from Mexico, and Central and South America.  Surprisingly, the percentage of foreign-born in the U.S. has not changed much in the last 100 years.  It was 13.6% in 1900 and 13% today. 

     Like the immigrants of the past, today's newcomers often enter the country with low skill levels, unable to speak English, and work at low-paying jobs and for long hours.  In both eras, the jobs often involved manual labor, or performing housekeeping duties and child-care for upwardly mobile Americans.  

     As in the past, today's immigrants usually live in ethnic neighborhoods, and due to their low economic level, multiple families may live together.  There are those today who will say that the immigrants of the past were viewed as "white", and more readily accepted.  But southern European Italian and eastern European Jew immigrants a century ago were not viewed as white in the same way that people with origins in northern and western Europe were; they were often called "mongrel" races.  They were discriminated against as inferior to natural-born Americans, as many are today. 

     Additionally, maintaining political, social, economic, and cultural ties to the home country is shared between the immigrant populations of yesterday and today.  Sending money back home and frequent trips to "the motherland" have been common for the last hundred years.

      While realizing that the immigrant experience is much the same today as it was a century ago, there are some stark contrasts in the effect that immigration has had upon our country.  First of all, in 1910, there were 13.5 million immigrants in the U.S. – in 2010, there were a whopping 40 million!  In the past, there were few restrictions on immigration, and most people entered the country legally and without any prohibitions.  Today, many arrive or remain without proper documents. Estimates for 2011: 11.5 million undocumented immigrants ... and that was before the mass influx of people coming from Latin America the last two years!

     One thing that we must understand when looking at the immigration "picture", is that 100 years ago, the population was about one fifth of what it is today.  And one cannot discount the words of Stephen Malanga, contributing editor to City Journal and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute:  "... Since the mid-1960s, America has welcomed nearly 30 million legal immigrants and received perhaps another 15 million illegals, numbers unprecedented in our history. These immigrants have picked our fruit, cleaned our homes, cut our grass, worked in our factories, and washed our cars. But they have also crowded into our hospital emergency rooms, schools, and government-subsidized aid programs, sparking a fierce debate about their contributions to our society and the costs they impose on it."

     We also cannot ignore the fact that these new immigrants often have their own values, customs, ideas, and culture, which are often at odds with our own; and they have no desire to compromise or assimilate as in generations past.  Our modern economy, which relies heavily on skills in the technology sector, makes it difficult for them to succeed without the necessary skills.  This makes it difficult to climb the economic ladder, and they often rely on something that immigrants of other generations didn't have: a bloated U.S. welfare and social-services bureaucracy that has greatly amplified the cost of immigration.
     The immigrants of a century ago were Jewish tailors and seamstresses who helped create New York's garment industry, Italian stonemasons and bricklayers who helped build some of our greatest buildings, German merchants, shopkeepers, and artisans - who all brought important skills with them that fit easily into the American economy.  In fact, our economy was exploding, and these new workers, with their specialized skills, helped power our emerging economy.  

     The flood of immigrants we are experiencing today do not have those specialized skills, and at this time in our history, they are a mismatch with the state of our economy.  Even as we have made strides in welfare reform and had some success in weaning people off social programs, we are, at the same time, creating a new foreign-born underclass who become hopelessly dependent on government aid.  As famed free-market economist Milton Friedman puts it: "It's just obvious that you can't have free immigration and a welfare state."
     I would be remiss if I did not mention an element associated with today's immigration debate.  This is a statement made in a 1992 article by Richard de Uriarte in The Phoenix Gazatte:  "An interesting aspect of the balkanization of America is the often playing of the "race card" whenever the discussion of illegal immigration comes up. According to most Latino advocacy groups, just being against illegal immigration is racist. This attitude is best expressed by Alfredo Gutierrez, political consultant, "We call things racism just to get attention. We reduce complicated problems to racism, not because it is racism, but because it works."
     It is obvious that immigration is a complicated and emotional set of circumstances.  And as Christians, we are given clear instructions as to how we are to treat sojourners in our land.  It is one thing to help immigrants on an individual basis; quite another to meet the needs of 40,000,000.
     So, as you can see, I haven't offered any viable solutions to our immigration policy debate.  To be honest, I'm not sure there are any -- as long as we have a federal policy that encourages immigrants to flock to our overcrowded nation with the promise of free social programs in a waning economy.  In truth, we are still the light that shines as a beacon to the tired, poor, homeless, and tempest-tossed that yearn to breathe free -- it's just that the golden door is tarnished and the lamp is fading.

Thanks to Professor Nancy Foner, of Hunter College and Graduate Center, City University of New York for statistics on immigration.

Leviticus 19:33-34    When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Ukraine: Multi-Levels of Persecution

      I rarely take note of it, but sometimes out of curiosity, I will decide to take a look at the native countries of my readers.  Through website analytics I am able to see from which countries readers originate.  The parameters run from who is reading that particular blog post now, or how many have read it today, during the week, the month, or the year; and finally, I am able to see which countries have read it the most during the lifetime of this website.  The numbers are often revealing.
     The readership is pretty evenly distributed, with the majority coming from the United States, of course.  But there is always a minority of readers from United Kingdom, France, Germany, India, China, Malaysia, Poland, and Russia.  But I was shocked that consistently coming in at Number Two was the eastern European country of Ukraine.  Whether daily or all-time, Ukraine's numbers far outran those of other nations.  I had no idea, and wondered what the connection might possibly be between this website and the people of Ukraine.  After a fair amount of research, I may have a glint of understanding.  It is a complex situation in Ukraine, and I would love to get some feedback from those who are living in this tense situation.
     In the meantime, the Christian world's attention is focused squarely on the Middle East and the persecution that is coming against Believers in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Sub-Saharan Africa.  The torture and beheadings at the hands of ISIS are broadcast day after day on American news sites.
     Far less known, but just as disturbing, are the persecutions of Christians in Ukraine.  Interestingly, politically disparate websites, such as NPR and The 700 Club, have both published reports that Evangelical Christians in Ukraine are under religious persecution by pro-Russian separatists.  (I must admit that there is conflicting information which states that while the persecution is real, nationalism and ethnicity have more to do with it than the anti-Christian aspect).  Indeed, persecution itself is defined as hostility based on race or political or religious beliefs.  Still, no less than The American Family News Network is also reporting anti-Christian violence in Ukraine.  Whatever the reasons, it is time the Western Church comes to the spiritual aid of our Ukrainian brethren.

    The history of Ukraine is fascinating!  A quick glance at Wikipedia's extensive file on the country reveals that "the territory of modern Ukraine has been inhabited since 32,000 BC. During the Middle Ages, the area was a key center of East Slavic culture, with the powerful state of Kievan Rus' forming the basis of Ukrainian identity. Following its fragmentation in the 13th century, the territory was contested, ruled and divided by a variety of powers, including Lithuania, Poland, the Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungary, and Russia. A Cossack republic emerged and prospered during the 17th and 18th centuries, but Ukraine's territories remained divided until they were consolidated into a Soviet republic in the 20th century. It became independent in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union."  The dominant religion in the country is the Orthodox Church, the eastern branch of Christianity.
     According to the report by NPR, "Protestants from the separatist regions of eastern Ukraine say they are being persecuted by the Russian Orthodox Church. Many evangelicals have left because of a crackdown on religious freedom."  But from what I have read, it is my understanding that there is no real difference between the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and the Russian Orthodox Church, other than the ethnicity attached to it.  From the perspective of religious doctrine, they believe the same things.  The persecution is real, but nationalism appears to be the root cause.  (Again, I welcome the facts from those living in Ukraine).
     But we cannot ignore the anti-God influence of the old Soviet Communist regime, nor dismiss the first-hand reports coming from International Christian Concern (ICC), an organization that "acts as a bridge between believers in free countries and believers in persecuted countries."  Less than a year ago, a spokesman for ICC said, "Just this week (August, 2014), four ... volunteers with the Far East Broadcasting Company in Ukraine, which broadcasts the gospel across that country, were pulled from their building.  And it was discovered that they were Christians, that they were believers – and they were actually beaten to death for their Christian faith when it was found out that they were evangelical Christians."
     But this spokesman also reveals that "pro-Russian separatists are opposed to what they believe are immoral influences from the West and instead want fundamental Orthodox principles in Ukraine... They are suspicious of foreign or Western influences and they see evangelical Christians as a threat to the Orthodox faith," he explains. "That's one of the reasons why we've been seeing in the past few months evangelical Christians, Protestants, etcetera being targeted for violence and persecution."
     It may be difficult for us here in America to fully understand the intricacies of hate and violence that exists in the Ukraine/Russia conflict.  But there is one thing that can be agreed upon:  The war in eastern Ukraine has driven nearly a million people from their homes.  Regardless of whether the conflict is centered around ultranationalism or religious differences, the truth is that Believers in Jesus Christ are suffering and their persecution is real and personal.  We should pray for the plight of Christians and refugees in Ukraine... and all around the world.

1 Peter 4:16    "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that Name."

Why Is It So Difficult For Us To See?

     I am constantly amazed at the ability of our culture to overlook or dismiss demonic activity in the evil acts of who we consider to be "ordinary citizens".  How else do you explain news stories such as the two that occurred within hours of each other last week?  There was the case of 30-year-old David Baril, who within a span of six hours, attacked four strangers in Manhattan with a claw hammer.

     Mr. Baril was no stranger to assault, having eight prior arrests, including an assault on a police officer, and jumping a counter at a fast food restaurant to launch an attack.  After making eye contact with a young woman on a park bench, Baril took a silver hammer out of his bag and struck her, according to police.  In the most recent attacks last week, he approached a 20-year-old man in Herald Square, yelling profanities at the man before hitting him with the hammer, and then running off.
     According to the local NBC affiliate in New York City, police believe Baril has been living in parks and subways since he voluntarily left a mental health facility, and frequented the area near Union Square, where he allegedly began his recent spree of assaults against the innocent victims.
     So, as a society, we look upon this disturbed man with pity, fear, confusion, indifference, and yes, probably even disgust.  But have we considered that he is just the modern-day version of the Gadarene madman pictured in Matthew, Mark and Luke?  Think about it.  The Biblical madman is described as isolated and crazed; fierce and savage; as raising a cry from the depths of his throat.  In fact, Matthew mentions that there were two demoniacs, while Mark and Luke choose to mention just one of them.  But the fact remains that both the historical madman, and the modern one, are suffering from some kind of spiritual affliction.
     In Jesus's day, they said he had "an unclean spirit".  The people of that day understood that a person could be controlled by, or afflicted by, a Satanically-influenced spirit ... a demon.  Today we use labels like paranoid, schizophrenic, co-dependent, dysfunctional... probably because we are so removed from the Biblical implications and don't want to consider anything that smacks of "God-related". But those terms are only different words for "unclean spirit".
    Now consider the story, happening just hours apart from the incidents in Manhattan.  This time it is  happening across the country in California, where a knife-wielding woman stole an ambulance, and then crashed head-on into a semi-truck, killing herself and the big rig driver.  "There were no brakes, there was no swerving, nothing," said one witness.  So, anyone think this is just a normal occurrence, or a case of someone having a bad day?  Of course not!  There was obviously something terribly wrong going on inside that woman.  And I have seen no follow-up information regarding this strange and tragic accident.  Probably because very few want to consider the possibility that this woman was afflicted with demons.
    Why are we so afraid in Western culture to examine this possibility?  Doesn't it make sense that if it happened and was acknowledged in the Bible, that it could be just as real today?  Can anyone justify any reason that conditions could have changed in the last 2,000 years that would explain away the possibility of demon-plagued individuals?
     I know there will be those who say that Christians cannot be demon-possessed.  That word "possessed" is a troublesome word.  Here's my understanding ... we are made up of soul, spirit, and physical body.  True, once we have received Christ as our Savior, our spirit is sealed by the Holy Spirit, and if we are obedient, we will be unable to be enticed by demonic spirits.  But our soul consists of our mind, emotions and will.  And obviously, our body is the physical temple of God.  There are many instances in the Bible of both soul and body being affected by "unclean spirits".
     King Saul, after rebelling against the LORD, was troubled by an evil spirit.  There are several passages in the Bible that tell the story:  Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.  And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. (1 Samuel 16:14-15).  Could it be any clearer?  The Holy Spirit departed from Saul, and God allowed a harmful spirit -- an unclean spirit -- to torment Saul.  So you can see that while the Spirit of God will not share residence with a demon, it can depart if we are willful and disobedient; leaving us open for demonic affliction.
     Can you see that the mind of a man or woman could be afflicted or influenced by "unclean spirits" or demons?  I would not hesitate to conjecture that the minds of both the man in Manhattan and the woman in California were heavily controlled by demonic spirits -- nor the minds of the Aurora, CO theatre madman, or the Sandy Hook killer.  Furthermore, I can also give credence to the idea that our bodies can be impacted by spirits that wish to influence us and affect our relationship with our Creator.  The origins of alcoholism and drug dependency might easily be traced to demonic spirits attacking both our minds and bodies.

     There are many instances in the Bible of demon-oppressed people being delivered from their afflictions:  the mute man in Matthew 9; the mute and blind man in Matthew 12;  the boy in Matthew 17 who was healed after the demon plaguing him was cast out;  the demon-oppressed daughter of the Gentile woman in Mark 7; the demon-possessed man in the synagogue in Luke 4;  and perhaps one of the most famous of them all in Luke 22:  Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.  The other clear instance of Satanic influence is found in Matthew 23:   But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”  Christ recognized that even Peter could be influenced by Satan!
     So again, I ask, isn't it time that we in the 21st century come to terms with the fact that since the Garden of Eden, Satan has attempted to influence, afflict, and oppress mankind by attacking the minds, souls, and spirits of men?  But here is the condition by which this occurs ... Satan and his evil host can do nothing the Lord does not allow them to do.  Can we know and understand God's purpose in each and every instance?  No, and that makes it hard to figure out why we are seeing so many cases of evil and unexplained savagery in the actions of men.  But just because we can't understand it, there is no reason to discount the thousands of years that demonic influence has been at the center of such behavior -- nor to consider that God has a reason to allow it.  The one thing we can count on is that He is in control, and it will ultimately glorify Him.  In the meantime, it is paramount that we clearly see what we are dealing with, and remain obedient and in relationship with the Lord.  The Bible has shown us that as our society continues to abandon God, He will allow that vacuum to be filled by the Prince of this world.  While He will ultimately be glorified in all things, I can think of much better ways I'd like to see Him exalted.  We must repent and turn towards Him!

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,"

Is Typhoid The New Ebola?

     A new study, which appeared in Nature Genetics, reports that an antibiotic-resistant strain of typhoid has begun to spread throughout eastern and southern Africa.  This report is fueling fear that typhoid may be quickly reaching epidemic levels.  The new strain, called H58, is a symptomatic bacterial infection, exasperated by unsanitary food and water.

     Typhoid fever affects between 20 million and 30 million people around the globe each year, and symptoms include a high, sustained fever, weakness, stomach pains, headache and loss of appetite.  As many as 20% of patients can die from the disease.  The evolving consensus from medical officials is that the unprecedented wave of cases (leading to their theory of a possible epidemic) is due to the lack of vaccinations for typhoid.  Vanessa Wong, a microbiologist at the University of Cambridge in England is quoted as saying,  "Instead, antibiotics are commonly used as a preventive measure. As a consequence, there is a rise in antibiotic resistance to many pathogens and in particular a resurgence of multidrug-resistant typhoid has been observed in some areas, including parts of Africa."
     While Typhoid fever is not as life-threatening as Ebola, one has to be concerned about the push for vaccinations.  True, we have heard the horrific historical stories of typhoid deaths -- in 430 BC, it is speculated that typhoid was the cause for the deaths of one-third of the population of Athens, Greece. Some historians believe the English colony of Jamestown, Virginia, died out from typhoid. Typhoid fever killed more than 6000 settlers between 1607 and 1624.  During the American Civil War, 81,360 Union soldiers died of typhoid or dysentery; and the Spanish-American War exposed our military to typhoid fever overseas.  I am in no way diminishing the dangers or effects of typhoid, but I am always skeptical when a disease is quickly labeled as an "epidemic", followed by a rush to vaccinate.
     As I researched this latest outbreak of typhoid, I was mildly surprised to see that similar "epidemic" headlines were posted in 2010 and 2012.  Yet, do you recall hearing any major alarms?  And each of the current reports all read the same ... " uncovered evidence of an unreported recent wave of transmission of H58 in sub-Saharan Africa".  Nothing more, nothing less.  Forgive me ... but if officials were truly convinced that we were facing a "plague" of typhoid, wouldn't we be seeing more panic and real faces on the news?
     I can't help but recall this exposé by A. True Ott, PhD, ND (Naturopathic Doctor).  In the article, Dr. Ott told the story of a Watchdog Group in Kansas City, Missouri who successfully brought suit against the Missouri Chapter of John D. Rockefeller's fledgling American Medical Assoication (AMA).  The Jackson Medical Society was specifically named in the suit.  A portion of the article reads as follows:
     "In the Fall of 1921, the health of the city was unusually good, but slow for the doctors. So the Jackson Medical Society met and resolved to make an epidemic in the city. According to the minutes of this meeting: 'MOTION WAS MADE AND SECONDED, THAT A RECOMMENDATION BE MADE BY THE COMMITTEE, TO THE BOARD OF HEALTH, THAT AN EPIDEMIC OF SMALLPOX BE DECLARED IN THE CITY. (Investigation later revealed that there was NO SIGN OF AN EPIDEMIC at the time, in the city, or anywhere in the state or region!)
     'It was moved and seconded that a day be set aside, termed VACCINATION DAY, on which physicians would be stationed at ALL SCHOOLS, clinics, public buildings and hospitals to vaccinate "free of charge". (Vaccinations are never "free". The taxpayers are always forced to pay for every one of the "free" vaccines.)
     "IT IS FURTHER RECOMMENDED THAT WIDE PUBLICITY BE GIVEN, STATING THAT VACCINATION IS A PREVENTIVE OF SMALLPOX, AND URGING THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY OF VACCINATION FOR EVERY MAN, WOMAN, AND CHILD IN THE CITY."
     The Protective Bureau proved in court that there WAS NO EPIDEMIC before the vaccinations!! The court records show that the Medical Society manufactured vast amounts of posters, fliers, newspaper stories and ads featuring horrific and lurid pictures of diseased children covered with massive smallpox sores and open wounds. Some pictures actually showed children's corpses covered with the same ugly sores. The PANIC-DRIVEN message was clear --- VACCINATE EVERYONE, or face a deadly public disease. There was a "sweeping epidemic" in the city; the disease was "highly contagious" and would "strike anyone who was not vaccinated" was the bill of goods sold! (Does this sound at all familiar today ­94 years later??)
     I know that some people will just label this kind of exposure as conspiratorial.  They are simply unable to conceive that humankind could exploit each other in such a way.  But we must never forget that when money is involved, and the Elite feel threatened, nothing is too inexcusable.
     Doesn't it make you want to take a closer look at the increase in cases of polio from the polio vaccinations? Or the global outbreak of HIV and AIDS?  And what about the soldiers who developed "Gulf War Syndrome" after being injected with an experimental vaccine.  Now we face "designer viruses", and "duplex vaccines" are the answer!
     I didn't mean to get on my soapbox and go so far down the rabbit hole.  But history has shown me that we need to be cautious when buying into warnings on the latest "epidemic".  Will typhoid fever prove to be a real health hazard -- or is it just another orchestrated disease to be used by the powerful and wealthy for social engineering.  You can never be too careful....

IF you would like to read more about Dr. Ott's postulation, and review the evidence for his article, please click here.

Exodus 23:25    "You shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you."

Romans 11:26 ... The Double Meaning of Salvation

And so all Israel will be saved.

     Such a simple statement by the Apostle Paul, yet one that has caused much controversy and debate through the centuries.  In Romans, perhaps my favorite book of the Bible, Paul lays out God's redemptive plan for mankind; and how, in His sovereignty, He allowed the Jews to be blinded so that the Gentiles could receive the Gospel Message.  However, in Chapter 11, Paul wants it clearly understood that once the fullness of the Gentiles has been realized, that God's Chosen People would once again operate in their full power and character, and enter into their full purpose as ordained by God ... and so all Israel will be saved.

     As the Gentile Church, we have struggled with just what that looks like.  For those who reject this possibility, and who believe in Replacement Theology (that "the Church" has replaced Israel/the Jews as God's Chosen People), they refuse to even consider the meaning of Paul's statement.  For those of us Christians who revere the Jews as a people through whom the Messiah of the World has come. and will return, we see a couple of possible meanings.

     First, is Paul saying that "ALL" means every person in the nation of Israel will be saved at Christ's return?  Or is it possible that "ALL" refers to all believing Jews; those who accept Yeshua as their Savior?  No one can say for sure.

     But let me add another voice into this conversation.  I am blessed to be involved with an organization of Messianic Jews in the nation of Israel, whose purpose is to spread the Gospel among the myriad of groups that reside in Israel ... they serve the secular, the Orthodox, Arab Christians, and anyone who will hear their message of Yeshua's love.  They have pointed out to me that this particular verse of Scripture has an entirely different perspective to Israelis.  Let me explain...

     You are probably familiar with the concept that the name of Yeshua -- Jesus -- bears the meaning of the word Y'shuah, or salvation.  The concept of salvation in Scriptures has a two-fold meaning:  one military, the other spiritual.  Both are true.  The Hebrew prophets tended to emphasize the military, national, intervention of God to save the nation from destruction.  And on the other hand, the early Messianic apostles of Yeshua tended to emphasize the eternal, spiritual, forgiveness of God to save us from sin and death.

     But we Western Christians need to understand that the number of Israelis who believe in Yeshua as the Messiah and their Savior is a very small number.  When you try to dialogue with a secular Israeli or an Orthodox member of the Jewish faith, the question "Are you saved?" has virtually no meaning in Hebrew.  The national military aspects of salvation have become more relevant in recent generations as Israel finds itself back in the Land and threatened with destruction by Jihadist groups on all sides.  

     In addition, there has been a gradual change in the meaning of Passover since Israel has become a nation.  During all the years of exile, it was primarily a religious ceremony, with symbolic remembrance of the past.  Now Passover is a national holiday, celebrated by religious and non-religious at the same time.  Some see the holiday as national, some as religious, some as both.

     It should be remembered that God established the holiday of Passover as an "appointed time".  It is to remember the death and resurrection of Yeshua that also occurred during Passover.  As the years go by, people are asking more and more questions about the symbolism, nationalism and messianism connected with Passover, and there is -- little by little -- more interest in trying to understand Messianic Jews by Israeli society as a whole.  In addition, as worldwide Islamic Jihad and anti-Israel sentiments grow, the meaning of the Passover as God's military intervention to save the people of Israel will also take on greater significance.  

      So, can you see the two different aspects of "salvation" coming together in these last days before the coming of Yeshua?  Can you picture the knowledge of Yeshua growing, and the urgency of a divine military intervention for Israel growing, as well?  All of the prophecies concerning the Second Coming of Yeshua point to both a spiritual revival and a military intervention.  "All Israel will be saved" has meanings in both the spiritual and military contexts.  

     As my Messianic friends in Israel point out, a spiritual revival in the Land will go hand in hand with crying out to the Lord for deliverance from military destruction.  Yeshua and the angels in heaven will descend to save Israel from military attack at the same time that He will bring eternal spiritual salvation.  The attack of the nations, the revival in Israel, and the divine "military" intervention will all come to a climax at the same time.  As always, Scripture is the fullness of God's Word.  Blessed is the Lord!

Dear God: Please Forgive Us and Restore Us!

   

     As I consider my posts over the last weeks and months, I realize that they all point to a less than rosy state of world affairs.  The prospects for improving our present situation and the outlooks for a brighter future are just not on the radar screen.  And I freely admit that I am preoccupied with God's response to the mess we've created; but I make no apologies.  My spirit is simply on heightened alert, and with good reason.
     First of all, consider that we humans have decided that God has made mistakes in creating some of us, and we are denying the specific gender to which He assigned us.  As simple as it sounds, one can change their gender by simply declaring it.  Jane now becomes Jack; Bob should be allowed to share a restroom with gender-defined women because he "feels" like a girl; and Jamie is neither gender because, um, (it) has decided to remain uncommitted.
     To top it all off, there is a new designation added to the titles we give ourselves.  There are the gender-specific Miss, Mr. and now Mx, for those who identify as binary (meaning having an overlap of genders, having two or more genders, having no gender, or moving between genders).  I kid you not!  There are actually terms such as polygender, pangender, and trigender!  Is it any wonder that God is disappointed in us?
     Next, we have somehow allowed our children to be taught that there is no absolute moral right and wrong.  Conservative radio talk show host and author, Dennis Prager, recently wrote that our children have come to believe that every valid value of human conduct is an opinion -- even extending that idea to the most evil of behaviors.  For instance, he cites the following as an example:  Since the Nazis thought killing Jews was right, there is no way to know for sure whether it was wrong; it's the Nazis' opinion, against that of the Jews and anyone else who objects.  What matters is how you feel.
     How will God view our failed efforts to maintain His values and standards?  If every action can be summed up as "an opinion", then there is no guideline for good and evil; for moral or immoral.  Everything becomes subject to personal perspectives.  And we are seeing that now in the growing friction between society and law enforcement.
     Perhaps the biggest indicator of how God must be scrutinizing us is the recent Pew research results that atheists and agnostics are growing in America, while those who call themselves Christian or "religious" are declining.  From the first days of this country, the Bible has guided how we lived as a civil society, how we governed ourselves, and our we conducted our individual lives and those of our families.  Not any more.  We may call ourselves "a Christian nation", but our actions convey our true nature.
     God is being driven out of our government, our military, and our schools.  We worship the false idols of immorality (celebrities) and we persecute righteousness (Christian businesses who stand for biblical marriage).  Those who sit in churches across our land cheat on their spouses, are addicted to pornography, and covet their neighbors wealth.  Are we even studying the Word of God anymore, to see how HE says we should live our lives?
     To be honest, it is becoming difficult to find anything to celebrate in this sinful world!  I find that I am increasingly insulating myself from the influences that are not God-pleasing.  I am blessed to have a small group of faithful Believers with whom I can worship my Lord.  I am over-joyed to share this life with a man who is as passionate about God as I am, and who loves to share the Gospel Message with new seekers that the Father brings our way.  I am less concerned about the latest headlines, or with being "socially relevant", or increasing my storehouse; and find that I am preparing in a new way ... for the spiritual battles that are ahead.
     But at the end of the day, as I am on my knees, I pause to reflect on just how far we, as a nation, have veered off that narrow path.  We used to know that faith in Jesus Christ was the source of our life, our treasure, and our success in this world.  Now we look to ourselves, or to other men.  We have worshipped at the altar of our own desires, and look where it has taken us.  Our only chance of survival and escape from God's justice is to ask for forgiveness and restoration.  Will this nation humble itself... or will God humble us?

Isaiah 13:11    "And I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their guilt and iniquity; I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible and the boasting of the violent and ruthless."

The Height Of Hypocrisy In The Heart Of Babylon

     Let's study the meaning of a couple of words, shall we?  First of all ... hypocrisy.  The dictionary defines it as "the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense".  Now, let's look at the word spa.  It is defined as "a mineral spring considered to have health-giving properties", or "a commercial establishment offering health and beauty treatments".
     So, I think you will understand why I titled this post as I did when I reveal that a new chemical abortion clinic, calling itself a “posh spa,” launched a daring advertising campaign in the District of Columbia this week.  With brazen billboards that sport headlines such as, “Abortion, yeah we do that,” it is obvious that they wish to portray abortion as a common and trendy practice.

    Not only does this organized campaign offend me -- it disgusts me!  The focus of an abortion clinic is the death of a living fetus; there is nothing healthy, or life-sustaining, or beautiful about it.  Women do not go there to receive treatment to enhance themselves, or improve the quality or appearance of their physical bodies.  They go there for exactly the opposite reason -- to remove a vital and living part of themselves; an unborn person that relies on them to protect and nurture their life.
      And to assert that abortion is popular, stigma-free, and no more problematic than any other procedure is not only misleading, but morally repugnant.  It doesn't change my opinion when informed that clients are welcomed with hot tea and comfy robes in the clinic, which features wood floors, plush upholstery and natural wood tones, so it resembles a high-end salon or spa.  Nor can this clinic sell me on their approach of creating a "brand" of abortion clinic that is “fresh, modern, clean, and caring."  They can call it the Ritz-Carlton for all I care.  They are not selling wellness; they are selling death!
     But it shouldn't surprise us that the abortion issue is adopting the method of other unbiblical positions.  In an effort to de-stigmatize the procedure, this "Spa" approach is attracting a passionate new crop of young activists to the movement.  Women are going door-to-door in conservative neighborhoods to talk about their abortion experiences in the hope of changing minds.  New online projects even solicit personal testimonials, including from women who have no regrets about terminating their pregnancies.  Telling personal stories echoes a strategy successfully employed by the gay rights movement, helping it change public opinion by coaxing people to come out of the closet to their friends, neighbors and colleagues.
     Perhaps feminine poet Katha Pollitt expresses this new generation of abortion apologists best, when she says, “We need to talk about ending a pregnancy as a common, even normal, event in the reproductive lives of women,” Pollitt writes, adding that the decision to abort can be “just as moral as the decision to have a child — indeed, sometimes more moral” because “part of caring for children is knowing when it’s not a good idea to bring them into the world.”

     But what Ms. Pollitt doesn't understand is that there is a Higher Authority over that unborn child than her own.  The Creator God of the Universe -- who created her, as well as her child -- 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 Molek is to be put to death.' "  Got it?  It is an act that the God who created you, has declared is worthy of death.  How many women in this country alone, have fallen on their knees and repented of this decision?
     And just because this luxurious, posh abortion clinic only administers pharmaceutical abortions, does not lessen their responsibilities towards those unborn fetuses.  And I do not buy their argument that if I oppose abortion, "it’s not going to affect [me] if a clinic wraps its patients in cotton robes instead of paper ones.".  Excuse me, but it does affect me, because the Bible says God causes the rain to fall on both the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).  So all of us in this nation are exposed to suffer the penalty of God's punishment for the nearly 56,000,000 aborted babies since 1973.
     This latest attempt to "soften" the image of abortion clinics does nothing to appease the followers of Christ who honor all life.  No amount of persuasion or false facade can transform this offense against our Maker.  May God have mercy on the innocents who have been slain in this rebellious generation.

Thanks to articles in The Washington Post and Breitbart.com for the details on this clinic.  And to see a 30-second advertising spot on their efforts to de-stigmatize abortion, click here.

Isaiah 44:2   "Thus says the Lord, Who made you and formed you from the womb...."