A New Voice of Freedom

Podcast 125, Hebrews, “Pt 6, Ch 6”

Paul sets an incredibly high standard for us to follow:

Hebrews 6:1-2

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

In the above Paul establishes the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel.

· Repentance from our sins

· Faith in Christ

· Baptism

· Laying on of hand for the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

· The Resurrection from the Dead

· The Eternal Judgment

Those are essential to salvation. Without them we cannot enter the presence of God, but they are the foundation of our worship. To Paul tThe first principles and ordinances are where we begin. They are not where we end. Paul admonishes us to “go on unto perfection.”

Christ said,

Matthew 5:48

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

That appears to be an impossible task; however, through Christ it can be done. Paul added,

Hebrews 6:3

And this will we do, if God permit.

Christ alone is the key. Paul called Christ, “the author and finisher of our faith.”

Hebrews 12:2

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We must be made perfect or we cannot enter the presence of the Father and the Son.

6 LINDA

Revelation 21:27

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

David, who his whole life, wanted to build a temple to God, said,

Psalm 24:3-4

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

Isaiah added,

Isaiah 35:8-10

And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Paul sets the standard of judgment.

Hebrews 6:4-8

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Paul is not talking of those who fall into sin and repent. Remember Paul put repentance first on the list. He is talking about those who have had the gift of the Holy Ghost and then turned their backs on the church and fight against it. Those are the ones “which beareth thorns and briers.” I suspect Paul is alluding to those who once belonged to the Church of Christ and then turned against it and began persecuting the Christians who remained faithful.

Paul then turns his attention to the faithful members of the church.

Hebrews 6:9-11

But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

Paul is encouraging the saints to endure to the end. Hope, considered one of the three theological virtues, refers to hope in eternal life. Hope is the central theme in Hebrews 6 as you shall see in the following:

Hebrews 6:12-19

That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

First, Paul admonishes us not to be slothful. As every Christian knows, Sloth is one of the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Greed, Lust, Evy, Gluttony, Wrath, & Sloth. The opposing virtues are Humility, Charity, Chastity, Gratitude, Temperance, Patience, & Diligence. Paul is urging us to diligence through faith and patience and endurance. That is how we inherit the promises. What are the promises? He of course is talking about the Abrahamic Covenant and one of the greatest promises is eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Those who keep their covenants, those who patiently endure shall be “heirs of promise.” Notice the preeminence of hope, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, but sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.” To go through the veil in the temple symbolizes entering into the Holy of Holies or the presence of God. The temple is preeminent in the writings of both Isaiah and John the Revelator.

As with Isaiah and John, Christ is also the center in the writings of Paul.

Hebrews 6:20

Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

12 RON

In the Holy Bible the High Priest, a descendant of Aaron, was the only one allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. In Hebrews 5, Paul described his role “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.” That of course was symbolic of Christ.

In the King James Translation, the Book of Hebrews has 11 chapters. Books, or chapters, in the New Testament are often referred to as epistles. Those are all terms used in translation. It is probably closer to the original if we read the entire Book of Hebrews as one long epistle. The chapters are tied together by internal parallelism. It is my opinion that the books were not written over a long period of time with years in between, but were written as a whole in a relative brief time. The authors or prophets and apostles clearly had the beginning, middle, and end in mind before they wrote their book, The evidence is in the text. They are so tightly written. Just as a small example, let’s take the first six chapters of Hebrews and tie them to Hebrews 6:20 above. Notice how the previous chapters bring the theme of Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek, into focus. Paul wants us to keep Christ as the focus of Hebrews.

Linda and I shall read them alternately.

Hebrews 1:1-5

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

Hebrews 2:17-18

Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

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Podcast 124, Hebrews, “Pt 5, Ch 5”

Hebrews Chapters 1, 2, 3, & 4 prepare us for Hebrews Chapter 5. Christ is the central theme of Hebrews. Paul wants us to know who Christ is and why he is necessary for our salvation.

Hebrews, Chapter 5, is divided into three distinct parts

Part I is comprised of verses 1-4. It forms a chiasm, or single unit much like a paragraph. It follows the parallel pattern of ABBA. Paul refers to the role of High Priest of the tribe of Levi who offered sacrifices for the Children of Israel. It is a type of Christ, and the role of High Priest was to remind the Children of Israel that Jesus Christ would offer himself as the ultimate sacrifice. However, unlike Christ, the surrogate High Priest is not perfect. For example, Paul said, “for that he himself is compassed with infirmity.” For that reason, the surrogate High Priest “ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.” In other words, he is a substitute High Priest. The true High Priest, as Paul teaches, is Christ who never sinned. For example, the animal being sacrificed had to be without blemish for the lamb also was a symbol of Christ. Being sinless, Christ, unlike the surrogate High Priest, did not have to offer sacrifice for his own sins. It was for us alone that he died. He alone among all mankind is without blemish.

A For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

B Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

B And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

A And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

In Part I Paul teaches us that a priesthood holder must be called of God, as was Aaron. For example, listen as I read verses 1 & 4 together as if they were connected or juxtaposed:

“For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.”

See how they fit together as hand in glove. It is as if Paul meant us to read those two verses together, yet they are interrupted by verses 2 & 3 which are also natural companions.

“Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.”

In ancient Israel the priesthood was held by the tribe of Levi. One cannot ordain himself to the priesthood. The priesthood is the authority to act for God and therefore must be called of God.

Part II is comprised of verses 5-10. It follows the same Chiastic pattern: ABBA.

A. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

B Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

B Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

A Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

Again, listen as I read verses 5, 6, & 10 together. Notice how natural it sounds, “

“So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.”

Does that not also echo verse 4 of the first chiasm, “And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.”

Just as man must be called of Christ to be a high priest to act in his name. Christ had to be called of the Father to act in the Father’s name. In Hebrews 1 we are told.

Hebrews 1:1-5

It was necessary for Christ, the creator of the earth, to come to earth and set the example for us,

Hebrews 2:17-18

Paul makes it clear that the Priesthood is a heavenly calling.

Hebrews 3:1

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

What sets Christ apart is that he is the only High Priest who remained sinless; therefore, he alone could atone with his own blood for our sins. The High Priests who presided in the temple had to choose animals that were without spot or blemish. Both High Priest and animal were symbolic of Christ. Christ alone is our High Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” In other words, he will always be our God, our Christ, our Savior, and our Redeemer forever. He never loses that title.

Hebrews 4:15

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Even Christ, the Son of God, learned obedience through suffering. Probably the bulk of our prayers is to plead with the Lord to help us or our family and friends to avoid suffering. Sickness, accident, disease, entropy, and death are the common lot of mankind, and we all suffer. Christ gives meaning to suffering. Suffering is polarizing. Some turn away from God because of their suffering; some turn toward God because of their suffering. Some become defiant and blame God for our suffering. Some become humble and obedient and turn suffering into greater faith, trusting God. The words of Paul above have given many comfort, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.”

The suffering of Christ contributed to his perfection. The challenge to each of us is, how do we turn our suffering into our perfection? Does it bring us closer to Christ, or does it drive us away from Christ? That is one of the greatest challenges of mankind, how we handle suffering. “Thy will be done” is not an easy law to live. On the one hand, self inflicted suffering is a fool’s errand and has no redeeming value; on the other hand, suffering is the lot of all mankind. That is the reason Christ became our savior. In Gethsemane Christ was suffering such agony that he asked the Father that the cup be removed, yet immediately Christ said, “Thy will be done.” God the Father did not remove the cup. He allowed his only Begotten Son to Suffer that he may become the savior of all of his other children. Regardless of one’s religious beliefs, Christ is the only Savior of the World.

It was only through his perfection that he had the power to redeem us and deliver us from our suffering. Most of us know only two well that suffering is not always relieved through prayer, faith, technology, medicine, doctors, hospitals etc. In my own personal life, I had two daughters who were healed of cancer. I attribute their healing to the powers of prayer, the powers of modern medicine, technology, to the skills of good doctors and of the access to modern hospitals. In addition to that, of course, is the powers of the human body to heal itself, but most of all I attribute it to the power of God our creator who gave us those things.

On the other hand, I lost my wife of 35 years and the mother of six daughters to cancer a mere three weeks after she was diagnosed. She had our prayers. She had modern medicine, technology, doctors and hospitals and strong faith, yet she was taken.

And we must all face the fact that at one time or another, though the scale is nothing compared to the suffering Christ endured for us, God, our Father, may not remove the cup from us. My two daughters lived through cancer. My wife died of cancer. Blessed be the name of God. Someday it will all be clear but perhaps not in this life.

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Podcast 123, Hebrews, “Pt 4, Ch 4”

Hebrews, Chapter 4, is an extension of Hebrews, Chapter 3, and it is valuable to read them together. In fact, they form a perfect chiasm. Let’s compare verses 1-2 of Chapter 4 with verses 18-19 of Chapter 3.

Hebrews 4:1-2

Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

Hebrew 18-19

And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

That, of course, is not coincidental. Paul clearly intends or us to consider them together. It also establishes the primary theme of chapters 3 & 4. That theme is simply this: Only the faithful shall inherit the Kingdom of God and enter into his rest. In Chapter 3 we are told that perseverance is a primary criterion.

Hebrews 3:6

But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Faith, which is the first principle of the gospel, is always a key ingredient. Faith is the gateway to miracles. Faith is the gateway to hope of eternal life. Faith is the gateway to entering into God’s rest: “But the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” It reminds us of the parable of the Sower.

Matthew 13:3-8

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

The lack of faith prevents people from entering into the rest of the Lord.

Hebrews 4:3-6

For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

God cannot force anyone into heaven. It must be a choice. Previously Paul said,

Hebrews 3:10-11

Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.

Paul hearkens back to the words of the Psalmist David.

Hebrews 4:7

Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. (Psalm 95:7-11)

Let’s turn to David and get his own words.

Psalm 95: 7-11

For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

That same concept was reinforced by Paul in the previous chapter. Notice the added information, should I say exhortation?

Hebrews 3: 8-24

Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;

Again, Paul emphasizes that we must endure to the end. But particularly notice the phrase, “They do always err in their heart.” Why didn’t he say, “They err in judgment?” or “They err in knowledge?” or “They err in wisdom?” and so forth? It is simply this: The Holy Ghost dwells in our heart and not in our head. Because of their lack of faith, they did not listen to the still small voice of the Holy Ghost. Paul said,

Hebrews 3:7-9

Paul gives the same admonition that the Children of Israel in the wilderness had.

Hebrews 4:8-11

For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

The tactics of Satan never really change. In the above we have the witness of Moses, the witness of David, and the witness of Paul. From Moses to David is about 450 years; From David to Paul is about 1005 years, but nothing changed. The doctrines are the same. The criteria for entering into the rest of the Kingdom of God are the same.

Hebrews 4:12-13

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

It is no coincidence that the beginning of Hebrews 4 is the same as the ending of Hebrews 3, nor is it a coincidence that the ending of Hebrews 4 is the same as the beginning of Hebrews 3.

Hebrews 4:14-16

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 3:1-2

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

The above is one of tremendous hope. Christ was sinless; therefore, he has the power to save us from our sins if we remain faithful and endure to the end. He was without sin, but we are not, yet he is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” For that reason, we may “come boldly unto the throne of grace.” Is that not one of the most comforting images in the Holy Scriptures, “to come boldly unto the throne of grace?” Not the “throne of justice,” where the wicked and unrepentant go, but to “the throne of grace.” But it is not without a price, and in Hebrews 3 & 4 Paul tells us that price. We must have faith in Christ, and we must endure to the end.

That doesn’t mean that we are perfect. It means that “to come boldly unto the throne of grace,” we must continue to strive to become perfect unto the end so that he can bring us into his rest. By being sinless, Christ satisfied the requirement of the law of Justice. He paid the price for our sins. In return we must have faith in Christ. We show that faith by our works, by our continually striving to overcome our sins, our faults, and our weaknesses. One of us had to be perfect. Since none of us qualify, it had to be Christ. It is his perfection that we believe in, but we must believe in it enough to never give up, to never quit striving for perfection, and to never staying down when we fall. Sometimes faith is the ability to climb out of the hole believing that the arm of Christ is always outstretched. No one understood that better than Paul.

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Podcast 122, Hebrews, “Pt 3, Ch 3”

Christ is given many names in the Holy Scriptures. Each name is significant for they reveal who Christ is. He is a very difficult person to define considering his role in the Kingdom of God. Isaiah gave us many titles of Christ:

Immanuel, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, The Rod out of the Stem of Jesse, A Light to the Gentiles, The Servant of the Lord, The Holy One of Israel, The Mighty One of Jacob, A Precious Corner Stone, A Sure Foundation, The Shepherd, The Lamb, A Man of Sorrows, The Lord our Redeemer.

John also gave us many titles of Christ.

Only Begotten Son, Only Begotten of the Father, Son of God, The Light of the World, The Holy One of God, The Lamb of God, The Saviour of the World, The Bread of Life, The Living Bread, The Resurrection and the Life, Jesus Christ, The King of Israel, King of Kings, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, The Alpha and Omega, The Almighty, Bright and Morning Star, The Light of the World.

In Hebrews 3 Paul gives us another title.

Hebrews 3:1

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Such a nice use of “our profession.” What is our profession? Our profession is to know Christ. In the Intercessory Prayer we learn:

John 27:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Isaiah referred to Christ as “The Servant of the Lord” which certainly elevates the word servant. As in all things, Christ is the perfect model of all that is good.

Hebrews 3:2-4

Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

We learn from the above that Christ is creator of all things. There is an additional image that is beautiful to consider, and that is the idea that we are the house that Christ is building if we allow it. First look at the above images of house.

· he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.

· every house is builded by some man;

· he that built all things is God.

That fits well with the image of Jesus as a carpenter, but what Christ builds, he builds for eternity. I suppose that we should all ask: ‘When referring to us, what kind of house is he building?’ Immediately the temple image comes to mind.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

One purpose of the temple God builds is to house the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost cannot dwell in unclean temples. In Isaiah 52:11we read, “Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.” There is a grave penalty if we are not worthy of the Holy Ghost.

1 Corinthians 3:16–17

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Considering what Paul said in verse one, speaking of Christ, “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.” the following expands the importance of that statement,

Ephesians 2:19–22

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

The implications of the analogy go beyond the scope of this moment for it would take pages to explore its full import; therefore, let me conclude with the following image of another temple. In effect, the following is what Christ is really striving to do in building our temple.

Revelation 21:22-27

And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Christ teaches,

Matthew 13:43

Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

This is what Christ meant when he said,

Matthew 5:48

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Such perfection cannot be reached in this life. That can occur only after the resurrection and final judgment where Christ purifies all those who inherit the Kingdom of God.

However, that is the temple Christ is building, the one where we shall “shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of our Father.” In another place we read,

1 John 3:2

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

We can never see him as he is until he perfects us. It is so easy to underestimate the scale of what Christ has done for us and is wanting to do for us if we let him. Keep in mind that the building does not end until after the resurrection. We can only do that which is allotted us on this earth. One thing we can do is to strive to keep the commandments. Because of agency, as with all miracles, Christ cannot and will not build us to become like him without our faith. What does he expect of us? Paul clearly answers that question.

Hebrews 3:5-6

And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

But we must listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Hebrews 3:7-11

Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

As we must all learn the hard way, the Holy Ghost speaks in a whisper.

1 Kings 19:11–13

Paul warms us of the cunning of Satan.

Hebrews 3:12-13

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Peter also cautions us,

1 Peter 5:8–9

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Paul emphasizes that we must endure to the end.

Hebrews 3:14

For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;

It is common for the apostles and prophets to refer to Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. They often refer not only to the spectacular miracles but also to the stubbornness of the House of Israel in not enduring to the end.

Hebrews 3: 15-17

While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

Paul compares those who did not enter into the Promised Land to those who shall not enter into the Kingdom of God.

Hebrews 3:18-19

And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

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Podcast 121, Hebrews, “Pt 2, Ch 21”

It is wonderful how all the apostles and prophets testify of Christ, yet they still have a singular voice. For example, we recognize the writings of David or Isaiah or John or Paul.

Paul’s life changed forever when, on the road to Damascus to persecute the Church organized by Christ, he received a personal vision of Christ. Upon the instant, from tormenting the saints, he became a converted Christian, and from that point on he used that same enthusiasm that drove him to persecute the church to build and strengthen the church. He was formerly a Pharisee and Old Testament scholar. Before he used his knowledge as an excuse the destroy the church; now he uses that same knowledge to prove that Jesus is the looked for Messiah. Paul is a teacher, and he uses every opportunity to teach of Christ and of his commandments and doctrine. For example,

Hebrews 2:1

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

He is admonishing us to give greater heed to the words of the prophets that we may avoid slipping into apostasy and be drawn away from the faith. If that was true in his day, it is doubly true in ours where Christianity is once again under attack, and even people in high government positions are doing everything they can to remove Christ from government, even from America by attacking the icons, traditions, and laws of Christian churches. Some wish to remove The Ten Commandments from court houses. That is not a small thing since our laws are based on the Ten Commandments: thou shalt not kill, though shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, though shalt not commit adultery. Those same antichrists wish to remove the cross, the Bible, the Christmas Creche, even the name of God from government buildings and coins. They wish to take away the motto “In God we trust.” They want to take “One Nation under God” from our pledge of allegiance. Some even censor sermons that go against popular movements. On a national level we are letting the things of God slip from our traditions. Christians are even being penalized in schools, in government, in social media, and even in the workplace for being Christian.

Paul is asking Christians to stand for Christianity.

Hebrews 2:2-3

For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

Paul is speaking of the law of justice when he said, “and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward.” Two of the greatest laws of the gospel are The Law of Justice and the Law of Mercy. The law of justice is absolute and irrevocable. God must be just or he would cease to be God. It is because of the nature of the law of justice that the law of mercy was necessary. Without the law of mercy, justice would condemn us all forever which means that we would live forever outside the presence of God and become subjects of Satan. Paul is teaching of the atonement of Christ.

Hebrews 3:4

God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost are only possible because of Christ’s atonement. Paul understood the atonement of Christ because he was, by his own admission, on the road to perdition by assenting to the murder of Steven and by persecuting and imprisoning Christians merely for their belief in Christ. He was saved by Christ himself from continuing down that dreadful road.

Paul, a learned man, even before his conversion believed in the coming Messiah, though he didn’t accept Jesus as that true Messiah until he received that miraculous witness. Unlike the Sadducees, Paul also believed in the resurrection. Pharisees were not priests. They were teachers and they strictly obeyed the law. After his conversion he used that same knowledge to prove that Jesus was the true Messiah. He quotes David.

Hebrews 3:5-8

For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

Let’s consider the original statement by the Psalmist, David.

Psalm 8:3-6

I don’t remember when I first learned the story of David and Goliath or the stories of David killing a lion and a bear with his sling. Those stories seem to simply be inherited, but I do remember when I first read the Book of Psalms. I was ten years old. Every night, sitting by a fire in an old farmhouse deep in the woods of Cherokee County, South Carolina, I read a Psalm while my family watched our black and white TV

I started with Genesis. It was winter when I got to the Psalms. I read all 150 of them. I wish I could say it was a wonderful experience and I was somehow visited by angels and was transported. If there were any angels in the room, they were very quiet, perhaps watching TV. For me it was a dreadful experience. I didn’t understand anything and I dreaded reading the Bible. Nonetheless, I felt compelled to read the Bible, certainly not by my parents nor by my church nor by any individual. It came from within, I started reading the Bible when I was Ten years old and finished when I was a teenager. I read from Genesis to Revelation.

Fortunately for me I didn’t abandon my quest. Though I got nothing out of it as a teenager, I remained attracted to the King James Bible my entire life. I learned to love not only the stories but also the beautiful poetry, among which David was the best.

In examining Psalm 8:3-6, one finds it has a double meaning. There are two questions, not just one. The first question is, “What is man that thou art mindful of him?” The second question is, “What is the son of man, that thou visitest him?” The first man refers to mankind. It reflects back to the story of creation.

Genesis 1:26

The second man, called “son of man” is Jesus Christ. It is of Christ he is speaking when he said, “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:”

Paul teaches us.

Hebrews 2:9

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; “that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

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Podcast 120, Hebrews, “Pt 1, Ch 1”

Paul was one of the most fascinating apostles of the early church. He began as an enemy to the church. He said he was, “An Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee.” A Pharisee was devoted to the Law of Moses and strictly observed religious traditions. They believed in the doctrine of the resurrection, the existence of angels, the coming of the Messiah, and the final judgment. Nicodemus was also a Pharisee as was Gamaliel. Paul was noted for consenting to the stoning of Steven and for making “havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women and committing them to prison.”

His conversion to the church was spectacular.

Acts 9:1-5

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Paul’s testimony to King Agrippa has become a classic.

Acts 26:13-18

At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Paul became an apostle and special witness of Christ and one of the greatest missionaries the church has ever known. He is famous for his letters to the Saints. In the following Podcasts we shall examine Paul’s letters to the Hebrews. Some of the greatest doctrines of the Church come from the letters of Paul.

Hebrews 1:1-2

Paul validates the prophets of the past whom, as a Pharisee, he would have studied carefully. He interestingly refers to his time as “these last days.” As we shall see in the writings of Paul, he also spoke of “these last days” as referring to the Second Coming of Christ.

In the above he affirms that Christ is the creator of “the worlds.” It is not logical that Paul is merely referring to our solar system. He specifically used the term “worlds.” Clearly that refers not only to our solar system but to many other solar systems and galaxies with inhabited planets.

The next important doctrine of Christianity is the idea that Christ is the “appointed heir of all things.” The principle of inheritance is important in Christianity. From whom did he inherit those things? The answer can only be from the Father. Christ obeyed the Father in all things. It is only logical to accept the doctrine that the Father is the Father and Christ is the only Begotten Son or the law of inheritance doesn’t make any sense. Both at the baptism of Christ and on the Mount of Transfiguration the voice of the Father was heard by witnesses saying, “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

The principle of inheritance is a family thing. It has another reason for being very special to Christians.

Romans 8:16–17

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

The Seed of Abraham expands to include all those who have faith in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, and all who are worthy shall inherit the promises of Abraham.

Galatians 3:26-29

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Paul, having seen the resurrected Lord in vision, speaks of a heavenly inheritance,

Hebrews 1:3-4

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

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Podcast 119, Jude, Pt B

In Jude, Pt A, We discussed Jude verses 1-6 which included the War in Heaven and our First Estate. In this podcast we discuss Lucifer being cast out of heaven and continue with Jude verses 7-25.

Revelation 14:12-15

Lucifer and his angels are the ones who did not keep their first estate. That makes earth the Second Estate. Those of us who came to earth to gain a body kept our first estate. That means we were on the side of Michael. We stood for Christ and rejected Lucifer. We were all Christians before we were born, and we are all born with the Spirit of Christ, for he is the life.

We are now in our Second Estate. Those of us who remain true to Christ on earth and endure to the end will be those who keep their Second Estate. Where we live in our Third Estate will be determined on how well we keep our Second Estate. Jude defines those who do not keep their Second Estate.

Jude 1:7-9

Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

Sodom and Gomorrah symbolize the world just as Egypt and Babylon symbolize the world. Those who follow the natural man will not live with Christ in their Third Estate. Jude further said,

Jude 1:10-13

But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Again, mankind is compared to stars. We choose whom we will follow for the battle against Satan is now raging on earth as it once raged in heaven. Those stars who fought against Lucifer and his angels in heaven, he is trying to win over on earth. He failed to persuade them to follow him in their First Estate. Now he wants them to follow him in their Second Estate. The war against Lucifer really didn’t end. It just continued on earth.

We have more than one witness.

Jude 1:14-15

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

Enoch is a fascinating prophet. The Bible speaks very little of Enoch, but what the Bible does reveal is inspiring.

Genesis 5:18-24

And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

“For God took him” means that he did not die but was translated. Paul speaks of the translation of Enoch.

Hebrews 11:5

By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

The other prophet that we know who was translated was Elijah.

2 Kings 2:11

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

We know he was translated for he appears on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses and Jesus.

Matthew 17:1-3

Elias is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Elijah. Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament, speaking of the last days, prophesies of the coming of Elijah before Christ returns.”

Malachi 4:1-6

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Jewish traditions take the words of Malachi very seriously. During the Passover meal they set out an additional cup wine to symbolize the return of Elijah. In addition, at the end of the ceremonial meal, the front door is opened in hope of his return. During the brit milah (circumcision) an empty ceremonial chair is prepared called “The Chair of Elijah.” Elijah serves as a witness that Israel continues to keep God’s covenant with Abraham. Elijah is associated with the last days, with “the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” His purpose is to warn the wicked, encourage repentance, restore Israel, and prepare the world for God’s kingdom.

Christians also have a strong tradition concerning the return of Elijah.

Luke 1:16-17

And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Many Christians take the prophecy of Malachi literally. For example, turning “the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” means restoring family relationships.

To members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the prophecy of Malachi refers to genealogy work which means temple work for the dead. The Doctrine and Covenants records that Elijah returned to the earth in the Kirkland temple and restored the keys of the gathering of Israel.

Doctrine and Covenants 110:11-16

After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said: Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come— To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse— Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.

Ancient Catholic theology also has a strong tradition regarding the return of Elijah. Early Catholic fathers took literally Malachi’s words as well as the words in Matthew 17

Matthew 17:11

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

In Ecclesiasticus, a book accepted by the early Catholic Fathers, written by a Jewish scribe living in Jerusalem, a reference similar to Malachi speaks of the return of Elijah.

Who wast ordained for reproofs in their times, to pacify the wrath of the Lord's judgment, before it brake forth into fury, and to turn the heart of the father unto the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.

Jude is also speaking of the last days when he compared our times with Sodom and Gomorrah.

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Podcast 118, Jude, Pt A

Jude (also called Judah or Judas) introduces himself as the brother of James (also known as James the Just).

Jude 1:1-2

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

It is assumed that they were the brothers of Jesus.

Matthew 13:55

Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

We have only one epistle of Jude, but his scope is very broad. He begins with exhorting us to earnestly contend for the faith.” Following that, He alludes to the War in Heaven where Michael and his angels fought against Lucifer and his angels. He alludes to Sodom and Gomorrah a symbol, like Egypt and Babylon, of the destruction of the world in the last days. He alludes to Enoch, a great post diluvian prophet, and he alludes to mockers in the last days just prior to Christ’s Second Coming. So effectively Jude covers from the premortal existence to the end of the world as we know it.

Therefore, let’s take each concept in turn to share Jude’s grand vision. I have divided the podcast into parts A & B. This is Part A, verses 1-6.

Jude 1:3-5

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

Jude reminds the saints of how Christ delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt. He also reminded them of the curse that fell upon those Children of Israel who did not remember the Savior. In addition, he reminds them that Satan is working overtime in the early church to destroy the faith. There have always been those, under the influence of Satan, who want to destroy Christ and his church. One can tell by the urgent language of Jude that the problem is very severe. Jude is asking the saints to stand firm and defend the faith. Notice how serious the matter is, “turning the grace of God into lasciviousness.” Does that not sound more like the behavior of those who worship idols than those who worship Christ? Lasciviousness was part of idol worship. Satan also influenced them to deny Christ. In other words, to deny their own testimony. James introduces a very interesting term that perhaps some of us tend to overlook.

Jude 1:6

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

What does James mean by “first estate? And what angels did not keep their first estate. To understand Jude, we must review the War in Heaven. For that let’s first go to John the Revelator.

In vision John also saw the early apostasy in the church.

Revelation 12:1-2

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

The twelve stars are the twelve apostles. The woman clothed with the sun is an allusion to Christ. “Being with child” is a reference to the birth of the church. “Pain to be delivered’ refers to the persecution of the church from the day it was organized. It becomes clear as we continue.

Revelation 12:3-4

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

“The angels which kept not their first estate” refers to Lucifer and those angels who followed him. Our First Estate is our premortal life with God as spirits in heaven. Those who fought with Lucifer did not keep their First Estate. Those who fought against Lucifer did keep their First Estate.

What is the Second Estate? That would be life on earth. This is our Second Estate and once again we are at war with Satan and his Angels. Those who kept their first estate came to earth to gain a body. Those who keep their Second Estate shall return to heaven to live forever with Christ.

John refers to the fact that Lucifer, who became Satan, was cast out of heaven and continued his war against Christ on earth. Just as he tried to tempt Christ in the wilderness, he tried to destroy the true church of Christ on earth. The crown of twelve stars, referring to the twelve apostles, differs from the ‘seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns” upon Satan’s head. That speaks of great power, but it is a diabolical power. “His tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven.” “Stars” refers to spirit children of God in heaven, or the First Estate, before the earth was created. We were all among those stars. We too lived in heaven as spirit children of God before coming to earth. That was our First Estate.

A third part of those stars followed the dragon, which is Lucifer who rebelled against God and Christ. None of those kept their First Estate. Those who followed Lucifer and did not keep their First Estate were cast out of heaven with him. The rest of those stars, beginning with Adam and Eve, who kept their First Estate chose to follow Christ, to come to earth and to gain a physical body, and to prove themselves worthy to return to heaven to live with Christ forever. Satan continues that war that he started in heaven on earth as stated above, “and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child (the church) as soon as it was born.” That is what Jude is talking about. John the Revelator continues,

Revelation 12:5

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

The man child is Christ. The “rod of iron” is the word of God. It was Christ who was caught up unto God, and to his throne, but the church remained on earth led by the apostles. Lucifer, now called Satan, immediately attempted to destroy the church. He begins by trying to destroy the Christ child before he could begin his ministry.

Revelation 12:6

And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

We know that Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to escape the evil Herod who wanted to murder the Christ Child. Herod, as with many who are led by Satan, was unaware that he was under the power of Satan. Herod was a politician who wanted to maintain his throne.

John harkens back to Lucifer and the War in Heaven.

Revelation 12:7-9

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Michael, of course, is the archangel who led the battle against Lucifer in the War in Heaven and the rebelling angels who followed him. As stated earlier, Lucifer and all those who followed him were once “stars” in heaven. They were children of God just as all the other spirits in heaven were children of God; however, they rebelled against God and were cast out of heaven thus being forever denied the privilege of obtaining a body of flesh and bones. They will forever remain spirits. That is part of their curse. One of the greatest gifts God has ever given to us is a physical body. One of the next greatest gifts will be a resurrected body that will never taste death. Satan and his angels are the only ones who will never experience physical birth, physical death, and physical resurrection. Jude spoke of the days of Christ, but he also spoke of the days just preceding the Second Coming of Christ. The writing of Jude is definitely meant for our day, and Jude’s prophesy is coming to pass. We are living in the last days. Satan is working overtime.

In heaven Lucifer was defeated because of the power of Christ. Those who followed Michael were doing so in the name of Christ whom they knew even in the premortal existence would come to earth and save them from their sins. The plan of salvation did not begin on earth with the birth of Christ. The plan of salvation began in the spirit world in heaven. Job understood that.

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Podcast 117, 3 John, “Pt 7, Ch 1”

John addresses his third epistle ato Gaius. Such letters are valuable for not only do they teach doctrine, but they also make the first church a living church, comprised of real people. On the world stage Gaius is not important. He is given no title in the church, yet he is praised for his faith and his hospitality toward the other saints. We get the feeling of a close-knit community of saints who depend upon each other. We also get the feeling of the apostles who, at the risk of their own lives and freedom, travel about strengthening the church.

The scriptures speak of great men and women of the Lord for our benefit and learning, but they also speak of the ordinary saints who matter a great deal not only to the Lord but to the other saints. Christ was champion of those whom the world did not recognize.

· The woman at the well.

· Fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James, and John

· Tax collector, Matthew.

· Mary Magdalene, possessed by devils

· Lazarus

· Blind Bartimaeus

· Jairus’ daughter

· Anonymous souls such as the Samaritan woman, the man born blind, blind men of Jerico, paralytic lowered through the roof, invalid of Bethesda, woman with an issue of blood. Centurion’s servant, man with the withered hand, woman bent double, man with Dropsy, the Ten Lepers.

We don’t really know who Gaius was, but John’s epistle gave him immortality

3 John 1:1

The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

Gaius is apparently well known among the saints of that era, but we know nothing about him except the epitaph that John gives him. He is another name on a tombstone with a foot note whose example teaches us how to be a better Christian.

3 John 1:2-3

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

Perhaps that is what we should take away from the Epistle to Gaius, his example. Because the truth is in him, because he walks in the truth, his soul prospers. A very brief but poignant message to all saints. We need to ‘walk in the truth.’

Where have we heard that message before? It was in John’s last Epistle to “the elect lady” who is also anonymous.

2 John 1:1-6

The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

Isn’t that all that God asks of us, that we “walk after his commandments.” We don’t measure our faith by our leaders. We measure our leaders by our faith in the commandments of God. We do not walk after man. We walk after God. Leaders change. God doesn’t. The Word doesn’t. The Ten Commandments, The Sermon on the Mount, The Two Great Commandments, the words of Prophets and Apostles—if they were true then, they are true now. They do not vary from the written word. Policies change. Programs change. Administrative decisions change. Common sense must find its way into Christianity. We should never shut the mouth of God. But the old commandments never change.

Notice John’s greatest joy.

3 John 1:4

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

When John uses the phrase “my children,” he is speaking of members of Christ’s church. We are all children of God.

Romans 8:16-17

Apparently Gaius is well known for his charity.

3 John 1:5-6

Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:

That adds to the meaning of walking in the truth. We must also walk in faith. One can only imagine how important hospitality was in those trying times. Gaius receives the saints into his home. There is a great story in the Old Testament of the Shunammite woman who created a bedroom in her home for the Prophet Elisha to use whenever he traveled through.

2 Kings 4:8–10

And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither."

Enormous blessings fell upon that good Samaritan. She was childless. Elisha blessed her that for her hospitality she would have a child even in her old age. That same child died and Elisha restored the child to life. It parallels the story of the widow who gave her last meal to Elijah, depriving herself and her son who were about to die of the famine. As a blessing the barrel of meal and cruse of oil never diminished until the famine was abated. Elijah also restored her son to life.

John admonishes the saints that they should be like Gaius.

3 John 1:5-6

Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellow helpers to the truth.

We learn then to walk in truth, to walk in faith, and to help others to walk in faith and truth. John condemns those who don’t.

3 John 1:9-11

I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

In addition to the above, we must follow that which is good. The doctrine of “He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God” is very important to John. John in his first Epistle wrote:

1 John 3:2

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Only those who are like Christ will see Christ as he is. Those who are not like Christ will not be able to comprehend his glory nor will they be able to feel the fullness of his joy. Paul spoke of three degrees of glory, or three heavens. The lowest was compared to the brightness of the stars, the second was compared to the brightness of the moon, and the third, or highest, was compared to the brightness of the Sun. Paul did not give a name to the lowest. He called the second degree of glory, the Terrestrial Glory, and the third degree of glory the Celestial Glory. The Father and Son, of course, occupy the highest degree of Glory or the Celestial Kingdom. I think it is interesting that not only is the brightness of light associated with each kingdom of glory—that which is compared to the brighteness of the sun—but also the fulness of joy is associated with each kingdom of glory. We can only have a fulness of joy in the highest or celestial degree.

How do the following words connect: love, light, truth, law, life, and joy. We know how they connect. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” “The way” is to follow the law. The law refers to the commandments. That is the way John wants us to walk. Love? Well John tells us that God is love. Paul equates charity with pure love and pure love is of Christ. Christ, of course, is the key. Everything is governed by law. Light and truth are governed law and law is governed by Christ.

John also praises Demetrius. He is another anonymous saint—that is to the world—but not to John or to the early church. The rest of us can relate to the elect lady, to Gaius, and to Demetrius, for most of us live anonymously and die anonymously, but not to God. John ends his epistle with the praise of Demetrius and with a blessing to Gaius and by default to all those like Gaius and Demetrius. In the final verses, John also gives us an admonition to reach out to other saints.

Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true. I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.

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Podcast 116, 2 John, “Pt 6, Ch 1”

The Second Epistle of John has but one Chapter.

2 John 1:1

The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;

The Elder is surely John himself. We’ll let scholars fruitlessly debate the identity of ‘the elect lady’ whether it is referring to a specific mother and her children or whether it is referring to the church. In the absence of clarifying information, I prefer the literal interpretation. The surest explanation, however, is that John is addressing his letter to all members of the true church for he is warning against false teachers which are creeping in. From the beginning the apostles have had to fight against false teachers, false prophets, and antichrists.

Notice John’s emphasis, “whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth.”

Truth is primary. The purpose of the apostles is to keep the doctrine pure. There is security only if we keep our eyes always on the prophets and apostles. Those are the standards of judgement. John adds.

2 John 1:2

For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

John is speaking of Christ ‘which dwelleth in us forever.’

2 John 1:3

Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

John’s message really doesn’t vary. Only “in truth and love” can we know the Savior. I love returning to the following verse given to us earlier by John.

1 John 3:2

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

That is a very tall order, to be like Christ when he returns to the earth. That cannot be, however, except through ‘truth and love.’

Let’s rehearse some of the highlights of each of the five preceding chapters from John’s first epistle. John doesn’t vary from his message.

1 John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1 John 2:3

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

1 John 3:8

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

John 4:7

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

1 John 5:1

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

One thing that sets Christ apart from all of mankind is that he obeyed the Father perfectly in everything. That is why he alone can be the Savior of the World. He was sinless. He was nonpareil.

2 John 1:4

I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.

We must never take our eyes off the words of Christ given in the Intercessory Prayer.

John 17:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Only through the Son can we know the Father, and only through knowing the Father and the Son can we have eternal life with the Father and the Son. In the Book of Revelation, John says those servants who serve God shall see his face.

Revelation 22:3-5

And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Let me point out one obvious lesson from above. Regardless of our status on earth, regardless of birth, of position, of importance, of wealth, of intelligence, of education, of power, we all have the same chance for eternal life with God where all shall see his face, where all shall have his name in their foreheads, where all shall receive the light of Christ, and where all shall reign with him for ever and ever. The only thing that really matters on earth is that we keep the commandments of God. Everything else is administrative. Everyone on this planet has different gifts given of God. It is what we do with those gifts that matter. We are all familiar with the parable of the talents. When asked what was the greatest commandment, Christ said,

Matthew 22:36-39

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

One does not have to have a position of authority to obey those two commandments. No other apostle takes that more literally than John or teaches that principle more frequently than John.

2 John 1:5

And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

John does not leave it in the abstract. He refines the meaning.

2 John 1:6

And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

What does John mean by “ye should walk in it”? The military term is ‘boots on the ground.’ He means for it to be part of our daily walk, our daily lives. We should take that love with us wherever we go, to church, to the grocery store, while driving in heavy traffic, in our homes, even when our children are unruly; in other words we should take that love in all of our walks of life.

John warns against antichrists.

2 John 1:7

For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

John is the only biblical writer to use the term ‘antichrist.’ He defines what he means in his epistles.

1 John 2:18

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 John 2:22

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son"

1 John 4:3

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

The prefix ‘anti’ is from the Greek meaning against, opposed to, in place of, instead of, or in opposition to. Romantic writers appear to create a monster called ‘Antichrist.’ Remember one of the beasts appeared as a lamb. There is a growing feeling of antichrist even in America day. Christianity is under attack. The Jews, as if the Holocaust meant nothing, are again coming under attack. Hate, violence, and contention are on the rise. Anything that goes against the teaches of Jesus Christ is antichrist.

John places the responsibility of our souls squarely upon our shoulders, meaning that we choose whether or not to obey the commandments of Christ.

2 John 1:8

Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

He further emphasizes our responsibility.

2 John 1:9-11

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

How fortunate we are to have the letters of John and of Peter and of Paul, but the apostles were also busy mingling with the Saints and teaching them in person. Such open exposure cost them their lives.

2 John 1:12-13

Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.

It is easy to overlook the incredible courage of the early saints in the face of certain death. The early martyrs received their eternal reward from God.

Revelation 20:4

It is very poignant to observe that while John is commanding the saints to love one another, they are surrounded by people who want to kill them. Those were very perilous times for the Saints, yet the doctrines of Christ never changed. Christ said,

Matthew 5:9

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

It is not unreasonable to assume that we too who live in the last days may face the same opposition, but the doctrine doesn’t change. John’s message, which was delivered to him by Christ himself, is the same for us as for the saints in former times.

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Podcast 115, 1st John, “Pt 5, Ch 5”

Anyone who reads John is immediately struck by the richness of his doctrine. You cannot be in a hurry for every word, phrase, or clause matters. Because of its richness, it is helpful to divide his epistles into concepts. Once one understands the concepts, then it is easier to tie them together for each epistle must also be considered as a whole. His masterpiece, The Book of Revelation is the perfect model.

The theme of Godly Love dominates Chapter 5 as it does other chapters of John. I have divided Chapter 5 into Six Concepts.

Concept One: Keep the Commandments of God.

1 John 5:1-3

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

A favorite Christian phrase is “born again.” John tells us that faith in Christ is to be “born again” or “born of God.” If we love God by nature we must love the children of God. We show our love by keeping the commandments. John teaches that “his commandments are not grievous.” Synonyms for grievous are acute, harsh, intense, extreme, distressing, agonizing, burdensome. Christ said it so beautifully.

Matthew 11:28-30

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Concept II: Must be Born of God

1 John 5:4-5

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

To be ‘born of God’ means to overcome the natural man. In our world we must fight against the cunning of Satan, the craftiness of man, and our own fallen natures. Babylon, which means the world, and the natural man are equated. We are often told, come out of Babylon, or refrain from the lusts of the flesh:

Isaiah 48:20

"Go ye forth of Babylon…”

Isaiah 52:11

"Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord."

Revelation 18:4

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

Concept Three: Three Witnesses

1 John 5:6-10

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

The Law of Witnesses is very important. Paul wrote

2 Corinthians 13:1

"In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established."

Above John said, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost.” At Christ’s baptism, we have manifested the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. On the Mount of Transfiguration, we have Christ with Moses and Elijah, and the Father saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.” It was also witnessed by Peter, James, and John. Above John presents three other witnesses: “the Spirit, and the water, and the blood.” Does that not remind us of partaking of the Sacrament or the Lord’s Supper. We also learn that we are witnesses of God if we believe on the Son of God. In other words, our own faith is a witness. Those of us who have faith in Christ have pretty good company.

Concept Four: Eternal Life

1 John 5:11-15

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

There is an enormous difference between living forever and having eternal life. Satan and his angels will live forever. We all have immortal spirits that shall never taste death. In addition, all resurrected beings shall live forever, but not all resurrected beings shall live with God forever. Living forever is not eternal life. Eternal life refers only to living forever with God in his kingdom. Anything less is a form of damnation. Damnation is not hell. Hell is eternal fire. Damnation is eternal restriction on progression. Eternal progression is synonymous with Eternal Life. To have progression curtailed in any way poses a restriction on our capacity for joy. A fulness of joy can only be obtained in the presence of Christ for he is the source of all Joy. Paul, who was caught up in the third heaven, speaks of three degrees of glory:

1 Corinthians 15:40-42

There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

Those are all levels of heaven. That means there are three different levels of Joy. To have a fullness of joy one must live in the celestial glory where God and Christ dwell. The other two kingdoms of glory will have joy unspeakable and no sorrow, but they cannot have a fullness of Joy because Christ will not be living there with them. Only where Christ is can there be a fullness of joy. Only where the Father and the Son dwell can we have eternal life with God. Those who have the concept of only one heaven and one hell are ignoring Paul’s words. On a practical level, what would be the cut off? Would a just God split hairs. Would a merciful God allow such a thing? I don’t think so. Would the law of justice and the law of mercy allow such a thing. Can God ever be arbitrary and still be God? God must always be just, or he would not be God, but God is also a merciful God and he will do everything to give as much joy to as many people as will permit him. He cannot, however, go against their agency for he died that we might all have agency. Christ offers everyone born on this earth eternal life, but he can grant it only to those who accept his conditions; otherwise, he would violate their agency. His commandments are the conditions.

Concept V: All Sin is Violation of Law

1 John 5:16-19

If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

Without law there would be no sin. Sin does not exist in abstractions. God does not arbitrarily say this is good and that is evil. God gives us law. His laws are absolute. Until law is given sin does not exist. All sin is violation of law. The straight and narrow way is to obey law. The greatest quest in life is to search for truth. There are temporal truths, the laws of nature, and there are spiritual truths, the laws of God. God is the author of all law, whether natural or spiritual, and all laws are necessary for life. Every rational being knows how important the laws of nature are. Natural laws deal with natural life. Spiritual laws deal with eternal life. If we ignore natural laws we are often dealt with very quickly for nature is not very forgiving. Natural laws deal with mortal time. Spiritual laws deal with eternal time. This is a probationary state to see if we will obey spiritual laws. Natural laws cause temporal death; only the violation of spiritual laws cause spiritual death. The body can die but the spirit cannot. That means that the spirit is not subject to death. Spiritual death means that we are cut off from the presence of God. The entire purpose of all spiritual laws is not to punish us, but to bring us back into the presence of God. That is only possible because Christ died for our sins. That introduced the principles of repentance and forgiveness and grace and mercy which are always available to everyone all the time we are on this earth.

Concept VI: Christ is the True God

1 John 5:20-21

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

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Podcast 114, 1st John, “Pt 4, Ch 4”

It is most probable that every Christian has at one or more times quoted verses from 1 John 4. The following verses are familiar to everyone:

· Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God.

· God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

· There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.

· We love him, because he first loved us.

It is John who gave us John 3:16, what is likely the most quoted scripture in the Holy Bible: The Savior is talking to Nicodemus.

John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John is often called, ‘John the Beloved.’ He is also referred to as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” No disciple spoke of love more. John clearly understood that the very nature of God is love.

1 John 3:8

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

John taught that we are the offspring of God and that we must become like our Father.

1 John 3:2

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

I shall divide 1 John 4 into six section. Section 1 comprises:

1 John 4:1-3

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

John wants us to see the world as he sees the world. There are two great forces, good vs evil or God vs Satan. There is Christ and antichrist. All good comes from God and all evil comes from Satan. If that seems oversimplistic, imagine stepping off the world and looking down to earth, say from the moon. There is light and dark. It is the law of opposites. There is temporal light and spiritual light, temporal darkness and spiritual darkness.

The only reason we have temporal life is because we have temporal light and temporal darkness. The only reason we have spiritual light and spiritual darkness is because we are enticed by Christ to do good and we are enticed by Satan to do evil. Without that catalyst we would be spiritually senseless. Until Satan entered the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were unaware of their nakedness. They knew neither good nor evil, joy nor sorrow, love nor hate. Christ allowed Satan to tempt Adam and Eve just as he allows Satan to tempt us to give us agency, to give us a choice between good and evil. Genesis teaches, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” It could be acquired no other way. The fall was necessary.

In the above John is teaching us how to discern between the spirit of God and the spirit of the Devil. The formula is quite simple. That which preaches of Christ is of God. That which denies Christ is of Satan.

Section 2 comprises:

1 John 4:4-6

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Again, John is teaching us how to discern the spirit of truth from the spirit of error. We are prone to think of antichrist as some hideous monster with the number 666 across his forehead. Remember the second beast was like a lamb. Antichrist is very subtle and appears in many disguises. The spirit of antichrist is any person or philosophy or movement that teaches there is no Christ. That is why Satan and his angels are sons of perdition. They know who Christ is, yet rebelled against him. If you recall Christ would not allow the evil spirits to testify of him. He did not need their testimony. Only through the Holy Ghost can one truly know that Jesus is the Christ.

Section 3 comprises:

1 John 4:7-11

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Those three words, “God is love,” define Christ comprehensively. Love is his very essence. What other reason would he have to sacrifice his life, being entirely sinless, for our sins? It was only his love that motivated him to die for us. He didn’t need power praise or glory or honor.

He was already God. Before he even came to earth, he was omnipotent and omniscient, yet he condescended to come to earth, having a veil drawn over his mind just as we have a veil drawn over our minds. We are told that Christ grew from grace to grace. He had the full earthly experience. In fact, his temptations, his suffering, his agonies were greater than ours, yet he never sinned. In the wilderness, he could have given in to Satan. Those temptations were not staged. They were as real as our temptations; otherwise, he could not have empathy for us. He had to understand our temptations, our weaknesses, our sicknesses, our doubts, our fears to become the perfect judge that he is. It was Paul who said,

Hebrews 4:15

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

John teaches us the second great commandment, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

Section 4 comprises:

1 John 4:12-14

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

What did John mean when he said, “No man hath seen God at any time?” John, himself, was a man and he saw the resurrected Lord.

Revelation 1:13-17

And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

We know that Paul also saw the risen Lord as he traveled on the road to Damascus. Christ also, in his resurrected state, appeared to Mary Magdalene and to the eleven apostles and to many hundreds of people. We must assume then than John is speaking of the natural man who has only natural eyes. Some saw the resurrected Lord and didn’t recognize him because they saw him with their natural eyes. Christ can only be seen with spiritual eyes. Those who see Christ must also have the spirit of Christ. Those who have been honored by a vision of Christ are blessed. Most of us, however, see him only with the spiritual eyes of faith. Still, we know of his existence though we have never seen him in vision. We too are equally blessed. Remember his words of Christ to Thomas.

John 20:29

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Still, we are very grateful for those like John who were privileged to see the Savior and give us their firsthand descriptions. Nonetheless, the spirit is just as strong in those who see him only with the eye of faith.

Section 5 comprises:

1 John 4:15-17

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

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Podcast 113, 1st John, “Pt 3, Ch 3”

A concept of the gospel that is perhaps sometimes understated is our personal relationship with our Father in Heaven. John addresses that issue.

1 John 3:1

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Some almost want to deny the Father’s existence but the early apostles believed firmly in the separate existence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. For example, at the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, we have all three of the Holy Trinity Present as separate beings.

Matthew 3:13-17

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

There are unmistakably three persons: (1) Jesus, being baptized by John. (2) The Spirit of God or Holy Ghost descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. The Holy Ghost is not a dove. The Holy Ghost is a spirit that descended like a dove. (3) The Father, a voice from heaven, bore witness of his Son, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” We have innumerable instances where the Son prays to the Father. He was not praying to himself. In the wilderness, he declared that he must do the will of the Father. On the cross Christ cries to the Father, “Why has thou forsaken me?” To deny the separate existence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, one would have to deny many scriptures. In addition, the Savior said that he must leave so that the Holy Ghost could come. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one in purpose just as we must become one in purpose, but they are not three persons in one. To deny the personal existence of the Father creates problems with one of the greatest moments in the apostleship of Peter, James, and John—the Mount of Transfiguration.

Matthew 17: 1-9

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

It is clear that Peter, James and John believed in three separate beings. Whose voice did they hear? It was not the voice of Jesus or Moses or Elijah. It was the voice of the Father who was also present but hidden by a cloud. They were terrified. Jesus had to comfort them.

There are so many instances from Genesis to Revelation that have no other explanation but to say that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings. In the Garden of Eden we are told,

Genesis 3:22

And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

The pronoun “us” is plural, but one of the most poignant moments in the life of Christ occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane when he asks the Father to remove the cup from him.

Matthew 26:39-44

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

It is not logical to think he was praying to himself when he said, “O my Father.” Three times he prayed to the Father, but only once did he ask him to remove the cup. All three times he made it clear that regardless he would bow to the Father’s will. In the first prayer he said, “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” In the next two prayers he said, “Thy will be done.” It is an absurd contradiction to think he is talking to himself. It makes a mockery of one of the most sacred moments in Christ’s life. He was praying to his Father and our Father. In Jesus’s own words, following his resurrection, he says to Mary Magdalene.

John 20:17

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

It is clear that John believes that the Father and Son were two separate beings.

1 John 3:2

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

There are many scriptures that say that the Father and Son are one in purpose just as the scriptures ask us to be one in purpose, but nowhere do the scriptures teach that they are not separate beings. That concept was not taught until several hundred years after the resurrection of Christ after the apostles were killed. The concept of three in one was rejected by the early church. It did not become formal doctrine until the First Council of Nicaea, formerly referred to as the Nicene Creed as opposed to the earlier Apostle’s Creed and the Athanasian Creed. Let me quote the beginning of the Apostle’s Creed.

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,

Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell;

The third day he rose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;

The Apostle’s Creed clearly establishes that the church at that time believe that there were three separate beings of the Godhead. The Nicene Creed, which contradicted the Apostle’s Creed was not written until 325 A.D which originated at the First Council of Nicaea. It is safer and more logical to stay with the Holy Bible, the written word, rather than accept someone else’s interpretation of the written word. Constantine, certainly a great man in Christian history, was a politician, not a prophet and not an apostle. He did not have the authority to change the doctrine of the Holy Bible and contradict the early apostles such as Peter, James, and John.

John also taught us the nature of law and its relationship to sin. To John sin is not an arbitrary ethical opinion. Sin is violation of law. Without law there would be no sin.

1 John 3:3-4

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Laws were organized by God. Sin does not self-exist. Without law there is no sin. Violation of law is the only sin. Law brings order; lawlessness brings chaos. God is a God of law and order. To live outside of law is to live outside of God. When Adam fell a law was broken. That law was so powerful that it brought sin and death into the world. Man was cut off from God forever. He suffered both a temporal death and a spiritual death. That is why the atonement of Christ was necessary. Without his atonement, we could never again enter into the presence of the Father and we could never rise from the dead. That would have put us in the power of Satan forever. Even those who do not believe in Christ have a debt to Christ that they can never repay. Among those debts is the resurrection which is free to all of the descendants of Adam and Eve.

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Podcast 111, 1st John, “Pt 1, Ch 1”

Many, I suppose, agree that the apostle John, also known as John the Beloved and John the Revelator, is, like Isaiah, one of the most unique writers in the Holy Bible. It is fitting that the Holy Bible begins with Genesis, the Story of the Creation of the World, and ends with Revelation, the Story of the End of the World. Moses, one of the most unique individuals the world has ever known, wrote the first five books of the Bible. John wrote the last book of the Bible along with the Gospel of John and the epistles of John.

Another unique thing that links Moses and John is the question of their death. The Bible records Moses death but not his burial site, yet we have the marvelous story of the Mount of Transfiguration.

Matthew 17:1-5

We know that Elias, known as Elijah, was taken up into heaven without tasting death. In other words, he was transfigured as Christ was transfigured on the Mount of Transfiguration. It also appears that Moses was transfigured. He could not have been resurrected because Christ was the first fruits of the resurrection. No one could be resurrected until after Christ was resurrected. Then there is a unique story about John for neither his death nor burial are recorded. His final fate has always been an enigma. Following Christ’s resurrection, Peter has the following dialogue with the Savior.

John 32:20-23

Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

The Bible gives no account of his death. A transfigured body is not a resurrected body. To be resurrected everyone must first die, even Elijah, at some point. A transfigured body is temporary. A resurrected body is forever. The Book of Revelation, his magnum opus or his last and greatest work, was written while he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. There is no record of his death. John’s own prophetic and profound writing sets him apart. One finds things in the writing of John that one doesn’t find elsewhere. Even his gospel stands out among the other three gospels. This book covers the three epistles of John: 1st John, 2nd John, and 3rd John. John, who was with Christ from the beginning, gives us tremendous insight into the life and teachings of Christ. He is a true witness of Christ who understood the mission of Christ very clearly.

1 John 1:1

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

“That which was from the beginning” is not referring to Christ’s birth on earth. It refers to the origin of Christ himself as the only begotten Son of God who is without beginning of days or end of years. He was with the Father in the Beginning with the unique assignment to save the world. Of all the scriptures ever written none are greater than the following:

John 3:11-17

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John understood what Nicodemus the Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews and a member of the Sanhedrin, did not understand. He knew the living Christ.

1 John 1:2

(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

John emphasizes that by accepting Christ we have a relationship both with the Father and with the Son.

1 John 1:3

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

In the two verses above John makes a clear distinction between the Father and the Son. He also makes that distinction in the Book of Revelation. It was John who saw the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven after the cleansing of the earth by fire.

Revelation 21:1-5

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

In fact, when John saw in vision, the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven, he saw both the Father and the Son.

Revelation 22:1-3

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

John is speaking of two thrones: (1) The Throne of God, meaning the Throne of the Father, and (2) The Throne of the Lamb, meaning The Throne of the Son. Both will live and reign on this earth in its celestial state. Only those who are saved through the blood of Christ shall inherit this earth. Paul also speaks of our relationship to both the Father and the Son.

Romans 8:16-17

We shall be heirs of God, meaning the Father, and joint-heirs with Christ, meaning the Son. Why aren’t we “joint-heirs” with the Father. It is because the Father, who is the law of justice, could not bestow upon us that gift because of the fall of man. It was only the atonement of Christ that made it possible. The only way we can be heirs with the Father is if we become joint-heirs with the Son. Without the Son we could never return to the presence of the Father. In the Book of Revelation we read,

Revelation 21:6-7

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

“What would it be like to “inherit all things”? John explains it.

1 John 1:4

And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

No mortal on this earth can possibly comprehend what it will be like to live in the presence of both the Father and the Son and have a fullness of joy. John tries to explain it to us.

1 John 1:5

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Christianity gives us these terms: light vs darkness, good vs evil, God vs Satan. Who can imagine a world with no darkness. John saw it in vision while on the Isle of Patmos.

Revelation 22:5

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

We understand light and darkness, of course, when speaking of day and night. Many of us, perhaps, have visited deep caverns where they turn out all lights putting you in total darkness. We are told that extended periods in absolute darkness may cause disorientation, sleep disruption, anxiety, depression, and possible hallucinations. We are light oriented. Our bodies need vitamin D. We need day and night cycles.

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Podcast 112, 1st John, “Pt 2, Ch 2”

John had a unique voice and a unique calling. Is there a book comparable to The Book of Revelation? In the first chapter of Revelation, John records a vision of the Resurrected Lord that once seen cannot be unseen.

Revelation 1:13-16

John was so overwhelmed that he fell as dead.

Revelation 1:17-18

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

John is given a special assignment.

Revelation 1:19

Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

The Lord, of course, is referring to the special Book of Revelation which comprises 22 of some of the most fascinating chapters in the Holy Bible. John, like the other apostles, is a special witness of Christ. That appears to be his primary assignment.

1 John 2:1

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

John has much in common with Isaiah who also saw Christ in Vision about 700 years prior to the birth of Christ.

Isaiah 6:1-3

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

6 RON

Like the other prophets and apostles John focuses on the special mission of Jesus Christ.

7 LINDA

1 John 2:2

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

7 RON

The dictionary defines propitiation as ‘the act of appeasing or satisfying,’ ‘a sacrifice that removes guilt and turns away divine wrath,’ reconciliation between God and man through the atonement.’ Synonyms for propitiation are atonement, expiation, reconciliation, redemption, ransom, sin offering, and peace offering. Notice that his atoning sacrifice was not just for the chosen. It was “for the sins of the whole world.” Christ is the only God and the only Savior of the world. No one shall be allowed into the kingdom of God except those who accept Jesus as Lord. Ultimately everyone, whether in this life or the next, will know that Jesus is the living Christ, the Son of the living God who holds the keys of death and hell. Christ alone will judge the entire world, one individual at a time, for their works.

Those who know Christ in this life, regardless of what religion they espouse or what Christian denomination they belong to, will be only those who keep his commandments.

1 John 2:3-6

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

If we accept the concept that Christ is creator and God of the whole world, we must also consider that he is no respecter of persons, that he loves all of his children and wants all of them to return to his kingdom and to live with him. That suggests that God will find a way to teach his gospel even where it is least expected. All truth, regardless of the earthly source, eventually leads to Jesus Christ. All lies eventually lead to Satan. The safest path is the path to truth. Everyone at birth has the spirit of Christ for they just came from their Father in heaven. All little children are saved by Christ for they are not accountable for their sins. It is incumbent, however, on those who reach the age of accountability that they devote their lives to seeking truth. Satan is the father of lies. He will attempt to pervert all truth. That is his primary job. What else can he do? He has no truth in him. He has no power of creation. In fact, he has no power at all except that which we give him or that which God allows. Listen to the words of John.

1 John 2:7-10

Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

Is that not a universal truth. No matter where in the world or from whose lips that truth is taught, it originated with God. If we obey that commandment it will eventually lead us back to Christ. John adds,

1 John 2:11

But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

Contention is of the devil, and where there is contention, there the devil is in his element. They are his and don’t know it. John, who just said that Christ “is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world,” is now turning his attention to those who have accepted Christ in this life.

1 John 2:12-14

I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

Now John turns his attention back to the entire world for he is speaking universally.

1 John 2:15-17

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Can you see the difference? More is expected of those who have more. Christ will be merciful to those who died without the law, but those who have the law will be judged by the law. To whom much is given, much is expected. But everyone knows intuitively good from evil. One doesn’t have to have the Ten Commandments to know that murder, stealing, lying, coveting, envying, and cheating are evil. It is inherent from birth because of the Spirit of Christ that is in everyone at birth. All babies are born pure. They may be bore into a world of sin but they are not born sinful. Sin is taught by man influenced by the father of lies.

John now is talking to members of Christ’s church.

1 John 2:18-20

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

Synonyms for unction are anointing, blessing, inspiration, spiritual power, and divine influence. John is speaking of those who accepted Christ and then apostatized from the church. They sin willfully. John continues,

1 John 2:21-24

I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

Those who have never known Christ cannot be antichrist in the strictest sense of the word. Even if they are against Christians, having never known Christ, they are not against Christ for he is foreign to them. Only those who have known Christ intimately and then deny him can become sons of perdition.

On the other hand, if punishment is harsh, look at the opposite reward for remaining faithful to Christ.

1 John 2:25

And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

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Podcast 110, 2nd Peter, “Pt 8, Ch 3”

It is accepted that Peter was the Chief Apostle. Peter was present at all the great miracles. It was to Peter whom the Lord said,

Matthew 16:19

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Peter bears witness of earlier prophets.

2 Peter 3:1-2

This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

One thing is clear from the Holy Bible, true prophets and apostles bear testimony of the words of other true prophets and apostles. It is according to the law of witnesses.

Matthew 18:16

But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

Christ himself quoted from the ancient prophets.

Matthew 12:39-41

But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

Ironically, of course, it was Christ who revealed those words to his prophets. By quoting his prophets, he is validating his own words. Christ quoted many prophets: Isaiah, Daniel, Jonah, Moses, Eljah, Elisha, and David. The prophet he quoted most frequently was Isaiah.

Matthew 13:13-15

Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Like the prophet Isaiah, Peter prophesies of the last days.

2 Peter 3:3-4

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

We are all living in the last days and can see the fulfilment of Peter’s prophecy. Peter says they are “willfully ignorant.” He compares our day to the period during Noah’s flood.

2 Peter 3:4-6

And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

The Lord promised that the world would never again end in a flood; however, rather than a flood, it would end in fire.

2 Peter 3:7

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Then Peter offers a unique doctrine regarding the Lord’s time.

2 Peter 3: 8

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

That suggests that the Lord lives on a planet with a different time zone than ours. For example, our time is governed by our own solar system. The earth is 24,000 miles around. It spins 1000 miles an hour; therefore, our day is 24 hours long. The moon circles the earth in approximately 30 days; therefore our month is approximately 30 days long. Our earth circles the sun in 365 days; therefore, our year is 365 days long. Time is relative to our solar system. The same is true with the Lord. His time is marked by the revolutions of the planetary system in which he lives. It is unique, but it explains an enigma in the Creation story. In Genesis we read:

Genesis 2:15-17

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

After eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Adam did not die within twenty-four hours. Adam lived over nine hundred years but less than a thousand which fulfilled the prophesy. According to the Lord’s time, Adam died in the day that he ate the forbidden fruit.

Of course that introduces another paradox. Adam, before he ate the forbidden fruit, was not subject to time as we understand it for he was immortal. Only after he ate the forbidden fruit was he subject to death. On earth it is entropy that gives time its arrow. We measure our birthdate and our death date. God is immortal; therefore, time as we understand it has no real hold on him. He may live on a planet that measures time by its revolutions, but he lives in an eternal state that is timeless, a concept that we cannot comprehend.

However, it has one tremendous effect on us. Prophecies do not usually deal with calendar dates. The fact is that no one knows when Christ shall come to earth the Second Time. Many, according to Peter’s prophecy doubt the Second Coming of Christ.

According to Peter it is out of mercy that Christ delays his coming. We live in a state of probation. We are given a chance to repent of our sins and come to Christ.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Isaiah warned us:

Isaiah 55:6-7

We are warned that the Lord will come at an unexpected hour.

2 Peter 3:10

Peter is not the only prophet who prophesied that the earth would melt with fervent heat. Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament, made a similar prophecy.

Malachi 4:1-3

There are other verses that refer to the world ending in fire.

Matthew 13:40-43

As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Peter, however, is not trying to frighten us. He is trying to get us to repent and prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord.

2 Peter 3:11-14

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

A “new heaven and a new earth” are often spoken of

Isaiah 65:17

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

Revelation 21:1

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

We must always recall John 3:16-17. Christ wants to save the world, not condemn it.

John 3:16-17

Peter speaks of that same sentiment.

2 Peter 3:15-16

And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;&

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Podcast 109, 2nd Peter, “Pt 7, Ch 2”

One of the roles or responsibilities of the quorum of the twelve apostles is to keep the doctrine pure. Even as early as the days of Peter, false teachers began to emerge in the church and to lead the people astray.

2nd Peter 2:1

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

False teachers have always been a curse to truths taught by the true prophets. Even in the days of Isaiah, we read

Isaiah 9:15-16

The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

It is incumbent upon all of us to look to Christ, the Bishop of our Souls, to keep us on the straight and narrow path. Even when Christ walked among the apostles he taught,

Matthew 7:15

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

And those false prophets and false teachers will find success among some members of the church.

2nd Peter 2:2

And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

We, of course, know the true way.

John 14:5

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Peter teaches us how to discern the good from the evil.

2nd Peter 2:3

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

He warns against those who “make merchandise” of religion. In Micah we read.

Micah 3:9-11

Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.

Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and like Isaiah his prophecies were both for Judah and Ephraim, both past and present. Like Isaiah Micah prophesied of the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah... out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel.

Peter makes an interesting analogy. He uses three images: (1) He refers back to the war in heaven in which Lucifer and his followers were cast out. (2) He refers to the flood of Noah. and (3) He refers to Sodom and Gomorrah.

2nd Peter 2:4-7

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

Peter’s powerful warning is not just for his day but for all time. Peter is speaking of the law of justice. Angels that rebelled against God were cast out. The entire world, save Noah and his family, was destroyed. The entire cities of Sodom and Gomorrah save Lot and part of his family were destroyed. In other words, none of the wicked are exempt from the justice of God except those who repent or those like Lot who live righteously among wicked people.

2nd Peter 2:8

(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

We learn from that that grace is for those who seek grace. Grace, though always freely and generously available to everyone on this earth, is not imposed upon anyone against their will or that would take away their agency.

However, those who seek grace will freely receive it; those who do not seek it must answer to justice.

2nd Peter 2:9

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Peter defines those who are reserved unto the day of judgment to be punished.

2nd Peter 2:10-16

But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

Peter continues to describe the nature of those false teachers that we may avoid their lies.

2nd Peter 2:17-18

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

Peter hits on target those of our own day who promise liberty but deliver only captivity.

2nd Peter 2:19

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

One must only listen to the news to see clearly that he is not only prophesying of his day but of our day as well. How many today are promising liberty but delivering communism and socialism; promising freedom but taking away the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion; promising liberty but are destroying the balance of power, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights; promising liberty but are robbing the rich to give to the poor, using tax payer money to bribe for votes, condemning the innocent and protecting thieves, murderers, child molesters, kidnappers, drug dealers, rapists, human traffickers, destroying the lives of innocent children by urging sex changes, denying gender, denying God, denying morality, denying the Ten Commandments, attacking Christians and Jews, punishing the righteous and letting the wicked go free?

Again Peter saw our day. Our nation was founded on Christian values, yet now all Christian symbols are being removed from government property, including the halls of congress. Even after 250 years of freedom, “the latter is worse than the beginning.” As Peter so brilliantly said,

2 Peter 2:20

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

Peter is a true prophet of our day. He further warns.

2nd Peter 2:21-22

For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

We must understand that all true scripture and the words of all true prophets was meant to be applied to one’s own present, to one’s own self, to one’s own time and circumstances. If scripture applies only to the past, it is of historic value only. The purpose of true prophets is to be a warning for all times and all places and all peoples. Truth stands regardless of temporal circumstances, regardless of culture, governments, beliefs, languages, religions, or traditions. As we should be wary of wolves in sheep’s clothing so should we be wary of those who promise liberty but are of themselves servants of corruption. If we allow them to trample on our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, our Declaration of Independence, our liberty, they not only destroy themselves but they will also bring us into bondage.

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Podcast 108, 1st Peter, “Pt 6, Ch 1”

Peter, introducing himself by his given name and by the name that Christ assigned him upon their first meeting, addresses his second epistle to the new converts of the church, both Jew and Gentile.

2 Peter 1:1

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

What is very significant about the introduction is that there is no more of the ambiguity that existed in the early days as Simon and all the other apostles were discovering who Christ was and who they were and what their role was in his kingdom on earth. Throughout Christ’s ministry he taught the apostles that he would die and be resurrected and they would take over his ministry. Even following the Savior’s death, there was some question about his resurrection. Christ had to prove that he was the resurrected Lord. Upon appearing to his apostles, Christ said,

Luke 24:39

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

There are many levels of faith. The twelve apostles were in the presence of Christ, taught directly by Christ. They witnessed Christ healing the sick, raising the dead, restoring sight to the blind. Now Christ is no longer with them to speak for himself. The next generation of converts have only the apostle’s words as well as those others who saw Christ after his resurrection that Christ was truly the resurrected Lord. What faith today does it take to believe a missionary who has never seen the Lord?

Christ addresses that issue to Thomas who refused to believe unless he sees the risen Lord.

John 20:29

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Peter also addresses that issue to new converts.

1 Peter 1:8

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

In a beautiful definition of Faith, Paul captures the heart of what faith is.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith and Hope are closely tied together in Paul’s definition. Synonyms for substance are essence, nature, core, heart, reality, being, character, and fundamental nature. We think of substance as matter, material, composition. It is ironic to put substance as “things hoped for.” Substance suggests reality, certainty, assurance. Hope, however, suggests expectation, anticipation, aspiration, and desire. In other words, Paul is saying that faith gives reality to hope. Faith brings hope out of the stage of ‘wishful thinking’ and makes it a reality. Without faith one cannot have hope. Faith then is an action word. Faith puts into motion that which makes hope become a reality. The sheer genius of Paul’s definition is how he connects reality to faith and hope. He says faith is evidence. Evidence is a stronger word that substance. Evidence means proof. Synonyms are verification, confirmation, documentation, validation, and substantiation. Evidence is used in court. To Paul it makes the invisible world visible. Even if one hasn’t seen Christ one can know that he exists through faith.

The difference, however, between religious evidence and court evidence is that religious evidence is not transferable. For example, one can know with certainty that Christ exists because one has evidence. But for another to have that evidence transferred to them, they too must exercise faith. Why is that so? First of all, it is by the design of the Almighty God. We were not sent to earth to validate that which can be seen with the naked eye. The Bible shows very little interest in science. What we call science is wonderful. It is essential to physical life, but it is not essential to salvation and exaltation. We were sent to earth to gain faith.

Science, as essential as it is to life, does not give us power in the spiritual realm. Faith alone gives us power in the spiritual realm. God is omniscient and omnipotent, not because he understands science. He is omniscient and omnipotent because he understands law, both temporal and spiritual. The resurrection, for example, was not brought about by temporal laws. There are no temporal laws on our planet or in the universe that can bring about a resurrection. There are no temporal laws that can give us eternal life. God uses temporal laws all the time. He is the author of temporal laws, but temporal laws are secondary in God’s kingdom, not primary. Temporal laws may provide us physical comfort, but temporal laws cannot save us. Christ alone can do that because he was obedient to all of Father’s commandments. First he overcame sin. Then he overcame death. Only by overcoming sin could he overcome death. We all sin; therefore, we do not have the power within ourselves to overcome sin. Christ, who was sinless, does; therefore, Christ can forgive us for our sins. That is the effect of grace, and grace is spiritual not temporal.

Peter put it best.

2nd Peter 1:2-4

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Where can you find such language as that in science? Peter wants us to be “partakers of the divine nature.” That is extra-terrestrial. That cannot be found on this earth. That can only be found in Christ, our resurrected Lord. We are children of God. Our spirits are in the image and likeness of our Father in heaven. We have a divine nature; however, because of the fall, we suffered both a temporal death—the separation of the body from the spirit—and a spiritual death—the separation of our spirit from God. The only reason Christ came to earth and submitted himself to the laws of man was to atone for our sins, not his, to satisfy the law of justice, which he never broke, and through his grace bring us back into the presence of God. Without the atonement of Jesus Christ that divine nature would mean nothing because without Christ, we would be forever tied to this earth, subject to Satan’s power.

Peter, a hands-on prophet tells us how to be partakers of the divine nature.

2 Peter 1:5-8

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Most Christians are familiar with Paul’s exquisite definition of charity.

1st Corinthians 13:1-13

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

To be partakers of the divine nature, Peter urges us to make our calling and election sure.

2nd Peter 1:9-10

But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

“Calling” means foreordination. All of us who came to earth to gain a body were foreordained to return to God. We were foreordained, not predestined, because of agency. To have full agency we had to leave the presence of God and prove our faith to him. We did not have to come to earth. We chose to come to earth. In Job we read,

Job 38:4-7

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

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Podcast 107, 1st Peter, “Pt 5, Ch 5”

How different the world is because of the letters of the first apostles. It gives a personal approach to religion. Peter, a humble fisherman, once was named Simon. When called by the Savior to be a disciple, Simon’s name was changed to Cephas or Peter, meaning rock. He was given the keys of the kingdom that whatsoever he bound on earth would be bound in heaven. What does it mean to be bound on earth and in heaven? It is referring to covenants, for example, such covenants as the marriage covenant. It is a form of sealing such as husband and wife, parents and children. God sees everything from an eternal perspective. In Christian terms it means the circle does not have to be broken, that families may be together forever. Initially Adam and Eve were married by God which became the model for all marriages. For example, we find it in the Abrahamic Covenent

Genesis 17:4-9

As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

It is an everlasting covenant. That same Priesthood given to Abraham was given to Peter. Along with the other apostles Peter was a personal witness of Jesus Christ.

But that covenant is far reaching. Consider the Parable of the Ten Virgins, only five of whom are allowed into the marriage feast. Those who are allowed are bound forever with Christ in his Kingdom. Those who are not allowed do not have an eternal covenant with God. God is a forever God. He lives in eternity. Christ died for us that we may return to his presence and there remain forever.

1 Peter 5:1

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

The role of an apostle is to be a witness of Christ to the world. Peter is not only a personal witness of Christ, he is also a teacher. For Peter’s words, as with all the apostles, to be meaningful, we must consider his letter written directly to us, with his signature.

1st Peter 5:2

Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

That invitation has never been rescinded. It is the role of all Christians to “feed the flock of God.” God has given all of his children special gifts of the spirit and the Lord expects us to use those gifts in service to our fellow man.

Romans 12:3-6

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

Like Peter, Paul also teaches humility and love.

Romans 12:9-18

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

The Lord has distributed his gifts to all men and women throughout the world, and he expects us to use those gifts in service to our fellow man regardless of race, color, culture, creed, or country.

Again, we look to Paul

1st Corinthians 12: 4-11

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

One can see by the list above that those gifts are manifested in many different ways. For example, what would we do if there were not men and women who have the gifts of healing. That does not refer only to miraculous healing. That refers to doctors, nurses, scientists, and all others who find ways to heal people. It refers to those who invent technologies that preserve life and discover healing herbs or develop healing medicines. How many diseases have been conquered? How many today are working on cures for cancer, diabetes, and a myriad of other infirmities of mankind? I am old enough to remember the first polio shot. I remember the first heart transplant. Are those not gifts of healing. Notice that “the same God which worketh all in all.” All gifts of healing, regardless of who gets the credit, are gifts from God. Happy is the day when we all learn that simple lesson. Everything good comes from God. Everything evil comes from Satan.

We are all provincial. We see our own back yard. The whole world is God’s domain. In the following Paul is speaking of the Church established by Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

He is speaking of a church that is now teaching the gentiles. But let’s also step back and consider not just the Church Christ established but the entire world, for God is father of us all. We are one to him. His domain is the world, not just Christians. Every person born on this earth is a child of God. Read the following in that context.

1 Corinthians 12:14-26

For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

If it is true for the world, it is an even a greater burden among Christians to treat all as equal, not just other Christians.

1 Corinthians 12:27-31

Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

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Podcast 106, 1st Peter, “Pt 4, Ch 4”

Becoming a follower of Christ has a great price. We naturally assume that all good comes from God and all evil comes from Satan. That is true. For agency to exist we must be enticed by one or the other. It is the law of opposition. That is the only reason that Satan is permitted to live on the earth. Agency is primary to progression. It is one of the greatest gifts of God. It is why earth was created. It is why we came to the earth from the world of spirits living in immortality with God and were given a physical body. That too increased our agency for the flesh suffers temptations that the spirit does not.

1st Peter 4:1

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

During the war in heaven the choice was very simple. Those who accepted Christ followed Michael, the archangel. Those who rejected Christ followed Lucifer and his angels. The battle was massive for a third part of the hosts of heaven sided with Lucifer. Lucifer’s goal was very simple. He wanted to overthrow Christ and become God.

Isaiah 14:12-14

The war in heaven was also seen in vision by John the Revelator.

Revelation 12:3-4

Satan is on earth now and his primary target is to destroy those who follow Christ and take away their agency. That was his primary target in heaven.

Revelation 12:7-9

That same battle continues on earth today. As in heaven so on earth we are given two choices, to follow Christ or to follow Satan. Satan is very cunning. One can divide the tactics of Satan into three classes. The first tactic is the same as he used in heaven. It is cunning. Satan is known as the father of lies, and it was through lies that he persuaded a third part of the hosts of heaven to follow him. They lost the war in heaven, and they were all cast down to the earth with him. He continues those lies today.

On earth, however, one thing changed dramatically. In heaven we were only spirits. We did not have a body of flesh and bones; therefore, we were not tempted by things of the flesh. Satan and his angels have never had a body and never will have a body. That is why they want to possess our bodies. Some even went into the bodies of swine. Satan kept his cunning. He is still the father of lies, but he increased his tactics. In addition to his cunning, his lies, and his deceit, he now appeals to the natural man, the lusts of the flesh. He wants us to think that the flesh is everything and we should all eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. It is perhaps his most effective tool, but he has a third tactic. It is a repetition of the one he used in heaven. In heaven Lucifer recruited the other spirits to follow him. And they became his disciples. A third part of heaven followed him and became sons of perdition like himself. On earth, however, he recruits the spirits of those who refused to follow him in heaven. He recruits fallen man. Many in the flesh who fought with Michael against Lucifer in heaven have become soldiers in the army of Satan on earth.

Therefore, we have a third enemy. Enemy one is the Cunning of Satan. Enemy two is the Natural Man. Enemy Three is the Craftiness of Man, or, in other words, the craftiness of those who came to earth and gained a body. In heaven they followed Michael. That is why they earned the right to come to earth and gain a body. However, on earth, they follow Satan, most unknowingly. The subtlety is that in heaven those spirits who followed Lucifer knew who their master was. They rejected Christ and worshiped Lucifer. Those in the flesh who follow Satan do not always recognize their masters. Often they follow Satan thinking they are serving God. It is devious. It is subtle. It is deadly. Peter tells us.

1st Peter 5: 8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Following Satan thinking we are following God is perhaps the most cunning of all his tricks. Peter teaches us to overcome the natural man.

1st Peter 4:2-4

That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

It was Peter who introduced another concept that perhaps many Christians have overlooked. God is in heaven. He is omniscient. He sees all, both the living and the dead. He is concerned for all, both the living and the dead. For example, we learn from 1st Peter Chapter Three that those who drowned in the flood were taught by Christ after death in the spirit world during the time between his death and the resurrection.

1st Peter 3:18-20

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

In Chapter Four Peter again addresses the issue of the dead.

1st Peter 4:5-6

Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

In the above Peter tells us why Christ taught the spirits of those who were dead: “that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” That tells us that everyone who comes to this earth will be taught of Christ whether in this life or the next. Christ is the savior and redeemer of the entire world from Adam to the last man and woman on earth. He is the Christ. Those who are not taught the gospel of Christ on earth will be taught the gospel of Christ in the spirit world so that the judgment will be fair. Christ does not hold people accountable for laws they were never taught on earth. The mercy and grace of Christ covers everything. God is both just and merciful. Nevertheless, everyone of Adam and Eve’s posterity, before they meet Christ at the judgment bar, will have heard of Christ whether on earth or in the world of the spirits of the dead. That is part of the law of agency. We must all choose for ourselves whom we will follow, Christ or Satan.

After teaching that gospel principle, Peter turns his attention to the living.

1st Peter 4:7-10

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Christ expects those who know the gospel to preach the gospel to others. We are all, who know Christ, stewards of the manifold grace of God. Notice the faith God has in the members of his church.

1st Peter 4:11

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

It was Peter who said that the trials of our faith were as gold. He continues that theme.

1 Peter 4:12-14

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

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Podcast 105, 1st Peter, “Pt 3, Ch 3

Perhaps few verses have been more abused and more misunderstood than those found in Chapter 3 of First Peter. For example,

1st Peter 3:1

Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

Many husbands misinterpret the phrase, “be in subjection to your own husbands” as meaning that the husband has power over the wife. They have simply ignored everything else Peter said as well as other apostles and prophets. This is written to the wives, not to the husbands, but notice the wording, “be in subjection to your own husbands.” It is an admonition against adultery. For one thing he is commanding the wife to only have sexual relations with her husband just as the husbands are commanded to only have sexual relations with their wives. Adultery is condemned in the Ten Commandments. Infidelity and the destruction of the home can bring down not only the home but also a nation.

He is also talking to wives whose faith is stronger than their husbands. “If any obey not the word,” is speaking of the husbands who do not follow the words of Christ. Peter’s advice is that the only way the wife can win her husband to Christ is” by good conversation.” It means, in addition to their language of patience they also win by the language of love taught by the Savior. They are encouraged to be an example to their husbands. Peter is talking about marriage between husband and wife which can only endure through harmony not contention. Peter continues,

1st Peter 3:2

While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

“Chaste conversation” means fidelity to the marriage covenant. “Coupled with fear” means fear of God. “Fear of God” refers to keeping the commandments of God. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were married by God. That is the Christian standard, that husbands and wives love each other, remain faithful to each other and faithful to God. That is the model God established for bringing children into the world. God is teaching the ideal where children have the role model of both father and mother.

We know in our world that the ideal is not always attainable, but that never lessens the importance of the ideal. Though we must often adjust to the circumstances, we must always strive toward the ideal. God is merciful to those single parents who heroically raise their children alone. God never condemns that which is beyond our control.

My second wife, who was abandoned by her first husband at the birth of their seventh child, raised all of her children entirely alone without any child support and limited education. She went on to get her bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees while raising seven children.

My first wife died of cancer. My children were grown, save one. When Linda and I married our families merged, giving us 13 children which grew to 45 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren, and growing. She often speaks of the miracles she experienced when circumstances appeared intolerable.

Peter speaks of the wearing of apparel in a very interesting way. He is really speaking of false pride.

1st Peter 3:3-6

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.

Peter is not attacking expensive clothing. He is addressing priorities. If our rich apparel comes between us and God then it becomes a detriment to our spiritual growth. It becomes a distraction to the more important things of life. To Peter the important things of life are spiritual. “Let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible.” It is the idea of who is master. We cannot serve both God and Mammon. Peter refers to the chaste women of the past who put their trust in God. That is very ancient doctrine. In proverbs we read,

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

The author of Proverbs is King Solomon, perhaps the wealthiest man on earth at that time. Solomon was not condemned for being wealthy neither was Abraham.

Peter is not Politically Correct. He believes in the unity of marriage but acknowledges differences between men and women.

1st Peter 3:7

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

Peter acknowledges that men are physically stronger than women, nothing more. We know where he would stand in allowing men in women’s sports as if they were biologically equal. When he speaks of “knowledge,” he is speaking of scientific knowledge, of biological and natural differences, not intellectual, spiritual, or moral differences. In fact, he acknowledges the perfect equality of men and women before God. He said, “as being heirs together of the grace of life.” Together means perfect equality in heaven as it should be on earth.

The grace of Christ is offered equally to all of us. Salvation is offered equally to all of us. Our standing with God is offered equally in all of us. There is no respecter of persons and no inequality with God. Those who use their physical or circumstantial strength to bully others will answer to God for their misbehavior. The victims on earth will be the conquerors in heaven for Christ will always take the side of the innocent.

Peter admonishes us to be of one mind with our spouses.

1st Peter 3:8-11

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

That is a formula for a perfect marriage and a formula for a perfect and peaceful society. That is what it will be like in the Millennium. The only thing that separates us in the eyes of God is the level of righteousness.

1st Peter 3:12

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

“Them” has no gender. One can hear the words of Christ in the words of Peter.

1st Peter 3:13-17

And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

Peter clearly defines the role of Christ, our Savior.

1st Peter 3:18

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

The entire purpose of Christ was to bring us to God. Christ died for our sins so that we may once again live in the presence of God the Father. John makes it very clear that Both Christ and the Father shall dwell together in heaven. In speaking of Heaven, John said,

Revelation 22:2-5

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Have you ever wondered what heaven is like? Perhaps if would help if you imagined the ideal family life on earth. Paul said,

1st Corinthians 11:11-12

Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.

To God the relationship between husband and wife was meant to be eternal. In the next verse of 1st Peter, Peter says a very puzzling thing.

1st Peter 3:19-20

By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

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Podcast 104, 1st Peter, “Pt 2, Ch 2”

Peter occupies a special place among the apostles. His name was Simon but Christ gave him the name of Cephas which means stone.

John 1:42

And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

The Greek equivalent is Petros, which also means rock or stone. Therefore, he is generally known as Peter. There is another scripture dealing with the name of Peter that is easy to misunderstand. It is a famous scripture.

Matthew 16:13-17

When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Peter was often the first to act and the first to speak. He was the first to get out of the boat and walk on water. Here he is the first to acknowledge Christ as the Son of the living God. Jesus blesses Peter for his answer and then teaches Peter and the other apostles an important doctrine of Christianity. He said, “for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Jesus is speaking of revelation. Only through revelation can anyone know Christ. Paul tells us:

Galatians 1:11-12

But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The following synonyms are given for ‘revelation’: divine communication, inspiration, prophecy, heavenly message, vision, oracle, disclosure of truth, communication, enlightenment, awakening, etc. Some things can only come through revelation. A testimony of Christ is one of those things. Even though Peter was in the presence of Christ, still he only knew that Jesus was the Christ through revelation. Christ is teaching that principle to Peter and to the other Apostles. Christ continues.

Matthew 16:18-20

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

Jesus is playing on the work ‘rock.’ As stated, it was Jesus who gave Peter the name ‘Cephas’ or rock, but Peter is not the rock upon which the church is built. Christ is.

1 Peter 2:1-5

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Christ, not Peter, is the ‘living stone.”

1 Peter 2:6-7

Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

All Christians agree that Christ is the ‘chief corner stone, elect, precious.” Those who believe in Christ, not Peter, ‘shall not be confounded.” It is Christ who is precious. It is Christ who is ‘the stone which the builders disallowed.’ It is Christ, not Peter, who is “made the head of the corner.” It is Christ also who is a ‘stone of stumbling.’

1 Peter 2:8

And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Therefore, when Christ said to Peter, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,” he was not referring to Peter. He was speaking of himself. Christ is the rock, and only through revelation can we know that Christ is the chief corner stone. Christ must always remain the central figure.

That is powerfully emphasized in Peter’s own words.

1 Peter 2:9

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

It was Christ who calls us ‘out of darkness into his marvelous light.’ Also, note the phrase, “But ye are a chosen generation.” That would have been offensive to the Jews for they saw themselves as The Chosen Generation. The title is the same but now it does not refer only to the Jews. It refers only to the followers of Christ whether Jew or Gentile. Another change that would have been very offensive to the Jews is “royal priesthood.” Before only the literal seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob held the royal priesthood. Now it was also to be given to all followers of Christ. Once only Israel was the holy nation. Now only followers of Christ are ‘the holy nation.’ Those who belong to the holy nation are called out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Peter continues.

1 Peter 2:10

Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

In time past they were not the people of God but now they are. Who are the people of God? Once it was only the literal seed of Abraham. Now it is only the followers of Christ regardless of their genealogical tree. That is why they are called a ‘peculiar people.’ Before they had not obtained mercy, but now they had. The mantle of the priesthood has shifted from physical blood line to spiritual blood line, from lineage to faith, from the law of Moses to revelation of Christ.

But to become members of that ‘chosen generation,’ that ‘royal priesthood,’ that ‘peculiar people,’ there is a price to pay. They must become pure.

1 Peter 2: 11-16

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

Gentiles now are defined as those who do not belong to the Church of the Firstborn. Members of Christ’s church are the elect, the chosen ones. They now have a higher law to live than the strict Mosaic law. In the words of Paul,

Ephesians 2:15

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

For example, The Ten Commandments, repeated by Christ, never grow old or wear out or become outdated. They remain firm, but the Sermon on the Mount presented a higher law. The Ten Commandments condemned adultery. The Sermon on the Mount condemned lust, the prelude to adultery. The two great commandments of love the Lord and love our neighbor, superseded the Ten Commandments with the knowledge that if we lived the Royal law, we would naturally live the Ten Commandments or the Law of Liberty.

Peter teaches the higher law.

1 Peter 2:17-21

Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

That requires more than the Mosaic Law required. Rather than an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, it is to ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Which are the harder commandments to obey, The Mosaic Law, or the New Gospel of Jesus Christ?

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Podcast 103, 1st Peter, “Pt 1, Ch 1”

When we think of the four gospels, we naturally think of Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John. When we think of the leadership of the apostles, we naturally think first of Peter and then of James and John, for they were singled out. It was to Peter whom Christ gives the keys of the priesthood.

Matthew 16:18–19

Only Christ can give the keys for only Christ holds the keys.

Revelation 1:18

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Revelation 3:7

These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.

In his opening statement, Peter establishes himself as an apostle of Christ. He is writing his Epistle to the new converts of the church.

1 Peter 1:1

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

Notice the doctrines taught in his opening statement for they are applicable to all Christians:

1 Peter 1:2

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

Elect means ‘chosen’ or ‘picked out.’ The children of Israel were referred to as God’s elect.

Isaiah 41:8

But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

Isaiah 45:4

For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect.

The title of elect has now been transferred to those who become members of Christ’s true church. Peter refers to members of Christ’s church as the elect. Paul also refers to members of Christ’s church as the elect.

Colossians 3:12

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved...

That is a very significant and bold assertion. Peter speaks of making our “calling and election” sure.

2 Peter 1:10

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

It isn’t enough just to be a baptized member of Christ’s church. One must also have one’s calling and election sure. One way to look at that is the principle of “enduring to the end” which is a very common theme in the Holy Bible. In the Book of Revelation, the promises to the Seven Churches were all dependent upon those who endured to the end. The phrase to each church was, “to him that overcometh.”

Peter also speaks of the “foreknowledge of God.” We often attribute the following three attributes to Christ: omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, all powerful, all knowing, and all present. He knows the past, the present, and the future. An attribute of the ‘elect’ is ‘sanctification of the spirit.’

Paul taught,

2 Thessalonians 2:13

God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Sanctification means to be made holy. Synonyms are holiness, consecration, purification, dedication, devotion, spiritual refinement, spiritual cleansing, Godliness. Peter offers two primary conditions of sanctification. First obedience. God cannot sanctify us if we do not strive to obey all of his commandments. To be made holy means to be made free of sin. That, leads to the second criteria: “sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” Only through Christ can we be made holy. Only through Christ can we be purified and cleansed of our sins. It is not a one-time event. Enduring to the end means daily repentance, daily striving, daily prayer. Peter, in his apostolic position, says “Grace unto you,” meaning the grace of Christ which can cleanse us, and “peace, be multiplied,” meaning peace of conscience and soul.

Peter, as an apostle, bears witness of Christ.

1 Peter 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In Peter’s words, it is God the Father who raised Christ from the dead. Now Christ has given us the promise of eternal life with Christ to those elect who endure to the end. Notice the eternal nature of the images above: “lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”; “inheritance incorruptible”; “that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you”; and “kept by the power of God.”

But first, to have our calling and election sure, we must “endure” the trials of mortality.

1 Peter 1:6-7

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Job, the symbol of enduring the trial of his faith, observed.

Job 23:10

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire...

Speaking through Isaiah the Lord said,

Isaiah 48:10

I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

In Malachi we read,

Malachi 3:2-3

But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

As with Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament, Peter also speaks of end-time. That is what he meant when he said, “might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. That refers to the Second Coming of Christ. The apostles lived and communicated with the Savior on a daily basis; however, until the Savior comes again, we must accept him by faith.

1 Peter 1:8

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

It is the end game that we must consider. It is the endgame that makes the trial of our faith worth it.

1 Peter 1:9-12

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

As we read Peter, we need to keep the word “elect” in our minds because it comes with a great price. It is not a passive phrase. One may lose his or her election through disobedience. Peter cautions.

1 Peter 1:13-16

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

“Hope to the end” means to ‘endure to the end.’ To ‘gird up our loins’ means to ‘tighten our belt’ ‘to fortify ourselves against opposition,’ ‘to be resolute.’ To be “sober” is to be of sound mind and sense and judgment. Notice that grace comes at the end, at the final judgment, where we are cleansed from all sin so that we can be with Christ in his kingdom, so that we can be invited to the ‘wedding feast.’ Of the ten virgins, only the five wise were allowed into the wedding feast. The other five were good, but they were unprepared. They didn’t endure. They ran out of oil. We must be holy ‘in all manner of conversation.’ That means in our daily lives, in our business dealings, in our communication with our fellow travelers. We can never let our guard down. That is why we must ‘pass the time of our sojourning here in fear.’ Peter teaches us to pray to the Father. We must pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. That is the order of prayer.

1 Peter 1:17

And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

We are saved by grace but judged for our works. Those who think that works do not matter

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Podcast 102, James, “Pt 5, Ch 5”

Chapter 5 is divided into two parts. Part I, verses 1-6, condemns the rich. Part II, verses 7-20, calls upon the saints to be patient. There is always a subtext. For example, on the one hand, the Lord condemns the rich who get their riches by fraudulent means or who selfishly hoard their riches and withhold their help from the poor. On the other hand, the Lord does not permit the poor or needy to blame others for their own behavior. The Lord insists that we take charge of our own lives, our own behavior.

There is a beautiful scripture in which Christ is called, “The bishop of our souls.”

1 Peter 2:25

For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Bishop means overseer, guardian, superintendent, watcher, protector. Christ is The Good Shepherd and He is “our guardian and protector; however, the sword has two edges. We too must be our soul’s own guardian, superintendent, watcher, and protector. We too must become ‘Bishop of Our Souls.’ One virtue that James suggests is patience. Things do not always go as planned. We must look to Christ.

The rich become an easy target, and we often blame our ills on the rich. Some use government as a thief to steal from the rich and give to the poor, all under the name of charity. Such governments have been given the name of Socialism, Marxism, and Communism; however there are other forms of government that pretend capitalism but lean toward the principle of taking from the rich and giving to the poor: The terms are populism, social democracy, redistribution of wealth, welfare programs, healthcare, land reform, wealth taxes, debt forgiveness, subsidies, relief programs. Only the scale differs.

As stated earlier, there are four forms of freedom.

Freewill, which refers to the spirit of freedom. Freewill is something that governments cannot touch for it deals with one’s inner self, one’s consciousness, one’s desires, one’s immortal intelligence, one’s divinity. Will cannot be created or destroyed. It burns with an eternal flame. The will is set free only through the laws of God. Will cannot be touched by the laws of man. There is a phrase, “to break one’s spirit’ which may suggest the destruction of freewill, but that is misleading. Freewill may be forfeited but it cannot be taken. It is who we are, and it never dies.
Agency, which refers to a rational choice between good and evil, depends upon the enticements of Christ vs the enticements of Satan. Without spiritual opposition there can be no agency. Agency, too, is spiritual. It is of God, not of man.
Freedom, which refers to our ability to live in a fallen world, depends entirely upon natural law. We have freedom only by obeying natural laws. We may have freedom of flight only because we understand the restricting powers of gravity and the other laws of nature that allow us to overpower gravity. Without natural law, we would have no freedom.
Liberty, which rests entirely with government, is usually mistaken for the other three. The laws of God determine freewill, agency, and freedom, for God is the author of both temporal laws and spiritual laws. The laws of man determine liberty.

Three primary laws of heaven are freewill, agency, and freedom, all governed by the laws of God. No government should rob us of freewill, agency, or freedom. Any attempt to do so is of Satan. Christ died to protect our agency, but God allows us to create our own governments. If we choose totalitarianism, Fascism, Socialism, Communism, Czarism, Kings, tyrants, monarch, sovereigns, potentates, supreme ruler, Caesar, Kaiser, dictator, autocrat, emperor, we become our own worst enemy.

The idea that the rich should be forced to support the poor is not of God. If they give to the poor, they must do it of their own freewill. That is the message of James.

James 5:1-6

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

James is not saying that because some rich are wicked, we have the right to steal from them. James is talking directly to the rich. They will be condemned by God if they hoard their wealth. It is not money that is condemned. It is the love of money that is condemned

1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ declares,

Matthew 6:24

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Those who seek wealth to do good do not fall under condemnation, even if they also thoroughly enjoy the rewards of their own wealth. Conscience, not government, should be their guide. Those who steal, whether from the rich or from the poor, violate the commandment of God so clearly stated in the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt not steal.” All thieves must answer to God for their own conscience. The rich should be held accountable only to God, not to man or to government. Being wealthy does not obligate anyone to help the poor. Being Christian does. It was Paul who said,

1 Corinthians 10:29

Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience?

The second half of James 5, though it does not directly address the poor; nevertheless, it addresses all who suffer whether from poverty of wealth or poverty of health or poverty of the good things of the world.

James 5:7-8

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

I love the following counsel found in Malachi.

Malachi 3:13-18

Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

We are not to grudge others for their success. Again, we must be Bishop of our Souls.

James 5:9

Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

Among the principles of the gospel one stands taller than the others, not because in and of itself it is a virtue but because it gurantees that we observe all the other principles of the Gospel.

James 5:10-11

Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Enduring to the end is essential. For that we must develop patience. They are synonymous. “We count them happy which endure.” That is the practical voice of James we hear throughout the Epistle of James.

He counsels us to be precise in our language. We must mean what we say and perform what we promise. We must remain firm in our resolve. We must be Bishop of our Souls.

James 5:12

But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

Again, notice his practical counsel.

James 5:13

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

James believes in the power of prayer. He believes in the power of healing. The ancient elders through their priesthood anointed the sick with holy oil and through their faith they were healed.

James 5:14-15

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

James counsels’ daily repentance and frequent prayer. He believed in the power of prayer.

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Podcast 101, James, “Pt 4, Ch 4”

A writer once said words to the effect, ‘Write not to be understood, but that ye be not misunderstood.’ It is paradoxical but to the point. James was such a writer. Another writer was asked, “What are the three greatest principles of writing? He reportedly answered, “clarity, clarity, clarity.” Again, James is equal to the task. Consider:

James 4:1-3

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Do you ever wonder the source of temptation. A popular comedian made the following common phrase even more popular, “The devil made me do it.” In other words, he blamed everything on the devil as if somehow, the devil, not him, was responsible for his behavior. The devil himself loves such a doctrine. He is perfectly willing to take the blame for our behavior for it keeps us from repenting. However, temptation must have a catalyst. The only reason we have agency, for example, is because we are enticed to do good by Christ and enticed to do evil by Satan. Until Lucifer entered the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were never tempted to eat of the forbidden fruit. One would naturally be tempted to say, “Remove Satan from the earth and all would be well.”

We are told that Satan will be bound for a thousand years. We call it The Millennium. Christians consider it a utopia, paradise, ideal society, heaven on earth. Can one know the good without knowing the evil. Can one know joy without knowing sorrow?

Christianity, perhaps, is the most paradoxical religion on earth for it is filled with attractive opposites. The fall brought about the natural man which introduced lust. The fall also allowed Satan to enter the world which introduced cunning. Satan has many names: the destroyer, the tempter, the adversary, serpent, dragon, the wicked one, liar, enemy, There is a third source of temptation. It is from man himself who adopts the wiles of the devil to deceive others for personal gain. But agency still exists. The three groups above will go to their own place, but we will stand alone at the judgment bar. They will not be there to take the blame. When confronted, Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent, but all three were held equally accountable by God, and each had to pay his or her own price.

Notice that in the above James declared, “come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members.” We can all relate to the internal turmoil that boils within each of us. James points out the futility of giving in to the lusts of the flesh. For clarity, lust does not simply refer to sexual desire. Lust symbolizes burning desire, whatever the object may be: sex, money, power, fame, position, prestige, control, etc.

Wants define themselves for they usually come in attractive packages, but few things can be more important than to define our desire. Desires are not always so transparent. We usually don’t mind confessing our wants, but often, due to hidden and forbidden feelings, we camouflage our desires. We like to dress our desires in respectable clothing for we are ashamed. That is, I think, what James meant when he said, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

James gives us a clear way to define our desires.

James 4:4

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Why would we ask amiss? Perhaps we ask amiss because we are ashamed of our desires. James gives us the key to recognize unrighteous desires, “that we may consume it upon our lusts.” Our motives are not pure. They are selfish. In a way we try to fool God which is impossible. James adds,

James 4:5

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

Envy violates the 10th Commandment.

Exodus 20:17

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

But, as always, when a prophet condemns, through the spirit of the Lord, they offer the remedy.

James 4:6-8

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

James continues,

James 4:9-12

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

Remember what James called The Perfect Law of Liberty:

James 1:25

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

So many see Christianity as restrictive. The entire purpose of Christianity is to make us free. In Jesus’s own words.

John 8:31-32

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

In the preamble to the Ten Commandments, which James calls, “The Law of Liberty” Jehovah states the following:

Exodus 20:1-2

And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Egypt, the house of bondage, is often referred to as the world in the same sense that Babylon is referred to as the world. Christ taught that we should be ‘in the world but not of the world.’ The world offers both a temporal bondage and a spiritual bondage. The Jews were slaves to the Egyptians; however, even when they escaped Egypt they tried to take Egypt with them by adopting their gods. Christ was the only truly free person to ever live on the earth because he obeyed the Father in all things. Satan had no power over Christ. In addition, Christ is eternally free. He is omnipotent and omniscient, and he wants all of us to become like him.

Like Isaiah and like Solomon, James teaches us of the temporal nature of mortality.

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Podcast 100, James, “Pt 3, Ch 3”

In typical hands-on fashion, James looks at the practical side of the new Religion that comes to be known world-wide as Christianity. Christianity is a hands-on religion that translates into everyday life. In Chapter 3, James addresses the issue of language. Even in the early days of a new religion that would change the world, it was known that every spoken language in the world would be affected by Christianity. For example, before ascending into heaven, the resurrected Christ, who now had been given all power by the Father, gave instructions that the eleven remaining disciples should gather in Galilee unto a mountain. Matthew, in the concluding statement of his Gospel, records Jesus’s instructions:.

Matthew 28:19-20

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Christianity was no longer simply a provincial religion. It was destined to take its place among the other great religions of the world. In the above Christ concluded his remarks by saying, “And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” That is an allusion to his Second Coming which will be preceded by a day of wrath for Babylon, or the wicked of the world. The wicked shall all be destroyed before the Millennium begins. Only the righteous, regardless of religion, culture, or language, shall live during the Millennium. During the Millennium everyone shall live in peace, or they shall not live at all.

Some Christians, perhaps, shall be disappointed that God meant it when he said that he was no respecter of persons. He loves all his children. He does not judge others for the laws they do not have. He holds us all accountable only for the laws we have been taught. Christians of all people should understand that principle for only Christians have John 3:16-17. Christ is the only God of this world. The Millennium shall be a day of teaching, not a day of contention. Even among the wild beasts there shall be no enmity. The Millennium is certainly a form of judgment, not between religion and religion but between the righteous and the wicked. Perhaps many shall be disappointed that even atheists who are righteous shall enjoy millennial status. Righteousness is determined not by orthodoxy but by adherence to law. At birth everyone, regardless of race, religion, or culture, has the spirit of Christ which is the spirit of truth, and everyone has the potential to discern between good and evil, right and wrong, moral and immoral. It is referred to as conscience. Some allow conscience to be “seared with a hot iron,” but most know that murder, rape, robbery, adultery, lying, cheating, stealing, brutality, deceit, hate, envy, and slavery, etc. are evil. We call it civilization. Only the civilized shall live during the millennial reign of Christ. All the rest shall be destroyed.

Furthermore, all good religions or philosophies will be represented in the Millennium, but only the righteous of those religions or philosophies will survive the Second Coming of Christ and be allowed to live in the Millennium. A primary goal of God is to protect man’s agency, that he may choose for himself whom he will serve, and it is expected of all earthly governments to do the same. Lucifer was cast out of heaven because he tried to take away man’s agency. And any government that tries to destroy man’s agency is of Satan.

As with the other New Testament writers, James’ message transcends traditions, languages, cultures, and governments. It speaks to the individual, teaching them how to live among men in any language, culture, or religion. Verse 1 of James 3 is provocative.

James 3:1

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

How can a Christian be “many masters?” And why is that offensive to the Lord. James answers the question for us.

James 3:2

For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

Though the counsel applies to everyone, James is directing his words to new converts. We become many masters through language. James said that if we can bridle our tongue, we can bridle the whole body and therefore become the perfect man. Such a simple concept yet with far reaching consequences. How does one offend in word?

Perhaps all, at one time or another, have received an unjust and angry ‘tongue lashing.’ The tongue is often the angry whip with which oppressors berate the underlings. Unfortunately, many people are beaten down by harsh, violent, crude, and threatening language, by unbridled criticism, uncontrolled anger, by curses, by tongue lashings, by foul and indecent language, by verbal abuse, undeserved threats, snide remarks, searing criticism couched in subtle words.

Roaring language is more danger than a bellowing beast. How many can face a roaring lion but fear a loud and lying tongue. Beware of a contentious tongue. In Dante’s Fifth Circle, Dante places the wrathful, those consumed by anger, rage, and hostility, in the River Styx, the boundary between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. The river Styx suggests hatred, abhorrence, and detestation. James, though probably unknowingly, compares an angry tongue to the river Phlegethon, the river of fire, which suggests destructive passion and wrath.

James 3:3-6

Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

It is good to govern a horse with a bit. It is good to govern a ship with a helm, but it is greater to govern one’s own tongue. In war a landmine can shred the body. In peace a contentious tongue can shred the soul.

Notice how the astute James doubles back on his imagery. In his opening statement he said, “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man.” In the above he said, if a man offends in word he “defileth the whole body.” But it is even more far reaching, It sets on fire “the course of nature.” A flaming tongue is like a forest fire that creates its own bellows to fan the flames. Foul words feed anger till it grows hotter and hotter, thus overwhelming the original intent. Rather than a means to an end, it becomes the end itself. Anger begets anger. How many small fires set to burn a contained area soon burn out of control. Such it is with anger fed by the fuel of burning words. A fire out of control does not care what it burns or whom it destroys. It becomes the dragon. How many sit in prison today having done a foul murder because they did not control their fiery tongue? Our freeways have given it a name. It is called ‘road rage.’

Language is often used like a whip to control others, to beat them down into submission. They withhold their fists while they, like Claudio who poured poison into his brother, King Hamlet’s ear, thus killing him. So it is with those who kill the spirit through language. Parents may kill the heart of a child, husbands or wives the tender heart of their spouse, masters may kill the spirit of a servant, keeping them in submission through fear. How many use anger as a chain to keep others in bondage?

James 3:8-9

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

Notice the wisdom of his counsel.

7 LINDA

James 3:10-13

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

7 RON

What greater advice in controlling the tongue can James give us than, “Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom?”

There are three great evils in this world: The Cunning of Satan. The Craftiness of Man. The Natural Man. All are enemies to God. Notice where James places the source of strife.

James 3:14-15

But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

An evil tongue serves all three masters—the craftiness of man, which is earthly; the natural man, which is sensual; and Satan, which is devilish.

An unbridled tongue comes with a host of demons.

James 3:16

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

“Every evil work” is a very broad term. James counsels us to look to God.

James 3:17-18

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

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In the creation story found in Genesis, among the many truths taught by Moses, one truth seems to have slipped through the cracks. It is simply this. We are all children of God, born of the same father, brothers and sisters all, equal in the heart of God. We all have the same earthly father, Adam, and the same earthly mother, Eve. That simply means that we were brothers and sisters in heaven in the spirit and brothers and sisters on earth in the flesh. Let’s review the story of the creation of mankind.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

James understood that universal truth.

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

Christ taught the same principle many times. We think of the widow’s mite. We think of his care for the poor. We think of his emphasis on the one that he captures in the following commandment.

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

James teaches the same principal that the Master taught.

Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?[4]

In fact, James considers this the greatest law of the Gospel. He even gives it a name. He calls it The Royal Law.

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

What then is The Royal Law. We look to the Savior for the answer.

Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

What is better known as the Two Great Commandments, James calls The Royal Law. We have another version of the Royal Law. It is found in the Ten Commandments. For example, notice that Number One of the Royal Law is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Of the Ten Commandments, the first five address the Royal Law or what Christ called The First Great Commandment.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Doesn’t that satisfy the requirement of the First Great Commandment: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” I include the fifth commandment in the First Great Commandment because by honoring our earthly parents we also honor our heavenly parents.

The last five of the Ten Commandments teaches us the Second Great Commandment, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.[8]

Doesn’t the last five commandments show love for our neighbor. In fact, James makes it clear that he considers the Royal Law to include the Ten Commandments. But James does a peculiar thing. He also distinguishes the Ten Commandments, which are part of the Royal Law, by giving them a special name. He calls the Ten Commandments, “The Law of Liberty.”

For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

He calls the Ten Commandments “The Law of Liberty for good reason. Notice Moses preamble to the Ten commandments.

And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

James was a hands-on preacher. He did not have his head in the clouds. He believed in a very practical religion. For example, James teaches that if we want mercy we must show mercy.

For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

Christ first taught that principle using a parable.

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

James lifted his voice in defense of the necessity of works.

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

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Podcast 98 Epistle of James, “Pt 1, Ch 1”

In Christian tradition, James is generally believed to be James the Just, brother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and a leader in the early church. His writings bring a practicality to Christianity. He does not remain in the abstract but envisions a practical religion modeled after the works of the Savior as well as his teachings. Curious beings that we are, we like to know more about the early writers. We want to eulogize them. We want to show them as perfect. We want to put them above the rest of us. James introduces himself merely as a humble servant. Perhaps that is sufficient.

James 1:1

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

His idea is that we should not only listen to what Christ said, but strive to live as Christ lived, a servant of mankind. The following verse summarizes James’ philosophy.

James 2:18

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

He was not without temptation. In fact, he teaches us how to deal with temptation.

James 1:2

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;[3]

He sees temptation as a trial of our faith, as an opportunity to increase in virtue. Among the top virtues is patience.

James 1:3-4

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Paul teaches that patience leads to Hope. Christians often consider Faith, Hope, and Charity to be the highest achievement of man. They are known simply as The Three Theological Virtues. Paul teaches.

Romans 5:3-4

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope.

It was Peter who said:

1 Peter 1:6-7

These teachings came out of enormous suffering, All had witnessed the persecution and death of Jesus Christ. Tradition has it that most of the apostles were killed, some in gruesome ways. It is believed that thousands were murdered because of their faith. John refers to it as a time of “great tribulation.”

Revelation 7:13-14

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.[6]

Words matter. Take, for example, the following words: wisdom, knowledge, information, facts, truth, understanding, awareness, learning, comprehension, insight, perception, erudition, scholarship, etc.

Synonym means “same-name” word. But they aren’t the same. Wisdom is greater than scholarship. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. It implies sound judgment, discernment, discretion, sagacity, sapience, prudence. Both God and Satan have knowledge. Only God has wisdom. James said the following:

James 1:5

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

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Podcast 97 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 12, Ch 12”

Understandably the final chapter in Ecclesiastes is a summing up. Characteristically Solomon boils down everything leaving to the end what is most important. I think we may properly assume that Ecclesiastes was written when King Solomon was old and knew that he was about to die. He gave us many clues. Consider the following statements given early on:

Ecclesiastes 1:14

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 2:4

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:

Ecclesiastes 2:11

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:18

Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

Ecclesiastes 2:23

For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

If the above is not convincing that he is waiting to die, perhaps the opening statement of the final chapter is.

Ecclesiastes 12:1

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Solomon is old. He has lost pleasure in life. He poignantly recognizes the vanity of earthly pleasures. One is reminded of William Wordsworth’s beautiful poem, Ode, Intimations of Immortality.

There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
The earth, and every common sight,
To me did seem
Apparelled in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
It is not now as it hath been of yore;—
Turn wheresoe'er I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

Solomon also laments those lost times.

Ecclesiastes 12:2-6

While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

“Because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets” refers to death. King Solomon continues:

Ecclesiastes 12:7

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Is that not another way of saying, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” Solomon gives his familiar refrain.

Ecclesiastes 12:8

Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

Words often have two values. One is connotative. The other is denotative. The connotative value refers to the emotional overtones, to the feelings the word conveys. The denotative refers to the dictionary definition. It is cold and abstract usually consisting of a name, a class, and a differentia. Without connotation, there would be no poetry; without denotation, there would be no sense. The connotation appeals to the emotions. The denotation appeals to the mind. The word vanity has many connotations, mostly negative as suggested by common synonyms:

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Podcast 96 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 11, Ch 11”

The first verse of Ecclesiastes is such a common axiom in every Christian vocabulary, it is likely that most have forgotten its origin.

Ecclesiastes 11:1

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

What is it that keeps such a phrase alive. We hear it in other ways, “What goes around comes around.” “That which ye sow, so shall ye reap.” “It will come back to bite you.” “Do unto others as ye would have them do unto you.” The variations are, perhaps, multitudinous because everyone who has experienced life knows instinctively that it is true. We live on a spinning planet in a spinning universe. Everything circles something. The moon circles the earth. The earth circles the sun. Our solar system circles the galaxy at about 500,000 miles per hour. One cycle takes from 225 to 250 million years. What does our Milky Way Galaxy galaxy circle and where does it end? The point is everything returns. Consider the water cycle. From evaporation and transpiration to condensation to precipitation, water returns. It is quite possible that we have swallowed the same molecules of water many times, and those same molecules could have been consumed by every other living being since Adam.

Think of it in a broader scale. We are children of God, of noble birthright. We once lived with our Father in heaven and every good Christian’s goal is to return to the presence of God the Father and God the Son. Each of us is a universe. A Jewish proverbs says that if you kill a man, you kill a nation. Regardless of what scientists concoct or atheist’s claim, we all descended from Adam and Eve. We are all brothers and sisters, equal in the eyes of God who is no respecter of persons. That which we do has eternal significance. Sometimes small things have the greatest consequences.

“Cast your bread upon the waters” has great spiritual significance. Christ is the ‘bread of life.’ Bethlehem, where Christ was born, means House of Bread. When we eat the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we take bread to remind us that he gave his body for us. That which is Christ centered will last. If we follow his laws and obey his commandments, after many days, we shall find Christ. In 1st John we read the following:

1 John 3:2

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

We live in a world of uncertainty; therefore, we must rely upon God, creator of all.

Ecclesiastes 11:2-5

Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.

Solomon counsels us to sow our seed. When one sows seed he scatters it broadly, generally in prepared soil, hoping it will grow.

Ecclesiastes 11:6

In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.

Sowing the seed both morning and evening significantly increases probability. We should also take joy in sowing our seed.

Ecclesiastes 11:7

Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:

Of course, plants need sunlight, but Solomon is not talking about merely temporal seeds or temporal light. He is talking about spiritual seeds and spiritual light. In Isaiah we read.

Isaiah 2:5

O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

In typical Antithetical Parallelism, so common in in the Bible, Solomon plays light against darkness.

Ecclesiastes 11:8

But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.

Among other things vanity refers to the temporary nature of things. It refers to putting our trust in things that have no lasting value. That is why we must walk in the light of the Lord. Perhaps that is the primary theme of Ecclesiastes which begins with the famous opening of Ecclesiastes:

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Podcast 95 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 10, Ch 10”

One of the things that makes Ecclesiastes so interesting is that King Solomon, also known as The Preacher, is speaking from vast knowledge and experience as a political and spiritual leader. Perhaps everyone would agree that King Solomon is larger than life: the wealthiest man, the most powerful man, the wisest man, the most famous man, the greatest king, but not without faults. He speaks from experience. His great name is synonymous with wisdom; therefore, he speaks much of the importance of wisdom. Notice he is not talking about intelligence which is so praised today. He is talking about understanding with the heart not just the mind. Cleverness is abundant, but wisdom is rare. Cleverness is often camouflaged as wisdom. Its synonyms are bright, intelligent, brilliant, smart, etc. Such virtues have hurled many into stardom, success, wealth, fame, and power only to see them fall because they lacked wisdom. The graveyard of history is cluttered with clever people who brought about their own destruction as well as the destruction of others. As Solomon said,

Ecclesiastes 10:1

Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.

A clever person, without wisdom, may become a fool.

Ecclesiastes 10:2-3

A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left. Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

Cleverness camouflages foolishness and pulls many under its spell. Time always lifts the curtain and reveals the fool; sometimes, however, it is too late. The damage is done and one has allowed a fool to make a fool of himself. That is a common story of life. It takes wisdom to recognize a fool before one falls into his own trap. King Solomon warns us against fools.

Ecclesiastes 10:4-8

If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place. I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

How many have fallen for Ponzi schemes or pyramid schemes. I am in my eighties. In my lifetime I have never seen so many clever schemes set out to defraud us of our money. AI, the internet, social media, texting, etc. have introduced a new level of fraud, so exquisitely camouflaged that it appears legitimate. All of them have been based on fear and threats. What was once called “surfing the internet” has now bred a new breed—a breed of trollers whose dangling and jagged hooks are set to snag the unwary and relieve them of their freedom and their fortune.

Perhaps Solomon saw our day.

Ecclesiastes 10:9-11

Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.

Ultimately the fool is revealed, but not always before he has destroyed a lot of lives.

Ecclesiastes 10:12-13

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

I like the phrase “mischievous madness.” That well describes our day. Solomon is not just telling us to be wise. He is telling us that we must discern between the wiseman and the fool. The following is one earmark of a fool.

Ecclesiastes 10:14-15

A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him? The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

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Podcast 94 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 9, Ch 9”

To King Solomon the world is a precarious place. The world is not fair. The world is not equitable. The world does not discriminate. That theme appears to dominate Chapter 9. Perhaps Solomon’s most often quoted words, found in Ecclesiastes 9, are “Time and chance happeneth to them all.” It is proverbial. It is provocative. It is true to life. We live in a world governed by time and chance. We must come to terms with coincidence. Coincidence is one of the greatest stumbling blocks to Christianity for the simple reason that every miracle can be attributed to chance. It is an argument that is irrefutable. All miracles begin with faith. All miracles are only recognized through faith. Faith precedes the miracle. Faith in Christ brings about the miracle. And faith in Christ sustains our belief that a miracle occurred.

There is a logical fallacy logicians call ‘post hoc ergo propter hoc’ which means ‘after the fact therefore because of the fact. The argument is that just because an event precedes the effect, the event did not cause the effect. It is a necessary precaution because it prevents us from ‘jumping to conclusions.’ On the other hand, it is a double edged sword. Skepticism may cause us to deny the miracle. For example, the skeptic would say, just because you prayed doesn’t mean that God brought about a miracle. They may argue that prayer and the miracle were merely coincidental.

Atheists insist that creation is accidental, that all things, even the creation of man, came about through coincidence, accident. The philosopher Bertrand Russell said, “Man is nothing but an accidental collocation of atoms.”

Christians cannot prove that God created the world. It is an act of faith.

Another reality is that wicked people prosper in a wicked world. If one equates success by the accumulation of wealth, then the wicked are probably more likely to be considered some of the most successful. Still Solomon declares that the righteous are in the hands of God.

Ecclesiastes 9:1

For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.

Notice how deceitful the eyes can be, “No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.” To see the hand of God, one must use a different standard of judgment. One must have faith. We live in a complicated world which prompted the following very discouraging observation.

Ecclesiastes 9:2

All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

That is why faith is required to see the hand of God. Faith is required to even see the hand of the devil for if the devil is not real then neither is God. Malachi understood that. He understood that logic has its limitations in discerning divine truth.

Malachi 3:13-18

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Podcast 93 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 8, Ch 8”

Solomon’s gift was to plumb the depth of things. He did not allow all the distractions of his kingdom to keep him from a contemplative life.

Ecclesiastes 8:1

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

What does it mean “to know the interpretation of a thing”? For one thing it suggests that there is meaning to life, there is purpose, there is design, there is more than meets the eye. How does wisdom make one’s face shine? The answer is simple: It is the light of Christ. It is Christ who gives meaning to life, who makes life worthwhile, who makes life eternal, who enlightens the mind, the body, and the spirit. There are temporal things and there are spiritual things; there are mortal things and there are immortal things; there is the body and there is the soul. Solomon acknowledges the existence of the soul. That is why “his face shall be changed.” There is more to life than ‘eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.’

Ecclesiastes 8:2-4

I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

Let’s assume that what king Solomon is referring to is actually the law of the land. He is warning against a lawless society. “Stand not in an evil thing” refers to the criminal element that would thumb their nose at the law. A criminal “doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.” Society cannot survive a lawless world. “Where the word of a king is, there is power.” There is power in law and order, and the king, of course, symbolizes law and order.

Because we have a physical body and an immortal spirit, we are complex beings, yet we must live together in harmony. Given the complexity of our dual citizenship, let me present four conflicts that are inherent in each of us. By dual citizenship, I mean the citizenship our spirit has with our God vs the citizenship our mortal body has with our government. In the. above Solomon addressed our citizenship with our government. Solomon is a king and he expects to be obeyed.

We have four conflicting elements that make up our being. We have freewill, agency, freedom, and liberty. All are based on law, but different kinds of Law.

· Freewill depends upon the spiritual Laws of God.

· Agency depends upon our ability to choose good or evil.

· Freedom depends upon the Laws of Nature or Temporal Laws of God.

· Liberty depends upon the Laws of man.

There are always forces in a fallen world that seek to destroy freewill, agency, freedom, and liberty. Sometimes the king is the enemy, especially if he is a wicked king. The source of freewill is God. Will, or intelligence, self-exist or we have no freedom. We would be automatons acting under the forces of nature. Nothing earthly can give us freewill. We brought it with us when we came to earth. Nothing less than divine law can give us freewill. Freewill is what makes us unique, nonpareil. Our intelligence or consciousness is who we are and determines what we become. Agency, on the other hand, depends entirely upon the absolute existence of good and evil. That is why we have divine law. The two masterful laws are the Law of Justice and the Law of Mercy. All the laws of God are designed to give us agency. Agency is the ability to choose between good and evil. If we choose good we reap the benefits of divine law, called the law of justice. If we choose evil, we reap the punishment of divine law, also called the law of justice. The law of justice is why we have freewill. The law of mercy is why we have agency.

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Podcast 92 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 7, Ch 7”

Prophets often turn things upside down. King Solomon is an empire builder. He governs twelve great nations. He has power, wealth, fame, prestige, and wisdom, but he is also given to the contemplative life. Notice the startling statement in verse 1.

Ecclesiastes 7:1

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

“A good name is better than a precious ointment” reminds me of a line from Shakespeare’s Othello.

Othello, Act 3, Scene 3

“Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls:
Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing;
’Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.”

The line is spoken by Iago, a villain of the first order, yet that doesn’t make the concept less true. But why does Solomon say that “the day of death is more precious than the day of one’s birth?” Is it because with birth comes uncertainty and trials. In Job we read:

Job 5:7

“Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.”

Of course, we know the story of Job, the wealthiest and most powerful man in the region round about. In a short time, he lost his animals, his power, his position, his wealth, his health, and his children. Next to Christ, Job has become the symbol of endurance, of patient suffering, of inequity, of the power of Satan, and of faith. That makes his statement profoundly meaningful. As Mark Twain quipped, “sparks must fly upward,” suggesting that trouble is unavoidable. Is that why the day of death is more precious than the day of one’s birth, or is Solomon aiming at a higher purpose? Death symbolizes, not only the end of life, but the end of our probation. We were sent to earth by God, our creator, to prove ourselves. After earth comes the judgment, and the judgment determines how we spend eternity. Repeatedly Solomon speaks of the vanity of earthly things. His eye was always on eternity.

Solomon finds virtue in the house of mourning

Ecclesiastes 7: 2-3

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

We have the following senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, smell. But we also have feelings. We have a heart. We have a mind. We have a spirit. We have the Holy Ghost. We have faith, etc. Solomon subordinates the five senses to the higher senses.

Ecclesiastes 7:4-9

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity. Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart. Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

“Better is the end of the thing than the beginning thereof” is another way of saying, “the day of death is more precious than the day of one’s birth.” What is his message? It is clear. We should dedicate our lives to making death the greatest day of our life. In other words, we must not have the ‘heart of a fool.’ Solomon naturally goes to the importance of wisdom.

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Podcast 91 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 6, Ch 6”

It is very common in scriptures for the prophet to make a sweeping statement in the beginning upon which the rest of the chapter follows, giving specific detail explaining its meaning. It moves from general to specific. In English we call it a thesis statement, a purpose statement, or topic sentence. In other words, the prophet raises a question and then answers it thoroughly. Notice the first verse of Ecclesiastes 6:

Ecclesiastes 6:1

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

Now we may expect King Solomon to expound or answer his own question: What is that evil common to man? His object, of course, is to persuade us to avoid that evil; otherwise, our lives, regardless of how outwardly successful we may appear to be, will be in vain. Consistently Solomon has the eternal perspective in mind. The key words in Chapter 6 are good vs evil. The first two verses speak of evil. In verse one he said, “There is an evil…under the sun.” It is set apart by the fact that the evil is ‘common among men.’

Ecclesiastes 6:2

A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

First of all, Solomon acknowledges that all good things come from God, but it is what we do with those good things that matter. When Solomon said, “God giveth him not power to eat thereof’ he is saying that God does not create a glutton, which, as all Christians know, is considered one of the seven deadly sins. Why then is it vanity? Why is it an evil disease? It is evil because he does not use the wealth God gave him to do good. He hoards it. Christ addressed the same issue.

Luke 12:15-21

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Part of the genius of the grammar of scripture is both its concreteness and its economy. Real life becomes a parable, a type, a model for us all to strive for or to guard against. Consider the following example given by Solomon.

Ecclesiastes 6:3

If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

Though Solomon may well have had a hundred children, it is not the common lot of man. But hyperbole serves his purpose. And he appears to be saying that it is better not to have been born than to not fill our lives with good. Again, Solomon has his eyes on eternity. The vanity and vexation he speaks of is of the temporal or mortal world only. Again, we rely upon the words of the Savior.

Mark 8:36

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

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Podcast 90 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 5, Ch 5”

Consider verse 1 of Chapter 5 of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 5:1

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

The ‘house of God’ refers to the temple, the long awaited sanctuary which Solomon built from the materials collected by his father David. To understand the temple, it is helpful to look at the dedicatory prayer by Solomon upon its completion. It is rather lengthy, so I shall only use part of it.

1 Kings 8:13

I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.

David said,

Psalm 93:5

Holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever.

The Holy Temple is a place of covenants.

1 Kings 8:21

And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

The Holy Temple is filled with the ‘glory of the Lord.’

1 Kings 8:11

So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord, who is ever watchful.

It is truly the House of the Lord and contains his name.

1 Kings 8:29

That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.

It is a house of prayer.

1 Kings 8:30

And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.

1 Kings 8:38-39

What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)

It is a house of learning, a house of miracles and a house of direct communication with the Lord.

1 Kings 8:35-36

When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them: Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.

Solomon teaches us how to pray.

Ecclesiastes 5:2-3

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.

In the Sermon on the Mount Christ clarifies what Solomon said. It is not the length of prayer, which in private. A prayer may be as long or as short as one desires. It is the sincerity of the prayer that matters,

Matthew 6:7

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

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Podcast 89 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 4, Ch 4”

When we consider the range of King Solomon’s meditations, we find a man of compassion. He is a king, the wisest in the world. He has wealth, power, position, fame, luxury, and all the things the world can provide, yet he considers the plight of the least.

Ecclesiastes 4:1

So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

Consider the following bleak statement from the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes in his work Leviathan.

“Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of warre, where every man is enemy to every man; the same is consequent to the time, wherein men live without other security, than what their own strength, and their own invention shall furnish them withal. In such condition, there is no place for Industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no Culture of the Earth; no Navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by Sea; no commodious Building; no Instruments of moving, and removing, such things as require much force; no Knowledge of the face of the Earth; no account of Time; no Arts; no Letters; no Society; and which is worst of all, continual feare, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short.”

Are the following words of King Solomon less bleak?

Ecclesiastes 4:2-3

Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

What does a man born in a palace raised from his birth to be a king, highly favored of the Lord, surrounded by servants, know about the suffering of the poor? Yet Solomon considers the plight of all.

Ecclesiastes 4:4-5

Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit. The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.

Envy is considered one of the seven deadly sins. Consider the words of Paul.

Galatians 5:19-21

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like…

Solomon prefers the meditative life.

Ecclesiastes 4:6

Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.

One could easily answer the king of wealth— ‘That is all well and good but how am I going to feed my family?’ But that isn’t what Solomon is saying. He isn’t asking us to ignore our responsibilities. He is asking us never to lose perspective. In his position of responsibility, he would be pulled in a thousand directions daily and the distractions of his time manifold. Still he advices “Better is an handful of quietness, than both the hands full of travail and vexation of spirit.” He appears to be saying that the greater the responsibility the greater the necessity for moments of quietness. He is asking us to separate that which is temporary from that which is eternal. Bodily labor is temporary. The soul is eternal.

Ecclesiastes 4:7-8

Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.

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Podcast 88 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 3, Ch 3”

There is a philosophical edge to Ecclesiastes which suggests that King Solomon, with all of his power, glory, and empire building, took time out from his responsibilities as King and pondered the meaning of life. He was introspective. Verses 1-8 of Ecclesiastes 3 became a popular song, modified by Pete Deeger in the late 1950s but popularized by The Byrds in 1965. That merely reaffirms its relevance for all time. In all appearances Ecclesiastes was written in the latter part of King Solomon’s life for he is looking back, pondering what really matters and what doesn’t. Surely Solomon’s life was one of the richest of all men. It is made even more poignant by the historical fact that he is the last king of a united Israel. After Solomon’s death the tribes split into the northern ten tribes who choose their own King, Jeroboam I, and the two southern tribes who follow Rehoboam, Solomon’s Son. Rather than expand their territory, they fight each other. Sadly, their leaders become their worst enemies by leading them into idol worship; the temple is destroyed twice, and all tribes become scattered throughout the earth, not before giving us the Holy Bible and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Their history is our history. There is a spiritual kinship that has dominated the world stage for millennia. As with so many millions of Christians and Jews, I begin every day studying the words of the ancient prophets. They shape my life, my thinking, and my philosophy as if they were still alive.

Let’s first examine perhaps the most oft quoted words of Solomon.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-9

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

If you can read that without thinking ‘turn turn turn’ then you are not a child of the sixties as I am. There is something about the simple phrase, “To everything there is a season.” In my happy childhood, I knew the season of plums, peaches, pears, black walnuts, hickory nuts, strawberries, black berries, dewberries, maypops, watermelons, and muscadines. I spent hours sitting in ‘muscadine trees’ in early fall eating muscadines. In black walnut season, my hands were always stained black from tearing open the outer shell to crack the harder shell and harvest the delicious nut. Happy is the person who understands the meaning of season.

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Podcast 87 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 2”

Every great writer finds his voice. If he does not find his voice, he shall never be a great writer. King Solomon found his voice. Who but Solomon could have written Ecclesiastes. The word Ecclesiastes comes from the Greek meaning “one who addresses an assembly” or “preacher,” hence the title of the Book. He is reflecting upon his life.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-3

I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

Notice the choices: mirth, pleasure, laughter, wine. Eventually they don’t satisfy. They all come to the same meaningless end. Solomon, however, also acquainted “his heart with wisdom.” As we know that was a special gift from God.

He uses terms such as ‘vanity,’ ‘folly,’ and ‘vexation of spirit.’ It isn’t that laughter is bad. It is that seeking pleasure “all the days of their life” is empty, unfulfilling. The same with giving himself to wine. In time seeking things of the body rather than the mind or spirit turns to folly. Spending one’s life in seeking pleasure is vanity. It is fleeting. It has no staying power. But Solomon was given a gift above all other men. He was given wisdom. The following is recorded in 1 Kings.

1 Kings 3:9-12

Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

Ecclesiastes was clearly written in the latter part of his life for he is looking back over his life. He has accumulated great wealth.

Ecclesiastes 2:4-10

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

But even that turned to vanity.

Ecclesiastes 2:11

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

It is an ironic use of the word’ profit’ since he is perhaps the wealthiest man in the world. Ecclesiastes is a cautionary tale. King Solomon is giving us a warning. He is asking us to decide what really matters in life. Are we chasing chimeras?

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Podcast 86 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 1”

King Solomon, son of David, the last king of a united Israel, is known for his wisdom. Also famous for building King Soloman’s temple, he is the author of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Songs of Solomon. Thank you for joining Linda and me as we discuss Ecclesiastes, an incredibly rich book from the mind and heart of one of the Lord’s anointed Kings who helped shaped the world.

Ecclesiastes 1:1

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

Ecclesiastes is written as if King Solomon is an old man looking back on his life, perhaps with some regret for his life has been far from perfect. Solomon inherited an empire built largely by his father, the warrior king David, who also collected the materials for the temple. Tragedy followed the first king, Saul, then David, and then Solomon, fulfilling the prophesy of Samuel that a curse would be on Israel if they selected kings over judges.

1 Samuel 8:11-18

And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.

That is exactly what happened, particularly under King Solomon. In fact, the twelve tribes split after the Death of King Solomon because Rehoboam (about 931 BC), Solomon’s son who replaced his father, would not reduce the taxes. The ten northern tribes, consisting of Reuben, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Ephraim & Manasseh, followed Jeroboam 1, and the southern tribes followed Rehoboam. The southern tribes consisted of Judah and Benjamin and the greater part of the tribe of Levi who exercised the priesthood. Samaria became the capital of the northern tribes, also referred to as Ephraim or Israel. Jerusalem remained the capital of the southern tribes, also referred to as Judah. The tribes became enemies and often tried to destroy each other. That split led to their total downfall. First the Northern tribes became scattered and lost to the world after being conquered by the Assyrians; next the southern tribes became scattered throughout the world after being captured by the Romans. The nation of Israel was lost.

Fortunately, we have many of the words of both David, the Psalmist, and Solomon, the Preacher. Some of King Solomon’s most famous lines are,

Ecclesiastes 1:2

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

Think about King Solomon, perhaps the richest man on earth, summing up his life in such a simple word as ‘vanity.’ He captures the concept of vanity so beautifully.

Ecclesiastes 1:3-4

What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

Of all the doctrines of King Solomon, perhaps none is greater than his observation above, “The earth abideth forever.” He anticipates John the Revelator by a thousand years.

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Podcast 85 Story if Elisha, “Pt 11”

Miracles, by their nature, are strange things, for they often appear to deny nature or probability or common sense. Furthermore, often miracles, no matter how spectacular they appear, can often be explained away by ordinary things. For example, everyone witnessed that the Syrian army left in a great hurry, but not everyone attributed it to the Lord. They undoubtedly came up with their own comfortable explanation.

2 Kings 7:18-20

And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria: And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.

If you recall, previously Elisha told the messenger that the price of food would drop but that the messenger would not be able to eat. The prophecy was fulfilled because the messenger was trampled by starving people rushing to get the food.

One of the last recorded acts of Elisha is rather peculiar. Here is the background.

2 Kings 8:7-8

And Elisha came to Damascus; and Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

Hazael, apparently a high ranking official, does as the King Ben-hadad commanded.

2 Kings 8:9

So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-hadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

Elisha’s answer is very peculiar.

2 Kings 8:10

And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die.

What appears to be a lie, isn’t. The king does not die from his illness. He survives his illness but dies from assassination. Elisha merely predicted the future. He begins to weep, not for the king but for Israel.

2 Kings 8:11-12

And he settled his countenance steadfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept. And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.

The next scene positively appears to be the inspiration for the Story of Shakespeare’s MacBeth. Elisha prophesies that Hazael shall become king

2 Kings 8:13

And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.

Hazael first delivers his message to the king and then smoothers Ben-hadad, king of Syria.

2 Kings 8:14-15

So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover. And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.

Elijah is remembered more for his departure than for the miracles he performed which were spectacular. He was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire.

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Podcast 84 Story if Elisha, “Pt 10”

Modern readers are often shocked when reading ancient texts. For one thing they are shocked at how little human life is regarded. For another they are shocked at the brutality. and for another they are shocked at the extremes people are willing to go to survive. Some Old Testament stories reveal that extremism. The following miracle of Elisha is peculiar from start to finish.

2 Kings 6:34-35

And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.

The approximate year of the above is 852 BC -841 BC. Samaria is the capital of Israel or Ephraim. The siege of the Syrians is causing the famine.

The costs quoted above are astronomical. Eighty pieces of silver is $600 or more, meaning most were starving. The food listed could hardly be more undesirable which adds to the seriousness of the famine.

But nothing could be more heartbreaking than the following story. It is simply unimaginable.

2 Kings 6:26-29

And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. And he said, If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son tomorrow. So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.

The king is not shocked by the infanticide and cannibalism of the heartless mothers, nor does his anger turn against the true enemy, Syria. Neither does he turn toward the Lord for the things that are happening to his own country are because his wickedness. Rather than repent, wearing sackcloth and ashes before God and seeking the Lord’s prophet for help, Jehoram, King of Israel, immediately wants to murder Elisha, the one Man of God who could save him. That shows his own depravity.

2 Kings 6:30-31

And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh. Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

The prophet Elisha, like his mentor Elijah, is unmoved by the King’s threats.

2 Kings 6:32-33

But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him? And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer?

Notice that Elisha refers to Jehoram as the “son of a murder.” Jehoram’s father was Ahab, an idol worshiper and mass murderer for he murdered the prophets. His wife, and mother of Jehoram, was Jezebel, a Phoenician Princess and Idol worshiper. Both came to an early and violent death. Jezebel was thrown out of a window, her body eaten by dogs.

Elisha’s answer to the messenger contains both the promise of a miracle and the forecast of the messenger’s own death.

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Podcast 82 Story if Elisha, “Pt 8”

First, we learn something about the group called the Sons of the Prophets.

2 Kings 6: 1-3

And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.

Though they may be given prophecies, they are students of the prophets. They recognized Elisha as the chosen prophet of God as they recognized Elijah as the chosen prophet of God.

They are devotees. It is more like a seminary. Undoubtedly they preach the words of the true prophets because Elisha willingly moves to a better location so that they can be with him. As we have learned from Isaiah, Elijah, and Elisha, prophets are called only by inspiration, revelation, and authority of God. They do not go to school to learn the prophetic trade. We know however, that they may receive revelation. Consider, for example, the following. Before Elijah is miraculously taken up into heaven, the Sons of the Prophets say to Elisha.

2 Kings 2:3

And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

The Sons of the Prophets, though they received a revelation, subordinated themselves to Elisha who has especially been appointed by Elijah to follow in his footsteps. But as you recall, even then, it is dependent entirely upon Elisha’s faith.

Elisha agrees to change locations so there will be room for the Sons of the Prophets. He accompanies them.

2 Kings 6:4

So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.

Elisha is noted for the many miracles he performed. One of the oddest, perhaps, is the story of the iron axe head.

2 Kings 6:5-7

But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

Did the miracle violate the laws of nature? As I write this, four astronauts just returned to earth after circling the moon. In circling the moon, they travelled into space farther than any other humans. Was that a miracle, for it had never been done before? Did they violate the laws of nature? To me it was a miracle, but no! They did not violate the laws of nature such as the law of gravity. The scientists who engineered the journey understood the laws of nature. They understood the dynamics of higher laws. Gravity is as secure as it has ever been, yet it seems to have been defied a with the axe head. The difference between a scientific experiment such as circling the moon and a miracle such as levitating the head of an iron axe is simply this. We understand the laws organized by the men and women of Nasa. We do not understand the laws organized by God to make the head of the axe float. But what is the greater miracle, circling the moon? or making an ax head float? Many perhaps would say, ‘circling the moon.’

Miracles may be defined as unexplained phenomena whose laws are unknown to man but not to God.

God, the creator of the universe, works by law. He never violates law or he would cease to be God.

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Podcast 83 Story if Elisha, “Pt 9”

The prophet Elijah, who had the courage of a lion, was perhaps more flamboyant and dramatic than his protégé Elisha, but the miracles of Elisha, which often parallelled the miracles of his mentor Elijah, outnumbered the miracles of Elijah.

Among Elisha’s miracles, which also paralleled some of the miracles of Jesus, are the following.

· He saw Elijah being taken to heaven in a chariot of fire.

· The mantle of Elijah fell upon Elisha giving him a double portion.

· He multiplied the widow’s oil.

· He raised the Shumammite’s son from the dead.

· He healed the poison stew

· He fed 100 men from a few loaves of bread and ears of corn.

But one miracle of Elisha appears to stand out, perhaps because its message is so astonishing. The following line is frequently quoted for that miracle gives courage to the faithful who sometimes seem overwhelmed by the trials of life.

2 Kings 6:16

And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

A peculiar set of circumstances brings about the miracle. Syria was coming against Israel to battle. History doesn’t record exact numbers of each army, but the following scripture certainly puts it is perspective.

1 Kings 20:26-27

And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.

The miracle is recorded in some detail in 2 Kings 6.

2 Kings 6: 8-10

Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.

A prophet certainly comes in handy during time of war. It really irritated the king of Syria that his subterfuge was discovered. Not understanding prophecy, he thinks he has been betrayed by his own men.

2 Kings 6:11

Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?

A servant of the King knows about the prophet Elisha.

2 Kings 6:12

And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

The ignorant king commits the folly of thinking that he can simply kill Elisha.

2 Kings 6:13-14

And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

Such a large army to kill one man. The rest of the story is of such a nature that once read it cannot be forgotten.

2 Kings 6:15-16

And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

And there, of course, we have those strange words. Elisha and his servant are merely two unarmed men, yet a host of the king’s army has come to kill him.

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Podcast 81, Story if Elisha, “Pt 7”

In the previous podcast we discussed the Story of the miracle of the healing of Naaman, the Captain of the Syrian army. In this podcast we complete that story.

We learn another great lesson from the healing of Naaman. Consistent with other miracles, something is required of the person receiving the miracle. There is a law irrevocable with God that faith must precede the miracle. Without faith there can be no miracles performed. Remember the following incident in the life of the Savior himself.

Matthew 13:53-58

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Naaman appears at Elisha’s door, but Elisha doesn’t see the Captain of the Kings army himself. As a test of his faith, he sends a messenger. In context, we must remember the high station of Naaman. He is used to commanding respect. It must have been hard for him to be slighted. He didn’t expect to see a messenger. He expected to meet a prophet. Furthermore, he is very annoyed at the impertinent message.

2 Kings 5:9-11

So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

Now notice the logic of Naaman who does not know the ways of the true God.

2 Kings 5:12

Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

The Israelites were a conquered people, partially brought about by Naaman’s own skills as a Captain. You can see why Elisah did not go himself. Why he sent a messenger. Before being healed. Naaman had to be humbled. He was proud. He had no respect for Israel, for Israel’s prophet, or Israel’s God. He was used to giving commands not taking them, especially from the enemy. Elisha is so much like his mentor Elijah.

Naaman’s own servants come to his rescue. They speak with much greater wisdom than the proud Captain displayed.

2 Kings 5:13

And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

Namaan is calmed from his rage. One cannot help but think that the spirit of the Lord was with his servants, for with their voice came peace. One is reminded of the proverb, ‘A soft word turneth away wrath.’

Because of his humility and obedience to a prophet’s voice, Naaman is healed.

2 Kings 5:14

Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

More than being healed from leprosy happened to the humbled captain that day. He is converted to the God of Israel. What became of that we will never know, but he was a man of great authority under the king.

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Podcast 80, Story if Elisha, “Pt 6”

To study Elijah and Elisha is to study miracles. Their lives are defined by miracles. Remember Elisha asked for a double portion when requesting the mantle of Elijah. It may appear ironically significant that of the recorded miracles, Elisha performs twice as many as Elijah. Some Biblical scholars interpret that to mean his double portion. But one thing that is commendable in both prophets is that neither sought personal gain from their miracles. They were devoted, sincere, and true prophets of God who put their lives at risk and who lived very ascetic lives, sacrificing their comfort and security rather than seeking wealth and power.

Perhaps nothing destroys religious devotion more than priestcraft. In fact, it could be said that nothing could put people in slavery faster than priestcraft. AI gave me the following definition of priestcraft: “Religion used as a tool of personal power rather than humble service to God and others.” In related terms it gave, ‘religious corruption,’ clerical abuse of power,’ spiritual exploitation,’ and false shepherding.’ I continue with the definition, “Manipulating doctrine or ritual to maintain influence over the people; claiming special spiritual authority (e.g., exclusive access to God, revelation, or forgiveness) for personal advantage; exploiting fear, superstition, or ignorance to secure obedience or material gain.”

In the following miracle, Elisha condemns priestcraft which was practiced by Gehazi, his own faithful servant, through using Elisha’s miracle of healing for personal gain. It is the famous story of Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, who contracted leprosy.

2 Kings 5:1

Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

The Syrians, also called Aram, the people known as Arameans, were enemies to Israel. A young Israelite girl was taken captive in one of the raids. She becomes a servant to Naaman’s wife. She tells her mistress about Elisha the prophet who can perform miracles.

2 Kings 5:2-3

And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.

Naaman was informed of Elisha. The king of Syria himself commanded Naaman go and the king promised to send a letter to the king of Israel. With that letter he sends a fortune of gold and raiment.

2 Kings 5:4-5

And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

We can see the value and regard the king of Syria held for Naaman, the captain of his army. And in a strange way we see the faith the king of Syria, declared enemy to the Israelites, held for the God of Israel. The Syrians were polytheistic, worshiping many gods. The chief god of Syria was Rimmon.

Idols have specific qualities and powers. That partly answers why there are so many. Think, for example of the Greek gods. India, whose primary god is Braman has thousands of gods. While in India, Linda and I regularly visited KGF. Nearby was a field of idols called the Kotilingeshwara Temple, a huge temple complex dedicated to Shiva. It has thousands of small stone idols called lingas, symbols of Shiva. One colossal bull, which dominates the Kotilingeshwara Temple, is several stories high.

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Podcast 79, Story if Elisha, “Pt 5”

It is no coincidence that the miracles of God’s true prophets parallel those miracles that will be performed by Christ when he comes to the earth. They are meant to be interpreted that way for it is by the power of Christ that they are performed. It was a common belief among the Jews that miracles could only come from God.

John 3:2

The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Christ was often referred to as Rabbi, which merely meant great teacher. It was not originally an ordained priesthood office until after the diaspora. Elisha, like his mentor Elijah, is defined by his many miracles.

2 Kings 4:38-41

And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

Faith always comes before the miracle. In the above story, the pot is filled with poison which would bring death. Think of the faith it took for the sons of the prophets to trust in the word of Elisha. Think of the faith required of Elisha that the poison would be ameliorated by the meal. How many times did Christ say, “Thy faith hath made the whole.” The apostles didn’t ask Christ to increase their miracles. They asked Christ to strengthen their faith.

Luke 17:5

And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

In a heartwarming story, the Savior tests the faith of the Woman of Canaan, a gentile who had extraordinary faith in Christ.

Matthew 15:22-27

And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.

To some perhaps the Savior’s language seems harsh, but he is testing her faith and teaching his apostles a lesson. When Christ leaves he sends the Apostles to teach the gospel among the gentiles. The woman of Canaan’s answer is priceless and for her faith she receives exactly what she asked for.

Matthew 15:28

Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Can anyone doubt that she became one of the first gentile Christians?

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Podcast 78, Story if Elisha, “Pt 4”

The miracles performed by Elisha continue. Again, let’s consider the circumstances of the next miracle.

2 Kings 4:8-11

The term ‘greatness’ could refer to wealth or standing in the community. Certainly, she had great faith in God and in his prophets. She modified her home so that Elisha could abide there when he passed through. This touched Elisha greatly.

2 Kings 4:12-13

And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.

Elisha is not satisfied with her answer, so he asked his servant.

2 Kings 4:14-15

And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.

The Shunammite woman did not ask for a miracle. She required nothing of Elisha, but from the goodness of her heart she offered him food, a bed, and shelter to aid him in his travels. Because of that act, Elisha gave her the greatest desire of her heart, which she was too astonished to believe.

2 Kings 4:16-17

And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

The act of the Shunammite woman is an object lesson to us all. Acts of kindness, without any expectation of reward, may often bring unexpected rewards. But, of course, it goes beyond that. We are all promised eternal rewards in heaven. All acts are before God all the time, and no act of kindness, as with the fall of the sparrow, goes unnoticed with the Lord. One can only imagine the thrill and joy the once childless woman felt only to have her joy shattered by the boy’s untimely death.

2 Kings 4:18-20

And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.

One can only imagine the horror the mother felt to miraculously be given a son only to have him taken from her. Of course, we cannot overlook the allusion to the miraculous birth of Christ and the grief of his mother Mary. We are meant to see the analogy. The comparison does not end with the boy’s death.

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Podcast 77, Story if Elisha, “Pt 3”

One quickly sees a parallel between the miracles of Elijah and the miracles of Elisha.

2 Kings 4:1

Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

These were very harsh times that the widow lost not only her husband but was now about to lose her sons to a bondsman. We soon discover that Elisha’s faith is as strong as was the faith of Elijah, his mentor.

2 Kings 4: 2-6

And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

We are reminded of the miracle of Elijah and the widow, but our hearts also turn to the first miracle of Jesus.

John 2:1-11

And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

A firkin equals 8 or 9 gallons. The total amount would have been over 100 gallons of wine. We immediately think of the perfect faith of Jesus, but we must also consider the tremendous faith of his mother in her son. One wonders what else she has witnessed in her son as he grew to manhood. Just so we must also consider the faith of the mother and wife who approached Elisha. One verity that is never broken is that faith always precedes the miracle. In both cases the women first had to act; that is they had to follow the instructions of the Prophet Elisha and Jesus. It is noteworthy that with every miracle there appears first an act of faith, but that act is always within the power of the one asking for the miracle. The message is clear. Often God asks of us small and simple things yet from those small and simple things great miracles occur. One wonders how many of us miss out on miracles because we fail to observe the small and simple things?

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Podcast 76, Story if Elisha, “Pt 2”

About 852–850 BC all twelve tribes united against Moab. Moab, the father of the Moabites, was the son of Lot, nephew to Abraham.

2 Kings 3:1-3

Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. And he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

Jeroboam 1 was of the tribe of Ephraim. He became the first king of the Northern Tribes which split from the Southern Tribes over exorbitant taxes. Jeroboam became an idol worshiper. Jehoram, the seventh king in succession of Jeroboam 1 follows in the steps of his forefathers and also becomes an idol worshiper. Jehoshaphat is king of Judah at the same time that Jehoram was king of Ephraim or Israel. The Northern Tribes and the Southern Tribes have a history of being enemies. Here Jehoram and Jehoshaphat form an alliance against Mesha king of Moab. All three groups are related by Blood through Abraham’s family. Lot’s father, of course, was Abraham’s brother. At this time the Moabites were a tributary to Israel.

2 Kings 3:4-5

And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

That is when Israel and Judah form an alliance. They join with the king of Edom, of the lineage of Esau, twin brother of Jacob.

2 Kings 3:6-8

And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel. And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses. And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.

Immediately they are in trouble, there was no water, and they would perish in the desert.

2 Kings 3:9-10

So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days’ journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them. And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!

Unlike Jehoram, Jehoshaphat was not an idol worshiper. He believed in Jehovah, and he seeks a solution through the newly appointed prophet Elisha. It was always the practice of righteous kings to seek counsel from the Lord’s prophets during times of trouble.

2 Kings 3:11-12

But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah. And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

One of the clear messages of the Old Testament to Israel and to all Christians is to seek answers through the Lord’s chosen prophets. Traditionally Americans from the birth of the Nation sought answers in the Holy Bible. The Bible became a central part of government, of schools, of the court system. Those who claim that we are not a Christian nation overlook the role God played in the framing of this nation and in the faith of those who founded this nation. The message of the Bible is if we turn our backs on the prophets of the Holy Bible, and if we turn our backs on Christ, the Lord will turn his back on use.

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Podcast 75, Story if Elisha, “Pt 1”

We are introduced to Elisha in 1 Kings when he is called by Elijah.

1 Kings 19:19-21

So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

The mantle of Elijah is symbolic of what is to come. Elijah is at the end of his first mission on earth. He is passing his mantel to Elisha. It is a symbol not only to Elisha but to all the House of Israel that they are to consider Elisha as the successor to Elijah. It is a witness that only God can call prophets, but that he does his work through prophets. No greater tragedy can occur in Christendom than to turn away from God’s true prophets. Their primary mission on earth is to bring us to Christ. We are to study the words of the prophets for they lead us to Christ.

The second time the mantle falls upon Elisha is far more dramatic.

2 Kings 2: 8-13

And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

As a witness to the sons of the prophets that Elisha truly has the mantle of Elijah, he performs the same miracle as Elijah by parting the waters of the Jordan River.

2 Kings 2:14-15

And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

As with Elijah, Elisha performs many miracles. In fact, he doubles the number of miracles of Elijah suggesting to some that it is a witness that a double portion of Elijah’s spirit really did fall upon Elisha.

Elisha, recognized now as the successor to Elijah, is called upon to perform miracles.

2 Kings 2:19

And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.

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Podcast 74, Story of Elijah, “Pt 8”

Regardless of where Elijah is there is spectacle. No other prophet is more dramatic than Elijah. He comes in like a whirlwind and leaves in a whirlwind. He controls every situation, making kings bow to his power. The best known story of Elijah is being taken up in a chariot of fire, not tasting death. The story is recorded in 2 Kings 2.

2 Kings 2

And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

Elisha, another extraordinary prophet, is Elijah’s companion and protégé. Elijah, who knows that his mission as prophet to Israel is at an end has hand selected Elisha to take his place. He appears to be testing Elisha to see if he is qualified.

2 Kings 2:2

And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el.

The distance to Beth-el is about twenty miles, but it is a very hard journey on foot. Jerico is -800 ft below sea level. Bethel is about 3000 ft above sea level. The terrain is a dry desert, rocky winding trails, high temperatures and scarce water. Elisha passes the first test. He is willing to take the difficult journey with his master. They are observed by ‘the sons of the prophets.’ The “sons of the prophets” who remain nameless, do not refer to actual children of the prophets. It appears to be more like a school of the prophets. They look to Elijah and Elisha as tutors. They appear to always be in large groups who apparently give their lives to studying the prophets.

They are not all genuine, however. We read in Micah.

Micah 3:9-12

Othe other hand, many are genuine, and have revelations from God. They appear to be more like students of scripture or observers of the Lord’s anointed.

2 Kings 2:3

Again, Elijah tests Elisha.

2 Kings 2:4

And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.

We meet more of the sons of the prophets.

2 Kings 2:5

And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

The sons of the prophets recognize the relationship between Elijah and Elisha, and they also recognize that Elijah is the chosen prophet and Elisha is his protégé.

Remember Elijah and Elisha were just in Gilgal, which is near the Jordan River, only 2 miles from Jericho. Now Elijah is retracing his steps. Elisha must think it odd; nonetheless, he does not question his master nor will he leave his master.

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Elijah prophesied the gruesome deaths of Ahab and Jezebel. Now Ahaziah, the son of Ahab and Jezebel, because of his wickedness suffers a similar fate. Following the idolatrous reign of Ahab, Ahaziah, c. 853-852 BC reigned only 2 years.

2 Kings 1:1-2

Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.

Both Ahab and Jezebel worshiped Baal. The capitol of the northern tribes was Samaria. The capitol of the southern tribes was Jerusalem. Ahab reigned in Samaria for 22 years, c. 874-853 BC. In a spectacular scene, before the eyes of all Israel and Ahab, Elijah destroyed the altar of Baal and he had 450 priests of Baal killed, but that did not end idol worship. Ahaziah followed in his father’s footsteps or probably his mother’s. Just as with Ahab, the Lord sent Elijah to warn Ahaziah. High drama always appears to follow anything done by Elijah. When the Lord calls, Elijah, who spent most of his time in hiding from the king, regardless of the danger, always immediately responds.

2 Kings 1:3-4

But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

Elijah intercepts the messengers of Ahab. Elijah delivers the message to the men who were sent to inquire of Baalzebub. They return to the king.

2 Kings 1:5

And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back?

They deliver the awful message to king Ahaziah.

2 Kings 1:6

And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

We get a curious physical description of the rugged Elijah.

2 Kings 1:7-8

And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

In his arrogance and pride the inexperienced king Ahaziah defies God and his prophet Elijah. Rather than send an ambassador humbly inviting Elijah to his throne, he sends fifty armed soldiers to arrest Elijah and bring him by force. It was foolish. Surely Ahaziah was old enough to remember what happened on Mount Carmel when the Lord sent fire down to consume the burnt offering and what happened afterward to the priests of Baal. Perhaps, being the son of the king, he was even there to observe it for he knew Elijah. He would also have had firsthand evidence of the horrible deaths of his father and mother, but, being a protected king, he had learned nothing of the power of God. Also observe the arrogance of the soldiers.

2 Kings 1:9

Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.

The upstart king, through his army, ordered Elijah to report to the throne where undoubtedly Elijah would have been killed. The poor soldiers learned a harsh lesson.

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Podcast 72, Story if Elijah, “Pt 6”

Elijah remains a thorn in the side of Ahab and Jezebel. Whenever Elijah appears to Ahab it is to prophecy drought, death, or humiliation for Ahab. Ahab refers to Elijah as his enemy. The strangest thing about Ahab, as wicked as he is, is how he manages to escape the wrath of God. One problem is that Ahab is under the powerful influence of his wife Jezebel, the Phoenician Princess and idol worshiper. The Phoenicians introduced Baal worship to the northern tribes of Israel, and Jezebel was a religious fanatic. His marriage to Jezebel was a political alliance. Her wickedness is even greater than Ahab. She had many prophets of God murdered. Ahab has many wives as we learn from 1 Kings 20, but only Jezebel pulls the strings. In this chapter we learn just how cold blooded Jezebel is.

1 Kings 21:1-4

And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

Ahab is sulking, but apparently it doesn’t enter into his mind to do mischief to the innocent Naboth. Ahab, being an Israelite, fully understood Naboth’s reluctance to give up his inheritance. In those days land was generational. They did not, with the change of jobs move from city to city or state to state. They were identified by their relationship to the land of their inheritance.

Jezebel came from a maritime culture where trading was a way of life. With Jezebel, however, who came from a royal family, if a desired item could not be taken by trade, it could be taken by force. She was unscrupulous. Murder was merely a means to an end.

When she learned that Elijah had killed the prophets of Baal, she immediately retaliated.

1 Kings 19:1-2

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.

She treated Naboth in the same fashion. Naboth’s only offence was that he wanted to keep his inheritance for his children. Jezebel talks to her husband.

1 Kings 21:5-7

But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

Was Ahab complicit? Certainly, by his silence. He knew what Jezebel was capable of. For example, before Jezebel, he tried to have Elijah killed. When we first meet Elijah we find him in hiding from the king. It didn’t bother Ahab that Jezebel wanted to kill Elijah. We may assume that he simply didn’t inquire into her methods of getting the vineyard from Naboth.

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Podcast 71, Story of Elijah, “Pt 5”

For King Ahab and his Phoenician wife, Jezebel who worships Baal, Elijah has become the number one force to be reckoned with. Elijah, under the power of God, has just put an end to the three-year drought; however, rather than repenting and acknowledging the hand of the Lord, Ahab supports his wife Jezebel who desires to kill Elijah for killing the 450 priests of Baal.

1 Kings 19:1-2

Elijah has no choice but to go back into hiding. Elijah had just spent the last three years out of the country hiding from the murderous Ahab.

1 Kings 19:3-4

And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

There is a nobility in Elijah’s character that is inspiring. He stood alone against Ahab, king of Israel. He stood alone against the 450 priests of Baal. He stood alone against Israel who had fallen into idol worship. For his courage he spends most of his time in hiding, yet when the Lord calls him, like Daniel, he will walk into the lion’s den. That is what is unique about Elijah. He has the same fears as any man, but in the service of his God, he is fearless. His life itself is a parable, a model of faith, courage, and endurance. Miracles of an extraordinary nature follow Elijah.

1 Kings 19:5-8

And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

The miracle above is just one of many. So far, under the power of God, he has caused a drought; has been fed by ravens; has miraculously provided food for the widow, her son, and himself; has raised the widow’s son from the dead; has brought fire down from heaven; has ended the drought; and now he has been nourished by only two meals for forty days and nights, and his mission is just beginning, the miracles continue, and he is destined to return to earth in the latter days just before the Second Coming of the Savior to restore all things.

Now in Mount Horeb, the Lord again speaks to Elijah.

1 Kings 19:9-10

And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

The Lord is pleased with Elijah’s answer and gives him another commandment. The Lord now teaches Elijah, and in turn Elijah teaches us, the mission of the Holy Ghost and his role in revelation.

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Elijah is no longer playing the crowd. He is now in deadly earnest. Though he is clearly speaking to everyone (to King Ahab, to the Canaanite Baal worshipers, to the 450 priests of Baal, to the ten northern tribes of Israel), he is also speaking as a prophet to the world and to all the tribes of Israel, declaring that only Jehovah is the true God. He is reestablishing God’s authority. How exciting it is to listen to the prayer of a prophet.

1 Kings 18:36-37

And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

In a moment, Elijah has turned the tide of a fallen people. In a moment he conquered a nation who had fallen away for their true God. And in a moment he established the high position of the only true God. The Lord does not disappoint.

1 Kings 18:38-39

Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.

The battle of the Gods is over. But Elijah is a warrior. He did not pack his bags and go home. He not only wanted to restore his people to the worship of the true God, he also wanted to destroy idol worship among Israel. To do that he had to show the complete annihilation of the enemy which he did in a most spectacular way.

1 Kings 18:40

And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

Remember there were actually 850 prophets, not just the 450 priests of Baal. We may assume that Elijah had them all killed. Following the drama, Elijah did what he was sent to do in the first place. He was sent by the Lord to announce to the king that the drought was over.

One may ask the question, “Why didn’t Elijah announced the good news immediately? Why did he carry out the elaborate drama? If he had would it have had the same effect on the king and on Israel? The answer is certainly not. Everyone had to be taught that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was the one and only true and living God. An idol is merely a mute hunk of stone or wood or metal and nothing more. An idol is nothing. An idol is not a living thing. They are worshiping a false God who can do nothing for them, not even bring rain. Elijah proved it to them. Only now does Elijah tell the king that it going to rain.

1 Kings 18:41

And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.

Mute Baal, the pagan idol of rain, was defeated and his priests killed. Even Ahab had to recognize that Jehovah was the true God of the House of Israel

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For pure drama, Elijah is the prophet to read. A true prophet has a complex mission. First his mission is to people who fall under his domain. For example, Elijah is from the Northern Kingdom. The evil king Ahab is king of the ten northern tribes. The capitol is Samaria. Relatively speaking, in a short time, they will disappear from history and become known as The Ten Lost Tribes.

The ten tribes are his immediate audience. Second, however, a true prophet speaks to all those who are under the sound of his voice. His words would reach the southern tribes which include the House of Judah, the House of Benjamin, and the rest of the House of Levi who are separated from the other priests of the north. But finally, a true prophet speaks to all the children of God regardless of where they live or when they live, for a true prophet speaks for the Lord and the Lord speaks truth; therefore, Elijah is for all time, present and future.

In fact, we have learned that before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, Elijah will come again to earth and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. Christians today, thousands of years later, love Elijah, but anyone and any religion who reads the words of Elijah can benefit. Truth does not have boundaries in time or space.

Elijah understood how to communicate, not just to a poor widow but to a king, and not just to a king but to the entire house of Israel. Like Moses, Elijah is larger than life. For three years Ahab has sought Elijah’s life, yet Elijah waltzes into his throne, not as a victim but as a victor. He doesn’t wait for the king to tell him what to do. He tells the king what to do thus leading him into a trap. What better way to get their attention than gathering all the priests of Baal and slaughtering them in front of all the House of Israel. Now his audience isn’t primarily the king, his audience is the Ten Tribes of Israel who have forsaken their covenants with God and began worshiping Baal. They are in a terrible drought caused by their own wickedness. However, instead of repenting and turning to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they turn to the pagan god of rain, Baal. Elijah managed to bring about a showdown between Jehovah and Baal. It is High Noon, brilliantly orchestrated by Elijah.

1 Kings 18:22

Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

This is high drama at its best. We can see the level of faith that Elijah has reached. He has already been tried by fire. But Elijah is a showman. He builds on the drama in a spectacular way, much like a gladiatorial battle in a giant arena with King Ahab and all Israel watching. Elijah literally sets up a Battle of the Gods: The Lord God Jehovah vs the Canaanite idol Baal and his thousands of worshipers. To increase the drama, we have the worshipers of Baal on one side, and we have the fearless Elijah standing alone on the other side. Elijah lays down the gauntlet.

1 Kings 18:23-24

Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

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About three years earlier the Lord sent Elijah to King Ahab to inform him that there was going to be a drought in the land. Now he sends the prophet Elijah back to King Ahab to tell him the drought is going to be lifted. One can only imagine the courage it must have taken Elijah to return to Samaria and face the king who is very wicked. Samaria is the capitol of the Northern Tribes.

And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.[1]

On his way to meet the King, Elijah meets Obadiah, a very righteous man and governor to the king.

And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly: For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?[2]

Elijah asks Obadiah to inform the king that he has come to see him. Obadiah’s response is very revealing for it informs us just how much King Ahab hates Elijah and desires his death.

And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth. Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred men of the Lord’s prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me. And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.[3]

Elijah, above all the other prophets, has already established quite a reputation. Obadiah trusts the word of Elijah. Ahab’s response to Elijah reveals a lot about Ahab’s character, for he blames the famine on Elijah rather than on his own sins.

So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?[4]

The fearless Elijah has no problem setting King Ahab straight.

And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.[5]

[1] 1 Kings 18:1-2
[2] 1 Kings 18:3-7
[3] 1 Kings 18:8-15
[4] 1 Kings 18:16-17
[5] 1 Kings 18:18
[6] Malachi 3:7-12

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Most people, perhaps remember Elijah for colorful and peculiar events that mark his life. Some of the memorable highlights are—

· During a famine he is fed by ravens.

· He raises a boy from the dead.

· He calls down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, and he destroys the 450 priests of Baal.

· He is taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot without tasting death.

· He will return to the earth just prior to the Second Coming of the Messiah to restore all things.

Drama follows Elijah his entire life. I shall begin the story of Elijah with 1 Kings 17. It begins with a miracle.

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.[1]

Elijah is in the Northern Kingdom during the reign of Ahab, about 150 years before the fall of Samaria and the destruction of the Ten Tribes. The approximate years of Elijah are 874-853 BC. Considering the power of King Ahab and his erratic and evil nature, we get some idea of the indominable character of Elijah. He was fearless and a man of enormous faith. In the following we are introduced to the second of many miracles.

And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.[2]

There is a weak attempt to discredit the story of the ravens by claiming it was a cult of men called ravens for it is a difficult story to believe; however, because the miracle pales to the fact that he raises the widow’s son to life, it seems more logical to simply take the Holy Bible literally.

We are soon introduced to the third miracle which has become a symbol of faith, not only on the part of Elijah but also of a widow who gives her last morsel to a prophet. Elijah must leave the brook Cherith because the water ceases to flow.

And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.[3]

Notice Elijah’s humility. He becomes a victim of the very famine he caused at the command of the Lord. Why didn’t he strike the rocks like Moses and cause water to begin flowing again? Why wasn’t he exempt from the wrath of God? But he doesn’t question God’s judgment. He puts his own safety in the hands of God.

And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.[4]

But its isn’t Elijah’s faith that catches our attention. It is the faith of the widow. She was prepared by the Lord to receive the prophet Elijah. That is why she so readily agreed to give him a drink of her precious water and a cake of her last meal. She trusted God.

[1] 1 Kings 17:1
[2] 1 Kings 17:2-6
[3] 1 Kings 17:7
[4] 1 Kings 17:8-10

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Podcast 66, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Malachi, Ch 4 B

In studying the words of the prophets relating to the Millennium, we learn that a new heaven and a new earth shall be created.

Isaiah 65:17

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

Jerusalem shall be restored to its former glory. There shall be no tears of sorrow.

Isaiah 65:18-19

But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

Earlier Isaiah said, speaking of the Millennium, “Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” In addition, life shall be lengthened.

Isaiah 65:20

There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

People shall be safe. There shall be no crime.

Isaiah 65:21-23

And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.

The Lord will always be near.

Isaiah 65:24

And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

There shall be no fear, no violence, no predators.

Isaiah 65:25

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.

The Millennium will be a taste of Paradise, but it will have an end.

Revelation 20:7-8

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

Malachi adds another sign to the many prophecies of the Second Coming. It is a prophecy that is much talked about, but little understood.

Malachi 4:4-5

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

Elijah was a remarkable prophet, but he is most noted for the remarkable way he was taken to heaven.

2 Kings 2:8-11

Elijah, like Enoch, was taken to heaven without having to taste of death. We see Elijah again on the Mount of Transfiguration.

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Podcast 65, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Malachi, Ch 4 A

The birth of Christ was announced to only a few, and Christ lived his life in relative obscurity in a small corner of the world, but in his brief life he accomplished more than all mankind have accomplished over thousands of years. He saved the world and brought about the resurrection of the dead. He gave meaning to life

Following his death, his devoted disciples, who themselves became martyrs, spread the good news around the world. Two events punctuate the life of Christ: The first event is his birth, life, and death which could be referred to as his First Coming. The second event is his return in the latter days which is often referred to as his Second Coming. His first event was announced quietly by angels to lonely shepherds. The second event, however, shall be announced by wars and upheavals and earthquakes and vast destruction. Following his First Coming, the Disciples were killed, Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Jews were scattered to the four corners of the earth. Following his Second Coming, the earth shall be cleansed by fire and then comes the Millenium where he shall reign on the earth for a thousand years of peace.

Immediately prior to his death, Christ prophesied his own return.

Matthew 24:30

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

He will not be alone.

Matthew 25:31

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.

At his Second Coming there shall be a resurrection of the just who shall also join him.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

For the wicked, however, it shall not be so pleasant.

2 Thessalonians 1:7–8

The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God…”

It will be a kind of judgment.

Revelation 22:12

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Immediately prior to the Second Coming of Christ will be great tribulation, referred to as “the abomination of desolation.”

Matthew 24:3-14

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

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Podcast 64, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Malachi, Ch 3”

One cannot find any book that is more fitting than the Book of Malachi to end the prophets of the Old Testament. Malachi is divided into four chapters, but it is one long beautiful poem written in the vein of Isaiah of the Old Testament and John the Revelator of the New Testament. As with most of the Old Testament and New Testament prophets, Christ is the center of the Book of Malachi.

The Book of Malachi follows the familiar chiastic format: A (Chapter 1), B (Chapter 2), B (Chapter 3), A (Chapter 4). True to form the greatest emphasis falls upon B, with the climax falling upon Chapter 3. That puts Christ in the spotlight. Consider for example the last two verses of Chapter 2 and the first three verses of Chapter Three.

Malachi 2:16-17

For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

Malachi 3:1-3

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Does the Lord, through the prophet Malachi, sufficiently answer the question, “Where is the God of judgment?” If that appears insufficient, then read the next two verses of Malachi 3.

Malachi 3:4-5

Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

Malachi is speaking of the Second Coming of Christ. At that day the House of Israel will be refined but not entirely destroyed.

Malachi 3:6

For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Remember in Malachi Chapter 1 we learned who the ‘sons of Jacob’ are. They are not just the direct bloodline of Abraham. They include all, Jews and gentiles, who offer a pure offering unto Christ.

Malachi 1:11

For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.

The Lord invites the Jews to return unto him.

Malachi 3:7

Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

Speaking Biblically, we think of an ordinance as a prescribed practice. To Christians an Ordinance may refer to the Lord’s Supper or baptism. The Jews refer to temple ordinances and the Passover. Malachi refers to the law of tithing and other offerings as ordinances.

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Podcast 63, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Malachi, Ch 2”

Malachi Chapter 2 is an extension of Chapter 1. In Chapter 1 the Lord condemns Israel for not obeying the law of sacrifice. They used imperfect animals. In Chapter 2, the Lord condemns the Priests for leading the children of Israel astray; he condemns Judah for leaving the “wife of their youth.” He is comparing their infidelity to their wives with their infidelity to Christ. In the Holy Scriptures Christ is often referred to as the bridegroom and the church as the bride.

Matthew 9:15

“And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.”

Revelation 19:7–9

In Malachi, Chapter 2, Malachi, speaking for the Lord, directs his word to the Priests.

Malachi 1:1

And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.

Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord condemns false leaders.

Isaiah 3:12

“O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.”

Isaiah 9:16

“For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.”

Isaiah 56:10–11

“His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant…Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand.”

Through Malachi, the Lord curses the Priests if they don’t repent.

Malachi 2:2-3

If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.

We know that they don’t repent for Malachi (about 450-430 BC) is the last prophet before John the Baptist, 400 years later. When Christ is born, the Jews are in advanced stages of apostasy. It brings to mind the words of Isaiah:

Isaiah 24:5

“The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.”

The tribe of Levi was given the charge of priestly duties, but the priests in Malachi’s day have abandoned the laws the Lord gave the Levites.

Malachi 2:4-6

And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

The Lord further condemns the priests for abandoning their duty.

Malachi 2:7

For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

Rather than teach the law, they have corrupted the law.

Malachi 2:8

But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

For that reason, a curse has already come upon them.

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Podcast 62, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Malachi, Ch 1”

The opening statement of Malachi is curious.

Malachi 1:1

The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.

Why is it a burden? It is a burden because the children of Israel have fallen away from their covenants. Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament, like other prophets, must call them to repentance. They don’t listen. The Ten Lost Tribes have long since been dispersed. The only ones left are the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The Tribe of Benjamin has been absorbed into the Tribe of Judah and has lost its identity. From this point on the term “Jews” referring to members of the tribe of Judah, replace the House of Israel. The Jews will not have another prophet for 400 years. That prophet, after an extended apostasy, will be John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ. And then of course will come the greatest prophet the world has ever known or will ever know, who, as prophesied, comes through the tribe of Judah which comprises the seed of David, even Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the World.

The word of Malachi must have been very shocking to the Jews for he predicts the downfall of Judah and for the first time in Jewish history, the prophesy is made that the Blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be transferred to the gentiles.

The Book of Malachi, which is centered on Christ, is about changing the ordinances and breaking the everlasting covenant spoken of by Isaiah. The House of Israel has broken their covenants with the Lord.

Malachi uses the format of question & answer, a format dominant in Malachi and not uncommon in the Holy Scriptures. First Malachi declares that the Lord loved Israel.

Malachi 1:2

I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob,

It was only through a miracle from God that Rebecca, Isaac’s wife, had children. It was a greater miracle that she had twins.

Malachi reminds the Jews that Esau, the eldest son of Jacob who had the covenant by birthright, lost the covenant by frivolously bartering it away for a bowl of pottage.

Genesis 25:21-26

And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

By birthright, of course, the primary inheritance should go to the elder, which was Esau. Isaac loved Esau, a rugged hunter, and Rebecca loved Jacob.

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Podcast 61, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Jonah, Ch 4 b”

Isn’t the true story of the Book of Jonah that God is creator of all things, that God created the twelve tribes of Israel, that God created the Assyrians, and that God created all the children of the earth, and that he loves them all; Furthermore, that God is no respecter of persons. Consider the following scripture.

Deuteronomy 10:17

For the LORD your God is God of gods… a great God… which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.

2 Chronicles 19:7

…for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

Job 34:19

How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor…

Acts 10:34

Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.

Romans 2:11

For there is no respect of persons with God.

So there would be food, God also created all plants and their fruit.

Genesis 1:29-31

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

The story of Jonah is the story of all mankind. Jonah was an elitist. Being of the chosen race, he undoubtedly felt superior to the Assyrians and to all others who were not of the seed of Abraham. We are all somewhat narrow in our vision. It is the common lot of all mankind to feel superior over someone: educated vs uneducated, rich vs poor, famous vs the ordinary, powerful vs the weak, people of authority vs the workers. People will find something to elevate themselves above others.

Appeal to authority is one of the most dangerous fallacies among many other fallacies of reasoning. No matter how silly or illogical or even nonsensical the criteria, People will always find something to elevate themselves above others. That is the natural man vs the spiritual man.

In the Book of Jonah, God tries to expand our perspective. In his sight we are all equal. We are all children of God, and God is no respecter of persons.

That same lesson had to be taught to the early Christian church. After the Lord’s resurrection and ascension into heaven, Peter, the chief apostle, received the following vision.

Acts 10:9-16

9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:

10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Peter did not readily understand the vision for it was a foreign concept. As with Jonah, rather than teaching him through words, the Lord taught Peter by example.

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Podcast 60, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Jonah, Ch 4”

Notice how the parallel introductions tie the four chapters of the Book of Jonah together.

Chapter 1:1

Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

Chapter 2:1

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,

Chapter 3:1

And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

Chapter 4:1-2

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

As you can see, Chapter 1 is parallel to Chapter 3 & Chapter 2 is parallel to Chapter 4. Being only four chapters long, that provides the framework: ABAB. The one primary character, or foil, in each chapter is Jonah. Nineveh has 120,000 people, yet Jonah requires more attention than them all. The question isn’t. ‘Why is the Lord patient with the people of Nineveh?’ The question is, ‘Why is the Lord so patient with Jonah?’ An even more important question perhaps is, ‘How much like Jonah are we?’ Are we sometimes contrary with the Lord when he tells us to do something that we do not want to do? The Lord tells Jonah to go to Nineveh. Jonah immediately hops on a ship and goes in the opposite direction. By extraordinarily strange means, the Lord is patient with Job and turns his course around. Can we relate to that?

Jonah’s response may at first seem rather strange.

Jonah 4:3

Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

Does that sound familiar? Have you ever said, “I’d rather die than endure this or that.” The Lord seldom does things our way. One would naturally think that a prophet of God would be pleased that the people repented. Jonah fully understands the purpose of prophetic warnings. As the Holy Bible teaches, when there are prophets in the land, the Lord always sends them to warn the wicked of impending disaster. The entire purpose of the Lord is to get them to repent to avert the dangers. Why did Jonah want the people of Nineveh to be destroyed? Why does Jonah want the Lord to take away his life? Why does he think it is better for him to die? We know of the tension between the Assyrians and the tribes of Israel, but at this point the Assyrians are not a huge threat. They are still struggling for an identity, and 120,000 citizens make Nineveh, the capitol of Assyria, seven times larger than Jerusalem, which is the capitol of the southern tribes, and four times larger than Samaria, which is the capital of the northern tribes.

The Lord is patient with Jonah.

Jonah 4:4

Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry?

By converting Nineveh, it strangely extends the life of the Ten Northern Tribes of Israel. After all, it is the Assyrians who later conquer the Northern tribes and cause them to become lost to the world. Of course, destroying Nineveh would also prevent the Assyrians from later conquering the Ten Northern tribes. This is a very complicated situation, though, at this time, neither the Assyrians nor the Israelites know what is at stake. The Lord uses the prophet Jonah to warn the Assyrians that if they don’t repent, they shall be destroyed. The Lord later uses the prophet Isaiah to warn the Israelites that if they don’t repent, they shall be destroyed. It eventually turns out that they are all either exiled or destroyed. The Assyrians play a large role in the destruction and exile of the Northern Tribes, and the Babylonians play a large role in the destruction and exile of the Southern Tribes. The Babylonians also destroy the Assyrians in 612 BC, nearly 200 years later

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The Lord is patient with Jonah. He gives Jonah a second chance. Let’s compare the beginning of Chapter 1 with the beginning of Chapter 3 for they are parallel.

Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

The information is in the differences. In the first chapter the Lord commands Jonah to go into Nineveh and cry against it because they are so wicked.” In the third chapter the Lord commands Jonah to go into Nineveh and “preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.”

Jonah disobeys the Lord the first time.

But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord

Jonah obeys the Lord the second time.

So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey. He prophesies of the destruction of Ninevah.

In Chapter 4 we are given the number of citizens of Nineveh as 120,000, but we don’t know the standard of measurement. Was that the total number of every man, woman, and child? Probably not. For comparison, at that time Jerusalem had only from 8,000 to 15,000 inhabitants and Samaria, the capital of the Northern Tribes, had only from 20,000 to 30,000.

We only have the text to go by, and the text is very terse. On the one hand, we can read between lines and assume that Jonah gave the full message of the Lord. The full message of the Lord is that if the people repent they will be spared. But if we go by the text alone, Jonah didn’t give them a way out. He prophesied that they were going to be destroyed, and apparently Jonah believed that they would be destroyed. Either he didn’t anticipate their repentance, or he discounted their repentance and did not consider any alternative. At any rate, as we shall see in the next chapter, Jonah got really upset when they weren’t destroyed.

And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

Jonah’s reputation as a prophet is at stake. In fact, in Chapter 4 we learn that Jonah gets a front row seat to watch the destruction.

So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.[6]

The people of Nineveh do a suprising thing. They repent.

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Chapter 2 of Jonah is also prophetic of Christ for it contains a beautiful description of death and the resurrection. In Chapter 1 of Jonah, we learn that Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days.

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.[1]

On the third day Jonah came out of the whale’s belly.

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,[2]

In Matthew we Learn that Christ’s body lies in the tomb for three days.

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.[3]

There is much speculation about where Christ spent his time during the three days that his body lay in the tomb. Christ’s spirit did not remain in the tomb. We are actually told by Peter where Christ spent his time.

Is it really strange that Christ did not sit idle in the tomb? Nor did he descend into hell as some have speculated. In fact, during that three day period Christ went to paradise. Remember Christ’s answer to the thief on the cross?

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.[5]

The word Paradise is used in two different contexts. The one above refers to the world of the spirits of the dead. While Christ’s body lies in the tomb, his spirit preaches to those in paradise. His promise to the thief was that Christ would see his spirit in paradise. The thief qualified himself because on the cross he pleaded with the Lord, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” The second thief did not go to paradise because he mocked the Lord. That suggests that the spirit world, or the world where spirits go when we die is a very large place. There are righteous spirits and there are unrighteous spirits. Christ only appeared to the righteous spirits.

The other reference to paradise is made by Paul.

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.[6]

That was a description of heaven. That was not the paradise that the thief was invited to. We know that because Christ himself did not ascend into heaven where his Father was until after the resurrection. Remember his words to Mary.

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The Twelve Tribes split about 930 BC. Jonah, a prophet of the Northern Kingdom, lived about 760 BC. I shall compare Job to another prophet about 1400 BC named Balaam. The two are somewhat similar because Jonah was commanded to go to Ninevah and refused. Balaam was commanded not to go with the princes of Moab but he went anyway.

Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.[1]

And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.[2]

Both Balaam and Jonah are symbolic witnesses of Jesus Christ.

(Testimony of Balaam)

I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.[3]

(Reference to Christ’s burial and resurrection.

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.[4]

Both prophets have extraordinary experiences. Jonah, after three days in the whale’s belly, is vomited up on land.

And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.[5]

Jonah is saved by a whale; Balaam is saved by a talking Ass.

21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

22 And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.

23 And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.

24 But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.

25 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.

26 And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.

27 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.

28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.

30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.

31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

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I have introduced the five forms of parallelism that distinguish the Book of Job which is written in ancient Hebraic poetic form: Chiastic Parallelism, Antithetical Parallelism, Synonymous Parallelism, Synthetic Parallelism and Step Parallelism. I have also added a fifth: Climactic Parallelism.

As illustrated, the parallelism exists distinctly within the chapters, most written in chiastic form. However, the entire Book of Job is a single poem as I shall partly illustrate below. Chapters 1&2 are incomplete without Chapter 42. They exist in antithetical parallelism.

Job 41:1

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Job 42:1

Then Job answered the Lord, and said,

The first is the Lord speaking to Satan about the goodness of Job. The second is Job directly speaking to the Lord.

The rest of the chapter 42 is divided into three parts. In Part One, Job sees the Lord. In Part Two, the three friends of Job are chastised and repent. In Part Three everything is restored to Job two-fold.

The crowning chapter of Job must be Chapter 42, the final chapter, for in it Job sees Jesus Christ, the Lord. Everything that happened to Job was in preparation for this moment. The story of Job is an epic journey of one man, who through his trials reaches sanctification insomuch that he sees Christ. Even in the beginning Job was righteous before God. In Job Chapter 1 We read:

Job 1: 8

And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

By the time we get to the end of the Book of Job, Job has passed all the trials of his faith that came upon him. He never turned against God. Because of Job’s patience, he was throughout the trial teachable. We focus on the suffering of Job, but the story is really about Christ and his atonement. The Book of Job is the story of one man’s journey on the road to sanctification. Job travels The Celestial Way. Chapter 42, the end of the Book of Job, testifies to that. For example, following his trials, Christ appears to Job.

Job 42:2-6

I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

True to chiastic form, compare Job’s statement above in Chapter 42 with a similar statement in Chapter 2.

“Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes”

“And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.”

By reading those together we see a causal relationship. In Chapter 2, Job is trying to find relief from his suffering by scraping his skin with a potsherd while sitting in in the ashes. In Chapter 42, he seeks the Lord for forgiveness in dust and ashes. It shows the spiritual growth of Job. This is particularly poignant because Job was never guilty of serious sins, yet he humbles himself before the Lord and begs forgiveness. Human nature must be considered here. Job could have gone the other way. He could have taken the stand that God was unfair and turned against God, yet Job didn’t. He allowed his suffering to draw him closer to God.

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Chapters 40 & 41 of Job are parallel, one is an extension of the other. Chapter 40 introduces the Behemoth. Chapter 41 introduces the Leviathan, both legendary creatures known for their strength. The Behemoth is a land creature. The Leviathan is a Sea Creature. They are symbolic of the power of God on Land and in the Sea. Remember that the Lord is speaking, not in a still small voice, but out of the whirlwind which is also a great symbol of natural power. In Chapter 40, the Lord asks Job if he has power over the Behemoth. In Chapter 41, the Lord asks Job if he has power over the Leviathan. In Chapter 40 the Lord asks Job

Job 40:9

Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?

It is, of course, a rhetorical question. Then the Lord describes the Behemoth.

Job 40:15-19

Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.

The above is a symbol of natural laws. We cannot control the laws of Nature, but God can. It was God who organized the laws of nature. The Behemoth is both a real animal and a symbol of God’s power on land. Can we control hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, landslides, etc.?

The Leviathan is a creature of the sea. Chapter 41, parallel to Chapter 40, is divided into three parts. Out of the whirlwind, the Lord asks Job a series of questions.

1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?

2 Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?

3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?

4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?

5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?

6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?

7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?

8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.

9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?

As with the Behemoth, the Leviathan is also untamable. In part two, the Lord continues with his questions? The key phrase is, “whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.”

11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.

12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.

13 Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle?

14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.

When the Lord said, “I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion,” he also meant, I will reveal his parts, his power, and his comely strength. No one can prevail against God for his power is almighty whether on land or on sea. In Part three the Lord describes Leviathan. His armor is impenetrable.

15 His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.

17 They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.

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Job Chapter 40 is divided into three sections. In Section 1, God addresses Job, asking him a question.

Job 40:1-2

Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.

The Lord establishes his almighty power. This is in parallel to the introduction of Chapter 38.

Job 38:1-7

One distinct purpose of the Holy Bible is to teach and testify of the divinity of Christ. He is always at center stage. It is Christ who created the world. It is Christ who gave Moses the Ten Commandments. Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ of the New Testament. Some Biblical scholars have identified over 250 names and titles and nearly 700 references to Christ in the Bible. It is summed up in the superlative phrase—"The Great I Am.” One cannot overlook the fact that the primary character of Job is not Job himself. It is Jesus Christ. Job represents the suffering of man. In that he has become our model and our teacher; however, even in the worst kind of suffering, we cannot equal the suffering of Christ. Christ suffered above all that humanity collectively has suffered. Christ suffered in the wilderness. Christ suffered in Gethsemane. Christ suffered during the trial. And Christ suffered on the Cross. He alone overcame all suffering, all trials, and all temptations without ever giving in to temptation. That is what qualified him to open the book, to become our Savior and our Redeemer, and to atone for our sins.

At first it appears that the Lord is harsh on Job. After all Job has already suffered more than most of us suffer in a lifetime. He endured it remarkable well. However, far from being harsh, the Lord is teaching us through the story of Job that regardless of what we suffer, regardless of what trials we endure, we cannot equal Christ. We are still unworthy. We cannot through our suffering atone for our own sins. Only through the blood of the lamb and faith in Jesus Christ can we be saved. If we don’t understand that, then we do not understand the mission of the Savior. We don’t understand the atonement. We don’t understand mercy and grace. We don’t understand justice. We don’t understand God.

Job illustrates his humility before God by his inspiring answer.

Job 40:3-5

Then Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.

The Lord is testing Job, and he passes the test. Notice, in the Lord’s answer to Job, the repetition of the command, “Gird up thy loins now like a man.” The Lord is not putting Job down. The Lord is lifting Job up to a higher plane than he has ever been. The sanctification of Job is the greater story. Job is being purified through his trials, and the Lord is commanding him to “Gird up thy loins now like a man.” There is a great word that captures the moment: “excelsior.” It means ‘higher’ or ‘ever upward.’ Job, in his despair, is asked to not give in to his grief but to strive harder, to transcend the natural man, and to seek for excellence. The Lord is telling Job that he must endure his trials and become sanctified.

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Podcast 53, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 39”

Chapter 39 of Job is an extension of Chapter 38; therefore, there is no salutation. The Lord lists the following animals: wild goats, wild ass, unicorn, peacocks, ostrich, horse, hawk, and eagle. The unicorn is not the mythical white horse of medieval texts, but scholars speculate it was based on a real creature, a massive wild ox that was untamable.

You can see a kind of movement. For example, the wild goats, wild ass, and unicorn are very much creatures of nature, particularly the wilderness, suggesting that they are untamable. The peacock is known for its extraordinary beauty but serves no real practical function. The horse, however, is the first practical animal. It is a symbol of war, a symbol of mobility, a symbol of civilization that freed mankind to travel long distances. Of the list, it is the first tamable beast that has served mankind for ages. The next creatures—the hawk and the eagle are known for their predatorial instincts, their high altitudes, their majesty, and their breaking from the gravity of the earth. Tennyson captured the majesty and independence of the eagle brilliantly in a few lines.

The Eagle
by Alfred Lord Tennyson

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

Using the chronological order in Job, let’s divide Chapter 39 into eight stanzas and discuss each image in turn. Keep in mind that things may also be seen as types. The animals tied to earth may symbolize temporal law and its inconceivable power, and the animals tied to the heavens may symbolize spiritual law and its inconceivable power. God is governor of all laws. Nothing is equal to the power of God. When we consider all the images collectively, including Job Chapter 38, we get a sense of the incomprehensible nature of God.

Job 39:1-4

Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth? They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows. Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them.

Everything is governed by law. Even in the wildness of nature, there is perfect order. Patterns emerge giving predictability to that which seems wild, untamed, and uncertain. Everything is known to God but not to man.

Job 39:5-8

Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass? Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings. He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver. The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.

Notice the juxtaposition of the words “house” and “wilderness.” When we think of a house, we perhaps think of our owe home, where everything for our convenience is confined into a single structure with dedicated rooms for different functions: bedroom, kitchen, family room, garage, laundry room, etc. The house of the wild ass is the entire wilderness or range of mountains which suggests thousands or hundreds of thousands of untamed acres; yet it is his home, his sanctuary. The ass roams the entire range of mountains searching for food. It is the scale that is important. There is order everywhere.

Job 39:9-12

Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?

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Podcast 52, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 38”

In the other chapters of Job, we hear the voices of Bildad, Eliphaz, Zophar, and Elihu. In Chapter 38, in verse 1, we hear the voice of the Lord.

Job 38:1

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Following the salutation, Chapter 38 is divided into 5 parts. We find the same pattern in other chapters of Job. It is a Chiasm with the following format: A1, B1, A2, B2. Surprisingly A3 is added following the same parallelism as A1 & A2.

A3 is added for emphasis. The three sections of A are identified by the clause beginning with “Who.” It is a question of identity. The questions are rhetorical and the answers become self-evident. The two sections of B are identifiable by the clause beginning with “Hast” and “Canst.” Again the questions are rhetorical.

Chapter 38 of Job establishes the power of God and the divine nature of man. The first question the Lord asks Job is magnificent.

Job 38:2

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

It appears that not only Bildad, Eliphaz, Zophar, Elihu, but also Job are implicated as a later chapter appears to confirm. In Chapter 40 Job is chastised somewhat by the Lord, and in the final chapter the three friends are called to repentance. The Lord neither condemns Elihu nor praises him. He becomes a ‘persona non grata.’ He is simply excluded. The Lord accomplishes two things. One, he affirms the righteousness of Job, that is to say the tragedies were not punishment. They were a trial, but the trial is not over as the later chapter shows. Job is tested to the limit by the Lord, and he passes the test. It appears to me that the greatest message of Job is found in chapters 38-42, not coincidentally that falls at the end of the book which generally gets the greatest emphasis. Two, God affirms his own power over the earth. God is in charge, not man.

The Lord follows with a slight condemnation of Job for he must remind Job who he really is. It is as if Job in his sorrow had forgotten his birthright.

First consider A1

Job 28:2-11

Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

We learn here some of the greatest doctrines of Christianity. First we learn that Christ is the creator. Next we learn that we are all children of God, that all mankind existed before the earth was created. We learn that we were the morning stars who sang together. We were all angels, We were all the sons [and daughters] of God who shouted for joy. We learn that we were anxious and excited to come to the earth and gain a mortal body. This establishes not only who God is but also who we are. No wonder the Lord said to Job, “Gird up now thy loins like a man.” That was not a condemnation. That was intended to not only lift Job’s spirit, but also to remind us all of who we really are. The Apostle Peter affirms that when he said, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.”

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Podcast 51, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job,” Ch 37

Chapter 37 contains Elihu’s final words. It is also an optimistic chapter, not condemning Job, but praising God. Elihu is not perfect, and in my personal opinion, Elihu is not a prophet. He is a good man, a biblical scholar, a pious man who loves God, but he is young and passionate and overbearing. He is speaking to his elders without showing proper respect; however. Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar are harshly condemned by the Lord and are called to repentance. Elihu is not. Likely he is not condemned because his doctrine is sound, his faith in God strong, his heart honest. Nonetheless he is overbearing and should have shown compassion, though at times he defended Job against Job’s three friends, he consistently takes a harsh stand against Job, and he appears to be quick to anger.

Only Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar are considered friends of Job. Elihu appears to be a stranger.

The structure of Chapter 37 is much like the others. It is a simple chiasm. A1 or Part One Is introduced with the following phrase, “Hear attentively the noise of his voice.” A2, or part two, is introduced with the phrase, “Hearken unto this, O Job.” Part One is in praise of God. Part Two is directed to Job, asking if he fully understands God. A1 comprises verses 1-13. A2 comprises verses 14-24.

A1 Job 37:1-2

At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place. Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth.

The pronouns shift from first person, “my heart,” to third person, “his place,” “his voice,” and “his mouth.” Yet it is still Elihu speaking. One can only assume that “my” refers to Elihu and “his” refers to the voice of God which caused his heart to tremble and be moved out of its place. Elihu loves the Lord. In Part One Elihu applauds the Majesty of God. Part One is identified by phrases such as “He directeth,” “he thundereth,” “He saith,” “He wearieth,” “He scattereth,” and “He causeth.”

First Elihu speaks of the powerful voice of the Lord.

A1 Job 37:3-5

He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth. After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard. God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.

The emphasis falls on the many voices of God: “voice roareth,” “thundereth with the voice of his excellency,” “thundereth marvellously.” Just as Jehovah has many names, he also has many voices. Notice the contrast of God’s voice of thunder with the still small voice spoken of by Elijah.

1 Kings 19:11-13

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

Sometimes, however, because people harden their hearts and close their ears, the Lord uses stronger language.

Revelation 10:1-3

And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

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Podcast 50, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 36”

As with the other chapters, Chapter 36 uses the chiastic format: A1,A2—B1,B2. A1 Verse 1 is characteristically the salutation that introduces the speaker.

Job 36:1

Elihu also proceeded, and said,

Elihu, a devout person, praises God. First he politely requests the other men to listen to his words. He testifies that he speaks the truth. However, as with Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar, Elihu is directly addressing Job.

A1 Job 36:2-4

Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet to speak on God’s behalf. I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words shall not be false: he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.

In his youth, Elihu is very bold. Remember when he first introduced himself, he appeared deferential and humble, but even then his true colors showed through. He clearly saw himself as superior to his elders.

Job 32:4-10

Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he. When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled. And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion. I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment. Therefore I said, Hearken to me; I also will shew mine opinion.

There is a distinct lack of humility in Elihu, but the others in formal argument treat him respectfully as an equal. One is unsure, however, whether Elihu is speaking of God or of himself when he said, “he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.” Elihu also said, “I have yet to speak on God’s behalf.” Claiming to speak for God is a pretty bold statement. Frankly I put my trust in Job. However, the youthful Elihu is devout and he praises God. After ascribing “righteousness to my Maker,” Elihu lists other characteristics of God.

A1 Job 36:5-7

Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom. He preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poor.

He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne; yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.

We may accept everything Elihu said of God. He is mighty in strength and wisdom; he is no respecter of persons; he does not preserve the wicked, but he gives right to the poor; he watches over the righteous; he exalts the righteous.

But there is a barb in Elihu’s voice. The next is aimed at Job,

A1 Job 36:8-10

And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction;

Then he sheweth them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded.

He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.

It is very clear that Elihu thinks that Job is bound in fetters and holden in cords of affliction, He is convinced that God is punishing Job for his transgressions, that he is opening the ears of Job to discipline, and that Job’s punishment is warning to return from iniquity.

A2 continues Elihu’s praise of God

A2: Job 36:26-31

Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out. For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof: Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly. Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle? Behold, he spreadeth his light upon it, and covereth the bottom of the sea. For by them judgeth he the people; he giveth meat in abundance.

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Podcast 49, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 35”

Chapter 34 follows the same chiastic pattern as the others. It has two major parts: Part one is divided into A1 (verses 2-3) & A2 (verses 14-16). Part two is divided into B1 (verses 4-7) & B2 (verses 8-13).

The primary theme of the parable is found in the last verse of B2 where we expect it to be, “Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.”

Verse 1 is the usual salutation.

Elihu spake moreover, and said,

In Part One Elihu accuses Job of vanity. It is found, not unexpectedly in the last verse of A2. “Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.” The theme is repeated in B2.

Let’s first examine A1 of Part One

A1 Job 35:2-3

Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God’s? For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? and, What profit shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin?

No where did Job say that his righteousness is more than God’s. What Job actually said was:

Job 29:14

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.

Elihu gives this great, insightful advice, but he misses the mark. Job is far ahead of his adversaries. Their arguments are inferior to Job because Job speaks the truth always, and he is genuinely an incredibly wise man. Every word of Job is evidence of his wisdom and understanding of the atonement.

A2 of Part One completes the thought.

A2 Job 35:14-16

Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him. But now, because it is not so, he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth it not in great extremity: Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.

Elihu speaks the truth when he says that judgement is before God and that we should trust in him. However, he speaks falsely when he said that Job opened his mouth in vain and that he multiplied words without knowledge. Nothing in Job supports that statement.

The key to understanding Chapter 35 is found in the Middle, in B1 & B2, with the greatest emphasis in B2. Let’s first examine B1. As an introduction in A1, Elihu askes Job a question: “Thinkest thou this to be right, that though saidst, My righteousness is more than God’s?” But rather than wait for Job to answer, in B1 Elihu answers that question himself.

B1 Job 35:4-7

I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee. Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou. If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him? If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?

One is reminded of Isaiah’s seminal words.

Isaiah 55:8-9

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Doctrinally Elihu is correct; however, he misplaces his anger. Notice the following accusations against innocent Job.

B2 Job 35:8-13

Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man. By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty. But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night; Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven? There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men. Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.

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Podcast 48, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 34”

Chapter 34 begins with the familiar refrain.

Job 34:1

Furthermore Elihu answered and said,

From that point on, Elihu uses the following refrain to divide his chapter into stanzas or paragraphs..

Hear my words (verses 2-9)
Therefore hearken unto me (verses 10-15)
Hear this: hearken to the voice of my words ((verses 16-33)
And let a wise man hearken unto me. (verses 34-37)

In English jargon those would be topic sentences that introduce paragraphs supporting a single thesis. In English format, the thesis would either be placed at the beginning, which is most common, or at the end for climactic purposes. From previous chapters of Job, we may surmise that Chapter 34 is a chiasm, following the model A1, B1—B2, A2. I shall analyze the parable by combining A1 & A2 and B1 & B2. B2 will contain the most important part of the parable. In other words that is where we shall find the theme.

It is important to know that the Book of Job is very formal, tightly linked together through parallelism. It is one great argument among Job, Bildad, Eliphaz, Zophar, and Elihu, each respecting the others’ point of view. Notice that no one ever interrupts the other. That is a model that our own government could learn from.

Another thing we learn is that there is a kernel of truth in every argument. Ironically, from what we know of Job’s character, the premises of Bildad, Eliphaz, Zophar, and Elihu are wrong. They have misjudged Job enormously and unfairly; however, we must consider where they are coming from.

They are bringing in their biases from outside. Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar believe in a God, but they do not believe in Jehovah or Christ. Elihu, on the other hand, appears to believe in a redeemer who ransomed us from our sins. That sets Elihu apart. However, all four had condemned Job in their hearts before then even arrived. All four came to chastise and teach Job, not out of hate, we may assume, but out of love.

Chapter 34 contains some great Christian advice from Elihu, even more than the other three combined. The problem is that Job is innocent, even of the charges of Elihu. In other words, Elihu’s advice is great, but it is misplaced. But the audience of the Book of Job is not Job himself. They lived thousands of years ago. We are the audience. We must determine if the condemnation of Elihu applies to us. The purpose of the Book of Job is to ask us to access our own standing with God. As with all true scripture and all great literature, it speaks to every generation for it goes deeper than cultural or religious biases.

A1 Job 34:2-9

Hear my words, O ye wise men; and give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge. For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat. Let us choose to us judgment: let us know among ourselves what is good. For Job hath said, I am righteous: and God hath taken away my judgment. Should I lie against my right? my wound is incurable without transgression. What man is like Job, who drinketh up scorning like water? Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, and walketh with wicked men. For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.

One must love the image, “For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat.” Elihu asks us to choose judgment, to know for ourselves what is good. Who can deny such good advice? However, Elihu mispresents Job. God didn’t take away Job’s judgment. It was the citizens who once respected Job’s every word who quit listening to him. When Job was wealthy and prosperous, above all men, they listened to him. Now that he sat in ashes they scorned him. The following statement by Elihu is true: “For Job hath said, I am righteous and God hath taken

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Podcast 47, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 33”

In verse one, as with other chapters, a narrator is established. It is Elihu, the youngest of the group, and he is directing his comments directly to Job. This is like a play enacted on stage. They are the actors. We are the audience. Though the arguments get very direct and personal, there is a very formal nature and politeness in the group.

When one speaks, regardless of how controversial or strong the accusation, the others remain silent until he is finished. To understand better how much the restraint matters, as you listen to or read Elihu’s argument against Job, ask yourself, ‘If I were Job, would I remain silent or would I interrupt him at every false point?’

The natural man would object at every point, but that is not the case in any of the arguments. The episodes occurred thousands of years ago. We are observers, sitting on the outside. Even we are tempted to come to Job’s defense, but we are asked not to. We are asked to hear out the argument until it is Job’s turn to speak.

The structure of the parable is chiastic, following the format A1,B1,C1—C2,B2,A2. I shall present it in the order of A1-A2, B1-B2, etc.

A1 Job 33:1-12

Wherefore, Job, I pray thee, hear my speeches, and hearken to all my words. Behold, now I have opened my mouth, my tongue hath spoken in my mouth. My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly. The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. If thou canst answer me, set thy words in order before me, stand up. Behold, I am according to thy wish in God’s stead: I also am formed out of the clay. Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee. Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words, saying, I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me. Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy, He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths. Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.

The above, of course, is Elihu’s formal opening. Notice that the dominating pattern begins with “Behold.” It means to look or to listen or to consider or to ponder. Elihu is very confident. It appears five times, drawing attention to five concepts Elihu wants Job to consider. Elihu declares his own righteousness, “My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly.”

Very bold statements. Elihu asserts that he is a child of God, also formed out of clay. Elihu is a step above Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar. They do not believe in the redeeming love of Christ. Elihu believes in Jehovah. He belongs to the family of Abraham. Furthermore, he claims that he is a prophet. He said, “I am according to thy wish in God’s stead.” In other words, he is speaking for God.

One must question his authority. He comes down very hard on Job. He reminds Job of his claims that ‘he is clean from transgression,’ that ‘he is innocent before God,’ that here is no iniquity in him.’ Elihu declares, “In this thou art not just.”

We get a clearer view of Elihu’s intent from the conclusion found in A2.

A2: Job 33:31-33

Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and I will speak. If thou hast any thing to say, answer me: speak, for I desire to justify thee. If not, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and I shall teach thee wisdom.

Elihu, though he is the youngest of the group, thinks that wisdom lies within himself. He is asking Job to hold his peace and let him speak while he condemns him.

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Podcast 46, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 32”

In Chapter 32 we are introduced to a new character, Elihu. He is younger than Job and his three friends. Apparently Elihu has been present from the beginning but because of his youth, he remained silent. However, his outburst demonstrates almost uncontrolled passion for he is angry with Job for proclaiming his own righteousness, and he is angry at Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar for keeping silent. The first verse in Chapter 32 is unique. Many of the other chapters began with identifying the speaker For example, Chapter 29 begins, “Moreover Job continued his parable, and said.” Chapter 25 begins, “Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said.” Chapter 22 begins: “Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said.” And Chapter 20 begins: “Then answered Zophar the Naamanthite, and said.”

You may easily discern the pattern. They are very formal. Contrast that with the beginning of Chapter 32:

Job 32:1

So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

Job has finally silenced his friends. That enrages the youthful Elihu. He is angry at Job and his three friends. The introductory section is dominated by the phrase, “kindled the wrath.”

Job 32:2-5

Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he. When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled.

Four times the kindling of his wrath is mentioned is as many verses. Repetition often gives emphasis. He is angry at Job because he appeared to justify himself, and to Elihu one can only be justified by God. He is angry at Job’s three friends because they remain silent.

Now, and it is no coincidence the narrative falls right back into the old pattern. Compare the following introduction with those mentioned above.

Job 32:6

And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion.

Order is restored to the Narrative and Elihu, following the pattern of the others presents his well-organized argument. With the use of step parallelism, repetition of words or phrases, Elihu divides his argument into four phases. The introductory phase is “I said” with one variation, “I will speak.”

I shall use the above pattern in discussing Elihu’s argument.

Job 32:7-9

I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.

We may assume Elihu is genuinely respectful for he has sat through the entire argument silently until the three friends remained silent when Elihu thought they should have spoken. Elihu appears to be a pious and dedicated religious thinker albeit less dignified than Job and even the other three friends. He introduces a very important doctrine, “There is a spirit in man.” That is a fundamental Christian principle. In the creation story, the “breath of life” refers to God placing Adam’s spirit into his body. Furthermore, Elihu declares, “The Almighty giveth them understanding.”

Circumstances show that Elihu is correct in chastising Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar for they are consistently disingenuous in their accusations against Job which are false. But Elihu’s anger is misplaced even against the other three friends.

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Podcast 45, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 31”

The structure of Chapter 31 is very interesting. It is a simple chiasm divided into only two parts. A1 & A2. In A1 Job asks seven questions:

A1 Job 31:1-4

I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
For what portion of God is there from above?
And what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
Is not destruction to the wicked?
[Is not] a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?
Doth not he see my ways?
And count all my steps?

In question one, Job declares his moral innocence. His “covenant with his eyes” was that he would not lust after women. He would not look upon sin with tolerance. He would keep his covenant of marriage and his covenant with God.

In question two, Job asks how much of his suffering is from God.

In question three, he effectively repeats question two: How much of his inheritance was from the Almighty from on high.

Question 4 is the key question, “Is not destruction to the wicked?” Remember that Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar accuse Job of wickedness, claiming that is why he is being punished. Job is asking what portion of that punishment is from God for his sins.

Question 5 echoes question 4, “Is not a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?”

Job knows he is not wicked, that he is not being punished by God for in Questions 6 & 7 Job asked, “Does not God see my ways? Does not God count all my steps?”

A2 is a fascinating answer. Job poses 15 hypothetical situations, using “If…Then” format. The hypothetical statements are addressed to God. In other words, he is asking God to “see his ways” and “count all of his steps.” In doing so, God will find his innocence.

Of course, Job already knows of his innocence, and he knows that God knows of his innocence. This is for the benefit of the three wicked friends who are falsely accusing him of things he is not guilty of.

Job dramatically invites God to punish him for each of the sins mentioned if he is indeed guilty, which he is not.

The list of sins is so long and so comprehensive, that we get a very good idea of the righteousness of Job and how strictly he obeys all the commandments of God.

Let’s discuss each hypothetical sin in the order they are presented.

Job 31:5-6

If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit; Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.

Job has been guilty neither of vanity nor of deceit. He is asking God to weigh him in the balance so that God will know his integrity. Only an innocent person could be so bold with God.

Job 31:7-8

If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands; Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.

The list of sins is very interesting. For Job, it is a book of virtues for he is not guilty of any of the sins. For the wicked, it is a book of vices like the seven deadly sins. Job walks the straight and narrow path. Job has an understanding heart. He does not follow his eyes. He follows his heart. Remember earlier the words of Job, “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’ He has clean hands and a pure heart. If he doesn’t have those things he invites the Lord to curse him, to let him sow but another eat. He even invites the Lord to take his family. That is true confidence.

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Podcast 44, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 30”

In Chapter 30, we see the social order breaking down. We need to consider Job’s social condition before tragedy struck. As we learned earlier, even princes remained silent when Job spoke. Job, with all of his wealth, looked after the poor. Job gave counsel to the highest dignitaries. Now as we see in Part 1 A, even the rabble hold him in derision.

Job 30:1-8

But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock. Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished? For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste. Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat. They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;) To dwell in the clifts of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks. Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together. They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.

In Part 1 A above, Job recounts how the children of base men, who were viler than the earth, have persecuted Job, apparently unchecked by society. In Part 1 B we see the effect they have upon Job.

Job 30:9-15

And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword. They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face. Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me. Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction. They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper. They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me. Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.

It suggests a complete breakdown of law and order. They would not have dared do that when Job was a man of high esteem and great wealth and authority. For one thing it shows how fragile the legal system is and how quickly chaos takes over.

The overall format of Job Chapter 30 is chiastic: A1,B1—B2,A2. A2 is antithetical to A1. The people who now torment Job were the very people Job supported when he had money.

A2 Job 30:25-31

Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor? When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness. My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me. I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation. I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls. My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat. My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.

Before his economical and social collapse, Job helped the poor. Now Job is in the same economic class as the poorest of the poor. Notice the comparison between the poor in A1 and Job in A2.

A1: “for want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste…To dwell in clifts…in caves of the earth, and in rocks.

A2 I went mourning without the sun. I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls. My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.

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Podcast 43, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 29”

Job is speaking. Verse 1 is of the usual salutation identifying the speaker.

Job 1:1

Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

The rest of the parable is divided into four parts, following the chiastic pattern of A1, B1—B2, A2. Customarily the emphasis falls on B2 which lists Job’s charity, proving that he was a righteous man who did not neglect the poor or beggar as Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar claimed.

In A1 Job laments the past when he was at the height of his glory, his wealth, his power, and his happiness.

A1 Job 29:2-7

Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me; When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness; As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me; When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil; When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!

Job establishes his righteousness: “God preserved me,” his candle shined upon my head,” “by his light I walked, the Almighty was with me.”

In true chiastic fashion, the end of the parable shows a parallel connection to the beginning, The end completes the theme of the beginning. In A1, Job laments the loss of the past. In A2, Job relives the past.

A2 Job 29:18-25

Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand. My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch. My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand. Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel. After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them. And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain. If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down. I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.

In B1, Job establishes his standing in the community.

B1 Job 29:8-10

The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up. The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth. The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

That demonstrates the profound respect the people, including the great leaders, had for Job. It also condemns the community for turning their backs on Job, as symbolized by Bildad, Eliphaz, and Jophar, simply because a series of tragedies deprived him of his wealth and power. The circumstances have changed for Job, but Job is the same man of integrity and wisdom and righteousness that he always was.

Because of the parallel structure, the main emphasis of the parable is found in B2.

B2 Job 29:11-17

When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out. And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.

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Podcast 42, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 28”

Job 28 is very straight forward. It is organized into two parts, each antithetical to the other. Part 1 addresses the laws of nature. Part 2 addresses the laws of God. The two parts are analogical—that is to say that each is an analogical contrast to the other. Job 28 answers two questions: Question 1: Where do you search for gold and silver. Question 2: Where do you search for wisdom? Job 28 answers those two questions.

First, as Job does, let’s address the obvious: Where do you search for gold and silver?

Job 28:1-6

Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it. Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death. The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men. As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire. The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.

In searching for silver, gold, iron, brass, sapphires and other precious metals or precious stones, we consult science. They all follow natural laws. However, if we search for wisdom and understanding, we must take another path.

Job 28:7-8

There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen: The lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

Job 28 is dedicated to answering that question. Why did Job begin with silver and gold? Clearly it is because we treasure those things above all else. Today the price of gold is approaching $5000 an ounce. The price of silver is over a $100 an ounce. The other metals and stones listed are costly but of lesser value. That is what I mean by analogical contrast. In Proverbs we read.

Proverbs 8:11

For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

Perhaps the greatest verse that proclaims the importance of gaining wisdom is about the Savior himself.

Luke 2:52

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

We know that Jesus didn’t increase in silver and gold or other like precious things.

Matthew 8:20

And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

Job emphasizes that wisdom is not as easy to find as silver and gold.

Job 28:9-12

He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing. He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light. But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

Clearly man is looking in the wrong place. One cannot find wisdom and understading by imitating miners who are looking for silver, gold, precious stones, and other precious metals. One cannot find wisdom and understandung by searching the land of the living or the depths of the sea. It cannot be bought. It can’t be valued. No precious metals can equal it.

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Podcast 41, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 27”

Job continues his answer to Bildad.

Job 27:1

Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

Chapter 27 is divided into four distinct parts. It is a chiasm with the following structure: A1,B1,C1,D1—D2,C2,B2,A2.

That means that the emphasis falls in the middle upon D2 which is the primary theme of Chater 27. In D2 Job asks, “Why then are ye thus altogether vain?” That recalls the words of King Solomon.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-4

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

The theme of Vanity in Ecclesiastes 1 and Job 27 is the same: Everything earthly is temporal. Everything heavenly is spiritual. When Job said “The earth will last forever,” he does not refer to mortal earth. He refers to the New Jerusalem spoken of by John the Revelator.

Revelation 21:1-7

All earthly things will pass away. They have no lasting value. In Peter’s words

2 Peter 3:10-13

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Let’s work our way through Job 27, following the chiastic pattern.

A1 Job 27:2

As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;

In A1 Job validates the existence of God. “As God liveth.” Job is vexed because he knows that he is righteous, yet God allowed Satan to take everything away from him. “Taken away my judgment” does not mean that Job lost his ability to judge. He lost the confidence of the people who, when he was rich, looked upon him as a wise judge. In Job 29 we read, “When I prepared my seat in the street.” That was a seat of importance where people came to him for counsel. Job adds, “The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up. The princes reframed talking, and laid their hands on their mouth. The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

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Podcast 40, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 26”

Of course, chapters 25 & 26 need to be read together. Chapter 26 is Job’s answer to Bildad in Chapter 25.

As is common in Job, the first verse introduces the speaker. Chapter 25 introduces Bildad as the speaker.

Job 25:1

Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

Chapter 26 introduces Job as the speaker.

Job 36:1 But Job answered and said,

Obviously it is an ongoing dialogue. The rest of the text of Chapter 26 should be read as a whole. It is governed by chiastic parallelism. Verse 2 is in antithetical parallelism to Verse 14. Job is speaking.

Job 26:2

How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength?

Job 26:14

Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?

Notice that the contrast is between the weakness of Job and the Almighty power of God. Years later this is echoed by Isaiah.

Isaiah 55:6-9

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

In effect Job is agreeing with certain parts of Bildad’s argument. For example, Bildad said,

Job 25:2-3

Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places. Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?

6 RON

However, Job challenges Bildad’s conclusions, for while describing the almighty power of God, Bildad denies the Son, and denies his power to cleanse us from our sins. In the following Bildad is speaking.

Job 25:4-6

How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?

In Chapter 26, Job challenges Bildad’s opinion. He uses the parallel format A1 B1—B2 A2. Again B1 & B2 share an antithetical relationship. B1, for example, emphasizes the weaknesses of man, B2 emphasizes the power of God. Let’s look first at B1. The verses are tied together by step parallelism, that is to say they have the same rhetorical pattern. Each verse is formed as a question.

Job 26:2-4

How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength? How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is? To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?

It is Job who is without power. It is Job whose arm ‘hath no strength. It is Job who has no wisdom. Job is Everyman. He symbolizes all mankind who suffer. When Job asks Bildad, “To whom hast thou uttered words? And whose spirit came from thee? He is accusing Bildad of two things: (1) Bildad doesn’t know who he is talking to. He has no comprehension of who Job truly is and why he is suffering or why he believes in a redeemer. (2) He accuses Bildad of being possessed or perhaps better, governed by Satan, and doesn’t know it. In fact, Job answers his own question.

Job 26:5-6

Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof. Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.

That is quite a condemnation of Bildad. Now Let’s examine B2. Remember the chapter is following the chiastic order. That means that B2, the most important part of the chapter, carries the theme.

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Podcast 39, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 25”

In Chapter 25, the shortest chapter in Job, only six verses, Bildad curses man, calling him a worm. It may seem odd, but Chapter 25 of Job goes to the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ: The answer to two of the greatest questions of the universe is at stake. Question One: What is Man? Question Two: What is the Son of Man. How we answer those questions determine our own future as well as the future of all mankind. We are defined by how we answer those questions. The Holy Bible is dedicated to answering those two questions. Who are we and what is our relationship with God? Who is Christ and what is his relationship to us? That question separates the sheep from the goats. It separates those whose names are written in the Book of Life and whose names are not written in the Book of Life.

The Holy Bible is dedicated to defining Christ. In the Old Testament God reveals to Moses that he is the Great I Am. ‘I Am’ can precede every title of Christ in the Bible. For Christ revealed to John the Revelator, “I am the faithful witness.’ ‘I am the first begotten of the dead.’ ‘I am the prince of the kings of the earth.’ In fact, the Book of Revelation probably has more titles of Christ than any other book in the Holy Bible. Bildad is definitely aligned with the goats.

Job 25:1-6

“Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places. Is there any number of his armies and upon whom doth not his light arise? How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?”

Bildad calls the Son of Man a worm! To contrast what Bildad has to say about man and the Son of Man, let’s turn to Psalm 8 by King David. The two passages of scripture beg to be compared because both deal with man and the son of man. Man represents the posterity of Adam and Eve. Son of Man represents Christ. Bildad does not believe in Christ. The Psalmist David does. Contrast the points of view of Bildad above with David.

Psalm 8:3-9

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

If Bildad is a goat, David is a sheep. It is very possible that David had Bildad in mind when he wrote the beautiful scripture above. It is very common in the Holy Bible for one writer to play off another writer, or one prophet another prophet. It is helpful to keep in mind that that God wrote the scriptures through his prophets. Time to God is unlike time to us. He sees the end from the beginning and all scriptures are one great whole. I propose that in the pure form there are no contradictions in scripture. All contradictions are manmade through various translations or even biases. Scriptures may be restated to fit man’s philosophy.

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Podcast 38, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job,’ Ch 24.

Since one of my purposes is to share with my reader how the ancient Hebrews would read the Old Testament, please allow me to use Chapter 24 of Job as another model.

In addition to the forms of parallelism such as Climatic, Antithetical, Chiastic, Synonymous, Synthetic, and Step Parallelism, sometimes the prophets taught by using question and answer. Such a format provides the structure for the poem or prophecy or scripture. For example, in Job 24, Job begins by asking his friends a question.

Job 24:1

“Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?”

The question is filled with irony because Job is chastising his friends for not seeing the hand of God though that is exactly what they pretend to do. They rather arrogantly presumed to tell Job that God is punishing him for his wickedness. Job is reminding his friends that they may pretend to know God, whereas in reality they don’t know God. How is it then that if they don’t know God, do they pretend to “see his days?” The Book of Job is a debate. Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar are incompetent before Job. It is three against one, but Job is always victorious.

The question and answer format is common in the Holy Bible. As a reminder read Malachi chapter three. Malachi poses three questions.

Question One

Malachi 3:1-2

1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:

Question Two

Malachi 3:8

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Question Three

Malachi 3:13

13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

The bulk of Malachi 3 is devoted to answering those questions. Question and answer is a common rhetorical device in the Holy Scriptures. That gives us the overall framework for understanding Job 24.

The answer is organized using Chiastic Parallelism: A1 B1-- B2 A2. It is also by the use of parallelism that we can discern what verses constitute A1 & B1, B2 & A2, For example, A1 uses Step Parallelism. Each verse uses the same rhetorical pattern. A2 uses Synonymous Parallelism. Each verse has synonyms compatible with the other verses. B1 & B2 both use Synonymous Parallelism.

However, A2 is antithetical to A1 and B2 is antithetical to B1. That is to say that are opposites, light vs dark for example. The above, of course, appears complicated because as English speakers and writers, we have developed our own rhetorical patterns. We use outlines and thesis statements and topic sentences and headings, etc. Good writers try to make their prose as easy as possible to read.

Just as English composition is familiar to us, Parallelism would have been just as familiar to the Ancient Hebrews. They did not use periods and commas and headings and outlines. Those were naturally built into the parallel structures.

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Podcast 37, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 23”

In Chapter 22, Eliphaz attributes Job’s suffering to his sins. He calls upon Job to repent. The beginning of Chapter 22 parallels the beginning of Chapter 23.’

Chapter 22 begins, “Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,”

Chapter 23 begins,

JOB 23:1

“Then Job answered and said,”

This is a debate between Job and his friends. Job is responding to Eliphaz’s false accusations. Each time Job responds, not only does he eloquently defend himself, but he also teaches his friendz important doctrine.

In Chapter 23, Job teaches one of the great doctrines of Christianity—trial by fire or the purpose of suffering. Let’s refer to a familiar scripture.

1 Peter 1:6–7

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”

Perhaps Peter was influenced by Job, for as we analyze Chapter 23, we discover that everything in Chapter 23 is directed toward the above theme. The poem is written in Chiastic Parallelism. It is divided into four parts: A1, B1, C1, D1,--D2, C2, B2, A2. When a poem is written in climatic order, the most emphatic position is always the end of the chapter. The arrow points from the least to the most important. When a poem is written in Chiastic Order, the most emphatic position is always the middle of the chapter, the climax being the last level. In Chapter 23, it is D2. The movement of the poem flows from the beginning to the middle and then back from the middle to the end. The end repeats the beginning. The poem ends where it begins. In a four part chiasm, the key phrase, or most emphatic position will be D2, and, as we shall see, that is exactly where Job placed his most important theme. His theme, written so eloquently by Peter nearly 2000 years later, echoes the idea that the trial of our faith is more precious than gold.

A1 Job 23:2-5

“Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning. Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.

Job is testifying of the mercy of Christ. Job’s pain is even greater than his language can express. He asks, “Where is God?” Job believes that because his case is just he could present the argument to the Lord. He even knows what God would say. That is confidence. It is just the opposite of what Eliphaz accused him of. Now let’s go to the end of the poem.

A2 Job 23:15-17

“Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him. For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me: Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.”

Job completes his thought. Let me make a note here about the difference between a composition, such as Job, in the Bible, and a composition in modern English. We use parallelism in English, of course, and for dramatic emphasis we often use climatic order or, if you will, climatic parallelism. In addition, in what is sometimes referred to as the neoclassic style used by Johnson and Gibbons, we also use synonymous parallelism, synthetic parallelism, step parallelism, and antithetical parallelism, but we never use chiasm, though I have seen it in English poetry. Chiasm is peculiar to Hebrew poetry. It is oddly also in the Popol Vue, the oldest Mayan document, and I have seen it in Mayan poetry.

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Podcast 36, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 22”

In the previous chapter, Job ruffled the feathers of his friends, pointing out their wickedness. In Chapter 22 Eliphaz speaks.

Job 22:1

“Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,”

Eliphaz attacks Job, lists his sins, and calls him to repentance.

Chapter 22 follows the familiar chiastic format—ABCCBA. As common to the chiastic format, A2 completes the thought of A1. In the Following—verses 2-4, Eliphaz speaks of the majesty of God and of the nothingness of Job. In Verses 21-30 Eliphaz admonishes Job to repent and return to God. If he does, good will be restored to Job.

A1: Job 22:2-4

“Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect? Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?”

The irony is, of course, that although his sermon is misplaced on Job since Job is innocent, his sermon still contains profound truths. Let’s recall the words of Isaiah.

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Eliphaz is essentially saying the same thing. God is omniscient and omnipotent, what prophet can we possible be to him. Eliphaz raises some profound questions: Can a man be profitable to God? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that we are righteous, or that we make our ways perfect? Is God afraid of us? Does God want our opinion in judgment? These are rhetorical questions. The question is, ‘Why is God even interested in us.” Christians immediately turn to John.

John 3:16-17

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

The pure love of Christ is the only answer that works. What, but obedience, do we have to offer God. God is the father of our spirits. Christ created the world and then made our physical bodies from the dust of the earth. Everything we have comes from God. When we die, our bodies turn to dust. When the world dies, it will melt with fervent heat. We don’t have anything to bargain with. It has to be on a metaphysical level. God asks only two things of us.

Matthew 22:37–40

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

God gives us love, and all he asks in return is for us to show our love to him and to his children. Christ said, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” In other words, not only do all the commandments of God embrace love but also every word the prophets have said embrace the love of God. Then Eliphaz is right.

That leads us to A2. If we discount the fact that Job is innocent of all charges and simply think of Eliphaz speaking to most of us, his advice is correct. Look at what he is inviting us to do. If we acquaint ourselves with God and become at peace with God, good things will follow.

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Podcast 35, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job,” Ch 21.

There is a kind of protocol of formality in the dialogue between Job and his friends. The introduction can be barbed; nevertheless, it is polite and follows a standard procedure. Rather than gathering around a campfire where all speak at once, it is more like a formal podium in which the speakers take turns and the others remain silent.

Job 1:5

“But Job answered and said, Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations. Suffer me that I may speak; and after that I have spoken, mock on. As for me, is my complaint to man? and if it were so, why should not my spirit be troubled? Mark me, and be astonished, and lay your hand upon your mouth.”

Job is telling them to sit down and be quiet while he speaks, then he gives a carefully laid out argument. Again, let’s consider the movement of Job’s address. It is not just for Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar. It is for all the world.

Again, I shall be guided by parallelism, allowing it to take what form it will. Scriptures need to lead us; we should not lead the scriptures. Seeking truth is a sticky process, for we never approach truth empty. It is sometimes a struggle to avoid imposing our own biases, opinions, traditions, and learning. Rather than seeking truth, we often validate preconceived opinions.

Chapter 21, though it follows the chiastic pattern, is rather complex. The ancient writers did not blindly follow a rusty mold. For example, after the introduction above, Job immediately launches into his subject. Being true to the chiastic form, verse 6, the beginning of the argument, is clearly connected intimately to verse 34, the last verse of the argument.

Job 21: 6

“Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh.”

Job 21:34

“How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?”

Job’s question is legitimate. His friends can clearly see his desperate plight, yet rather than comfort Job, they add to his misery by accusing him falsely of sins he hasn’t committed. They admonish him to repent of things he hasn’t even done. Furthermore, they condemn him to everlasting hell if he doesn’t repent. It is a strong reprimand by Job.

However, by following the parallel trail, we find near the center of Chapter 21 three verses that enlighten us further on what Job is referring to. They connect verse 6 with verse 34 adding further light.

Job 21:27-29

Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me. For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? and where are the dwelling places of the wicked? Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens,

That is a very serious charge against his friends. In verse 34 Job accuses his friends of lying. In the above Job accuses his friends of fraternizing with the wicked. Here they are accusing Job of being wicked, but Job is effectively asking his friends, if they are not among the wicked, why do they know the tokens and signs of the wicked? Tokens are secret signs that the wicked devise to recognize each other. They would not know those tokens if they were not part of a secret society.

In dividing the verses, perhaps, rather than A1 & A2, we would have A1, A2, & A3.

The dominating theme of Job 21 is wickedness as we shall see by examining all the other verses. For example, not only is the word wicked used four times in strategic places, but all the verses reference the wicked. Job 21 is quite a dissertation on the wicked. One dominant lesson is that sometimes the wicked are punished on earth for their sins, but sometimes they aren’t. In other words, you can’t judge people by their prosperity or their suffering.

True to the Chiastic form, let’s examine B1 & B2

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Podcast 34, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 20

Zophar gives a scathing view of the wicked which is compatible with the common Christian view of Hell. The problem, however, is that Zophar has missed the mark. Job is among the most righteous men on earth. In James we read.

James 5:11

“Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”

The Book of Job is quoted by the Apostle Paul.

Job 5:13

“He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.”

1 Corinthians 3:19

“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.”

It is ironic, of course, that the words are spoken by Eliphaz, one of Job’s tormenters wearing the cloak of friendship. But that is the irony, isn’t it? The words of Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar ring true for the guilty; however, they are false when directed at Job. They see Job as one of the wicked while ignoring their own flaws.

Zophar’s words are quotable; however, they do not fit Job’s innocent character. Job has spoken harshly to his three friends, and Zophar is retaliating, But let’s examine Zophar’s words, not as they falsely apply to Job, but as they sometimes accurately apply to the suffering of the wicked who fall under the biting law of Justice.

It is fun to follow the movement of each chapter of Job. They are exquisitely written,

First Zophar is retaliating against Job’s previous testimony of the redeemer.

Job 19:25-27

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.”

Zophar feels compelled to answer Job.

Job 20: 1-2

“Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste. I have heard the check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.”

As we examine the following keep in mind that Zophar is speaking specifically of Job for Job has actually suffered all these things. The Book of Job is the story of a man who had enormous wealth but lost it all, and everything turned bitter. Zophar firmly believes that the only reason Job lost his fortune, his family, and his health is because of his wickedness.

The story of Job is two stories: One from the eyes of his friends, the other from the eyes of Job, a true prophet. On the one hand, Job is struggling under the pressures of his sudden loss. On the other hand, he never criticizes God. In fact, he sees release and salvation only through Jesus Christ. His friends, however, think they have all the answers. Rather than give comfort to Job in his suffering, Zophar condemns him to an eternal hell of suffering. One of the great lessons in the Book of Job is in the way Job treats his friends and in the way he answers their false accusations.

Let’s examine Zophar’s words, however, not in their condemnation of Job but in their condemnation of the truly wicked. Wickedness may bring momentary pleasure, but it cannot bring sustained happiness It is self-destructive, and that is Zophar’s message.

The theme of Chapter 20 is God’s portion to the wicked. Zophar lists six categories:

Brevity of Life
Bitterness of Sin
Oppression of the Poor
The Penalty of Sin
Weapons of Violence
Hidden Sins revealed

Let’s look first at Number 1, The brevity of life.

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Podcast 33, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 19”

We have learned in Job to examine the parallel structures. It is parallelism that reveals the order and emphasis of every chapter of Job.

As we analyze Chapter 19, you will be able to see all five forms of parallelism being used. Though parallelism forms the basic structure of the poem, I intend to focus on the important issues. I shall divide Chapter 19, because of the parallelism, into three major themes or sections. It is written in climatic order, another common rhetorical tool in the Old Testament. That means that Part III contains the most important, the most emphatic, and the primary purpose of the Poem. Parts I and II focus on the suffering of Job. Part III focuses primarily on the resurrection.

In Part I Job answers Bildad’s criticism in the previous chapter as well as the criticisms of Eliphaz and Zophar in earlier chapters. They have been extremely cruel and harsh in their condemnation of Job. In fact, let’s begin by comparing Bildad’s introduction in Chapter 18 with Job’s introduction in Chapter 19.

Job 18:1-6

“Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, How long will it be ere ye make an end of words? mark, and afterwards we will speak. Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight? He teareth himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of his place? Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him.”

Everything Bildad said against Job is untrue. They are based not on knowledge but on preconceived and false assumptions. Job verbally attacks his friends for their cruelty.

Job19:1-5

“Then Job answered and said, How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words? These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me. And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself. If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach:’

Job knows he is innocent. He does not pretend to be perfect. In fact, they bring to his mind the foibles of his youth, but he is not guilty of great sins. Using clustered repetition, I shall divide Part II into five sub parts. Again, Job uses climatic order meaning he moves from the least to the greatest. The first section of Part II addresses the captivity Job feels.

Job 19:6-8

“Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net. Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard I cry aloud, but there is no judgment. He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.”

The images of captivity are overthrown, net, no judgment, fenced, and darkness set in his path. Job sees no escape in this life. He acknowledges God’s hand in his overthrow. That is why Job’s patience and faith are so remarkable. He does not understand why God allows his suffering. By simple logic to Job his suffering does not equal his past sins. Something is missing, yet Job never waivers in his faith in God as Chapter 19 makes very clear in Part III.

The second section of Part II addresses his loss of hope of being released from his suffering in this life.

Job 19:9-10

“He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.”

Job has lost everything: his glory, his crown, his security, and his hope for restoration in this life.

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Podcast 32, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 18”

Ignoring Job’s declaration of innocence and his teachings about the resurrection Bildad challenges Job.

Job 18:1-3

Then Bildad mocks Job.

Job 18:4

“He teareth himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of his place?”

In other words, Bildad is saying Job is nothing. He is not the center of the universe. Then effectively Bildad condemns Job to suffer in hell forever. Notice the stages of Job’s punishment as imagined by Bildad, before he is finally confined to the fires of hell. They are presented in climactic order, meaning they begin at the least and progress to the worst.

In Stage One Job is caught in a snare.

Job 18:7-10

“The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down. For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare. The gin shall take him by the heel, and the robber shall prevail against him. The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.”

‘Straightened,’ as used above, means restricted, pressed in, constrained, hemmed in, or distressed. It means a narrow or tight place. A snare is a loop made of cord, wire, or rope. When something steps into a snare it tightens. The more one tries to escape, the tighter it gets. A thin wire or rope would tear into the flesh or choke a person or animal to death. A net entangles the victim as they struggle to free themselves. A gin is like a bear trap. It is spring loaded, generally of serrated teeth, that instantly snaps shut. It tears the flesh and breaks the bones while holding the victim tight in its grip. In the above it says, “The gin shall take him by the heal.” Only then can the robber prevail against him. Using the terms net, snare, gin, and trap together suggests that if one misses, the other will catch the prey. After the pray is caught, it is at the mercy of the one who set the trap.

Stage two is dominated by the image of “devouring the strength.”

Job 18:11-14

“Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet. His strength shall be hungerbitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side. It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength. His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors.”

The victim is totally helpless. Before the trap held the victim captive, now the victim is devoid of power. His strength is ‘hungerbitten,’ meaning starved. He is near death. Bildad said, “destruction shall be ready at his side.” It ‘devours the strength of his skin,’ meaning his muscles and flesh have lost all movement. Bildad added, “the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.” ‘Firstborn of death’ means child of death or death’s first victim which then turns on the victim. All confidence is gone, meaning all hope is lost. The final image above is even more horrifying: “His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle.” His tabernacle is his body and it lies like one dead. That is when he is delivered into the third stage, “it shall bring him to the king of terrors.” The king of terrors is Satan himself.

Job:15-21

“It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation. His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off.

The progression begins with the snare followed by starvation, and then tormented by brimstone or fire.

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Podcast 31, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 17”

Even in his weakened condition, Job stands up to his critical friends. Under the pretense of helping their friend, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zohar presumptuously judge Job to be wicked which to them is the cause of his suffering, Job consistently proclaims his innocence. Chapter 17 is a song of despair. Job speaks only of the grave. He sees the grave as his only escape from his suffering. The grave, for Job, is a happy alternative because Job strongly believes in Christ and the resurrection. His friends, though they believe in a God, do not believe either in Christ or the resurrection. They focus primarily on this life and urge Job to confess his sins and to repent and his life will improve. Job speaks of the grave as his only release.

Job 17:1

“My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me.”

His friends believe that if Job doesn’t repent, the grave will lead to greater punishment. Job criticizes them.

Job 17:2

“Are there not mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation?”

Job’s friends claim that God is against Job. Job retaliates, denying their false assumptions. He does a strange thing. He curses his friends and tells them that because of their willful blindness, God will not exalt them, meaning that when they die they will not live in the presence of God. They are like the five foolish virgins who were not invited into the wedding feast. In the following Job is speaking to God in front of his false friends. Job is asking God “to put me in a surety with thee.” In other words, Job is asking God to save his soul, but he does not pray for the souls of his friends,

Job 17:3-4

‘Lay down now, put me in a surety with thee; who is he that will strike hands with me? For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them.”

There is a vast difference between being saved and being exalted. To be saved is to be saved from hell. To be exalted means to be saved in the kingdom of God in heaven. Job is talking of being taken to the third heaven spoken of by Paul.

2 Corinthians 12:2-4

“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”

Paul refers to the third heaven as the Celestial Glory or Celestial Kingdom.

2 Corinthians 15:40-42

Job speaks only the truth. He will not resort to flattery. He is calling them to repentance.

Job 17:5

“He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail.”

Job compares his present life to his former life.

Job 17:6-7

“He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret. Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members are as a shadow.”

Job bemoans his present condition. By calling himself a “byword” he is saying that he is virtually ignored by his friends. By referring to himself as a “tabret” in former times, he recalls his former glory. Tabret is a percussion instrument, a small drum, and symbolizes joyful times, former celebrations, victory processions, dance and worship.

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Podcast 30, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 16”

Eliphaz made it clear that he did not believe in the resurrection. Job, a true prophet of God, answers him. In this chapter we clearly see the difference between Job and his false friends. First Job chastises Eliphaz.

Job 16:1-4

“Then Job answered and said, I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest? I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul’s stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you.”

Next Job instructs Eliphaz on how he would treat him if Eliphaz were in such dire circumstances

Job 16:5

“But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should assuage your grief.”

Job informs Eliphaz that he brings no comfort. He lists the pains that his friends have brought upon him.

Job 16:6-10

“Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged: and though I forbear, what am I eased? But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company. And thou hast filled me with wrinkles, which is a witness against me: and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness to my face. He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me. They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me.”

Job accuses his friends of ungodliness and wickedness.

Job 16:11-14

“God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked. I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark. His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground. He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant.”

Job laments his condition. His strength is gone.

Job 16:15-16

“I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust. My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death;”

Job declares his innocence.

Job 16:17-21

“Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure. O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place. Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God. O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!”

Job makes a very interesting observation, “O that one might plead for a man with God, as man pleadeth for his neighbor!” How many of us have considered that our prayers are more often for our neighbors than they are for ourselves. Is Job saying that we don’t pray often enough for ourselves because of modesty or humility or even a sense of unworthiness. Is it that some think that God will answer our prayers better if we pray for others. Or is Job saying that we should bring our own troubles to the Lord on the same level that we pray for others? The golden rule is ‘Do unto others and ye would have them do unto you.’ Job is a man of prayer and clearly has been a man of prayer his entire life, Until now Job has had extraordinary prosperity. Let me draw your attention to a prayer Job gave for his children as recorded during the height of his prosperity.

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Podcast 29, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 15”

As we learned previously Job spoke frankly to Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zohar. The primary theme of Job is Christ and the Resurrection. His friends believe in God, but they do not believe in Christ or the Resurrection. Job has seen Christ in vision. He speaks of the “visitation.” Eliphaz’s disbelief accounts for his harsh answer.

Job 15:1-3

“Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind? Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?”

These are desert people and the east wind never brings good. Eliphaz accuses Job of speaking nonsense. Then he again attacks Job, calling him a sinner before God. Eliphaz thinks that Job speaks blasphemy against God.

Job 15:4-6

“Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God. For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.”

Job is of the House of Israel. His friends are not. To his friends God is a mystery, and Job is claiming to know God personally. Eliphaz said,

Job 15:7-10

“Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills? Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us? With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father.”

That is the difference between Job and his friends. His friends are led by men of wisdom; Job is led by prophets of God. His friends learn from mortal resources; Job learns from spiritual resources such as revelation and prophecies of divinely called prophets. They think Job is carried away by fantasy. Eliphaz continues.

Job 15:11-13

“Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee? Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth?”

Christ is fundamental to the prophets of the Old Testament as he is to the apostles of the New Testament. A central teaching of Christ is that we are children of God, what Peter refers to as our “divine nature.”

2 Peter 1:1-4

“Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

The friends of Job do not share that concept. They do not appear to understand our personal relationship with God. Eliphaz said.

Job 15:14-16

“What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?”

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Podcast 28, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 14”

Chapter 14 of The Book of Job was written generally using Parallelism. Chiastic Parallelism follows the format ABCCBA. I shall interpret the poem, using the Chiastic format. I shall refer to the separate sections as A1, A2, B1, B2, etc.

A1 and A2 are synthetic. That is to say, A2 extends or completes the concept of A1. A1 is comprised of verses 1-2. A2 is comprised of verses 18-22. They serve as a framework for the entire poem.

Job 13:1-2 & 18-22

A1 “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.”

A2 “And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place. The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man. Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away. His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them. But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.”

One is reminded of the words of Peter.

1 Peter 1:24-25

“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”

Everything else within the poem fits inside the above concept. The beginning and ending contain the subject of the poem but they do not contain the primary theme of the poem. It is so tempting to read the Book of Job as bleak and full of horror and suffering. The same is true of the Book of Isaiah and The Book of Revelation, whereas all three beautiful books are filled with hope. All three prophets, Job, Isaiah, and John, are very realistic, but they are incredibly optimistic. All three saw Christ. All three are primarily about the mission of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Savior of the world. For example, Job 14 is not about death. Job 14 is about the resurrection from the dead, as I shall prove. Everything in the poem points toward the resurrection.

First let’s examine Parts B1 and B2. They have an antithetical parallel relationship as you shall see. Antithetical parallelism occurs when the two parts are diametrically opposite of each other, life and death for example

Let’s first examine B1.

Job 14:2-6

“He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.

Clearly, it is about death. The life of a flower is very short. Job compares the life of man to the life of a flower. All of us must confront the brevity of life. But of course B1 is about much more. Job asks about the judgment, “And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?” It is a rhetorical question. A fundamental doctrine of the Holy Bible is that all will be brought to a final judgment. Job then asks “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?” To the ancient Israelites a dead body was viewed as an unclean thing, not in a moral sense but in a ritual sense. Those who touched a dead body had to undergo a purification process.

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Podcast 27, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 13.”

I have spoken of Antithetical Parallelism in which two things are rhetorical opposite: good and evil, God and Satan, light and darkness. Another way of saying it is comparison and contrast. Synonymous Parallelism shows comparison; Antithetical Parallelism shows contrast.

You will notice that Job Chapter 13 is equally divided. In fourteen verses Job describes himself. In the other fourteen verses, Job describe Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zohar.

Rather than follow verse by verse, allow me the liberty of dividing Job Chapter Thirteen into antithetical parallelisms. In the first part Job describes himself. In the second part Job describes his deceitful friends.

Job 13:1-2

“Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it. What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you.”

Job, of course, who is sitting in ashes with open sores, declares his equality with his friends.

Next Job puts the hammer down. First he requests his friends to show the same courtesy to him that he showed to them, that is listen to his arguments as he listened to theirs. Next he calls them liars.

Job 13:6 & 4

“Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips. But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.”

If that appears harsh, I invite you to review their accusations against Job in the previous chapters. Next Job demands that they listen to him and commands them to hold their peace as he speaks. Job is clearly taking command of the dialogue.

Job 13:3,14, 17, 19, 22 & Job 13: 5,7, & 13

“Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God. let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears. Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost. Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me. O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom. Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him? Hold your peace.”

Job has heard enough of their lies. Now, he wishes to teach them the truth without rude interruption. Considering the sharp contrast between Job’s emaciated and weakened condition due to his sorrow and his physical sickness and his friends show of health and wealth and rich attire, one could say that Job rises from the ashes like a phoenix. One can see why Job is such a model to the world. He does not see himself as a victim but as a victor.

Job teaches his three false friends and the world how to act during the hardest of trials.

Job 13:15 & Job 13:10-11

“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons. Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you?”

In the above we have the theme of Chapter 13—“Trust in the Lord.” Again, the words of Proverbs come to mind.

Proverbs 3:5–6

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Job points out the contrast between himself and his false friends.

Job 13:16 & Job 13:12

“He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him. Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.”

Job calls his friends hypocrites. Earlier he called them liars and physicians of no value. Job establishes his innocence and their guilt.

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Podcast 26, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 12”

We have heard the painful criticism of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zohar. They have been harsh in insisting that Job has brought upon himself his troubles. That is three against one. It is unfair considering Job’s weakened state. But in the way of argument, I place my money on Job.

The friends are arguing from a standpoint of prejudice, ignorance, arrogance, pride, and false traditions. Job has truth and God on his side. Job teaches his friends correct doctrine.

From Job’s friends, we learn that we should not be like them. Their views are false. They are a model of why it is wicked to hastily judge others. Their views are full of self-righteousness, self-deceit, and pride. They feel superior to Job. That accounts for Job’s wonderful introduction.

Job 12:1-3

“And Job answered and said, No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you. But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?

There are two things going on at once. In another context, for example, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar might be correct. People can bring upon themselves trials through their own bad behavior.

The message of Job is that one cannot assume that another’s suffering is because of sin. Their job is not to judge, but to show pity.

Job declares that he understands that as well as they do. Job is not inferior one whit to them. That assertion puts them in their proper place because his arrogant friends believe that they are far superior to Job. They think they are more righteous than Job. To them their righteousness is validated by the fact that do not suffer as Job suffers. They live in a black and white world. They assume that Job’s suffering is because of some hidden sins. But Job asserts that their wisdom will die with them. That is because they are teaching the philosophies of man, not of God. In the present context, they are wrong because Job is righteous, more righteous than they are. In Chapters 12, 13, & 14, Job instructs them as well as all of us on how to act when life becomes unfair and seemingly unbearable.

The genius of Job is in how he maintains a good relationship with God through his trials. Job knows that he is not being tried for his sins, but he also knows that God could have prevented his suffering, yet rather than blame God, Job comes to a greater understanding of God through his suffering. That means that his suffering is not in vain. All of us need to comprehend what Job comprehends, that God’s ways are best. Many have turned against God because life became too unbearable. Job grows stronger because of his trials.

Job chastises his friends for mocking him unrighteously.

Job 12:4

“I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.”

Job compares his friends to a person who, because they refuse to use the lantern, are about to slip and fall.

Job 12:5

“He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.”

In other words, his friends refuse to use the light of truth. Instead, they rely upon their own wisdom. It is they, not Job, who is about to slip and fall. The last time I slipped and fell, I broke my hip and became crippled for weeks. Their fall appears to take on a more permanent appearance.

Job teaches another principle.

Job 12:6

“The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.”

In our world often evil is rewarded and good is punished. Much of the wealth of the world is based on bribery. That destroys their philosophy that bad things only happen to bad people and good things only happen to good people.

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Podcast 25, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 11”

Of the three, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, Zophar appears to be the harshest in his attack against Job. He asks a series of questions, but he assumes the answers.

Job 11:1-3

“Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified? Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?

Zophar is responding to Job’s answer to Bildad in the previous chapter. To understand how bold Job was in his answers to Eliphaz and Bildad, one must review Chapter 10. Job destroys the arguments of Eliphaz and Bildad, declares his innocence, and claims to have seen God.

Zophar challenges Job, calling him a liar—‘should thy lies make men hold their peace?’ He continues.

Job 11: 4

“For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.”

What Job, speaking to the Lord, said was, “Thou knowest that I am not wicked.” That apparently offended Zophar. He curses Job.

Job 11:5-6

“But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee; And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.”

Job has lost his sons. He has lost his servants. He has lost his wealth. Skin worms are destroying his flesh, and he is filled with open sores, and Zophar said, “Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.” We think of Job’a patience in suffering. His patience is expressed just as much in putting up with his false friends.

Zophar asks a series of rhetorical questions, for one cannot know the greatness of God.

Job 11: 7-10

“Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?”

But the question is a trap. Zophar continues.

Job 11:11-12

“For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it? For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.”

Zophar is calling Job a vain man. He claims that God sees Job’s wickedness. He asserts that God will consider his sins. Then he adds insult by comparing Job to a ‘wild ass’s colt.’ Then he calls Job to repentance.

Job 11:13-15

“If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear:”

Zophar has the audacity to tell Job to put away his iniquity and not to let wickedness dwell in his body. He even. promises Job that if he will repent then He may lift up his face to God spotless. Then he shall be steadfast and without fear. Of course, Zophar hasn’t believed a word that Job has said.

Zophar then itemizes his reasons that Job will have such a clear conscience if he acknowledges his sins.

Job 11:16-19

“Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away: And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee.”

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Season 6 Podcast 39 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 22:11-21 “Come Unto Christ.”

In the Book of Revelation, John refers to two periods of time. For example, Notice the phrases:

Revelation 1:1

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Revelation 1:19

19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

Naturally we would prefer specific times such as March 13, 2025, but that is not the way of prophecy. Phrases such as “shortly come to pass” and “things which shall be hereafter” are as close as we are going to get as a general rule. However, Hebraic parallelism does not let us down. The phrase “shortly come to pass” refers to the Second Coming of Christ. The phrase, “which shall be hereafter” refers to the Third coming of Christ or the end of the world.

Notice, for example the second time we hear the phrase, “things which must be hereafter.” Let’s turn to Revelation 4:1.

1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

Now consider the subject matter of the above.

Revelation 4:2-6

2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind..

John is speaking of the earth after it melts with fervent heat, after it is moved out of its orbit, after it is celestialized, and after it becomes the home of The Father and the Son. In other words, he is speaking of the New Jerusalem. The theme of the New Jerusalem is expounded in detail in Revelations 21 and 22. It should be noted that the Seven Promises of the Seven Churches spoken of in Revelations 1-3 apply only to those who are allowed to enter the Gates of the Holy City.

Now, we first saw the phrase, “things which must shortly come to pass” in Revelation 1. The next time we see the phrase is in Revelation 22, the final chapter. It is the nature of parallelism in the Hebrew Bible to connect concepts over time. Therefore, Let’s compare the two.

Revelation 1:1

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Revelation 22:6

And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

In both instances he is speaking of the Second Coming of Christ. Verse 6 of revelation 22 is followed with a blessing to those who keep the prophecies in the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 22:7

7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

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Podcast 24, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 10”

To help us understand Job, Chapter 10, I shall use the format of the poem itself. Chapter 10 is a Chiasm. That means the entire structure is based on Chiastic Parallelism. Chiastic Parallelism takes on the form of ABC CBA. That means that A & A are in a close parallel relationship; B & B are in a close parallel relationship; and C & C are in a close parallel relationship. The first A is comprised of verse 1; the second A is comprised of verses 18-22. The first B is comprised of verses 1-2; the second B is comprised of verses 14-17. The first C is comprised of verses 3-7; the second C is comprised of verses 8-13. You do not need to remember the numbers of course. The relationships will become clear in the discussion. First let’s combine Verse 1 and verses 18-22. It will appear that they were meant to be read together to begin with. The second completes the first. Their relationship is Synthetic, where the second concept completes, expands, or clarifies the first concept.

Job 10:1 & Job 10:18-22

“My soul is weary of my life; Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me! I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave. Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.”

Can you see how the end completes the beginning. In fact, it appears to be a continuation of the beginning. Job is saying ‘I am weary of life. Why was I born?’ Job is in deep despair. Another point should be clarified. “Whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death.” He is not describing the spirit world or the afterlife or heaven. “The land of darkness and the shadow of death” refer to earth. Job is saying he will not come back to earth. Job’s phrase is probably Shakespeare’s inspiration for one of his most famous lines in Hamlet.

William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1

“But that the dread of something after death—

The undiscovered country, from whose bourne

No traveler returns—puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of.”

3 RON

“The Land of Darkness and the shadow of death” may have been David’s inspiration for the 23rd Psalm.

Psalm 23

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

Job looks forward to death because he believes in the resurrection. He believes in God. He believes in his own worthiness. He knows it will be a greater place. Nowhere does Job lose his faith in God. He complains of his suffering because it is so unbearable. He doesn’t understand it. Later he says, he is “full of confusion.”

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Podcast 23, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 9”

There are many ways to read the Holy Scriptures. I clearly remember my first time reading the Holy Bible. We had an old Red Letter Edition of the King James Version of the Bible sitting on the coffee table in the living room, always open. I began reading the King James Bible when I was ten years old. I began with Genesis, and four years later I ended with Revelation. The only thing I can boast of is that I read every word. How much I understood—well, that is a question even I cannot answer.

I loved the stories and retained many of them. I read the Bible chronologically one chapter at a time beginning with verse one of Genesis and ending with verse 21 of Revelation chapter 22. During the four year-period above I never backtracked. I never cross referenced. I never looked up a word. I never consulted anyone or any reference books. One could perhaps say that I plowed through the Bible rather than read it. I never discussed the Bible with anyone. Perhaps that is the weakest possible way to approach a book as complex as the Holy Bible.

With education, age, experience, maturity, and curiosity, I elevated my approach and have since studied the Holy Scriptures a little more productively. Many years ago, I read from The One Volume Bible Commentary, Edited by the Rev. J.R. Dummelow, M.A., Queen’s College Cambridge. It was, as one would say, a game changer. Reverend Dummelow introduced me to the Hebraic poetry of the Bible. First of all, let me say, that without the Spirit of the Lord, I don’t think we will ever understand the Bible or any of the words of the prophets. I pray daily for that spirit.

Using the language of Hebrew poetry, I want to explicate Job Chapter 9. Clearly reading it chronologically, verse by verse, is very helpful, even necessary. Hebrew poetry, however, does not follow the rules of modern English prose, and you will find, by merely reading the Bible chronologically, that some verses will simply hang in the air like a floating string as if they are not connected. They may appear random, even nonsensical. When that happens, I must stop, step back, and try to look at the poem or chapter as a whole and try to read it exactly as the ancient Hebrews would have read it. It all comes together as if written by a master. I dabble in French, Spanish, and Italian but have mastered none of them. I do not know any Hebrew. I rely upon translations. And since English is my native language, it takes effort to restructure the English translation into its original poetic format. The inspired King James Version comes through beautifully, and my abiding love for English poetry has been a great help. Mr. Dummelow’s amazing book instructed me how to reconstruct the Hebrew poetry in my own amateurish sort of way. I am no Bible Scholar, but I am familiar with the King James text. I take advantage of highly reliable reference systems including AI.

The following is one approach to Job, Chapter Nine.

Job, Chapter Nine, consists of 35 verses. The key to unlocking Chapter Nine is Verse 1, Verse 14 and Verse 35. Using Reverend Dummelow’s terminology, those verses are written in Synonymous Parallelism. They say the same thing, with slight variation, in three different ways.

Job 9:1

“Then Job answered and said.”

Job 9:14

“How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him.”

Job 9:35

“Then would I speak.”

We now have our framework for the entire poem or chapter. Chapter Nine of Job consists of two stanzas. The first stanza is comprised of verses 1-13. The second stanza is comprised of verses 14-34. From that structure, we know something else that the ancient Hebrew reader would have known. The two stanzas will mirror each other.

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Podcast 22, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 8”

Bildad continues the argument of Eliphaz against Job. Both perpetuate the idea that if you are good, you will prosper. If you are bad, you will not prosper. They assume that because Job has lost everything, it is because of some secret sin. This is a dangerous philosophy and perpetuates itself even today.

In a fallen world, life is far more complex. In our world often bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. Drug Lords, tyrants, and many other extremely wicked people may become billionaires at the cost of millions of lives. How many good people have suffered horribly at the hands of evil men? It is common in our world that the wicked prosper through bribes and power and cunning while the good suffer and pay dearly for the corruption of others.

In Malachi, the Lord addresses that issue.

Malachi 3:13-18

“Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

God does not judge us by our earthly success. It was Christ who said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Only those whose names are preserved in the Book of Life shall be saved.

Revelation 3:5

5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Bildad chastises Job.

Job 8:1-3

“Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind? Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?”

4 RON

To Bildad, judgment and justice are the same thing. If evil happens to you it is because you are evil. If good happens to you it is because you are righteous. It is a very simplistic formula that does not always fit the facts.

Bildad accuses Job’s children of sinning. In other words, according to Bildad, they got what they deserved. He appears to suggest to Job that the calamities came because of the sins of his children. Therefore, if Job prays to the Almighty, he will make Job prosper again because of his righteousness. How is that for stabbing ones’ friend in the back?

Job 8:4-6

“If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression; If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.”

Notice that Bildad adds the caveat, “If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.” That suggests, of course, that if God does not make him prosperous, it is because Job is lying and he has committed some terrible sin.” It says something of Job’s character that he does not throw his friends out of his house.

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Podcast 21, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 7”

The authorship of Job is debated among scholars as is everything else in the Holy Bible. Scholars are not reliable witnesses, especially those who believe the Bible is a work of fiction. Considering the intimate insights into Job’s mind, I prefer to assume that Job himself wrote his own story. This author believes that the Holy Bible is the true word of God written by his holy prophets. I believe Job was a prophet. I do not choose to debate the authorship of this or that or the other. Job is referred to as a real character in both the Old and New Testaments. Attributing his story under his own pen appears the safest assumption. In Chapter 7, for example, Job uses first person. In my analysis, I assume they are Job’s own words.

Job begins Chapter 7 by asking a profound question that perhaps we have all asked, particularly during times of intense trial.

Job 7:1

“Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?”

Job assumes there is an appointed time as implied in the wording. Implied also is the assertion that if we have a time to be born we also have a time to die. King Solomon addresses the same issue.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;”

In Job 14, speaking of the resurrection, Job answers his own question.

Job 14:5-6

“Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.”

Job 14:14-16

“If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?

Other prophets addressed the same issue:

Jeremiah 1:5

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee… before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.”

Psalm 31:15

“My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.”

Psalm 139:16

“In thy book all my members were written… when as yet there was none of them.”

Hebrews 9:27

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Job examines his relationship with God. He compares man to an hireling.

Job 7:2-3

“As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work: So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.”

There are so many words of despair in Job that we are tempted to focus on the suffering. It may appear strange at first, but the Book of Job is extremely optimistic. Job desires death. He has made that abundantly clear, but he desires death because he believes in an afterlife. He believes in the resurrection and the final judgment when all of his suffering is over.

First of all, in the above he speaks of himself as a servant, as an hireling, but he looks forward to his wages. He knows he will be rewarded for his good works. In the following he speaks of the resurrection.

Job 7:4-5

“When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day. My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.”

Does that seem bleak? Look again. Job asks, “When shall I arise, and the night be gone?” In other words, “When shall I be resurrected?”

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Podcast 20, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 6”

Perhaps most Christians agree that the Sermon on the Mount is the greatest sermon ever given. It is universal in its application, and if followed, all nations could live in peace. It is in the Sermon on the Mount that we get the following gem.

Matthew 7:1-5

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

In Chapter 5 Eliphaz assumed Job had done some great sin that brought upon him his great misery. Job, though he does not understand the cause of his suffering, knows it is not because of serious sin. Part of Job’s universal appeal is that all of us at one time or another in our lives find ourselves questioning the ways of God. His purposes are not always transparent. When is he involved in our lives? What is his relationship to our suffering? How can he be a just God when we are punished unjustly? What did I do to deserve this? Many have turned against God because of what they perceived as unjust suffering. It makes it even harder when others judge us unfairly as Eliphaz, who was supposed to be Job’s friend, did to Job. Let’s consider Job’s answer to Eliphaz.

Job 7:1-2

“But Job answered and said, Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!”

Balances are scales, often used to precisely measure value. In Job’s case cause and effect. Job’s greatest desire is to have his grief “thoroughly weighed.” He wants to know the true cause of his suffering. Think of the implications of that desire. If he knew the exact cause, he would know the remedy. Is there a human being that doesn’t have that same desire? Think of it in medical terms, in spiritual terms, in emotional terms, in psychological terms. What power such knowledge would give us over our fate.

Eliphaz takes a very narrow view. He lays the blame entirely upon Job’s sin without telling him what those sins are. He assumes guilt where there is none. He does not weigh Job’s suffering fairly. The scales are imbalanced. In other words, the suffering does not equal the sin. Job is not perfect, but he knows that the loss of his children and the destruction of his servants and the loss of his possessions far outweigh any sin that he has ever been guilty of. Job wants justice. He laments

Job 6:3

“For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up.”

Anyone who has carried a bucket of sea sand knows how heavy it is when wet. Job compares his sorrow to the weight of all the sand of the sea. He not only has the weight of the sand, but also the weight of the sea sitting on the sand. He uses hyperbole to express the unfathomable depth of his sorrow. He wants it “thoroughly weighed, and his calamity laid in the balances together.”

Eliphaz cannot do that, yet he presumes to judge Job.

No language can comfort Job. The image brilliantly shows the inadequacy of words to give comfort to one in need of comfort, yet words are all they receive. The person trying to give comforting words seldom if ever understands how meaningless they are. They turn to Hallmark cards with their syrupy sentimentality.

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Podcast 19, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 5”

The power of the Book of Job is in the manner it deals with complexities. When we examine Job Chapter 5, everything Eliphaz says is sound advice if he were talking to a guilty party, but he isn’t. Job is innocent of any wrongdoing before the Lord. Remember what the Lord said of Job in Chapter One.

Job 1:8

8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Elephaz’s advice then is misplaced, unkind in its implications, and hurtful. He is essentially telling Job these tragedies came upon him because of his wickedness. The remedy, according to Eliphaz is to repent when Job has nothing to repent of.

Job 5:1-5

1 Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?

2 For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.

3 I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.

4 His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.

5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.

Those words are like darts aimed at Job’s heart: ‘wrath killeth the foolish man,’ ‘envy slayeth the silly one.’ ‘I have seen the foolish taking root,’ ‘I cursed his habitation.’ ‘His children …are crushed in the gate.’ ‘neither is there any to deliver them.’ Is he calling Job foolish and silly? Is he saying Job’s children are crushed because of his wickedness?

The irony, of course is that his proverbs are correct in the abstract: “Wrath killeth the foolish man.” “Envy Slayeth the silly one.” The foolish do put their children far from safety. They may lose their inheritance. They may be crushed in the gate. There may be none to deliver them. The foolish man may lose his harvest to scavengers and robbers. But none of those accusations apply to Job. They are not the cause of his suffering.

Eliphaz does come up with one of the most famous lines in the Book of Job.

Job 5:6-7

6 Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

7 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

That is a proverb that perhaps we can all agree with. The next counsel of Eliphaz is also good except for one thing—he is still calling upon Job to repent. He believes the troubles came because of sin; therefore, his advice is not appropriate.

Listen carefully to the words of Eliphaz. They are true but in another context.

Job 5:8-11

8 I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:

9 Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:

10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:

11 To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.

If Eliphaz had stopped there, he would have spoken well, but would have said nothing that Job didn’t already know. Eliphaz is on a mission to call his friend—out of love—of course, to repentance.

Job 5: 12-14

12 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.

14 They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

He is deliberately planting guilt in Job’s heart. He is of the school that believes God punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous; therefore, if bad things happen to you, it must be because you have committed some dreadful sin.

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Podcast 18, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 4”

Job’s three friends have been sitting silent for a week. They are Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They are good men who have come to comfort him, but instead, in ignorance, they criticize and accuse Job of secret sins. They want to know why God is punishing Job. All three attribute the cause of Job’s suffering to some hidden sins. This philosophy is echoed even during Christ’s day.

John 9:1-3

1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

Christ’s answer must make us all pause before we pass judgment or jump to conclusions. We know, for example, that laws are in play. The body is often plagued with health issues due to unwise health habits. Just as bad investments may cause bankruptcy, unwise behavior may cause disease, accident, and death. The theme is a common one: Why do bad things happen to good people? Christ’s answer is interesting. His blindness was not because of anyone sins. God allowed his blindness “that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” Neither has Job sinned. The primary message of the story of Job appears to be that, like Job, we must learn patience in suffering. Patience will give even greater rewards both in this life and the next.

Eliphaz is the first to accuse Job.

Job 4:1-8

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2 If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?

3 Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

4 Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

6 Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?

7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

Eliphaz is directly accusing Job of committing sin with the implication that he needs to repent. If he were righteous these calamities would not have happened to him. It is a philosophy held by many that the wicked are punished and the righteous are spared. Being punished is proof of their wickedness. Is that fair? What should we make of Matthew 5:45

“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:

for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,

and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Malachi addresses the same issue with tremendous clarity.

Malachi 3:13-18

13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?

14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?

15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

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Podcast 17, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 3”

Job has lost his fortune which was vast. He has lost his children which were many. Now he has lost his health. He has boils all over his body. He sits in ashes and scrapes his skin with a potsherd, a broken piece of pottery. We can fully understand the lamentations of Chapter Three. He curses the day he was born.

Job 3:1-10

1 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.

2 And Job spake, and said,

3 Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.

4 Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

5 Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.

6 As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.

7 Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.

8 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.

9 Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:

10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.

That is a clear vision of despair. Though Job has become the symbol of despair, he is not fiction or a mere parable. We must accept the idea that Job was a historical figure. In Ezekiel we learn that Job is compared to Noah and Daniel for his righteousness.

Ezekiel 12:12-14

12 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying,

13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:

14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.

3 RON

James also mentions Job.

James 5:11

“Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”

The story becomes very real, knowing that Job was human like the rest of us. He asked the Lord Why died I not from the womb?

Job 3;11-12

11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?

12 Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?

Job is not the only one who has asked that profound question. And yet he received no answer. Today, the entire world, who is familiar with his story, knows the answer. He lived to be an example to all of us. It is sort of like saying, “If Job can endure his suffering, which is much greater than my own, I can endure mine. He somehow makes is possible.

Job did not suffer without complaining. Notice his comparisons.

Job 3:13-19

13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;

15 Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:

16 Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

17 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.

18 There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

19 The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.

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Podcast 16, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 2”

Again, we have a dialogue between the Lord and Satan.

Job 2:1-2

1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

2 And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

We get a slightly harsher view of Satan from Peter.

1 Peter 5:8

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

We must remember that Satan is a fallen angel of unimaginable power. There was no veil drawn over his mind when he was cast down to earth. Satan led the war against Michael in heaven. He would recognize his enemies even on earth who helped Michael cast him out. He would target his biggest enemies, one of whom would have obviously been Job. We live in a kind of vacuum, not remembering our former home. Satan doesn’t. Satan would have recognized Job as one of the noble and great in heaven. In Matthew Christ said,

Matthew 24:24

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

The ‘very elect’ would be people like Job. We can assume that Satan has already marked Job as a particularly desirable target.

Job 2:3

3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

5 RON

It is clear that Satan does know Job.

Job 2:4-5

4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

The story of Job is the story of all of us. We were sent to earth to be enticed by Satan and by Jesus Christ, that we might know good from evil. Job is not being sacrificed. He must go through the trials of life just like everyone else. What sets Job apart, however, is the extent of his trials. Perhaps no one, save Christ alone, endured greater trials though their suffering may have equaled Job’s, yet he remained faithful to God. God is placing Job before us that we may see him as a model on how to endure to the end.

We must also keep in mind a scripture referred to earlier.

1 Corinthians 10:13

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

God knows Job’s limitations, and because of Job’s faith, God does not allow Satan to tempt him above that which he was able to withstand. It is perhaps fair to say that God uses Job to be a model for all mankind. God has called many prophets, yet he allowed many of them to become martyrs. Job’s position is no different. Job is a prophet as we will see. He foresees the coming of the Messiah.

I suspect many, over the centuries, have wrestled with the same questions Job had to contend with while enduring his suffering, and many have looked to Job as their model. Perhaps they found strength in his endurance. All of the Lords’ true prophets have been held up as models. Some prophets, such as David, Solomon, and Balaam, fell from grace even after serving the Lord faithfully. Yet we still study Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes for their prophecies are still true today. Truth rises above the foibles of fallen man.

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Podcast 15, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 1”

Welcome to Stories of the Old Testament, Podcast 15, “The Book of Job, Ch I”

All books of the Holy Bible are unique, distinguished by their own voice. Of course, some, such as The Book of Revelation and The Book of Isaiah, stand out as nonpareil. Few, however, demand our attention like The Book of Job. Though the author is unknown, it is written by the Shakespeare of the Bible. It pulls you into the story. Job is Everyman. Suffering is the common denominator of all mankind. Where does one find the equal to the story of Job? The uniqueness of Job is that, second only to Christ, none have suffered more, though perhaps many have suffered equally, yet he remained faithful to God.

We are taken aback by the power of his spirit, the power of his understanding, the power of his courage, and the power of his endurance. As Christ defeated Satan in the Wilderness of his affliction so did Job defeat Satan in the Wilderness of his suffering showing that it can be done. God expects the same of us. Many have turned against God for far less reasons.

I stand with those who believe Job was a real person and this is his remarkable story. As we shall see, out of the depth of his suffering, comes some of the most remarkable statements in the Holy Bible. However, it does not come as a common pulpit sermon, but out of the depths of his soul.

First let’s look at the framework of the story. First we are informed of Job’s righteousness.

Job 1:1

1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Job is ‘perfect and upright.’ It is important to keep that in mind, especially when his well-meaning, but insensitive friends, try to comfort him. Next we learn of his large family.

Job 1:2

2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

Next we learn of the vastness of his wealth.

Job 1:3

3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

Job’s family is primary, his wealth secondary.

Job 1:4

4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

The next verse demonstrates the uniqueness and humility of Job. It is clear that his riches have not corrupted him.

Job 1:5

5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Job was family oriented. He taught his children faith in God. He did not want wealth to corrupt them.

The following dialogue has historic precedent for we see it in the creation story of the Garden of Eden.

Job 1:6-12

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.

7 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

9 Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 14, “The Fall Pt 13.”

The primary characters in the Fall were Lucifer, Eve, and Adam. There are severe consequences that follow. Perhaps they could be referred to as The Three Curses, one for Lucifer, one for Eve, and One for Adam.

In the previous podcast we discussed the curse placed upon Lucifer for his cunning part in the fall. In this podcast we shall look at the curses placed upon Eve and upon Adam.

The fall is a one and only event in the history of mankind. However, the consequences reoccur over and over and over and will continue to reoccur until the end of the world as we know it. We can only understand the story of the fall when we equate the fall of Adam and Eve with the fall of all mankind. In our fallen state we repeat the Garden of Eden story every day of our lives when we are tempted. Before blaming Adam and Eve, we need to consider the fact we are all subject to temptation. The Lucifer who was in the Garden of Eden is the same Satan we struggle against on a daily basis. Every time we violate a commandment, we are in effect partaking of the forbidden fruit. Is there anyone alive today of accountable age or even in the history of the world, save Jesus only, who has not eaten of the forbidden fruit?

Lucifer, who becomes Satan, remains under the curse. The curse of Satan also applies to all those spirits who fell with him. We don’t know the number. We are only told that a third part of the spirits in heaven fell with him. Other references to the hosts who followed Lucifer are found in the New Testament. For example, remember the evil spirit’s response to Jesus when Jesus asked the possessed man his name:

Mark 5:9

“My name is Legion: for we are many.”

That is as close as we get to a number. Of course, we do have the enigmatic verses in The Book of Revelation.

Revelation 8:13-17

“And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

3 RON

Two hundred million is a vast army. Are they evil spirits or do they represent earthly armies or both? We know they are led by Lucifer and his angels. And, of course, we have the seven spirits who entered one man. That is a seven to one ratio. We cannot take the ratio literally, of course, for we have no evidence, but we may assume that at any given time on earth there are more evil spirits than there are people on the earth.

Revelation 9:11

“And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.”

I think it is also reasonable to assume that if evil spirits are allowed to roam the earth, there are good spirits as well, or as we would say, angels of God. The war against Satan continues to rage on earth. It is logical to think that God would not leave us unprotected.

The significant thing is that the story of the fall of man is symbolic of the plight of all mankind. In this life we are governed by the conditions placed upon the law of mercy by the law of Justice. Every one of those conditions contain a blessing and a curse. We are blessed if we keep the commandment. We are cursed if we don’t.

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 13, “The Fall Pt 12.”

A very important thing occurs. The Lord establishes boundaries. First he imposes limitations on Lucifer’s powers.

Genesis 3:14-15

“And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Satan is allowed to remain on earth. He and his angels were cast out of heaven. Why did the Lord allow Lucifer and his angels to come to earth and create such havoc and misery? Why not just assign them forever to perdition, their final fate, and curb all their powers?

The answer is one of the most important lessons we can learn on earth. It relates to the independence God has granted us. The bottom line with God is our freedom.

John 8:31–32

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Consider four terms, each related to our ability to act independently: Freewill, Freedom, Liberty, and Agency. Please allow me to distinguish the differences among those four terms, all of which are very important to us.

Freewill is a compound word composed of ‘free’ and ‘will.’ What is will? Will is consciousness. Will is that which sets us apart from all other intelligences. Will makes us unique even from our own species. Where did will come from? It is a question that cannot be answered in this life and perhaps not even in the next. The only possible answer is that will must self-exist. Will is a source of intelligence, a source of consciousness, a state of being. It may or may not exist as a form or shape, but it must self-exist or where did intelligence come from? Where did God come from? Where did consciousness come from? Science has no problem accepting the eternal truth that matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed. If that is true, it must also be true that intelligence or consciousness cannot be created or destroyed, or something could come from nothing.

Something can never come from nothing, including God and including man. Will, or consciousness, or a sense of self, must self-exist. Why is there something rather than nothing is perhaps a question we may never answer. It is merely a self-evident truth. The French philosopher Rene Descartes said, “Cogito, ergo sum.”—‘I think, therefore I am.’ We may have to settle for that, at least in this life. Even God cannot create himself. It simply may be that God is the most intelligent being in the universe, and to become like God, we must grow in intelligence. Since nothing can lift itself higher than its own power permits, then we must accept the truth that we depend upon God to lift us up to his level; and one of the necessary paths to exaltation is to be able to discern between good and evil.

Another universal truth is that disobedience to law brings chaos. Obedience to law brings order. God is a God of law and order. Satan is a demon of lawlessness and disorder. One of his names is ‘Destroyer.’ One of God’s titles is ‘Creator.’ There must be a reason for that.

Let’s define will as our self-existing consciousness. Intelligence must self-exist, or we could never account for the existence of God or life or consciousness or intelligence. However, what makes will free? Does freedom self-exist? The answer must be no. Only through law can the will be made free. There is no freedom in chaos. God is God because he is a God of Law and Order. Lucifer is Satan because he is God of lawlessness and disorder. He destroys everything he touches.

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 12, “The Fall Pt 11.”

As we learned from the last podcast, we are deciding now which resurrection we want by the laws we live. If we live a celestial law, we shall inherit the celestial kingdom which is compared to the light of the sun. If we live a Terrestrial law we shall inherit the Terrestrial Kingdom which is compared to the light of the moon. If we live laws less that the above, then we shall inherit a kingdom that shines like the stars. If we live totally outside of the conditions of the law of mercy, then we will not inherit any of those kingdoms of glory. It is our choice.

Lucifer knows that. That is what he meant when he said, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” He also knows that Eve understands that principle. She wants to become “as the gods.” Suddenly she looks at the forbidden fruit from another perspective. Before Lucifer, the fruit held no attraction. Now it does.

Perhaps there are spirits in heaven who decided not to come to earth and get a body. I don’t know of any Biblical scripture that addresses that issue. But for those who live on earth, it is a one way street. There is no turning back. Things will never be like they were before. We shall either return to live with God forever, or we shall chose another way. Christ is the savior and redeemer of the whole world. There is no savior besides him. Eventually every child of God will have to acknowledge Christ. And confess that he is just.

Genesis 3:6

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,

This reminds one of Isaiah’s warnings.

Isaiah 5:20

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

Notice how subtle Satan is: Eve suddenly saw that the tree was good for food, a thing she had not noticed before. She saw that it was pleasing in appearance. She became aware that it could fulfil her desire for wisdom. More importantly she saw that partaking of the fruit was the only way she could become like the gods. That implied that Adam and Eve, though innocent, were not unintelligent. They had the powers of reasoning. They wanted more knowledge. Eve followed Lucifer’s reasoning. Also keep in mind that Eve knew of the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth. She wanted children and she knew that partaking of the forbidden fruit was the way to get them. That well could have been Eve’s primary motive.

Eve has a body of flesh and bones. Lucifer doesn’t. Lucifer is probably jealous of Eve. In his cunning, he instinctively knows how to use her body to his advantage. After the fall one of Satan’s primary tools is to persuade Adam and Eve’s posterity to give in to the natural man, thus ignoring the spiritual. Satan promotes the concept, ‘Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.’ I remember an old beer commercial, “You only go around once. Do it with gusto.” Following the natural man has led many to self-destruction. Satan is using the natural man in waging chemical warfare against our youth with a lot of help from drug profiteers who will do anything for money, even mass murder

Eve eats the fruit. We must assume that it is Eve, not Lucifer, who persuades Adam to eat the fruit. What argument would she use. Logically, she would use the same argument that persuaded her to eat the fruit.

Genesis 3:6 cont.

“She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

On the one hand, neither Adam nor Eve could have fully understood what it would be like to live in a fallen world. Experience is required for that. The knowledge of good and evil did not lie in the fruit itself.

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 11, “The Fall Pt 10.”

Without Satan and Christ, we could never become as the Gods knowing good and evil. Becoming as the Gods is at the core of it all. To his followers, Satan is a God. To his followers Christ is a God. We choose which God we serve, and we will be rewarded by the God we serve. Christ offers us eternal life with Him. Satan offers us eternal captivity with him. If we follow Christ, we will become like Christ. If we follow Satan we will become like Satan. If we follow Christ we will gain exaltation and eternal life with him, being free forever. If we follow Satan, we will be his slaves forever, ever bound by the chains of hell. That is all he has to offer.

Why is Satan necessary? The very laws of the universe require opposition in all things, or everything would stay the same. It would be an imitation of death, going neither forward nor backward. Adam and Eve were not happy in the Garden of Eden because they didn’t know what happiness was. They didn’t know what happiness was because they didn’t know what sorrow was. Someone coined the phrase ‘ignorant bliss.’ That is a stagnant state.

If Lucifer had not entered into the Garden of Eden, they never would have known that they had a choice. Lucifer would have done more damage to the plan of salvation and exaltation by staying out of the Garden of Eden. It was Lucifer who introduced the choice, and they took it. God could not tempt man, or he would cease to be God. But God knew that for Adam and Eve to become like him, they had to choose for themselves. The only reason God allows Satan in this world is to give us agency. Satan is necessary to agency. There is nothing in this world more paradoxical than Christianity.

God is God only because he lives the law of justice perfectly. Christ is our Savior only because he never gave in to the temptations of Satan. Even on earth he obeyed the Father in everything and lived the law of Justice perfectly. Christ died to satisfy the law of justice and bring us back into the presence of God. And that was the plan from the beginning. God knew that Adam would fall; therefore, he provided a savior for Adam and Eve and all of their posterity. When they fell they suffered both a spiritual death, being cut off from the presence of God, and temporal death, the spirit being cut off from the body. Christ, having satisfied the demands of the law of justice, overcame both spiritual death and temporal death, thus giving us a choice whether or not to return to live with God.

Death was essential. Adam and Eve were the only ones who had immortal bodies. To have children, they had to fall. They had to eat the forbidden fruit. They had to become mortal, and all the rest of God’s children were foreordained to come through the seed of Adam and Eve. In other words, unlike Adam and Eve, we are all born into a fallen world. We were immortal spirits just like Adam and Eve, but we have never known what it is like to have an immortal physical body.

As with Adam and Eve, it was our choice to come to earth. While in heaven, we chose to fight with Michael against Lucifer and his angels. Michael fought on the side of Christ. He was an archangel, a four-star general. Even in Heaven, by joining Michael’s army, we chose the side of Christ. Lucifer has always been anti-Christ. He wanted Christ’s position, but the Father chose Christ rather than Lucifer because Lucifer would have taken away our agency. We also chose to come to a fallen world and gain a mortal body, knowing that we would have to die to escape this earth. Why? Because we wanted to be as the gods knowing good and evil. We wanted total agency.

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 10, “The Fall Pt 9.”

Now we can see what is at stake in the Garden of Eden. The command to not eat of the forbidden fruit was not a moral law. Moral law applies only in a fallen world. The world had not yet fallen. For example, apply the Ten commandments to the Garden of Eden. None of the ten commandments could make any sense to Adam and Eve who are entirely naked but not ashamed because they don’t even know what nakedness is. They can’t kill. They are immortal. Everything in the Garden of Eden is immortal. They can’t commit adultery. First, they were married by God himself, but most of all they didn’t even know what desire was. You may as well tell a two-year old not to commit adultery. They can’t steal or lie or cheat or bear false witness. Everything was free for one thing and for another they were unable to comprehend any of those terms. They can’t even love God because they don’t know what hate is; therefore, the first four commandments would mean nothing. The fifth commandment would mean nothing as they have no mother and father nor do they have children. Besides they don’t know what love is. How could they? They don’t know what joy or sorrow is.

Satan cannot use any earthly temptations against Adam and Eve. They wouldn’t comprehend what he was talking about. They couldn’t practice any virtues or commit any vices. We take passions for granted because we live in a passionate world. Imagine living in a world without any passion. The Garden of Eden would have been a very boring place if they had known what boredom was, but they didn’t. It could have continued forever with no change.

There is another dilemma in the Garden of Eden. They are immortal but they don’t know what immortality is since they have never known anything else. Their immortal spirits were placed in an immortal body. They are stuck in the Garden of Eden forever. What would happen, for example, if God simply took them back to heaven in their present immortal state? What would they do in heaven? They would never know the difference between good and evil. Their bodies are immortal yes, but they are not exalted and could never be exalted, meaning they could never become as the Gods. Death was necessary to the plan of eternal progression. Exaltation requires a resurrection.

For the resurrection to occur, there must first be death. Every step in God’s plan means either progression, going forward, or digression, going backward. By keeping the commandments, we move forward. By breaking the commandments, we regress backwards. How could they keep the commandments if they didn’t understand the commandments. After t

he fall, Christ introduced the principle of repentance thus giving Adam and Eve and all their posterity even greater agency. Adam could not repent of the fall. It was irreversible. It was only after the fall that the law of mercy was introduced. It was only after the fall that the law of mercy was necessary. In the Garden of Eden, they could do neither. Time had no arrow.

Christ forgave Adam and Eve for the fall. Now, that was a free gift. Christ had to sacrifice his life to reverse the effects of the fall, but he did that willingly. Christ did not hold us accountable for the fall because it was not our fault. That is another example of free grace. The resurrection is another. The list is actually quite long, but that does not excuse us from the conditions the law of justice placed on mercy.

The sons of perdition can never be saved by the law of mercy because they live forever at odds with the law of justice. That is because they willfully rebelled against God while in the presence of God. They live forever outside the law of justice because they live forever outside the conditions placed upon the law of mercy by the law of justice. All commandments of Christ are conditions placed upon the law of mercy by the law of justice.

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 9, “The Fall Pt 8.”

At the core of all that God does is law. God gave us temporal laws, which deal with a fallen world, and he gave us spiritual laws which deal with the eternal world. We have both an immortal spirit and a mortal body; therefore, we are subject to both sets of laws.

When we think of temporal law, perhaps the first laws that come to mind are the laws of thermodynamics or the law of gravity. When we think of spiritual law, perhaps the first laws that should come to mind are the law of justice and the law of mercy.

The law of justice is absolute and unconditional. The law of justice is why there is a God. Without justice there would be no God. There would be no order, only chaos. It is the law of justice that brings order out of chaos. The law of mercy is only necessary in a fallen world. The entire purpose of the law of mercy is to satisfy the demands of the law of justice and bring us back into the presence of God. It is the law of mercy that overcomes temporal death and spiritual death. So, what law did Adam break when he brought about the fall?

He violated the law of justice. The difference between the transgression of the law of justice and transgression of the law of mercy is this: The transgression of the law of justice only happens once. When Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, he transgressed the law of justice and the entire earth and everything in it fell. By transgressing one law, he transgressed the whole law. It was the transgression of the law of justice that brought sin and death into the world. That is why the law of mercy was required. The law of justice is unconditional. The law of mercy is conditional.

Sin is transgression of the law of mercy. Sin happens over and over and over again. Christ’s atonement satisfied the law of justice. The law of mercy is comprised of all the conditions imposed by the law of justice on the atonement of Christ. That is why we have Commandments of God. The commandments of God are the conditions placed on the law of mercy by the law of justice. Christ’s atonement covers only those conditions. That is why the only way we can inherit the kingdom of God is by keeping the commandments of Christ.

1 John 3:3-4

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

What law is Christ talking about? He is talking about his own laws which include the Ten Commandments, which include the Sermon on the Mount, which include all laws of Christ. That introduces an enormous issue. For example, what is the difference between the law of mercy and the law of justice. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, they did not violate the law of mercy. They violated the law of justice. That is why the entire world fell with Adam and Eve. That is why death was brought into the world. The law of justice is the ultimate law. It is unconditional. Once broken, it is all broken. Spiritual death and temporal death were the consequences. It only took one act. Adam and Eve did not commit sin because sin had not been introduced into the world yet. Sin is entirely a product of the fall and, therefore, cannot be the cause of the fall. They violated the law of justice, the supreme law of the universe, the law that stays the hand of death and brings order out of chaos. By violating the law of justice, they introduced death and entropy into the immortal world of the garden of Eden.

We cannot live the law of justice because we are born into a sinful world. Christ, being God, was the only being on this planet who could live the law of justice in a sinful world. That is why he remained perfect. He never disobeyed the Father in anything.

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 8, “The Fall Pt 7.”

Lucifer, having been cast out of heaven, enters the Garden of Eden to tempt Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. The creation story is written by Moses. We must assume that Moses had access to ancient records. In the Holy Bible it is recorded that Lucifer, in the form of a serpent, approaches Eve. Originally Lucifer, which means “shining one” or “son of dawn” or “morning star” held a position of great honor and authority. Following the War in Heaven, when he is cast out, he becomes known by other names: Satan, Fallen Angel, the Adversary, The Accuser, Deceiver. Tempter, Devil, Dragon, the Prince of this World, the Prince of the Power of the Air, Prince of Demons, Beelzebub, Abaddon, Apollyon, Destroyer.

Sometimes he appears as an angel of light.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

The Bible records that he appears to Eve as a Serpent. It is difficult to know if that is literal or merely metaphorical, for he is often referred to as serpent or dragon. Innocent Eve feels comfortable conversing with him, so he certainly doesn’t appear as his true self. Remember a veil is over Eve’s mind. She does not remember the War in Heaven and the fall of Lucifer. There is no veil over Lucifer’s mind, however. He knows who Adam and Eve really are. He knew the Father’s plan, and he is attempting to destroy it by tempting Eve. Lucifer, the father of lies, lies to Eve.

Genesis 3:4

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:”

“Surely die” seems to have the connotation of ‘instant death.’ It appears that he is saying something like, ‘You won’t just drop over dead.’ In that part, he is correct. Adam, as recorded in Genesis 5:5, after taking of the forbidden fruit, lived 930 years. But he knows that if they partake of the forbidden fruit, they will bring death to all the world, and that is what Lucifer wants. What Lucifer apparently does not know is that that was the plan of God from the beginning. The fall of man is very complex.

God is perfect. God lives the law of justice perfectly. He cannot create imperfect things. That poses a great problem. God created Adam and Eve. That meant their bodies were perfect. It also meant that their bodies were immortal. God is immortal. The earth, when it was first created, was immortal, and their bodies were created from the dust of immortal earth. Scientists just view Genesis as the story of physical creation. Genesis is much much more than that. In a brilliant and economical use of parallelism, Genesis describes both the spiritual and temporal creations. That would have been understood by all ancient Hebrews.

Temporal means time. Mortality means death. Time and mortality are products of the fall. Mortality only came about because a law was broken. The law that was broken was the law of immortality. Science does not and never will have the power to understand spiritual laws for they are not subject to entropy. In a way that we will never understand in a fallen world, the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil introduced mortality into an immortal world. One thing we do know, eating the forbidden fruit directly violated a commandment of God. That alone was significant enough to bring spiritual death into the world and with spiritual death came also temporal death which was also a commandment of God. God said, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” In 2 Peter we read, “

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 7, “The Fall Pt 6.”

Adam and Eve are taken out of Eden and placed in the Garden which contains the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They are permitted to eat from any tree in the garden, including the tree of life, for they are immortal. The only tree forbidden is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They walk with God on a regular basis because they are entirely innocent. They do not know what sin is? They have been commanded to multiply and replenish the earth; however, they are naked and unashamed. That means that they have no sexual desires. They do not understand the feeling of lust. The commandment to multiply and replenish the earth is an abstraction, and in their immortal state they cannot have children. Like obedient children they tend the garden. They will remain in that innocent state forever knowing neither good nor evil, joy nor sadness, love nor hate, happiness nor misery. They are in paradise, but they do not know what paradise is.

However, they are intelligent beings. They have been taught by God the effects of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They understand that if they want children, they must eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. They may choose to remain in the Garden of Eden forever childless, or they may choose to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It isn’t the taste of fruit that temps them. It is the effect of eating the fruit that tempts them. They knew that if they ate the fruit they would have to leave the garden which meant that they would be cut off from the presence of God. It also meant that they would die. It is important to understand that when Satan presented the fruit, he was not saying this fruit is better than that fruit. They were not choosing between a banana and a mango. They were choosing whether or not to remain childless in the Garden of Eden forever without ever knowing good from evil or whether to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and have children and experience the joys and sorrows of opposition in mortality. In other words, they were not little five-year-old children caught putting their hands in the cookie jar. They were adults choosing between two different lives, an immortal one versus a mortal one. One a life of blissful ignorance; the other a life of infinite variety and greater rewards.

Christianity is filled with paradox. This is perhaps the greatest paradox of all. They have two seemingly different commandments. One: don’t eat the fruit or you will die. The other: eat the fruit and multiply and replenish the earth even if the price is ultimate death. God wanted them to eat the fruit, but being God, he could not command them to violate any law. Neither could he take away their agency. It was God who planted both trees, but it had to be their choice. Typically, God explained the consequences and then left them to choose for themselves.

If it seems unfair that God gave two seemingly contradictory commandments, however, keep in mind that we are faced with the same dilemma. The difference is this—rather than choosing between the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden and the tree of knowledge of good and evil, we are choosing between Christ, who is the real Tree of Life, and Satan, who is the harbinger of death. Paul tells us, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

All the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden could offer was immortality in the Garden of Eden. The Tree of Life that Christ offers is immortality and eternal life with him.

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Podcast 19, Stories of the Bible, “The Book of Job, Ch 5”

Job 1:8

8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Job 5:1-5

1 Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?

2 For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.

3 I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.

4 His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.

5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.

Eliphaz does come up with one of the most famous lines in the Book of Job.

Job 5:6-7

6 Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

7 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

Listen carefully to the words of Eliphaz. They are true but in another context.

Job 5:8-11

8 I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:

9 Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:

10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:

11 To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.

Job 5: 12-14

12 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.

13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.

14 They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 6, “Creation Pt 5.”

Now the earth is prepared for Adam and Eve, our first parents. It was ordained by God that all his children who came to earth had to come through the seed of Adam and Eve. It is time now for Adam to be placed on the earth. His body is made from the dust of the earth.

“Genesis 2:7

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

What is the “breath of life”? As we have learned, all the spirit children of God were created first. The” breath of life” simply means that God placed Adam’s immortal spirit in his physical body. Everyone who is born on this earth must go through the same process. Both the immortal spirit and the physical body are created in the image and likeness of God.

We don’t know when the spirit is first placed in the body. Only God knows that, but one thing is certain, no child breathes without the ‘breath of life.’ Once the spirit is placed in the body, it becomes “a living soul.” That is why Christians take such a firm stand against abortion and why they consider pregnancy sacred. It is through the union of man and woman that God sends his spirit children into the world. That places the family as being in partnership with God in multiplying and replenishing the earth. The soul is comprised of both the immortal spirit and the mortal body. What is unique about the story of Adam and Eve is that even with a physical body, they are immortal and would remain in that immortal state forever had Lucifer not entered the Garden and tempted them with the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The cosmic paradox is that in their immortal state they are unable to bear children. Yet we learned in chapter one that one of the first commandments they received was to multiply and replenish the earth.

Genesis 1:27-28

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

It is a commandment they could not keep unless they ate of the forbidden fruit. But we must keep in mind that the above command was given in Genesis Chapter 1, even before they had physical bodies, even before the earth and the garden of Eden were created. God had called a grand council. He is speaking to all the “Hosts of Heaven.” They are all Celestial spirits, angels in heaven. God is explaining to them—I should say that God is explaining to us all—why he is going to create the earth.

That is why the Lord said to Job “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? …When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Where else but in heaven could “the morning stars sing together and all the sons of God shout for joy”? We, as immortal spirits, were all in that council. We sang together. We shouted for joy together. We knew the fall had to occur, but we agreed to come to earth anyway. Why?—because we wanted our agency. We wanted to have a physical body. We can only assume that Adam and Eve, as spirits, were also in that council and they agreed to be the first parents. In fact, they would have been called to that great position by Jesus Christ himself.

We knew before coming to earth that Jesus Christ would redeem us from our sins, or we probably would never have agreed to come to earth. Everyone who came to earth to gain a body was first a Christian. The spirit of Christ is in every child born on this planet earth. It is that spirit that helps us discern between good and evil. That is the origin of conscience; however, as we know, man’s conscience can be corrupted.

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Welcome to Stories of the Old Testament, Podcast 5, “Creation Pt 4.”
Examine verse one carefully for it raises a very important question.

Genesis 2:1

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

The ubiquitous word host appears in several contexts in the Bible: The Host of Heaven, The Lord of Hosts, The Hosts of the Lord, Heavenly Host, The God of Hosts, The Lord of Sabaoth (which means hosts). It may refer to Angelic or Celestial Armies, Great Multitudes, Multitudes of Angels. In the above it refers to all the spirit children of God.

Now let’s return to Chapter 1, versus 26 and read it in light of the phrase “all the host of them.”

Genesis 1:26

Why is it plural rather than singular? God uses the pronouns ‘us,’ ‘our,’ and ‘them.” Adam and Eve are not mentioned. The pronoun ‘them’ refers to “all the host of them.’ In other words, we were all spirit children of God. The purpose of the creation of the earth is to give physical bodies to all God’s Spirit children. The verses above refer, not to earthly man, but to the spirit children of God. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” ‘Man’ is plural. “The phrase ‘host of them’ clearly refers to the creation of all of God’s spirit children. The scriptures often refer to us as ‘children of God.’

Romans 8:16-17

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

1 John 3:1–2

We know that only Adam and Eve were created and placed in the Garden of Eden. The purpose of the earth is to give physical bodies to all of God’s spirit children. All the rest of God’s spirit children will come through the lineage of Adam and Eve after they are cast out of the Garden. That was the plan from the beginning.

Now let’s continue with the image stated in Chapter 1.

Genesis 1:27-28

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

The pronoun ‘them’ refers to all the ‘hosts of heaven.’ The first creation is a spiritual creation, not a temporal creation. In other words, it refers to all the spirit children of God who are called “all the host of heaven.” The spirits of everyone who will inhabit the earth have been created. No one has been placed in the Garden of Eden yet. The spiritual creation is what the Lord is referring to when speaking to Job.

Job 38:4-7

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 4, “The Creation Pt 3.”

On the First Day of Creation God divided the light from the darkness. On the Second Day of Creation, God created the firmament. On the Third Day of creation, God created dry land that brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after its kind. On the Fourth Day of Creation God made the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. It appears that on the fourth day of creation the earth was placed in its present solar system. We must ask the obvious question—how did the third day bring forth grass before the earth was placed in its solar system? We shall have to wait until Chapter Two to get the answer. In this podcast we begin with the Fifth Day of Creation.

Genesis 1:20

“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”

Having the fowl come out of the ocean is in keeping with the modern timeline of creation which claims that animal life first began in the sea.

Genesis 1:21

“And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”

Clearly plants had to come before birds and animals. Also note that just as the plants are able to reproduce after their own kind so are the birds and animals. That completes the Fifth Day.

Genesis 1:22

“And the evening and the morning were the fifth day?

The crowning achievement of creation is mankind. The scientific timeline places man much later in the creation story. Because of the theory of evolution, science insists that man is merely a higher form of animal. There are some significant differences between man and animals. God places man in charge of all other earth life.

Genesis 1:26

The first difference is that men and women were made in the image of God. The significance of that cannot be overstated. Every student of the Bible, I suppose, has noticed the frequency of parallel elements such as “in our image, after our likeness.” First, I don’t think we can overstate the importance of word choice. Second, I don’t think we should ever ignore parallelism. The words, though similar in meaning, always carry a significant difference. It is imperative that we both examine each word as well as emphasize the differences. Information is always found in the differences.

For those who accept the Bible as the direct word of God, as does the author of this podcast, I especially encourage you to slow your reading down until you are comfortable with your interpretation and understanding. Assume the writer—in the above that would be Moses—knew exactly what he was saying. Of course, we must take into account the necessary difficulties of translation. Translators are faced with the incompatibility of languages. In addition, they may interject their own religious biases intentionally or unintentionally. I am not a translator. I am a podcaster; therefore, I intentionally interject my point of view. I invite you to think for yourself and examine the images as objectively as possible. Walt Whitman, American Poet, made an interesting statement in his Preface to “Leaves of Grass,” Whitman said,

“Re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency, not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.”

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 3, “The Creation Pt 2.”

We shall begin our Podcast today with the 3rd Day of Creation.

Genesis 1:9

“And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

The phrase, “And God said,” appears nine times in Chapter One. Language is used economically; therefore, every word counts. In the above “And God said let the waters…” appears to be a command to someone who is also involved in the creation. We need to assume from the language that the creation is a very complex process involving more than one individual.

In addition, implicit in the creation story is that the elements of the earth already exist. They are being reorganized. It is even implied in the first two days of creation that earth was once a living planet but now dead or as Genesis said, “without form and void,” and is being brought back to life. It appears to have been a dead planet floating in space. If that is true, then it explains dinosaurs and other fossil forms on earth prior to Adam and Eve. We know from science that space is not empty. The former planet from which the earth was created would have been under the gravitational pull of a larger body, but it received no sunlight.

The first thing God does is to provide a working solar system: “Let there be light: and there was light.” On day three water and land are divided. Genesis reveals the order of creation but gives little else. Science knows that there are laws of creation, but they don’t know where those laws come from. The following prevailing opinions of science and philosophy are neither informative nor satisfying:

· Laws exist because they are compatible with existence

· Laws emerge from deeper principles

· Laws evolved

· Laws are compatible with life

· Quantum fluctuation

· Laws emerged due to some cosmic entropy

· The Universe is self-learning

Clearly scientists are clueless where laws come from; and, as with the creation theory, they will say anything to avoid admitting to intelligent design.

In the next verse God gives a name to the creation.

Genesis 1:10

“And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.”

We should also not overlook the other refrain, “and God saw that it was good.” The clause is repeated seven times in Chapter One of the Creation Story. The first six times use the same wording, one for each day of creation. The seventh time it is used, the wording is changed significantly as we shall see.

It doesn’t just mean ‘good job.’ It means completed or finished. Also, who is the referent of the word God. Is it the Father or the Son? The answer is both? We know from the Bible that Christ the creator works under the direction of the father. We also know from the New Testament that Christ never did anything except that which was commanded by the Father. Christ was perfect because he obeyed every command of the Father perfectly.

Is it the Father who said, “it was good.” Is he the inspector? One thing is certain, the Son does not move to the next phase until the first phase has been inspected and approved.

It is worthy to note here that there has always been a division of labor between the Father and the Son. It is imperative that Christians understand the role of the Father in our lives and the role of the son in our lives. For example, The Lord’s Prayer teaches us that we pray to the Father. The New Testament also teaches us emphatically that we must always pray to the Father in the name of the Son, another division of labor.

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 2, “The Creation Pt 1.”

Whenever we open the Holy Bible, we come face to face with its succinctness. This is nowhere better illustrated than in the first sentence of the first verse of Genesis.

Genesis 1:1

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

The word ‘Genesis’ means origin, beginning, birth, or creation.’ What does ‘in the beginning mean’? Scientists have been wrestling with that for ages. How large is heaven? What is the age of the universe? What is the age of the earth? We learn early that the Bible is not concerned with that. We must take the Bible on its own terms.

We learned from the previous podcast that everything was created first spiritually and then temporally. Before coming to the earth, we were (and still are and always will be) spirit children of God made in the image of God. We are all brothers and sisters. Our identity does not begin on earth. Who knows how long we lived in heaven before the earth was created? That is a question that only God can answer? As said in the previous podcast, as spirits we were very excited to come to earth to get a physical body.

Job 38:4-7

Earth has an entirely different set of laws than heaven. We call the laws that govern earth temporal laws. We distinguish among the following laws: Laws of Nature, Laws of God, and Laws of Man.

Mortality means that we are now subject to death. Death did not exist in heaven. There were no mortal laws or laws dealing with death. On earth scientists use the word ‘entropy,’ meaning we move from order to disorder, life to death. It deals with randomness and decay, a new experience for an immortal spirit. We have both an immortal spirit body and a mortal physical body, one is the image of the other. The Holy Bible does not address the laws of thermodynamics. The Bible primarily addresses men and women’s relationship to God. It is interested in the spiritual over the temporal. Earth life changes the dynamics of our relationship to God. A physical body is both a blessing and a burden. It is a blessing because it gives us more freedom, agency, liberty, and freewill. It is a burden because we are subject to greater temptations. For example, it pits the natural man against the spiritual man. The Bible focuses on how we should conduct ourselves in a mortal world.

It is up to mankind to figure out the physical science of things, a subject that some of the greatest minds in the world have devoted their lives to. Though by necessity there will be overlap, we do not generally look to scripture to advance natural science. God is perfectly comfortable using the term ‘in the beginning.’ Through Radiometric Dating, Meteorite Dating, and Moon Rock Dating scientists have come up with the idea that earth is 4.54 billion years old and the cosmos is 13.8 billion years old.

Does that contradict Genesis? No. It is fruitless to quibble about what a day means. Time is a mortal matter only. We measure a day by the spinning of the earth, a month by the revolution of the moon around the earth, and a year by the revolution of the earth around the sun. Change any of those and time changes. Even that would mean nothing if it were not for entropy, from things moving from order to disorder. Entropy gives time its arrow. Scientists also tell us that time is related to the speed of light.

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Stories of the Bible, Podcast 1, “Pre Mortal Life, The War in Heaven”

Christians must recognize the four primary stages of our existence: (1) The Premortal Existence; (2) The Mortal Existence or life on earth; (3) The Post Mortal Existence or Spirit World and (4) The Resurrection and Final Judgment.

In the Pre-Mortal existence, we were all brothers and sisters, spirits created in the image of God. For as Paul said.

Hebrews 12:9

“Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?”

We lived together in heaven with God our Father and his Son Jesus Christ. We did not have a physical Body, but we had agency.

We were immortal spirits. We didn’t know what it was like to have a physical body. We were really excited when we learned that God was going to create the earth.

Job 38:4-7

We were the morning stars who sang together. We were the sons of God who shouted for joy. It is clear that we wanted a physical body. It is also clear that we understood why the Lord created the earth. Our journey began in heaven. The Apostle Peter understood our divine birthright when he said that “ye might be partakers of the divine nature.”

2 Peter 1:1-4

The second stage of the journey is earth.

The third stage of our journey is the world of spirits where we go when we die to wait for the resurrection.

And the final stage of the journey will be the resurrection and final judgment where we will be assigned our inheritance according to the laws we obeyed while on earth. The just and righteous will return to live with God. The unjust and unrighteous won’t as indicated by the story of the five wise virgins and the five foolish virgins.

In this podcast we deal only with our premortal life and the War in Heaven. Even as spirits in heaven, God chose us in Christ but, he gave us our agency.

EPHESIANS 1:3-5

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

From the very beginning of our journey, even in heaven, before coming to earth, Lucifer played a major part.

Isaiah 14:12-17

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Season 6, Podcast 127, Isaiah 66:1-24, “Peace, Like a River.”

To understand Isaiah 66, we simply must go back to the beginning of Isaiah and work through the entire book. Isaiah 66 is a summing up. Isaiah is speaking of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Four things are going to happen during the period of the Second Coming of Christ, all relating to the final gathering: (1) The wicked, whether Jew or Gentile, will be destroyed. (2) A righteous remnant of the House of Israel will be restored because they come to Christ. (3) The gentiles who come to Christ will be part of that gathering. They too will be the seed of Abraham. (4) It will become the Millennial Day for the righteous where there shall be “Peace, Like a River.” That has been Isaiah’s message from the beginning.

Isaiah 66:1

Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

That question has already been answered for us.

Isaiah 2:2-5

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Only the righteous will be invited to his temple.

Isaiah 66:2

For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Consider the words of David.

Psalm 24:3-4

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”

The wicked, whether Jew or Gentile, will be excluded.

Isaiah 66:3

He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

The Lord is speaking of idol worshipers. Those who turn away from false gods and worship the true God are those who shall say, “Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” Again, let’s turn to David. Is he not speaking of ‘Peace, like a river?’

Psalm 1:1-6

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

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Season 6, Podcast 126, Isaiah 65:16-25, “And I Will Rejoice in Jerusalem.”

It was through the Prophet Isaiah, as noted in the very first chapter, that the Lord gave the following Promise.

Isaiah 1:18-19

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

Notice that at the end of Isaiah, the same promise is reiterated, using different words.

Isaiah 65:16

That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.

Can you see how those two verses could easily be read together for they are parallel? For example, the phrase “the former troubles are forgotten” is the same as “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Each expands and emphasizes the others. It is the same with the other assertions. “If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land” is another way of saying” He who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth.” Each expands the meaning of the other.

Just like the Book of Revelation by John, the Book of Isaiah is one great poem and is meant to be read as a whole. Just as with the Book of Revelation, the Book of Isaiah was probably written at the end of Isaiah’s ministry rather than at the beginning. Such a pattern is common in the scriptures. The tremendous value of that format is that it gives unity to the entire book of Isaiah. For example, Isaiah has the ability to look back over his entire ministry. He knows that his life is coming to an end; therefore, he ponders all the revelations he has received which define his mission, and he organizes those revelations around particular themes.

The center of Isaiah is Christ, and the contributing themes are the scattering and gathering of Israel. More particularly he wants to prove the causal relationship between righteousness and blessings and unrighteousness and cursings or captivity. When the children of Israel are obedient to God’s commandments, they prosper as a free people. When the children of Israel are disobedient to God’s commandments, they are led into captivity.

Isaiah’s conclusion is that in the end, when Christ comes again, the wicked will be destroyed and the righteous or elect will be saved. Let’s review, for example, the earlier verses in Isaiah 65:

Isaiah 65:9-12

And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.

But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.

The second half of Isaiah 65 lists the promises the Lord makes to the elect, meaning those who are righteous and seek the Lord. Isaiah is speaking of the Millenium.

Isaiah 65:17

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

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Season 6, Podcast 125, Isaiah 65:1-15, “And I Will Bring Forth a Seed out of Jacob.”

Isaiah 65 can clearly be divided into two parts. For example, verses 1-15 address the period of time prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ when the tribes of Israel are still in rebellion against accepting Christ as their Savior. They are in a state of apostasy. Verses 16-25 address the restoration of the House of Israel, the final gathering, and the Millennial era.

Isaiah 65:1

I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.

The pronoun ‘I’ refers to Jehovah of the Old Testament or Jesus Christ of the New Testament. They have not sought the Lord; they have not asked for him; they have not called upon his name.

Isaiah 65:2

I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;

Even though Christ has continually opened his arms to invite them back, they remained rebellious. They followed idols and they followed their own way.

Isaiah 65:3

A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;

They continually provoke the Lord by sacrificing to idols and burning incense to false Gods. “Altars of brick” are pagan alters to their idols. It is a direct affront to Christ. From the beginning they were commanded to offer sacrifices only on natural rocks, not “hewn stones” or man-made stones such as bricks.

Exodus 20:24-25

An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

In addition, they follow other pagan practices.

Isaiah 65:4

Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

Graves suggest necromancy and communing with the dead which was explicitly forbidden.

Deuteronomy 18:10-14

There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

They were also forbidden to eat swine, shellfish, rabbit, eagles, owls buzzards, etc.

Leviticus 11: 4-31

Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, And the coney, And the hare, And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you…

And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, …

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Season 6, Podcast 124, Isaiah 64:1-12, “But Now, O Lord, Thou Art our Father.”

The Book of Isaiah is organic. It is one long poem celebrating the coming of the Messiah. The Book of Isaiah is a microcosm of the history of the House of Israel. It is also a microcosm of the history of the world. For example, we have Babylon and Egypt and Edom which symbolize the world. Babylon has become a universal symbol of the wickedness of the world which will be destroyed when the Savior returns. Only the righteous will remain. Only the righteous, regardless of birth, will reign with Christ when he comes. Consider the pivotal world of the resurrected Lord, spoken to his apostles prior to ascending into heaven.

Matthew 28:16-20

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The risen Lord is speaking of the gathering of Israel; however, Israel no longer represents just the literal descendants of Abraham. In fact, in the final gathering, only those of the literal seed of Abraham who are righteous, who come unto Christ, will be considered the seed of Abraham; and the seed of Abraham who meet the resurrected Lord will be all those who follow the true doctrine of Christ as stated above. By no other name are we saved.

Christ, speaking of his Second Coming in private to his twelve apostles, said,

Matthew 24:14

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Remember the Abrahamic Promise, called the Abrahamic Covenant. The name Abram was changed to Abraham because he would become the father of many nations. Only those out of those nations who are righteous, whether Jew or Gentile, will be the seed of Abraham called up to meet the resurrected Lord.

The House of Israel has become a symbol of the Lord’s people, whether Jew or Gentile. When they are wicked, they are cursed and fall into bondage. When they are righteous, they are blessed and released from captivity. The bondage and captivity may be literal images of slavery to other nations or figurative imagery of the bondage and captivity of Satan because of sin. Are we in Babylon or out of Babylon? That will be the criteria of judgment. Those who are in Babylon when the Savior comes will be destroyed. Those who have come out Babylon and accepted Christ as their Savior, who follow his teachings, and who endure to the end will be saved regardless of biological or cultural ties.

Christ continues.

Matthew 24:29-31

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Who are the elect? The elect, regardless of birthright, are those who worship the true God. That is the only way to read Isaiah 64. Indeed, that is the only way to read The Book of Isaiah. For Isaiah to be meaningful, we must put ourselves in the picture. Where do we stand in our relationship with Christ?

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Season 6, Podcast 123, Isaiah 63:1-19, “Wherefore Art Thou Red in Thine Apparel?”

A favorite theme of Isaiah is the Second Coming of Christ. For the wicked it shall be a frightful time; for the righteous it shall be glorious. Notice the question and answer dialogue. Let us assume that it is the voice of the prophet Isaiah asking the questions. He is speaking for the righteous for he finds it glorious. The one who answers the questions is Jesus Christ himself. It is Christ who says, “I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”

Isaiah 63:1

Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.

Traditionally Edom was an enemy to Israel. Bozrah was Edom’s capitol. It is ironic that Christ is coming out of Edom for he does come with both vengeance and healing. “Dyed garments” symbolizes a warrior or conqueror. The image is also used by John the Revelator.

Revelation 19:1-2

And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

It appears that the blood on the Savior’s vesture is from Edom or Babylon or the world and does not apply to the righteous. The Savior is coming out of Edom whom as a warrior he conquered to redeem his people. The righteous are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. I continue with John.

Revelation 19:7-9

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

The saints are dressed in white. They are prepared for the marriage supper of the lamb. Christ is seen as “glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” The righteous rejoice that he has come to save them. John presents an awe inspiring image of the Savior at his Second Coming.

Revelation 19:11-16

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Isaiah echoes that same sentiment.

Isaiah 63:2

Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?

The Saviour’s answer is glorious to the righteous, fearful for the unrighteous.

Isaiah 3:3-4

I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

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Season 6, Podcast 122, Isaiah 62:6-12, Part Two “And They Shall Call Them, The Holy People.”

In speaking previously of The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, one thinks of the Parable of the Ten Virgins. The five wise virgins are invited into the marriage feast. The five foolish virgins are not. In addition, we read of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Revelations:

Revelation 19:6-9

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Only the righteous will be invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb for only the righteous, Jew or Gentile, will be the seed of Abraham.

We must ask, “How are the children of Israel gathered? Christ gives the answer to his disciples. Following his resurrection, Christ appears to the apostles and gives them the following commandment.

Matthew 28:18-20

In other words, the seed of Abraham are being called out of Babylon through his disciples in his organized church. Isaiah writes that the servants of the Lord in his church must remain clean.

Isaiah 52:11

“Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.”

In Isaiah the ‘vessels of the Lord’ refer those who bear the vessels in the Lord’s temple. In other words, those who bear the priesthood, who carry out the ordinances of the Lord must remain clean.

Paul broadens the definition, referring to all members of the church as vessels of the Lord. He calls them ‘vessel unto honour,’ sanctified, and meet for the master’s use,’ He calls upon them to ‘follow righteousness’ and be ‘prepared unto every good work.’

2 Timothy 2:20-22

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

The vessels refer to both Jew and Gentile, whom he refers to as “children of the living God.”

Romans 9: 24-26

Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

I suppose controversy will always surround the whereabouts of the Ten Lost Tribes. Do they exist in a single group still identified by their tribe? It appears highly unlikely. We know that the Jews maintained their identity, and they have been scattered throughout the world. It seems that if the other tribes had done the same, we would certainly know it.

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Season 6, Podcast 121, Isaiah 62:1-5, Part One “And They Shall Call them, The Holy People.”

The primary theme of Isaiah is overwhelmingly the Savior Jesus Christ. Christ is the center of everything Isaiah says. Subordinate to that primary theme are supporting themes such as the scattering and gathering of Israel, the Second Coming of Christ and the Millennium.

Through his Holy Prophets, the Lord often uses types.

For example, Babylon is a type or symbol of the world. It is ironic that, in the Book of Isaiah, all the other cities, even the evil ones, are restored, all but Babylon which represents the wickedness of the entire world. The message is clear. When Christ comes again all the wicked will be destroyed in the world. Only the righteous shall survive. There will no wickedness in the Millennium. And there will be no wickedness in the Kingdom of God.

Israel is a symbol of God’s elect, God’s chosen. The Old Testament focuses primarily upon the literal seed of Abraham that expands through Isaac and then Jacob. Jacob has twelve sons. Just as Abram’s name was changed to Abraham because he became the father of many nations, Jacob’s name was changed to Israel which is the name given to the twelve tribes, known as The Twelve Tribes of Israel, or Israelites.

The New Testament changes the focus from the literal house of Israel and includes the Gentiles. The seed of Abraham takes on a new meaning. It is no longer primarily the literal seed. The seed of Abraham refers to all those who come to Christ, who keep the commandments, and who endure to the end.

Only the righteous inherit the promises made to Abraham, known as the Abrahamic Covenant, because only the righteous keep the covenant.

Genesis 12:18: “And in thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed; because thou has obeyed my voice.”

Galatians 3:28-29 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

We need to consider the above when we read of the ‘gathering of Israel’ in the latter-day. The righteous of the Twelve Tribes of Israel will be gathered again or restored to their former home and glory in preparation for the Millennium; however, the gathering of Israel or Zion refers to even greater things. We must consider the words of John the Revelator literally for he is also speaking of the gathering of Israel in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ, meaning both Jew and Gentile.

Revelation 14:6-7

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Notice that the angel has the ‘everlasting gospel of Christ’ to preach unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.’ Consider what happens when the true followers are gathered.

Revelation 14:8

And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Now consider what happens to the wicked.

Revelation 14:9-11

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

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Season 6, Podcast 120, Isaiah 61:1-11, “The Spirit of the Lord God is Upon Me.”

The personal pronoun “me” in Isaiah 61 is the Messiah. In other words, Isaiah is speaking as if he were Christ. Christ defines his divine mission from the Father.

Isaiah 61:1

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

Our Savior clearly defines his relationship to the Father. He has come to earth entirely to do the will of the Father in all things. Again, let’s tie in that most beautiful of all scriptures John 3:16-17. When we think of Christ that scripture should be at the forefront of our minds.

The Father endows his Son with the spiritual tools necessary to save mankind: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Christ; The Father anointed Christ to preach good tidings to the meek; The Father sent Christ to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to open the prison to those who are bound by Satan.

It is as if the father placed his hands upon the head of his beloved Son before he even came to earth and ordained him to save the world. That means that the entire plan of Salvation was ordained before the earth was even created. God the Father saw everything in advance and prepared for it.

Let’s refer again to the words of the Lord to Job.

Job 38:4-7

4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Also speaking of our premortal existence, Solomon declares,

Ecclesiastes 12:7

7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

King David, speaking of our divine heritage, called us ‘children of the most High.

Psalm 82:6

6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

It brings to mind the words of the Apostle Peter who said, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” Isaiah informs us,

Isaiah 42:5

5 Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

Paul also taught that we are the offspring of God.

Acts 17:29

29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.

Paul adds that God is the Father of our Spirits.

Hebrews 12:9

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

In Isaiah 61, Christ further defines his commission from the Father.

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Season 6, Podcast 119, Isaiah 60:1-22, “Arise, Shine; for thy Light is Come.”

Isaiah, the prophet of our own day, focuses on the scattering and gathering of Israel. We must keep in mind, however, that the Israel Isaiah is speaking of refers to all the seed of Abraham which includes all gentiles who embrace the full doctrine of Christ, who keep his commandments, and who endure to the end.

Isaiah primarily focuses on Christ, prophesying that he will come to earth, live among men, be crucified, atone for our sins through his blood, and be resurrected. Though he speaks of it earlier, the primary focus of the last 16 Chapters of Isaiah are on the Second Coming of Christ and beyond, even to the end of the world.

The Second Coming of Christ and the final gathering of Israel are coterminous events. A third event connected to the gathering of Israel is the gathering of the gentiles into the covenant people of Abraham. All who come unto Christ, Jew or Gentile, shall be candidates for celestial glory.

The scope of Isaiah 60 is rather incredible, for he addresses not only the gathering of Israel, the Second Coming of Christ and the Millennium, but he also addresses the final reckoning or end of the world when the Celestial City, New Jerusalem, comes down from heaven and earth becomes celestialized, the eternal home of God.

I have often spoken of the poetry of Isaiah. Though I rely upon scholars to teach me the words of the Hebrew and Greek languages as they apply to Biblical interpretation, I love the King James Version because of the beauty of its language. None is greater than the following. It lifts one’s eyes to heaven.

Isaiah 60:1

1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

How better to capture that glorious moment when the light of Christ is brought again to the world? Typical of Isaiah, he plays with light and darkness.

Isaiah 60:2

2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

The Lord, of course, is inviting everyone to come to the light and to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ. The gathering of Israel shall be aided by the Gentiles who because of the light become, through their righteousness, the children of Abraham.

Isaiah 60:3

3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

The word ‘Renaissance’ originally referred to the cultural, artistic, intellectual, and scientific movement in Europe beginning in the 14th century. ‘Renaissance’ means rebirth or more particularly “to be born again.” That is a familiar phrase to Christians. In the above Isaiah speaks of another Renaissance that occurs just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. He describes the new Renaissance by comparing it to an increase of light. Isaiah says the earth shall be ‘full of the knowledge of the Lord.’

All who are converted to Christ will glory in his return.

Isaiah 60:4-5

4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

After centuries of being in the dark, the light of Christ when he returns, shall fill the earth. The rebuilding of Jerusalem will be a world event. The following ancient cities symbolize the world. “Isles” suggest that the entire world will be involved in the gathering of Israel.

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Season 6, Podcast 118, Isaiah 59:1-21, “The Redeemer Shall Come to Zion.”

As with so many other chapters of Isaiah, Chapter 59 teaches of Christ 700 years before his birth. Isaiah often uses poetic license and speaks as if an event had already occurred. Antithetical Parallelism is another rhetorical device Isaiah often uses. Antithesis means opposite or contrasting imagery. For example, verses 1-15 condemn the people of Israel for their apostasy and their sins. Verses 16-21 speak of the redemption of Christ if they repent. It is, like so much of Isaiah, a chapter of hope.

Isaiah, a visionary prophet comparable to John and Daniel, is also a master poet. He uses the language of poetry to communicate the importance of his visions. He wants his readers to experience what he experienced, and he does not hold back.

An English writer and critic, Sir Arthur-Quiller Couch, observed that a poet uses the language of poetry to communicate the high moments. He uses the language of ordinary prose to communicate the low moments.

That fits Isaiah beautifully because his poetry is highly elevated. Notice, for example, the following verse, “They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.”

To the Jews a cockatrice was a viper or adder, a venomous snake. Most snakes lay eggs. Some have eggs break inside the body so that the snake appears to give live birth. Isaiah, of course, uses a figure of speech. He compares those who are evil to a cockatrice or adder. Just as an adder’s egg would produce a venomous viper, an evil person produces consequences that are compared to a venomous viper in that they inject poison into their victim. It is a striking image. But Isaiah extends his image. “He that eateth of their eggs—in other words, those who are influenced by evil people who imitate their ways. They die, whether physically or spiritually, and their fruit breaks out into a viper. Evil perpetuates evil and the fruit is death to the soul.

A thousand years later, writers, perhaps influenced by Isaiah, elevated the cockatrice to mythological status. In the Middle Ages a cockatrice was described as a two-legged dragon or serpent-like creature, perhaps symbolic of the devil. The cockatrice had a rooster’s head, hence the word cockatrice. It was believed to have the power to kill with a glance, breath, or touch. One can see how craftily medieval writers extended Isaiah’s image. They too used poetic license to create highly figurative imagery.

Sometimes Isaiah creates the image, and he expects you to create the interpretation. Often, however, he does both. He gives you the image in very stark terms and then gives the interpretation.

Some find the language of Isaiah difficult. It is helpful to visualize the image for that is precisely what Isaiah must have seen and felt during his visions. It is also helpful to examine the words of Isaiah to our own day and time and culture. Isaiah is speaking of the latter days just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. He communicates both the visual and the emotional impact. Highly specific and colorful language often begs for interpretation. It is like a seed that contains all the information of the fruit. Isaiah gives you the seed, but you must plant it, nourish it, and bring it to fruition to see what fruit it bears. It places a great burden on the reader. Scripturally imagery is particularly challenging because it is given by revelation and can often only be understood by revelation. In other words, one must have the same spirit or inspiration in interpreting the image as Isaiah had in describing the images he saw in vision.

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Season 6, Podcast 117, Isaiah 58:1-14, “Then Shall Thy Light Break Forth as the Morning.”

Three themes dominate the Book of Isaiah: The Scattering of Israel, The Coming of Christ, and The Gathering of Israel in the last days. In addition to those three themes, Isaiah is concerned about the daily life of the House of Judah. He teaches how to become more Christ-like and how to keep the commandments of God. Isaiah 58 addresses the issue of Fasting and Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. These are major themes throughout the Old and New Testaments.

First Isaiah is commanded to tell the House of Judah of their sins.

Isaiah 58:1

1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

One of their primary sins is that they have perverted the purpose of the fast. Fasting is an ordinance. An ordinance may refer to religious rites, rules, practices, statutes, precept or observances commanded by God. Fasting is an ordinance. Baptism is an ordinance. Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost is an ordinance, The Lord’s Supper or Sacrament is an ordinance. Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy is an ordinance. It was Isaiah who condemned Israel for changing the ordinances.

Isaiah 24:5

5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

That is a very serious charge. In Isaiah the Lord condemns the House of Judah for changing the ordinance of fasting. It is a testimony of how precisely Christians as well as Jews are required to follow all the ordinances. To change the ordinance is as bad as disobeying or ignoring the ordinance.

Isaiah 58:2-4

2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.

3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

It was the Jews who criticized God. They were fasting as commanded in the days of Moses. They thought they were doing everything the Lord required. They complained, “Wherefore have we fasted and God does not see them. Why have they afflicted their souls—a reference to fasting—yet the Lord takes no notice. The Lord answers their question. They are fasting for the wrong reason. They fasted for ‘strife and to smite with the fist of wickedness.’ The Lord asks the question.

Isaiah 58:5

5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?

As in the days of Christ, they focused on the act rather than on the purposes of the Lord. For example, their focus fell upon sackcloth and ashes which were outward signs of fasting rather than the fast itself. It is not that sackcloth and ashes were bad. The fast had always been associated with sackcloth and ashes.

1 Kings 21:27 When Ahab heard those words, he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted…”

Daniel 9:3

And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.”

The ritual became more important than the ordinance. In other words, they began to fast for show rather than to show humility before God. Christ, when he lived among the Jews condemned them for that same reason. Remember the Sermon on the Mount

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Season 6, Podcast 116, Isaiah 57:1-21, “There is no Peace to the Wicked.”

Isaiah 57 addresses the time just prior to the Millennium and the Second Coming of Christ. It is designed in antithetical parallelism. It divides the righteous and the wicked. It pronounces good on the righteous and evil on the wicked. Isaiah 57 particularly condemns idol worship.

Verse 1 of Isaiah 57 is unique. It begins with a paradox and ends with the explanation of the paradox.

Isaiah 57:1

1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

The paradox is that “the righteous perisheth.” That is generally a curse pronounced only upon the wicked. Isaiah explains, however, that the righteous are taken from them to be spared the calamities that are about to fall upon the wicked.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Paul further teaches that the righteous are not appointed unto the wrath of God.

1 Thessalonians 5:8-10

8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Speaking of the resurrection Paul says.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Earlier Isaiah prophesied.

Isaiah 26:19-21

19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

21 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

Isaiah further prophesies that the righteous shall rest in their own beds during the calamities.

Isaiah 57:2

2 He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.

Bed has two meanings, the one literal, the other figurative. Literally the righteous will be safe in their own homes when the calamities come. Their homes will be a sanctuary. In addition, they shall share their habitation with the Lord and those who follow Christ.

The wicked, however, are not spared. They share their bed with idols. In irony familiar to Isaiah, the visionary prophet said the wicked will not sleep in their own bed but in the bed of another.

Isaiah 57:3-8

3 But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.

4 Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood,

5 Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?

6 Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these?

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Season 6, Podcast 115, Isaiah 56:1-12, “Keep Ye Judgment, and do Justice.”

Through Abraham God made covenants to the House of Israel. Abraham’s son was Isaac. Isaac’s son was Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons. Each son became the head of a tribe. The tribes are famously known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel. In God’s covenant to Abraham are the following promises. Promise One: Abraham shall become a great nation.

Genesis 12:1-3

1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Promise Two: Abraham’s descendants shall be as countless as the stars in number.

Genesis 15:5

5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

Promise Three; Abraham shall be the father of many nations.

Genesis 17:1-9

1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

The phrase “everlasting covenant” elevates the promises to Abraham. They are in effect not only in this life but in the next, meaning that whatever blessings he receives on earth, he will also receive in heaven. Isaiah 56 expands that covenant to include not only Abraham’s seed but all righteous people who come unto Christ, who keep his commandments, and who endure to the end. In other words, all the promises of Abraham are also given to those who live as Abraham was commanded to live.

Galatians 3:6-9

6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Every promise made in the everlasting covenant to Abraham applies to all who are saved by Christ. Isaiah 56 lists the conditions of the law that everyone, including the Twelve Tribes, must meet to receive the promises made to Abraham.

Criteria One:

Isaiah 56:1

1 Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.

What does it mean to ‘keep ye judgment, and do justice’? Consider the following scriptures relating to judgment:

· Exodus 23:6 ‘Thou shalt not wrest (twist) the judgment of thy poor.’

· Leviticus 18:4 ‘Ye shall do my judgments (meaning keep my commandments), and keep mine ordinances.

· Leviticus 19:15 ‘Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment.’

· Deuteronomy 1:17 ‘Not respect persons in judgment.’

· John 7:24 ‘Judge righteous judgment’

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Season 6, Podcast 114, Isaiah 55:1-13, “Seek Ye the

The common phrase, “The best things in life are free” could very possibly come from Isaiah.

Isaiah 55:1

1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

It is a common theme in Christianity. The Lord said to the woman at the well.

John 4:10-14

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

The water of life is a ‘gift of God.’ It is echoed in Revelation.

Revelation 22:18-19

16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord is teaching us what is of the greatest worth in this life.

Isaiah 55:2

2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

I am sure that weight watchers enjoy that phrase, but it has a deeper meaning than diet.

Isaiah 6:9-10

9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Notice the two different uses of the word ‘fatness.’ The first deals with both the body and the spirit which comprises the soul, the second only with the body. The first is spiritual, the second temporal. Those who seek things of the spirit are rich in spiritual things, The symbol of fatness means abundance. Those who seek temporal things over spiritual things become gluttonous. They focus on the treasures of the world and close their eyes, their ears, and their heart to spiritual things. Christ said of the wealthy.

Matthew 19:23–24

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Christ teaches us to “incline our ear to him.”

Isaiah 55:3

3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

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Season 6, Podcast 113, Isaiah 54:1-17, “Sing, O Barren.”

Let’s begin Isaiah 54 by comparing the triumph of the House of Israel to the downfall of Babylon as given in Isaiah 13. First consider the House of Israel to include both the direct seed of Abraham and to all others who are worthy to be called the seed of Abraham. Second, consider Babylon to represent the world.

Isaiah 54:1

1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.

Isaiah 13:6

6 Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

Those two events happen at the same time. Isaiah is speaking about 700 BC. He is referring to the Second Coming of Christ and the beginning of the Millennium which will not happen for at least 2000 years after the birth of Christ, let’s say roughly 3000 years from the time of Isaiah, give or take a few hundred years.

Just prior to the Second Coming of Christ all the wicked will be destroyed, and Babylon, or the world, will fall. The only ones left will be the righteous.

In Isaiah 13, we read the following:

Isaiah 13:7-11

7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt:

8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Just the opposite occurs with the righteous.

Isaiah 54:2-7

2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

6 For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

For the wicked the last days will be a time of war and horror.

Isaiah 13:12-16

12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.

15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.

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Season 6, Podcast 112, Isaiah 53:1-12, “Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs.”

Isaiah was the prophet of Judah, the southern kingdom, during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and perhaps part of Manasseh. It is recorded in secular history, and it is held by tradition that Isaiah was murdered by Manasseh by being sawed in half.

Hezekiah was the most righteous of the kings and Ahaz and Manasseh the most wicked during Isaiah’s reign. Isaiah’s primary focus was on the life of the Savior, yet he lived about 700 years before the Birth of Christ. Isaiah’s descriptions of Christ were so personal one would think that he actually lived during the time of Christ. Isaiah 53 is an example.

Isaiah 53:1

1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

The “report” may easily be interpreted as the writings of Isaiah himself for no one focused more on the life and mission of the Savior. “To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed” refers to those prophets who spoke of Christ as well as those who received a testimony of Christ through the Holy Ghost. There is no timeline to that statement. It reaches back in time before Isaiah and forward in time primarily to the Second Coming as well as to the end of the world.

In other words, we all need a personal testimony of the divinity of Christ which comes only through the Holy Ghost.

For someone who never met Christ except through visions and revelations, Isaiah gives a startingly accurate description of the man himself.

Isaiah 53:2

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

The Jews rejected Christ for they were looking for a king and a champion to free them from the Romans. Effectively from the days of the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans, Judah had either been a vassal state or completely bound in slavery to neighboring nations, all of which were prophesied by Isaiah. He attributed their bondage to idol worship and to changing the ordinances and breaking the everlasting covenant, and to breaking the Ten Commandments.

Because they looked beyond the mark, they rejected Christ, though his birth and life and death had been explicitly described by the prophets from the beginning as recorded by Moses, and especially from Isaiah himself. In the following verse, notice the use of the present tense and the use of “we.” It is as if Isaiah were living during the time of Christ.

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Isaiah 53:3

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

For those who studied Isaiah, as surely the learned Jews did during the time of Christ, it is impossible to understand how they justified crucifying the Savior. They fulfilled the prophesies of Isaiah with precision.

In the next verse Isaiah accomplishes two things: (1) He defines the mission of the Savior—to bear our sins and our sorrows (2) He gives a description of how Christ will be treated.

Isaiah 53:4

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

In other words, rather than take personal responsibility for their evil behavior, the Jewish leaders claimed that Christ was being punished by God for his sins. Isaiah himself described their behavior earlier when he said they would call good evil and evil good.

Isaiah clearly understood the mission of the Savior. Could there be a clearer statement of the atonement than the following? Notice that it is given in the past tense as if the event has already occurred.

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Season 6, Podcast 111, Isaiah 52:1-15, “How Beautiful Upon the Mountains.”

Isaiah Chapters 1-51 have prepared us for Isaiah Chapter 52. Shortly after the death of Solomon, around 931-930 BC, the twelve tribes of Israel split. The ten tribes of the north—Reuben, Simeon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim, and Manasseh—referred to as Ephraim or Israel, appointed as their king, Jeroboam. The two tribes of the south—Judah and Benjamin—referred to as Judah, were led by Rehoboam, son of Solomon. Rehoboam refused to reduce taxes imposed by King Solomon, causing the schism. The Northern Tribes became enemies to the Southern Tribes. The Assyrians conquered the Northern Tribes in 732 BC. The Northern Tribes were taken into captivity. They lost their Promised Land and are now known to history as The Ten Lost Tribes. The Southern Tribes, after three invasions, were carried into captivity by the Babylonians in 597 BC where they remained in slavery for 70 years. Babylon was conquered by the Persians under King Cyrus the Great in 539 BC. King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple. The Jews were later conquered by the Greeks under Alexander the Great, 332 BC, and later the Romans in 63 BC. The Romans destroyed the second temple and the city of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the Diaspora was complete. All twelve tribes were scattered throughout the earth.

Isaiah 52 talks not only about the gathering of all twelve tribes but also the gathering of all those who Accept Christ at his Second Coming.

Isaiah 52:1

1 Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

“Put on thy strength, O Zion” refers to the gathering of the Northern Tribes. “Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem” refers to the gathering of the Jews and of course Benjamin who have lost their identity being entirely assimilated with the Jews. Before the gathering, a great change will occur for as Isaiah said, “there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.” In other words, there will be a purifying of all the tribes of Israel before the Second Coming of Christ when they shall be restored to the Promised Land.

Isaiah 52:2

2 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

“Shake thyself from the dust” refers to a spiritual rebirth. “Sit down, O Jerusalem” refers to their being reestablished as a nation. “Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.’ Refers to the restoration and purification of the Ten Lost Tribes.

The Lord puts the blame for the Diaspora squarely upon the shoulders of Israel and Judah. Nonetheless, the Lord, Jesus Christ, shall redeem them.

Isaiah 52:3

3 For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.

In the following verse the Lord refers to their former bondage both to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians.

Isaiah 52:4

4 For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

Remember that the Lord is no respecter of persons. He condemns those who oppressed his chosen people.

Isaiah 52:5

5 Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.

But once again his chosen, who fell into idol worship, shall reacquaint themselves with their true God.

Isaiah 52:6

6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

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Season 6, Podcast 110, Isaiah 51:1-23, “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness.”

Isaiah 51 is a continuation of Isaiah 50. It focuses on the Savior but primarily is addressed to the gathering of Israel in the last days. The Lord defines his audience.

Isaiah 51:1

1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

The Lord is speaking to all those who ‘follow after righteousness’ and ‘who seek the Lord.’ He tells them where to look, “Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn” means to look to God who is your Father. Though he is speaking of the gathering of Israel, that message is for everyone. Christ is coming again to the earth and only the righteous and those who seek the Lord shall be able to stand. The call is addressed to the children of Abraham or the to covenant people; however, the scriptures have already established who the covenant people are. They are all those who have faith in Christ.

Galatians 3:26-29

26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Isaiah is very clear that there will, in the last days, be a literal gathering of Israel. The twelve tribes shall return to the promised land, but Isaiah is also clear that Zion refers to all those who follow after righteousness, who seek the Lord, and who believe in Jesus Christ. Notice what Paul says about those who are caught up in the cloud.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Keep the double meaning in mind as Isaiah speaks of the gathering of Israel.

Isaiah 51:2-5

2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.

5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

Isaiah is speaking of one of his favorite themes, the Millennial day. Mount Zion is not for the Jews only but for all who call upon the name of the Lord.

Joel 2:32

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

Isaiah then gives what has become a very familiar image when speaking of the last days.

Isaiah 51:6

6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness

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Season 6, Podcast 109, Isaiah 50:1-11, “Let us Stand Together.”

The central focus of Isaiah is the Messiah. His purpose is to testify of the coming of Christ, that He is the only Savior and Redeemer. Isaiah’s mission began with a vision of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 6:1-4

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Isaiah clearly understood the mission of the Savior. He understood that Christ was ordained by the Father in the pre-existence to come to earth and save God’s children.

Isaiah 6:8

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Because Christ was chosen rather than Lucifer, Lucifer rebels against God and there was a war in heaven.

Revelation 12:7-9

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

In the war in heaven, those who chose to follow Christ prevailed.

Revelation 12:10-11

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

That war continues on earth today.

Revelation 12:12-13

12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

Isaiah witnessed the same thing that John the Revelator witnessed.

Isaiah 14:12-15

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Isaiah saw in vision every aspect of Christ’s life. In Isaiah 50, Isaiah is speaking for Christ. Christ is condemning Israel for leaving him.

Isaiah 50:1

1 Thus saith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

Christ puts the responsibility of their apostasy squarely on their shoulders. He reminds Israel that he has power even over the elements of the earth. He reminds them that if he has power over the earth, he also has power to redeem them from their sins and to deliver them from their enemies.

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Season 6, Podcast 108, Isaiah 49:1-26, “I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”

Isaiah 48 stands in antithetical parallelism to Isaiah 49. Isaiah 48 was rather bleak. It condemns Israel, “thou art obstinate, and thy neck is iron sinew, and thy brow brass.” He calls them hypocrites. They “swear by the name of the lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.” They turn to idols rather than to God. He commands them to “Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans.” The Lord still reached out to them, but they rejected him. The Lord declared, “There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the Wicked.” All Israel is scattered.

Isaiah 49, however, refers to the last days when Israel shall be gathered. Isaiah writes, “Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.” Isaiah 49 is a chapter of hope not only to the Jews and all the house of Israel but also to the Gentiles.

In Isaiah 49, the personal pronouns refer mostly to the Savior. This chapter is about Christ and his power, his love, and his divine redemption. Verse one refers to the birth of Christ.

Isaiah 49:1

1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

This child of Bethlehem has a great mission to perform. The pronoun ‘he’ in verse 2 refers to the Father, speaking of his divine Son.

Isaiah 49:2

2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

The image of the “sharp sword” is commonly used in the Holy Scriptures to refer to the word of God.

Revelation 1:16

“And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

Revelation 2:12

“These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges.”

Revelation 19:15

“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron…”

Hebrews 4:12

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword…”

The sharp sword and the rod of iron symbolize the word of God.

Ephesians 6:17

“…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Revelation 2:27

“And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers…”

As pointed out in Isaiah 48, Judah did not always listen to the word of God. This is repeated in the following

Isaiah 49:3-4

3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.

However, even with their stubbornness Christ shall prevail.

Isaiah 49:5

5 And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.

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Season 6, Podcast 107, Isaiah 48:1-22, “Go Ye forth of Babylon, Flee Ye from the Chaldeans.”

The conquest of Judah by Babylon occurred in three stages. In 605 BC Nebuchadnezzar II, after defeating Egypt, conquered Judah, making Judah a vassal state. In 597 BC, a second wave occurred deporting a large portion of Judah to Babylon. The third and final invasion of Babylon occurred in 586 BC when King Zedekiah, allying with Egypt, rebelled against Babylon. The majority of the Jews were either killed or deported to Babylon. Zedekiah’s sons were killed. Following the slaughter of his sons, Zedekiah’s eyes were put out and Zedekiah died a prisoner in Babylon. Jerusalem was burned and Solomon’s temple destroyed. The Jews were held captive in Babylon for 70 years.

Isaiah was prophet of Judah for 50 to 60 years from 740 BC to 686 BC; therefore, his prophecies concerning the Babylonian captivity were prophesied approximately 100 years before the event, yet he speaks of it in terms of the present. But that isn’t all. He also saw not only the fall of Babylon by the Persians in 539 BC, but like John the Revelator he compares Babylon to the World which will be destroyed just prior to the Second Coming of Christ; therefore, when he tells the Jews to come out of Babylon, it has a double meaning.

The first meaning refers to the immediate present. Judah has become an idol worshiping nation. It is for that reason they will be destroyed. When Isaiah tells them to come out of Babylon he means for them to get Babylon out of Judah and quit worshiping idols and return to God.

The Second meaning refers to our day just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Isaiah is speaking of the gathering of Israel. He is also speaking to all Christians to come out of Babylon and prepare for the second coming of the Savior. With that in mind we can better understand Isaiah 48.

First Isaiah speaks of the sins of Judah.

Isaiah 48:1

1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.

Isaiah condemns Judah for their hypocrisy.

Isaiah 48:2

2 For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is his name.

But they have become an obstinate and proud people.

Isaiah 48:3-4

3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.

4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord reminds Judah that he is the God of Israel, not dumb idols.

Isaiah 48:5-7

5 I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.

6 Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.

7 They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.

But Judah refused to hear the admonition of the Lord.

Isaiah 48:8

8 Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.

But the Lord was patient, and reminds them that they are the chosen people. It was he who brought them out of Egypt.

Isaiah 48:9-11

9 For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.

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Season 6, Podcast 106, Isaiah 47:1-15, “The Fall of Babylon.”

Chaldea was located in the southern part of Babylon. The two famous cities associated with Chaldea are Ur and Babylon. Ur was the birthplace of Abraham. Nebuchadnezzar II was a Chaldean king, prominently associated with Daniel in the Old Testament. The Lord predicts their fall.

Isaiah 47:1-3

1 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.

2 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

In Chapter 1 of Isaiah, the Lord puts the same curse on Judah.

Isaiah 1: 7-8

7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

It is ironic that Babylon and Chaldea were used to fulfill that prophecy. Now Babylon and Chaldea are being cursed because they did not acknowledge the hand of the Lord. They boasted of their own greatness. Isaiah reminds them that Christ, not the Babylonians or Chaldeans delivered Judah into their hands because of Judah’s wickedness.

Isaiah 47:4

4 As for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.

Furthermore, we learn in Isaiah 1 that Judah, if they repent, shall be restored.

Isaiah 1:16-19

16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

The Lord offers the following promises to Judah.

Isaiah 1:24-27

24 Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:

25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:

26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.

Now the curse is falling upon Babylon and Chaldea because they showed no mercy to the Jews. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord reminds Babylon and Chaldea that it was he who delivered Judah into their hands. Babylon is being condemned for their pride.

Isaiah 47:5-8

5 Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.

6 I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.

7 And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.

8 Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:

or the laws of nature. That is the message of the Holy Bible.

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Season 6, Podcast 105, Isaiah 46:1-13, “To Whom Will Ye Liken Me?”

The two primary gods of Babylon were Marduk Bel, King of the gods, storms, and order. Nebo, god of wisdom, writing, and scribes.

Isaiah 46:1

Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast.

The fall of Babylon is symbolized by the fact that the idols are stolen.

Isaiah 46:2

They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.

The idols have no power, not even to save themselves or to save Babylon. They are mere heavy weights hauled away on a cart. The lifelessness of heathen gods is a common theme in the Holy Scriptures.

Deuteronomy 4:28

And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

It is difficult for the western mind to understand idol worship. Perhaps it is just as difficult for idol worshiping nations to worship an invisible God. Religion was revolutionized when monotheism was introduced, where all power was placed in a single, invisible god. All idol worshiping nations have multiple gods, and each god is blessing specific. For example, Babylon had Marduk or Bel, king of gods and order; Nebo, god of wisdom and writing; Ishtar, god of love, war, and fertility; Shamash, the sun god, god of law and justice; Sin, the moon god; Tiamat, god of chaos, and the salt sea. Marduk is symbolized by the dragon; Nebo by the stylus; Ishtar by the star or lion; Shamash by the sun; Sin by the moon; and Tiamat by the sea serpent.

The true God is trying to teach Israel that he alone is God.

Isaiah 46:3-4

Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

5 RON

God emphasizes that he watches over his children from birth to death. He alone can deliver them. This, of course, is an image of Christ who saves us from our sins, who delivers us from the cunning of Satan, and who brings us back into his kingdom. He is nonpareil. He has no equal.

Isaiah 46:5

To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?

He is not like any of the false gods made of wood, stone, or precious metals. God does not even want his children to worship images of his own creations.

Exodus 20:3-5

For me, one of the greatest images of the futility of idol worship is given in the story of Elijah before the priests of Baal. The God Marduk, also called Bel, is similar to Baal.

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Season 6, Podcast 104, Isaiah 45:8-25, “I Am the Lord; and there is None Else Pt. 2”

Isaiah declares that Christ is the creator of the earth.

Isaiah 45:8

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.

Modern science attempts to explain the design but denies the designer. They applaud the creation but ignore the creator. Intelligent design requires purpose and purpose requires God. God condemns those who deny the creator.

Isaiah 45:9

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

Denying our divine creator is like denying our own parents.

Isaiah 45:10

Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?

The Savior declares that this is the work of his hands. We are his sons and daughters.

Isaiah 45:11-13

Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts.

Again, we are reminded of the words of the Lord to Job.

Job 38:4-6

In the following verse the Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Sabeans who symbolize the world of power, wealth, and pride shall cast away their idols and recognize the God of Israel as the only true God. This almost certainly is in reference to the millennium when Christ shall be recognized as the only true God.

Isaiah 45:14

Thus saith the Lord, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.

All idol worshiping nations shall be ashamed of their idols and shall acknowledge the invisible God of Israel.

Isaiah 14:15-16

Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols.

Isaiah envisions the day when Israel shall come to Christ and be gathered. The gathering shall be eternal for the Lord says, “world without end.” Everything God does is through the prism of an eternal perspective.

Isaiah 45:17

But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

Again, Christ establishes his position as the almighty creator and declares that the earth was created for man.

Isaiah 45:18

For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.

Cults like secrecy. They want to be unique and conduct their business in the shadows at the exclusion of others. God does not work in secret. He speaks plainly. He declares only that which is absolute truth.

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Season 6, Podcast 103, Isaiah 45:1-7, “I Am the Lord, and There is None Else Pt 1.”

Cyrus, king of Persia, 559-530 BC, was known as Cyrus the Great. He ruled the largest empire known to the world at that time. He was unique. He conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to return home to rebuild their temple. The Lord used Cyrus to bless Judah, Isaiah wrote,

Isaiah 44:28

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

And in Isaiah 45 we learn.

Isaiah 45:1

Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

Isaiah’s ministry was from about 740-686 BC. At the time that Isaiah gave his prophecy, Cyrus had not even been born. Babylon was the greatest empire, and Persia was divided into tribes. About 90 years separated Isaiah’s death and the Babylonian captivity. About 150 years Separated Isaiah’s prophecies and the reign of Cyrus. Though Jewish and Christian tradition hold that the entire book of Isaiah was written by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz who prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jothan, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, Isaiah’ prophecies were so spectacular that some modern skeptics, without sufficient evidence, claim that the Book of Isaiah was written by three separate people or groups of people. That way they can explain away the divine nature of revelation. However, the Dead Sea Scrolls, which showed the Book of Isaiah as one document, supports the Jewish and Christian point of view.

The Lord is with Cyrus, a gentile king.

Isaiah 45:2-5

I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

That teaches one of the great lessons of the Holy Bible. The Lord is no respecter of persons. He uses great men and women of the ages to further his work. That is why studying the great books of the world is so very important. The Lord gives all of his children everything they are willing to accept in their own language. Truth is greater than orthodoxy. The Holy Scriptures do not contain all truth, but they give us standards of judgment by which we can judge all spiritual truth.

Christ is the God of the whole earth. John expresses this so beautifully that the following is perhaps the world’s favorite scripture. I present it in the context in which it was written.

John 3:13-17

And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Fighting against the sin of idol worship, Isaiah teaches,

Isaiah 45:6

That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.

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Season 6, Podcast 102, Isaiah 44:11-28, “Beside Me there is no God, Pt 2.”

In the following detailed description, the Lord makes it clear that idols are nothing more than manmade images and have no power. It is in direct contrast to the power of the only true God and creator of man and earth.

Isaiah 44:11-20

Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.

The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.

The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.

He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.

Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.

He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:

And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.

They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.

And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?

He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

Notice in the images above that (1) feeble man has no power; therefore, his idols have no power. (2) The materials used to shape idols have no power. The same tree he uses to make the idol, he uses to burn and cook his meat. The idols are held in contempt: And (3) self-willed man cannot see with his eyes or understand with his heart. It is all a lie.

· all his fellows shall be ashamed:

· the workmen are of men:

· they shall fear,

· The smith fashions it with hammers,

· He makes it after the figure of a man,

· He burns the same wood from which he makes his idol

· He worships the god he made with his own hands

· He prays to it,

· He cries to the wood, Deliver me; for thou art my god.

· They cannot see with their eyes

· The cannot understand with their hearts

· He feeds on ashes:

· His deceived heart has turned him aside,

· He lives a lie

After such a scathing condemnation, the Lord holds out an olive leaf as he reaffirms that he alone is God and he will never forget them as opposed to the idols above which are blind and have no understanding.

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Season 6, Podcast 101, Isaiah 44:1-10, “Beside Me there is no God Pt 1.”

The Lord reaffirms that he has chosen Israel, and that he is the creator.

Isaiah 44:1-2

Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.

‘Jesurun,’ a reference to Israel, means ‘upright.’ Notice the perfect parallel lines which emphasize the major theme:

· Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen.

· Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.

Verses 1 & 2 follow the pattern of ABBA.

A. Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen.

B. Thus saith the Lord that made thee,

B. And formed thee from the womb, which will help thee

A. Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.

It is formalized. Poetic design of such meticulousness is not accidental or coincidental. It provides a structure from which to read the poem. Parallelism runs throughout the Book of Isaiah, thus tying important concepts together. Parallelism replaces the American use of chapters and verses or titles, headings, paragraphs, etc.

Notice how consciousness of parallelism helps us better understand the next verse:

Isaiah 44:3

A. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty,

B. and floods upon the dry ground:

A. I will pour my spirit upon thy seed,

B. and my blessing upon thine offspring:

It is the image of the desert blossoming as a rose. The temporal image gives meaning to the spiritual image. Just as rain quinches thirst and irrigates dry soil that seeds or plants may grow, the spirit of the Lord does the same for the children of God who are compared to a seed. They will be showered with blessings. This brings to mind a similar image related to the law of tithing.

Malachi 3:8-12

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

The next verse in Isaiah 44 is a completion of the image.

Isaiah 44:4

And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.

Verse 4 modified both the temporal image and the spiritual image of verse 3. This is echoed in Psalm 1.

Psalm 1:1-3

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Season 6, Podcast 100, Isaiah 43:1-28, “Precious in My Sight.”

In verse 1 of Chapter 43, we learn the Savior’s role as The Redeemer. This chapter affirms that there is no other Savior but Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 43:1

But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

The above anticipates the coming of the Savior and Redeemer of the world during the meridian of time. It has always been Christ who has been with them. And Christ affirms that he will continue to be with them. In the following he is speaking of the time of restoration.

Isaiah 43:2

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

It was the Lord who brought them out of Egypt.

Isaiah 43:3

For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

It is Christ alone who ransoms us all from our sins if we call upon him. He is the only one worthy. In the words of John.

Revelation 5:1-6

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

In the last day Christ shall gather Israel.

Isaiah 43:4-6

Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

Perhaps all Christians remember the beautiful image the Savior gave of gathering the Saints.

Matthew 23:37

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

But we must remember that everything is governed by the law of restoration spoken of previously. Everyone is precious in the sight of God; however, God cannot save anyone against their will. They must come willingly. God, who is our creator, restores good for good, just for just, righteous for righteous, mercy for mercy. But only those who show mercy receive mercy.

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Season 6, Podcast 99, Isaiah 42:7-25, “Sing Unto the Lord a New Song,” Pt B.

In the previous Podcast I introduced the following attributes of the New Song:

· Christ will become a light unto both the Jews and the Gentiles

· The Law of Restoration is part of the New Song. The Law of Restoration contains the following:

o Through the help of angels the gospel will be restored and preached to all the earth.

o The gospel will be preached to the weakest.

o Judgment will be restored to the earth.

o All blessings are assured only upon obedience to specific laws of God.

o That which we sow shall we also reap.

o We shall all be resurrected with perfect bodies.

o The righteous shall be fashioned like unto Christ.

o Those who keep the commandments are part of the Covenant People.

As we continue with Isaiah 42, we learn of other attributes of the New Song.

Attribute 1: Christ shall remove the scales of darkness and release the prisoners.

Isaiah 42:7

To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

Isaiah has spoken often of the captivity and exile of the House Israel. Ephraim was taken into captivity by Assyria. Judah was taken into captivity by Babylon. The entire House of Israel was scattered to the four points of the compass. That is one prison they will be released from. They shall return to the Promised Land.

By bringing light to the Gentiles, he is also releasing them from spiritual darkness or spiritual blindness.

There is another prison that perhaps many of us overlook. We are inclined to forget the dead. Where do people go when they die? Jesus told the thief on the cross that “Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” Peter explains what happens in the spirit world.

1 Peter 3:18-20

All things are visible to God. He is aware both of all those who live and all those who have died. There is life after death. There is an interim between death and the resurrection. Peter explains.

1 Peter 4:5-6

If the dead are not as important as the living, then why bother? Listen to the words of Paul.

1 Corinthians 15:16-23

For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

Now we know why we Sing a New Song.

Isaiah 42:8-10

I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing unto the Lord a new song.

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Season 6, Podcast 98, Isaiah 42:1-6, “Sing Unto the Lord a New Song,” Pt A.

Though over 700 years separate the visionary Isaiah and the visionary John, there are many connections between the two. I have entitled Podcast 98 “Sing Unto the Lord a New song” from a verse in Isaiah 42. Centuries later John the Revelator defines what that phrase means.

Revelation 5:9-14

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

John clearly defines the theme of Isaiah 42.

Isaiah 42:1-2

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

In the Old Testament, emphasis is on the covenant people, the literal descendants of Abraham. In the New Song Christ includes Jew and Gentile. In other words, his gospel is to be preached throughout the world. Isaiah prophesies of that event.

Isaiah 49:6

I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

The Risen Lord commands his disciples.

Mathew 28:19-20

The Revelator directly connects the restoration of the gospel delivered by angels in the latter days to the New Song.

Revelation 14:17

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

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Season 6, Podcast 97, Isaiah 41:1-29, “Fear Not I Will Help Thee.”

Isaiah Chapter 41, using antithetical parallelism, is divided into two unequal but distinct parts. Part One, comprising verses 1 through 20, declares that the Holy One of Israel is the God of Jacob. Part Two, comprising verses 21 through 29, condemns the false idols set up by King Ahaz and perpetuated by King Manassa. If you recall the idols were torn down by Ahaz’s righteous son King Hezekiah and then rebuilt by Hezekiah’s own unrighteous son, King Manassa. Idol worship had become imbedded in the House of Israel. Ahaz even stole sacred alters from King Solomon’s temple and used them in his idol worship.

Before reading Part One of Isaiah 41, which is full of hope, restoration, and redemption, consider the context. This is one of the bleakest moments in Israelite history. The twelve tribes have split into two groups. They are at war with each other. The ten northern tribes are at war with the two southern tribes. Ephraim, who represents the ten tribes, is conquered by Assyria, taken captive, and finally scattered to all parts of the earth. They have since been known as the Ten Lost Tribes. Judah, who represents the two southern tribes, having been preserved from Ephraim, Syria, and Assyria, are soon to be conquered by Babylon where they will be held captive for 70 years. Jerusalem is about to be destroyed. The Temple is about to be destroyed. They lose the Arc of the Covenant. Following the Babylonian captivity, they are shuffled about by their over-powering neighbors: the Persians, The Greeks, and finally the Romans, yet the message of Isaiah 41 Part One is, “Fear Not I Will Help Thee.” Part Two says, before I can help you, you must get rid of the idols and turn back to the only true God.

Scriptures only have value when they can be applied to our own personal lives. Without personal connections, they are historical curiosities to be debated, nothing more. How many of us have found ourselves in a somewhat similar situation, though, perhaps, far less dramatic? Yet the voice of the Lord tells us, “Fear not, I will help thee.” Faith is not possible without opposition. The greater the opposition, the greater the faith required. Sometimes we struggle to keep faith alive just long enough for hope to be born. Faith thrives in darkness. Hope thrives only in the light. Faith is the father of hope. Hope is the father of lights. There is a curious scripture in the New Testament.

James 1:17-18

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

That is the message of Isaiah 41—‘with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.’ Connect hope with light. God is called the Father of lights. We are the lights. God is our Father. It is only in Christ that we have hope. That is the constant message of Isaiah. Christ is at the center of everything Isaiah teaches. No matter how awful things appear, there is no situation that Christ cannot redeem us from. As we work through Isaiah 41, notice the images of power and how everything else pales before the power of Christ.

Isaiah 41:1

Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

Does that not remind you of Isaiah’s message in Chapter 40?

Isaiah 40:28-31

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

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Season 6, Podcast 96, Isaiah 40:12-31, “To Whom Will Ye Liken God.”

We all learn early in life, that is if we consider such things, that God is incomprehensible. The Lord revealed to Isaiah.

Isaiah 55:6-9

The Lord informs Isaiah that he is the creator of the earth.

Isaiah 40:12

Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

The Lord revealed the same concept to Job.

Job 38:1-11

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

The Lord establishes that compared to him man is nothing.

Isaiah 40:13-17

Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

Man cannot counsel the Lord but must take counsel from him. Isaiah continues.

Isaiah 40:18

To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

The answer is—no one. Nothing on earth is equal to Christ. Through his prophet Isaiah, our Lord is instructing us on how to read scriptures, how to measure the word of God. Earlier in Chapter 40 Isaiah wrote, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.”

That is God’s message, isn’t it?. God’s word is the straight and narrow path. Any divagation from that path leads to sorrow. God teaches us of the vanity of man when compared to his majesty. What man does fades as a flower. What God does endures forever.

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Season 6, Podcast 95, Isaiah 40:1-11, “Comfort Ye My People.”

The Primary focus of Isaiah is Christ. His ministry began when he saw Christ in vision.

Isaiah 4:1-3

Central to Isaiah’s message is hope in Christ. Only the wicked need to fear. All who come to Christ, who keep his commandments, and who endure to the end are the seed of Abraham and are counted among the chosen of God. Righteousness, not blood lineage, determine who live with God for eternity. Isaiah counsels.

Isaiah 40:1-2

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

Isaiah’s message is clear. Those who do not keep God’s commandment are led into captivity. That is symbolized by the scattering of Israel and by the fall of Babylon. The primary villain, of course, is Satan who will be conquered.

Isaiah 27:1

"In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea."

Only Christ will triumph. Isaiah prophesies of the birth of Christ.

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah prophesies of the Second Coming of Christ.

Isaiah 40:3-5

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Perhaps no other prophet speaks more of the Millennial day than the prophet Isaiah. Justice will be restored.

Isaiah 1:25-27

And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.

Notice that Isaiah prophecies that judges will be restored. No kings, except the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, which is Jesus Christ, shall rule during the Millennium. The Lord never intended for his people to be ruled by kings. The model for government was to be ruled by true prophets and righteous judges. It is a kind of theocratic democracy. God calls the prophets. The people elect the judges. In the millennium righteous judgment shall be restored.

Isaiah 2:2-5

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Season 6, Podcast 94, Isaiah 39:1-8, “Good is the Word of the Lord.”

Again, we meet Hezekiah. He is a very righteous king. He tears down the altars to the idols built by his father. He restores the temple his father pilfered and desecrated. He communicates with the Lord in the Temple often. He keeps the commandments of God, and he obeys the words of the prophet Isaiah. Yet, he does a rather foolish thing by showing all his treasures to the Prince of Babylon who will later destroy the temple and Jerusalem and carry the Jews into captivity.

Isaiah 39:1-2

At that time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.

Hezekiah is sandwiched between two very evil kings. His father Ahaz who used the sacred temple alters to sacrifice to idols. In addition, Ahaz had some of his own children walk through the fire, meaning he offered them as burnt offerings to the god Moloch. There were few greater sins than human sacrifice. Next was Hezekiah’s own son, Manassa. Manassa destroyed everything his father built and committed all the sins of his grandfather only on a bigger scale. Apparently he repented late in life.

2 Chronicles 33:1-7

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: But did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:

It is even recorded in secular history, including the Talmud and the writings of Josephus, that Manassa murdered Isaiah. The Talmud records that Isaiah was sawn in half.

There is a curious parallel relating to Hezekiah, king of Judah, and Ahaziah, king of Ephraim. As recorded in the Isaiah Chapter 38, Hezekiah had a near-death experience.

Isaiah 38:1-5

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

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Season 6, Podcast 93, Isaiah 38:1-22, “Set Thine House in Order.”

Hezekiah, King of Judah, 715 to 686 BC, was a righteous king. He hearkened to the words of the prophet Isaiah. He reigned 29 years, half of which (15 years) was because of a miraculous gift from God. Hezekiah was stricken with boils. Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and announced that he would die.

Isaiah 38:1

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.

Hezekiah, however, had tremendous faith in the Lord.

Isaiah 38:2-3

Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

Because of Hezekiah’s faith to God, he is miraculously spared.

Isaiah 38:4-5

Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

Furthermore, through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord makes a wonderful promise to Hezekiah. During the time of Hezekiah’s illness, Assyria with at least 185,000 soldiers is threatening to destroy Judah. The Lord promises Hezikiah that Assyria, who was sweeping the earth with his great army, would fail.

Isaiah 38:6

And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.

The Lord gives another sign to Hezekiah showing that he will spare his life.

Isaiah 38:7-8

And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken; Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

It is because Hezekiah’s life was in order that the Lord extended his life. One must ask the question, ‘If Hezekiah had been a wicked king, would the Lord have spared him fifteen years? furthermore, would he have spared Israel from the Assyrian army?

The message is that we must also set our house in order both temporally and spiritually for we never know the hour or the day when we die. The Lord did spare Hezekiah’s life and Hezekiah did many wonderful things. He restored the Temple and its ordinances. He tore down the idols. He built a conduit, nearly 2000 feet long, bringing fresh water into the city so that they could withstand a siege. Through his faith not only did the Lord extend his life, but he spared Jerusalem from the assault of the Assyrians. Hezekiah’s wicked father, Ahaz, paid tribute to the Assyrians; Hezekiah, however, refused to pay tribute and put his trust in the Lord, a thing his father failed to do against the advice of Isaiah.

We have a parallel account in the Book of Kings in which we get added detail.

2 Kings 20:8-11

And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day? And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.

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Season 6, Podcast 92, Isaiah 37:1-38, “Incline Thine Ear, O Lord.”

Sennacherib, King of Assyria, sent an embassy to Hezekiah, king of Judah, announcing that they should pay tribute to Assyria, or he will crush Judah with his vast army. Rabshakeh, the Assyrian King’s spokesman blasphemes Jehovah, telling Hezekiah that Jehovah cannot save them. The Lord makes an example of Assyria as he miraculously destroys Sennacherib’s army.

Isaiah 37:1-5

And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. It may be the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left. So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

A theme that runs through the Old Testament is this. When the kings are righteous, they seek the words of the Lord’s true prophets, and, regardless of the opposition, the Lord delivers them from their enemies. We have the stories of David slaying Goliath, of Joshua conquering Jerico, of Moses parting the Red Sea, of Gideon slaying the Midianites. Here we have the story of the Lord destroying the army of the Assyrians.

The object lesson for us is that regardless of the size of the enemy, or the obstacle, or the challenge, or the opposition, the Lord will help us overcome our troubles. God, creator of heaven and earth, is more powerful than all.

Isaiah 37:6-8

And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

Isaiah describes the odds against Judah to emphasize that no obstacle is too large that with the help of the Lord, we cannot overcome. The Holy Bible does not oversimplify life, however. For example, sicknesses are not always healed, lives are not always spared, enemies are not always overcome, and miracles are not always apparent. Many stories in the Bible illustrate the different ways that God responds to our prayers. We must take the Holy Scriptures as a whole. What we do learn, however, is that when the Lord inclines his ear, he answers our prayers to our spiritual advantage. Sometimes he simply strengthens us in our adversity, thus increasing our faith.

The following story is what we usually think of as the ideal. It is the ideal that we always hope for. The enemy is devastated, and we are saved without even having to go to war.

Isaiah 37:8-13

So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.

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Season 6, Podcast 91, Isaiah 36:1-22, “The Price of Pride.”

One can read the Old Testament as history. These are real events in real time. For example,

Isaiah 36:1

Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.

The event above occurred in 701 BC. Hezekiah was king of Judah. Sennacherib was king of Assyria. Assyria is at the height of its power. Judah is at the lowest of its power. The northern tribes have already been conquered and scattered by the Assyrians. We know from the Bible record that the Assyrian army is at least 185,000 soldiers strong. There is no way Judah could approach that number, but no record is given of the size of their army. Judah sought alliances with Egypt, but Egypt was also under the thumb of the Assyrians. The only powers Judah could trust in was their own fortified city, their own small army, and the power of the Lord. The Assyrians mock the Jews, and they mock the Jewish God thinking that Jehovah has no more power than the idols of the other nations whom the Assyrians had conquered. This is as much the story of the Assyrians as it is the story of the Jews.

We need to distinguish between the secular history of man and the spiritual history of the Holy Bible. Temporal history is generally chronological founded on recorded events. Biblical history is spiritual. Events are selected, not for their historical significance, but for their spiritual importance. The purpose of the Holy Bible is not to teach history. The purpose of the Holy Bible is to teach about the ways of God to man. That is its only purpose. And that is how we should read the story of the Assyrian/Judean conflict.

From any logical perspective, the king of Assyria is right. It is foolish for Judah to stand up against Assyria. Assyria conquered the northern kingdoms. Assyria conquered Syria. Assyria conquered Egypt. What was the small army of Judah to them? You can see their contempt for Judah in the arrogance of their language. Judah is just another pawn to be crushed in their unstoppable empire, an afternoon’s work.

To get a fuller picture of the lessons to be learned from the Assyrians, we must read Isaiah10, 20, 36, & 37. Only then will we learn the ways of God to man. It has several themes, among them are “trust in the Lord” and “pride comes before the fall.”

In Isaiah 10 we learn that Assyria like Babylon is symbolic of the destruction of the wicked prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Both Assyria and Babylon are lifted up in pride. Both fall in a day

Isaiah records

Isaiah 10:24-26

Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction. And the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt

Before Assyria is destroyed, they build a vast empire. They even subdued Egypt. What would prevent them from trampling on Judah?

Isaiah 36:2

And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field.

We know that the army is at last 185,000 strong. Notice how the ambassador of Assyria mocks the Jews. Rabshakeh speaks to Eliakim who is Hezekiah’s chief administrator or Secretary of State.

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Season 6, Podcast 90, Isaiah 35:1-10, “Come to Zion.”

Chapter 35 stands in sharp contrast to Chater 34. In 35 we read:

Isaiah 35:1

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

That, of course, is speaking of the Millenium. In 34 we read

Isaiah 34:11

But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.

Chapter 34 is speaking of the time just before the Millennium. The literary term is ‘antithetical parallelism.’ Just prior to the Second Coming of Christ, the land shall become desolate, uninhabitable except for cormorants, bitterns, owls, and ravens. After the Second Coming of Christ the desert shall blossom as a rose.

In the Millennium a great restoration will take place, and the earth will return to its former beauty.

Isaiah 35:2

It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.

Before the devastation, Lebanon was known for its tall cedars; Mount Carmel was known for ‘lush vegetation, rich harvests, and abundant nature.’ Carmel means orchard or vineyard. Sharon was known for its “rich soil, green pastures, and abundant plant life.’

In Chapter 34, just prior to the Millennium, we have a different view.

Isaiah 34:13

And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.

During the Millennium the weak shall become strong, and the Lord will save the righteous.

Isaiah 35:3-4

Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

Just prior to the Millennium, the Lord’s vengeance shall be against the wicked.

Isaiah 34:2-3, 8

For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood…. For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

During the Millennium, spiritual blindness shall be lifted.

Isaiah 35:5

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

That is in sharp contrast to the curse that was placed upon them earlier.

Isaiah 6:10-12

In our noisy world where so many spend their time chasing money, fame, power, position, fortune, prestige, applause, and pleasure, we overlook the fact that we are dual beings. We have both a physical body, subject to the temptations of the flesh, and a spirit body as immortal as God himself. The physical body turns to dust; the immortal spirit never dies, and yet we sometimes allow the natural man to so overpower the spiritual man that we become deaf and blind to the things of God.

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Season 6, Podcast 89, Isaiah 34:1-17, “The Signs of the Times.”

Chapter 34 is a typical pattern in Isaiah. For example, it is divided into two parts. Part One deals with the signs of the times in which Isaiah describes the destruction of the world prior to the Second Coming of Christ. That comprises verses 1-15. Part Two deals with the redemption of those who keep the commandments of God. Not only will their lives be spared, the earth shall eventually become their eternal inheritance. The pattern of Isaiah is often this: scattering and gathering, destruction and restoration, war and peace, famine and plenty, Satan and Christ, chaos and order, cursing and blessing, sin and repentance. He delights in antithetical parallelism.

Isaiah is noted for his juxtaposition of opposites. That is why I persist in saying Isaiah brings a message of hope. He emphasizes his message that we may avoid the sorrows of the wicked if we repent and come unto Christ.

It is fruitless to consider the words of Isaiah without also consulting the words of John the Revelator in the Book of Revelation. Though their poetic expressions may differ, they saw the same thing: the Second Coming of Christ and the Millennium. Together they form a complete picture. It is a heavy one, but amidst the despair, there is always hope for the righteous, and both want us to come to Christ. John sums it up beautifully in Revelation 22:

Revelation 22:17

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Isaiah addresses his prophecy to all the world. We tend to localize prophets and say, Isaiah was a Jew. His prophecies were to the Jews or to Christians. It is true that Isaiah was a Jew. It is true that Christians accept the words of Isaiah as the words of God; however, Isaiah, as with all true prophets, speaks to all the children of God. He is the prophet of our day as much as he was the prophet of ancient days. For example, Christians and Jews may claim him, but they don’t own him. His words are universal and speak to Christian and non-Christian, Jew and gentile, old and young, ancient and modern. When a prophet speaks, he speaks to the world.

God is God of the whole world, and there is no other God beside him. That brings up another issue. Prayer. We are all children of God, and God is no respecter of persons. Does God answer the sincere prayers of those who do not know him and worship other gods? The answer is, ‘Yes, he does!’ He is not only a God of Justice, but also a God of Mercy. No one is held accountable for laws they do not have. We are responsible only for that which we know and understand. All who are too young to be accountable for their sins, who die in their infancy, are saved regardless of what religion or culture they were born into. That is how comprehensive the Law of Mercy is. God’s judgment is just, or he would cease to be God. Those who worship an arbitrary God do not know God.

Isaiah 34:1

Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.

Another characteristic of prophets is that they often speak as if the prophecy has already come to pass, when indeed it hasn’t. In fact, the implication is that calamities may be averted if the people repent. For example, Isaiah prophesied of the Babylonian captivity scores of years before it happened. The prophecies alluded to in Chapter 34 will not occur for nearly 3000 years.

Isaiah 34:2

For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.

This will ot occur until endtime.

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Season 6, Podcast 88, Isaiah 33:1-24, “Look upon Zion.”

So much of Isaiah speaks of the Second Coming of the Messiah which comes only after much turbulence. To fully understand Isaiah, one must read the Revelations of John for their images overlap, and one expands the other. Typically, Isaiah uses familiar things and places of his day in prophesying of the future. To most of us Lebanon, Sharon, Bashan, and Carmel are merely names that we read about in the Old Testament that have grown into great symbolic significance. Isaiah would not have been as difficult to read by the Jews of his day as perhaps he is to some of us today who have never been to the Middle East and are familiar with it only through the Holy Bible.

Isaiah 33 begins with a curse. ‘Woe’ is a term that may depict mourning. It may also announce a curse or describe a forthcoming calamity. It is most often used as a warning, indicating that the calamities can be avoided through repentance. Most ‘woes’ speak of a future time.

Isaiah 33:1

Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

Isaiah teaches us a great principle. We perhaps like to think that the wicked always get what is coming to them. In a Biblical sense they do for there is the absolute law of justice and the final judgment, but in a local sense they may or may not. Many very wicked people grow quite wealthy from their wickedness. They live a life of luxury and ease while humble, honest people often live in poverty and want. Malachi speaks of the same thing.

Malachi 3:13-18

That is the curse that is placed upon the wicked. In the day that the Lord of hosts shall make up his jewels, then they shall be distinguished. Malachi is also speaking of the Second Coming of Christ, and it could also refer to the final judgment or both.

Isaiah offers a prophetic prayer which we know will be answered.

Isaiah 33:2

O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord makes the following promise.

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah speaks of the future scattering and final gathering of Israel.

Isaiah 33:3-4

At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered. And your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpiller: as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.

We must remember, however, that the focal point of Isaiah is Jesus Christ. In the following Isaiah speaks of the Millennium.

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Season 6, Podcast 87, Isaiah 32:1-20, “A King Shal Reign in Righteousness.”

Of the first thirty-two chapters of Isaiah, Christ is the central theme in 22 of the chapters, 7 of which relate to the Second Coming. Eleven chapters address the scattering and gathering of Israel. Seven Chapters address the Millennium. That reveals the primary message of Isaiah. It is centered around Christ.

In Chapter Six, Isaiah records that he saw the Messiah and was called to be a prophet. Isaiah begins Chapter 32 with Christ.

Isaiah 32:1

Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.

Isaiah is speaking of the Second Coming and the Millennium. Isaiah delights in describing the Millenium.

Isaiah 32:2-4

And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.

Some of the attributes of the Millennium are a place of refuge; a comforting shadow against the heat of the sun, which is a symbol of being free from adversity; their eyes will be open to see spiritual things; their ears will be open to hear the word of the Lord; their heart shall be filled with knowledge; their tongue shall be loosed to speak the plainness of truth.

Isaiah makes a peculiar statement. He says that liberals will no longer be able to hide behind language, and a churlish person will no longer be called bountiful.

Isaiah 32:5

The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful.

A churl is someone “who is rude, surly, uncouth, ill-mannered, disrespectful, or difficult to deal with. They have a bad attitude and demonstrate bad behavior.”

A vile person is someone “who is extremely unpleasant, morally reprehensible, or disgustingly bad. It is used to describe actions, behaviors, or things that are considered evil, wicked, or of very low quality.”

Isaiah condemns such behavior.

Isaiah 32:6-8

For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right. But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.

Isaiah calls such people to repentance, or their years will be troubled and filled with famine.

Isaiah 32:9-12

Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech. Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come. Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones: strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins. They shall lament for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

Isaiah is speaking of the fall of nations. The Lord charged Isaiah to condemn kings. Tradition has it that it eventually cost Isaiah his life. To the House of Israel, the Ten Commandments were the law of liberty. It is the violation of the law of liberty that causes their downfall.

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Season 6, Podcast 86, Isaiah 31:1-9, “Seek the Lord.”

Again, Isaiah speaks of the present and the future. It is a very difficult time for the southern tribes which comprise of the Tribe of Judah and the Tribe of Benjamin. The Tribe of Benjamin has virtually lost its identity for they are absorbed in the tribe of Judah. The Ten Tribes have divided. The Northern tribes, called Ephraim, have been attacked by Assyria and carried into captivity. Apparently many adopt the culture of the Assyrians. During the Assyrian captivity Ephraim, also called Israel, scatter to parts of the world unknown and become known as the Ten Lost Tribes. Judah is vulnerable. No longer the power they were under Saul, David, and Solomon they are subject to the Assyrians and the Babylonians and others. They decide to make an alliance with Egypt, their former enemy.

The Lord who led them out of Egypt is very displeased because they do not look to him as their protector. What happens when Judah relies on foreign nations? They begin to adopt the religious practices of those nations, even worshiping their idols. Isaiah is sent to warn them of the dangers.

Isaiah 31:1

Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!

The term ‘woe’ has a double meaning. On the one hand it means sorrow or suffering. On the other hand, it could mean a curse which brings greater sorrow and suffering. The prophetic woe can always be avoided simply by turning back to God and seeking the Lord.

Isaiah 31:2

Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.

If Judah repents they can still avoid the calamities. If they don’t repent, the Lord cannot call back his words. Notice, however, that not only will Judah suffer, but the Egyptians will also suffer. Both are wicked. We have learned in earlier chapters of Isaiah that the Lord uses other nations to punish Israel just as he used Israel to punish other nations such as the Philistines. The other nations are blessed until they too refuse to give God the credit. As a result, they too are destroyed such as the Assyrians and the Babylonians. One strong message of Isaiah is that God is no respecter of persons. Christ clearly taught that the chosen cannot rely on birthright or genealogy. They can rely only upon personal righteousness. Because of widespread evil, every nation involved—Ephraim, Judah, Syria, Moab, Assyria, Babylon—is destroyed. Even the temple of Solomon is not spared. That is the message of the Holy Bible.

Isaiah 31:3

Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.

But Isaiah is a prophet, seer, and revelator. He sees the future.

Isaiah 31:4

For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.

The lion image is very prevalent in Jewish History.

Genesis 49:9 – Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
Numbers 23:24 – Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

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Season 6, Podcast 85, Isaiah 30:18-33, “Trust in the Lord Pt II.”

As we continue with Isaiah 30, we learn that in the latter days, sometimes during the period of the Second Coming, the House of Judah shall return to the Lord, and he shall receive them with great mercy.

Isaiah 30:18

And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

The curse shall be lifted. Let’s return to an early prophecy of Isaiah.

Isaiah 2:11-17

The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

This, however, does not occur until the beginning of the Millennium.

Isaiah 30:19

For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.

The false teachers shall be removed. The Children of Israel shall see clearly and hear accurately.

Isaiah 30:20-21

And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Another curse shall be removed as spoken of by Isaiah.

Isaiah 6:10-13

Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

They shall get rid of their idols. The earth shall be fruitful.

Isaiah 30:22-24

Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence. Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures. The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

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Season 6, Podcast 84, Isaiah 30:1-17, “Trust in the Lord Pt I.”

A running theme in Isaiah is to trust in the Lord and not in man or nations, or unfruitful alliances. The verse found in Proverbs summarizes the theme.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

The theme, of course, applies to all of us. In times of stress or danger or dire circumstances, it is not always an easy thing to do. The old figure of speech, ‘grasp at straws’ is a desperate temptation. When threatened with military action by Ephraim and Syria, Judah sought help from Assyria. That proved disastrous. When threatened by Assyria, Judah sought help from Egypt. The prophet Isaiah warns them against false alliances and counsels them to trust in the Lord.

Isaiah 30:1-5

Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.

Seeking help from Egypt rather than from the Lord will be greater sin, causing confusion, shame, and reproach. In addition, Isaiah adds that it will cost them a fortune, but the money will all be spent in vain.

Isaiah 30:6-7

The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them. For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.

Instead of help, they will find trouble and anguish. All they get out of Egypt will be the lion, the viper, and the fiery flying serpent. The Lion is a beast of prey. The image of the young lion suggests erratic fierceness. The image of the old lion suggests helplessness. It possibly refers to the kind of help they will get from the inexperienced princes of Egypt and the old guard who are past their prime. In other words, their help will be in vain. The viper refers to a deadly snake that paralyzes its victim. The fiery flying serpent is an image known only too well by the Hebrews.

Numbers 21:5-9

And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

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Season 6, Podcast 83, Isaiah 29:11-24, “Out of the Dust Pt. II.”

In this podcast we continue with Isaiah 29.

Isaiah 29:11-12

And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.

The book that is referred to contains all the records spoken of in verse 4 of Isaiah 29.

And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

That refers to the records kept by the scattered children of Israel known as Ephraim. Those records can only be translated by the power of God and not by worldly wisdom. When Christ comes again, we shall have all the records of God’s Holy Prophets. As Isaiah said, speaking of the Millennium, “The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.

Truth must triumph over tradition. The Lord warns.

Isaiah 29:13

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

It is sometimes difficult to separate the word of God from the precepts of men. Can you imagine Isaiah being persuaded by the precept of men. He stood alone, even against kings. Tradition has it that he died for his convictions.

The Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, offers this great promise.

Isaiah 29:14

Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Before the Second Coming of Christ, there will be a renaissance. The heavens will once again open. Angels will once again come to earth carrying his message. We must be open to it.

Isaiah 29:15-16

Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

In the last days the scales of darkness will be lifted, and we are going to see a restoration of the gospel like we have not seen since Christ himself was on the earth. Joel saw our day.

Joel 2:27-32

And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

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Season 6, Podcast 82, Isaiah 29:1-10, “Out of the Dust Pt. I.”

It has been well established that Isaiah, like John the Revelator, is the prophet of the future. Primarily the three periods Isaiah is speaking of are (1) the events that occur in his own day and in the near future of his own day. (2) the events that occur during the time of Christ including the Diaspora. (3) the events that occur in the latter days during the Second Coming of Christ, including the Millennium. A primary theme is the scattering and gathering of Israel. Isaiah is not just speaking of Israel, for Isaiah knows that following the death of Christ, the gospel will be preached to all the world.

Matthew 28:18-20

That changes everything. The scope of Isaiah is enormous. He is a visionary whose mission is to prepare people for the coming of Christ, both to the Jews of his day, to the Jews of the nativity of Christ, and to all who shall come to Christ in the latter days, just prior to his Second Coming. He warns Israel of the calamities that follow if they turn their back on the Messiah.

Isaiah 29:1-3

Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.

Isaiah is speaking of two major events. Ariel, referring to Jerusalem, means “Lion of God.” The Assyrians and the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem. Even the temple is destroyed in 586 BC, and the Jews are carried into captivity for 70 years and are held in bondage to the Babylonians. They return and rebuild the temple; however, the same thing happens shortly after the crucifixion of Christ. About 650 years later, in 70 AD, the Romans destroy the temple, and the Jews are scattered throughout the world. The prophecy above refers to both events. We do not have the history of the Ten Lost Tribes, but we do have a history of the Jews from the time they were scattered. As long as they remained tribal, they kept their identity. Ephraim and Judah are still scattered throughout the world; however, today the Jews control most of Jerusalem though serious conflict is ongoing. Records will be kept by those who are scattered. They shall be buried in the ground, but shall emerge at some point in the future.

Isaiah 29:4

That is a very peculiar prophecy. We know, of course that the Bible, the Old and New Testaments, came from Israel. The above speaks of records that have been hidden in the ground, other than the Holy Bible. For example, after King Solomon the tribes split. Ten of the tribes, called Ephraim migrated to the north countries. Two of the tribes, Judah and Benjamin remained in the south around Jerusalem until they were scattered by the Romans. We know that the above speaks of records kept by Ephraim because of the following prophecies found in Ezekiel.

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Season 6, Podcast 81, Isaiah 28:1-29, “Line upon Line.”

The coming of Christ is at the center of Chapter 28 as clearly defined by the last verse. The purpose of Isaiah is to lead us to Christ; therefore, his teachings are meant to prepare us for his coming.

Clearly Isaiah has the eye of a poet. He looks for analogies in ordinary things. He is talking to an agricultural society; therefore, he uses the familiar images of farming to teach how the Lord works. God is a God of law and order. God organized both temporal laws and spiritual laws; therefore, both operate by the principle of causality. For every cause there is an effect; and for every effect there is a cause. Isaiah moves freely between the temporal and the spiritual. He compares the orderly work of the farmer with the orderly work of God. Law is at the center of everything God does. Violation of law brings a cursing. Obedience to law brings a blessing.

In addition, literal and figurative imagery often have multiple meanings. For example, his condemnation of drunkenness could mean literal drunkenness of the physical body which often leads to foolish behavior and the metaphorical drunkenness of the spirit which leads one to move away from the laws of God. Isaiah 28 uses the physical disorientation caused by physical drunkenness to describe the spiritual disorientation caused by violating the laws and commandments of God.

Isaiah 28:1-3

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:

Even as Isaiah speaks, the ten northern tribes, who have separated from southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, are soon to be conquered by the Assyrians. They will be assimilated among the Assyrians and eventually become lost to civilization. Ephraim refers to the Ten Lost tribes. Isaiah’s use of ‘crown of pride’ is ironic since the formal use of the term crown refers to royalty.

2 Samuel 12:30

And he took their king’s crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.

In Revelations John refers to the ‘crown of life.’

Revelation 2:10

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

The word ‘crown’ is also connected to many virtues.

Crowned with glory and honor. Psalm 8:5

Crowned with knowledge. Proverbs 14:18

Crown of righteousness. 2 Timothy 4:8

“Crown of pride,” as used by Isaiah, refers to drunkenness. It brings destruction. Their glorious beauty fades like a flower. They suffer famine: tempest of hail and destroying storm. They suffer defeat as indicated by the phrase, ’trodden under feet.’

The Lord emphasizes their fall by repeating the curse.

Isaiah 28:4

And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

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Season 6, Podcast 80, Isaiah 27:1-13, “Gathering of Israel.”

Isaiah speaks much about the Millennial Day. In Isaiah 28 he focuses on the gathering of Israel and pronounces extraordinary promises, perhaps greater than they have ever received. The story of the gathering of Israel is the story of the Christianity, for everyone who comes to Christ will be under the Abrahamic Covenant and receive all the blessings promised Israel. It appears that the final gathering will be at the Millennial Hour. By that I mean the beginning of the Millennium and will stretch throughout the 1000 years. As we examine Chapter 27, keep the Millennium in mind.

Isaiah 27:1

In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

The leviathan is a curious image in the Bible. Isaiah refers to the leviathan as a piercing serpent and a crooked serpent. The Lord, who is more powerful than leviathan, with his great and strong sword shall punish leviathan and kill the dragon that is in the sea. The dragon is a familiar image of Satan.

Revelation 13:2

And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

The beast represents evil kingdoms that fight against God’s people. The dragon, Satan, gives the beast its power. Prior to the Second Coming of Christ the beast will have enormous power on the earth.

Revelation 13:7-8

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The beast comes to a dreadful end.

Revelation 19:19-20

And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

And the dragon, also called that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan is bound for 1000 years.

Revelation 20:1-3

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

The Millennium begins.

Isaiah 27:2-6

In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me. He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.

Verse 6 is rather astonishing considering that for nearly three millennia the house of Israel has been scattered and lost. Now they will “take root.” Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.”

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Season 6, Podcast 79, Isaiah 26:1-21, “Resurrection.”

In Chapter 25, Isaiah speaks of the resurrection.

Isaiah 25:8

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.

Chapter 26 continues the theme of the resurrection. All the children of God who are descendants of Adam and Eve who became subject to the fall will be resurrected. The resurrection is a free gift of God. However, all resurrections are not the same. John speaks of a first and a second resurrection.

Revelation 20:4-6

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

As with John, Isaiah defines those who come forth in the first resurrection. The first criterion that Isaiah teaches is that we must be righteous.

Isaiah 26:1-2

In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.

Only those who ‘keep the truth” are righteous because truth, as contained in the Holy Scriptures, is the standard of judgment by which we will be judged.

Revelation 20:12-13

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

The next criterion that Isaiah teaches is to trust in the Lord.

Isaiah 26:3-4

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:

In Proverbs we read.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

‘Trust in the Lord’ has been a running theme in Isaiah from the beginning. Both the Northen Kingdoms and the Southern Kingdoms fell because they trusted in the arms of flesh and not in the Lord. It was their lack of humility.

Isaiah 26:5-6

For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust. The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.

But those who trust in the Lord shall prosper. Those who seek truth shall learn righteousness.

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Season 6, Podcast 78, Isaiah 25:1-12, “Death Swallowed up in Victory.”

Isaiah 24 deals with the devastation of the wicked just prior to the Second Coming. Isaiah 25 deals with the exaltation of the righteous. Isaiah 25 is an extension of the last verse of Isaiah 24.

Isaiah 24:23.

Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

Isaiah praises the Lord.

Isaiah 25:1

O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

That is a condemnation of those who ignored the counsels of old and transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and broke the everlasting covenant. A curse was placed on them.

Isaiah 25:2

For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.

The Lord will strengthen the righteous.

Isaiah 25:3-4

Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

The above are among the most hopeful verses of scripture because Isaiah is promising those who are faithful during the days of tribulation that they will endure the terrible storms of the signs of the times. God will be a refuge from the storm.

The righteous will be spared, but the wicked will be destroyed.

Isaiah 25:5

Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.

Not only will the righteous be spared, they shall be exalted in Mount Zion. They will have a great feast.

Isaiah 25:6

And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

The veil of darkness shall be lifted.

Isaiah 25:7

And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.

That echoes an earlier promise of the Lord.

Isaiah 11:9

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

At the Second Coming of the Lord the righteous shall be resurrected.

Isaiah 25:8

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.

The apostle Paul speaks of those who are caught up when Christ comes again.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

John the Revelator, in beautiful language, describes the hope of the righteous.

Revelation 7:13-17

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Season 6, Podcast 77, Isaiah 24:1-23, “The Last Days.”

It is almost as if everything thus far in Isaiah was leading up to Chapter 24. It is very hard hitting, the first three verses describing the devastation of the earth just before the Second Coming of Christ. Since I am relying upon the poetic structure of Isaiah, I shall sometime refer to a group of verses as a stanza. Ancient Hebrew poetry did not use the English structure that we are used to such as sentences, paragraphs, headings, punctuation marks, etc. It used parallelism. A unit of thought is often tied together by repetition, parallelism with variation. Notice in the following, the image begins and ends with the concept of emptiness.

Isaiah 24:1-3

Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.

Great poetry such as the writings of Isaiah does not always explain itself. It uses images, often of ordinary things, and the reader is required to interpret the image. Notice the images of the above: empty, waste, upside down, scattered, utterly spoiled. All those images are images of total destruction. Also notice the parallel elements: people and priest; servant and master, maid and mistress, etc. Those images suggest that no class is spared, great or small. What happens when you turn a pitcher of water upside down? All the water pours out. In other words, everyone on earth is affected. There will be turmoil and chaos. The economic system will break down, order will break down, hierarchy will break down. The phrase “utterly emptied” suggests the totality of the destruction.

It is a voice of warning. Those who have ears to hear will prepare for that day. Those who are not prepared will suffer total chaos. Water spills when the lid is not tight. These are signs of the times. Those who are prepared, however, not need to fear. That is the positive message. Those who are caught by surprise will be destroyed. Remember, though Isaiah is a prophet of doom, he is a messenger of hope to the faithful. The purpose of scripture is to prepare us for that day as well as prepare us against all the other calamities of life, what Shakespear called, “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”

The entire earth is affected

Isaiah 24:4

The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

To mourn means to fall into deep sorrow. To languish means to lose vitality, to grow weak and feeble. Synonyms are wither, deteriorate, decline, shrivel, and decay. The earth symbolizes the physical earth which means terrible changes in weather. This is echoed by John the Revelator who also prophesied of end-time.

Revelation 7:1

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

Without the wind our entire ecosystem would change. We would have extreme temperatures. Pollination and seed distribution would be affected. Pollution would increase. Oceans would change. Many forms of life could not survive, and our own survival would be threatened. It is so devastating that the Lord sent another angel having the seal of the living God to command the four angels:

Isaiah 7:3

Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

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Season 6, Podcast 76, Isaiah 23:1-18, “Burden of Tyre.”

Thus far Isaiah has listed the following states that shall be destroyed: Judah (The Southern Kingdom), Israel (the Northern Kingdom), Babylon, Assyria, Philistia (Philistines), Moab, Damascus (Syria), Ethiopia (Cush), Egypt, and Tyre. The theme is the same. They did not hearken to the Lord. History has shown that Isaiah’s prophecies were true. They are types and shadows of things to come in the latter days just before Christ appears again. Babylon emerged as the dominant symbol of the fall of the world. It is ironic, but Babylon is the only nation that is not promised redemption. When Babylon falls, the world Falls, Christ appears, and a perfect world order governed by Christ replaces earthly kingdoms. Christ rules 1000 years.

Revelation 18:2-3

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

When Babylon, or the world, falls, Satan is bound for 1000 years.

Revelation 20:2

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Christ appears and reigns on earth during the Millennium. The saints reign with him.

Revelation 20:4-6

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Following the Millennium, Satan will be loosed a short while.

Revelation 20:7-8

When that brief season is over, Christ will come a third time. This time, however, to a new earth and a new heaven. The old earth will be destroyed by fire.

2 Peter 3:10

The Holy City, New Jerusalem, will come down and celestialized earth will be the permanent home of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and all those who received the crown of life.

Revelation 21:1-3

As with John the Revelator, the above is the overriding theme in Isaiah. Think then of the “burden of Tyre” as the burden of the other kingdoms that fall because of wickedness.

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Season 6, Podcast 75, Isaiah 22:1-25, “The Burden of the Valley of Vision.”

As we have come to expect, the focus of Isaiah 22 is Christ. He holds the keys to the House of David. The central theme of Isaiah 22 is that because Judah rejected Christ, they shall be led into captivity. All those who are taken into captivity will die in captivity. At the time of the prophesy the Jews were under the threat of Assyria. They foolishly formed an alliance with Assyria against God’s wishes. However, they were miraculously delivered from the Assyrians.

2 Kings 19:35

And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

The captivity referred to, however, is the Babylonian captivity which occurs 115 years later where they were led away into Babylon and held in captivity for 70 years until Cyrus the Great conquers the Babylonians and allows the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Seventy years, of course, is a lifetime. They may have escaped the Assyrians, but those who are taken into captivity by the Babylonians do not see Jerusalem again. Only Their children return.

In Isaiah 22 the House of Judah is called to come unto Christ, but ultimately they depend upon their own devices. Therefore, everything that Isaiah said comes to pass. We often consider prophecy but seldom consider the prophet. Isaiah having seen everything in vision carries a tremendous burden. I have divided Isaiah 22 into five parts. The first part I call “The burden of the valley of vision. It begins and ends with the phrase, “the valley of vision.”

Isaiah 22:1-5

The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops? Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle. All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far. Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people. For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.

It is Isaiah who is in great turmoil over the vision of the loss of his beloved Judah. He carries the burden of the valley of vision which he saw from the housetop. He is full of stirs. The battle hasn’t even occurred yet, but Isaiah suffers from the knowledge because he has seen it in vision The slain men are not yet slain with the sword, or dead in battle.” But Isaiah knows it will occur if Jerusalem doesn’t repent. He describes what is going to happen. The rulers will flee, but they will be bound by the archers. Isaiah cannot be comforted. It is a day of trouble and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision. He has seen the walls of Jerusalem breaking down.

The next part I call The Seige. There is a lot of saber rattling. Surrounding states are preparing for battle against Jerusalem. They will align with the Assyrians.

Isaiah 22:6-10

And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield. And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate. And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest. Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

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Season 6, Podcast 74, Isaiah 21:1-17, “Watchman on the Tower.”

The fall of Babylon has become a recurring theme in Isaiah. It is profoundly reinforced in Daniel, and finally pronounced by John the Revelator. The fall of Babylon is compared to the sudden destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Historians tell us that at the height of its glory, Babylon controlled about 770,000 square miles, yet like Sodom and Gomorrah, it fell in one day under the cleverness of the Persians. Sodom and Gomorrah fell because of moral corruption. The prophet Daniel made it clear that Babylon also fell because of moral corruption. That is one of the prevailing themes of Isaiah. Not only did Babylon fall, but Isaiah mentions that many smaller states in the surrounding countryside also fell.

Isaiah laments the fall of Babylon.

Isaiah 21:104

The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land. A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease. Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it. My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.

The fall of Babylon occurred in 539 BC during what is referred to as the Babylonian captivity. Babylon conquered Jerusalem, killing many Jews, and bringing many of their best into the Babylonian empire, including Daniel. It was Cyrus the Great who allowed the Jews in 538 BC to return to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple.

2 Chronicles 36:22-23

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.

There is tremendous irony in scriptures. Isaiah’s prophecy occurs about 150 years before Babylon fell, yet Isaiah calls upon Babylon to be watchful.

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Isaiah 21:5-8

Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth. And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed: And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:

Isaiah knows that the gluttonous King Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar, is not going to heed his warning. Why does he give it? He gives the warning because something greater is going on than the Persians and Medes conquering Babylon, the ancient empire. Babylon symbolizes a much broader event than the fall of a nation. Babylon symbolizes the fall of the world. Isaiah’s warning is to us.

Isaiah 21:9

And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.

Isaiah has already prepared us for the fall of Babylon in chapters 13 and 14. It is very clear that Isaiah has a much broader picture in mind. For example, examine the following random verses from Isaiah 13.

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Season 6, Podcast 73, Isaiah 20:1-6, “The Fall of Egypt.”

One very unique thing about Isaiah is that he was a man of his times. On the one hand, in today’s modern terminology, he would be a news anchor that reports the daily news. For example,

Isaiah 20:1

1 In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;

Those are historical events. Historians tell us that Tartan was an Assyrian general sent by King Sargon to attack Ashdod, a philistine City. But Isaiah is far more than a reporter. With his prophetic mantle, he saw everything as symbolic. As we learned from Chapter 19, Egypt over time will suffer almost total devastation beginning with the above battle. To the prophet Isaiah, however, the Philistines, the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, and the Assyrians play a much larger role than empire building. We must also throw into the mix the northern tribes of Israel and the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, although the tribe of Benjamin loses its identity as it is absorbed in the tribe of Judah.

The historical events described by Isaiah illustrate the hand of the Lord in the rise and fall of nations. Isaiah reveals to us how to read history. To the Lord nothing is in isolation. For example, the prophesies of Isaiah in Chapter 20 are not the result of a single battle but actually take centuries before Egypt is destroyed as a world power. Assyria continues to expand its power.

We have learned from Isaiah, for example, that the Lord uses idol-worshiping nations such as Assyria and Babylon, to vex Israel for their disobedience. They have become idol worshipers just like their neighbors. Israel is no more righteous than their warring neighbors.

The irony is that Assyria and Babylon and Egypt are also punished because they don’t recognize the hand of the Lord in their rise to power. They thought it was their own hand that brought about such great things.

We easily forget one key point, the Lord giving the Promised Land to the House of Israel. The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised land not just to keep his covenant with Abraham, but also to punish the idol worshiping nations for not recognizing the hand of the true God in their lives. They weren’t destroyed to make way for the Israelites. They were destroyed because of their wickedness. Had they been righteous, they would have been allowed to keep their homeland. One key message to the Holy Bible is that God is no respecter of person. Listen to the prophets.

Acts 10:34

Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

Romans 10:12

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

James 2:8-9

As soon as the Israelites turned their backs on the Lord and turned to idol worship, the same nations they displaced conquered them. The Lord did not favor the Israelites because they were the seed of Abraham. The Lord favored the Israelites because they were more righteous than everyone else in the region. Let me remind you what the Lord said to Abraham

Genesis 22:17-18

That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

They worshiped the only true and living God. When they became like the world, they were destroyed like the world. That is the message of Isaiah.

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Season 6, Podcast 72, Isaiah 19:1-25, “Redemption of Egypt and Assyria.”

Egypt has played an extraordinary role in Biblical history. On the positive side, during a killing famine it became a sanctuary for the House of Israel, particularly during the days of Joseph who saved both Egypt and his father’s house from starvation. It was a sanctuary for Abraham. It was a sanctuary for Mary and Joseph and the child Jesus during Herod’s reign of terror. With all that, we remember Egypt for its cruelty to the House of Israel for hundreds of years until they were miraculously delivered by the hand of God through his servant Moses.

Assyria also played devil’s advocate with the House of Israel. As we have recently read, Assyria destroyed Ephraim, meaning the ten northern tribes of Israel. They dispersed the ten northern tribes throughout Assyria which led to their final scattering through all parts of the earth, becoming known as the Ten Lost Tribes. In addition, they attacked the House of Judah and Bejamin in the south causing tremendous devastation.

And now suddenly we read, in the prophetic words of Isaiah, that both Egypt and Assyria shall be redeemed of the Lord and shall become in close bonds to the House of Israel. Only a true prophet could have foreseen such an outcome, for both Egypt and Assyria will first suffer nearly total annihilation because of their wickedness.

The restoration will occur during the period of the Second Coming of the Messiah and the Millennium.

Isaiah 19 is divided into two parts. Part I tells of the vast destruction of Egypt in which the evil empire is destroyed before a righteous empire can take its place. Part II tells of the restoration of both Egypt and Assyria. They become righteous and live in harmony and close bonds with the Twelve Tribes of Israel who will be restored to their homeland in the last days.

Let us first look at the destruction of the old empire of Egypt. The destruction must occur in which Egypt is cleansed from all its wickedness before a righteous regime can even exist.

That is the object lesson. That is the message of Isaiah 19. All wickedness must be destroyed before righteousness can prevail. It is a type of the Second coming of Christ. When he comes, the entire world will be cleansed from all its wickedness. Only the righteous will survive, and Christ will reign 1000 years.

Isaiah 19:1

The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

One of Egypt’s primary sins was idol worship. Even the Pharaohs were worshipped as gods. The image of the Lord riding upon a swift cloud suggests that the fall of Egypt will, like the fall of Babylon, happen very quickly. It will strike at the very heart of Egypt. If the heart dies, Egypt dies.

It will be followed by massive civil war.

Isaiah 19:2

And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

They will lose their spirit, meaning they will lose their will.

Isaiah 19: 3

And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

The above refers to the moral corruption. For thousands of years Egypt was governed by Pharaohs who were looked on as Gods. They built the ancient pyramids which guaranteed eternal life. When those are destroyed they seek counsel from those, in Isaiah’s words, who peep and mutter. They seek to idols, charmers, spiritualists, and wizards. That is a pitiful display of hopelessness.

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Season 6, Podcast 71, Isaiah 18:1-8, “Gathering of Israel.”

If we examine Isaiah as one long epic poem, then he is easier to follow. It is the parallelism of Isaiah that ties one chapter to another, for time to Isaiah is fluid. For example, in Chapter 17, Isaiah talks about the scattering of Israel. In Chapter 18, he talks about the gathering of Israel. Those events occur thousands of years apart.

For example, the twelve tribes of the Kingdom of Israel were united until after Solomon’s death. Because of heavy taxation, the ten tribes of the north split from the two tribes of the south in 930 BC. Approximately 200 year later, in 722 BC, the ten northern tribes are conquered by the Assyrians and scattered throughout the Assyrian empire. Eventually they became known as the Ten Lost Tribes, presumably scattered throughout the world. Judah and Benjamin of the south are conquered by the Babylonians in three stages between 605 BC and 586 BC. Their exile lasted approximately 70 years. Solomon’s temple is burned to the ground and Jerusalem is destroyed. The Jews return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. It is later renovated by Herod the Great and destroyed again in 70 AD by the Romans at which time the Diaspora begins. The Jews, like their northern neighbors, are scattered throughout the world.

Isaiah prophesies the return of the House of Israel. The gathering will occur just before and during the early part of the Millennium. The Millennium occurs when Christ returns to the earth a Second Time. We are now living in what is often referred to as The Last Days, but the date of the Second Coming of the Messiah is hidden. Christ said.

Matthew 25:13

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

However, the Savior does give us a time frame that connects the gathering of Israel with his Second coming.

Matthew 24:29-31

Though no one can calendar the date, Christ makes it clear that there will be many signs of his Coming. He calls us to be prepared. The following is taken from Matthew 24:

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

It is with that backdrop that we read Isaiah 18. The gospel of Jesus Christ will be taught throughout the earth.

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Season 6, Podcast 70, Isaiah 17:1-14, “Scattering of Israel.”

We have learned thus far that the central theme of Isaiah is Christ. Another dominate theme is the history of the Lord’s covenant people. At the time of Isaiah, the twelve tribes have split. The northern tribes, which consist of what is soon to be called The Ten Lost Tribes, is led by Ephraim. Their capital is Samaria. The southern tribes, which consists of Judah and Benjamin are led by Judah. Their capital is Jerusalem. They all suffer the same fate. Another dominant theme is to show how God works among men. It could boil down to a singular theme: Those who keep the commandments of God prosper. Those who do not keep the commandments of God are led into captivity. Regardless of what religion one espouses, God is God of the whole earth. Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. The message of Isaiah is that ultimately everything depends upon Christ. Therefore, we can look at the story of the House of Israel as a type and shadow of things to come for the whole world.

So far we have dealt with Israel, Judah, Syria, Assyria, Babylon, and Moab. All of them suffer devastating defeat because they did not worship the true God. Their downfall could have been avoided. The Lord favors the righteous. The covenant people of the Lord ultimately will only be the righteous. Isaiah is pivotal because he is the prophet, whether they accept it or not, of all the nations listed above and indeed to all the world. His mission was to warn anyone who would listen to a prophet’s voice. In other words, regardless of who believe his words or who does not believe his words, he is still a true prophet speaking for the Lord. Every nation of the earth from the beginning of time till the end of time could benefit by listening to a true prophet’s voice. The Holy Scriptures are a voice of warning to all the world.

This is a pivotal time because the entire history of the world is about to change. Remember Babylon had Daniel. Though he was of the tribe of Judah, there was no greater prophet than Daniel.

Isaiah 17 addresses the issue of the fall of Israel which fall was unnecessary.

Isaiah 17:1

The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

Damascus is the capital of Syria, which is in alliance with Israel against Judah. It will soon become a ‘ruinous heap.’ Isaiah’s poetic imagery is extraordinarily concrete. He forces you to imagine the entire destruction of Syria. Remember Syria so intimidated Ahaz, king of Judah, that he ran to Assyria for help. As a result, not only did Assyria devastate Syria, but they also later on devastated Judah though they did not conquer them. It took the power of the Babylonians for that.

Isaiah 17:2

The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

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The cities of Aroer are associated with Moab whose destruction was described in Isaiah 15 & 16. What was once inhabited by people, is now fit only for flocks. The same fate happens to Ephraim.

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Isaiah 17:3-4

The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the Lord of hosts. And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.

Ephraim is left defenseless. The same thing happens to Syria. Damascus is the capital of Syria. The Assyrians destroy both Ephraim and Syria. The glory of Jacob was the twelve tribes of Israel led by his twelve sons.

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Season 6, Podcast 69, Isaiah 16:1-14, “Moab 2.”

The fate of Moab, the descendants of Lot, is similar to the fate of Assyria and Babylon. They also fall because of pride and idol woship.

Isaiah 16:1-3

Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon. Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.

“The mount of the daughter of Zion” refers to Jerusalem. A lamb is a peace offering or tribute. It appears that Moab can find refuge in Jerusalem. Comparing the daughters of Moab to a wandering bird cast out of the nest” suggests that the daughters of Moab are fleeing Moab, probably from the armies of Assyria. The “fords of Arnon” refer to the shallow part of the river of Arnon where they can cross on foot. It appears that Jerusalem is to “hide the outcast.” They are commanded not to defile those refuges from Moab. Remember the people of Moab are descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew.

Isaiah 16:4

Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.

The Lord is telling Judah to let the outcasts of Moab dwell with them. ‘A covert’ is a place of refuge. ‘The spoiler’ refers to the invading army. It will come to an end for Isaiah writes, “the oppressors are consumed out of the land.”

Isaiah 16:5

And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

The above refers to a future date. The Fate of Moab appears to be more aligned with the Fate of Judah than it is to Assyria and Babylon. In the latter days the children of Judah will be gathered when Christ comes again.

Isaiah 14:1

For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

However, as with the House of Judah, before the coming of the Lord, Moab shall also suffer great tribulation.

Isaiah 16:6-10

We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so. Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken. For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea. Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen. And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.

The Lord, through the Prophet Isaiah, demonstrates enormous grief for what Moab must go through. Above Isaiah records, “I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sima: I will water thee with my tears.” Below the Lord’s suffering increases.

Isaiah 16:11

Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kir-haresh.

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Season 6, Podcast 68, Isaiah 15:1-9, “Moab 1.”

Previously Isaiah discussed the fall of Babylon, the fall of Assyria, the fall of the house of Israel, and even the fall of Lucifer. Fundamentally the cause is pride. Isaiah extends the theme by describing the fall of Moab. Moab is 30 miles east of Jerusalem as the crow flies. To get there from Jerusalem, however, one must travel around the Dead Sea, thus doubling the distance.

The Moabites are descendants of Lot as recorded in Genesis 19.

Genesis 19:36-38

Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Moab does not have the stature of Egypt or Babylon or Assyria; however, Isaiah extends his analogy to the destruction of the Moabites for like the great civilizations they too fell because they did not look to the Lord. As we consider Isaiah 19, we see the same imagery.

Isaiah 15:1

The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;

Like Babylon, meaning the world, which fell in a day, Moab fell in a night. Like Sodom and Gomorrah, “It is laid waste and brought to silence.” In the Old Testament, the rise and fall of civilizations is because they turned against God. The only way that Isreal was given the Promised land is because those who were there first had become so wicked. They were being punished by God. If they had been righteous, the Lord would have allowed them to keep the land. One central message of the Old and New Testaments is that the covenant people of the Lord are not determined by bloodline. They are determined by righteousness. The ultimate Promised Land is in Heaven with God, and only the righteous of the earth shall inherit that kingdom. That is the message Isaiah is teaching us.

Look for a moment at the Lord’s prayer. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us the difference between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of the world. To belong to the Kingdom of God we must abide by the laws contained in the Lord’s Prayer. Keep in mind the Kingdom of God vs the Kingdoms of the world as we study Isaiah. First let’s examine Matthew 6:9-13 which gives us The Lord’s Prayer. It is used as a model of how to pray. Really it is a model of how to live in the Kingdom of God, whether that Kingdom of God is on earth or in heaven.

‘After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven,’

First we pray to God, our Father, not directly to Christ. The Father is in heaven. Christ, at the time he is speaking, is on earth. Christ teaches us to pray to the Father in his name. Christ himself prayed directly to the Father.

John 14:12-16

‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;’

Therefore, we pray to the Father in the name of his Son Jesus Christ. Our faith is in Christ. It is Christ who made it possible for us to communicate with God the Father directly. It is Christ who saves us from our sins. It is Christ who is our intermediary with the Father.

‘Hallowed be thy name.’

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Season 6, Podcast 67, Isaiah 14:21-32, “Zion.”

As we read Isaiah 14, consider three things. (1) a description of the fall of Babylon. (2) a description of the fall of Lucifer, a son of the morning and his being cast out of heaven along with a third part of the hosts of heaven who followed him. They came to earth and continued the war against the people of God. Just as Lucifer and the angels who followed him lost the war in heaven, they, now known as the devil and his angels, will lose the war against the saints of God on earth and will be bound for a thousand years at the Second Coming of Christ. (3) And finally, a description of that final battle against Satan. They describe the events just prior to the Second Coming of Christ and his reign during the millennium. Babylon symbolizes a type of the world and its sins. Babylon, or the world, will fall quickly and the saints of God will live in peace in Zion.

Isaiah 14:21

Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.

The fall of Babylon will be complete.

Revelation 18:2

‘The habitation of devils’ illustrates just how evil the world will become just before Christ returns. The earth is ‘the hold of every foul spirit.’ One of the great paradoxes of life is that people, thinking they are agents unto themselves, are sometimes, by their own devices, being led by Satan and his angels. Isaiah puts it this way:

Isaiah 5: 18-22

Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it! Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

John also refers to the world prior to the Second coming of Christ as ‘a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.’ Later Isaiah lists the types of birds.

Isaiah 34:11-15

But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness. They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing. And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls. The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest. There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.

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Season 6, Podcast 66, Isaiah 14:9-20 “Lucifer.”

The story of the fall of nations is common both in Biblical history and in secular history. The Prophet Isaiah, under inspiration of the Lord, selected the fall of Babylon as the symbol of the fall of the world just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Babylon was the perfect candidate. Firstly, the very word Babylon stems from the legendary Tower of Babel, which because of the confusion of tongues gave birth to many nations. In addition, the tower itself was a symbol of pride, arrogance, and defiance against God.

In addition, the King of Babylon brought the Children of God, the offspring of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin into captivity in 586 BC. The symbol there is unmistakable. It was through the tribe of Judah that Christ would come. The Jews, of the House of Israel, were considered the covenant people. Babylon stands as a symbol of the world. Bringing the children of God into captivity is a symbol of the natural man overcoming the spiritual man. Remember the words of John the Revelator.

Revelation 18:1-4

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

In Jeremiah, we find the same warning.

Jeremiah 50:8-9

Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks. For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.

There are other reasons Babylon is the perfect symbol of the world; its history is a shadow of world history.

Under Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC) Babylon was the dominant empire in the ancient near east.

Babylon had great military power.

Babylon was the location of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Hanging Garden’s of Babylon, suggesting the opulence of what the world treasures.

Again, speaking of Babylon, John defines the delights of the world

Revelation 18: 9-13

And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,… The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

In addition,

· Babylon had impressive towers.

· It had impressive walls and gates, highly decorated

· Babylon was a center of astronomy, mathematics, law, and literature

· Babylon was wealthy, controlling key trade routes. It was a hub of commerce, agriculture, and taxation.

· Babylon, an idol worshiping nation, had many temples

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Season 6, Podcast 65, Isaiah 14:1-8 “Signs of the Times.”

A running theme with Isaiah is the Millennium. Measuring time through Biblical chronology, the approximate dates are

Adam to Abraham = 2000 years

Abraham to Moses = 500 years

Exodus to Solomon’s Temple = 480 years

Solomon to Babylonian exile = 400 years

Babylonian exile to Christ = 586 years

That means that from Adam to Christ was approximately 4000 years. Measure from the birth of Christ to our day—which Biblical scholars place around 4 BC because of measurable historical events. That equals 6029 years from Adam to today. No prophet has ever revealed the exact date of the Second Coming of Christ. Any future speculation will fail as have all past speculations. Describing the coming of Christ, Paul said,

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Paul clearly took his que from the words of Christ.

Matthew 24:42-43

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Christ admonishes us.

Matthew 24:44

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Paul echoes the words of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-80

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

All the signs point to the fact that we are living in the last days, and Christ could come any day; therefore, we must be always ready and not be like the five foolish virgins who did not have enough oil in their lamps.

Scriptures dealing with the last days are called “the signs of the times.” We naturally look to John the Revelator. John places the beginning of the signs of the times during the sixth seal— that is during the six thousand years of time since Adam—and many of the signs have already been fulfilled. One sign is that weather patterns will change dramatically.

Revelation 7:1-2

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea.

The Millennium, however, does not come until after the sixth seal is finished. The more dramatic events begin at the opening of the seventh seal. The year is 2025. Chronologically we are about 29 years into the opening of the seventh seal. In other words, the sixth seal is now closed, and the seventh is now opened. This is the period when Christ comes again to cleanse the earth, and the Millennium begins. The exact day when the Lord Comes is only known to the Lord. Common sense says that it could come any day, making the words of Christ even more poignant, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

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Season 6, Podcast 64, Isaiah 13:13-22 “The Fall of Babylon 2.”

Isaiah uses the fall of Babylon as an analogy to describe the events just prior to the Millennium. Enormous turmoil will mark the Second Coming of Christ, both in heaven and on earth.

Isaiah 13:13

Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

John the Revelator also saw the same thing that Isaiah saw. He describes it this way.

Revelation 16:17-21

And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Babylon represents the world and all its evils.

Revelation 18:3

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Keeping in mind that Babylon on the one hand represents the actual city of ancient times which was considered by the Lord to be very wicked and the world of the latter days which also is considered very wicked, the following images of war describe the events in the last days. The difference, of course, is the scale of war. The first Babylon was localized. The second Babylon includes many nations.

Revelation 17:10-15

And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

In ancient Babylonia, the largest army was estimated at 100,000. Double that or triple it and it is still small relating to the Battle of Armageddon whose soldier number 200 million. That multiplies the effects of war many times. Isaiah describes the devasting misery caused by what could be referred to as World War III accompanied by the destruction caused by nuclear weapons and all other modern warfare machines with the use of AI, drones, missiles, rockets, ships, tanks, aircraft, etc.

Consider how John the Revelator describe the Battle of Armageddon.

Revelation 9:17-19

And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

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Season 6, Podcast 63, Isaiah 13:1-12 “The Fall of Babylon 1.”

The Fall of Babylon is a symbol both of itself and of the destruction of the world prior to the Second Coming of Christ; therefore, it is helpful to compare Isaiah 13 with the revelations of John. Isaiah piles image upon image suggesting total annihilation of civilization and the end of the wicked. Keep that in mind as we discuss the vivid imagery.

Isaiah 13:1-5

The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see. Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

As with John the Revelator, the entire vision of the fall of Babylon is opened to Isaiah. “Lift ye up a banner” suggests a banner of war. Without having an exact historical number, let’s estimate the Babylon army that comes against Judah to be 100,000 soldiers. Scripturally we are given the number of soldiers in the final battle preceding the Second Coming of Christ. It is two hundred million.

Revelation 9:16-17

And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

This is a holy war. The Lord said, “I have commanded my sanctified ones.” Sanctified means purified. “I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.”

Isaiah describes it as “the noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people: a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts mustereth the host to the battle.”

The question is, ‘whose side are we on?’ The entire earth will be polarized. Isaiah continues, “They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.”

Isaiah continues to warn us.

Isaiah 13:6-9

Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

It will not end until the wicked are destroyed. Remember the earth is being prepared for the Second Coming of the Lord. Again, in Revelation 19 we read.

Revelation 19:2

For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

Then occurs the great event for which all saints have waited for. Again, we read the revelation of John.

Revelation 19:7-9

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Season 6, Podcast 62, Isaiah 12:1-6, “God is My Salvation.”

Isaiah focuses on Christ. At the beginning of his ministry, he saw Christ.

Isaiah 6:1

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Isaiah speaks of the birth of Christ.

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Many search the words of Isaiah, particularly in our day because he also saw our day as clearly as he saw his own. He refers to our day as the “last days.”

Isaiah 2:2

Though a common theme, perhaps no other prophet spoke more of the Millenium.

Isaiah 1:25-27

Only the righteous shall live in the Millennium.

Isaiah 4:2-3

In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:

The entire earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.

Isaiah 11:9

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

In Isaiah 12, which is focused on the Millennium, we learn that the center will be Christ.

Isaiah 12:1

And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.

Here we learn that the wrath of God is turned away. The wrath of God or the anger of God refers to the law of justice. It refers to the punishment of the Law of Justice. The two most telling traits of God are the law of justice and the law of mercy. We may think that God is God because of the law of mercy. That is inaccurate. God is merciful because of the law of mercy. Christ was God before he came to earth, before the baptism by John, before the temptations in the wilderness, before the Garden of Gethsemane, before the Cross, and before the resurrection. God is God because of the law of justice. If God were not just, he would cease to be God. Christ did not have to give his life for us. That was a choice because of his love for us. Christ obeyed the Father in all things. That means he never violated the law of justice. That is what qualified him to be our Savior. If Christ had fallen. If Christ had sinned, there would have been no one to save him, and there would have been no one to save us. He risked everything, even his own salvation, by being born of Mary and taking upon him flesh and blood. The temptations in the wilderness represented real temptations; otherwise, what empathy could he have for us? What allowed Jesus to become the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world is that he never gave in to temptation. Paul said.

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Season 6, Podcast 61, Isaiah 11:11-16, “The Gathering of Israel.”

The story of the House of Israel is epic. Tremendous blessings came to Abraham because of his righteousness.

Genesis 17:5-7

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

In a curious passage the Lord said to Abraham.

Genesis 22:18

And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Of course, it was from the seed of Abraham through the tribe of Judah that Christ was born. Isaac was the son of Abraham. Jacob was the son of Isaac. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel

Genesis 32:28

And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Israel means ‘God rules.’ Israel has 12 sons which became known as the twelve tribes of Israel.

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher

Under Joseph, Pharoah’s favorite, the twelve tribes flourished in Egypt. However, after Joseph, the tribes became large and their growing power threatened the Pharaohs; therefore, the House of Israel was made slaves to the Egyptians. After 400 years of slavery, Moses led Israel out of Egypt, and they settled in the Promised land. They were united up to and through Solomon’s reign. Following the death of King Solomon, the ten tribes of the North rebelled against the two southern tribes, the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. During Isaiah’s time the northern tribes were declaring war against the southern tribes.

From the turmoil the ten tribes of the north were scattered by the Assyrians to unknown parts of the world. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin after a series of major defeats beginning with their being exiled from Jerusalem by the Babylonians were eventually almost annihilated by the Romans and they too were scattered to all parts of the world.

One of the major messages of Isaiah is the gathering of Israel. It is one of the most epic stories in the history of the world. It is simply nonpareil. It is incredible to think that from such a tragic history that not just the Jews, but all the House of Israel will, in the last days, be gathered again and restored to the Promised Land. Where in history can such a story be matched?

But the real story is about the Savior and Redeemer of the world and the part he plays in the unfolding drama, and that is Isaiah’s central message. Isaiah is not just talking to the Jews, he is talking to all of us. It is a cautionary tale. People of the covenant is not just bloodline. Those who have the blood of Abraham will be rejected if they turn against Christ. Those who keep the covenant will be accepted among the covenant people if they turn to Christ. Those who keep the commandments of God will prosper. Those who break the commandments of God will be led into captivity and destruction.

The history of the world is one great epic poem. For example, consider the fall of historical empires: The Israelites, the Egyptians, The Assyrians, The Babylonians, The Persians, The Greeks, The Romans. Look at other world conquerors which all came to nothing: Spain, England, Germany, France, Japan. What about civilizations that have come and gone with only rubble left to tell us they were there: the Azteks, the Olmecs, the Mayans—where are they? Look at the magnificent ruins found in India and Asia and South America and all over the world. Where are they?

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Season 6, Podcast 60, Isaiah 11:1-10, “The Stem of Jesse.”

The entire focus of Isaiah is on Christ.

Isaiah 11:1

1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

The stem of Jesse is Christ. Jesse, of the House of Judah, was the father of David and through the lineage of David the Christ child shall be born as prophesied by Isaiah.

Isaiah 9:6-7

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

With clarity Isaiah further describes the attributes of Christ.

Isaiah 11:2-5

2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

The rod of his mouth refers to the word of God. The “rod of his mouth” is in parallel to “the breath of his lips.” The words smite and slay are war images. But Isaiah is not speaking of staves or knives or swords or spears. He is speaking of eternal law. Smite and slay refer to the law of justice. Justice is unconditional, and those who do not obey the word of God, meaning the words of Christ, will be punished in full by the law of justice.

But also from Christ, and only from Christ, comes the law of mercy. Those who seek the mercy of Christ will escape the law of justice. The above verses speak primarily of the law of mercy as it applies to judgment. Christ is attended by the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, by the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge. He shall judge with righteousness and equity. He is girded about with righteousness and faithfulness.

Isaiah refers to two major appearances of Christ. One is in the meridian of time when he dwells among the Jews in Jerusalem. When Christ was born on earth, the Jews were under captivity by the Romans. In fact, between the time of Isaiah and the birth of Christ the Jews were either severely battered or completely conquered by the Assyrian Empire, the Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire, The Greek Empire, and the Roman Empire. Soon after the crucifixion of Christ, as prophesied by Christ, the Jewish state was destroyed by the Romans leading to the Diaspora or scattering of the Jews over the earth.

Two is during the millennium, often referred to as the Second Coming. Therefore, both times he will be accompanied by justice and mercy. The time of the Millennium, though preceded by tremendous destruction of the wicked, will be an idyllic time.

Isaiah 11:6-9

6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

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Season 6, Podcast 59, Isaiah 10:18-34, “The House of Pride.”

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, upon his attack of Jerusalem had every reason to believe that he would receive no significant opposition. His army had about 200,000 men. At the time of his attack against Jerusalem, Judah’s army was only probably 15,000 or less. Sennacherib declared victory even before he attacked. Why shouldn’t he be proud? He had already conquered Ephraim who symbolizes Israel or the Northern Kingdom and Syria. Both biblical and other historical records show that 46 fortified cities of Judah had fallen under the power of the Assyrians. He was merely tidying up, assuming total conquest of Ephraim and Judah.

But Sennacherib did not know the Lord. He thought everything he did was through his own power. The Lord allowed the Assyrian army to destroy Ephraim and vex Judah because Israel would not repent and call upon the Lord.

It was arrogance and pride that destroyed the Assyrian army. Isaiah recounts the events describing the fall of the pride of Assyria.

Isaiah 10:17-19

17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

18 And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth.

19 And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.

That was not what Sennacherib expected. With the backdrop of the Assyrian army attacking Jerusalem, causing tremendous devastation, Isaiah prophesies that at a future date that Judah will be delivered, and the House of Israel shall be gathered. They shall turn back to God.

Isaiah 10:20-23

20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

21 The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

23 For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.

Isaiah warned King Ahaz earlier to not make an alliance with Assyria against Ephraim and Syria. He urged them to put their trust in God and not in man, that the threats of Ephraim and Syria would come to nothing. He ignored Isaiah and agreed to pay tribute to Sennacherib, the nonpayment of which eventually leads the Assyrians to attack Jerusalem. Now we have Isaiah warning Judah not to fear the Assyrians. That, of course, would require an enormous amount of faith considering the disparity in their armies.

Isaiah 10:24-25

24 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.

25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.

Isaiah makes an astonishing promise. There was a legendary battle fought between the House of Israel and the Midianites. It is described in detail in Judges 6-8. The battle led by Gideon occurred in the 12th century BC, before the kings and during the period of the judges. The Midianites, Amalekites, and others referred to as ‘children of the east’ raiding Israel, destroying crops, stealing livestock, and devasting the land. Their numbers were compared to ‘grasshoppers for multitude’ and their primary goal was to destroy the land.

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Season 6, Podcast 58, Isaiah 10:1-17, “Fall of Assyria.”

Isaiah 10 begins with a very familiar word in the Bible—‘Woe.” Even the sound of the word denotes sorrow. It is also often used as a warning or a curse or a judgment that is about to fall. The reason it comes before the fall rather than after is because the ‘woe’ can be averted if the people repent. In other words, they don’t have to suffer needlessly. There is a pattern in the Holy Scripture. The Lord always warns the Israelites that they are about to fall. Its purpose is to urge them to action, to change their behavior, to alter their course.

Notice who the ‘woe’ is directed toward.

Isaiah 10:1-2

1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed.

2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

That is as true today as it was 2500 years ago. To ‘decree unrighteous decrees’ is to pass unrighteous laws. The Lord is speaking to political and ecclesiastical leaders who prey on the poor. We think of prescriptions as medicines to heal, yet the prescriptions of the leaders are to cause grievousness or pain or sorrow. One is reminded of the words of James.

James 1:27

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

The opposite of pure religion is impure religion. The Lord often condemns the leaders of his people.

Isaiah 1:23

23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

Does that not sound familiar today? The Lord calls them to repentance.

Isaiah 1:16-17

16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

But they didn’t listen to God’s prophet; therefore, a woe is pronounced upon them.

Isaiah 10:3-4

3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

The ‘day of visitation’ refers to the Second Coming of Christ. Isaiah uses events of the day to give warning to the future. The Lord uses the Assyrians, enemies to Israel, to exact his judgment.

Isaiah 10:5-6

5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Armies will have different names but the results may be the same. The Assyrians are ‘the rod of God’s anger.” He uses the staff—or weapon—in the hands of the Assyrians to punish Israel which he refers to as “an hypocritical nation.” Israel has become the ‘people of God’s wrath.’ To the Assyrians God gave ‘charge to take the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire in the streets.’

If we step back and look at the scene from afar, we can see the hand of the Lord and comprehend how he works. Chapter 10 is a very strange chapter in that the “woe” is not only pronounced against the House of Israel, but it is also pronounced against the Assyrians. The Lord uses the wicked to destroy the wicked and neither one sees the hand of God.

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Season 6, Podcast 57, Isaiah 9:8-21, “Come Unto Christ.”

The Prophets, such as Isaiah and John, who appear to be the most negative are, upon close reading, the most positive. They are not prophets of doom. They are prophets of hope. The only reason they forecast destruction is to warn the people that they should repent. If they repent, they may avoid being brought down into captivity. As we read the final verses of Isaiah 9, notice the recurring phrase, “but his hand is stretched out still.” That has a double meaning. The first and obvious meaning is that the destruction will continue if they remain in their wickedness. The second meaning, however, which is not so obvious, is that “his hand is stretched out still” to save them. The clarion call is to come unto Christ and avoid the captivity of Satan. That is why, in the midst of all this war, Isaiah prophecies,

Isaiah 9:6

In other words, turn to Christ and rather than being led captive into Babylon, you will be under the protective government of Christ. Rather than be ravaged by war, you will be ruled by the Prince of Peace.

The House of Judah still has a choice between being led into captivity by Babylon or being led into peace and prosperity by Christ. That is the message by Isaiah all the way through his amazing book just as it is the message of John the Revelator all the way through his amazing book.

Isaiah 9:8

8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord is not just addressing the House of Judah. He is addressing all the tribes of Jacob, called Israel. Both the northern tribes and the southern tribes are on the brink of destruction. At no time in their history do they have a greater decision to make because if they make the wrong one, all twelve tribes will be scattered throughout the earth, most entirely losing their identity. That makes Isaiah one of the most pivotal prophets in Israelite history. That makes the phrase, “For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still” be of earth shaking importance. It is stretched out till the end of time whether for destruction or for restoration. The choice is up to Israel and by analogy the choice is up to all Christians and indeed to all the world. The call, “Come unto Christ” is not just for the Jews, not just for the Lost Tribes of Isreal, but it is for the world. We are all children of God and God is no respecter of persons. Those who heed the call will be saved. Those who don’t heed the call won’t be saved. A true prophet speaks to all the world. What was the great promise to Abraham?

Genesis 22:17-18

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

The seed of Abrahan then refers to those who follow Christ. Christ said through his prophet John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:1-9

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa,

2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

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Season 6, Podcast 56, Isaiah 9:1-7, “Unto Us a Child is Born.”

John the Revelator and Isaiah were both visionaries of an extraordinary nature. John the Revelator’s peculiar role as prophet was to tell the history, not only of the whole world, but also of the premortal existence of man and the post mortal existence of man. Isaiah’s peculiar role as prophet was to warn the House of Judah in his own day, and to prophesy of the First and Second Comings of the Savior. His visions encompass the history of the Jews from the time of their being taken into captivity into Babylon until the Millennial reign of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The history of the Jews is a prototype of the history of the world and serves as a warning to Jews, Christians, and to all the world. In reading Isaiah, we must understand that his prophecies have a very organized structure, one image shedding light on the others. Assume that nothing he says is either random or accidental. Through parallelism he gives very clear clues of his time frame, whether he is talking of the present or the future or of both at the same time. Both prophets, as is the role of all true prophets, is to teach of Christ.

Isaiah 9:1

1 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

Zebulun and Naphtali are two of the twelve tribes of Israel. They are part of the northern Ten Tribes. They experienced two unique periods of persecution, which Isaiah refers to as their “vexation.” The first vexation was less than the second. Because of their location, they had the unfortunate luck to be the first to be invaded by the Assyrians, and finally it was the Assyrians that destroyed them. The Assyrians so vexed the northern Ten Tribes, which included Zebulun and Naphtali, that they were scattered over the earth, becoming known as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Matthew 4:13-16

12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:

14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;

16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Isaiah, of course, is referring to Christ when he says, “16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” Christ himself visited the land of Zabulun and Nephthalim. That is the true message of Isaiah to all Twelve Tribes of Israel. The only way they can be brought out of captivity is to turn to Christ.

Isaiah 9:2

2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Isaiah taught the Jews of the coming of Chrit about 700 years before Christ’s birth. He saw in vision the Christ. It is no coincidence that from the Land of Zabulun and the Land of Naphtali Christ began his ministry, telling the Jews to “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

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Season 6, Podcast 55, Isaiah 8:14-22, “A Stone of Stumbling and a Rock of Offense.”

Last time we ended with “Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” Synonyms for sanctify are to bless, to consecrate, to hallow, to glorify, to purify, to venerate, to exalt. That is the message of Isaiah 8.

This is a pivotal moment in the history of the House of Judah. If Ahaz, the king, does not make the right decision, the history of the Jews will change forever. They are about to be invaded by Ephraim (the northern tribes of Israel) and Syria. Understandably King Ahaz, who has turned against the Lord, sees that as their most eminent problem. It isn’t; consequently, he doesn’t make the right decision. He looks through temporal eyes rather than spiritual eyes. Knowing Ahaz’s wicked heart, the Lord sends the prophet Isaiah to warn him. In effect, the Lord says to King Ahaz, “Don’t worry about those firebrands Ephraim and Syria. Their expedition will fail. Worry about the overpowering kingdom Assyria. They are your true enemy. Don’t make an alliance with Assyria. Ahaz’s great sin is that rather than fearing the Lord, he fears man. Isaiah says to Ahaz.

Isaiah 8:14

14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

The pronoun ‘he’ refers to Christ. There are three sets of images in verse 8: (1) sanctuary (2) stone of stumbling and rock of offense (3) gin and snare.

In thinking of sanctuary, remember the above call to “Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself.” For the Lord to be a sanctuary, not only must we hallow, glorify, venerate, and exalt God—in other words put God first in our hearts—but we must also consecrate and sanctify or purify ourselves. In other words, we must repent of our sins.

Synonyms for sanctuary are Holy place, House of Worship, refuge, haven, shelter, safe harbor. The House of Judah is caught between two strong enemies: (1) the two nations of Ephraim, north of Jerusalem, and Syria, northeast of Jerusalem who are in alliance against Judah and (2) the very powerful empire of Assyria hundreds of miles to the northeast. The Lord is inviting Judah to let him be their sanctuary, not Assyria.

Unfortunately, Ahaz is an idol worshiper. The Lord warns that if he is not a sanctuary he will be a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense. A stone of stumbling means that if they don’t seek him as a sanctuary, he will be a stumbling block for them. A rock of offense appears to suggest a kind of punishment. In ancient times evil doers were stoned. He offers it to both the houses of Israel, meaning Ephraim and Judah. In other words, they must choose for themselves.

If they don’t make the Lord a sanctuary, He will be “for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. That is characteristically parallel to a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. A gin anciently was a trap. Think of it as a bear trap, spring loaded, a horrible image. A gin could also refer to a pit for animals to fall into. A snare is another form of trap, generally a wire that catches a creature around the neck. As it tightens it strangles the creature. We often use the phrase between a rock and a hard place. This is echoed in the destruction of Moab as recorded in Jeremiah 48:44: “He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.“

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Season 6, Podcast 54, Isaiah 8:1-13, “Waters of Shiloh.”

Isaiah’s style is unique. Like the Book of Revelation, everything is symbolic. What happens in Verses 1-3 in Isaiah 8, which is both literal and metaphorical, perhaps exceeds our expectations. In a dramatic way the Lord commands Isaiah and his wife to have a son. Before the child is even conceived, he is given a name: Maher-shalal-hash-baz, the longest proper name in the Bible.

Isaiah 8:13

1 Moreover the Lord said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man’s pen concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

2 And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

3 And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the Lord to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

After the child is born or perhaps even during the birth of the child two witnesses recorded the birth: Uriah and Zechariah. The name Maheer-shalal-hash-baz has a very specific meaning in Hebrew. Scholars tell us that it means “Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey.” Or “Hasten to the spoil, hurry to the plunder.” It is intimately tied to the historical events that are about to happen. It literally refers to the destruction of Ephraim and Syria by the Assyrians.

The child is a warning to King Ahaz and the house of Judah not to form an alliance with Assyria.

Ahaz is under immanent threat from Ephraim, which represents the ten northern tribes, and Syria. Isaiah is sent by the Lord to assure Ahaz that it will come to nothing. However, Ahaz is not a man of faith like his father Jotham. He does not heed Isaiah.

Isaiah tries to explain that to Ahaz, but he is speaking to deaf ears. Ahaz makes the alliance with Assyria and as a result Assyria attacks both Syria and Ephraim. That too was prophesied by Isaiah.

Isaiah 8:4

4 For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.

Damascus is ruled by King Rezin of Syria. Samaria is the Capital of the Kingdom of Israel, also called Ephraim, ruled by King Pekah, son of Remaliah. Isaiah has just prophesied that they shall be destroyed by Assyria in only a few months. Ephraim and Syria attack Judah but they fail. Assyria was not needed as an ally. Ahaz ignores the prophet Isaiah and foolishly forms an alliance with Assyria. In poetic imagery Isaiah tells Judah that they should depend upon the Lord and not upon some foreign powers.

Isaiah 8:5-6

5 The Lord spake also unto me again, saying,

6 Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son;

Literally the Waters of Shiloh flow from Gihon Spring, an intermittent water source outside of Jerusalem, in the Kidron Valley. It flows through Jerusalem, giving life to the city. It was ancient Jerusalem’s only reliable water source. Metaphorically the Waters of Shiloah are a symbol of Christ. By refusing the Water of Shiloh, Judah is refusing Christ.

John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Isaiah always comes back to Christ. That is his central message. He wants Judah to once again become Christ centered as it was in the days of Moses before the tribes split. Isaiah extends his comparison. An analogy is a comparison of two things that are unlike but have similar characteristics. It may be literal or figurative. Isaiah frequently uses figurative imagery. Isaiah uses an extended analogy which carries the comparison as far as it can.

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Season 6, Podcast 53, Isaiah 7:17-25, “God is My Refuge.”

As stated earlier, this is a time of tremendous turmoil for the House of Judah. The tribe of Benjamin stayed with the tribe of Judah when the northern kingdoms split, but their tribe blends in with Judah and no distinction is made. Ephraim, though it is an individual tribe, as used in Isaiah, symbolizes the entire northern kingdom including all ten tribes.

Not only is Ephraim vexing Judah, but Ephraim is also in alliance with Syria. Ahaz, king of Judah, and the people of Judah are understandably terrified. Ahaz wants to form an alliance with Assyria, a kingdom more powerful than Ephraim or Syria.

Isaiah, the Lord’s chosen prophet, has everything in perspective. Ahaz has forgotten the most important thing—from the beginning Israel has been protected by the Lord. When Israel followed the prophets of God, they prospered. When Israel failed to follow the prophets of God they failed. Isaiah dismisses the threat of Ephraim and Syria. As stated previously, Isaiah’s message from the Lord was,

Isaiah 7:4

4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

Isaiah teaches Ahaz who his real protector is

Isaiah 7 14

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

In other words, Isaiah, speaking for the Lord, tells Ahaz to look to Christ, known in the Old Testament, of course, as Jehovah. The Lord is telling Ahaz that Jehovah and Immanuel, which means “God with us” are the same person. As prophesied he shall come to earth, born of the virgin Mary.” Even with all the turmoil, Christ is the central message of Isaiah. Ahaz needs to turn to Christ. Judah, through whose lineage the Christ child will come, needs to look to Christ and not worry about what man can do. That is also the message the Lord wants us to carry away from Isaiah. Again, think of Ahaz’s position. On the surface it is desperate. He is outnumbered ten to one by the Northern Tribes in addition to the Kingdom of Syria. But what is that to God? God has the power to deliver Ahaz and Judah, consequently, to deliver all of us regardless of the odds. Let me remind you of the beautiful words of Solomon.

Proverbs 3:5-7

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

That is the only true protection Ahaz has, but Ahaz, an idol worshiper, does not have the faith of his father Jotham. He looks at things through temporal eyes rather than spiritual eyes. That leap of faith is required of all of us. Man’s logic told Ahaz that he couldn’t win. The Lord told Ahaz that those firebrands would come to nothing. In a short time, they would be destroyed. Isaiah was right. They were destroyed by Assyria whose armies were terrible and cruel. Syria is annihilated and the ten tribes becomes lost to history.

Probably many of us would say, “If only we had a prophet like Isaiah come to us and lay out the whole picture. The message of Isaiah is that we do. We have the Holy Scriptures. They are as valid to us in our day as they were in ancient times. The same promises that were made to Judah are made to us if we turn to Christ. Circumstances change, but God doesn’t. The same message we get in Isaiah, we also get in the revelations of John. Both prophets were speaking plainly of our day, and that is the only way to read Isaiah and John; otherwise, they are just history books.

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Season 6, Podcast 52, Isaiah 7:1-16, “Shall Call His Name Immanuel.”

This is a time of enormous turmoil for the Jews. Shortly after the death of King Solomon, about 930 BC, due to heavy taxes, the ten northern tribes under the leadership of Jeroboam I rejected Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, and formed their own kingdom, known as the Northern Kingdom. The Northern tribes consisted of Reuben, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Ephraim, and Manasseh. The Southern Kingdom, consisting of Judah and Benjamin, remained in Jerusalem. About 200 years later the Northern Kingdom was conquered by Assyria, around 722 BC. Many were assimilated into the Assyrian empire. Gradually they migrated or were scattered. They have since been known as the Ten Lost Tribes.

In the opening of Isaiah 7, Rezin, the King of Syria, and Pekah, King of Israel, declare war against Judah. They want Ahaz, King of Judah (around 735 to 715 BC) to form an alliance with them against Assyria. When Ahaz refuses, Rezin and Pekah invade Judah around 735 BC. They are unsuccessful. King Ahaz wants to form an alliance with Assyria.

The King of Assyria attacks Israel, the northern tribes. Pekah, King of Israel, is assassinated by Hoshea who became the last King of Israel. After that they become known as the Ten Lost Tribes. There are many theories, but no one really knows where they went.

The Lord is not pleased with Israel or Judah. The above is the context in which Isaiah 7 is written.

Isaiah 7:1

1 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.

King Ahaz, does not have the faith or the righteousness of his Father, Jotham. Ahaz and Judah are terrified. Rather than seeking help from the Lord, Ahaz seeks to be confederate with Assyria. Isaiah describes Judah this way.

Isaiah 7:2

2 And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.

The Lord sends Isaiah to talk to Ahaz and calm him down for the decision he is about to make could bring about the annihilation of the northern tribes and eventually the southern tribes.

Isaiah 7:3

3 Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field;

Don’t you love the address. Isaiah is so concrete in his language. Sometimes he writes like a novelist. Isaiah has a gift for making his reader experience the event due to his specific imagery. You are invited to go with Isaiah and his son ‘at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field.’ Concreteness makes Isaiah exciting to read through his rich imagery, but it also makes him slippery. Like a poem, the Book of Isaiah must be explicated line by line, image by image. To explicate means to explain it thoroughly.

The Lord is very direct in his language to Ahaz.

Isaiah 7:4

4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

How many times in our own lives, when we must face our fears, could we also use such counsel. The Lord is telling Ahaz there is more smoke than fire. “Take heed, be quiet, fear not, neither be fainthearted.” In the scriptures we find the phrase “be quiet” in another form. Listen to King David who faces a worse situation.

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Season 6, Podcast 51, Isaiah 6:5-13, “Return from Babylon.”

Let’s look at the approximate timeline from the prophet Isaiah to the birth of Christ and finally the Diaspora.

Let’s consider Isaiah’s vision of Jesus Christ in 740 BC to be the beginning of his ministry as prophet of Israel. That would have been at the death of King Uzziah. Isaiah was prophet during the reigns of King Jotham (750-735 BC), King Ahaz, (735-715 BC) and King Hezekiah. (715-686 BC) Though not recorded in the Bible, according to Jewish tradition—supported by the Talmud—Isaiah was martyred by Hezekiah’s son, King Manasseh. He was reportedly hiding in the hollow of a tree and sewn in half. Many prophets suffered death at the hands of wicked kings.

The Northern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel, fell about 722 BC to Assyria.

Assyria invades Judah during King Hezekiah’s time, but Jerusalem does not fall.

In 586 BC, almost 100 years after Isaiah’s death, the Babylonians conquer the Kingdom of Judah, destroy the temple, and exile many Jews to Babylon. This is their first exile. In 538 BC Cyrus the Great of Persia allows the Jews to return home and rebuild the Temple.

After the Babylonian Captivity, they were ruled by the Persians (538-332 BC) Then the Greeks (332-164 BC). After the Maccabean Revolt they had a reprieve from 164-63 BC) Then in 63 BC they were conquered by the Romans. Pontius Pilate governs Judea during the time of Jesus. After the crucifixion of Christ, the Jews revolt against the Romans (66-73 AD). As prophesied by Christ, The temple is entirely destroyed in 70 AD. The Jews revolt again and in 135 AD The Romans expel the Jews. They go to many parts of the world. It is referred to as the Diaspora which means “dispersion” or “scattering.

The above is what Isaiah was warning the Jews about, but they didn’t believe him. King Jothan was considered a righteous King and Hezekiah reopened the temple, purged idol worship, and restored Jewish Traditions. Kings Ahaz and Manasseh, however, were very wicked.

We get an insight into Isaiah’s humility. After seeing the Lord, he cries,

Isaiah 6:5

5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

The Lord purges Isaiah’s sins, a lesson to everyone of his redeeming power. The image is very dramatic emphasizing the importances of the power of the atonement. Also, it illustrates that even before Christ came to earth, he had power to forgive sins. That means that His atonement is retroactive and covers the entire earth from Adam to the end of the world.

Isaiah 6:6-7

6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

The image of the seraphim is very curious, clearly highly symbolic; however, being symbolic does not mean that it is not also a literal image. Who can tell what curious things one will see in heaven?

Isaiah 6:2-3

2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

It appears that these heavenly beings stand in the presence of the Lord all the time. They do his bidding. Who better is in a position to cry “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of host.” That is a statement of truth which they feel all the time and clearly can’t resist testifying of it. They too are visionary for from their positions they can see that “the whole earth is full of his glory.”

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Season 6, Podcast 50, Isaiah 6:1-4, “The Holy Temple.”

King Uzziah died around 740 BC which marks the year that Isaiah saw Jesus in vision which came at the beginning of his ministry.

Isaiah 6:1

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

This establishes Isaiah’s special mission. He is a personal witness of Jesus Christ. Everything in his mission is influenced by this singular event. Like the Twelve Apostles who are called by Jesus to be his witness a little over 740 years later, he is witnessing for Christ.

Another significant thing that occurs in his vision is the purpose of The Temple. Christ is seen sitting high upon a throne in his temple. That defines the symbolic purpose of temples. Thy are The House of the Lord. We are reminded of this in the Story of Jacob, later known as Israel, who lived around 1900-1700 BC, approximately 1000 years earlier. Jacob was also a witness of Jesus Christ.

Genesis 28:10-17

10 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran.

11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.

17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

Key phrases are, “Surely the lord is in this place.” And “This is none other but the house of God.” The Children of Israel carried the Tabernacle across the desert to provide a house of God. King Solomon built a temple, The House of God, which replaced the Tabernacle. The Arc of the Covenant which contained the Tablets upon which the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments was placed in the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple.

1 Kings 8:10-13

10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,

11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.

12 Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.

John the Revelator, a personal witness of the resurrected Lord, also saw in vision the throne of God which was the New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:1-3

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

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Season 6, Podcast 49, Isaiah 5:24-30, “An Ensign to the Nations.”

The House of Judah is under threat of war from Ephraim (the Ten Northern Tribes) and Syria, but their real dangers are with Assyria and Babylon, two very large kingdoms. Previously Isaiah described the effects of the Babylonian captivity which will occur if they don’t repent. In the following Isaiah continues to describe how complete that devastation will be and why. Isaiah is speaking of an event that has not happened and need not happen if they repent.

Isaiah 5:24

24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Obviously the harvest is over. The images suggest there will not be another harvest. The stubble is burned right after the harvest. The flames consume the chaff. The chaff refers to the husks that are separated from the grain. Everyone will suffer, but the chaff refers to the wicked. Isaiah suggests that the wicked will be destroyed. Even their roots shall be rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust, meaning they won’t reseed. This refers to the more wicked of the House of Judah because they cast away the law of the Lord, meaning the Ten Commandments and the law of Moses. They also despised the words of Christ or Jehovah. In other words, the more wicked part of the house of Judah will be destroyed at the roots because they turned their backs on Jehovah. That leaves the better ones to be taken away captive into Babylon. Remember that in Babylon we meet Daniel, the Prophet, and Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego.

Isaiah 5:25

25 Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

It is going to be a prolonged battle. Isaiah speaks of the devastation of war: The hills did tremble because of the thundering sound of horses and chariots going into battle. “Their carcases were torn in the mist of the streets refers to the horrible deaths from battle. For all this his anger is not turned away suggests that their punishment will be prolonged. Even after the horrible devastation of war, “his hand is stretched out still” refers to their captivity in Babylon which lasts a lifetime, 70 years. In other words, when they return to Jerusalem none of the old guard will be left. Those who do return will have known nothing but captivity. It is very much like the Children of Israel going to the Promised land from Egypt. Because of their wickedness the Lord kept the Israelites in the wilderness unto all those who came out of Egypt died except for a few who were righteous.

In the above Isaiah speaks of the scattering of the House of Judah. Following the scattering, he speaks of the gathering of the House of Judah, only the gathering Isaiah is talking about does not refer to the Jews returning from Babylon. He is referring to the time over 2500 years in the future, just prior to the Second Coming of Christ and the Millennium. None of the images below fit Isaiah’s day. They only fit in the day of modern technology.

Isaiah 5:26

26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

During the time Isaiah is speaking of, none of the Children of Israel have yet been scattered. The tribes split between the Ten Tribes in the North and the Two Tribes in the South, but they still live in the Promised Land.

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Season 6, Podcast 48, Isaiah 5:11-23, “The Five Woes.”

Isaiah clearly teaches us that laws bring consequences. Laws have conditions. Conditions bring consequences. Obedience to the conditions of law brings blessings. Disobedience to the conditions of law brings cursings. All blessings are predicated upon obedience to the laws of God. All sin is violation of the laws of God. When Adam fell, he transgressed the law of justice which brought sin into the world. Justice is unconditional. One is either inside the law of justice or outside the law of justice. We are outside the law of justice; therefore, because of the fall of Adam, we suffer both a temporal death, which means that the body is separated from the spirit; we also suffer a spiritual death, which means that the spirit is separated from God.

It is entirely beyond our power to live the law of Justice which is unconditional. Christ alone could do that. That is why he remained perfect. He obeyed the law of Justice perfectly which meant that he obeyed the Father perfectly in all things. He never ceased to be God. The atonement of Christ was necessary to satisfy the law of Justice to overcome temporal death through the resurrection and to overcome spiritual death by bringing us back into the presence of God.

The law of justice imposed conditions upon the law of mercy. Those conditions we call commandments. Only the law of mercy has conditions. It is the conditions of spiritual law that give us freewill and agency. It is the conditions of temporal law that give us freedom and liberty. Both temporal laws and spiritual laws have conditions. Without conditions there would be no freewill, agency, liberty or freedom. We have the power to choose which conditions we obey.

Sin is the violation of the laws of Christ which were placed by the law of justice on the law of mercy. Christ is bound by law. He must stay within the law, or he would cease to be God. Nothing is arbitrary with God. The following five curses occur because Judah violated the conditions placed upon the law of mercy by the law of justice.

Christ is trying to save them by calling them to repentance. If they do not repent, they will be subject to the law of justice. It is not Satan who punishes us in hell. Satan is subject to the law of justice. It is the law of justice that punishes us. It is Christ who saves us from the law of justice but only if we strive to obey his commandments. A ‘woe’ is a consequence of a broken law. If they repent, the atonement of Christ will save them from the consequences. That is the message of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, and the message of the Lord to all of us.

Isaiah 5:11-12

11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.

Two things are condemned in the above: drunkenness and forgetting Christ. Drunkeness symbolizes giving up agency, an abuse to the body which is a temple of God. They do not “consider the operation of his hands.” In other words, they do not acknowledge the hand of the Lord in their lives. They ignore his blessings, his sacrifice, and his miracles. They are guilty of ingratitude. The following are the consequences:

Isaiah 5:13-17

13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:

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Season 6, Podcast 47, Isaiah 5:1-10, “Lord of the Vineyard.”

Analogy is a primary tool in Hebraic poetry. We often call them parables. An analogy is a comparison between two things that are unlike but have similar characteristics. An analogy may be literal or figurative. It may be brief or extended. For example, Isaiah 5 is an extended analogy, comparing the House of Israel to a Vinyard. The Lord of the Vinyard is Christ.

Isaiah 5:1

1 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

The very fruitful hill is the Promised Land. The Vinyard is the House of Israel. The Well-beloved is Christ.

One of the most spectacular events in the New Testament is the baptism of Christ. In recording the event, Matthew refers to Christ as the beloved Son of the Father.

At the baptism we hear the voice of the Father from heaven. We see the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of God, descending like a dove, and we have the Lord Jesus Christ himself with an earthly body. When the Father introduced his Son to John the Baptist at the baptism of Christ by John, he said,

Matthew 3:16-17

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Christ, the well-beloved, then is the Lord of the Vineyard. The House of Israel is the Vinyard. In the beginning it was in “a very fruitful hill.” Metaphorically that refers to the time when the House of Israel kept their covenants with the Lord. The fruit of the vine refers to the children of Israel being raised in the gospel of Christ under the Law of Moses. Fruit could also refer to the holy scriptures, known as the Old Testament, which was written by the Lord’s anointed Prophets. ‘Fruitful hill’ refers to the time when they fully obeyed the Law of Moses which pointed them to Christ. All the ordinances of the Law of Moses were to remind the Children of Israel of Jehovah, or Jesus Christ, who would sacrifice his life for the sins of all mankind. The Fruitful Hill is also reference to the Promised Land. Christ does everything necessary to make his Vinyard successful, but, rather than a fruitful field, it begins to bring forth wild fruit.

Isaiah 5:2

2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

The power of analogy is in the comparisons. For example, as it relates to a vineyard, we know why a fence is needed, we know why stones must be removed, why healthy plants must be used, why a tower must be built, and what a winepress is for. However, what do the images of fence, stones, choicest vine, tower, and winepress mean when they refer to the House of Israel? If we miss that, we miss the meaning.

Just as a fence is built around a vineyard to keep out the wild animals that will destroy the vines, a fence is built around Jerusalem to keep out invading armies. It is also a symbol of keeping out Satan and the world, which symbolizes the natural man. The fence that protects the vineyard may be made of stone. The fence that protects the Children of Israel is righteousness, obeying the commandments, keeping the covenants. In Psalm 18, David said, “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my god, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”

Stones, of course are impediments to plowing fertile ground, but stones can be gathered and

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Season 6, Podcast 46, Isaiah 4:1-6, “Redemption.”

In our last episode, “The Law of Chastity,” the Lord condemns the daughters of Zion for pride and lasciviousness. In this episode, the Lord cleanses the daughters of Zion.

Isaiah 4:1

1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

That is the effect of protracted war. The young men have been decimated in battle. Left is the ratio of seven women to one man. Because they did not listen to the warning of Isaiah, all the calamities occurred that were prophesied. We need to always keep in mind that Isaiah is also speaking of our day. Tragedy has humbled them. They have repented of their sins and a new Millennial Day has dawned.

Isaiah 4:2

2 In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

Isaiah often speaks of the Millennium. During the Millennial Day only the righteous shall survive.

Isaiah 4:3

3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:

The Lord makes it very apparent in the scriptures that, although they must suffer because of the sins of others, he will spare the righteous. Isaiah tells us,

Isaiah 3:10

10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

Earlier, Isaiah promised,

Isaiah 1:27

27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.

The Lord reveals to David.

Psalm 5:12

12 For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

The Lord makes the following promise to the righteous.

Psalm 34:17

17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

The Lord does not make that promise to the wicked.

Isaiah 1:28

28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

In the last days the Lord will cleanse the daughters of Zion.

Isaiah 4:4

4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

We are reminded of the words of the Lord to Malachi.

Malachi 3:2-3

2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:

3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

The tables turn. The Lord protects Zion in the Last Days.

Isaiah 4:5

5 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

The Jews would have understood that historical image, for its prototype is a sacred part of their history as they were led through the wilderness.

Exodus 13:21

21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

Isaiah continues.

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Season 6 Podcast 45, Isaiah 3:16-26, “The Law of Chastity.”

For those who love poetry one of the unique characteristics of Isaiah is his use of concrete language. None are better than Isaiah. Language is astonishingly flexible. It can be abstract or concrete, general or specific. Abstractions often appear in long Latin polysyllabic words. Concrete statements often appear in short one syllable words. General language is the language of opinion, interpretation, elucidation, analysis, or synthesis. Specific language appeals to the senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Specific language requires an interpreter. And that is exactly what we are facing in the remainder of Chapter 3 in Isaiah. Always remember that Isaiah is a visionary, meaning, not only did he observe his own day, but in vision he also saw our day. He is showing the signs of his time that led to the destruction of the Jews by the Babylonians. He is also warning us to look for those same signs in our day. If they exist, then we must as a nation hearken to the Lord’s warning or suffer the same fate. For Example,

Isaiah 3:16

16 Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

Who are the daughters of Zion? They are the daughters of the covenant people, the chosen of the Lord; yet rather than filled with humility, they are filled with pride. They “walk with stretched forth necks.” That is the image of a proud peacock. Rather than chaste looks, they have “wanton eyes.” ‘Wanton eyes’ are eyes filled with lust or desire, suggesting sexual desire. They are like harlots, seducing the sons of Israel. That is in violation of the Law of Chasity, better known as Commandment Seven, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

“Walking and mincing as they go” suggests an affected, delicate, or flirtatious walk, intended to draw attention to themselves, again suggesting wanton or immodest behavior, unbecoming of the daughters of Zion. The final image, “making a tinkling with their feet” also suggests drawing attention to themselves. In other words, rather than modesty, they are making a gaudy display of themselves in an attempt to seduce young men.

Rather than an image of a daughter in Zion, it is the image of a street walker. As harmless as it may appear, especially to a modern society, it is unbecoming of the Lord’s chosen people. Isaiah is not just referring to Jewish women. He is referring to all of his daughters for they are all children of God. In the words of Peter

1 Peter 1:14-15

14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.

The Lord reveals to Isaiah the consequences of violating the law of chastity.

Isaiah 3:17

17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.

The haunting image suggests the result of diseases. It is known that STDs are related to infidelity, inflammatory disease, chronic pain, organ damage, cancer, miscarriage, birth defects, depression, sores. That explains the image, “the Lord will discover their secret parts,” meaning that their promiscuity cannot be kept a secret which would cause intense humiliation.

That is the power of poetic language that appeals to the senses. One not only sees the pain it causes, one can almost experience the pain through strong imagery. It is an incredibly unpleasant image in sharp contrast to their former beauty and sexual attraction. In fact, what before gave them confidence now brings them down into fear and humiliation.

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Season 6, Podcast 44, Isaiah 3:12-15, “The Four Laws of Liberty.”

In Isaiah 4:1-11, the Lord warns the House of Judah that if they don’t repent, their nation will be destroyed. He promises the righteous that it shall be well with them. That doesn’t mean that they shall be entirely spared for trials, but it does mean that the Lord will uphold them in their trials. He tells the wicked, however, that it shall be ill with them, meaning he will not uphold them in their trials. The message of Isaiah, however, is that the destruction can be averted if they turn to him. The Lord continues to warn them of their coming disasters.

Isaiah 3:12

12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

In the above the Lord blames their leaders and prophecies that their government will crumble because of their disobedience. Nevertheless, the Lord pleads with them to repent.

Isaiah 3:13

13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.

Judgment, of course, is a double-edged sword. As stated above, it is well for the righteous but ill for the wicked. The Lord continues to list their transgressions.

Isaiah 3:14-15

14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.

The problem is over taxation. The rulers are growing rich while the poor grow poorer. We must always keep at the forefront of our minds that Isaiah’s prophecies also reach beyond the moment. The Lord is warning all governments, even the government of the United States of America, that their land will be cursed if the leaders live fat off the labors of the poor. The curse of the Lord applies to our government as well, that those who rule are in a position of service. If they abuse their power they will bring calamity to the land. We see the same thing in America today. How is it that our rulers go into service poor and come out rich? They go into office with earning thousands but come out banking millions. They “beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor.”

The story of the Old Testament is the story of the rise and fall of nations. It should not escape us that the story of the House of Israel is also the story of America. America is to us what the Promised Land was to the House of Israel. It is our Promised Land, set apart by God as a beacon of freedom to the world.

We are on a parallel course. Everything Isaiah says applies to America. James calls the Ten Commandments the Law of Liberty. In fact, let’s examine for a moment the Book of James in the New Testament. Bible scholars identify the author as the brother of Jesus. Tradition has it that he was a Christian martyr, around 62 AD.

James, noted for his strong teachings on the importance of works, identifies four laws of liberty. It is no coincidence that those four laws are the foundation of American Liberty.

The first one is The Law of Liberty, or what is better known as The Ten Commandments.

James 2:10-12

10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

In the following I include the full Ten Commandments.

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Season 6, Podcast 43, Isaiah 3:1-11, “Pattern of Prophecy.”

There is a pattern of prophecy in the Holy Bible. Prior to destruction, the Lord sends prophets to warn his people of forthcoming calamities. We, as Christians, revere prophets of the past, and Isaiah is one of the most revered, but in their own day they were often persecuted, imprisoned, and even killed. It was very unpopular for a prophet to tell people that they are so wicked they are going to be destroyed. People do not necessarily see themselves as wicked. It is especially difficult for unrighteous kings to humble themselves before prophets who tell them they are failing, especially when they are enjoying worldly prosperity.

In Isaiah 3, Isaiah continues the theme of Chapters 1 and 2. He is warning the Jews of impending destruction.

Isaiah 3:1

1 For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

If the ‘stay of bread’ of the ‘stay of water’ is taken way, it means they will suffer or even die of hunger and thirst. A staff is something to lean on. David said, “Thy rod (meaning the word of God) and thy staff (meaning the support of God) they comfort me.” Imagine if the rod and staff are taken away, and they had no access to food and water. That is what Isaiah is prophesying. They are in a land flowing with milk and honey, but it is all about to be taken away from them. Isaiah is referring to the impending Babylonian captivity in which the City of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon are about to be destroyed, and they will be led into exile. In addition, the invading Babylonian army, which will consist of thousands of hungry soldiers, will destroy the crops of their fields and devour their food, desecrating their homes and property, and violating their women. Part of the pay of mercenaries is the bounty they steal when they invade other countries. The barbarity of war is unimaginable. They had approximately 100 years of peace from the time of Isaiah and the Babylonian Captivity around 600 BC. The Jews had no reason to think they were in imminent danger.

Isaiah also prophesies that their government will be destroyed and their way of life disrupted.

Isaiah 3:2-3

2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,

3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.

We know that Isaiah was ignored, and we can imagine he was mocked much like Noah when he prophesied that a flood would cover the earth.

Isaiah is very specific in describing the calamities that are about to come.

Isaiah 3:4-7

4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:

7 In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.

Isaiah explains why this disaster is befalling the Jews.

Isaiah 3:8

8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.

They haven’t fallen yet so they don’t believe him. Isaiah classifies their sins into two parts. Part one is their use of language, and Part Two are their actions.

The Lord commanded the Children of Israel not to take his name in vain. We generally assume that taking the Lord’s name in vain is simple swearing.

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Season 6, Podcast 42, Isaiah 2:1-22, “The Millennium.”

Isaiah could also be called the Millennium prophet. Many prophets spoke of the Millennium: Ezekial, Hosea, Joel, Micah, Zechariah, Matthew, John. But none, perhaps, more than Isaiah.

Isaiah 2:1

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

Why did Isaiah say Judah and Jerusalem? Aren’t they the same thing. They are inextricably connected, of course; however, Isaiah is speaking of a separation. Within less than a hundred years, approximately 84, Jerusalem will be conquered by the Babylonians, the temple will be destroyed, and Judah will be led into exile in Babylon for 70 years. Though they return to Jerusalem and the temple is rebuilt, things are never the same. After the death of Christ, the temple again is destroyed and the Jews are once more sent into exile, and this time not just to Babylon but to the ends of the earth.

Isaiah, however, now looks over 2500 years into the future. There will be a new temple and a new day.

Isaiah 2:2

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

We have the exquisite image of John the Revelator.

Revelation 21:1-4

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

From the prophet Joel we learn,

Joel 3:17

17 So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

The millennium is like a Sabbath of the Lord. It is no coincidence that the Millennium comes during the seventh thousand years of man’s existence on earth. We are told that a thousand years is as a day unto the Lord. The Millennium will be 1000 years of peace and rest. Christ himself will be the judge.

Isaiah 2:4-5

4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

The Lord is calling the entire house of Israel, which has been scattered throughout the earth, to return. Besides peace, the gathering of Israel is one of the hallmarks of the Millennium. In that day they will accept Christ and return to their rightful home. Ezekial records.

Ezekiel 36:35

35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.

War will cease. Enmity among man and beast will cease.

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Season 6, Podcast 41, Isaiah 1:19-31, “Promises of God.”

In the last podcast we examined Isaiah 1:1-18 in which the Lord chastened the Jews for breaking his everlasting covenants. Following his chastisement, he made great promises if they would repent and come back into the covenant. He continues those promises.

Isaiah 1:19

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

One of the covenants the House of Israel broke was the Ten Commandments. From the above one is remind of the 5th commandment.

Exodus 20:12

12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

It is a commandment with a promise. “That thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy god giveth thee.” In the above the Lord promises that they shall also “eat the good of the land.” All commandments come with both a curse if they are disobeyed and a blessing if they are obeyed. God is not arbitrary. A commandment of God is a law, and all laws have consequences. The formula is rather simple. If we want a blessing from God, we obey the law upon which the blessing is predicated. On the other hand, if we want a cursing, we disobey the law upon which it is predicated. Law is central to everything God does. Implicit in all commandments are both a blessing and a cursing. God is never arbitrary, and he never breaks a promise. We all live in a covenant relationship with God, and all laws are a form of that covenant. Isaiah Chapter 1 is an illustration of how God works. The purpose of true prophets is to reveal those laws and commandments to us. When God says that we are judged for our works, he is referring to our obedience or disobedience to his laws and covenants. God is just. We are not held accountable for laws we do not have; however, when we enter that covenant we are accountable for all the laws we do have. The purpose of the atonement of Christ is to satisfy the law of justice. For example, when we break a law, justice demands punishment. The atonement allows us to repent and change our course and bring us back into the covenant. The blood of Christ pays for our sin and justice has no hold on us. However, if we reject Christ and do not repent, justice requires punishment. The law of justice places restrictions on the law of mercy. Those restrictions are what we call the commandments of God. In Isaiah 1 God is teaching us that principle. If the Children of Israel continue to rebel, they will be led into captivity. They will lose their birthright. They will be driven out of the Promised Land, the land of their inheritance. On the other hand, if they repent, they shall “eat the good of the land.”

If they refuse to repent, however, they will fall under the heavy hand of justice.

Isaiah 1:20

20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

The Lord reminds Israel how far they have strayed from their covenants.

Isaiah 1:21-23

21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:

23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

Again, I remind you of the poetic structure of Isaiah. In the following he uses antithetical parallelism. That means the use of opposites. He contrasts blessings with cursings. In other words, those who repent, the Lord will bless. Those who don’t, the Lord will curse.

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Season 6, Podcast 40, Isaiah 1:1-18, “The Atonement.”

It is probably agreed among Christians that Isaiah is considered one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. One thing that makes Isaiah unique is that his prophesies coincide with the Prophecies of John the Revelator, and both speak not only of their own time but also of our day just prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and Christ’s Millennial Reign. The Central theme of both prophets is the Second Coming of the Messiah, the Only Begotten Son of God, even Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the World. Both use highly metaphorical language and were masters of the ancient Hebrew poetic style as was King David.

Isaiah was prophet during the reins of the following kings.

Isaiah 1:1

“The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”

They reigned in succession approximately from 792-687 BC. When the Children of Israel were righteous, kings consulted the prophets. When the Children of Israel were wicked, kings persecuted and destroyed the prophets.

Speaking for the Lord, Isaiah chastises Israel for rebelling against the Lord.

Isaiah 1:2

“Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.”

The poetic imagery of Isaiah is vivid and powerful. His use of simile, metaphor, and analogy, both literal and figurative helps reader not only see but also feel the anger of the Lord.

“The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.”

Notice the parallel structure for it is a hallmark of Hebrew poetry adopted by the prophets of the Holy Bible. Parallelism must be considered when studying the ancient prophets. The Hebrews did not use the syntax that English speaking nations are accustomed to. We use headings, sentences, and paragraphs set off with punctuation. The Old Testament Prophets used parallelism. For example, in the above, the clause, “The ox knoweth his owner” is coupled with, “but Israel doth not know.” The clause, “and the ass his master’s crib” is coupled with, “my people doth not consider.” As with most poetic language, Hebraic poetry demonstrates a mastery of economy, emphasis, coherence, unity, and clarity. If you read the couplet twice, you find that the clauses are interchangeable which increases the meaning. One cannot overlook that the Children of Israel have just been compared by the Lord to an ox and ass and they came up short.

But the Lord is not through chastising them.

Isaiah 1:4

“Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.”

Again, notice the parallelism. The Lord defines what he means by “Ah sinful Nation:” He provides six examples:

a people laden with iniquity,
a seed of evildoers,
children that are corrupters:
they have forsaken the Lord,
they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger,
they are gone away backward

Those are pretty serious charges. However, the Lord is trying to get their attention. The Lord knows something that they don’t know. In only a few years, 586 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon will sweep down and destroy the temple of Jerusalem, murder many of the Jews, and lead the rest into exile where they will live in captivity for 70 years. But this is virtually the end of their freedom.

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Season 6 Podcast 39 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 22:11-21 “Come Unto Christ.”

In the Book of Revelation, John refers to two periods of time. For example, Notice the phrases:

Revelation 1:1

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Revelation 1:19

19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

Notice, for example the second time we hear the phrase, “things which must be hereafter.” Let’s turn to Revelation 4:1.

Now consider the subject matter of the above.

Revelation 4:2-6

2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind..

Revelation 1:1

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Revelation 22:6

And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

In both instances he is speaking of the Second Coming of Christ. Verse 6 of revelation 22 is followed with a blessing to those who keep the prophecies in the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 22:7

7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

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Season 6 Podcast 38 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 22:1-10 “The New Jerusalem Pt 3.”

Surely there is no more dramatic scripture in all Holy writing than is found in Revelation 22. This is the final word. The events that led up to this moment are spectacular. Let me remind you of Peter’s prophecy.

2 Peter 3:10-14

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

Revelation 22 speaks of the final fate of the earth and the reward of the righteous for only the saved shall dwell in the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, the home of the Father and the Son. This is the primary theme of the Book of Revelation. The Millennium and the New Jerusalem are separate events. A great change will come over the earth in preparation for the Millennium. In earlier chapters John speaks explicitly about the tribulation of those days as discussed previously. Isaiah gives an exquisite vision of life on earth during the Millennium.

First of all, Christ shall reign

Isaiah 11:1-5

1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Secondly, there shall be no enmity among man or animal.

Isaiah 11:8

6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.

All wars will cease. The Word of God will be taught to all people of the earth. The Gentiles will be converted.

Isaiah 11:9-10

9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

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Season 6 Podcast 37 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 21:9-27 “The New Jerusalem Pt 2.”

In this Podcast we shall continue with the description of the New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:9-10

“And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.”

The plagues are over. There is a new heaven and a new earth. “The bride, the Lamb’s wife” is the church. They are the exalted saints who remained true while on earth. They are now in the Holy City Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.”

The sight is too spectacular to fully imagine.

Revelation 21:11

“Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;”

The above image appears several times in the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 4:6

“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.”

The crystal symbolizes knowledge. Notice that the four beasts are “full of eyes before and behind.” That symbolizes omniscience or knowledge of past, present, and future.

Revelation 15:2

Fire is a ubiquitous image in the Holy Bible and symbolizes both hell and heaven. In Revelation above it symbolizes heaven. It is also shown with the glory of God which is brighter than the sun. Fire represents purity.

“Baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" (Matthew 3:11)

“He is like a refiner’s fire,” (Malachi 3:2)

“His eyes were as a flame of fire.” (Revelation 1:14)

“And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” (2 Kings 2:11)

The Holy City, as earlier stated is compared to “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” which is the church. That image is strongly reinforced in the following verses.

Revelation 21: 12-13

"And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

Those apostles and prophets came from the twelve tribes of Israel, which, of course included the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

They are to remind us of the twelve tribes of Israel. Christ himself descended from the house of David of the tribe of Judah. When Christ established his church, it is no accident that he called 12 Apostles.

Revelation 21:14

“And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Christ made it clear that the twelve apostles were the foundation of his church. In the words of Paul.

Ephesians 2:19-22

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

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Season 6 Podcast 36 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 21:1-8 “The New Jerusalem Pt 1.”

Christ came to earth and gained a mortal body during the meridian of time. He only lived on the earth between 33 and 34 years. Biblical scholars tell us that he began his ministry, according to Jewish law, at age 30 and taught for 3 & ½ years. He will come again just prior to the Millennium, a glorified, resurrected being, and cleanse the earth and reign 1000 years. Then he shall return a third time which will mark the end of the world.

So much emphasis is placed on the First and Second comings that we perhaps diminish the importance of the Third coming. Revelation 21 is speaking, not of the Second Coming, but of the Third Coming, which is very dramatic and very sweeping. During the Second Coming, the earth is changed into a paradise which we simply refer to as The Millennium. ccDuring the Third Coming, however, the old earth melts with fervent heat and is cleansed from all impurities. In turn there is a new earth and a new heaven. That means two things. One the earth is glorfied and celestialized and Two the earth is removed from its present orbit, supposedly near the throne of God.

Revelation 21:1

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

This cleansing was spoken of during Christ’s ministry. Matthew 24 is unique among the four gospels for it speaks of end time. Christ is preaching only to his apostles as they sit with him upon the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem. First he tells them of the fate of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, and he then speaks of his Second Coming. However, he alludes to the end of the world but only to emphasize that his words will all be fulfilled.

Matthew 24:35

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

That means, of course, that everything on the old earth, including all life, shall be entirely destroyed, and there shall be a kind of resurrection. Once, the earth, in the days of Noah, was cleansed by water, symbolizing a baptism. In the end of the earth, it shall be cleansed by fire. All impurities will be gone, and the earth will be prepared for a new form of life, a celestial form of life. Isaiah also speaks of the end of the world.

Isaiah 65:17

“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”

Peter also, in very dramatic language, speaks of the end of the world.

2 Peter 3:10

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

We must separate the Second Coming of Christ from the Third, or final, coming of Christ. After the elements of the earth melt with fervent heat, then comes down the Holy City, New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:2

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

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Season 6 Podcast 35, Revelation 20:13-15, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “The Second Death.”

Earlier we learned that immediately following death, the spirit goes to the spirit world. We know that Christ was the first fruits of the resurrection; therefore, all who died before Christ were required to wait in the spirit world until Christ brought about the resurrection of the dead.

Revelation 20:13

“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.”

Three things give up their dead: (1) the sea, meaning the watery grave (2) death, meaning earthly grave) and (3) hell, meaning the place of punishment for sins. Many have been lost at sea; therefore, the Lord gives comfort that all who are lost at sea will rise in the resurrection as well as those who are buried on land. But what does John mean when he said, “hell delivered up the dead which were in them’? And why is hell plural? Could it be there is more than one hell?

To understand what is happening we must consider both the law of justice and the law of mercy as well as the extent of grace. Those who call upon Christ do not go to hell. As mentioned previously, they go to Paradise. Jesus said to the thief on the cross

Luke 23:43

“Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

However, the commandments of God are the conditions of the atonement. Those who do not accept the mercy of Christ, such as the other thief, will have to pay for their own sins in hell. The law of justice demands it. As Christ said they will not get out until they have paid “the uttermost farthing.” But all sins aren’t alike just as all sinners are not alike. Christ said there are many mansions.

Just as all saints do not go to the same heaven, all unrepentant sinners do not go to the same hell. Because of the atonement a person must pay only for his own sins and because of the atonement a person will be rewarded only for his own works. Without the atonement, there would be no reward and no heaven, only the lake of fire. However, because of the atonement, even for those who have paid for their sins in hell, there is a heaven or mansion prepared for them. Paul described it this way,

1 Corinthian 15:41

“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.”

Christ reveals to John that he has the keys to both hell and death.

Revelation 1: 18

“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

The greatest king of all, King David, had to pay for the murder of Uriah the husband of Bathsheba in hell. But even King David said,

Psalm 16:10

“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”

Speaking of Psalm 16:10, Peter added:

Acts 2:31

“He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.”

Mankind suffered the first death because of the fall of Adam. We suffered both a physical death and a spiritual death. A physical death is the separation of the body and the spirit. A spiritual death is the separation of man from God. However, because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, physical death is overcome by the resurrection and spiritual death is overcome by Christ’s suffering in Gethsemane.

Spiritual death means to be cut off from the presence of God. While in hell they are cut off from the presence of God.

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Season 6 Podcast 34 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 20:12 “The Book of Life.”

There is an interim between death and the resurrection. Apparently the spirit world is a very large place. It contains a kingdom referred to by Christ as Paradise. Christ said to the thief on the cross.

Luke 23:42-43

“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

Christ is not resurrected for three days. That means when he goes to Paradise he is a spirit where he stayed for three days. The gospel is taught in the spirit world.

1 Peter 4:6

“For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”

In the spirit world they did not see the resurrected Lord. That means they must accept the resurrection on faith just as those in the flesh must accept the resurrection on faith. The above scripture also suggests that the gospel continues to be taught even after he is gone. It is logical to assume that he organized his church among the righteous who would continue to preach the gospel to the dead. That, of course, would include his prophets who had died. There is also a place in the spirit world referred to as “Spirit Prison.” Those would be taught the gospel by the members of his church organized in the spirit world.

1 Peter 3:18-20

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”

All spirits of the dead remain in the spirit world until they are resurrected from the dead. Those who were not taught the gospel on earth will have a chance to hear the gospel there. The final judgment does not occur until after the resurrection.

Revelation 20

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God;”

Since God judges by the heart, the ‘great’ probably refers to those who were obedient to God’s commandments while on earth, and the ‘small’ refers to those who were disobedient to God’s commandments while on earth. Two sets of books are open.

Revelation 20

“and the books were opened:

The first set of books, which refers to many books, refers to the Holy Scriptures, meaning, of course, the Holy Bible and all of the other sacred records revealed to man from the time of Adam. The record of Enoch, for example. They are the standards of judgment by which we will be judged. However, we will only be judged out of the books that were available to us while on earth. The second book is singular, but it is extraordinarily important.

Revelation 20

“and another book was opened, which is the book of life:"

The second is called The Book of Life. It contains the names of those who are saved in the Kingdom of God. It refers to those who are righteous, who qualify to enter the Kingdom of God in Heaven.

There are two standards by which we are judged. The absolute standards are contained in the Holy Scriptures.

Revelation 20

“and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,”

The Second standard will by our works. In other words, our works will be measured against the commandments of God that we were given while on earth.

Revelation 20

“according to their works.”

Our works will be measured against our obedience to those laws, standards, ordinances, covenants, and conditions outlined in the Holy scriptures.

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Season 6 Podcast 33 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 20:4-11 “The Lake of Fire and Brimstone.”

Last week we discussed the fate of the damned. Typical Hebrew poetry uses various forms of parallelism. It is not surprising, using antithetical parallelism, that John immediately follows the fate of the damned with the fate of the saved or the fate of the Christian martyrs.

Revelation 20:4

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

While Satan is chained to the Bottomless Pit for a thousand years, the resurrected martyrs live and reign with Christ for a thousand years. John is speaking of the first resurrection.

Revelation 20:5

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”

Notice that only the just come forth in the first resurrection. Only the just will be resurrected when Christ comes again. “The rest of the dead,” referring to those who were unjust or who did not repent of their sins, must wait at least 1000 years before they are resurrected. John divides the resurrection into two periods of time. The first period includes only the resurrection of the just. The second period includes the resurrection of the unjust. The unjust will not be resurrected until the end of days after all the righteous have been resurrected. We understandably think of the Book of Revelation as being about the apocalypse, but it is primary focused on the rewards of the righteous. There is not a more positive book in all Holy Writ as Book of Revelation of St John the Divine.

Revelation 20:6

“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

Consider five great blessings of those who come forth in the first resurrection: (1) they are blessed and holy; (2) they have part in the first resurrection; (3) the second death has no power over them; (4) they shall be priests of God and of Christ; and (5) they shall reign with Christ during the Millennium.

Meanwhile Satan is bound during the Millennium. He is not released for 1000 years.

Revelation 20:7

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.”

John uses the term prison rather than hell. Remember he was bound with a great chain and cast into the Bottomless Pit. Also, a seal was placed over the Bottomless pit to prevent his escape from eternal darkness. The great chain symbolizes his complete loss of power.

After the prison sentence of 1000 years, he is let out on parole. He immediately seeks revenge against Christ by trying to drag people back down to hell with him. Think of the state of those whom he will try to tempt. First of all, those who have been resurrected will be taken up into heaven. They can never be tempted by Satan again. After the millennium, those who remain are mortal and are subject to what Shakespeare so aptly called “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” However, even though they are mortal they have lived in the presence of Christ for a very long time. They are truly the elect of the earth. The judgment of those who fall after having known Christ so intimately will be much harsher than those who died without knowing the law.

Revelation 20:8

“And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea."

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Season 6 Podcast 32 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 20:1-3 “The Bottomless Pit.”

Previously we discussed Revelation 19 which presented the ‘The Marriage Feast of the Lamb,’ and ‘The Supper of the Great God.’ This week we shall discuss Revelation 20, ‘The Bottomless Pit.’

Revelation 20:1

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.”

One thing that we must always keep in mind in reading the scriptures is that every word matters. It would be wonderful, of course, if we had the original documents in the original language as written by the hand of the prophets, for imperfections in languages, opinions, prejudices, weaknesses, and personal agenda can corrupt translations. But, of course, that is not to be. I use the King James Translation, the Bible of my youth, but freely acknowledge that even before the King James Version the Bible underwent many translations. Some things are bound to be changed or lost. Still the language is exquisite, the poetry beautiful, the imagery exciting.

Three images in the above verse must be considered:

An angel coming down from heaven.
The key of the bottomless pit
A great chain in his hand.

The angel obviously is one of great authority sent by God to bind Satan. That suggests that Satan has no more power than the Lord allows. Satan entered the Garden of Eden only because the Lord allowed it. Satan was cast out of heaven because he rebelled against God. Christ said, “I saw Satan like lightning fall from heaven.” Isaiah tells us.

Isaiah 14:12-16

Isaiah is speaking of the very moment spoken of by John above. Isaiah lived about 800 years before Christ. The Millenium does not come for at least 2000 years after Christ. We are now living in the year 2025. The chronological millennium has begun but clearly not the prophesied or spiritual Millennium. That is not subject to the Gregorian Calendar. Still, it does suggest that the Second Coming of Christ could be any day. That is when the Spiritual Millennium begins and it will last a 1000 years. That means that almost three thousand years will come between the prophecy of Isaiah and the Second Coming of Christ, or the beginning of the Millennium, which is the period of time Isaiah and John the Revelator are talking about.

The key the angel holds refers to the authority of the priesthood. Isaiah speaks of those keys.

Isaiah 22:22

“And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”

John the Revelator speaks of the same event.

Revelation 3:7

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.”

Twice John refers to the same keys.

Revelation 9:1

“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit."

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Season 6 Podcast 31, “What is Real?”

In answering the question, What is Real? We must take into account the fact that we are dual beings. We have both a spiritual body and a temporal body. Life is in the spirit body.

Intelligence, consciousness, freewill, thought, opinions, desires—those are all spiritual. Without the spirit, the temporal body dies. Another way of saying that is at death the spirit leaves the body and goes back to heaven where it came from.

Everything the spirit takes with it is spiritual. Everything that lies in the grave with the dismantling body is temporal and remains in the grave.

Before we received our mortal bodies, we were spirits in the image of our Heavenly Father living in a spiritual world, also made of matter, but very fine, even invisible to mortal eyes, yet as immortal as the elements from which we came. We were subject to the laws of God. Those who disobeyed the laws of God were cast out of heaven. The Savior said,

“I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” (Luke 10:18)

Those who obeyed the laws of God fought the war in heaven on the side of Christ, led by Michael, the archangel.

Revelation 12:7 - 11

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

The war was fought over agency. Everyone who came to this earth to gain a mortal body fought on the side of Christ under the leadership of Michael to guarantee freedom of conscience.

In heaven we were not subject to death or to entropy or to the temporal laws of this mortal world. We were subject only to spiritual laws; however, those laws, based on the principle of causality, had absolute consequences. Even in the world of spirits we had agency and could choose between good and evil.

Those who followed Satan were cast down to the earth with him, but remained spirits. Once called by noble names in heaven, having lost their identity in a mortal world which recognizes only mortal matter, on earth, invisible, they are simply called demons or devils or evil spirits. They are visible to each other, but invisible to those who once in heaven’s bliss called them friends till internecine war made them enemies. Being able to see but not feel, the followers of Satan adjusted their armor against a mortal enemy who can feel, but not see. The battle that raged in heaven continues to rage on earth. The enemies’ (mortal man) new-found joy increases the misery of the fallen, and the blind disdain of mortals toward immortal spirits injures their pride and inflames their hatred and intensifies their fiery resolve to bring misery and captivity to every former brother and sister that breathes. Their former memories are untouched by the veil that holds the memories of their forgetful friends; they blindly follow their leader who

“as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8)

Those hateful spirits who followed Lucifer came to earth, forever bodiless, to torment those who sided with Michael to cast their rebellious spirits out of heaven.

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Season 6 Podcast 30 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 58 Chapter XI, “Entering the Celestial City.”

Christian and Hopeful are led with a throng to the gates of the Celestial City.

“This done, they compassed them round on every side; some went before, some behind, and some on the right hand, some on the left (as it were to guard them through the upper regions), continually sounding as they went, with melodious noise, in notes on high: so that the very sight was to them that could behold it as if heaven itself was come down to meet them. Thus, therefore, they walked on together; and, as they walked, ever and anon these trumpeters, even with joyful sound, would, by mixing their music, with looks and gestures, still signify to Christian and his brother how welcome they were into their company, and with what gladness they came to meet them. And now were these two men as it were in heaven before they came at it, being swallowed up with the sight of angels, and with hearing of their melodious notes. Here also they had the City itself in view, and thought they heard all the bells therein to ring, and welcome them thereto. But, above all, the warm and joyful thoughts that they had about their own dwelling there with such company, and that for ever and ever, oh! by what tongue or pen can their glorious joy be expressed?”

Following their incredibly long journey which encompassed many temptations. For example.

The City of Destruction,The wicket gate, The Slough of Despond, The Town of Morality. The House of the Interpreter. The Hill of Difficulty, The Palace, The Valley of Humiliation,

The Valley of the Shadow of Death, Wilderness, Vanity Fair, Town of Fair-speech, Delicate plain called Ease, Little hill, called Lucre, River of the Water of Life, By-path Meadow, A Deep Pit, Doubting Castle, The Delectable Mountains, Hill called Error, Mountain called Caution, By-way to Hell, The Country of Conceit, The town of Apostasy, The town of Sincere, Broad-way Gate, a lane called Dead Man’s Lane, The City of Good-Confidence, The Enchanted Ground, Beulah Land, The Treacherous River, Mount Zion, Celestial City

Christian and Hopeful finally reach the Celestial Gate. Along the long journey they also had encountered many Saints who helped them along the way:

Evangelist, Help, Goodwill who opens the Wicket gate, The Shining Ones, Watchful, The Porter, Discretion, Piety, Prudence, Charity, Faithful, All-Prayer, Moses, the law giver, Christ after suffering on the Cross, The Lord of the Hill, The Shepherds on Delectable, Mountain: Knowledge, Experience, Watchful, and Sincere, Great-Grace, the King’s champion, that dwells in the city of God. Confidence, A Shining One, Two Shining Men

They also met discouragement in the form of.

Obstinate, Pliable, Worldly Wiseman, Mr. Legality, Civility, Man of despair locked in a cage, Simple, Sloth, Presumption, Formalist and Hypocrisy, Timorous and Mistrust, Wanton, Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, and Pride of Life, the three daughters of Adam the First,

Discontent, Pride, Arrogancy, Self-Conceit, and Worldly-Glory, Shame, Talkative, Lord Hate-Good, Envy, Superstition, Pickthank, Lord Old-man, Lord Carnal-Delight, Lord Luxurious, Lord Desire-of-Vain-Glory, Lord Lust, Mr. Blind-man, Mr. No-good, Mr. Malice, Mr. Love-lust, Mr. Live-Loose, Mr. Heady, Mr. High-mind, Mr. Enmity, Mr. Liar, Mr. Cruelty, Mr. Hate-light, and Mr. Implacable, my Lord Turnabout, my Lord Timeserver, my Lord Fair-speech, Mr. Smooth-man, Mr. Facing-both-ways, Mr. Anything , Mr. Two-tongues, the parson of our parish, my Lady Feigning's daughter, Mr. hold-the-world, Mr. Money-love, Mr. Save-All, Mr. Gripe-man, Vain-Confidence, Hymeneus and Philetus

Ananias and Sapphira, his wife, The Flatterer, Ignorance.

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Season 6 Podcast 29 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 19:17-21 “The Supper of the Great God.”

Last week we discussed the ‘Marriage Supper of the Lamb.’ This week we discuss ‘The Supper of the Great God.’ Anyone who understands scripture would want to be invited to the ‘Marriage Supper of the Lamb.’ No one who understands scripture would want to be invited to the Supper of the Great God. It is a gruesome picture of the aftermath of the Battle of Armageddon, the final battle before Christ comes.

Revelation 19:17

Those are carrion birds such as eagles, hawks, magpies, ravens, crows, condors, kites, storks, seagulls, and vultures who eat the unburied bodies of the dead.

Revelation 19:18

“That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.”

Clearly it suggests war so large, a battle so great that they do not have the ability to bury the dead. One can only imagine the other nocturnal carrion creatures that gather for the feast. It would be a sight too offensive for the senses.

But we are warned of the battle earlier by John. It is a consequence of the six angels.

Revelation 16:2-16

And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. …

And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

When the seventh angel pours out his vile it is over.

Revelation 16:17

“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.”

The beast referred to is the first beast listed in Revelation 13.

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Season 6 Podcast 28, “The Language of Life.”

The key that unlocks all the mysteries of the earth is language. If we understand the language of life, we will understand life. God must communicate to the spirit; the spirit must communicate to the brain; and the brain must communicate to the body through language. There must be communication between the spiritual and the temporal, the natural and the supernatural, the physical and the biological. Consider man as a single body held together by language. Consider the earth as a single body held together by language. For perfect coordination to occur everything must talk to everything else. One must speak and the other must hear. Nature does not act in isolation and the ecology of the earth is not coincidental. Everything is governed by a complete set of laws and laws communicate through language. Those who know temporal law and temporal language know a good thing; but those who know spiritual law and spiritual language know a better thing. We must discern the role of law and language in our lives.

We easily confuse the purpose of language. Language, for example, is not a law. The purpose of language is to communicate information. Language is a servant to law. Evolutionists are in error by claiming that because law facilitates behavior law is the cause of all behavior. That is why science claims that we are machines, robots, or animals.

Without conditions of law there would be no freewill. Without law and the language of law, behavior couldn’t occur, and when language is corrupted behavior is corrupted, but language is not the cause. Some things, such as man, have the freedom to act; other things, such as plants and animals, are largely acted upon. The reason scientists do not believe that man has freewill is because they do not understand the role of law and language. They confuse the message with the messenger, or the messenger with the law.

Mathematics is a symbolic language that tells scientists what has been done in visual terms. Mathematics is a metaphor. Math is an abstraction of reality just as metaphor and simile are abstractions of reality and has no more relationship to reality than metaphor or simile. Truth is discovered because truth self-exists. Math is the language of man invented to describe what scientists observe. Newton and Leibniz invented calculus. Math did not create the universe. The universe created math. Math is nothing more than a refined form of analogy. Math is an analytical tool that helps us to understand law. Math is to science what language is to poetry. It is the image of reality, like a mirror, and not reality itself. Its greatest value is that it reveals the perfect order of the universe, though it had nothing to do with creating that order. Math is a language that reveals the interworking of law though it had nothing to do with creating law. Math works in describing law, not because math is orderly, but because law is orderly. Law and order come first. The language of law and order follows. If the universe had not been orderly, then math would never have been invented. A mathematical formula is a model of the real thing. It is not the thing itself. Math helps us to understand law, but math does not help us to comprehend law. Comprehension is outside of math. Math only has value because other mathematicians understand the symbols. Crick and Watson modeled the double helix of DNA with tinker-toys; however, the tinker toys were not the DNA.

Math is required to describe law, but mathematics is not required to comprehend our world. Another language is artificial intelligence, which to the computer is nothing but zeros and ones; however, to scientists, it is the principle of causality expressed in formal logic.

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Season 6 Podcast 27 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 57 Chapter XI, “The Celestial City.”

In last week’s podcast we met the Two Shining Men. Their purpose is to lead faithful pilgrims to the Celestial Gate. In this week’s episode we continue with the Two Shining Men. Christian and Hopeful ask,

"What must we do in the holy place?"

To whom it was answered.

“You must there receive the comfort of all your toil, and have joy for all your sorrow; you must reap what you have sown, even the fruit of all your prayers, and tears, and sufferings for the King by the way. In that place you must wear crowns of gold, and enjoy the perpetual sight and visions of the Holy One; for there you shall see Him as He is.”

The answer is taken partially from the book of 1 John.

1 John 3:2-3

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

That is an extraordinary promise, one that perhaps we take too lightly. What does it mean to see the Savior of the World as he is? First of all, let’s grasp what the resurrected Lord looks like. John the Revelator, who saw him as a resurrected being, tells us.

Revelation 1:13-16

“And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

Paul also saw the resurrected Jesus. He describes him to King Agrippa.

Acts 26:13-15

The ones who will see Christ as he is are those saints who inherit the Celestial City, which has been the goal from the beginning for Christian and Hopeful. Paul also describes the Celestial City.

1 Corinthians 15:40-42

"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption."

To grasp how dramatic it was, for example, for John, a mortal, to be in the presence of the resurrected Lord, notice his reaction.

Revelation 1:17-18

“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

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Season 6 Podcast 26 Book of Revelation, Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 19:1-6 “The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.”

Last week we discussed Chapter 18, The Fall of Babylon. This week we shall discuss Chapter 19, The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Revelation 19:1

“And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God.”

Babylon, of course, is very much on earth. Babylon represents the world and worldly governments corrupted by evil leaders. Here the “voice of much people” is coming from heaven. They are the ones caught up before the turbulent wars of Armageddon are fought. They are before the throne of God singing praises to the Savior. They are excited that Christ has judged Babylon whose governments were corrupt that they favored the wicked and punished the righteous.

Revelation 19:2

“For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.”

Babylon killed the prophets, but those prophets and all the other saints of God are now in heaven looking down at the destruction on the earth and rejoicing.

Revelation 19:3-6

“And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”

In the above we get some idea of the vast number who are saved in the Kingdom of God. They are the ones who remained faithful, who did not take upon themselves the mark of the beast.

Revelation 13:16-17

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

Those in heaven celebrate their victory over the beast.

Revelation 15:2-3

“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints."

With all of the rather disturbing images of the Book of Revelation, it is actually one of the greatest books of hope in the Holy Scriptures. It begins and ends with the blessings to the Seven Churches. The primary theme of the book of Revelation is the blessings of those saints who overcome the cunning of Satan, the craftiness of man, and the natural man.

Revelation 22:1-5

"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

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Season 6 Podcast 25, “The Law of Justice Pt 3.”

Because Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, the law of justice was broken, thus came about the fall of man. The law of justice cannot be splintered, patched up, tinkered with, or repaired, say like a machine. It is not fragmented. It is the unifying law of everything. There can be no theory of everything that does not include the law of justice.

The law of justice is the theory of everything. It is the law of laws, the law of creation, the unifying theory, the Holy Grail that science will never find because science deals only with mortal law and justice comprehends both temporal law and spiritual law. The laws of nature are a type of the law of justice. The law of justice is unconditional. It is a single law that governs all other laws. All lower order of laws has conditions and boundaries, and those conditions and boundaries must satisfy the unconditional law of justice, or they are not laws.

The law of justice is spiritual. No temporal law can answer for everything. That is evidenced by the presence of entropy. Temporal law cannot save us. At death we move beyond the boundaries of temporal law.

Temporal law cannot resurrect us for temporal law deals with mortality and the resurrection deals with immortality. Temporal law cannot give us everlasting life. Temporal law cannot account for life, consciousness, or intelligence. Science can never discover the origin of life, the origin of law, the origin of consciousness, or the origin of intelligence because they are all spiritual. That makes void the philosophies of science regarding man. To science, we are nothing but a slab of meat animated by mystery, compared to animals, machines, and robots, created by an “accidental collocation of atoms” and condemned to a “giant heat death.”

Because the law of justice is unconditional, it is all or nothing. Only the law of justice [perfection] can hold everything together. It was the law of justice that brought order out of chaos, and it is the law of justice that keeps it from returning to chaos. All laws obey the law of justice all the time. The law of justice is one law. The law of mercy is many laws, such as the Ten Commandments.

Christ, through the atonement, satisfied the law of justice by living a perfect life, and he established conditions for man to return to perfection and thus return to the presence of God. In other words, we cannot live the law of justice, but we can live the law of mercy. Conditions had to be imposed on law, or we would have no agency. The only reason Christ can impose conditions on law is because he lived the unconditional law of justice perfectly. Grace closes the gap between the conditions of mercy and unconditional justice; otherwise, man could never cross the chasm back to God created by the fall. Man is allowed to choose among the many conditions of law; therefore, man has freewill, freedom, agency, and liberty.

Without Christ, freedom could not exist. Only those who follow those commandments established by Christ fall under his grace. It is the law of mercy, not the law of justice, that has conditions that allow progression. The law of creation created this world; after the fall, the law of mercy preserves, protects, purifies, sanctifies and saves it from the fall.

Here is perhaps the single biggest paradox of Christianity: The laws of this world, even if lived perfectly, cannot save us because they cannot perfect us. Temporal laws deal only with temporal things. No one has ever violated a law of nature. Man may violate certain conditions, but man cannot violate consequences. Consequences are determined by the conditions of the laws we choose to obey or disobey. We may govern our acts, but consequences govern us.

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Season 6 Podcast 24 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 56 Ch XI C “Two Shining Men.”

In last week’s podcast Christian and Hopeful cross the treacherous river that blocked them from entering into the gates of the Celestial City. This week we meet the Two Shining Men. Their purpose is to lead faithful pilgrims to the Celestial Gate.

“Now, upon the bank of the river, on the other side, they saw the two Shining Men again, who there waited for them. Wherefore, being come out of the river, they saluted them, saying, "We are heavenly spirits, sent forth to help those that shall be heirs of salvation." Thus they went along towards the gate..”

The Shining Men are describe by Paul.

Hebrews 1:13-14

“But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

Paul also defines those who shall be ‘heirs of salvation.”

Galatians 3:29

“And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Those who suffer with Christ, meaning those who keep his commandments and endure to the end are heirs of salvation.

Romans 8:17

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

To be glorified with Christ means to shine like the sun.

1 Corinthians 15:40-42

John the Beloved writes.

1 John 3:2

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

John the Revelator also writes.

Revelation 21

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

The Lord is speaking of those who endure to the end.

Early in his journey Christian had to climb the Hill Difficulty. It was filled with obstacles. Christian was tempted to take the easier path; however, one of the easier paths was named Danger and the other Destruction. Christian chose the narrow path that led straight up the mountain which was very steep. Two others chose the easier paths and were never heard of again.

However, in his arduous climb Christian grew tired and sought a comfortable place to rest. He slept too long and lost his daylight hours. To make matters worse, while he was sleeping, his roll fell out of his pocket. The roll, which symbolized The Word of God, was not only essential for guiding him on his journey but it was also his pass to the Celestial City.

Unaware that he had lost his roll, he resumed his climb where he met Timorous and Distrust who were fleeing down the hill. Christian questioned them.

“Sirs, what's the matter? You run the wrong way." Timorous answered that they were going to the city of Zion, and had got up that difficult place: "but," said he, "the farther we go, the more danger we meet with; wherefore we turned, and are going back again."

"Yes," said Mistrust, "for just before us lie a couple of lions in the way, whether sleeping or waking we know not; and we could not think, if we came within reach, but they would presently pull us in pieces.”

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Season 6 Podcast 23 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 18:14-24 “Babylon cont.”

Last week we studied Revelation 18:1-13 which describes the fall of Babylon. This week we shall conclude the chapter, beginning with verse 14.

Revelation 18:14

“And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.”

Notice that it is the soul that lusted after the fruits of Babylon. The soul is comprised of the body and the spirit. That means that not only did they satisfy the natural man in Babylon, but they also worshiped the idols of the world rather than put their trust in God.

Christ does not abandon those who worship him. Those who worshiped in Babylon, however, are deserted by those things they trusted. Many prophecies of the Holy Scripture have predicted the destruction of the wicked. What sets Babylon apart is stated above, “thou shalt find them no more at all.”

This is end time. The destruction of all the wicked and the Second Coming of Christ is imminent. The destruction of Babylon is part of the purification of the earth in preparation for his coming. The destruction of Babylon is “the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.” She contains “the abominations of the earth.” These are the ones who “made war with the lamb, and the lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings.”

The waters represent “Peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” In other words, Babylon symbolizes all the wicked of the entire earth just prior to Christ’s Coming. Babylon is destroyed by global war. Previously we were told, “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.” Remember the two beasts in Revelation 13. The first beast rises up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. In Revelation 18 the sea is defined as peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” It represents the evil rulers of those nations. They were given power by Satan but didn’t know it. The second beast is related to Babylon. He comes out of the earth camouflaged as a lamb. He is the beast that symbolizes the wealth of Babylon.

Revelation 13:16-17

That economic empire is going to fall, meaning all the governments of the earth will be destroyed. Notice who mourns the destruction of Babylon the most.

Revelation 18:15-16

“The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!”

The merchants aren’t repenting. They are weeping and wailing for the loss of their wealth. That is a description of pure despair for without their wealth they have nothing. They have lost their power. They have lost their influence. They have lost their luxurious lifestyle. They have lost their soul for their names are not written in the book of life.

One is reminded of the words of the Savior in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 6:19-21

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

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Season 6 Podcast 21 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 55 Chapter XI B, “A River Intervenes.”

In last week’s podcast Christian and Hopeful enter Beulah Land. In this week’s episode, Christian and Hopeful find they must cross a river of turbulent waters before entering The Celestial City. Hope approaches it with ease. Christian is terrified. The river is symbolized in Isaiah 43. Perhaps it would be helpful to first analyze the words of Isaiah.

Isaiah 43: 1-2

“But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

Crossing the treacherous river is one of the final acts of faith the pilgrims must encounter. Through Hopeful, Bunyan makes it clear that their prior experiences prepared them for this moment. Christian however doubts his faith. Part of the genius of Bunyan is that he examines the human side of scripture. For example, notice how totally confident the prophet Isaiah is. “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee.” In the abstract it is faith promoting. However, When Christian faces the flood, he loses heart.

Isaiah assures those who follow Christ that the Lord will sustain them.

Isaiah 43:5

“Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west.”

Before confronting the actual river, the words give comfort. Bunyan, however, shows that to claim that promise one must have the courage to enter the waters. That is one of the conditions of Faith, isn’t it. One must first step into the dark.

Isaiah says a peculiar thing.

Isaiah 43:8

“Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.”

How can one be blind yet have eyes? How can one be deaf and yet have ears? Through our temporal eyes, we see danger and experience fear. Isaiah is saying that we must see with spiritual eyes and hear with spiritual ears for as Paul said.

Ephesians 6:12

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Bunyan is teaching the principle so eloquently stated by Isaiah, that only through faith in Christ can we face the fears and obstacles of this world and enter his Kingdom.

Isaiah 43:10-11

“Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour."

The pilgrims must understand that they cannot take the journey alone. Only Christ can carry them through the waters.

Isaiah 43:15-16

"I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters."

Again, speaking directly to Christian, who is afraid to enter the waters, he said.

Isaiah 43:18

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.”

Christian was afraid to step into the water because he began to doubt the redeeming power of the Savior. He was remembering his former sins. Though he had repented of them, he doubted his Savior’s love.

But in the words of Isaiah, Christ assures Christian of his love and helps him cross the river.

Isaiah 43:19

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."

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Season 6 Podcast 22, “The Law of Justice Pt 2.”

Man is safe in our world only as long as he stays obedient to Christ’s laws. Law is our only safety. Without the law of justice there would be nothing. Without the law of mercy, Satan wouldn’t even need to bother to tempt us. We would already be in his power.

The earth and man were created by a perfect God through perfect law. Law is never flawed. In our mortal state, we cannot live the law of justice. No man is perfect. We can only live the law of mercy which saves us from our imperfections. Chaos is allowed in our world to give us freedom. We are subject to the law of opposition. The parallel is this. Law alone creates order out of chaos. In our fallen world, where chaos is allowed, we have the freedom to choose order or chaos, the two great opposites. If we obey law, we restore order. If we disobey law, we return to chaos. All misery is a consequence of broken laws. The chaos in our world is of our own making, collectively. In our world, we suffer not only for our own sins but for the sins of others.

Because of the atonement of Christ, we are punished only for our own sins. That is part of the free gift of the law of mercy. We actually have the power to restore order. Freedom is not inherent in chaos. Freedom is an act of creation through law. Thomas Jefferson wisely said, “Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.” The message of Christianity is that “Continued obedience to the laws of God is the price of freedom.” Earth life is unique. We will not have this opportunity again. Christ represents order. Satan represents disorder. Christ represents freedom. Satan represents captivity. Christ represents happiness. Satan represents misery. Because we may follow Christ or Satan, we have agency, and because of agency we may choose order or disorder, freedom or captivity, happiness or misery.

The two primary attributes supplied by the law of mercy are conditions and grace. Those attributes are absent from the law of justice which is absolute and unconditional. The conditions of law give us choices; grace gives us hope through repentance even when we make the wrong choice.

Grace can only be furnished by the law of mercy. The law of justice is not the road to perfection, for justice, by definition, is perfection. Justice cannot be modified, broken, fragmented, or conditional. Justice governs heaven where God lives. No unclean thing can enter the presence of God. The law of mercy is the road to perfection defined by the commandments of God. The law of mercy alone is conditional; otherwise, there would be no agency. All commandments of God are the conditions of the law of justice placed on the law of mercy. Christ saves. Keeping the commandments of God are the part we must play in earning our salvation through the law of mercy.

The entire purpose of the law of mercy is to restore us to the kingdom of heaven where God the Father lives. The law of restoration is entirely under the power of the law of mercy. The law of justice is the law of creation. It brings order out of chaos and perfects, protects, and sustains and sanctifies that order. The law of mercy is the strait and narrow way to perfection. The law of justice came first. The law of mercy was only necessary because of the fall of Adam. It is a law of restoration. When Adam fell he brought sin and death into the world. Because of Adam we suffer both a temporal death, meaning the separation of the body from the spirit, and a spiritual death, meaning the separation of the spirit from God. Because of the law of mercy, the body and the spirit will be restored. It is called the resurrection. In addition, the resurrected body shall be restored to the presence of God.

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Season 6 Podcast 20 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 18:1-13 “Babylon.”

Last week we studied Revelation 17 “The Mystery of the Woman.” This week we shall continue with Revelation 18, Babylon.”

Revelation 18:1

“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.”

The angel who comes down has great authority insomuch that his glory lights the entire earth. Christ will soon come the second time, but before he comes, the saints are given one last chance to come out of Babylon. Babylon was once a formidable city of great wealth. The hanging gardens of Babylon even today are considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It was also a great political power. During the days of Daniel and the Babylonian Captivity, around 586 BC, it reached its peak with Nebuchadnezzar II the emperor. He destroyed Solomon’s Temple and exiled the Jews to Babylon. Babylon has become the symbol of the world with its emphasis on wealth and power and sin rather than the worship of God. We are reminded of Christ’s words in The Intercessory Prayer.

John 17:11-17

“And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Just as the temporal Babylon, which appeared indestructible, fell in a short time so will the spiritual Babylon fall. John records.

Revelation 18:2-3

“And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”

Again, John refers to the power of the angel. He speaks with a “strong voice.” The angel describes the state of Babylon. It is the habitation of devils, meaning, of course, evil spirits. It is the “hold of every foul spirit,” meaning that it contains all the evil allurement of Satan found in the world. It is eviler than Egypt. Eviler than Sodom and Gomorrah, Eviler even than the days before the flood for it has every foul spirit. A striking image is that it is “a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” It is like an Alfred Hitchcock movie. In the very next chapter, we learn of the Supper of the Great God.”

Revelation 19:17-18

“And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.”

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Season 6 Podcast 19, “The Law of Justice Part 1.”

We are spiritual beings living in a mortal world. Without spiritual law, we would be no better than animals. There are only two classes of spiritual laws: The Law of Justice and the Law of Mercy.

We cannot live the law of justice. The only person who lived on earth who kept the law of justice was Christ. That is the only reason he could institute the law of mercy. We sometimes say that Christ lived the law of justice perfectly. That implies that one may be able to live the law of justice imperfectly. That is not accurate. One either lives the law of justice or not. There are no conditions to the law of justice. To break one law is to break the entire law. Christ’s perfection entirely depended upon him living the law of justice. He could not violate even one commandment of the Father. That is the great miracle of Christ. Only the Only Begotten Son of God could do that. Christ, who is the Old Testament Jehovah, had a mortal mother, Mary, and an immortal Father, Elohim. That is why he alone was worthy to open the book

Revelation 5

1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

The law of justice is the standard for immortal God. The law of mercy is the standard for mortal man. The law of justice is unconditional.

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Season 6 Podcast 18 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 54 Chapter XI A, “Beulah Land.”

In last week’s podcast Christian, while traveling through The Enchanted Land, continues to try to teach Ignorance, but he is unsuccessful. Ignorance is not teachable. Also, we learn of several new characters, Temporary and Turnback; as well as new places, Graceless and Honesty.

In this, the last chapter of Book I, we enter Beaulah Land where we confront the first of two obstacles—The River—which is difficult for Christian to cross. It is only because of Hopeful that Christian survives The River. We also meet The Two Shining Men as we come to Mount Zion, and finally to the gates of the Celestial City.

“Now I saw in my dream, that by this time the pilgrims were got over the Enchanted Ground, and entering into the country of Beulah, whose air was very sweet and pleasant: the way lying directly through it, they enjoyed themselves there for a season. Yea, here they heard continually the singing of birds and saw every day the flowers appear on the earth, and heard the voice of the turtle in the land. In this country the sun shineth night and day; wherefore this was beyond the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and also out of the reach of Giant Despair; neither could they from this place so much as see Doubting Castle. Here they were within sight of the City they were going to; also here met them some of the inhabitants thereof; for in this land the Shining Ones commonly walked, because it was upon the borders of heaven. Here they had no want of corn and wine; for in this place they met with abundance of what they had sought for in all their pilgrimage. Here they heard voices from out of the City, loud voices, saying, "Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh! Behold, His reward is with Him!" Here all the inhabitants of the country called them "The holy people, and redeemed of the Lord, sought out," etc.”

Beaulah Land is Paradise for it is beyond the by-ways of destruction. Let us not forget the many obstacles that were placed in the Path of Christian on his journey prior to Beaulah Land.

The City of Destruction
The wilderness of this world
The Slough of Despond
The Town of Morality
The Hill of Difficulty
Danger and Destruction
The Delectable Mountains
The Valley of Humiliation (where he meets Apollyon)
The Valley of the Shadow of Death (or the mouth of hell)
Vanity Fair (Chapter Six)
Town of Fair-speech,

Everything Christian endured prepared him to enter Beulah Land. For example, had he not overcome all of the following detractors he would not have completed the journey.

Obstinate
Pliable
Worldly Wiseman
Mr. Legality

5. Civility

Beelzebub
Man of despair locked in a cage
Simple, Sloth, Presumption
Formalist and Hypocrisy
Timorous and Mistrust
Apollyon, the Destroyer
The Great Satan
Abaddon, destruction or doom
Pope, A Giant
Pagan, a Giant1

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Season 6 Podcast 17 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, VI, Chapter 17:7-18 “The Mystery of the Woman.

Last week we studied Revelation 17:1-6, “Babylon the Great.” This week we shall continue with Revelation 17 as the angel tells John that he shall explain The Mystery of the Woman.”

Revelation 17:7

“7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.”

In Revelation 13 we met the two great beasts. The first beast, which dies has seven heads and ten horns. In Revelation 17 the image is expanded because riding upon the beast is “a woman arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.” The beast is also full of names of blasphemy, so it makes quite a dynamic duo, one formidable foe. The word. MYSTERY arises. A mystery is anything that is “difficult or impossible to understand.” Some synonyms for mystery are Enigma, Puzzle, Riddle, Secret, Conundrum, Paradox, Quandary, Wonder, Marvel, Miracle, Uncertainty, Obscurity, Anomaly, Phenomenon, Unknown, Cryptic, Ambiguity.

The problem with the angel’s explanation is that it adds another mystery. The language is paradoxical.

Revelation 17:8

“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not;”

The phrase “was and is not” is actually explained in Revelation 13.

Revelation 13:3

“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.”

Apparently at least one of the seven heads dies but is brought back to life causing the world to wonder. The beast was compared to a leopard, a bear, a lion, and a dragon—the dragon, meaning Satan, gave him his power. The animal images represent earthly kingdoms who have united to destroy the Church of God. Unknowingly they are acting under the power of Satan. Like the beasts, the kingdoms are deadly predators that devour the weak. A leopard is swift, a bear is strong, and a lion is fearless, king of the jungle, the jungle being a turbulent world. The beast reigns for three and a half years. His power is vast, but his target is the saints.

Revelation 13:7

“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”

The world is divided into two camps: Those who follow Christ and those who follow Satan. Those who worship the beast are not found in the book of life.

Revelation 17:8

“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

It is clear then that the earth is divided between those whose names are written in the book of life and those whose names are not written in the book of life. This is the summing up. This is end-time. This is Armageddon. Everyone has chosen and it all boils down to those who chose Satan as their God and those who chose Christ as their God. The saints will prevail.

Revelation 13:10

“He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”

We know that the dragon is the source of power of the beast.

Revelation 17:8

“… and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition:”

It appears that those who follow the beast will go to hell where Satan dwells and will be imprisoned with him a thousand years. We know who is in the bottomless pit.

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Season 6 Podcast 29 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Chapter 19:17-21 “The Supper of the Great God.”

Revelation 19:17

Those are carrion birds such as eagles, hawks, magpies, ravens, crows, condors, kites, storks, seagulls, and vultures who eat the unburied bodies of the dead.

Revelation 19:18

But we are warned of the battle earlier by John. It is a consequence of the six angels.

Revelation 16:2-16

And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. …

When the seventh angel pours out his vile it is over.

Revelation 16:17

“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.”

The beast referred to is the first beast listed in Revelation 13.

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Season 6 Podcast 16, “Creating an Environment of Freedom.”

It is hard to believe that we are in our 6th Season. In Season 1, Podcast 33, the topic was Managing One’s Spiritual Environment. In this podcast I would like to return to the topic. The larger issue is freedom. The Holy Scriptures have a startling way of reducing a topic to its kernel. It becomes a seed that continues producing fruit, described so succinctly in the Creation story in the Old Testament.

Genesis 1:11

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.”

I like the phrase, “whose seed is in itself.” Scriptures are fruit bearing seed which in turn bear fruit. A familiar example is the following profound look at freedom as taught by Jesus.

John 8:32

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

The first criterium is to know the truth. Truth is found in law. Spiritual truth is found in the Holy Scriptures which define the laws of God. Temporal truth is found in temporal law taught to us so eloquently by science, confirmed by the scientific method. Spiritual truth has an added witness, The Holy Ghost. Both may be confirmed by experiment. “Prove me now herewith,” said the Lord to the prophet Malachi.

The second criterium is to obey the truth. It is knowledge of truth plus obedience to truth that makes us free. My purpose in this podcast is to show through the Holy scriptures how to create an environment of freedom.

We often corrupt truth by changing the laws. I have often talked about The Four Laws of Freedom.

Law One: The Law of Liberty commonly known as the Ten Commandments.

Law Two: The Perfect Law of Liberty, which includes the virtues of Christ.

Law Three: The Royal Law, which includes the two great laws, love the Lord and love your neighbor.

Law Four: The Law of Equality, summed up in the clause, “God is no respecter of persons.”

Only through obedience to those four laws can we claim the full promise given by the Lord when he said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Freedom is measured by how well we obey the four laws above. When Christ comes again, those are the laws he will use to rule the earth. Only there may we have perfect freedom. A perfect environment contains those four laws. That environment may not be fully offered by our government. In fact, the United States of America, which many claim is the greatest experiment in freedom ever established on such a large scale, though it allows religious freedom, does not reach such heights.

When Christ comes again, He will establish a perfect environment of freedom, and it will contain all four laws. It will be a theocracy, not a democratic republic. The four laws, of course, overlap For Example, one could argue that the only law one needs is The Royal Law defined as follows by Jesus:

Matthew 22:40

Granted, a free government is a gift of God, but we do not live in a perfect world. The question is, “Can we create our own environment of freedom today?” The answer is two-fold. One, we must have a government that allows religious freedom. As citizens we must ensure that the government is never allowed to take away that freedom. Sadly, the liberals today are attempting to do just that by their unconstitutional and fanatical separation of church and state.

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Season 6 Podcast 15 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 53 Chapter X B, “Ignorance Cont.”

In last week’s podcast Christian and Hopeful have an extended conversation with Ignorance. Ignorance is a good person. He reaches Beaulah Land, the gateway to the Celestial City. However, Ignorance does not understand the necessity of studying the Holy Bible and strictly adhering to the written word of God. Ignorance feels that appealing to the heart is all that he needs.

Christian continues to try to teach Ignorance, but he is unsuccessful. Also, in conversation we learn of several new characters, Temporary and Turnback; as well as new places, Graceless and Honesty.

Christian has just quizzed Ignorance on what he dwells on in his idle moments. Ignorance responds that he thinks on God and Heaven. Christian tells Ignorance that it is not enough just to think about God and Heaven. He said, “The soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing.” Ignorance defends himself.

“Ignor. But I think of them, and leave all for them.”

That answer doesn’t satisfy Christian. Bunyan here is emphasizing the need for works. Bunyan is a strong believer in works, echoing the words of James:

James 1: 22-24

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”

Christian responds to Ignorance.

“Chris. That I doubt, for leaving of all is a very hard matter; yea, a harder matter than many are aware of. But why, or by what, art thou persuaded that thou hast left all for God and heaven?"

Ignorance responds.

“Ignor. My heart tells me so.”

Such a nebulous answer doesn’t satisfy Christian. He wants something more concrete because the heart can be unstable if not rooted in knowledge.

“CHRIS. The Wise Man says, "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool."

Christian, of course, is speaking for Bunyan, and Bunyan, a Puritan, is a literalist. Ignorance, who is unteachable, does not consider Christian’s counsel.

" Ignor. This is spoken of an evil heart; but mine is a good one."

Keep in mind the difference between Christian and Ignorance. Though on the same quest, Ignorance came in the back way, avoiding the Wicket Gate. He always took the easiest path. Christian has been thoroughly taught by Evangelist, the Shining Ones, Watchful, Discretion, Piety, Prudence, Charity, Faithful, the Interpreter; in addition, he has been through the Slough of Despond, over the Hill Difficulty, through Vanity Fair, into the Valley of Humiliation, and Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He has been confronted by Beelzebub, Apollyon, Abaddon, and the Great Satan himself; He has been fooled by the Town of Morality. He was incarcerated in the dungeon of the Giant Despair and his evil wife, Diffidence. He has faced just about every temptation from Timorous and Distrust to Lord Carnal-Delight. Yet, Ignorance, who doesn’t even have a Certificate or a Script, ignores everything Christian attempts to teach him. Ignorance, thinking that simply wanting something is enough, travels toward the gates of the Celestial City unprepared.

Christian asks.

“Chris. But how dost thou prove that?”

Ignorance thinks that proof is unnecessary. Hope is all he needs.

“Ignor. It comforts me in the hopes of heaven."

Ignorance does not understand the necessity of Faith, Hope, and Charity, the three theological virtues essential to get one into heaven. He dismisses them. Faith is action, a step into the dark. The symbol of Faith is the shield which keeps off the fiery darts of the adversary. The symbol of Hope is the anchor which can hold even a ship steady in the storm.

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Season 6 Podcast 14 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, V, Chapter 17:1-6 “Babylon the Great.”

Last week we studied Revelation 16, Armageddon. This week we shall focus on Revelation 17, “Babylon the Great.”

We have talked before of the three tempters: (1) wiles of the devil, (2) the craftiness of man, and (3) the alluring powers of the flesh referred to in the scriptures as “the natural man.” All three tempters are at play in the story of ‘Babylon the Great.’ In Revelation 17 Babylon the Great represents the world or the natural man or temptations of the flesh. Those are used both by Satan and his angels, who have no mortal bodies, as well as those mortals who get rich selling and exploiting human flesh, appealing to man’s natural appetites and unholy desires in unrighteous, unlawful, immoral, and criminal ways.

To those who repent, all can be forgiven. That is why Christ died for our sins. However, the Holy Scriptures come down hard on those who don’t repent while they have the chance. Some of the last words of John the Revelator are:

Revelation 22:11-15

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”

In Chapter 17 John is speaking of the Seven angels with the Seven Last Plagues.

Revelation 17:1-2

“And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

John is speaking of the intoxication of lust. Using the unabashed language of the King James Version, John compares Babylon to a whore who sells herself for money. We cannot overlook the fact that money is the core motive of Babylon. Babylon will sell anything for money: sex, drugs, fame, power, position, kingdoms, principalities, governments. We naturally associate the image with sexual promiscuity and sometimes focus on poor abused women as the criminals rather than victims. Merciful God will judge righteously, and justice will strike unerringly in the right place. Babylon symbolizes the unbridled lust for money, power, glory, fame, position, and promiscuity. In Babylon everything has a price, even if some are made slaves against their will. In fact, in the next chapter John clearly defines the merchandise.

Revelation 18:12-13

“The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.”

We cannot overlook the language of John. He refers to Babylon the ‘Great.’ He also refers to the ‘great’ whore. Even a cursory study of the Holy Bible teaches one to count every word. The language of the Bible is incredibly economical, even in translation. I think we can assume that the word ‘great’ does not have the connotation of “excellent, amazing, outstanding. It perhaps fits better with Huge, Vast, Enormous.

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Season 6 Podcast 13, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Fact vs Theory.”

What is true for one sphere is true for all spheres. The galaxy is a sphere. The earth is a sphere. Our body is a sphere. All spheres are governed by a complete set of laws. Within those sets are other sets all working toward a whole. Laws establish conditions and boundaries, and no sphere can exceed the complete set of laws that govern its boundaries. There are temporal laws and spiritual laws or temporal boundaries and spiritual boundaries.

Temporal laws are fixed and assigned by God to each sphere. Science, when it is seeking truth, seeks to discover those laws, conditions, and boundaries and to see how they work together. It is no accident that math is the primary language of science because, although it can be paradoxical, it cannot be ambiguous. It is precise and predictable. We must understand, though, that math does not create law; law creates math. Law creates order; math merely defines or describes order. There is a significant difference. One primary attribute of law is predictability because when the conditions are met, the effect is deterministic and absolute.

We need to distinguish between the laws of science and the theories of science just as we need to distinguish between the laws of God and theories of man. The laws of science can often be proven by the proliferation of technology. In other words, theories of law can be proven by obedience to temporal law. The laws of God can be proven by obedience to spiritual law. If one wants to use nature, one must abide by the laws of nature. If one wants a blessing from God, one must obey the laws of God that will bring about that blessing. In the past few hundred years technology has enjoyed a steady and phenomenal growth. Unfortunately, belief in God is declining because the temporal rewards of temporal laws are more enticing, and many are no longer willing to sacrifice their time to achieve the higher reward which is eternal life.

In religion one must separate the laws of God from the theories of man just as in science. one must separate the laws of nature from the theories of science. True science is based entirely on the unbroken principle of causality. The theories of science, however, are often based on unproven inference of assumptions. There is a quantum leap between fact and inference. Inferences, or the assumptions of man, are often clouded by judgment, vested interest, personal bias, personal ambitions, personal beliefs, traditions, authority, and entrenched paradigms. They do not always enjoy the same verifiability. The worst thing to happen to science today is that they have obscured the lines among fact, inference, and judgment, as illustrated by the fact that evolutionists are now calling the theory of evolution a fact. That is an oxymoron.

Many scientists preach atheism as a fact when it is merely a theory based on other theories. Science will never prove or disprove the existence of God, and the truths of science can never disprove freewill. Science cannot disprove the existence of miracles any more than they can prove their theory on the origins of life or the evolution of man. God exists, but the ‘god particle’ doesn’t. For example, a particle may exist which scientists choose to call the ‘god particle’ but matter will always require the organizing power of law and law requires the power of God. Life self exists, and its origins cannot be traced to a single particle or to a complete set of laws. The physical body, whether that body is human, animal, or vegetable, is determined by a complete set of laws, but the body is not life without a spirit, and a spirit is not subject to mortal laws.

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Season 6 Podcast 12 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 52 Chapter X A, “Ignorance.”

In last week’s podcast Hopeful tells how he struggled to overcome the natural man while living in the city of Vanity Fair. He recounts how difficult it is to put away the temptations of the flesh; however, through trials, temptations, and perseverance he was able to put away his past sins and come unto Christ.

Meanwhile Christian and Hopeful are still traveling through ‘The Enchanted Ground.’ If they tarry too long, they will fall asleep and never waken. They feel they must continue to talk of holy things to stay awake. Meanwhile, again, they see a former acquaintance, Ignorance. Ignorance, too, is on a pilgrimage to the Celestial City; however, Ignorance took a short cut. He avoided the Wicket Gate, The House of the Interpreter, The Cross, and The Palace. He has missed out on many necessary things. For example, he hasn’t met The Shining Ones, Discretion, Piety, Prudence, or Charity. In addition, he doesn’t have a certificate to enter the Celestial City. He doesn’t read the scriptures daily, and he always takes the easiest way.

Bunyan uses Ignorance to teach us that appealing only to the heart is not sufficient to enter the Celestial Kingdom, which is the highest kingdom of all.

“I saw then in my dream that Hopeful looked back, and saw Ignorance, whom they had left behind, coming after. "Look," said he to Christian, "how far yonder youngster loitereth behind."

Chris. Ay, ay, I see him: he careth not for our company.

Hope. But I think it would not have hurt him, had he kept pace with us hitherto.

Chris. That is true; but I warrant you he thinks otherwise.

Hope. That I think he doth; but, however, let us tarry for him. So they did.

Chris. Then Christian said to him, "Come away, man; why do you stay so behind?”

Ignorance is trying to take the journey alone. He avoids the company of Christian and Hopeful. In fact, he is rather slothful and lingers far behind. It is an allusion to the fact that he doesn’t like to associate himself with other Christians or attend church or participate in any of the principles of the gospel of Christ or the saving ordinances such as faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. The fact that he always remains far behind suggests that he does not endure to the end. He doesn’t learn anything from his journey because he avoids all trials. Bunyan understands Peter’s words that the trials of our faith are more precious than gold.

Ignorance responds.

Ignor. “I take my pleasure in walking alone, even more a great deal than in company, unless I like it the better.”

Ignorance thinks that he doesn’t need the church. He doesn’t need the gospel. He doesn’t need the fellowship of Christians. He doesn’t need the ordinances. He doesn’t even need the Holy Bible.

“Then said Christian to Hopeful (but softly), "Did I not tell you he cared not for our company? But, however," said he, "come up, and let us talk away the time in this solitary place."

“Our company,” refers to the company of Christians or the fellowship of the Church of Christ. Christian Quizzes Ignorance.

“Then, directing his speech to Ignorance, he said, "Come how do you? How stands it between God and your soul now?”

Notice Ignorance’s answer.

“Ignor. I hope well; for I am always full of good thoughts, that come into my mind to comfort me as I walk."

Ignorance is not focused on the virtues of Christ, but on the philosophies of man. His mind is full of “good thoughts.” The irony is that Ignorance, who is in his youth, is an honorable man, a good man, but he thinks that the ethics of man rather than the commandments of God will get him into the Celestial City. Bunyan’s stand is that only Christ can get him into the Celestial City, that man’s philosophies are insufficient.

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Season 6 Podcast 11 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, U, Chapter 16:10-21 “Armageddon.”

In Revelation 15, the seven golden vials poured out by the seven angels are referred to as “the wrath of God.” The Mercy of God refers to the atonement of Christ. The Wrath of God refers to the justice of God. We have The Law of Mercy vs The Law of Justice. The purpose of the law of mercy is to avoid the pain inflicted by the Law of Justice. Christ suffered that we might not have to.

There are two kinds of anguish, one is physical, causing physical pain; one is spiritual, causing a sense of guilt or remorse or horror for the recognition of sin. Emotional pain can be both temporal and spiritual. The Wrath of God or the Seven Golden Vials do not represent the final judgment where the wicked must come face to face with their guilt. That is the pain of conscience often referred to as ‘a lake of fire and brimstone.’

It is not really logical to think that hell or damnation in hell is a literal fire because only human flesh can feel the flames of fire. Immortal flesh is immune to physical pain. However, everyone can related to the pain of severe burns; therefore, the images of fire and brimstone are used to describe the intensity of the punishment of the damned under a sense of guilt.

Some Christians prefer to use the image as literal based on Gehenna, or Valley of Hinnom, which referred to a valley located outside the ancient city of Jerusalem which formerly was associated with child sacrifice to the Ammonite god Molech. Later it became a place where refuse, dead animals, and other waste were burned.

Revelation 16:10 could be referring to spiritual pain, but it appears to be physical.

Revelation 16:10

“And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,”

Anyone who has bitten their tongue knows how intense the pain is. To gnaw one’s tongue to relieve pain illustrates how unbearably intense the pain is. There would be no medical services for everything is in chaos. The ‘seat of the beast refers to the headquarters of the leaders. The darkness could be spiritual darkness, certainly, but also physical darkness as all the power grids would be destroyed. In other words, it is a physical place. This undoubtedly refers to physical war. The seven angels symbolize the last seven plagues. Everything is leading up to Armageddon, the final war, so it is physical pain which could be caused by bombs, guns, flames, chemical warfare, etc., all too horrible to imagine. This occurs just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. The just have been taken up. Those left are temporal armies trying to destroy each other so the conqueror can rule the world, a world that will be in total ruin.

Those left on earth know only the horrors of war. They curse God.

Revelation 16:11

“And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.”

Everyone is bloodthirsty. In such an environment soldiers would seek to inflict pain to revenge the pain they felt. One can only imagine a world where all law and order are broken down and everyone is armed seeking for revenge. Who would be safe? And in an environment like that the sixth angel poured out his vial.

Revelation 16:12

“And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.”

What would cause the waters to dry up? One of the first targets of a conquering army would be water supplies, dams, turbines creating electricity. Remember, everything is in darkness. This is an image of an entire civilization crashing down. You can see the irony. It is called The Wrath of God, but actually it is the wicked destroying the wicked.

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Season 6 Podcast 10, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, The Price of Freedom.

I love the creation story found in Genesis. On the First Day of Creation, you have order created out of chaos. The earth is covered with water and darkness. God gives light to the earth, dividing light and darkness.

Genesis 1: 1-5

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

On the Second Day of Creation our atmosphere is created, preparing the earth for life.

Genesis 1:6-8

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

On the Third Day of Creation the water and the land were divided. In addition, seeds were planted and the earth brought forge grass, herbs, fruit trees. According to genesis, seeds came first which is contrary to the popular scientific view that denies intelligent design.

Genesis 1:9-12

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

On the Fourth Day of Creation time is established by developing a solar system.

Genesis 1:14-19

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

On the Fifth Day of Creation life is created in the seas. Bird life comes out of the sea which is in harmony with the modern scientific explanation.

Genesis 1: 20-23

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

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Season 6 Podcast 9 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 51 Chapter 9 H, “Come Unto Christ.”

In last week’s podcast Hopeful explains to Christian how he was converted to Christ through the examples of Christian and Faithful in Vanity Fair. He recounts his struggles as a new convert. Hopeful concluded by saying that Faithful taught him of Christ. Faithful taught Hopeful that Christ “was the mighty God, and did what He did, and died the death also, not for Himself, but for man; to whom His doings, and the worthiness of them, should be given if I believed on Him.” Hope struggled with the new doctrine. The dialogue between Christian and Hopeful continues.

“CHRIS. And what did you do then?

HOPE. I made my objections against my believing, for that I thought He was not willing to save me.”

Hopeful perhaps touches on a subject that is familiar to many Christians. It is simply this. He could see how Christ could save others, but he could not see how Christ could save him. Many are plagued with self-doubt, thinking their sins are too horrible to be forgiven. Faithful then teaches Hopeful to humble himself before God.

“CHRIS. And what said Faithful to you then?

HOPE. He bid me go to Him and see. Then I said it was too much for me to ask for. But he said No, for I was invited to come. Then he gave me a book of Jesus' own writing to encourage me the more freely to come; and he said concerning that book, that every word and letter thereof stood firmer than heaven and earth. Then I asked him what I must do when I came; and he told me I must entreat on my knees, with all my heart and soul, the Father to reveal Him to me. Then I asked him further how I must make my prayer to Him; and he said, Go, and thou shalt find Him upon a mercy-seat, where He sits all the year long to give pardon and forgiveness to them that come. I told him that I knew not what to say when I came; and he bid me say to this effect: God be merciful to me a sinner, and make me to know and believe in Jesus Christ; for I see that if His righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, I am utterly cast away. Lord, I have heard that Thou art a merciful God, and hast given that Thy Son Jesus Christ should be the Saviour of the world; and, moreover, that Thou art willing to bestow Him upon such a poor sinner as I am. And I am a sinner indeed. Lord, take therefore this opportunity, and show Thy grace in the salvation of my soul, through Thy Son Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Faithful teaches Hopeful how to pray. Remember, this is all new to Hopeful. He doesn’t yet know Christ. Notice from the above the instructions that Faithful gives to Hopeful. Hopeful recounts Faithful’s teachings.

First he teaches Faithful to pray to the Father:

Next Faithful teaches Hopeful what to pray for.

Finally Faithful teaches Hopeful that he must close the prayer in the name of the Son Jesus Christ.

In the Sermon on the Mount Christ takes great pains to teach us how to pray.

Matthew 6:5-8

“5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”

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Season 6 Podcast 8 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, S, Chapter 16:3-9 “The Beginning of Plagues.”

The Lord unleashes more plagues upon the wicked.

Revelation 16:3-4

And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

This occurs just before the Battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ. Scientists can tell us of the consequences:

· It would disrupt the carbon cycles. Death and decay would release massive amounts of CO2 and methane.

· Oxygen would be depleted.

· Ecosystems would collapse.

· Climate would be unstable.

· It would cause an economic collapse.

· It would increase toxification.

· The earth could not recover

Revelation 16 refers to the time immediately prior to Christ appearing. The time for repentance is past and the earth is being cleansed.

To understand the escalation of the coming of End Time, let’s refer back to Revelation 7. Revelation 7 refers to an earlier time when people still have a chance to repent. The Gospel is restored, and people are called to repentance. The 144,000 are sealed. Multitudes of saints are exalted. This is all in preparation of the Lord’s Second Coming.

Revelation 7:1-4

“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

The above is foreboding because the four angels ‘holding the four winds of the earth’ are standing on the four corners of the earth, poised to strike. For example, scientists tell us that if the wind stopped blowing, it would have catastrophic effects on the earth’s environment, weather systems, ecosystems, as well, of course, on human life.

But the four angels are commanded to wait. That means, of course, that they will still strike, but before they strike miraculous things will first happen: First, the angels must wait until “we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

144.000 does not mean that only 144,000 are saved. In fact, in Revelation 7 God makes that quite clear. The 144.000 symbolize those specially called to gather the elect. The elect themselves come in far greater numbers as the following verse makes clear:

Revelation 7:9

“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.”

And who are those that make up the great multitudes. John tells us.

Revelation 7:13-17

“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

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Season 6 Podcast 7, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Immortal Matter cont.”

Since a belief in God, angels, the spirits of the dead, the resurrection, and immortality and eternal life are inherent in Biblical teachings and in the doctrine of Christ, it will come as no surprise to Christians that immortal matter exists even on earth. Immortal things can only be discerned by spiritual eyes. No instrument of science is nor ever will be refined enough to detect immortal spirits.

Those superstitious ghost hunters who take their instruments into ‘haunted houses’ to detect wandering spirits are whistling in the wind. We must accept that everything, even the spirits of the dead are made of matter. We must accept that Satan and his angels wander on this earth. Christ said,

Luke 10:18

“I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”

The Holy Scriptures are filled with those who have had visions, manifestations, revelations, visitations, dreams, and other spiritual experiences whether for good or evil. In addition, many through the ages have born witness of receiving comfort or warning by a visit of loved ones from the dead. Their word cannot be proven or disproven scientifically, but can we honestly doubt the possibility. We may determine to believe or not to believe them but that is irrelevant to the reality of their experience. They alone have the authority of that. Myself, I am inclined to accept their word except in circumstances where they profit. I do not believe in ghosts for hire, and there is no amount of money on earth that could persuade me to play with a Ouija board or attend a séance. The devil himself may appear as an angel of light.

Even if scientist could break through into the spirit world, they would learn nothing from the experience except to declare that it is further evidence that God does not need to exist. It seems that the more science learns about how God works, the less necessary they find him. One would think it would be the other way around. It is philosophy based entirely on temporal law, not science that blinds them. They have institutionalized atheism and immortalized the theory of evolution and rely entirely upon temporal or time constrained laws and luck. That is the hardest thing for me to reconcile: How does science, which has taught us so much about law, allow luck, accident, coincidence, or spontaneous creation any credibility?

Let me insert here a spiritual law. That which has life in itself, such as the human spirit, does not increase entropy anywhere. It is not constrained by time or by temporal laws. All creation requires matter, energy, forces of opposition, and organized law. Temporal or mortal creation requires mortal matter, mortal energy, and mortal law. Eternal or spiritual creation requires eternal matter, eternal energy, and eternal law. The conservation laws in the spiritual realm are not the same as the conservation laws in the temporal realm. In the spiritual realm energy does not go from a usable state to an unusable state. It is usable all the time and matter doesn’t change. Only in the temporal realm does energy appear to go from a usable state to an unusable state because matter changes. All matter can be changed from mortal matter to immortal matter. Because matter cannot be created or destroyed, it is inherently immortal, but when subject to temporal law it is unstable. It is completely stable only when controlled by spiritual law. Because matter changes, even before our eyes, it plays havoc with our perception of reality. I can understand why scientists say that nothing is real. If I didn’t believe in God, the supernatural, and the immortality of the soul, I would agree with them. Science must look for reality in nature, but reality doesn’t exist in nature.

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Season 6 Podcast 6 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 50 Chapter 9 G, “Hopeful Learns of Christ.”

In recent episodes Christian and Hopeful meet the Flatterer and Atheist who try to lead them from the straight path. They also come to the Enchanted Ground which makes them drowsy. They keep each other awake by relating stories of their Past. In this podcast Christian quizzes Hopeful on how he came to Christ. We learn of Hopeful’s long struggle to find Jesus.

“CHRIS. And could you at any time with ease get off the guilt of sin, when by any of these ways it came upon you?

HOPE. No, not I; for then they got faster hold of my conscience; and then, if I did but think of going back to sin (though my mind was turned against it,) it would be double torment to me.

CHRIS. And how did you do then?

HOPE. I thought I must endeavor to mend my life; for else, thought I, I am sure to be lost forever.”

One unique thing about Bunyan’s philosophy is that the way to the Celestial City is not easy. It is not just a matter of accepting Christ. The entire journey of Pilgrim’s progress is to unveil the cunning of Satan, the craftiness of man, and the temptations of the natural man, the three great enemies of God, particularly aimed at destroying those who try to follow Christ. For example, in the above, it was extremely hard for Hopeful to overcome the natural man and to change his ways. The more he tried the more Satan fought against him. To Bunyan the correction had to first come from Hopeful.

“CHRIS. And did you endeavor to mend?

HOPE. Yes, and fled from not only my sins, but sinful company too, and betook me to religious duties, as praying, reading, weeping for sin, speaking truth to my neighbors, etc. These things did I, with many others, too much here to tell.”

To many Christian leaders that would have been more than sufficient, but not to Bunyan.

“CHRIS. And did you think yourself well then?

HOPE. Yes, for a while; but, at the last, my trouble came tumbling upon me again, and that over the neck of all my trying to do right.”

Another great Christian writer, C.S Lewis, addresses the same issue in his popular book, The Screwtape Letters, in which a devil, Screwtape, teaches his nephew, Wormwood, an apprentice devil, how to tempt a new convert. The following is the last paragraph of Chapter Twelve.

“You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope. Soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,” Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape.

Christian continues to interrogate Hopeful, wondering why his old troubles returned. Hopeful’s answer reveals how cunning Satan is.

“CHRIS. How came that about, since you were now doing right, as far as you knew?

HOPE. There were several things brought it upon me; especially such sayings as these: "All our righteousness are as filthy rags;" "By the works of the law shall no flesh be made righteous;" "When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable;" with many more such like. From whence I began to reason with myself thus: If all my righteousness are filthy rags, if by the deeds of the law no man can be made righteous, and if, when we have done all, we are yet unprofitable, then it is but a folly to think of heaven by the law. I further thought thus;

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Season 6 Podcast 5 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, R, Chapter 16:1-2 A “The Mark of the Beast.”

The Lord unleashes the seven angels who carry the seven last plagues.

Revelation 16:1

“And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.”

In a previous podcast we discussed ‘the wrath of God.’ In a nutshell the wrath of God refers to the inevitable consequences of broken laws. History has shown that the earth has been filled with violence, misery, captivity, torture, famine, and war all because of the consequences of evil people. Obedience to law brings peace. Disobedience to law brings chaos. Good people suffer with the bad because of the evil acts of mankind. Imagine a world where everyone obeyed the Ten Commandments. There would be no lying, stealing, cheating, coveting, or adultery. Imagine no prisons, no evil, and no fear. It would be paradise on earth. That describes the millennium. Revelation 16 refers to the time just prior to the Second Coming of Christ where the earth will be cleansed primarily through war, and only the righteous will remain. This podcast refers to the mission of the first angel.

Revelation 16:2

“And the first went and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.”

The dictionary defines ‘noisome’ as ‘having an extremely offensive smell.’ Broadly it refers to anything that is disagreeable or unpleasant. What causes the offensive smell? John tells us: “and grievous sore upon the men.” The offensive smell is rotting flesh caused by disease and infection. It appears that the plague will be very widespread. It also suggests that there will not be enough doctors, nurses, hospitals, treatment centers, medicines, or bandages or salves to treat the multitudes. That, of course, means death. The vast numbers suggest that even the dead may not be properly buried, thus increasing the offensive smell. It is one of the devastating effects of war where all services are stopped or impeded. War also causes famine, disease, pestilence, plagues, and disruption of all services. The offensive smell may also be caused by the death of animals, the widespread unsanitary conditions, the garbage, etc. All the things that an organized society takes care of in a timely manner. That is referred to as ‘the wrath of God’ but in reality it is the consequence of war cause by evil people.

And who is behind the war? The answer is, “the men which had the mark of the beast.” Let’s review the mark of the beast.

Revelation 13:11

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.”

The second beast clearly refers to earthly powers, probably powerful dictators. He is in disguise for he has ‘two horns like a lamb.’ That suggests that he presents himself as a cuddly little lamb, yet he “speaks like a dragon.” Dragon is traditionally a reference to Satan, to murderers, to dictators, to tyrants, to power hungry kings. Christian literature depicts the dragon as the epitome of evil: Saint George and the Fiery Dragon, Beowulf, Spencer’s Fairey Queen. They are allusions to Satan. The Holy Bible equates dragons with various enemies.

In Ezekiel the Pharaoh is referred to as a ‘great red dragon.’

Ezekiel 29:3

“Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.”

King David refers to the dragon as those who have power in the sea, suggesting war ships or merchant ships.

Psalm 74:13

“Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.”

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Season 6 Podcast 4, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Immortal Matter.”

According to the laws of conservation and thermodynamics, matter and energy, though they can be changed, cannot be created or destroyed. They are conserved over time. That has enormous spiritual, temporal, and philosophical implications. First of all, it means that matter and energy self-exist. They have always existed. They have no beginning and no end. Matter and energy are the stuff that worlds are made of, that we are made of. There is no first cause to matter and energy. The self-existence of matter and energy cannot be explained by any of the theories of science.

Theoretical science claims that all the matter and energy of the universe as we know it were concentrated into a singularity smaller than an atom. It seems logically impossible. What force organized that singularity?

Science claims that we live in an accidental universe. That can only mean that the singularity was created by accident. The self-contradiction is apparent because the singularity is the single most organized sphere that has ever existed. No cosmos, no universe, no galaxy, no solar system, no earth, even mother earth, peopled with billions of intelligences, all of which are claimed by science to have been organized by accident can compare in complexity.

Furthermore, claims modern science, a Big Bang occurred in which the singularity exploded, and its particles, which also were infinitesimally small, miraculously organized themselves into clumps of matter large enough for gravity to organize those clumps into galaxies which organized themselves into systems like ours that contained planets like ours that organized themselves into life which manifested itself into flora and fauna and intelligences like us, all by accident. As I have many times quoted the famous mathematician/philosopher Bertrand Russell: “Man is an accidental collocation of atoms.”

There is no scale of probability that allows for such a phenomenon. Gravity cannot explain it. Evolution cannot explain it. And certainly accident, chance, luck, and coincidence cannot explain it.

The only thing that can explain it is law, irrevocable, immutable law or science is a fantasy because it too came from nothing. Until science can explain the origin of law, they cannot explain the origin of creation. They cannot even justify their own existence. They have no authority. The only reason science claims an accidental universe is because they don’t believe in intelligent design. A believe in intelligent design would presuppose the existence of God.

Their argument runs like this:

Intelligent design does not exist yet existence exists; therefore, everything was created by accident.

It is perhaps the greatest non sequitur ever invented by man.

On a purely logical level scientific theory is always tenuous. Why? Because Science in the beginning must be inductive. In other words, conclusions are drawn from many examples. However, any universal statement such as all crows are black can be falsified by one contradictory example. The same thing can be said of the law of gravity. For example, what if somewhere in the cosmos water doesn’t run downhill?

According to the famous logician Karl Popper any claim that cannot be falsified is scientifically invalid. In other words, it cannot be irrevocably proven to be a universal truth. From a scientific point of view, what is true in our world may not be true in another world. That means that all science is universe specific meaning that its laws are only peculiar to that world and not necessarily applicable to another universe. Even if they find a universe just like ours, there is always the possibility that another universe will contradict it. Therefore, the best of science in the large scheme of things is uncertain.

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Season 6 Podcast 3 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 49 Chapter 9 F “Atheist.”

As we have seen many bad characters become stumbling blocks to the journey of Christian to the Celestial City. They have just escaped Flatterer. Now they are about to be confronted by Atheist.

Now, after awhile they perceived afar off, one coming softly and alone, all along the highway, to meet them. Then said Christian to his fellow, "Yonder is a man with his back towards Zion, and he is coming to meet us."

HOPE. I see him: let us take heed to ourselves lest he should prove a flatterer also.

The image of “his back towards Zion” makes Christian and Hopeful cautious. Unlike Flatterer, Atheist does not try to deceive them. He is boastful.

So he drew nearer and nearer, and at last came up to them. His name was Atheist, and he asked them whither they were going.

CHRIS. We are going to Mount Zion.

Then Atheist fell into a very great laughter.

CHRIS. What is the meaning of your laughter?

ATHEIST. I laugh to see what ignorant persons you are, to take upon yourselves so tedious a journey, and yet are like to have nothing but your travel for your pains.

Atheist uses an old familiar argument. It was simply this. He had traveled the world and found no such place as Mount Zion. Neither Christian nor Hopeful are taken in. They consider him as another Flatterer trying to lure them away from the straight and narrow way.

CHRIS. Why, man, do you think we shall not be received?

ATHEIST. Received! There is no such a place as you dream of in all this world.

CHRIS. But there is in the world to come.

ATHEIST. When I was at home in mine own country, I heard as you now affirm, and, from that hearing, went out to see, and have been seeking this city these twenty years, but find no more of it than I did the first day I set out.

CHRIS. We have both heard and believe that there is such a place to be found.

ATHEIST. Had not I, when at home, believed I had not come thus far to seek; but, finding none (and yet I should had there been such a place to be found, for I have gone to seek it farther than you), I am going back again, and will seek to refresh myself with the things that I then cast away for hopes of that which I now see is not.

Christian tests Hopeful.

CHRIS. Then said Christian to Hopeful his fellow, "Is it true which this man hath said?"

Hopeful is alarmed that Christian is so taken in.

HOPE. Take heed; he is one of the flatterers. Remember what it hath cost us once already for hearkening to such kind of fellows. What! no Mount Zion? Did we not see from the Delectable Mountains the gate of the city? Also, are we not now to walk by faith? Let us go on, lest the man with the whip overtake us again. I say, my brother, cease to hear him, and let us believe to the saving of the soul.

Christian reveals his ploy.

CHRIS. My brother, I did not put the question to thee for that I doubted of the truth of our belief myself, but to prove thee, and to fetch from thee a fruit of the honesty of thy heart. As for this man, I know that he is blinded. Let thee and me go on, knowing that we have belief of the truth, and no lie is of the truth.

HOPE. Now do I rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

So they turned away from the man, and he, laughing at them, went his way.

They come to the Enchanted Ground of which the shepherds had warned them.

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Season 6 Podcast 2 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, R, Chapter 15:5-8 D “The Temple.”

In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul spoke of three heavens.

1 Corinthians 15:40-41

The Celestial glory is the highest kingdom of glory where God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, live. Paul speaks of it as the third heaven.

2 Corinthians 12:1-4

“It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”

Paul refers to the third heaven as Paradise. Paul fixed in the Christian mind the word Paradise as the greatest of all heavens to achieve. In this context the term Celestial glory and Paradise are used synonymously. In another scripture the term Paradise is used in a different context. On the cross the Savior, speaking to the thief beside him who defended him against the other taunting thief, said.

Luke 23:39-43

“And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

We know that was not the Celestial Kingdom for even after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus said to Mary Magdalene at his sepulcher.

John 20:16-17

“Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”

So where did Christ meet the thief on the cross. The Apostle Peter tells us.

1 Peter 3:18-20

The spirit world then is also called Paradise. Christ went to the spirit world before his resurrection and while his body still lay in the tomb. Peter explains why.

1 Peter 4:5-6

“Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”

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Season 6 Podcast 1, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “The Origin of Law.”

Let me bring to the forefront of your mind the words of Stephen Hawking from his book, Grand Design. Mr. Hawking is perhaps the most respected spokesman of modern scientific theory:

“The beginning of the universe was governed by the laws of science and doesn’t need to be set in motion by some god.”

The question of where law comes from poses a grand dilemma. Science must claim that conditions suddenly appeared and that laws miraculously sprang out of chaos and then in turn organized themselves into complete sets and in turn organized chaos according to a principle or set of principles, which contradicts the fact that the principle of causality also articulated by Professor Hawking does not allow for miracles.

Dealing with origins, evolutionists are faced with insurmountable obstacles and improbabilities: conditions must emerge; laws must be created; complete sets of laws must be organized; progression must be a one-way street; coincidence must always be positive; the language of life must be perfectly coordinated even without prior connections; there must be the perfect appearance of intelligent design; everything, even life, must be irreducible; everything must begin from nothing; temporal law must evolve; without intelligent design physical laws that have neither life nor consciousness must work together to create a perfect environment before biological life can be introduced; life must suddenly appear without explanation; all biological life, untold millions of species must work together creating a perfect balance between life and death; everything must operate under a single law or set of laws physical laws and biological laws must work together in perfect harmony; the solar system must fall perfectly into place; everything must be fine-tuned, without any flaws. The list, of course, can continue indefinitely. It all must be done by accident and held together by luck.

To have something come from nothing would be a miracle greater than any miracle recorded in the Bible. The alternative would be for science to attribute law to spontaneous creation, serendipity, luck, chance, etc. The contradiction that cannot be overlooked is that you have chaos creating laws and then organizing those laws into complete sets according to the rules of classification and division and those laws in turn organizing chaos. That makes chaos a very strange god performing a very neat trick. You have unconsciousness creating consciousness creating intelligence creating laws to create its own consciousness so that it can be conscious of itself organizing laws that explain its consciousness. Does anyone else have a problem with that?

I don’t know where else science can go with its logic. Science attributes creation to a singularity from which occurred the Big Bang from which the universe and all of its galaxies, earth, flora, fauna, and man evolved.

The problem is that a singularity, a point in space smaller than a subatomic particle, must contain all the matter and energy of the universe. However, a singularity is a creation, the single greatest creation of the universe; therefore, law must precede a singularity. The Law of Creation demands it because the principle of causality (so well defined by science) demands it. A singularity is a state of the universe at a specific time and the principle of causality requires that

“There must be a complete set of laws that, given the state of the universe at a specific time, would specify how the universe would develop from that time forward.”

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Season 5 Podcast 157 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 48 Chapter 9 E “Flatterer.”

In last week’s podcast Bunyan completed the cautionary tale of Little-Faith. In this week’s episode as Ignorance follows them from a distance, we meet Flatterer.

“So they went on, and Ignorance followed. They went then till they came to a place where they saw a way put itself into their way, and seemed withal to lie as straight as the way which they should go; and here they knew not which of the two to take, for both seemed straight before them; therefore here they stood still to consider. And, as they were thinking about the way, behold, a man, black of flesh, but covered with a very light robe, came to them, and asked them why they stood there. They answered they were going to the Celestial City, but knew not which of these ways to take. "Follow me," said the man; "it is thither that I am going.”

Christian and Hopeful were uncertain of the way when they suddenly were offered help by a total stranger. They immediately fell for the man’s appearance. The man they met, described as “black of flesh,” was nicely dressed, confident, smooth talking, and presented himself as one who knew the way to the Celestial City. Without questioning him, they blindly followed. Within but a short time, they were led from the straight and narrow path. Still they followed him.

“So they followed him to the way that but now came into the road, which by degrees turned and turned them so from the city that they desired to go to, that, in a little time, their faces were turned away from it; yet they followed him. But by-and-by, before they were aware, he led them both within the folds of a net, in which they were both so entangled that they knew not what to do; and with that, the white robe fell off the black man's back. Then they saw where they were. Wherefore, there they lay crying some time, for they could not get themselves out.”

It turned out that the man who lured them off the correct path was Flatterer, an angel of darkness dressed as an angel of light.

2 Corinthians 11:13-14

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”

It is strange, given their experience, they could be so easily deceived, but the cunning of Satan knows no bounds. Christian and Hopeful were fooled by appearances. They judged the Flatterer by his outward appearance. He led them astray only by small degrees until suddenly they were caught in his net. It was only then that The Flatterer revealed his true nature. Only after the fact did Christian recognize why they fell into the net.

“CHRIS. Then said Christian to his fellow, "Now do I see myself in an error. Did not the shepherds bid us beware of flatterers? As is the saying of the Wise Man, so we have found it this day: 'A man that flattereth his neighbor, spreadeth a net at his feet.”

First they had been warned by the Shepherds. Secondly they failed to read the note. Hopeful observed.

“HOPE. They also gave us a note of directions about the way, for our more sure finding thereof; but therein we have also forgotten to read, and have not kept ourselves from the paths of the destroyer. Thus they lay bewailing themselves in the net."

The note for them was like scripture. Remember the Roll that Christian lost on the Hill Difficulty. Christian, his mind at ease, fell asleep on a bench and the Roll fell out of his hand. The Roll served two purposes. First, he read from it daily for it was scripture. Second, it was his pass into the Celestial City.

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Season 5 Podcast 156 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, Q, Chapter 15:2-4 C “Sea of Glass cont.”

As we continue with the Sea of Glass, let us begin this podcast by discussing covenants as symbolized by the temple garments.

(Isaiah 61:10)

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Also consider his further priestly accouterments.

Exodus 28:36-38

“And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, Holiness to the Lord. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.”

Aaron and his sons are to be dressed in the garments of the Holy Priesthood when they enter into the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

Exodus 28:43

“And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.”

That is the forerunner of Solomon’s Temple. Only those who are cleansed from all sin as symbolized by the Molten Sea may enter the presence of God. The connection to Revelation 15 also becomes very clear. Everything in Revelation 21 is connected to Revelations 15 and 4. They are inseparable.

Revelation 21:10-11

“And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;”

The connection also takes us back to 1 Kings 7 to Solomon’s Temple and the 12 oxen. We continue with Revelation 21:

Revelation 21:12-14

“And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”

To students of the Holy Bible, there are no coincidences. All repetition is deliberate. Parallelism is the Hebrew form of cross referencing. The Temple of Solomon symbolizes the Celestial Glory. The Sea of Glass in Revelation 4 and 15 symbolizes the Celestial Glory. Consider Revelation 21:18

Revelation 21:18

“18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”

For further confirmation Revelation 21 brings us back to the temple image.

Revelation 21:21-23

“And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”

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Season 5 Podcast 155, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “The Language of Law.”

Temporal matter is subject to temporal laws because temporal matter is reducible. Temporal law has no power over spiritual law because spiritual matter is irreducible; however, spiritual laws have enormous power over temporal laws because the spirit alone has life. For example, in man, the brain governs the body, but the spirit governs the brain. The brain does not think. The spirit thinks. Intelligence lies only in the spirit. The brain is the language of the body, not the life. The brain translates what the spirit says into the language of the physical body. The brain and body comprise an astonishing information system brought about through specialized language, but they are not the source of intelligence. Intelligence cannot be created or destroyed. It is part of the spirit not the body. Science can only deal with temporal laws. Science does not have the refined instruments necessary to detect the spirit. All the conclusions of science about origins of life, consciousness, and freewill are false because they are founded on the false premise that life is in the body and intelligence is in the brain.

Spiritual matter is subject only to spiritual laws. Irreducible matter falsifies the theory of evolution. Temporal law has power over our temporal body, making it subject to the laws of this earth, but it has no power over the spirit which gives life to the body. Evolution only has an effect in a temporal world on mortal bodies, and its power and boundaries are strictly governed by temporal and spiritual law.

From the beginning of creation God decrees life would only multiply “after its own kind.”

Genesis 1:11-12

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”

Genesis 1:24-25

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”

That was affirmed by science when Crick and Watson defined the genetic code, the language of the body that sets the boundaries of the body. Life, intelligence, and consciousness are spiritual, not temporal. They have no genetic code. Regardless of what affect evolution has on temporal matter, it has no affect at all on spiritual matter, on life, on intelligence, on freewill, or on consciousness. We are dual beings, first spiritual and then temporal.

Only men and women are created in the image of God.

Genesis 1:26-27

The creation of men and women was not an evolutionary process. The first commandment was to multiply and replenish the earth.

Genesis 1: 28

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

Creation was first spiritual and then temporal. It was true for flora.

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Season 5 Podcast 154 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 47 Chapter 9 D “Job’s Horse.”

In last week’s episode from the country of Conceit, Christian and Hopeful discuss the plight of Little-Faith. Hopeful criticizes Little-Faith for not standing up to the three robbers. Christian defends Little-Faith and says that we all must face our fears. Christian and Hopeful continue their argument. Christian says,

“CHRIS. True, they have often fled, both they and their master, when Great-Grace hath but appeared; and no marvel, for he is the King's champion. But I trow you will put some difference between Little-Faith and the King's champion? All the King's subjects are not His champions, nor can they when tried do such feats of war as he. Is it meet to think that a little child should handle Goliath as David did? or that there should be the strength of an ox in a wren? Some are strong, some are weak; some have great faith, some have little: this man was one of the weak, and therefore he went to the wall.”

Christian understands that we are not all champions. We cannot all be a bold as the Savior. Not all are like David facing Goliath. People have different gifts. The wren is not as strong as the ox, and not everyone has faith enough to stand up to the enemy.

Hopeful wanted Christ to come down and defeat the robbers.

“HOPE. I would it had been Great-Grace for their sakes.”

That raises an important theological question. Will Christ always appear to fight our battles? Many, during a crisis, have turned away from God because they felt that he did not care. I vividly remember a haunting image. A young man caught by the police had murdered an innocent little girl as she was crossing a field to her house. As the killer was being hauled away handcuffed, a reporter asked him if he were afraid of God’s wrath. The young man, without conscience, replied, laughing, “What has God ever done for me?” Heaven often seems silent. For example, why didn’t God protect the little child? Knowing the ways of God to man is one of the most difficult lessons we must learn on earth. Bunyan does not shy away from the paradoxes Christians face daily.

“CHRIS. If it had been he, he might have had his hands full; for I must tell you that though Great-Grace is excellent good at his weapons, and has, and can, so long as he keeps them at sword's point, do well enough with them; yet, if they get within him, even Faint-heart, Mistrust, or the other, it shall go hard but they will throw up his heels. And when a man is down, you know, what can he do?”

And that is the issue, isn’t it? What can Christ do to help Faint-heart and Mistrust because they “will throw up their heels.” In other words, they don’t even stay around for His help. They skedaddle. Can Christ help anyone against their will? Can we stand idly by while Christ fights our battles? What limitations do we put on Christ, and what does Christ expect of us? On the other hand, as Christian asks, “When a man is down, what can he do? Meaning, What can Christ do? All Christians face the same dilemma? Do we expect too much of God? Or too little? Or do we want Christ to do it our way and not his way. One of the great scriptures of the Bible is also one of the hardest to obey.

Proverbs 3:5-7

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.”

Christian continues.

“Whoso looks well upon Great-Grace's face will see those scars and cuts there, that shall easily give proof of what I say. Yea, once I heard that he should say (and that when he was in the combat), "We despaired even of life."

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Season 5 Podcast 153 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, P, Chapter 15:2-4 B “Sea of Glass.”

Revelation 15 begins with the introduction of the seven angels having the seven last plagues, yet it is a vision of hope for it deals with the promise of exaltation in Celestial Glory to those saints who remain faithful. In this Podcast and the Podcast that follows I shall focus on the Sea of Glass.

Revelation 15:2

“Sea of Glass mingled with fire” suggests absolute purity. Fire purifies gold, an image used by Peter relating to the trial of our faith.

1 Peter 1:7

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”

Malachi speaks of the refiners fire. He is also using Temple Imagery.

Malachi 3:1-3

“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”

We are introduced to the Sea of Glass as early as the Book of Kings.

1 Kings 7:3

“And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.”

The above is in reference to the building of Solomon’s temple. The Molten Sea rests on the backs of twelve oxen.

1 Kings 7:25

“It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.”

The above refers to the baptismal font in Solomon’s Temple. Baptism is a form of purification or cleansing. We can better understand the Sea of Glass if we first understand the purpose of Solomon’s Temple. They are all temple images: 1 Kings 7 and Revelations 4, 15, 21, & 22. Each helps us to understand the other. In the Book of Revelation, we are first introduced to the Sea of Glass in Revelation 4,

Revelation 4:1-6

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

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Season 5 Podcast 152, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Conditions of Law.”

All laws, temporal or spiritual, work through the principle of causality; otherwise, we would have no access to power. It is the principle of causality that forms the conditions and boundaries of law. Without the principle of causality, we would be automatons subject to irreversible law. Without conditions of law, freewill couldn’t exist. The cause or conditions of law lead to a specific effect. The price of disobeying the conditions of mortal law is entropy and temporal death or being cut off from the earth. The price of violating the conditions of spiritual law is spiritual death or being cut off from the presence of God.

The principle of causality has two parts: cause and effect. That is what gives time its arrow. In other words, that is why time flows only in one direction. The cause, which we call the conditions of law, always precedes the effect. The effect refers to the consequences of law. All laws have conditions, and all laws have consequences. The more we know about the conditions of law, the more freedom we have. The more we know about the consequences of law, the more wisdom we have. Temporal laws have temporal conditions and temporal consequences. Spiritual laws have spiritual conditions and spiritual consequences. We consider the laws of nature to be temporal laws. We consider the commandments of God to be spiritual laws. The promises of God are the consequences of obeying the commandments of God. Without the conditions of law, temporal or spiritual, there is no freedom.

To understand freedom, we must distinguish among freewill, freedom, agency, and liberty.

· Freewill is a product of spiritual law, not temporal law. Freewill resides only in the spirit not the body. Will may be defined as intelligence, consciousness, and life. Intelligence cannot be created or destroyed. It self-exists. The will is set free by spiritual law established by God. Only by disobedience to spiritual law do we forfeit freewill.

· Freedom is a product of temporal, or mortal law. It applies to the body and the brain.

· Agency is a product of knowledge of good and evil and the ability to choose between the two.

· Liberty is a product of the laws or government established by man. They may be changed. Nations or states determine the amount of liberty afforded its citizens.

On this earth, in our imperfect state, without conditions, we would have no freewill, freedom, agency, or liberty. The conditions of spiritual law determine our freewill. The conditions of temporal law determine our freedom. The conditions of the commandments of God determine our agency. The conditions of man-made law determine our liberty.

Knowledge is the key to all freedom. Christ said.

John 8:31-32

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The word ‘truth’ may be applied to freewill, freedom, agency, and liberty. No form of freedom can exist without truth. They are in concomitant variation, the greater the truth, the greater the freedom. The greater the lies, the greater the captivity.

We must have a knowledge of the conditions of law. Those who claim that we do not have freewill because of law do not understand law. They do not understand God. And they do not understand the purpose of life.

Opposition is necessary to freedom—when I use the word freedom in such a context, I refer to all four classes. Without opposition there can be no freewill, freedom, agency, or liberty.

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Season 5 Podcast 151 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 46 Chapter 9 C “Little Faith and Great Grace.”

In last week’s episode from the country of Conceit, Christian and Hopeful meet Little-Faith who is robbed by the Three Sturdy Rogues: Faint-heart, Mistrust, and Guilt. They rob him of most of his silver. However, they overlook other things of greater importance.

“Hope. But it must needs be a comfort to him that they got not his jewels from him.”

The story of Little-Faith told by Christian is hearsay by anonymous sources.

“CHRIS. It might have been great comfort to him, had he used it as he should; but they that told me the story said, that he made but little use of it all the rest of the way, and that because of the alarm that he had in their taking away his money. Indeed, he forgot it a great part of the rest of his journey; and besides, when at any time it came into his mind, and he began to be comforted therewith, then would fresh thoughts of his loss come again upon him, and those thoughts would swallow up all.”

As established in last week’s episode, Little-Faith is a condition that all Christians share somewhere along their journey to the Celestial City. In the above we first have Little-Faith weakened by human frailties and immobilized by self-pity. The point of Pilgrim’s Progress is that although there are many external obstacles, primarily Satan, there are as many internal obstacles simply caused by the human condition. The natural man is often simplified by referring to the lusts of the flesh, but the natural man also encompasses the very human weaknesses such as doubt, fear, and unsteady faith. Hopeful and Christian pity Little-Faith and acknowledged that Little-Faith responded to his injury naturally.

“HOPE. Alas, poor man! this could not but be a great grief unto him.

CHRIS. Grief! ay, a grief indeed. Would it not have been so to any of us, had we been used as he, to be robbed and wounded too, and that in a strange place, as he was? It is a wonder he did not die with grief, poor heart! I was told that he scattered almost all the rest of the way with nothing but doleful and bitter complaints; telling also to all that overtook him, or that he overtook in the way as he went, where he was robbed, and how; who they were that did it, and what he had lost; how he was wounded, and that he hardly escaped with life.”

We are perhaps all familiar with those who dwell on their griefs and share them with anyone who will listen. The question, however, arises—can advertising one’s grief be carried too far, say to the point of making matters worse. Bunyan, however, raises an even greater issue. For example, Hopeful comes up with a transparent solution.

“HOPE. But it is a wonder that his necessities did not put him upon selling or pawning some of his jewels, that he might have wherewith to relieve himself in his journey.”

Hopeful is severely rebuked by Christian because he doesn’t understand the importance of the jewels.

“CHRIS. Thou talkest like one whose head is thick to this very day. For what should he pawn them, or to whom should he sell them? In all that country where he was robbed, his jewels were not accounted of; nor did he want that relief which could from thence be administered to him. Besides, had his jewels been missing at the gate of the Celestial City, he had (and that he knew well enough) been shut out from an inheritance there; and that would have been worse to him than the cunning and villainy of ten thousand thieves."

To understand Christian’s reasoning, it is helpful to speculate on what the jewels are. Let’s begin with one that is familiar to all Christians.

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Season 5 Podcast 150 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, O, Chapter 15:1 A “The Wrath of God.”

Revelation 15 has an interesting contrast between the image of Celestial Glory and the seven angels having the seven last plagues. Revelation begins and ends with the seven plagues, yet the verses in between describe those who live in the Celestial Kingdom.

Revelation 15:1

“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.”

First of all, what is the ‘wrath of God’? Many think of it in terms of Jonathon Edwards’, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.” It is somewhat misleading because it sounds like God is taking revenge. We should ask, “If God likes to punish his children, why did he send Christ to die for our sins?” In the Intercessory Prayer we learn:

John 17:1-3

“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

We too easily forget John 3:16-17

That is the true God, and Jesus Christ, whom God has sent. Therefore, rather than ask, ‘Why do we have the wrath of God,’ perhaps we should ask, ‘Why do we have the atonement of Christ?’

There are two laws that give God his identity: The law of justice and the law of mercy. Without the law of justice God could not exist. God cannot be arbitrary. He must be absolute. That is why law must be absolute. The law of justice came first. The law of mercy came second. The only reason we need the law of mercy is because The Father must remain just, or he would cease to be God. How does the Law of Mercy help the Father to be merciful and also just? The law of mercy satisfied the demands of the law of justice. With the fall of Adam, a law was broken. That put Adam and Eve and all mankind outside the law of justice. They suffered a spiritual death because they were forever cut off from the presence of God. They suffered a physical death because the spirit and the body separate and the body went back to what David called the ‘dust of death,’ never to be reunited.

The Father, because of the law of justice, could not arbitrarily save Adam and Eve nor any of their posterity. The law of justice would not allow it, or God would cease to be God. Jesus Christ, the only one worthy to open the book, sacrificed his perfect life to atone for our sins to satisfy the demands of the law of justice. Mercy cannot rob justice, but it can satisfy justice. The law of justice is The Wrath of God. The law of mercy is the love of God. Because of the atonement of Christ, God can be both just, which means he can remain to be God, and merciful which means he can bring all of his children home if they are willing to abide by the conditions the Father placed on the law of mercy. Those conditions are faith, repentance, baptism, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

Paul tells us:

Romans 4:15

“Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.”

Paul also adds

Romans 5:9

“Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

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Season 5 Podcast 149, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Unified Theory of Everything.”

Man created the Tower of Babel, not God. Man alone can create confusion. Because we do not know the end from the beginning, we were given the capacity of reasoning through language to discover the hand of God in all things. By denying meaning and rejecting the search for truth, we shut down the primary purpose of reasoning. Creation moves forward; reasoning moves backward. Law reveals. Language unveils. Law constructs. Language deconstructs. That which we deliberately obscure with language remains hidden because our desires are evil. Today, with political correctness, we wallow in willful ignorance and drown in self-deceit. God gave birth to the earth. We gave birth to racial division, the theory of evolution, and political correctness. God drew a veil between heaven and earth to help us see him through the eyes of faith. We draw a veil between earth and heaven to hide us from his face so that we can satisfy our hidden desires. Hiding from the light hides God from us but does not hide us from the eyes of God who can penetrate any darkness.

Without intelligent design there would be no math, logic, language, law, or science because there would be no order. One cannot classify and divide chaos because chaos is total disorder. It has no purpose, no principles, and no essential attributes. Chaos of itself can produce nothing. It cannot be broken down. That which is evenly distributed has no hierarchy. It cannot be classified.

But there is order. I like the scientific word—symmetry—or, when applied to the cosmos—supersymmetry. However, that smacks too much of intelligent design, and the idea of God is uncomfortable, so scientists search for alternatives. Once science invented the concept of multiverses it ended its quest. It no longer had to blush at the sound of God, and there was more room for more Nobel prizes.

To Christians, patterns reveal principles, principles reveal purpose, purpose reveals intelligent design, and intelligent design reveals God. Sometimes we must close our eyes to open our understanding. If scientists look long enough, they will find their unifying theory of temporal law, but they will not find the Holy Grail which is the unifying theory of everything. They see only a mechanical universe signifying nothing. Scientists limit their ability to discover the overriding purpose because they only look at one critical attribute, which is function, and deny meaning. They find a pattern and label it, but they don’t go beyond. They don’t look for purpose.

To know that something exists is the beginning of knowledge. To believe something exists is the beginning of faith. To know why something exists is the beginning of understanding. To know something exists is the beginning of scientific inquiry. To know why something exists is the beginning of spiritual inquiry. To strive to know how something works is the beginning of the search for law. To strive to know why something exists and why it works is the beginning of the search for God.

The search for essential attributes identifies purpose. Science denies meaning because they deny intelligent design. They deny the core of classification—that essential attributes and important principles must exist. Rather than learn from nature, the great teacher, science organizes their facts to promote their ideologies and preconceived opinions. They present examples as proof of what they already believe. When has example ever proven anything but preexisting prejudice? God is condemned in the square of public opinion and is never allowed to speak.

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Season 5 Podcast 148 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 45 Chapter 9 B “The Three Sturdy Rogues.”

In last week’s episode from the country of Conceit, Christian and Hopeful meet a pilgrim called Ignorance, who is also on his way to the Celestial City. As they continue their journey, they meet Turn-away, a wicked man who claimed to be virtuous.

“So they both went on, and Ignorance he came after. Now, when they had passed him a little way, they entered into a very dark lane, where they met a man whom seven devils had bound with seven strong cords, and were carrying of him back to the door that they saw on the side of the hill. Now good Christian began to tremble, and so did Hopeful his companion; yet, as the devils led away the man, Christian looked to see if he knew him; and he thought it might be one Turn-away, that dwelt in the town of Apostasy. But he did not perfectly see his face, for he did hang his head like a thief that is found; but being gone past, Hopeful looked after him, and espied on his back a paper with this inscription, "One who was wicked while claiming to be good, and turned away from God."”

The classes of those whom Christian meets on his journey to the Celestial City fall under the following categories:

Those who help him on his way such as Evangelist, The Shining Ones, The Interpreter, Piety, Prudence, and Charity.
Those who try to prevent him from continuing his journey such as Worldly Wiseman, Mr. Legality, the giants Pope & Pagan, and the ogre Despair.
Demons who want to destroy him such as Apollyon, Abaddon, and Beelzebub
Other Pilgrims who fall away because they did not enter the strait gate or who otherwise were not prepared for the journey or who gave in to temptation such as Obstinate, Pliable, Simple, Sloth, Presumption, Formalist, Hypocrisy, and Ignorance.
Those close companions who join him and endure his trials such as Faithful and Hopeful.
Those who are so much in the world that they symbolize the temptations of the flesh such as Wanton, Talkative, Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, and Pride of Life.
And miscellaneous others who were in one form of captivity or another and could not get loose such as Man of Despair locked in a cage and Turn-away who was possessed of seven devils.

We also must consider the journey itself which presents either obstacles or support in Christian’s pilgrimage to the Celestial City. Some of the obstacles are

The City of Destruction where Christian is from
The Slough of Despond,
The Town of Morality
The Hill of Difficulty
The Delectable Mountains
The Valley of Humiliation
The Valley of the Shadow of Death
The Wilderness
Vanity Fair
By-Path Meadow
Doubting Castle
By-way to Hell
The Enchanted Ground

Then, of course, there are the places where Christian finds comfort and support.

The House of the Interpreter
Before the Cross
The Palace

The obstacles appear to outnumber the supporters. Next we meet the Three Sturdy Rogues.

“Then said Christian to his fellow, "Now I call to remembrance that which was told of a thing that happened to a good man hereabout. The name of that man was Little-Faith, but a good man, and dwelt in the town of Sincere.

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Season 5 Podcast 147 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, M, Chapter 14:12-20 C “Judged by our Works.”

We previously learned of the Fall of Babylon and of the terrible calamities that fall upon those who worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand.” In the following the Lord speaks directly to his faithful saints.

Revelation 14:12

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

Rather than curses that have fallen upon the wicked, blessings fall upon the righteous.

Revelation 14:13

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”

It doesn’t promise that the faithful will escape all the suffering, but it does promise that those who endure to the end or those who “die in the Lord” shall rest from their labors and furthermore shall be greatly blessed for all their good works. We should not assume that because we are saved by grace that our works on earth don’t matter. In Psalms, the Lord says:

Psalm 33:15

“He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.”

John also revealed,

There is a difference between being saved by ‘grace and judged by works.’ Remember the words of the Savior,

John 14:2-3

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

The words above refer not just to his apostles but to all of his disciples. Paul expands the image of “many mansions” exponentially.

1 Corinthians 25:40-42

The many mansions are divided by Paul into three levels or degrees of glory, one compared to the glory of the sun, another compared to the glory of the moon, and still another compared to the glory of the stars. He also subdivides the glories when he says, “for one star differeth from another star in glory.” All who are saved in a kingdom of glory are by necessity saved by grace and not by works. That is fundamental doctrine of Christianity, but what are the conditions of glory? In other words what standards of judgment determine which kingdom of glory we inherit. James tells us.

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Season 5 Podcast 146, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Spontaneous Creation Part Three.”

Just as forests fall from fire and new birth bursts forth from seeds released by the heat, heat death comes to the celestial forests of planets, stars, suns and galaxies and new stars are born. Astronomers today claim that every galaxy has a black hole that sucks in suns, moons, stars, planets, and dark matter and spews out new suns, new stars, new planets which form new galaxies and new earths to support new life. That suggests that the scientific view of the GIANT heat death, referring to the death of all galaxies and all laws and all life, is false. Law will never die, and out of the fiery furnace of exploding stars, black holes, and colliding galaxies come forth new galaxies, new stars, new suns, new planets, new moons, and new systems. There will always be mortal worlds and mortal lives, but, even as they come and go, we, being immortal, will move on in our eternal progression just as other new worlds will have to move on in theirs. Mortal matter is manageable by mortal law, but life is eternal and governed only by eternal law.

Just as there is a conservation of energy, there is a conservation of life. Intelligence and consciousness cannot be created or destroyed, but they can be expanded and perfected through law. Law and light cannot be separated. Law is the light of Christ that fills the cosmos. Law is the power of Christ. Law governs everything. If law did not exist, there would be no life. Law is the key to freedom. Will self-exists because intelligence and consciousness self-exist; however, freewill, which is a potential rather than a guarantee, must be released by law or it will remain forever bound. Eternal progression is just that—eternal! Without freewill, eternal progression would mean nothing. Freewill has infinite potential. Eternal progression helps us to expand into that potential. God is the only truly free person in the cosmos. The purpose of all the laws of
God is to help us become like him else existence makes no sense. Anything less than becoming Gods diminishes both God and man. Why would God, who is omniscient and omnipotent, want anything less than omniscience and omnipotence for his children. We have the model on earth. Just as our earthly parents want us to reach our full potential and become adults, our heavenly parents want us to reach our full potential and become Gods. Earthly parents are modeled after our heavenly parents. Earth mirrors heaven or eternity has no purpose. To live in eternity but be bound to finite laws would be a kind of eternal hell. It is so easy to forget that mortality is temporary, yet we have immortal spirits. The mortal body goes back to the dust, but the eternal spirit lives forever. That is why the resurrection brought about by the atonement of Christ is so important. The resurrection gives us an immortal body to match our immortal spirits. We came to earth to gain a physical body and to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Father in Heaven, else life on earth has no meaning.

It is God who allows us to reach our potential through law. It is God who organized the laws. God is the ultimate model, and all laws are engineered to help us become like him. That is the purpose of the commandments. However, He will never violate our agency. We must choose to remain free.

We are now engaged in just such a journey, and mortality is part of that eternal process and should be taken very seriously. We did not put our eternal progression on hold while we vacation on earth. Earth is not a resort where we eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.

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In last week’s episode the Shepherds take them to the Hill Caution. They are reminded of their torments in Doubting Castle kept by Giant Despair. They also see a by-way to hell where hypocrites go. Next they see the gate of the Celestial City.

As they resume their journey they meet a man called Ignorance.

“And I slept, and dreamed again, and saw the same two pilgrims going down the mountains along the highway towards the city. Now, a little below these mountains, on the left hand, lieth the country of Conceit; from which country there comes into the way in which the pilgrims walked a little crooked lane. Here, therefore, they met with a very brisk lad, that came out of that country, and his name was Ignorance. So Christian asked him from what parts he came, and whither he was going.”

Conceit has an inherently negative connotation, generally despised but highly imitated. It means self-love, vanity, self-praise, self-importance, opinionated, egotistical, haughty, proud, boasting, supercilious, disdainful, and vain. The country of Conceit would contain every variation: pride or superiority, perhaps engendered by wealth, superior education, power, high birth, gifted, etc. It is curious that the individual we meet from the country of Conceit is Ignorance who comes down a crooked lane. Ignorance has traveled a long distance on the road to the Celestial City; however, he is disdainful of the scriptures that teach the strait and narrow way. Notice that he is a ‘brisk lad,’ suggesting that he is self-assured and certain that his way is best. He does not have to lower himself to the standards of the poor in heart. He follows the way of all of his countrymen.

IGNOR. Sir, I was born in the country that lieth off there a little on the left hand, and I am going to the Celestial City.

CHRIS. But how do you think to get in at the gate? for you may find some difficulty there.

IGNOR. As other people do.

CHRIS. But what have you to show at the gate, that may cause that the gate should be opened to you?

IGNOR. I know my Lord's will, and have been a good liver; I pay every man his own; I pray, fast, pay money to the church and give to the poor, and have left my country for whither I am going.

His goal, to reach the Celestial City, is the same as that of Christian and Hopeful; however, he chooses his own path. Even when Christian confronts him that he may have trouble entering the gate, Ignorance brushes his fears aside. When asked what he has to show at the gate, he boasts, “I pay every man his own; I pray, fast, pay money to the church, and give to the poor.” That is an impressive record, but he ignores the Savior’s warning.

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Ignorance does not take into account the strait and narrow way.

Matthew 7:13-14

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

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Season 5 Podcast 144 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, M, Chapter 14:6-11 B “The First Three Angels.”

Another set of angels appear to John. The first angel speaks of a restoration.

Revelation 14:6

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.”

The 144,000 spoken of in verse 1 are connected to the restoration of the gospel of Christ. Earlier John spoke of the great apostasy.

Revelation 12:13-17

“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

It is the duty of the 144,000 to preach the everlasting gospel unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. We are in the opening of the Seventh Seal. Prior to the Second Coming of Christ, the gospel of Christ will be preached to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” for the last time before he purges the earth and ushers in the Millennium. It is a voice of warning.

Revelation 14:7

“Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

This is the final call. This is the Lamb on Mount Zion whose voice is of many waters and the voice of a great thunder. Notice that he speaks with a “loud voice.” That appears contrary to the still small voice spoken of by Elijah.

1 Kings 19:11-12

“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”

To understand that let’s turn to Matthew 24 and listen as Christ describes what must occur just prior to his Second Coming.

Matthew 24:3-15

“3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

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Season 5 Podcast 143, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Spontaneous Creation Part Two.”

Modern theoretical science ignores two of nature’s most important laws:

Law does not allow luck or accident.
Something can never come from nothing.

Those are the two greatest flaws in modern scientific thinking.

The only role evolution has is to guarantee survival of species that already exist. There was no evolution in the Garden of Eden for, before the fall, there was no death. God created Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. It was the fall that brought death into the world. Only then could evolution play any role. Evolution had nothing to do with creation. Law alone organized into complete sets by God is responsible for creation. For evolution to occur, the Goldilocks zone must be in place, the biological environment must preexist, and the reproductive systems of all species must have been organized. The theory of evolution is faced with the contradiction that any species can only reproduce “after its own kind.” The science of evolution (by science, I mean that part of evolution that can be verified as opposed to the theories of evolution, that part of evolution that is invented by theorists) can just as easily be used as an argument for the existence of God as it can be used as an argument against the existence of God. All order is an argument for the existence of God.

Many Christians hold to the view that life, intelligence, consciousness, and potential self-exist. They can be neither created nor destroyed. That is really the only possible explanation for the existence of intelligence and consciousness. Nothing can be the cause of itself. That which self-exists has no first cause. Matter and energy self-exist. Intelligence, consciousness, and life self-exist. That is true by necessity because nothing can create itself. It defies all logic, and the very idea of spontaneous creation defies logic. The only reason anyone would offer chance, accident, coincidence, serendipity, or spontaneous creation as acts of creation is because they refuse to even consider the obvious which is intelligent design.

We must also assume that chaos self exists for only law can bring order out of chaos. Chaos is the only truly lawless state. Chaos is also evidence of the self-existence of matter. Laws cannot self-exist. If laws self-existed, then science is right—there is no freewill. We are machines.

The greatest argument for intelligent design is freewill. If laws self-existed, there would be no freewill, no consciousness, no intelligence, no life. Everything would be part of a cosmic machine with nothing aware of itself. But that is the point of view of science as articulated by Mr. Stephen Hawking who said in his book The Grand Design, “It is hard to imagine how free will can operate if our behavior is determined by physical law, so it seems that we are no more than biological machines and that free will is just an illusion.”

Mr. Hawking assumes that laws self-exist. As a result, science claims that man is a machine and does not have freewill. If they admitted that freewill existed, their entire philosophical system would collapse. They admit to the appearance of freewill and even admit to the appearance of intelligent design, but that is as far as they will go. One way to destroy an argument is to reduce it to the absurd. Ancient logicians had an impressive Latin name for it. Wikipedia defines it as follows:

“In logic, reductio ad absurdum (Latin for "reduction to absurdity"), also known as argumentum ad absurdum (Latin for "argument to absurdity") or apagogical arguments, is the form of argument that attempts to establish a claim by showing that the opposite scenario would lead to absurdity or contradiction.”

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Season 5 Podcast 142 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 43 Chapter 9 B, “The Hill Caution.”

In last week’s episode Christian and Hopeful meet the four shepherds, Knowledge, Experience, Watchful, and Sincere on top of the Delectable Mountains. In this week’s episode the Shepherds take them to the Hill Caution.

Just because they have made it as far as the Delectable Mountains does not mean they can let their guard down.

“Then I saw that they had them to the top of another mountain, and the name of that is Caution and bid them look afar off; and when they did, they perceived, as they thought, several men walking up and down among the tombs that were there; and they perceived that the men were blind, because they stumbled sometimes upon the tombs, and because they could not get out from among them. Then said Christian, "What means this?"

The answer both startles and depresses Christian and Hopeful who know all too well what the blind men had gone through.

“The shepherds then answered, "Did you not see a little below these mountains a stile that led into a meadow on the left hand side of this way?" They answered, "Yes." Then said the shepherds, "From that stile there goes a path that leads directly to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair; and these men" (pointing to them among the tombs) "came once on pilgrimage, as you do now, even until they came to that same stile. And because the right way was rough in that place, they chose to go out of it into that meadow, and there were taken by Giant Despair, and cast into Doubting Castle, where, after they had been kept a while in the dungeon, he at last did put out their eyes, and led them among those tombs, where he has left them to wander to this very day, that the saying of the Wise Man might be fulfilled, 'He that wandereth out of the way of knowledge, shall remain in the congregation of the dead.'" Then Christian and Hopeful looked upon one another with tears gushing out, but yet said nothing to the shepherds.”

The four shepherds point out another pitfall in the Delectable Mountains which is the very mouth of hell itself.

“Then I saw in my dream, that the shepherds had them to another place in a bottom, where was a door on the side of a hill; and they opened the door, and bid them look in. They looked in, therefore, and saw that within it was very dark and smoky; they also thought that they heard there a rumbling noise, as of fire, and a cry of some tormented, and that they smelt the scent of brimstone. Then said Christian, "What means this?" The shepherds told them, "This is a by-way to hell, a way that hypocrites go in at: namely, such as sell their birthright, with Esau; such as sell their master, with Judas; such as blaspheme the Gospel, with Alexander; and that lie and deceive with Ananias and Sapphira his wife."

We all know the story of Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of pottage and Judas betraying Christ. Poor Esau was starving and lost sight of what was most valuable. His story is also played out in the Temptations of Christ who, after a very long fast, was understandably extremely hungry; however, he refused to turn the stone to bread. He gave Satan the following answer.

Matthew 4:2-4

“And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Christ understood that which Esau did not. Christ was tempted in the same way that Esau was, but as Paul said, he never gave in to temptation. Still the story of Ananias and Sapphira is very disturbing. The following story is recorded by Paul.

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Season 5 Podcast 141 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, L, Chapter 14:1-7 A “A New Song.”

Chapter 14 stands in antithetical parallelism to Chapter 13. In Chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation, we have two frightening beasts rising, one out of the sea, the other out of the land. The first beast symbolizes evil domination by war. The second beast symbolizes evil domination by controlling the wealth.

In Revelation 14 we have the Lamb of God.

“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.”

Notice, however, that the second beast of Revelation 13 is a counterfeit of the true lamb.

Revelation 13:1

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.”

He may have the appearance of a lamb; however, he speaks as a dragon, a symbol of Satan. The true Lamb of God, who comes neither from the sea nor the earth but from heaven and stands on Mount Sion, presents himself as the true Son of the Father. He is accompanied by heavenly music.

Revelation 14:2

“And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:”

Above, the voice of Christ is compared to the sound of many waters and also as the sound of thunder. When Christ first appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos, his voice was described as “a great voice, as of a trumpet.’ His voice was also described in Revelation 1 as “the sound of many waters.” Those who have stood near mighty waterfalls, such as Niagara Falls, can perhaps hear the relentless, roaring sound. The idea, of course, is that it is a voice of great power. This is not the carpenter of Nazareth. This is the Resurrected Lord who shares the throne with His Father. In Revelation 1 John further describes the risen Lord:

Revelation 1:14-16

“His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

That is a very imposing image. In Revelation 14 John continues:

Revelation 14:3

“And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.”

We are not to assume that only 144,000 are saved in the Kingdom of God or that only 24 Elders share the throne of God. Let’s go back to Revelation 5:

Revelation 5:10-11

“And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;”

Shortly after speaking of the sealing of the 144,000, John records the number of their converts.

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Season 5 Podcast 140, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Spontaneous Creation Part One.”

The idea of an accidental universe, or ‘spontaneous creation,’ does not correspond to the scientific method defined so eloquently by Mr. Stephen Hawking.

“There must be a complete set of laws that, given the state of the universe at a specific time, would specify how the universe would develop from that time forward.” Stephen Hawking

The statement above by Mr. Stephen Hawking is a succinct statement of law. It is true by necessity. Because it is true, we have order rather than disorder in the universe. The problem is that science cannot account for the origin of law. Where did law come from? The great Mr. Hawking, speaking for the scientific community contradicts his own statement above by making

“The lucky coincidences pertaining to the shape of planetary orbits, the mass of the sun, and so on are called environmental because they arise from the serendipity of our surroundings and not from a fluke in the fundamental laws of nature.”

That is a circular argument. In reality it is saying, “The lucky coincidences pertaining to the shape of planetary orbits, the mass of the sun, and so on are called environmental because they arise from happy accidents.” The Oxford Languages dictionary defines serendipity as “the occurrence and developing of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. “a fortunate stroke of serendipity.”

Both statements by Mr. Stephen Hawking above cannot be true. He must choose. Is it because of a complete set of laws that specify how the universe would develop or is it by happy accident? Science cannot hide behind the nebulous phrase, “from that time forward.” Does it mean that everything happened by happy accident until a complete set of laws law miraculously appeared that specified how the universe would act ‘from that time forward’? There is no place for coincidence or happy accident in law, whether lucky or unlucky. If an accident can suddenly appear and organize chaos, then an accident can suddenly appear and turn order back to chaos. All laws are absolute. Furthermore, laws cannot appear in a vacuum. All laws must be governed by a single law, all working under one great whole. Consider the following statement also by Mr. Hawking.

“It is hard to imagine how free will can operate if our behavior is determined by physical law, so it seems that we are no more than biological machines and that free will is just an illusion.”

Mr. Hawking is ignoring the fact that he, by his own admission, believes in “the appearance of intelligent design.” He is also ignoring the existence of intelligence and consciousness. Freewill depends upon three things, all of which Mr. Hawking would probably agree with: Intelligence, consciousness, and a complete set of laws. Science often quotes Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am.” It is ironic that Mr. Hawking, a highly intelligent scientist, believe in intelligence, but he does not believe in intelligent design. The fact is science hides behind the transparent assumption that they absolutely reject the idea of God. That is where their conclusions about freewill are coming from. They aren’t coming from science. They are coming from a scientific bias.

Another scientific contradiction is that if the above is true, the claims of Mr. Richard Dawkins in his rather fanciful book, The God Delusion, cannot possibly be true. If Mr. Hawkings is correct, then evolution would also be governed by a strict set of laws rather than the strange convolutions of natural selection claimed by Darwinian hardhats. The peacock’s tail, for example, is a product of strict law and did not evolve because the male peacock needed to show off to attract a female.

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Season 5 Podcast 139 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 42 Chapter 8 A “The Delectable Mountains.”

In last week’s episode we discussed ‘The Escape from the Giant Despair who lived in Doubting Castle. This week we shall travel to The Delectable Mountains.

“They went then till they came to the Delectable Mountains, which mountains belong to the Lord of that hill of which we have spoken before. So they went up to the mountains to behold the gardens and orchards, the vineyards and fountains of water, where also they drank and washed themselves, and did freely eat of the vineyards. Now there were on the tops of these mountains shepherds feeding their flocks, and they stood by the highway-side. The pilgrims, therefore, went to them, and leaning upon their staves (as is common with weary pilgrims when they stand to talk with any by the way), they asked, "Whose delightful mountains are these, and whose be the sheep that feed upon them?"

The four shepherds are honest. Their role is to introduce pilgrims to the Delectable Mountains and to warn them of the pitfalls.

“These mountains are Immanuel's Land, and they are within sight of His city; and the sheep also are His, and He laid down His life for them.”

Immanuel means “God is with us.” We find the name in Isaiah.

Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

When the angel appeared to Joseph, he speaks of the prophesy of Isaiah.

Matthew 1:18-25

“18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”

Trusting the shepherds, Christian inquires further. They receive a strange answer.

“CHRIS. Is this the way to the Celestial City?

SHEP. You are just in your way.

CHRIS. How far is it thither?

SHEP. Too far for any but those who shall get thither indeed."

One would naturally assume that as close as they are to the Celestial City, the way would be safe and easy. It proves just the opposite.

CHRIS. Is the way safe or dangerous?

SHEP. Safe for those for whom it is to be safe; but sinners shall fall therein."

We must keep in mind that from the beginning, the way to the Celestial City is fraught with high obstacles and great danger, giving meaning to Peter’s warning.

1 Peter 5:8-11

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

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Season 5 Podcast 138 Book of Revelation Chapter 13 “Opening of the Seven Seals, K, The Mark of the Beast, Beast 2.”

Last week we examined Beast 1. He rose up out of the sea “having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” A similar description was given of Satan who had “seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.” The only difference between Satan and the beast that rose out of the sea was that Satan had seven crowns on his seven heads. The beast had ten crowns on his ten horns.” They represent kingdoms on earth who are controlled by Satan, made clear by the parallelism. They are fighting against the kingdom of God on earth but do not know they are led by Satan. The beast rising up out of the sea is an image of war compared to a leopard, lion, and bear, and his power and authority come from Satan. He reigns for three and a half years and “It was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nation.” It appears that there will be a World War III. A battle cry was heard, “Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him.” However one of the heads of the first beast was wounded to the death.” That, of course, would symbolize the death of the whole beast, but somehow he rises from the dead causing the world to wonder.

A second beast takes his place. The second beast takes on a clever disguise.

Revelation 13:11

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.”

The sea image of the first beast is one of war. The earth image of the second beast is one of domination. It symbolizes a totalitarian state unlike any the world has ever seen. Rather than ten horns with ten crowns which symbolize ten earthly kingdoms in league, all fighting against the Kingdom of God, the second beast is more like a lamb with two horns, yet he spake as a dragon, meaning that his power and authority also come from Satan. He is as evil as the first, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Revelation 13:12

“And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”

This is an image of a conquered people. What they before fought, now they have joined. What before they feared, now they worship. The second beast has all the power of the first beast though it takes a different form. The first is of war, the second is of administration. The second beast, like the first, causes the people to worship Satan rather than God. Clearly the false resurrection image is the image of Satan, the antichrist, counterfeiting Christ. Notice also the religious imagery. The beasts are trying to replace the true religion of Christ with the false religion of Satan. Those who follow the beasts actually think they are worshiping God. The world will be polarized. One side will be comprised of those who worship the beast. The other side will be comprised of those few who worship the only true God. The saints will be vastly outnumbered. The second beast performs great miracles deceiving even the elect.

Revelation 13:13-14

“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”

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Season 5 Podcast 137, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Spiritual Things.”

Here is another conundrum: both science and religion are based on assumptions that cannot be logically proven—the existence or nonexistence of God. Or to put it another way intelligent design vs chance. Invisibility is not evidence of nonexistence. The wind is invisible. Thunder is invisible. Laws are invisible. The quantum world is invisible. Yet we feel their effects.

Reality depends upon the senses we use and trust. That is why we have eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fingers, mind, and heart; however, not all senses are mortal. We also have an immortal spirit. That is why God also gave us the Spirit of Christ and the Holy Ghost. We have the tools we need to perceive both the mortal world and the immortal world. Though we may assign it different names, all men know that knowledge does not come simply by logic. There are things that we know to be true that cannot be proven by math or science.

In science, for example, we have Kurt Gödel’s incompleteness theorem which states that “in any reasonable mathematical system there will always be true statements that cannot be proved.”

In religion we face the same paradox. We know that God exists, however, using only the scientific method, we cannot proved that he exists. It is an act of faith.

We may have inspiration, dreams, visions, revelations, analogies, miracles, creative powers, muses, wonders, marvels, sensations, feelings, and intuitions, etc. Truth is sometimes felt rather than known. Sometimes we have comprehension in which all things suddenly come together, greater than their parts.

In his brilliant book, Act of Creation, Arthur Koestler illustrates how new ideas come by looking at one thing and seeing another, by the use of analogy. Galileo used the analogy of a ship to convince the world to follow the Copernican heliocentric view of the solar system rather than the Ptolemaic geocentric view. Intellectual and spiritual growth is often indirect.

Considering the fact that the existence or nonexistence of God can be neither proven nor disproven and that science, which relies first upon inductive and only secondly on deductive reasoning, cannot be verified or falsified on basic claims of the origin of life, then it follows that a little more humility is required. The claims by such eminent professors as Mr. Hawking and Mr. Dawkins that God is not necessary or that God is merely a delusion are not only unverifiable, but they are also meaningless. Occam’s razor is on the side of Christianity because the doctrines of Christianity account for all reality, both temporal and spiritual, with the least assumptions.

The prophet Isaiah teaches us this principle:

“Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. (Isaiah 28:9 - 11)

One of the primary assumptions of law should be that there is no such thing as uncertainty in any law, even on the quantum level. That must be as absolute as the speed of light. Any perceived uncertainty is cause for further exploration. When paradox, or an apparent contradiction that is nevertheless true, arises, such as the uncertainty principle, physicists need to keep looking until they solve the mystery. The resolution of true paradox is a perfect springboard to new discoveries and new laws.

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Season 5 Podcast 136 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 41 Chapter 7 G, “The Great Escape.”

In last week’s episode we met the Giant Despair in Doubting Castle and his wife Diffidence. They lock Christian and Hopeful in a dungeon. In this week’s episode we see how Christian and Hopeful effect their escape.

“Well, towards evening, the giant goes down into the dungeon again, to see if his prisoners had taken his counsel. But, when he came there, he found them alive; and truly, alive was all; for now, what for want of bread and water, and by reason of the wounds they received when he beat them, they could do little but breathe. But, I say, he found them alive; at which he fell into a grievous rage, and told them that, seeing they had disobeyed his counsel, it should be worse with them than if they had never been born.”

Remember that Christian and Hopeful are in By-path Meadow and cannot find their way back. The Giant Despair symbolizes the monumental misery they brought upon themselves by wandering off the safety of the straight and narrow path. They are lost. They are starving. They have been mercilessly beaten, and they are barely alive. Suicide appears to be their only escape. The Giant Despair goes into a rage when he discovers they haven’t followed his advice and threatens to kill them; however, he is helpless. When he tries to lay his hands on them, he falls into a fit. The only way he can Destroy Christian and Hopeful is to convince them to kill themselves.

“At this they trembled greatly, and I think that Christian fell into a swoon; but, coming a little to himself again, they renewed their discourse about the giant's advice and whether yet they had best to take it or no. Now, Christian again seemed for doing it; but Hopeful made his second reply as followeth:”

Cristian is leaning toward the idea of suicide. It is only Hopeful that makes him pause. Christians call Faith, Hope, and Charity the Three Heavenly Virtues. Faith always precedes hope. Christian’s previous traveling companion was Faithful who was martyred in Vanity Fair. It was only then that Hopeful joined Christian. Hopeful joined Christian only because he observed how valiant Christian and Faithful had been in the face of persecution in Vanity Fair.

Bunyan raises an interesting theological question, “What is the role of Hope in our lives?” His answer is very clear as we see from the above scene. Without Hope we fall into despair as symbolized by the Giant Despair, Doubting Castle, the very dark dungeon, and also Despair’s wife Diffidence, who symbolizes hesitance, reserve, timidity, and reticence They are actually weaknesses in Christian’s character. It has prevented them from even trying to escape. Bunyan is suggesting that first we bring about our own trials by abandoning the straight and narrow path, and second we prevent our own escape through our fear and timidity. Christian is intimidated by the Giant Despair, and he will do anything to escape the misery of the dungeon, even commit suicide.

Had Christian not brought Hopeful with him, he would have taken his own life. Hopeful was against Christian leaving the Straight and Narrow Path and going into the By-path Meadow. Christian’s argument was that the path they were on was too rough, they were tired, their feet were sore, and that By-path Meadow was the easier way. He was convinced that By-path Meadow would take him to the Celestial City. He discovered his error too late. He was not aware that he was trespassing on the property of the Giant Despair.

Without Hopeful Christian’s journey would have ended there. Hopeful said,

“HOPE. "My brother," said he, "rememberest thou not how valiant thou hast been heretofore? Apollyon could not crush thee, nor could all that thou didst hear, or see, or feel in the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

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Season 5 Podcast 87 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 28 C, “Christ’s Final Charge to his Disciples.”

Following Christ’s resurrection, Christ tells the women who were there early to take care of his body to announce his resurrection to his apostles.

“Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.” (Matthew 28: 10)

Satan immediately began spreading lies.

“Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.” (Matthew 28:11-15)

On earth Satan has two armies. One is a spiritual army which consists of all the spirits who took his side in the War in Heaven.

“And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth:” (Revelation 12:4)

Daniel also saw the same vision as John.

Daniel 8:10

“And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.”

Before coming to earth, we lived as spirits with God in heaven. Our immortal spirits were referred to as stars. Speaking of the creation of the earth, Job recorded.

Job 38:7

“When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

Even Lucifer was referred to as a fallen star.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” (Isaiah 14:12)

Lucifer means ‘light bearer.’ Christ referred to Satan as lightning.

“I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven,” Luke 10:18.

Satan is a counterfeit of his former self. Light has always been associated with truth. Satan is now known as the Father of Lies and the Prince of Darkness. Lies and truth, darkness and light are opposites. We will be judged by our works on earth. Light and truth will be the measure of that judgment. The greater the truth we have the greater the light we will receive. The greater the light the greater the glory. Satan, who in heaven before his rebellion was known as Lucifer or ‘Light Bearer,’ releases plagues upon the earth.

“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.” (Revelation 9:1-3)

It could be a military image of world war, but it could also mean another kind of warfare. As we know, a scorpion’s sting is in its tail. A scorpion is silent, poisonous, and deadly. Once planted, the poison gets in the blood stream and works quickly. John could also be referring to the cunning lies of Satan spreading doctrines of spiritual poison, leading people, even in the face of miracles, to deny Christ.

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Season 5 Podcast 135 Book of Revelation Chapter 13 “Opening of the Seven Seals, J, The Mark of the Beast, Beast 1.”

Revelation 13 introduces the world to two of the evilest beasts in history. Each beast has its own special mark and symbolizes two distinct evils that will befall mankind before the Savior comes again. Each beast represents kingdoms of this world led by evil rulers under the power of Satan. Their power is worldwide.

In Revelation 4 we were introduced to four different kinds of beasts who dwelt in the presence of God.

Revelation 4:6-9

“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,”

There is a stark contrast between the four beasts described above who dwell in heaven around the throne of God and the two beasts described in Revelation 13. In this podcast, I shall focus on beast 1.

Revelation 13:1

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.”

Notice in Revelation 4, “before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal.” The sea of glass represents knowledge and power. The four beasts are “full of eyes before and behind.” That suggests they see the past, present, and future. In Revelation 13 the seer John stands upon the sea shore. He “saw a beast rise up out of the sea.” That is a sharp contrast to the sea of glass. The first four beasts were in heaven. The two beasts John is describing now are on earth. The sea in modern-day warfare suggests vast power for the sea connects continents. It suggests ships, submarines, aircraft carriers, and domination. The first four beasts were full of eyes before and behind, suggesting knowledge, power, and wisdom. The first beast described in Revelation 13 is wearing “seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” The ‘seven heads’ suggests leaders of nations united to take over the world. Remember that seven is the perfect number and symbolizes completeness. The enemies of Christ have organized, and their goal is to take over the world. To do that they must destroy the kingdom of God, and that is their goal. They have ten horns, which is also a symbol of power, and upon each horn is a crown. Crown suggest kings who have absolute power. These are totalitarian states who do what their leaders tell them to do. It appears to suggest that the seven heads are using the kingdoms of the world to do their bidding. Notice that upon the heads of the seven rulers is ‘the name of blasphemy.’ The Oxford Languages Dictionary defines blasphemy as “the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk.” The enemy of the seven heads is Christ, his followers, and the kingdom of God on earth. That means that the earth is divided into two camps. Those who belong to the kingdom of God and those who want to destroy the kingdom of God.

Revelation 13:2

“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”

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Season 5 Podcast 134, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Spontaneous Creation.”

Science and religion are at odds over how the world should be classified and divided. Science, tethered to temporal law, is based on the assumption that God does not exist, that there is no intelligent design. That introduces the problem of first cause. We have the problem of existence. We must wrestle with Descartes’s paradox, “Cogito, ergo sum.” ‘I think therefore I am.” It is an acknowledgement that intelligence came first.

Science must wrestle with a world that already exists, and from the inside explain why it exists. The great fallacy of theoretical science is to assume that everything must have an origin or first cause. To science, if it has a beginning, it must have an end. That is an irresolvable paradox. Existence denies it.

The scientific view of the origin of things is a cosmic self-contradiction. Where did it all begin? They give imposing scientific names for the origins of life—evolution, spontaneous creation, luck, accident, coincidence, fortuity, serendipity of circumstances, Anthropic Principle, accidental collocation of atoms, RNA.

For the origin of life scientists use the term ‘abiogenesis.’ From Wikipedia we learn,

Abiogenesis is the natural process by which life arises from non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds. The prevailing scientific hypothesis is that the transition from non-living to living entities on Earth was not a single event, but a process of increasing complexity involving the formation of a habitable planet, the prebiotic synthesis of organic molecules, molecular self-replication, self-assembly, autocatalysis, and the emergence of cell membranes. The transition from non-life to life has never been observed experimentally, but many proposals have been made for different stages of the process.

The problem with abiogenesis is the simple fact that something can never come from nothing. Life cannot come from non-life. It violates all scientific knowledge. As stated above, “The transition from non-life to life has never been observed experimentally.” It could be added, ‘And it never will.” Doctor Frankenstein did not create life. What is life? NASA defines life as

"a self-sustaining chemical system capable of Darwinian [i.e., biological] evolution."

Is NASA actually saying that life self-exists? I believe it is. If they are, they got it right. At least they came within a few lightyears of nailing it. But of course, science mucks it up. Wikipedia also reports:

Such a system is complex; the last universal common ancestor (LUCA), presumably a single-celled organism which lived some 4 billion years ago, already had hundreds of genes encoded in the DNA genetic code that is universal today. That in turn implies a suite of cellular machinery including messenger RNA, transfer RNA, and ribosomes to translate the code into proteins. Those proteins included enzymes to operate its anaerobic respiration via the Wood–Ljungdahl metabolic pathway, and a DNA polymerase to replicate its genetic material.

Thus, the false analogy that man is nothing more than a biological machine is born. Yet, how do they account for intelligence? How do they account for man? Where in that complex system was intelligence or life or consciousness introduced?

Science is faced with another great paradox—matter and energy have no first cause. They self-exist. They cannot be created or destroyed. That is one of the single greatest discoveries of science, yet science doesn’t know what to do with it. Christianity does. The answer is God. God is the greatest intelligence of all.

It follows that intelligence must, like matter and energy, self-exist. I

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Season 5 Podcast 133 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 40 Chapter 8 A “The Giant Despair.”

In last week’s episode we learn of The River of the Water of Life. In this week’s episode we meet the Giant Despair in Doubting Castle with a very dark dungeon.

Christian and Hopeful are lost in the By-path Meadow. They fell into By-path meadow because Christian, sore and exhausted, stubbornly insisted on taking the easiest way. He went against Hopeful’s advice. Because Christian was the eldest, Hopeful dutifully followed. Both learn an extremely hard lesson which nearly costs them their lives.

“Neither could they, with all the skill they had, get again to the stile that night. Wherefore, at last lighting under a little shelter, they sat down there until daybreak; but, being weary, they fell asleep. Now, there was, not far from the place where they lay, a castle, called Doubting Castle the owner whereof was Giant Despair, and it was in his grounds they now were sleeping; wherefore he, getting up in the morning early, and walking up and down in his fields, caught Christian and Hopeful asleep in his grounds. Then, with a grim and surly voice, he bid them awake, and asked them whence they were, and what they did in his grounds. They told him they were pilgrims, and that they had lost their way. Then said the giant, "You have this night trespassed on me by trampling in and lying on my grounds, and therefore you must go along with me."

In mythology and fairy tales giants are generally seen as evil. In Christian literature, of course, we have the giant Goliath, a symbol of fear. Head of the army of the Philistines, he cowered the entire Israelite army until defeated by the shepherd boy, David. In Pilgrim’s Progress, we have already met two giants, Pope and Pagan, both easily defeated. Now we meet the giant Despair. We should note that the giant did not chase Christian and Hopeful. Christian and Hopeful, lost in the By-path Meadow, trespassed on Giant Despair’s kingdom. Inhospitable as it is, the Giant Despair was in his rights to cast them into the dungeon. Bunyan recognizes that the path to the Celestial City is filled with extraordinary obstacles and many Christians, when faced with seemingly impossible trials, give in to despair and forsake their quest. Notice the giant’s command, “You must go along with me.” Christian and Hopeful were lost. They had been traveling in the night, symbolic of not being able to see a way out of their difficulty. They are exhausted. They have given up the fight; therefore, they are vulnerable to the Giant’s commands. Bunyan records.

“So they were forced to go, because he was stronger than they.”

That raises a very good question. How can we avoid despair? What did Christian and Hopeful do wrong? How could they have avoided the pitfall of despair? Is there a point of no return? Rodale’s Synonym Finder gives the following synonyms for despair:

4 LINDA

“Passive abandonment of oneself to fate, utter hopelessness, complete loss of hope, desperation, despondency, melancholia, utter discouragement, defeatism, disheartenment, pessimism, broken heartedness, misery, anguish, wretchedness. tribulation, anxiety, abandon oneself to fate.”

Hopeful tried to dissuade Christian from entering the By-path Meadow, but capitulated because Christian was his elder. Part of the power of Pilgrim’s Progress is the personification of virtues. Bunyan presents the virtues as separate individuals, but of course, one person may have some of the virtues, but not all. Christian was not at war with Hopeful. He was at war with himself. It was his own pride and arrogance that caused him to disregard Hopeful’s advice. Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory. Bunyan is asking us to study all the characters and decide for ourselves what virtues we need to acquire and what vices we need to avoid. We must be alert to motive as we read Pilgrim’s Progress.

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Season 5 Podcast 132 Book of Revelation Chapter 12 “Opening of the Seven Seals, I, “The Seventh Seal, The War on Earth.”

Christ established his church on Earth.

Revelation 12:5

“5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”

The man child is Christ. The rod of iron is the word of God. Following Christ crucifixion and resurrection he was ‘caught up unto God, and to his throne.” The twelve apostles continued to spread the gospel as he taught them. However, there was tremendous persecution. Even as John is writing the Book of Revelation, he is imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos. The other apostles are hunted and killed, and the church is being scattered

Revelation 12:6

“6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”

It appears that the church is scattered, and Satan is winning his battle. It is interesting that John quickly refers back to the war in heaven as a reminder that Satan is still carrying on the battle against the saints of God.

Revelation 12:7-9

A great apostasy occurred following the death of the apostles. Great schisms arose in the church leading to power struggles and bloodshed. Gibbons, in the ‘Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’ vividly describes that apostasy. Michael, sometimes referred to as the Arch Angel led the war in heaven. We know that Michael was supported by Christ. Why did Christ have Michael lead the army rather than himself? First, we must ask ourselves, how could a war in heaven be fought. It couldn’t be fought with guns and knives and bullets and bombs. These are immortal spirits. The war was fought with words, with testimony by the power of God. God allowed the war in heaven because he allowed his children to have agency, just as he does on earth. John is drawing a parallel between the war with Lucifer in heaven and the war with Satan on earth. Lucifer became Satan when he was cast out of heaven. John continues.

Revelation 12:10-11

“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

Christ told his apostles that he saw Satan fall from heaven.

Luke 10:17-18

“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”

John points out that the battles both in heaven and on earth are being fought in the same way, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

In heaven as on earth Satan wants to take away the agency of man. That is what the war in heaven was about. That is why Satan was allowed to persuade a third part of the hosts of heaven to follow him. He used his cunning devices there as he does on earth. And from history we can see that he is as successful on earth as he was in heaven in persuading mankind to follow him.

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Season 5 Podcast 131, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “I Robot.”

America owes much to early European philosophers and scientists for they set the stage for our own Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. The period prior to American Independence was called, “The Age of Enlightenment.” Let me quote from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Age of Enlightenment (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was the intellectual and philosophical movement that occurred in Europe in the 17th and the 18th centuries.

The Enlightenment featured a range of social ideas centered on the value of knowledge learned by way of rationalism and of empiricism and political ideals such as natural law, liberty, and progress, toleration and fraternity, constitutional government and the formal separation of church and state.

The Enlightenment was preceded by and overlaps the Scientific Revolution and the work of Francis Bacon and John Locke, among others.

Today, we have moved away from such high ideals of man. A vocal majority denies natural law, claiming that gender is a choice. They deny the sacredness of life by advocating abortion as an alternative to birth control, defending the murder of an infant emerging from the womb in the name of rights. Theoretical science claims that the universe was created by accident rather than by law. Rather than celebrating the individual, some advocate multiverses.

The existence of multiverses is one of the strangest theories to come out of theoretical science. Multiverse is the idea of multiple universes developing simultaneously with every decision. If you think of decisions as doors, then in a multi-universe you would go through all the doors at the same time. All realities, as with Schrödinger’s Cat, exist simultaneously until they are observed. In other words, what we call great events in history, have more than one ending. In one universe Lincoln was assassinated. In another he wasn’t. Considering the number of possibilities, there are potentially an infinite number of universes reflecting the infinite number of decisions, hence the truncated term—multiverses.

Because of theoretical science replacing religion we are rapidly moving away from the idea of the importance of the individual, the sacredness of life, or the rights of man. Theoretical science denies freewill, oddly enough because of the existence of natural law. Stephen Hawking, in his book, “Grand Design,” said,

“It is hard to imagine how free will can operate if our behavior is determined by physical law, so it seems that we are no more than biological machines and that free will is just an illusion.”

That reduces us to robots. It is a long way from the views of man in the Age of Enlightenment. Today the scientific view of man is based on the analogy of machines. Today’s theoretical science claims that man is merely a robot, or biological machine, or animal. Imagine trying to build a democratic republic from such a philosophy.

Theoretical science ignores fundamental principles. Machines do not have the essential attributes of man: desires, ambitions, aspirations, faith, freewill, charity, love, hate, happiness, misery, personality, intelligence, life, consciousness, agency, hope, reverence, belief in God, etc. Bertrand Russell, English mathematician and philosopher, claimed that “Man is an accidental collocation of atoms.” Not only are we robots. We are accidental robots.

Christians reject many of the theories of science as a false analogy. The apostle Peter defines the Christian view of man.

2 Peter 1:1-8

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness:

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Season 5 Podcast 120 Book of Revelation Chapter 9 “Opening of the Seven Seals, E, “The Seventh Seal, The Bottomless Pit.”

In the previous podcast entitled ‘Opening of the Seven Seals D, we examined the first four angels of the Seventh Seal. In this podcast we shall continue with the opening of the seven seals of the Seventh Seal.

Revelation 9:1

1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

The above is highly symbolic. After the seventies returned from their mission saying, “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name,” Christ said unto them,

Luke 10:18-20

“I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”

Satan is permitted on earth only because a choice between good and evil is necessary for agency to exist. The power of Satan is limited by God. Satan does not hold any keys. He acts by permission only. We are told in Revelation 20 who actually holds the keys.

Revelation 20:1-3

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

John records that a ‘star fell from heaven.” Isaiah refers to Satan as “son of the morning.” The reference in Revelation 9:1, if it is speaking of Satan, can only imply that Satan was allowed to leave his prison for a brief time. Isaiah refers to Satan as a fallen angel.

Isaiah 14:12

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”

In Revelation 12 John, speaking of Lucifer, records that “his tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.” A few verses later he records,

Revelation 12:9

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

The lesson, however, has a double meaning. John tells us,

Revelation 12: 7

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.”

In the War in Heaven, Satan recruited the other spirits. Those who followed him became sons of perdition. On earth, Satan and the other sons of perdition, all spirits, continue the war; however, they recruit mortals who in heaven rejected them to join their army. In heaven the spirits knowingly followed Satan. That is why they were sons of perdition. On earth many who rejected Satan in the war in heaven unknowingly join his army on earth. We can assume the things that follow symbolically refer to wars caused by man.

Revelation 9:2-3

“And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.”

Satan’s army is limited in power, proving that he does not have as much power over man as he thinks. Satan is permitted on earth for only one reason and that is that mankind might have agency.

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Season 5 Podcast 119, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Analogy.”

Analogy is a comparison of two or more things with similar characteristics. Extended analogy is the ability to break down each element of the comparison. False analogy is to carry an analogy beyond its logical limits.

Common analogies in science which are carried beyond their limits are

· Man is an animal.

· Man is a machine.

· Man is a robot.

· Man is an accidental collocation of atoms.

When you claim that one thing is like another, then you are generally on safe ground because if only one point is similar, the analogy holds true. However, when you say one thing is another, then they must hold on every point. That is rare. The analogy may be falsified by one false comparison. A poet may exercise poetic license. Hyperbole is acceptable. A scientist may not.

Analogies may be literal or figurative. A literal analogy is scientifically measurable. If I say it is three miles to the next town, one may prove or disprove that statement with the proper measuring tool. A mile doesn’t actually exist. It is an invention, a convenient form of measuring something that does exist. We don’t naturally think of numbers or words as being analogies, but that is exactly what they are. The number or the word is not the thing itself. It merely represents the thing. Reality is external to language. Reality is external to the human mind. We use language metaphorically to create a common reality which we all share.

If we wish to carry the image further, then art, music, plays, poems, novels, etc. are not the thing itself. They are analogical recreations of the thing. The human mind interprets art. That is part of the genius of being human—our understanding of language. Philosophical problems occur when we confuse the thing with its representation.

Theoretical science implodes because it teaches analogy for truth rather than a symbolic representation of their perception of truth. When theoretical science abandons practical science, they remove themselves further and further away from truth,

One of the greatest fallacies of science is the silly idea that we create reality. We don’t create reality. We discover reality. We describe reality. We paint reality with a palate of the imagination. We invented math to measure reality, but math is not reality. It is a symbolic representation of our perceptions of reality. Math is a man-made invention only. Math is accurate or inaccurate not true or false. Only reality is true or false. Reality is made of matter external to the senses. All reality is made of matter. Everything else is analogy. We live in an analogical world filled with allusions and illusions, chimeras and mirages, dreams and imagination. Only in the real world do we stub our toe. Schoedinger’s cat is a clever fable, nothing more. We have allowed science to pull us into a false reality, and from that false reality they have constructed an accidental universe.

You would perhaps be surprised to learn that everything we say is analogical. Words are the metaphors of life. For example, the phrase black bird is not the bird itself. It is a verbal description of the bird. Black is merely an existential attribute to distinguish one bird from another. The word bird is also a verbal analogy for it is not the bird itself. Birds are external to language. However, we communicate through language because we have, among other things, the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

We have a picture of a black bird in our mind. The phrase black bird merely conjures up that preexisting image. We may have a red-winged black bird or a yellow-winged black bird. The word black suggests the color black, which distinguishes the black bird from the robin.

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Season 5 Podcast 118 Revision John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 35 Chapter 7 B, “In The World but not of the World.”

In last week’s episode, after the martyrdom of Faithful by the people of Vanity Fair, Hopeful, who is converted by observing Faithful and Christian, joins Christian on his journey to the Celestial City. They meet Mr. By-ends from the town of Fair-Speech. Fair-Speech is a very wealthy town and its citizens very proud.

In this week’s episode we meet other citizens of the Town of Fair Speech. Their names symbolize their vices: my Lord Turnabout, my Lord Timeserver, my Lord Fair-speech, Mr. Smooth-man, Mr. Facing-both-ways, Mr. Anything; Mr. Two-tongues, the parson of our parish, my Lady Feigning's daughter, Mr. hold-the-world, Mr. Money-love, Mr. Save-All, and Mr. Gripe-man

Mr. By-Ends, who is also on a pilgrimage to the Celestial City parts ways with Christian and Hopeful and travels at a slower pace because he is unwilling to give up his old vices. Christian continues to question By-ends.

“CHRIS. Are you a married man?

BY. Yes, and my wife is a very virtuous woman, the daughter of a virtuous woman; she was my Lady Feigning's daughter: therefore she came of a very honorable family, and is arrived to such a pitch of breeding, that she knows how to carry it to all, even to prince and peasant. 'Tis true we somewhat differ in religion from those of the stricter sort, yet but in two small points: First, we never strive against wind and tide; secondly, we are always most zealous when Religion is well dressed and goes in his silver slippers: we love much to walk with him in the street if the sun shines and the people praise him.”

Webster defines feigning as “to give a false appearance of: induce as a false impression. To assert as if true: pretend.” Some synonyms are to act, bluff, fake, affect, counterfeit, dissemble, or sham. The “honorable family” Mr. By-ends is speaking of is a genealogy of deceit and distortion of truth. One can only imagine the traits of their children.

Christian become suspicious of Mr. By-ends. The name “By-ends” suggests that the ends justify the means regardless of the morality.

“Then Christian stepped a little aside to his fellow Hopeful, saying, "It runs in my mind that this is one By-ends, of Fair-speech; and if it be he, we have as very a knave in our company as dwelleth in all these parts." Then said Hopeful, "Ask him; methinks he should not be ashamed of his name." So Christian came up with him again, and said, "Sir, you talk as if you knew something more than all the world doth; and if I take not my mark amiss, I deem I have half a guess of you. Is not your name Mr. By-ends, of Fair-speech."

Mr. By-ends denies his name, claiming it is a nickname given to him unfairly. Mr. By-ends does not recognize his own hypocrisy.

“BY. This is not my name; but, indeed, it is a nickname that is given me by some that cannot abide me, and I must be content to bear it as a reproach, as other good men have borne theirs before me.

CHRIS. But did you never give an occasion to men to call you by this name?

BY. Never, never! The worst that ever I did to give them an occasion to give me this name was, that I had always the luck to jump in my judgment with the present way of the times, whatever it was, and my chance was to gain thereby. But if things are thus cast upon me, let me count them a blessing; but let not the malicious load me therefore with reproach."

The clue to his character is by his own admission, “that I had always the luck to jump in my judgment with the present way of the times, whatever it was.” Mr. By-ends is an opportunist. In other words, he is not ruled by absolute morals. He is ruled by the opportunity of the moment and the fads of the day regardless of the morality. Christian speaks plainly to him.

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Season 5 Podcast 117 Book of Revelation Chapter 8, “Opening of the Seven Seals D, The Seventh Seal, Silence in Heaven.”

In the previous podcast entitled ‘White Robes’ we examined the sixth seal. In this podcast we shall continue with the opening of the seven seals.

Revelation 8:1

“1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”

The key phrase is ‘silence in heaven.’ During the opening of the previous seals, there was anything but silence. The four horsemen of the apocalypse contained battles, death, sword, and famine.

Revelation 6:8

8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

But the real violence attended the opening of the sixth seal.

Revelation 6: 12-17

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

That means that silence would be very welcome. Of course, if one day is as a thousand years with the Lord, as Peter said,

2 Peter 3:8

8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Then the half hour of silence is not just thirty minutes. It would be a few decades, just enough for people to again become complacent. After the silence, what happens?

Revelation 8: 2

“And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.”

There is the number seven again, which means completion. We immediately consider the story of the creation of the earth. The work was done in six days, but it is the seventh day that seals the work and completes the process. From that point on we were to use the seventh day of the week to rest from earthly toils and contemplate God who created the earth. Another interesting analogy is the story of John’s seven letters to the seven churches. Each letter is of itself important; however, one must study all seven letters to get the complete picture. They contain cursing and blessings. Though written to individual churches, each letter is meant to be studied to know how to gain eternal life with God.

So it is with the seven angels. Each must be comprehended. The seven angels symbolize the terrible commotion that occurs just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. We are expected to recognize the signs of the times when they occur and be prepared. The Seven Angels are preceded by another angel who has a unique office.

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Season 5 Podcast 116, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Cause and Effect.”

Even the best of scientists do not always distinguish between cause and effect or among fact, inference, and judgment. In analytical thinking it is critical to be able to distinguish between cause and effect, fact and inference. The cause always precedes the effect. In fact, that is the problem with many of the unsupported theories that are attributed to evolution. Evolution has become a catch-all phrase used to explain everything, yet the primary assumptions are ignored and accepted without question. An argument is unsound if the assumptions upon which it is based are wrong. That is the simple ABC’s of logic.

Once an exclusively biological term, physicists are now using the term evolution to describe the creation of stars, suns, moons, planets, galaxies, etc. Things without life in themselves cannot evolve. Evolution requires life and death.

Practical science, of course, will not let you get away with mere theory or opinion. If laws are meticulously followed, practical science works as predicted. If laws are not meticulously followed, practical science will not work as predicted. The principle of causality, by necessity, must be strictly adhered to.

Theoretical scientists or philosophers do not always play by the same rules, particularly where they have an agenda. Modern science faces the following dilemma. Science has become actively atheistic, so much so that atheism, not science, appears to be the agenda. Where others share their opinions, they do not have to prove their assumptions; therefore, theory is presented as fact; whereas it is merely inference or judgment.

With individual exceptions, science categorically rejects the existence of God or intelligent design. The religious affiliation of a scientist has no effect on science itself. Leaving God out of the equation does not affect the principle of causality. Laws come in complete sets and work perfectly well without the appearance of God or Intelligent design. Christians should have no problem with that. The faithful believe that God organized the laws for God does nothing without law. The Universe would be in a terrible mess if he did.

Religious affiliations only matter, whether those feelings are atheistic or theistic, when the principle of causality is ignored in favor of personal agenda.

The problem is that man and the universe exist; therefore, there must be a cause of their existence. Since intelligent design is not an option for atheists, rather than plead ignorance, they credit chance, accident, coincidence, serendipity of circumstances, probability (invoking large numbers) and evolution. Such arguments cannot be proven or disproven; therefore, it is personal agenda that is speaking, not science. They are God substitutes. A thing repeated enough becomes fact even if it is merely inference. Those who promote a cause rather than adhere strictly to the scientific method often do not distinguish between fact and inference. They claim only those selected theories that promote their cause regardless of the logical fallacies that are so transparent to an objective mind. They present the inferences of evolution as fact without evidentiary support.

One of the latest theories science has adopted is the anthropic principle. Wikipedia encyclopedia describes the anthropic principle as follows:

The anthropic principle, also known as the observation selection effect, is the hypothesis, first proposed in 1957 by Robert Dicke, that the range of possible observations that could be made about the universe is limited by the fact that observations could happen only in a universe capable of developing intelligent life. As Steven Weinberg puts it: "Where else could we be, except on a planet that can sustain life?"

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Season 5 Podcast 115 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 34 Chapter 7 A, “By-Ends of Fair Speech.”

In last week’s episode we discussed the martyrdom of Faithful in Vanity Fair. In this week’s episode we meet characters from Fair Speech. Vanity Fair symbolizes Babylon, or the world. Fair Speech symbolizes hypocrisy.

“Now, I saw in my dream, that Christian went forth not alone; for there was one whose name was Hopeful (being so made by looking upon Christian and Faithful in their words and behavior in their sufferings at the fair,) who joined himself unto him, and, entering into a brotherly pledge told him that he would be his companion. Thus one died to make testimony to the truth, and another rises out of his ashes to be a companion with Christian in his pilgrimage. This Hopeful also told Christian that there were many more of the men in the fair that would take their time and follow after."

Hope, which becomes an anchor to the soul, is a child of patience in adversity. In a way Christian has suddenly been elevated to another level. Though Faithful has become a martyr, he symbolizes enduring to the end. Christian has passed a landmark. He has graduated from Faith which is a step in the dark to Hope which is a step into the light. It is fascinating to watch the interaction of Christian and Hopeful through the eyes of Bunyan.

As they travel, they meet some of the citizens from the town of Fair-speech who were also on a pilgrimage to the Celestial City.

“So I saw that, quickly after they were got out of the fair, they overtook one that was going before them, whose name was By-ends; so they said to him, "What countryman, sir? and how far go you this way?" He told them that he came from the town of Fair-speech, and he was going to the Celestial City; but told them not his name."

The town of Fair-speech is a very wealthy town and its citizens very worldly. Mr. By-ends describes them.

“CHRIS. "From Fair-speech! are there any that be good live there?"

BY. "Yes," said By-ends, "I hope."

CHRIS. Pray, sir, what may I call you?

BY. I am a stranger to you, and you to me: if you be going this way, I shall be glad of your company; if not, I must be content.

CHRIS. This town of Fair-speech, I have heard of it; and, as I remember, they say it's a wealthy place.

BY. Yes, I will assure you that it is; and I have very many rich kindred there.

CHRIS. Pray, who are your kindred there? if a man may be so bold.

BY. Almost the whole town; but in particular my Lord Turnabout, my Lord Timeserver, my Lord Fair-speech, from whose ancestors that town first took its name; also Mr. Smooth-man, Mr. Facing-both-ways, Mr. Anything; and the parson of our parish, Mr. Two-tongues, was my mother's own brother by father's side; and to tell you the truth, I am become a gentleman of good quality; yet my great-grandfather was but a waterman, looking one way and rowing another, and I got most of my estate by the same occupation.”

As you have noticed, the names are delightful. Bunyan does not pretend to be subtle. Mr. By-ends praises his kindred from the town of Fair-Speech as being good; however, it is difficult to tell the difference between the citizens of Fair-Speech and Vanity Fair. Still, unlike the citizens of Vanity Fair, Mr. By-ends is on a pilgrimage to the Celestial City.

Clearly, however, it echoes the story of the rich young man who comes to Jesus asking what he should do to inherit eternal life. The rich young man asserted that he had always honored the Ten Commandments; however, having a mission for the young man, Christ asked for more.

Luke 18:22-25

“...Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.”

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Season 5 Podcast 114 Book of Revelation C 7, “Opening of the Seven Seals, C, White Robes.”

In the previous podcast entitled ‘The Great Earthquake,’ the angel opened the fifth seal which revealed the glorious fate of those who became martyrs for Christ. Also the opening of the sixth seal revealed the signs of the times. In this podcast we shall continue with the sixth seal.

Revelation 7:1

Our earth is very delicate. Scientists call it the ‘Goldilocks Zone’ for it is just right for life. We often hate wind particularly when it manifests itself as hurricanes or tornadoes or even tropical storms, but what would happen if the wind quit blowing? Life on earth would become intolerable. The equator would become impossibly hot and the poles impossibly cold and our water system would cease to operate. Fortunately, another angel appeared and commanded the angels to not hurt the earth.

Revelation 7: 2-3

“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”

Notice, however, that the four angels are merely delayed until the righteous are taken to heaven. Following that we may assume there will be major climate changes on the earth that exceeds the doomsayers of climate change today. The opening of the sixth seal is not about death. It is about eternal life. Notice the symbolic saving of the 144,000.

Revelation 7:4-8

4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

In the Bible the number 12 symbolizes the governing authority of Christ’s church. We have twelve tribes of Israel. We have twelve apostles. It also symbolizes completion or perfection. The number 144,000 is symbolic—twelve times twelve equals 144—and does not mean that the number sealed is limited. It means that all members of those tribes who are worthy will be sealed. Also, we know from the vision of the Apostle Peter that this includes all saints, Jew or Gentile, who believe in Christ who keep the commandments of God.

Acts 10:9-15

9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:

10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

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Season 5 Podcast 113, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Comparison and Contrast.”

Evolutionists look at man and monkey and focus on the similarities; and from those similarities, they draw the conclusion that man descended from monkey, a hasty generalization as well as false analogy. A hasty generalization occurs when you draw a universal conclusion from insufficient evidence. A false analogy occurs when you carry the comparison between two things too far. The truth lies in the differences which is sufficient to convince any objective person that man could not have descended from monkeys. In addition to the spiritual and metaphysical differences, the laws of genetics and the principle of causality would never allow it.

Comparison and contrast are a strong analytical tool that must follow the rules of classification and division; however, there are pitfalls. False analogy can fool the person searching for truth, but it can also be used as a ploy by crafty people to deliberately fool the uninformed and gullible. Comparison and contrast are a form of analogy and may lead to inferences of varying degrees of validity, but comparison does not release new information. The conclusions remain inferential, never factual. Claiming that man descended from monkey because of genetic similarities is a case in point. Monkeys cannot give birth to humans which is the only real proof that science can give. Anything else is inference, and the gap in intelligence between man and monkey, regardless of the gene similarity, is simply too great to ignore. It will always remain opinion because it can neither be verified nor falsified. It suggests a start of investigation. It should not be the end of the investigation or the final proof of the hypothetical conclusion. Those who are driven by an agenda are often guilty of hasty generalization and false analogy. It takes less information to prove an existing prejudice. Beware of vested interest.

Comparison and contrast may be either literal or figurative.

Poets prefer figurative comparisons; scientists prefer literal comparisons because they contain scientifically measurable data. However, scientists, being human, are as vulnerable as the rest of us to the romanticism of natural poetry. They don’t mind swimming in the sweet syrup of subjectivity, but they don’t want to appear subjective when wearing the robes of a scientist.

This is illustrated, unintentionally, of course, by the late Mr. Stephen Hawking. In his Book, ‘The Grand Design,” he wrote, “It is hard to imagine how free will can operate if our behavior is determined by physical law, so it seems that we are no more than biological machines and that free will is just an illusion.”

Note that Mr. Hawking is simply saying, man has the appearance of a biological machine.” There is a difference between saying man has the appearance of a robot or machine and asserting that ‘Man is a robot or machine.” The above is a non-committal statement. Mr. Hawking also said the universe has the appearance of intelligent design; however, Mr. Hawking denies the necessity of God. In his last book, “Brief Answers to Big Questions,” he wrote, “I think the universe was spontaneously created out of nothing, according to the laws of science. …If you accept, as I do, that the laws of nature are fixed, then it doesn't take long to ask: What role is there for God?" Mr. Hawking does not deny the existence of God. He claims that intelligent design is not necessary for creation. He added, “The universe itself, in all its mind-boggling vastness and complexity, could simply have popped into existence without violating the known laws of nature." Mr. Hawking appears to simply ignore the impossible contradiction that law is necessary for everything but the creation of law.

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Season 5 Podcast 112 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 33 Chapter 6 E, “The Martyr.”

This segment is John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Podcast 112 Episode 33 Chapter 6 E, “The Martyr.”

In last week’s episode, Faithful and Christian were arrested. Faithful was put on trial before an unjust judge, Judge Hate-Good, and three false witnesses, Envy, Superstition, and Pickthank. In this episode he is condemned by twelve biased jurors: Mr. Blind-man, Mr. No-good, Mr. Malice, Mr. Love-lust, Mr. Live-Loose, Mr. Heady, Mr. High-mind, Mr. Enmity, Mr. Liar, Mr. Cruelty, Mr. Hate-light, and Mr. Implacable who every one gave in his private voice against him among themselves, and afterwards unanimously concluded to bring him in guilty before the Judge.”

Faithful is tortured and martyred. Christian miraculously escapes Vanity Fair. The judge’s models are idol worshipers. From the names of the jurors we already know the verdict.

And first among themselves, Mr. Blind-man, the foreman, said, "I see clearly that this man is a heretic." Then said Mr. No-good, "Away with such a fellow from the earth!" "Ay," said Mr. Malice, "for I hate the very look of him." Then said Mr. Love-lust, "I could never endure him." "Nor I," said Mr. Live-loose; "for he would always be condemning my way." "Hang him, hang him!" said Mr. Heady. "A sorry scrub," said Mr. High-mind. "My heart riseth against him," said Mr. Enmity. "He is a rogue," said Mr. Liar. "Hanging is too good for him," said Mr. Cruelty. "Let us dispatch him out of the way," said Mr. Hate-light. Then said Mr. Implacable, "Might I have all the world given to me, I could not be reconciled to him; therefore let us forthwith bring him in guilty of death."

Pilgrim’s Progress, of course, is an allegory. People are types rather than actual persons. However, Bunyan presents a perfect model of an entirely corrupt justice system. If even one were allowed—a corrupt judge, a false witness, or a corrupt jury—then justice cannot be done. But when all three bodies are corrupt, the justice system itself is entirely corrupt and no one can receive a fair trial who does not conform to the system. Under such a system the laws become corrupted, and any society that condones such a system will soon collapse and from its ashes will arise total tyranny. It has nowhere else to go. The downfall of Israel began the moment they turned their backs on the Ten Commandments and did away with their system of judges and anointed a king, putting him above the prophet. Even the three greatest kings in history—Saul, David, and Solomon—righteous in the beginning, were corrupted by absolute power which caused the destruction of one of the greatest nations on earth.

Predictably they gave Faithful the death penalty.

“And so they did: therefore he was presently condemned to be had from the place where he was, to the place from whence he came, and there to be put to the most cruel death that could be invented.

They therefore brought him out, to do with him according to their law; and first they scourged him, then they buffeted him, then they lanced his flesh with knives; after that they stoned him with stones, then pricked him with their swords, and, last of all, they burned him to ashes at the stake. Thus came Faithful to his end.”

Bunyan is perhaps making reference to Babylon. John records.

Revelation 18:24

“And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.”

However, being an allegory, Bunyan follows Faithful from death to exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom.

“Now, I saw that there stood behind the multitude a chariot and a couple of horses waiting for Faithful, who (so soon as his enemies had slain him) was taken up into it, and straightway was carried up through the clouds with sound of trumpet the nearest way to the Celestial Gate.”

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Season 5 Podcast 111 Book of Revelation Ch 6:9-17, “Opening of the Seven Seals, B, The Great Earthquake.”

In the previous podcast entitled ‘The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,’ the four beasts opened the first four seals. This podcast begins with the angel opening the fifth seal. It reveals to us the tremendous blessings giving to the martyrs of Christ.

Revelation 6:9

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:”

They were true to the end with their testimonies. They call upon the Lord for vengeance against those who killed them.

Revelation 5:10

“And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”

We must separate the martyred saints who have gone to glory from their blood that was spilled. It is not the voice of the saints in heaven that is crying out for vengeance. They live in eternal joy. They are not seeking revenge. They have forgiven their enemies. It is the blood that was spilled on the ground unjustly that is crying out for vengeance. In other words, it is the law of justice that demands that retribution be made. Some mistakenly assume that God is arbitrary in his judgment. God cannot be arbitrary and still be God. God is a God of justice. The law of justice is the premier law. Without the law of justice there would be no creation, no order, and no God. It was the atonement of Christ that allowed God to be both just and merciful. Christ, by shedding his innocent blood satisfied the demands of the law of justice, allowing God to forgive sins for those who meet the conditions placed upon the law of mercy by the law of justice, thus overpowering justice.

For precedence let’s consider what the Lord said to Cain.

Genesis 4:9-10

“And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.”

4 RON

The role of the law of justice is further reinforced in the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 19:2

“For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.”

Justice is the governing law and must always be satisfied. Only the law of mercy can overpower justice; however, the law of justice places conditions on the law of mercy, and where those conditions are not met, justice must exercise its power or God cannot be God.

Revelation 6:11

“11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”

It appears that there will always be a time of martyrs, even until the coming of Christ, which suggests that more violence is yet to come. Remember that John is speaking not only of his day but of the time just prior to the second coming of Christ. A martyr is an honored position, and their reward is exaltation in the kingdom of God. The just who die in the Lord are always described as dressed in white robes symbolizing their purity and sanctification. Not just martyrs but all those who are valiant and endure to the end will be dressed in white. Only those dressed in white can live in the presence of God. In 1 John 3 we read:

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Season 5 Podcast 110, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Classification and Division.”

Nowhere is science more at home than in using the rules of classification and division. Classifying and dividing the animals was the first assignment that Adam had in the Garden of Eden. It was science that taught us the principles of classification, and it was science that set the rules. It was science that gave us Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. They have mastered the art of classifying everything. However, what is it that gives species the ability to classify themselves? What created the essential attributes? Why is one species different than another? Why do we have red-winged blackbirds, yellow-winged blackbirds, robins, blue jays, etc.? How does flora classify itself, and how does fauna classify itself?

Law, not science, not evolution, not serendipity of circumstances accounts for classification and division. Classification and division are merely a rhetorical pattern or language that describes the effects of law. The only reason we have classification and division is because all creations are governed by law. The only reason we have science is because a complete set of laws governs every sphere, whether that sphere is a kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, or species. That is not just true in the biological world. It is also true in the physical world that includes suns, moons, planets, stars, galaxies, etc. In addition to that all laws are governed by a higher order of laws, and those laws to an even higher set of laws until they reach the top making all laws circumscribed under one great whole which is governed by God, the true creator. No other system would work. Any conflict in law would lead to chaos.

Science, with all of its genius, missed the mark by claiming an accidental universe. That is why their theory leads to chaos or maximum equilibrium. The Christian view leads to eternal order.

The only reason we have law is because of intelligent design. Looking at the order around us, common sense suggests there is only one design and only one designer. Ironically it is science that wants a unified theory of everything but rejects the essential attributes of the only language that describes it. Accident, chance, coincidence, luck, or serendipity are not essential attributes and do not belong in the language of creation.

Science is unable to give us a theory of everything because it establishes its boundaries too narrowly. They only want to give us a theory of everything in their little box bound by time and tethered to temporal laws. Science, which begins in medias res, deals with what exists and not with why it exists. Science will never discover the origin of life for intelligence can have neither beginning nor end, else how does God exist?

Science divides biological science and physical science by principles of classification but does not seek to unify those principles under the same law of creation, though biological life cannot exist unless perfect conditions exist in their physical environment.

Science has not really thought through its cosmic dilemma. Creation is an eternal process and will never end, yet all of science appears to believe that we will suffer a giant heat death. Science also believes that even after a giant heat death, if life occurred once, it can potentially occur again, in an eternal recycling. What form would it take? The answer that science gives reveals their fundamental flaw.

The fundamental flaw in science is this: Even in the knowledge of the necessity of the Goldilocks Zone that makes life possible on earth, science claims that if the universe ended, it would come back in another form. That is because they believe the universe was created by chance.

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Season 5 Podcast 109 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 32 Chapter 6 D, “Faithful Becomes a Martyr.”

In last week’s episode, Christian and Faithful were persecuted by the citizens of Vanity Fair because they purchased truth rather than the vain things of Vanity Fair. They were considered mad and were beaten and put in a cage. Christian and Faithful, however, did not return railing for railing but took it patiently. Finally, they were put on trial and judged by Lord Hate-Good. Three witnesses witnessed against them: Envy, Superstition, and Pickthank. Last week we heard the evidence of Envy against Faithful, who is the first to be put on trial. This week we shall hear the evidence of Superstition and Pickthank.

“Then they called Superstition, and bade him look upon the prisoner. They also asked what he could say for their lord the king against him. Then they sware him: so he began:

SUPER. My lord, I have no great acquaintance with this man, nor do I desire to have further knowledge of him. However, this I know, that he is a very pestilent fellow, from some discourse the other day that I had with him in this town; for then, talking with him, I heard him say that our religion was naught, and such by which a man could by no means please God. Which saying of his, my lord, your lordship very well knows what necessarily thence will follow; to wit, that we still do worship in vain, are yet in our sins, and finally shall be destroyed: and this is that which I have to say."

Some synonyms for superstition are self-deceit, credulous, gullible, bigoted, biased, prejudiced, and ungrounded. Hardly a basis for a fair trial. The Ten Commandments, which James calls “The Law of Liberty, is the foundation of any democracy. “Thou shalt not bear false witness” is a necessary law for any court system. When it is flagrantly violated, justice cannot prevail. Christian and Faithful are subjected to a mock trial where truth is irrelevant. Superstition condemns Faithful without even knowing him. Superstition admits that “I have no great acquaintance with this man.” He further admits that he has no “desire to have further knowledge of him (speaking specifically of Faithful, who is the first on trial). When false witnesses are tolerated, then justice is dead, the trial becomes a mockery, and freedom becomes the first casualty. Superstition calls Faithful a “Pestilent fellow,” which suggests that he is an infectious disease that must be eradicated. In other words, Faithful is destructive to their way of life.

Superstition then perverts or twists the language of Faithful, accusing him of a crime he did not commit.

Following Superstition Faithful is not even permitted to defend himself before they call the third false witness, Mr. Pickthank.

“Then was Pickthank sworn, and bid say what he knew, in behalf of their lord the king, against the prisoner at the bar.

PICK. My lord, and you gentlemen all, this fellow I have known a long time, and have heard him speak things that ought not to be spoken, for he hath railed on our noble prince Beelzebub, and hath spoken contemptuously of his honorable friends, whose names are, the Lord Old-man, the Lord Carnal-Delight, the Lord Luxurious, the Lord Desire-of-Vain-Glory, my old Lord Lust, Sir Having Greedy, with all the rest of our nobility and he hath said, moreover, that, if all men were of his mind, if possible there is not one of these noblemen should have any longer a being in this town. Besides, he has not been afraid to rail on you, my lord, who are now appointed to be his judge, calling you an ungodly villain, with many other such-like abusive terms, with which he hath bespattered most of the gentry of our town."

Notice that Pickthank like his two predecessors, Envy and Superstition, is sworn in to tell the truth, though the oath means nothing to the court since the evidence is just hearsay.

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Season 5 Podcast 108 Book of Revelation Ch 6:1-8, “Opening of the Seven Seals A, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

Christ begins to open the Seven Seals. It is significant that it is one of the four beasts who speaks. Remember the description of the four beasts.

Revelation 4:6

“6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.”

The sea of glass like a crystal suggests perfect knowledge. It has been degraded into folklore as a crystal ball generally used by witches or fortune tellers or other supernatural beings who pretend to tell the future. The four beasts John saw are all ‘full of eyes before and behind” which suggests that they know the past, the present, and the future, and it is before them all the time.

Revelation 5: 1

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.”

The sound of thunder portends war. Indeed, the image is one of war.

Revelation 5:2

“And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”

The beast is speaking of the past. Each seal represents a period of time in the history of the world. There are Seven Seals, and we can tell, especially by the latter seals what period of time John is Talking about. We can take our cue from the Millennium that each seal represents a period of a thousand years. In Christian theology, the Millennium comes at the beginning of the seven thousand years of the earth’s continuance. Working backward, the first seal represents the first thousand years. The second seal represents the second thousand years, and so on up to and through the Millennium. The above verse suggests that the first thousand years of the Earth’s history was marked by war, or the rise and fall of many nations. With that framework let’s consider the next thousand years as the second period of time from Adam. The second seal is introduced by the first beast. We can assume that the first beast was in the form of a Lion. The second beast is like a calf. Another thing that distinguishes all four beasts is not only are they full of eyes before and behind which represent unlimited knowledge, they also each have six wings, which represent unlimited power.

Notice that during the first thousand years, the seal revealed “a white horse.” White represents purity. The rider had a bow, symbolizing power and a crown symbolizing royalty. Remember the parallelism in Hebrew Poetry. As we jump to Chapter 19 of the Book of Revelation we see a similar image presented in a different light.”

Revelation 19:11-16

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS..”

One difference is the image in Chapter 6 represents the first thousand years. The image in Chapter 19 represents time immediately prior to the Millennium. It too is a time of war, but a war of a different kind.

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Season 5 Podcast 107, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Essential Attributes.”

Science talks more about laws than anyone, but understands less about their overall purpose because they don’t always apply the rules of classification and division. They do not recognize all the essential attributes. They have reduced law to function or principle of operation, which is great for advancing technology, but not for discovering meaning or truth. Identifying patterns is not a definition of what a law is, but a description of what a law does. Superficial classification and division make scientists great mechanics, but because they refuse to acknowledge essential attributes, they are very poor philosophers. They base all their conclusions on false analogy. The man as machine image is only useful on the operating table.

In fact, the greatest fallacies of theoretical science are false analogy, false assumptions, and hasty generalization. For example, the acclaimed physicist Stephen Hawkings, in his book, The Grand Design, makes the following statement:

“Do people have free will? If we have free will, where in the evolutionary tree did it develop.”

The assumption is that evolution is responsible for free will. Such an assumption can never be proven or disproven? Mr. Hawking, like many today, simply assumed that evolution is our God, our creator, the origin of everything. It doesn’t appear to occur to Mr. Hawking that evolution cannot occur until after creation and life begin. To assign the cause of creation of life to evolution is beyond all science. The origin of species and the origin of life are as far apart as the earth is to the most distant star. It is guesswork with no foundation. Without death there would be no evolution. Without life, there would be no death. Christians have a better claim. They assume that the spirit is immortal and cannot die. They admit, at least the wise ones do, that their claim cannot be proven, that it can only be believed on faith. Science claims to offer scientific proof. That is a false assumption.

Again, I quote Mr. Stephen Hawking from his book Grand Design.

“It is hard to imagine how free will can operate if our behavior is determined by physical law, so it seems that we are no more than biological machines and that free will is just an illusion.”

Again, consider the false assumption: Has it been scientifically proven that our behavior is determined by physical law? Can it be proven or disproven? No. Saying it is true by scientists does not make it true. That commits the fallacy of ‘appeal to authority.’ The fallacy Mr. Hawking has committed is called ‘begging the question’: “Our behavior is determined by law, therefore, we have no freewill.” He assumes genetic determinism. He assumes that we are merely biological creatures without a soul. He assumes we are animals. He assumes we are robots or machines. Science is so confident in the virtually unlimited powers of evolution that they no longer must prove any assumption or any claim as long as it has the word ‘evolution’ attached. They assume that because some theories of evolution may be true that all theories of evolution, no matter how unproven, must also be true.

He is trying to prove we have no freewill by assuming there is no freewill. It is circular. It is self-evident. Begging the question is an infallible argument except for the reality that it doesn’t say anything. It doesn’t go anywhere.

Now, having given the circular argument, look at his next conclusion: “it seems that we are no more than biological machines.” And from that circular argument, he commits another fallacy. ‘We are biological machines because we are biological machines; therefore, we have no freewill because biological machines have no freewill. Science is on a merry-go-round, ever reaching for the brass ring.

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Season 5 Podcast 106 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 31 Chapter 6 C, “The Trial.”

In last week’s episode, we were Introduced to Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair symbolizes Babylon, the world, the natural man. To get to the Celestial City, Christian and Faithful must travel through Vanity Fair. In this week’s episode, they are abominably abused by the people of Vanity Fair.

“One chanced, mockingly, beholding the actions of the men, to say unto them, "What will you buy?" But they, looking gravely upon him, said, "We buy the truth." At that there was an occasion taken to despise the men the more: some mocking, some taunting, some speaking reproachfully, and some calling on others to smite them."

Christian and Faithful are put on trial.

“At last things came to a hubbub and great stir in the fair, insomuch that all order was confounded. Now was word presently brought to the great one of the fair, who quickly came down, and deputed some of his most trusty friends to take these men for trial about whom the fair was almost overturned. So the men were brought to trial, and they that sat upon them asked them whence they came, whither they went, and what they did there in such an unusual garb."

The pilgrims define the purpose of their journey.

“The men told them that they were pilgrims and strangers in the world, and that they were going to their own country, which was the heavenly Jerusalem, and that they had given no occasion to the men of the town, nor yet to the merchants, thus to abuse them, and to hinder them in their journey, except it was for that, when one asked them what they would buy, they said they would buy the truth.”

Because they told the truth they were beaten and put into a cage like animals.

“But they that were appointed to examine them did not believe them to be any other than crazy people and mad, or else such as came to put all things into a confusion in the fair. Therefore they took them and beat them, and besmeared them with dirt, and then put them into the cage, that they might be made a spectacle to all the men of the fair. There, therefore, they lay for some time, and were made the objects of any man's sport, or malice, or revenge; the great one of the fair laughing still at all that befell them.”

Christian and Faithful follow the teachings of Christ.

“But, the men being patient, and "not rendering railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing," and giving good words for bad, and kindness for injuries done.”

Christian and Faithful heed the words of the Savior in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:10-12

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

Touched by their nobility, some in the crowd took their side but were in turn persecuted with them.

“Some men in the fair that were more observing and less opposed than the rest, began to check and blame the baser sort for their continual abuses done by them to the men. They, therefore, in an angry manner, let fly at them again, counting them as bad as the men in the cage, and telling them that they seemed to be in league with them, and should be made partakers of their misfortunes. The others replied, that, for aught they could see, the men were quiet and sober, and intended nobody any harm; and that there were many that traded in their fair that were more worthy to be put into the cage, yea, and pillory too, than were the men that they had abused. Thus, after diverse words had passed on both sides (the men behaving themselves all the while very wisely and soberly before them,) they fell to some blows, and did harm to one another."

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Season 5 Podcast 105 Book of Revelation Ch 5 B vs 9-14, “Worthy is the Lamb.”

The Savior alone was capable of opening the Book.

Revelation 5:9

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.”

What is that new song? It is that the old law is done away, and a new law has taken its place. The Law of Moses is fulfilled in Christ. The unique thing about the Law of Moses was that its entire purpose was to remind of Christ, to bring us to Christ, and to teach of his coming to earth to redeem mankind. The new song is that he came to earth, paid the price for our sins and brought about our resurrection, making it possible for us to return to God. “Thou art worthy” refers to the fact that Christ, though he lived on earth and became subject to temptation, he remained sinless. He was the sacrificial lamb. His blood, therefore, redeemed us, making it possible for us to repent and come to Christ and return to our Father in Heaven. The law of mercy overpowered the law of justice, thus satisfying the demands of the law of justice. The book represents the world, and the seals represent periods of time in the world. In this we are told how to read the Book of Revelation. In Chapter four, the period of time was set.

Revelation 4: 1

In other words, it is talking about the distant future. In Revelation Chapter 1, we are given a different time frame.

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:.”

In other words, it is talking about the near future. In speaking of the distant future John writes.

Revelation 5:10

“And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

That, of course, does not occur until after the Second Coming of Christ, during the Millenium. The Seven Seals refer to the entire history of the world, but the primary focus of the Book of Revelation is on the future, with great emphasis on our day just prior to Christ’s Second Coming. We must keep the time frame in mind.

Notice that John said, “We shall reign on the earth.” During the Millennium it will be a theocratic government, governed Christ. It will be ruled by kings and priests who apparently will be judges. The Book of Revelation tells what must happen before the Millennium comes. The old-world order will destroy itself. The kings and priests of the period of the Millennium will be called by Christ.

Revelation 5:11

“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;”

The term “many angels” turns into a number too large to imagine. Ten thousand times ten thousand is a hundred million, but added to that is the nebulous number of thousands of thousands. Who are those angels? Well, it will be the redeemed as well as those spirits who are waiting to come to earth. One cannot image the joy in heaven. It is a reminder of the words of Job so frequently referred to earlier, when the earth was created.

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Season 5 Podcast 104, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Creation & Destruction.”

The recycling we observe on earth is a type of the recycling that occurs in the cosmos. Universes undoubtedly will come and go, just like trees and other forms of life come and go on this earth, but the law of creation will never die, and energy and matter will never run out. Creation originally came out of chaos, or unusable energy, through organized laws. The same energy that appears to change from a usable state to an unusable state will continually be changed from an unusable state back to a usable state by those same organized sets of laws. The cosmos is the great recycler. To the vast law of creation, no energy is unusable, and no matter is wasted.

The future discoveries of science will not be related to the death of the universe. They will be related to the birth of new universes, a process that will continue forever because in the larger scheme of things there is no such thing as unusable energy. That is the power of the eternal law of creation.

Because of the laws of conservation of energy and mass we know that energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed. They are eternal. That is our clue. That is one of the most fantastic discoveries of science. Because we cannot burn a log twice, we assume that energy always goes from a usable state to a non-usable state.

That, however, is not accurate. Nature can burn a log twice. She can burn the same log a thousand times. Because we don’t have the technology to use energy twice, we assume that it is a law of nature. We call it entropy. The primary part of the law of creation is its ability to recycle nature, and entropy is a measure of that process. Rust is a form of burning. Rot is a form of burning. All decay is a form of burning. In the cosmos entropy is referred to as the ‘giant heat death.’ Anything that generates heat and breaks down matter is a form of burning, yet it is all broken down and reused. In nature nothing is wasted. New growth grows out of the decay of dying things. We see it all around us. Nature uses everything over and over. One forest replaces another, but probably contains most of the molecules of the preceding forest.

I observed an old fallen pine decaying in the high mountain forest of Grover Park in Star Valley, Wyoming.

Decay is nature’s fire. Directly from the burning compost of the old pine, saplings are growing, no doubt dropped from seeds of neighboring trees. But those saplings are using the energy of the decaying tree as nutrients for a new forest. If left alone that process will go on and on forever. Nature is burning an old log to provide energy for a new forest. Theoretically we can cut the new saplings down when they have run their course and burn them. That is one form of burning a log twice.

Nature pulls that trick millions of ways. The dung beetle lays its eggs in a ball of dung, very gross to our senses. As a child in sultry South Carolina, I would watch dung beetles for hours as they rolled their unsavory sphere twice their size up hill and over grass and bury it under ground. Recently in an ancient cemetery on Halls Top in East Tennessee that looms above our cabin, memories of my childhood came back as for an hour I watched a dung beetle bury a large ball of dung in which it will lay its eggs. The dung discarded by animals brings life to the beetle. Entomologists have discovered that the dung beetle has a perfect GPS system.

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Season 5 Podcast 103 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 30 Chapter 6 B, “Vanity Fair.”

In last week’s episode, Evangelist returns to Christian and Faithful. He praises them for their faithfulness. He then prophesies that they shall leave the wilderness and go into a city where one or both of them shall seal their testimony with their blood but that they will earn the crown of life. The one who dies will get to the Celestial City sooner. The one who remains shall be called upon to endure greater suffering. Both secretly want to be martyrs, one because there is earthly glory in martyrdom and two because it is the fastest way to the Celestial City. Bunyan delights in pointing out the paradoxes and ambiguities of religious zeal.

Bunyan continues his narrative.

“Then I saw in my dream, that, when they were got out of the wilderness, they presently saw a town before them, and the name of that town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept, called Vanity Fair. It is kept all the yearlong. It beareth the name of Vanity Fair, because the town where it is kept is lighter than vanity, and also because all that is there sold, or that cometh thither, is vanity; as is the saying of the Wise, "All that cometh is vanity."

We are reminded of the words of King Solomon who is also known as The Preacher.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2

“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity."

Bunyan reminds us that Vanity Fair is of very ancient origin.

“This is no newly begun business, but a thing of ancient standing. I will show you the original of it.

Almost five thousand years ago, there were pilgrims walking to the Celestial City, as these two honest persons are; and Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion, with their companions, perceiving by the path that the pilgrims made that their way to the city lay through this town of Vanity, they contrived here to set up a fair; a fair wherein should be sold all sorts of vanity, and that it should last all the yearlong. Therefore at this fair are all such things sold as houses, lands, trades, places, honors, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures, and delights of all sorts, as wives, husbands, children, masters, servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones, and what not.”

Vanity Fair has its counterpart in the city of Babylon described by John.

Revelation 18:12-13

“The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.”

Vanity Fair is filled with corruption as described by Bunyan.

“And, moreover, at this fair there are at all times to be seen jugglings, cheats, games, plays, fools, apes, knaves, and rogues, and that of every kind.

Here are to be seen, too, and that for nothing, thefts, murders, false swearers, and that of a blood-red color.”

Vanity Fair represents Babylon or the world.

“And, as in other fairs of less moment there are several rows and streets under their proper names, where such and such wares are vended; so here likewise you have the proper places, rows, streets (namely, countries and kingdoms), where the wares of this fair are soonest to be found. Here are the Britain Row, the French Row, the Italian Row, the Spanish Row, the German Row, where several sorts of vanities are to be sold. But, as in other fairs some one commodity is as the chief of all the fair, so the ware of Rome and her goods are greatly promoted in this fair;”

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Season 5 Podcast 102 Book of Revelation Ch 5 A 1-8, “Golden Vials Full of Odours.”

From the beginning, God has spoken to his prophets. It has been the responsibility of the prophets to write down the words of God. Those words have been passed down to us for thousands of years. Books of scripture symbolize the words of God, the laws of God, the commandments of God, as well as the spiritual history of God’s people on earth beginning with Adam. Taken from existing books of Scripture, Moses wrote the story of creation as well as the history of his ministry.

It is no coincidence that John looking into heaven saw a very special book.

Revelation 5:1

“And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.”

The one sitting on the throne is Elohim, the Father of us all. All images are important, including the fact that the book is in the Father’s right hand, signifying its great importance. Also, who would be sitting on the Father’s right hand? It would be none other than Jesus Christ Himself, the only Begotten Son of God. The book is being handed to Christ signifying that God is delegating his power to the Son.

We also have the number seven which is the perfect number symbolizing completeness, its origins going back to the creation story.

John’s entire focus is on the book. He does not record anything being written on the cover; therefore, we don’t know the title of the book. A title reveals the contents. Until the book is opened, we cannot know the contents, The writing is on the inside and on the back side. The book is divided into seven parts, but each part is sealed. The word ‘seal’ has many meanings. One, the word seal refers to a vow, oath, contract, or bond. Another, it refers to a lock, clasp, binding, fastening, or closing. Before one can know what the book is about, one must first break the seal.

A question is asked by an angel.

Revelation 5: 2

“And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?”

The angel is defined as a “strong angel” suggesting that the angel is in great authority. It is a rhetorical question. The angel already knows who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals. We don’t know who the angel is, but it could be Michael, the arch angel, or Adam. Notice, however, that a single seal does not bind the entire book. That would make eight seals. The book may be opened, but only one is worthy to loose the seven seals thereof. The book then is divided into seven chapters or seven books, each book a complete record in itself.

The angel makes it clear that only one person is worthy to open the book.

Revelation 5:3

“And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.”

Chapter 5 of the Book of Revelation, as is the entire Book of Revelation, is about the Savior and his role. Note the declaration, ‘no man in heaven, no man on earth, no man under the earth.’ Only God can open the seals. John doesn’t yet understand that message, for he records.

Revelation 5:4

“And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.”

Clearly John desperately wanted to know what was sealed in the book. He assumed it would be opened, but the angel dashed his hopes. He jumped to the conclusion that the book could never be unsealed. It is then that John is taught the greatest lesson he could learn.

Revelation 5:5

“And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”

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Season 5 Podcast 101, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Freewill B.”

Billions of people confirm the existence of God through daily experience, yet science must deny God in order to stay within the box. They are like crabs in a narrow container. They can never escape their theory nor can they afford to allow others to escape. They are self-imprisoned. They deny that which they see because they are slaves to the only laws they know, the laws of mortality. Once locked in, they throw away the key that would set them free.

They confuse facts with truth. They recognize law but deny the law maker. They study the creation but deny the creator. Science can never find first cause because their paradigm will not allow them to. A fundamental law of the universe is that something can never come from nothing—never! Modern science denies that irrevocable truth and, therefore, regardless of how logical their world appears, it is based on a faulty foundation. They work magic as long as they stay in their box. Every time they step out of the box they begin to sound foolish. Theoretical scientists are the emperor with no clothes. When they step out of their narrow world they enter the floating island of Laputa, and their theories of freewill, of intelligent design, of God, of man, or of purpose are illogical and improbable. Trust the practical ones who remain in the box for they will take us to the moon; however, do not trust those on the floating island of Laputa because they will lead us to the moral decline of society, making us equal with the animals, reducing us to robots, making us automatons, denying us freewill, denying God, denying absolute moral law, and denying the purpose of life

Freewill is the father of all freedoms. Without freewill, there would be no agency, freedom, or liberty. Will is our self-existing intelligence. Free will is our ability to exercise our intelligence in the creative process. For that reason, we are always in the act of becoming. Evolution has nothing to do with our creation. Evolution is tied to time, death, entropy, and mortality. Evolution did not exist before earth life and will not exist after earthlike. It is tethered to mortality like a dog to a stake. It is science that has given evolution its bark which exceeds its bite.

Agency is the ability to discern right from wrong and good from evil. It has a moral and spiritual component, related to conscience. Freedom is a consequence of temporal law only. Without conditions of temporal law, freedom would not exist. Liberty is based upon the laws of man. It is man, not God who takes away our liberty. Freedom depends upon obedience to temporal law. Agency depends upon obedience to spiritual law. Perfect liberty can only be achieved when man’s laws are founded on the temporal laws of nature and the spiritual laws of God. The Ten Commandments are the law of liberty. The Sermon on the Mount is the perfect law of liberty.

The purpose of all the laws of God is to expand freewill. Freewill is founded only upon truth, and truth is founded only upon the laws of God. Everything else is counterfeit.

As freedom depends upon temporal law, agency depends upon spiritual law. The spirit, not the body, has agency because the spirit alone has freewill. Neither the body nor the brain, which are biological machines, has freewill. The brain processes information and communicates that information to the body, but the brain does not think. Intelligence lies only in the spirit which is our life force.

It is not possible for the body or the brain to have freewill. It creates impossible contradictions and makes of us nothing more than biological robots.

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Season 5 Podcast 100 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 29 Chapter 6 A, “Evangelist, the Prophet.”

In last week’s episode, after Faithful unveils the hypocrisy of Talkative, Talkative parts company. In this week’s episode we begin new adventures as we open Chapter 6. First, we again meet Evangelist, who is considered a prophet. He asks how Christian and Faithful have fared thus far and quizzes them on how they conducted themselves. Evangelist symbolizes the church, the holy prophets, and the scriptures.

Now, when they were got almost quite out of this wilderness, Faithful chanced to cast his eye back, and espied one coming after him, and he knew him. "Oh!" said Faithful to his brother, "who comes yonder?" Then Christian looked, and said, "It is my good friend Evangelist." "Ay, and my good friend, too," said Faithful; "for it was he that set me the way to the gate." Now was Evangelist come up unto them, and thus saluted them:

EVAN. Peace be with you, dearly beloved, and peace be to your helpers.

CHRIS. Welcome, welcome, my good Evangelist: the sight of thy face brings to my thought thy former kindness and unwearied laboring for my eternal good.

FAITH. "And a thousand times welcome," said good Faithful: "thy company, O sweet Evangelist, how desirable is it to us poor pilgrims!"

EVAN. Then said Evangelist, "How hath it fared with you, my friends, since the time of our last parting? What have you met with, and how have you behaved yourselves?"

It is like an interview to determine their worthiness. Christian gives account of their journey. Evangelist counsels them to hold fast to the word of God.

Then Christian and Faithful told him of all things that had happened to them in the way; and how, and with what difficulty, they had arrived to that place.

EVAN. "Right glad am I," said Evangelist, "not that you met with trials, but that you have been victors, and for that you have, notwithstanding many weaknesses, continued in the way to this very day. I say, right glad am I of this thing, and that for my own sake and yours. I have sowed, and you have reaped; and the day is coming when 'both he that sowed and they that reaped shall rejoice together;' that is, if you faint not. The crown is before you, and it is an uncorruptible one: so run that you may obtain it. Some there be that set out for this crown, and after they have gone far for it, another comes in and takes it from them: 'Hold fast, therefore, that you have; let no man take your crown.'"

Evangelist is challenging them to endure to the end. Many who began the journey have failed: Obstinate, Pliable, Simple, Sloth, Presumption, Formalist, Hypocrisy, Timorous, Mistrust, Talkative, and others. Remember the scroll which Christian always takes with him. The scroll represents the Holy Scriptures which Christian reads daily. One is reminded of the words of David.

Psalm 1

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

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Season 5 Podcast 99 Book of Revelation Ch 4 D verses 8-11, “One in Us.”

John further describes the four beasts.

Revelation 4:8

And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Wings symbolize power and extreme mobility. Eyes represent knowledge and truth. “They rest not day and night” represents unlimited power and energy. Images are often ambiguous and represent more than one thing. Such is the above. As discussed last week, the four beasts each represent an attribute of Christ; therefore, on the one hand, we have Christ before the Father saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.” One thing that Christ repeatedly taught while on earth was that he was here to do the will of the Father in everything. He never violated a commandment of the Father. The image of John emphasizes their relationship. You have the Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, a perfect being, omniscient and omnipotent, worshiping the Father for he has been given all that the Father has. And in turn you have Christ who is being worshiped. The phrase, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” symbolize both the Father and the Son. They are one. What is Christ asking of us? We find the answer in the Intercessory Prayer.

John 17:18-26

“As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

What Christ said is astonishing. Those are perhaps some of the hardest concepts to accept, that we too may be one with the Father and the Son as they are one, that as the Father gave the Son all that he had, the Son shall also give those who believe on him, keep his commandments, and endure to the end all that he has. That is the entire purpose of God, captured in the image of John above. What other purpose would God have in creating man and earth. What other reason would Christ die for our sins? It is all for one reason and one reason alone, defined so clearly and succinctly by Christ Himself.

Matthew 5:48

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

We have the perfect model. Just as Christ became like the Father, He made it possible for us to become like him. That is the purpose of life. Is it so hard to believe that the purpose of God is to bring happiness to his children? There is no other way than the one described above that such a miracle can happen. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the father said to the faithful sovbbn, “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.”

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Season 5 Podcast 98, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Freewill A.”

Because of the deterministic laws of nature, science has taken the stand that freewill does not exist. The fallacy in their argument is that laws have conditions and conditions allow freewill. It gives man the ability to organize laws to accomplish creative tasks such as producing electricity, placing man on the moon, etc. It is through law that God created earth and all that earth entails. All creations of God are based on obedience to law. It is God who gave us law, and it is God who reveals His laws to us, whether temporal or spiritual. Everything God does is for the purpose of increasing mankind’s intelligence, mankind’s agency, mankind’s joy, and mankind’s freewill.

The laws of nature are bound by cause and effect: for every effect, there is a cause; for every cause, there is an effect. It is called the principle of causality. The principle of causality establishes the boundaries of science, and from that was built the scientific method.

The laws of nature cannot be changed. Theoretical science would do well if philosophers stayed within the bounds of temporal law. Truth alone should be the agenda of science. Personal causes corrupt science. Facts are their only strength, and temporal law their only safeguard. Their success is based entirely on the accuracy of their temporal predictions. Without the ability to make accurate predictions, science would be meaningless.

The moment science becomes comfortable with coincidence, paradox, and improbability and adopts the theory of an accidental universe and accidental man, science loses its ability to be science. It is merely theoretical science and their guess, based on opinion, is no better than any other’s opinion, regardless of their occupation or their credentials. Science should never lose sight of the necessity of accurate prediction. Without prediction everything in science is mere theory, nothing more.

Such a dilemma is the theory of evolution. Scientists ignore the obvious that all opinions about evolution are not scientific fact. Claiming that the theory of evolution is a fact is an oxymoron. If we use Karl Popper’s method of evaluating scientific theory, we would be forced to dismiss the claim of evolutionists that evolution is a fact because it cannot be empirically falsified. Evolution is founded on the logical fallacy, post hoc, ergo propter hoc, after the fact, therefore because of the fact. Until it can predict ‘if this, therefore this’ it remains theory.

The science of evolution, like all other acts of nature, is governed by a complete set of laws. Laws establish boundaries. The purpose of science is to understand those boundaries. When they exceed those boundaries, then science ceases to be science. It becomes theory, speculation, conjecture, and guesswork. I repeat: In science that which cannot be accurately predicted is not science. It is one thing to say that man came from monkey. That is easy because it requires no proof. It cannot be falsified. However, it is quite another thing to predict what the next stage of evolution will bring, and evolutionists cannot do that. If they could, they could falsify the claim that man came from monkey.

Science, for example, cannot predict what evolution will do in the future; therefore, they cannot be secure in their opinions about what evolution did in the past. Only that which allows prediction is true science. Science, of course, may form a hypothesis; however, if they cannot prove the hypothesis through accurate prediction, they must not present the hypothesis as truth. Yet that is what has happened to the theory of evolution. Though ingenious in many ways, the theory of evolution cannot exceed the boundaries of the laws that govern it.

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Season 5 Podcast 97 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 28 Chapter 5 G, “Talkative cont. Grace and Works.”

In last week’s episode we were introduced to Talkative. Faithful was taken in by Talkative; however, Christian, who knew him previously said, “He is the son of one Say-well. He dwelt in Prating Row, and is known to all that are acquainted with him by the name of Talkative of Prating Row; and notwithstanding his fine tongue, he is but a sorry fellow. In this episode Christian continues to unveil the true character of Talkative.

Chris. Had I known him no more than you, I might, perhaps, have thought of him as at first you did; yea, had he received this report only from those that are enemies to religion, I should have thought it had been a slander, a lot that often falls from bad men's mouths upon good men's names and professions. But all these things, yea, and a great many more as bad, of my own knowledge I can prove him guilty of. Besides, good men are ashamed of him: they can neither call him brother nor friend; the very naming of him among them makes them blush, if they know him.

Faithful promises to be more discerning.

Faith. Well, I see that saying and doing are two things, and hereafter I shall better observe the difference between them.

Faithful, who intertwines scripture, appeals to James in the New Testament who gives us a better understanding of Talkative.

Chris. They are two things, indeed, and are as diverse as are the soul and the body; for, as the body without the soul is but a dead carcase, so saying, if it be alone, is but a dead carcase also. The soul of religion is the practical part. "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." This, Talkative is not aware of: he thinks that hearing and saying will make a good Christian, and thus he deceiveth his own soul. Hearing is but as the sowing of the seed; talking is not sufficient to prove that fruit is indeed in the heart and life. And let us assure ourselves that, at the day of doom, men shall be judged according to their fruits.

4 RON

It is the purpose of James to make the scriptures live by personifying the virtues and vices taught by the Apostles and Prophets. Faithful symbolizes those Christians who are humble enough to be taught.

5 LINDA

Faith. Well, I was not so fond of his company at first, but I am as sick of it now. What shall we do to be rid of him?

Faithful personifies the following words of Christ.

Matthew 18:2-4

“And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Christian advises Faithful on how to deal with Talkative.

Chris. Take my advice, and do as I bid you, and you shall find that he will soon be sick of your company too, except God shall touch his heart and turn it.

Faith. What would you have me to do?

Chris. Why, go to him, and enter into some serious conversation about the power of religion and ask him plainly (when he has approved of it, for that he will) whether this thing be set up in his heart, house or conduct.

Christian has taken the part of Evangelist who taught him how to navigate the treacherous waters of Satan. It reminds one of the Savior’s words to Peter, “And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” That is how the true gospel works. We teach each other. Notice in the following dialogue how easily Talkative is manipulated to reveal his true feelings.

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Season 5 Podcast 96 Book of Revelation Ch 4 C vs 7, “The Images of Christ.”

In verse 6 the beast was described as being ‘full of eyes before and behind,’ which suggest all-seeing or omniscience. Beginning with verse 7, John gives us further details of his extraordinary vision.

Revelation 4:7

“And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.”

We have four classes. Lion suggests king of beasts. It is referenced many times in the Holy Bible and symbolizes power, authority, strength, boldness, and royalty.

· What is stronger than a lion, Judges 14:18

· He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den, Psalm 10:9

· Righteous are bold as a lion, Proverbs 28:1

· As a young lion in the house of Judah, Hosea 5:14

· He shall roar like a lion, Hosea 11:10

The lion is used as the symbol of kings. The lion, of course, is a symbol of Christ.

Revelation 5:5

5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Satan, the anti-Christ, the counterfeit of Christ, is also compared to a lion.

1 Peter 5:8

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

In the rich ambiguity of scriptural poetry, we are able to make connections through parallelism. For example, the following scripture relates the miracle of Daniel in the Lion’s den. The mouths of the lions were shut.

Daniel 6:22

22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

The story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den can also be read on another level. For example, Christ is our judge. Only the law of mercy can overpower the law of justice. If you read the above scripture in that context, then when the innocent stand before Christ to be judged, Christ will not speak as a lion, but as a lamb. Daniel, whose name is written in the Book of Life, is not hurt by the second death. The law of justice is silent, and the law of mercy invites Daniel into the Kingdom of God to live with Christ forever. The same can be said for the following allusion.

Daniel 6:20

20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

If you consider the lion as symbolizing justice, the king is asking the following question, “Is thy God, whom thou serve continually, able to deliver thee from the law of justice?’ The answer, of course, is yes for Daniel is delivered from the lions. That is also in harmony with the following verse.

Daniel 6:23

23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

What follows suggests the hell that the wicked will suffer because they did not believe in God.

Daniel 6:24

“And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.”

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The Principle of Opposition

Season 5 Podcast 95, “The Principle of Opposition.”

The law of justice is one law, but only the law of justice is unconditional. The law of justice imposes conditions on other laws but has none itself. All other laws are conditional meaning we have freewill. They operate on the principle of causality, otherwise freewill, agency, freedom, and liberty could not occur. The first principle of freedom is knowledge. Christ said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Earth is assigned two sets of laws: temporal laws and spiritual laws, all are conditional, all have a cause and an effect. If we know the cause, we can predict the effect and, therefore, we can govern our lives accordingly. If we want the blessings of a temporal world, we must understand and obey the laws of the temporal world. If we want the blessings of the spiritual world, we must understand and obey the laws of the spiritual world. That is what it means when Christ said that we shall be judged by our works. Our works are measured by our obedience or disobedience to law. All sin is disobedience to law. Temporal judgment comes from temporal laws and spiritual judgment comes from spiritual laws. Law provides the standards of judgment by which we will be judged.

All laws, whether temporal or spiritual have conditions and are subject to the principle of causality. Because all laws have conditions, we can have freewill, agency, and freedom. The entire purpose of life is to allow us to exercise our freewill. We have the privilege on this earth to follow God or to follow Satan. In the final analysis we will all be judged by our works. In other words, we will be judged by the laws we chose to obey or to disobey.

Satan does not make laws. That is why he can never be a creator. He is the negation of law. He is the negation of God. His entire reason for being is to persuade us to break the laws of God because he knows it will bring us misery and captivity. Satan does not create evil because he can’t create good. In fact, Satan does not create anything. He is the destroyer. I love the Jewish phrase, The Spoiler. Evil exists only because laws exist since evil is violation of law.

Satan is only on earth by permission so that we can have agency. The very definition of Agency is the ability to choose between God and Satan, good and evil, moral and immoral, right and wrong. Satan is neither omniscient nor omnipotent. Though he is more powerful than we are, he is not more powerful than God. He never has been and never will be. We have power over Satan only through the Grace of Christ. Satan is anti-Christ. Strictly speaking we do not obey the laws of Satan because he has no laws. We break the laws of God. We may choose to follow Satan, but we may only choose to obey or disobey the laws of God.

Experience has shown that all laws of God lead to freedom and freedom can only come by obedience to the laws of God. Captivity comes only by disobeying the laws of God.

Evil does not self-exist. Evil exists only because laws exist. Remove law and you remove evil. All evil is disobedience to law.

One could say, ‘Well, let’s just remove law and we would remove evil.’ That is exactly what Satan wants you to think. That is what is happening today in society. We are changing our laws to accommodate our desires. The problem is that we may change the laws of society which naturally affect our courts, but we cannot change the laws of God. They are, by necessity, absolute and unchangeable because God is absolute and unchangeable. Without law there would be chaos.

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Season 5 Podcast 94 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 26 Chapter 5 F, “Talkative.”

In last week’s episode we are warned against Shame who is the “promotion of fools” and tries “to make us ashamed of that which is good.” In other words, in the words of Isaiah Shame would have us call good evil and evil good.” In this episode we meet Talkative.

Moreover, I saw in my dream that, as they went on, Faithful, as he chanced to look on one side, saw a man whose name is Talkative walking at a distance beside them; for in this place there was room enough for them all to walk. He was a tall man, and something better looking at a distance than near at hand. To this man Faithful spoke himself in this manner:

At first Talkative appears to be an amiable fellow and a desirable companion.

FAITH. Friend, whither away? Are you going to the heavenly country?

TALK. I am going to that same place.

FAITH. That is well; then I hope we may have your good company.

TALK. With a very good will, will I be your companion.

FAITH. Come on, then, and let us go together, and let us spend our time in talking of things that are profitable.

TALK. To talk of things that are good, to me is very acceptable, with you or with any other; and I am glad that I have met with those that incline to so good a work; for, to speak the truth, there are but few who care thus to spend their time as they are in their travels, but choose much rather to be speaking of things to no profit; and this has been a trouble to me.

Because Talkative is traveling in the same direction, having the same goals and desires, he is accepted as trustworthy, even highly desirable. Part of Bunyan’s purpose is to warn all Christians of the pitfalls of the journey to the Celestial City. It is one thing to meet bad characters such as Apollyon, the Destroyer, Abaddon, the apostle of doom, and Beelzebub, the Evil One, as well as the giants Pope and Pagan, and the creature of nature Wanton whose daughters are Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the eyes, and Pride of Life. Their characters, though cunning, are soon transparent, their purposes clear. They are quickly recognized as the enemy. It is quite another to meet characters such as Obstinate, Pliable, Worldly Wiseman, Mr. Legality, Civility, and Talkative who appear to be well meaning and good companions for the Celestial journey but are servants of Satan who want to lead them in the way of the world. There is another set of characters such as Simple, Sloth, Presumption, Formalist, Hypocrisy, Timorous, and Mistrust whose personal faults are immediately transparent, their companionship unsuitable for they never endure the journey. Enduring to the end is a central theme of Pilgrim’s Progress.

Talkative has a smooth and oily tongue that says all the right words.

FAITH. That is, indeed, a thing to be lamented; for what things so worthy of the use of the tongue and mouth of men on earth, as are the things of the God of heaven?

TALK. I like you wonderfully well, for your saying is full of the truth; and I will add, What thing is so pleasant, and what so profitable, as to talk of the things of God? What things so pleasant? that is, if a man hath any delight in things that are wonderful. For instance, if a man doth delight to talk of the history or the mystery of things, or if a man doth love to talk of miracles, wonders, or signs, where shall he find things written so delightful, or so sweetly penned, as in the Holy Scripture?

FAITH. That's true; but to be profited by such things in our talk should be that which we design.

The devils who meet Christian and Faithful on their journey are overtly evil. Those who give in to the weaknesses of the flesh soon advertise their true nature.

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Season 5 Podcast 93 Book of Revelation Ch 4 B vs. 5-6, “The Sea of Glass.”

In this podcast we shall continue with Revelation 4 beginning with verse 5.

Revelation 4:5

“And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”

John, of course, is speaking of End Time. The images are images of storm and violence and indistinguishable voices. The images of violent weather symbolize the violence and confusion that is about to fall upon the earth. Before the throne itself ‘seven lamps of fire were burning, each representing a different Spirit.

The use of numbers in the Holy Bible is significant. The number 7, for example, represents a sense of wholeness. That suggests that the Seven Spirits of God collectively represent a completeness and to be understood must be read together, the order being very important. The fact that they are coming from the Throne of God suggests that what follows is the workmanship of God. One of the great paradoxes of life is to distinguish what comes from God and what comes from Satan. Time is significant. In Chapter 1 Verse 1 we read.

Revelation 1:1

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:”

Notice the use of Seven as it relates to events that “must shortly come to pass.”

Revelation 1:20

“The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

The seven letters to the seven churches described so vividly in Revelations 2 & 3 reference the apostasy that is beginning to take place in the church in John’s day. One must consider all seven churches and all seven letters to understand what John is saying. Though the letters speak of John’s day, the interpretation is not strictly confined to John’s day. They go far beyond the moment and define who inherits the Kingdom of God and describes the spectacular blessings they shall receive. The letters also define the sins of those who do not inherit the Kingdom of God. However, for the complete picture they must be read as a whole, each in its own order for it shows how apostasy creeps into the church.

Revelation 4:1

It is clear that Revelation 4 is referring to our day. The revelations are described as “things which must be hereafter.” The date, of course, is not given, but such things are seldom if ever marked by a specific calendar date. It is up to us to read the signs of the times. To do that we must match events of today with the imagery of John.

Let me add the obvious. One must be very careful in assigning specific persons or specific events as the person or event spoken of by John. One of the great blessings of the scriptures is that they speak to everyone in their own time. For example, regardless of the age one lives in, one must be able to read the signs of the times. End time, however, may have three referents: One, the end of one’s own life which may include the end of a civilization, a country or nation, an era, a culture, or even the end of peace, prosperity, and liberty. Two, which is most common when referring to end time, the time just before the Second Coming of Christ and the beginning of the millennium. And three, the end of the world when time is no longer. Wickedness brings destruction to one’s personal life, to one’s nation and culture, and to liberty.

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Season 5 Podcast 92, “Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy Pt B.”

In Part A We listed the following seven blessings of keeping the Sabbath Day Holy.

Physical health
Spiritual health,
Better working hours.
The Law of Equality,
Rest from merchandisers.
Self-Reliance:
Liberty.

That is actually just the beginning. If you listened closely to Part A many more blessings were listed: We shall

be returned to our own possession
be relieved of oppression
dwell in safety
have rich crops and fertile fields
be rested and refreshed
have a perpetual covenant with the Lord
have our strength renewed
shall dwell at ease
shall inherit the earth
shall receive God’s mercy
shall delight ourselves in the Lord
shall ride upon the high places of the earth

Jeremiah also tells us that the nation that observes the sabbath day shall remain forever. He was not just speaking of Jerusalem when he said

· Our nation shall remain forever (Jeremiah 17: 25)

Jeremiah also pronounced a curse if we do not obey the sabbath day.

“Then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.” (Jeremiah 17: 27)

In Exodus the Lord tells Moses of another blessing of keeping the Sabbath day holy.

“Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generation; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” (Exodus 31:13)

Even another of the great blessings of honoring the sabbath day is listed in Ezekiel,

And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God. (Ezekiel 20:20)

When the Lord came in person to live on the earth, the Jews had so ritualized the sabbath day that they entirely forgot to remember the coming Savior. It is for that reason that they rejected the Savior even when he dwelt among them. Christ despised their hollow worship and established himself once again as Lord of the Sabbath. In Matthew we read:

“8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. 9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: 10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. 11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.” (Matthew 12:8-13)

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Season 5 Podcast 91 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 26 Chapter 5 E, “Shame.”

In last week’s episode, Faithful recounts his encounter with Discontent who tried to persuade him to return to the land of destruction and Shame who held God and religion in contempt. In this week’s episode, Bunyan concludes the discussion of Shame.

“Chris. I am glad, my brother, that thou didst withstand this villain so bravely: for of all, as thou sayest, I think he has the wrong name; for he is so bold as to follow us in the streets, and to attempt to put us to shame before all men; that is, to make us ashamed of that which is good. But, if he was not himself bold, he would never attempt to do as he does. But let us still resist him; for, notwithstanding all his bold words, he promoteth the fool, and none else. "The wise shall inherit glory," said Solomon; "but shame shall be the promotion of fools."

Religion is entangled with many complex emotions, each fighting with the other. For example, some emotions, such as shame, appear virtuous but actually destroy religion and impede the progress of Christians who are enroute to the Celestial City. Self-debasement does not lead to repentance; rather it often leads to depression, discouragement, and capitulation. Consider synonyms for shame.

Disgrace, dishonor, reproach, degradation, ill repute, baseness, turpitude, debasement, opprobrium, condemnation, aspersion, defamation, slander, calumniation, vilification, smear, stain, tarnish, etc.

Such feelings of false guilt when fed tear down the spirit and attenuate courage and replace resolve with discouragement causing one to give up by saying they are too evil. They cannot repent. They cannot be forgiven. They are worthless, and the Lord could not love them. Shame, of course, is a natural consequence of guilt and may lead to repentance, but feelings of worthlessness have the opposite effect. They often lead to worse behavior. Satan loves crippling shame, self-pity, and syrupy sentimentality causing failure to lead to greater failure. Contrast Shame with Peter’s description of man.

2 Peter 1:3-4

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Christ considers us worth fighting for so much so that he gave up his life that we might live. Peter would have us replace base thoughts with higher virtues.

2 Peter 1: 5-8

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Feelings of shame that lead to repentance are of God, but feelings of shame that lead to greater shame are of Satan and are destructive to the soul. Repentance is the key to forgiveness, and for repentance to occur one must have Faith in Christ, and with faith comes hope which gives us an anchor to hold to.

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Season 5 Podcast 90 Book of Revelation Ch 4 A vs 1-4, “Taken up into Heaven.”

Many prophets of the Old Testament spoke of the last days, most notably perhaps were Ezekiel, Daniel, and Isaiah. None, however, even Isaiah, has equaled the modern attention given to the Apostle John, known as John the Revelator, as recorded in the Book of Revelation. During his imprisonment on the Isle of Patmos, John received a series of spectacular revelations regarding the Millennium or the period of time just before the Second Coming of Christ and even the end of the world. His imagery matched only, perhaps, by Isaiah, has inflamed many heated debates. It is impossible for Christians to even discuss end time without bringing up the revelations of John. The vividness of John’s visions immediately captures one’s attention only to be followed by confusion of precisely what he meant. In this podcast we shall begin our discussion with Chapter Four of the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 4:1

We know the Lord communicates through visions, dreams, revelations, inspiration, the whispering of the Holy Ghost, answers to prayer, promptings of the spirit, impressions, feelings, thoughts, angels. I suppose each has his or her own unique experience in communicating with the Lord. Many seek revelation through prayer, fasting, meditation, and scripture study. I have heard many witnesses say that verses of scripture or even verses from sacred hymns came to their mind that directly answered a prayer or helped them deal with a problem. The Lord speaks to all of us in our own language.

A favorite verse of scripture regarding revelation is the following found in 1 Kings revealed to us by the experience of Elijah.

1 Kings 19: 11-12

I suppose the still small voice is the primary way the Lord communicates to his children here on earth. Perhaps the rarest is to receive a vision which like dreams may employ sight, sound, touch, taste, and feel. John was a visionary. He looked and he saw a door opened in heaven. He looked into heaven itself. The voice, which was the voice of the Lord Jesus, was like a trumpet. John was invited into heaven where, from that promontory, he would look down and see the future.

This is not unique among prophets. The apostle Paul reports.

2 Corinthians 12:1-4

It was John’s special assignment to write about end time. If you recall one of the unique features of John is that he was allowed to tarry on earth until the Savior came again. It is recorded in the Book of John.

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Season 5 Podcast 89, “Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy Pt A.”

There is a practical side to keeping the Ten Commandments that is easily overlooked. The blessings and cursings are not arbitrary laws, but natural consequences of irrevocable laws based on absolute truth. If you want to go on a treasure hunt, search the Holy Scriptures and ferret out every blessing attached to a commandment. A God who cannot lie is bound to his promises. It only makes sense that all blessings are irrevocably tied to law and law is a companion to truth. If you want a blessing from God, seek the law that grants it and obey that law. As we study the sabbath day, we find a number of blessings attached to keeping the sabbath day holy. There are seven specific blessings related to the Sabbath Day.

· Blessing Number One: Physical health: As you read in Isaiah 40, those who keep the sabbath day holy “shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31)

Keeping the Sabbath Day has such enormous promises. We, of course, associate diet and exercise to personal health. We do not think to associate keeping the sabbath day holy to personal health.

Blessing Number One is physical health. Blessing Number Two is Spiritual health. In Leviticus 16, the Lord describes to Moses the day of atonement as it relates to the sabbath:

29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:

30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.

31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.

32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments:

33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.

34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses. (Leviticus 16:29-34)

3 RON

We sometimes overlook the fact that we have a spirit body in the likeness of our physical body that also requires nourishment of a spiritual kind. Keeping the sabbath day holy nourishes both the physical body and the spirit body. The health of our physical body is intimately tied to the health of our spirit. In First Corinthians 6, Paul tells us, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” Perhaps that is what God meant when he compared our body to a temple. Paul’s words continue:

“What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:18-29)

It is a fascinating doctrine that our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. In other words, if we are clean, the Holy Ghost can dwell in our heart. Just imagine a member of the Godhead always being with us. That refers back to Blessing Number Two: “to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from your sins before the Lord.”

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Season 5 Podcast 88 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 25 Chapter 5 D, “The Natural Man vs The Spiritual Man.”

In last week’s episode, Faithful recounts his encounter with Moses, the Law Giver, who beat him to the ground for his sins. However, he was redeemed through Christ. In this week’s episode, Christian criticizes Faithful for not stopping at the Palace. In the Palace at the top of Hill difficulty Faith would have been taught by Discretion, Piety, Prudence, and Charity. Speaking of the Porter, Christian said,

Chris. He told me, indeed, that he saw you go by; but I wished you had called at the house, for they would have showed you so many rarities, that you would scarce have forgot them to the day of your death. But pray tell me, did you meet nobody in the Valley of Humility?

In the Valley of Humility Christian met three great demons: Apollyon, Satan, and Abaddon, who symbolized destruction or doom. We learned of those demons from Christian. Faithful met quite a different challenge.

Faith. Yes, I met with one Discontent, who would willingly have persuaded me to go back again with him: his reason was, for that the valley was altogether without honor. He told me, moreover, that there to go was the way to disoblige all my friends, as Pride, Arrogancy, Self-Conceit, Worldly-Glory, with others, who he knew, as he said, would be very much offended if I made such a fool of myself as to wade through this valley.

Chris. Well, and how did you answer him?

Not only do Christian and Faithful have to overcome Satan and his angels, they must also overcome the natural man. Above we read of Pride, Arrogancy, Self-Conceit, and Worldly Glory. Earlier we read where Christian had met Obstinate, Pliable, Worldly Wiseman, Mr. Legality, Civility, the Man of Despair, Simple, Sloth, Presumption, Formalist, Hypocrisy, Timorous, and Mistrust. Here Faithful meets Discontent. They all represent the natural man who is always at war with the spiritual man. Bunyan is teaching us that Satan fights the war against man on two fronts. One, he tempts the spiritual man to worship him and turn against God. Two, he tempts the natural man who is subject to the lusts of the flesh. Earlier, Faithful was held up on his journey by Wanton, and then he was met by Adam the First who wanted him to marry his three daughters: Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, and Pride of Life. The three daughters echo the words of John.

1 John 2:16

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Faithful continues his narrative.

Faith. I told him that, although all these that he named might claim kindred of me, and that rightly (for, indeed, they were my relations according to the flesh), yet, since I became a pilgrim, they have disowned me, as I also have rejected them; and therefore they were to me now no more than if they had never been of my lineage. I told him, moreover, that as to this valley, he had quite misrepresented the thing; for before honor is humility, and a haughty spirit before a fall. "Therefore," said I, "I had rather go through this valley to the honor that was so accounted by the wisest, than choose that which he esteemed most worthy of our affections."

It is clear why the pilgrim is called Faithful. Indeed, he follows the words of Peter, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.” (1 Peter 1:14) It was the apostle Paul who said.

Galatians 5:17

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

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Season 5 Podcast 87 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 28 C, “Christ’s Final Charge to his Disciples.”

Following Christ’s resurrection, Christ tells the women who were there early to take care of his body to announce his resurrection to his apostles.

“Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.” (Matthew 28: 10)

Satan immediately began spreading lies.

On earth Satan has two armies. One is a spiritual army which consists of all the spirits who took his side in the War in Heaven.

“And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth:” (Revelation 12:4)

Daniel also saw the same vision as John.

Daniel 8:10

“And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.”

Before coming to earth, we lived as spirits with God in heaven. Our immortal spirits were referred to as stars. Speaking of the creation of the earth, Job recorded.

Job 38:7

“When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

Even Lucifer was referred to as a fallen star.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” (Isaiah 14:12)

Lucifer means ‘light bearer.’ Christ referred to Satan as lightning.

“I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven,” Luke 10:18.

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Season 5 Podcast 86, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Justice and Mercy C.”

Strictly speaking you can apply the scientific method to metaphysical truths. The stumbling block is that in discovering metaphysical truths, the first step is faith. To discover God, one must take a leap in the dark. Even a cursory reading of the Holy Scriptures will reveal that all of God’s laws are built on the principle of causality, whether those laws are physical or metaphysical, temporal or spiritual. I simply mean the principle of

· If…Then,

· Either…Or,

· Because…Therefore.

Broadly speaking there are two classes of laws: temporal laws and spiritual laws. Spiritual laws are divided into two classes: unconditional laws and conditional laws.

The law of justice, for example, is unconditional. The law of mercy is conditional. From an eternal perspective, let’s say all unconditional laws fall under the law of Justice. All conditional laws fall under the law of Mercy. Because the law of justice is unconditional, when Adam fell it brought temporal death and spiritual death into the world. Adam alone could not find his way back to God because he fell under a broken law. There were no conditions that allowed him to return. There were no laws to obey that allowed him to return. In other words, there was no repentance.

That is the grand paradox of Christianity. Fallen man was in a fallen state and would remain there forever subject to Satan. Nothing man could do could overturn an absolute law. The law of justice demanded it.

That is why a Savior was necessary. Man could not save himself. Here is the paradox. The law of justice is necessary, or creation would return to chaos. The law of justice must be absolute. There is no room for compromise. Chaos is a natural state. To bring order out of chaos, justice had to be absolute. God lives in an absolute world where no evil can exist. God will not allow it, or he would cease to be God. The existence of God depends upon absolute law. God is perfect. Perfection can only exist in a world of absolute laws.

When Adam fell only a divine redeemer could save him; however, to save man from the fall of Adam the divine redeemer had to first satisfy the law of justice. To save mankind he had to first continue to live a perfect life. If Christ had broken any law, he could not have been our redeemer. Furthermore, there would have been no one to redeem him. The Father couldn’t save his only Begotten Son because the Father could not allow any imperfection in his kingdom.

Next our Redeemer had to satisfy the law of justice of his own free will. He could not be made to save us anymore than he can save us against our will. Agency is a primary law of heaven. Third the Redeemer, being sinless, had to take upon himself the sins of the World. In other words, though he was without sin, he had to pay the price for our sins. That meant that he had to suffer the pains of hell. Next he had to die, to give his life that we might live again eternally with God. And finally, He had to be resurrected so that he could resurrect us. Why was it necessary? It was necessary because the law of justice demanded it. The law of justice demanded it because absolute perfection is the requirement for Godhood. It is the paradox of God, isn’t it. Laws must hold. Nothing about God can be arbitrary, else there is no perfection. In the world of perfection nothing is accidental. In the world of creation nothing is accidental. Everything is by divine design. If we want to understand God, we must understand law.

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Season 5 Podcast 85 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 24 Chapter 5 C, “The Wages of Sin.”

In last week’s episode, Christian meets Faithful who tells him of his trials with Wanton, and his meeting with Adam the First who lived in the town of Deceit. He symbolized the Wages of Sin which was death or the deeds of the flesh. This all occurred on the Hill Difficulty where Christian had lost the scroll. The old man wanted Faithful to marry his three daughters, Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, and Pride of Life. When Faithful refuses to marry his daughters, the old man took hold of his flesh and nearly pulled him apart. Faithful jerked free; however, when he got half way up the hill difficulty, another man, a very powerful man caught up with him.

Faith. But, good brother, hear me out. So soon as the man overtook me, he was but a word and a blow; for down he knocked me, and laid me for dead. But, when I was a little come to myself again, I asked him wherefore he served me so. He said, because of my secret inclining to Adam the First. And, with that, he struck me another deadly blow on the breast, and beat me down backwards; so I lay at his feet as dead as before. So, when I came to myself again, I cried him mercy; but he said, "I know not how to show mercy;" and, with that, he knocked me down again. He had doubtless made an end of me, but that One came by, and bid him forbear.

Christian asks Faithful who saved him from his attacker.

Chris. Who was that that bid him forbear?

The answer is not a big surprise.

Faith. I did not know him at first; but, as He went by, I perceived the holes in His hands and His side; then I concluded that He was our Lord. So I went up the hill.

Christian, who himself had been saved when he laid his burden down at the cross, explains to Faithful who the man was who beat him in such an unmerciful way.

Chris. That man that overtook you was Moses. He spareth none, neither knoweth he how to show mercy to those that disobey his law.

Bunyan is teaching us the difference between the law of justice and the law of mercy. For example, the one who mercilessly beat Faithful symbolized the Law of Moses which shows no mercy. The one who saved Faithful from more punishment was, of course, the risen Christ, thus teaching us the Law of Mercy. Without Christ we would have to pay for our own sins. This is explained by a parable of Christ.

“Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.” (Matthew 5: 25-26)

6 RON

Christ is speaking of hell. The “uttermost farthing” symbolizes the exactness of the law. In other words, the law of justice must be satisfied. Those who do not repent of their sins and call upon Christ must pay for their own sins. Only after they have paid ‘the uttermost farthing’ is the prison house opened. Read, for example, the words of John the Revelator.

“1 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

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Season 5 Podcast 84 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 28 B, “Christ’s First Appearance.”

One can only imagine the feelings of the Christians following the resurrection of Jesus. If it was difficult for the eleven disciples to believe, imagine the turmoil in the minds of all the other saints who would immediately have heard the stories. One can also only imagine the joy the apostles had when Christ first appeared to them as a resurrected being. Jesus only shows himself to those who believe on him.

Christ appears first to the women who came early to the Tomb. Matthew identifies Mary Magdalene and the other Mary; Mark identifies Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. Luke identifies Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the Mother of James, and other women that were with them. John identifies Mary Magdalene.

Matthew records the visit of the Savior to the faithful women.

“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is arisen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.” (Matthew 28:5-9)

Mark records that “Christ appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.” John records the special experience Mary Magdalene had.

“But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.” (John 20:11-16)

As recorded by Mark, Jesus appears to two other followers of Christ who had witnessed the crucifixion of Christ in Jerusalem.

4 LINDA

“After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.” (Mark 16: 12-13)

Luke gives us an extended account of the resurrected Lord’s visit to the two travelers.

“And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.” (Luke 24: 13-16)

It is hard to imagine that even in the presence of the resurrected Christ, the two travelers first considered him just another believer. We learn that without revelation we cannot know Christ, even if he is standing before us. Jesus speaks to them as if he were just another disciple.

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Season 5 Podcast 83, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Justice and Mercy B.”

In Justice and Mercy A, we talked about the absolute nature of law and the role of Lucifer. The law of justice is unconditional. The law of mercy is conditional. Mercy satisfies the demands of the law of justice. It was stated that without justice there would be no God. Without mercy there would be no atonement. In Justice and Mercy B we continue to discuss Satan’s role. If there is good there must be evil. If there is God there must be Satan. If there is heaven there must be hell. Satan was so powerful before the fall that he was known as Son of the Morning. Let’s turn to Isaiah.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? (Isaiah 14:12-17)

“Son of the Morning” is a reference to the phrase, ‘morning star’ which we used to refer to Christ. With the fall, Lucifer, which means light bearer, lost his light, and he became the Prince of Darkness and Father of Lies. Lucifer is a counterfeit. He may appear as an angel of light, but he can no longer bear the light. He wanted to be our savior, but he wanted all the power. Clearly Lucifer, in heaven, was an enormously powerful spirit, perhaps more powerful than all the other spirits, save Christ, and must have presented himself as a God. He still presents himself as a God. In fact, his ambition was to rule over all the other children of God. As Isaiah recorded, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.” We know from Job 38 that the ‘Stars of God’ referred to all the spirit children of God.

The war in heaven was fought over agency. So it is on earth. The battle against Satan on earth is a continuation of the battle against Lucifer in heaven. With the fall Lucifer became Satan, Prince of Devils. Only by leaving the presence of God and coming to earth could we live our own life and make our own choices. That required a veil between earth and heaven. Because of the veil, God remains invisible.

Who, for example, could sin if God were standing directly in front of him?

No one. We would be afraid to sin. Just as the war against Lucifer in heaven was fought outside of God’s direct presence, the war against Satan on earth is fought outside of God’s direct presence. That leads to another necessary attribute of God. That is why a veil was drawn over our minds when we came to earth.

For agency to exist we must be enticed both by Christ and by Satan. We must have a knowledge of both good and evil. We must be able to choose between God and Satan.

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Season 5 Podcast 82 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 23 Chapter 5 BA, “The Wages of Sin.”

In last week’s episode, Christian meets Faithful. Christian was in such a hurry to leave the City of Destruction that he left Faithful behind. Faithful followed Christian; however, because Christian became embroiled in the snares constructed by Satan, beginning with the Slough of Despond, Faithful outran Christian. It is not until now that Christian catches up with Faithful who himself was being pursued by The Avenger of Blood. Christian rushes to help Faithful but in his haste falls, and it is Faithful who helps Christian to his feet. Faithful relates to Christian what has happened in the City of Destruction since Christian left. Christian then inquires about Faithfull’s adventures.

Chris. "Well, neighbor Faithful," said Christian, "let us leave him, and talk of things that more immediately concern ourselves. Tell me now what you have met with in the way as you came; for I know you have met with some things, or else it may be writ for a wonder."

Though Faithful was able to avoid some of the trials of Christian, he met with trials of his own. Bunyan, of course, is teaching us that Satan cunningly tailors our obstacles to meet our own weaknesses.

Faith. I escaped the slough that I perceive you fell into, and got up to the gate without that danger; only I met with one whose name was Wanton, that had like to have done me a mischief.

Wanton symbolizes the lusts of the flesh. Rodale’s Synonym Finder gives us the following synonyms: malicious, spiteful, vicious, cruel, malevolent, calculated. Perverse, reckless, rash, lewd, lecherous, prurient, carnal, sensual, voluptuous, erotic, opulent, profligate, licentious. Bunyan uses as his symbol the wife of Potiphar who tried to seduce Joseph of Egypt.

Chris. It was well you escaped her net: Joseph was hard put to it by her, and he escaped her as you did; but it had like to have cost him his life. But what did she do to you?

Faith. You cannot think (but that you know something) what a flattering tongue she had; she lay at me hard to turn aside with her, promising me all manner of enjoyment.

Chris. Nay, she did not promise you the enjoyment of a good conscience.

Faith. You know what I mean—not the enjoyment of the soul, but of the body.

Chris. Thank God you have escaped her: the abhorred of the Lord shall fall into her ditch.

Faith. Nay, I know not whether I did wholly escape her or no.

Chris. Why, I suppose you did not consent to her desires?

Faith. No, not to defile myself; for I remembered an old writing that I had seen which saith, "Her steps take hold of hell." So I shut mine eyes, because I would not be bewitched with her looks. Then she railed on me, and I went my way.

Pilgrim’s Progress was written 400 years ago. One wonders what Bunyan would say about the licentious abandonment of our wanton age, the ubiquitous pornography and the salacious images and obscene language of modern media. Faithful was saved from the grasp of lustful wantonness simply by shutting his eyes. Today that would be the equivalent of turning off any media that promoted promiscuity, including, television, internet, or major motion pictures.

At the forefront of our minds, we must consider the other pilgrims. We may divide the characters of Pilgrim’s Progress into three types: Type 1 includes the virtues necessary to help us on our pilgrimage. Some appear as angels of light such as the Shining Ones. Others appear as virtues that we must acquire such as Discretion, Piety, Prudence, and Charity. Others appear as the servants of God such as Evangelist, the Interpreters, and Watchful. Type 2 includes the vices that stand in our way. Some appear as angels of darkness such as Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Abaddon. Others appear as servants of Satan such as Worldly Wiseman, Mr. Legality, and Civility.

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Season 5 Podcast 81 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 28 A, “The Resurrection.”

Throughout the gospels it was women who looked after the practical needs of the Savior. It is fitting that at his death it was women also who came to look after the practical needs of the body of the crucified Savior; therefore, it was women who were first honored to see the resurrected Lord. Let’s first consider Matthew’s account:

“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.” (Matthew 38: 1-8)

At this point, of course, no one has seen the resurrected Lord. The disciples only have the word of the women, and the women only have the word of an angel. The angel was rather striking for “His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.”

It is instructive, however, to consider the appearance of the angel. The poor keepers were deeply affected. As if the earthquake weren’t enough, the brightness of the angel terrified them They became as dead men. In other words, they passed out. We may assume that they were not worthy and that is why they did not have the same experience as the women. The angel’s countenance was like lightning because they lived in the presence of God all the time. If they did not shine like the sun they could not endure the presence of God. Remember John the Revelator’s description of the resurrected Lord found in Revelation 1:

We are taught in the Holy Bible that everyone who lives with God will have the same appearance. God, for example, lives in the Holy City, New Jerusalem, whose glory is like the sun. Remember the words of Paul, who is speaking of the resurrection of the dead.

The glory of the celestial kingdom is compared to the brightness of the Sun. It was the Savior who said, “

Matthew 13:43

43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

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Season 5 Podcast 80, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Justice and Mercy A.”

Justice is absolute. Mercy is conditional. Without justice there would be no God. Without mercy there would be no atonement. God is not some abstraction, merely an idea of an ideal. God is a real person, a divine being who created us in his image. In other words, he wants us to become like him. That, of course seems impossible. The Lord revealed to Isaiah as recorded in Chapter 55:

If there is that much difference, how is it possible that we can become like him. First we have the authority of his own words as revealed to John the Revelator.

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3)

To God nothing is impossible. However, it is only possible because the law of mercy satisfied the law of justice. Without the atonement of Christ, we could not be cleansed from our sins, and without being first cleansed from our sins, we could never enter into the presence of God, and without entering into the presence of God, we could never become like him; that is to say, we could never become perfect even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect. Those who say we cannot become like God are limiting God’s power. With God all things are possible. We must have faith in God and in his power.

It is the law of justice that prevented us from returning to God’s presence. However, the law of justice is necessary. There must be absolutes. Absolute good and absolute evil, otherwise perfection has no meaning. Perfection is what makes God God. Any imperfection and he would cease to be God.

Think of God’s house as a house of perfect order. We can only understand perfection by analogy. Man, for example, creates laws to bring order to society. The laws of man glaringly reflect the imperfections of man, however, as we can see by the rise and fall of governments. The law of justice, which has no imperfections, must be fully satisfied. That is why Christ, a perfect being, died for our sins. He paid the full penalty of the law. When John said “God is love” he was talking about the pure love of Christ which scriptures refer to as charity. That is why charity is greater even than faith and hope and all other virtues combined. It has no equal.

All laws of God are absolute. God creates laws to bring order to his universe. God creates temporal laws to bring order to the temporal universe. Our earth, our solar system, and our galaxy are perfect examples. God also creates laws to bring order to the spiritual universe or spiritual dimension. In other words, the kingdom where he dwells. Temporal laws deal with death and mortality. Spiritual laws deal with eternal life and immortality. We have a physical body subject to temporal laws, and we have a spiritual body subject to spiritual laws. Those laws must be absolute else existence would not be possible. The laws of God can make us perfect.

Just as manmade laws can work only when people obey those laws, temporal laws work only when nature obeys temporal laws. The spiritual laws can only work when people obey those laws.

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Season 5 Podcast 79 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 22 Chapter 5 A, “Christian Meets Faithful.”

In last week’s episode, Christian speaks of two giants in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, Pagan and Pope, which once prevented Christians from continuing their journey to the Celestial City. However, the giant Pagan was dead, and the giant Pope was too old and decrepit to be a threat. Thus concluded Chapter 4. In this week’s episode, which begins Chapter Five, Christian meets Faithful who is being chased by The Avenger of Blood.

Now as Christian went on his way, he came to a little ascent which was cast up on purpose that pilgrims might see before them: up there, therefore, Christian went; and looking forward, he saw Faithful before him upon his journey. Then said Christian aloud, "Ho, ho! so-ho! stay, and I will be your companion." At that Faithful looked behind him; to whom Christian cried, "Stay, stay, till I come up to you." But Faithful answered, "No, I am upon my life, and the avenger of blood is behind me."

Having compassion on Faithful, Christian catches up to him; however, in his boastful rashness, it is Christian who falls and must be helped by Faithful. This is a very subtle lesson for Christian. Because of his success he, perhaps, has grown a little prideful, but discovers that humility is always necessary, and he still has much to learn.

“At this Christian was somewhat moved; and putting to all his strength, he quickly got up with Faithful, and did also overrun him: so the last was first. Then did Christian boastfully smile, because he had gotten the start of his brother; but, not taking good heed to his feet, he suddenly stumbled and fell, and could not rise again until Faithful came up to help him.”

Pilgrim’s Progress is about the journey that every Christian must make to reach the Celestial City. Regardless of how much one may grow, one is never independent. One is never able to stand alone or to make the journey alone. Bunyan makes it abundantly clear that God is mindful of us and places people in our path who can help us; however, we must always be humble and accept their help. It turns out that it was Christian who had abandoned Faithful, thus making Faithful take the trip alone.

Then I saw in my dream, they went very lovingly on together, and had sweet talk together of all things that had happened to them in their pilgrimage; and thus Christian began:

CHRIS. My honored and well-beloved brother Faithful, I am glad that I have overtaken you, and that God has so tempered our spirits that we can walk as companions in this so pleasant a path.

FAITH. I had thought, dear friend, to have had your company quite from our town; but you did get the start of me, wherefore I was forced to come thus much of the way alone.

In his subtlety Bunyan is reminding us that often we bring upon ourselves our own misery. After so long in the journey Christian discovers that he had out run Faithful whereas they could have been companions from the beginning. Instead look at the companions Christian did meet: Obstinate, Pliable, Worldly Wiseman, Mr. Legality, Civility. Man of Despair, Simple, Sloth, Presumption, Formalist, Hypocrisy, Timorous, and Mistrust.

Of course, other companions were necessary for Christian to even continue his journey: Evangelist, Goodwill, The Interpreter, The Shining Ones, Watchful, Discretion, Piety, Prudence, and Charity.

Christian has also met those who would destroy him: Beelzebub, the evil one; Apollyon, the Destroyer; and Abaddon, who symbolized destruction or doom.

Christian quizzes Faithful, who, though he had left the City of Destruction after Christian, was actually ahead of him in the journey till only now does Christian catch up and meet him. One gets the impression that had Christian traveled with Faithful, both would have been further advanced.

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Season 5 Podcast 90 Book of Revelation Ch 4 A vs 1-4, “Taken up into Heaven.”

Revelation 4:1

A favorite verse of scripture regarding revelation is the following found in 1 Kings revealed to us by the experience of Elijah.

1 Kings 19: 11-12

This is not unique among prophets. The apostle Paul reports.

2 Corinthians 12:1-4

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Season 5 Podcast 78 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 27 F, “Death and Resurrection.”

This week we shall conclude our discussion of Matthew 27, beginning with verse 39 in which they mock Jesus.

“And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.” (Matthew 27:39-44)

Even in the darkest extremities, Christ always sets the example. He never rails against his mockers or calls them names or curses them. He teaches. He shows compassion even to the point of saying, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” He prophesies, but more often than not he remains silent. He stood in silence before Herod. He stood in silence before Pilate. He stood in silence before the mob. And then darkness fell.

“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.” (Matthew 27:45)

From the darkness came some of the most heartbreaking words Christ every uttered as recorded in verse 46:

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

One of the unique things of the atonement of Jesus Christ is that some things he had to do alone. How many countless times have those same words, in one form or another, been uttered by people in despair who feel that God and the world has abandoned them? This moment teaches all mankind that Christ knows what it feels like to be utterly alone in the world, symbolized by the blackness of darkness. One can hear the words out of the darkness of the soul, what St. John of the Cross called, “the dark night of the soul.” The Book of Matthew, as well as the other gospels, teaches us that Christ understands our suffering, no matter how intense, no matter what form—physical, spiritual, mental, emotional—it takes. He took upon himself our sickness, our weakness, our despair, our loneliness, our sorrow, our guilt, and our pain. In Gethsemane and on the Cross Christ felt every pain we feel or have felt or ever will feel. He understands pain, suffering, loneliness, forsakenness, and abandonment. It was necessary for him to go through the entire human experience for him to have empathy for us. Because of his suffering, we know that our prayers are heard and felt and understood. No sincere prayer ever falls on deaf ears or stands idle before our God who suffered everything that he might have empathy for our suffering. That is why He is our advocate with the Father. That is why the Father put all judgment into His hands. The mob did not understand. Matthew continues.

“Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.”

Even in Christ’s agony, some mock him.

“The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.”

Those despairing words were the last words Matthew recorded before Christ’s death. In Matthew 27:50, we read:

“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.”

Extraordinary things began to happen. First consider verse 51:

“And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

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Season 5 Podcast 77 A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Accidental Universe.”

For physicists, the universe was created by accident. They simply ignore the laws of probability even though they admit that the chances of the universe being created by accident are so infinitesimally small that the universe should not logically exist. Physicists refer to the creation of the earth as serendipity of circumstances or happy accident. Mr. Hawking observed, “Were it not for a series of startling coincidences in the precise details of physical law, it seems humans and similar life forms would never have come into being,”

Scientists will be quick to tell you how illogical creation is. Even for life to exist on earth certain conditions must be in place and for those conditions to occur simultaneously defies all probability.

James D. Stein, in his book Cosmic Numbers: The Numbers That Define Our Universe, describes the essential constants that must exist for life to exist. Among the thirteen constants he mentions are Gravitational Constant, The Speed of Light, The Ideal Gas Constant, Absolute Zero, The Relative Strength of Electricity and Gravity, Boltzmann’s Constant, Planck’s Constant, and so on. Without any of those constants, life could not exist. However, for one constant to occur by accident defies all probability; but for all of them to occur by accident in order to allow life to exist makes the idea of an accidental universe too improbable to imagine.

It seems odd that those who do not believe in God have no trouble believing in magic.

The argument of science is simply this. There is no intelligent design; therefore, there is no God. There is no God; therefore, there is no creator. Ignoring the circularity, science continues. “There is no God; however, since the universe exists, and life exists; therefore it must be by accident.” The problem is that science cannot prove their assumptions. They cannot, for example, prove nor disprove the existence of God or intelligent design. However, science will accept any explanation for the existence of life but intelligent design or God. The most they can say is, “I don’t believe in God; therefore, God does not exist.” That is a logical fallacy. It is similar to believing that the earth was the center of the universe or that the earth was flat or that God was arbitrary.

In other words, for science existence needs no scientific explanation. It is a cosmic non sequitur. Non sequitur means it doesn’t follow. It would be safer for scientists to admit that they don’t know why there is life or why there is a universe. To close the argument by saying it is accidental does not follow the scientific method. It is an excuse for ignorance to justify atheism. A strong belief searching for proof is the sure road to logical fallacy.

Science faces a cosmic dilemma. They must explain away the overwhelming evidence of intelligent design. However, the closest they come, as articulated by Mr. Hawking, is that “it has the appearance of intelligent design.”

It is circular to argue that because laws exist God does not exist. It is far more logical to assume that God created law and law created the universe. In other words, law is proof of God’s existence.

Science has grossly missed the point as demonstrated by the following statement by Mr. Hawking: Quote: “A scientific law is not a scientific law if it holds only when some supernatural being decides not to interfere.”

Ironically, Mr. Hawking’s statement is irrefutable and perfectly true, except for the fact that it is meaningless. Mr. Hawking is right about another thing. The God he describes doesn’t exist. It would be a very frightening world if he did. God is a God of law and order. He does nothing except by law. That is why he is perfect.

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Season 5 Podcast 76 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 21 Chapter 4 E, “The Two Giants.”

In last week’s episode, Christian meets a company of Fiends or devils where his sword was insufficient; therefore, he called upon All Prayer. In this week’s episode things become even more perilous for our pilgrim for it is full of “snares, traps, and pitfalls.

Now was Christian much affected with his deliverance from all the dangers of his solitary way; which dangers, though he feared them much before, yet he saw them more clearly now, because the light of the day made them plain to him. And about this time the sun was rising, and this was another mercy to Christian; for you must note that, though the first part of the Valley of the Shadow of Death was dangerous, yet this second part, which he was yet to go, was if possible far more dangerous; for, from the place where he now stood, even to the end of the valley, the way was all along set so full of snares, traps, gins, and nets here, and so full of pits, pitfalls, deep holes, and shelvings down there, that, had it now been dark, as it was when he came the first part of the way, had he had a thousand souls, they had in reason been cast away. But, as I said just now the sun was rising. Then said he, "His candle shineth on my head, and by His light I go through darkness."

One of the purposes of Pilgrim’s Progress is to highlight the cunningly placed snares of Satan who, ‘as a roaring lion stalks about seeking whom he may devour.’ Bunyan is warning every Christian on his journey to the Celestial City that they must never let down their guard. Christian comes across the remains of previous pilgrims who also made it this far only to be crushed and destroyed. The cunning one is ever lying in wait to deceive. As Paul warned:

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:14-16)

Christian comes upon a graveyard of former Christians who were destroyed in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, meaning, of course, the world we live in.

“In this light, therefore, he came to the end of the valley. Now, I saw in my dream that at the end of the valley lay blood, bones, ashes, and mangled bodies of men, even of pilgrims that had gone this way formerly;”

The Valley of the Shadow of Death was narrowed considerably by Bunyan who saw the Catholic Church as the enemy. Bunyan, a Puritan, was born at the height of the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation is generally acknowledged to begin in 1517 with the dissent of Martin Luther and end in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia which concluded the thirty years war in which 8 million people were killed. The war was a result of the dispute between Catholics and Protestants. Bunyan was born in 1628 and died in 1688. That explains the following.

“and, while I was musing what should be the reason, I espied a little before me a cave, where two giants, POPE and PAGAN, dwelt in old time; by whose power and tyranny, the men whose bones, blood, ashes, etc., lay there, were cruelly put to death.”

One of the effects of the Protestant Reformation was to make the Holy Bible available to everyone in their own language. Luther, for example, under threat of death, hid in Wartburg Castle where he translated the Bible into German.

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Season 5 Podcast 75 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 27 E, “Paradise B.”

This week we shall continue our discussion of Paradise.

In the Revelations of John, we are taught that hell comes between death and the resurrection. First of all, we learn that there is a First Resurrection and a Second Resurrection. Those who come forth in the First Resurrection are the just who will reign with Christ during the Millennium.

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)

Those who come forth in the Second Resurrection, or the wicked, must wait at least another thousand years.

5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:5)

Those who come forth in the first resurrection shall reign with Christ during the Millennium.

Those who come forth in the second resurrection must first pay their dues in hell.

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Revelation 29:12-14)

At the end of the world Satan and the other sons of perdition will remain in hell forever. For Satan and his angels who were cast out of heaven with him, there, of course, is no resurrection for they never had bodies in the first place.

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.” (Revelation 20:10-11)

We do not know who of the posterity of Adam become sons of perdition, but the only way to become a son of perdition is to willfully and openly fight against Christ while knowing that he is the Son of God, the Savior of the World. They would have to knowingly deny or sin against the Holy Ghost. They are very few, but their fate will also be with the other sons of perdition. John continues.

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)

There is time between death and the resurrection. For example, Christ was the first to be resurrected. Since Adam many thousands have died. Where did their spirits go when they died? The Apostle Paul said, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are off all men most miserable.” They went to the spirit world where they would be taught about Christ even in the world of the spirits of the dead. One of the reasons Christ went to the spirit world was to open the prisons. Again, we turn to the remarkable visionary Isaiah.

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Season 5 Podcast 74 A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Why Altruism?”

In their vain attempt to prove we have no freewill, science claims that we are altruistic only because we have an altruistic gene. In other words, all behavior is driven by genes and is not the product of freewill. Merriam-Webster defines altruism as an “unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others.” But the genetic code doesn’t explain the good feelings we have when we show charity. Charity is often narrowly defined as money or goods given to the poor, but charity is much more than an act. Charity is an emotion, a feeling, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. Pure charity is pure love. That is beyond the genetic code. It is what makes us human, what separates us from other living things.

We have two bodies not one. We have a mortal physical body governed by the brain made possible by the genetic code. In fact, the physical body is a biological machine precisely created and engineered by God to give the spirit maximum freewill. The physical body does not have freewill because it does not have life in itself. The spirit body, however, does have freewill. The genetic code governs the physical body. It does not govern the spirit body. The spirit body has life in itself. It does not grow old, and it cannot die. It is the spirit body that gives the physical body life. When the spirit body leaves, the physical body dies. Or, in other words, when the physical body dies, the spirit body leaves and returns to God who created it. The remains of the physical body return to what David called ‘the dust of death’ and Shakespeare shortened to “dusty death.’

The body is a biological machine and without a complete genetic code, the body could not respond to the commands of the brain. The purpose of the body is to give flesh to the feelings of the soul. Without a physical body, we could not experience mortality. The body gives physical experience to spiritual abstractions. The body feels what the spirit only imagines. The brain is the most sophisticated organ of the body, and it still holds many mysteries, but intelligence, consciousness, and self-identity reside in the spirit. Without a physical body, we may as well have remained in the spirit world. Without a spirit body, the physical body cannot have life.

Since the physical body is a biological machine, there must be a gene for every behavior, or the body could not respond to the emotions of the spirit. The brain may govern the body, but the spirit within us rules the brain. We are not zombies The genetic code is a complete information system, but the body does not act independently of the brain and the brain does not act independently of the spirit.

The physical body is strictly governed by physical (also called temporal, natural, or scientific laws). How then can we have freewill if we are governed by such strict laws? First of all, science is also correct in saying that everything is governed by a strict set of laws. That applies to both the temporal world and the spiritual world. Without law there would be no creation, only chaos. The great paradox and the great miracle of creation is the compatibility of freewill and law and the compatibility of temporal law and spiritual law, or the compatibility of the spirit and the body.

Though freewill lies in the spirit, it should come as no surprise to Christians that without temporal law and spiritual law, freewill could not exist in the mortal world.

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Season 5 Podcast 73 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 20 Chapter 4 D, “All Prayer.”

In last week’s episode, Christian entered into The Valley of the Shadow of Death. Two men warned him to turn back and not enter the dark valley for it is filled with hobgoblins, satyrs, and dragons of the pit. However, to get to the Celestial City, Christian must walk through the Dark Valley. As he continues, he meets a company of Fiends or devils where his sword was insufficient.

About the midst of this valley I perceived the mouth of hell to be, and it stood also hard by the wayside. Now, thought Christian, what shall I do? And ever and anon the flame and smoke would come out in such abundance, with sparks and hideous noises (things that cared not for Christian's sword, as did Apollyon before), that he was forced to put up his sword, and betake himself to another weapon, called "All-Prayer." So he cried in my hearing, "O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul."

Again Bunyan is referring to the full armor of God as he is about to enter into ‘The Mouth of Hell.” Here the sword, which is the word is God, is not sufficient. He must use another weapon called “All-Prayer.” It also is in reference to the words of Paul.

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have in our battle against Satan. In Joel 2 we read that “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered.” Regular prayer can keep us from entering into temptation.

Matthew 26:41

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

For me the Revelator John gives the best description of how God receives our prayers.

Revelation 5:8

Christian is at the very mouth of hell.

“Thus he went on a great while, yet still the flames would be reaching towards him; also he heard doleful voices, and rushings to and fro, so that sometimes he thought he should be torn in pieces, or trodden down like mire in the streets. This frightful sight was seen, and those dreadful noises were heard by him, for several miles together, and, coming to a place where he thought he heard a company of fiends coming forward to meet him, he stopped, and began to muse what he had best to do.”

Doubt began to enter the mind of Christian. Perhaps the warning of the two men who begged him to turn back began to haunt him. Unlike the other two men who urged him to quit, Christian remembers what he has already faced.

Sometimes he had half a thought to go back; then again he thought he might be half-way through the valley. He remembered, also, how he had already vanquished many a danger, and that the danger of going back might be much more than going forward.

Whereas the overwhelmed men ignored their past experiences and entirely gave in to fear, Christian, even in the face of eminent danger, becomes very rational. The difference between Christian and the two men who turned back is simply this: Christian turned to prayer. Because of prayer he was able to overcome the temptation to turn back. Christian had the full armor of God. The two other men, though they had progressed this far, did not. When the sword failed them, they had nowhere to turn but to give in to their fears.

So he resolved to go on; yet the fiends seemed to come nearer and nearer.

Still the weapon “All-Prayer saved him.

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Season 5 Podcast 72 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 27 D, “Paradise A.”

In last week’s episode we explored the crucifixion. This week we shall examine Paradise. To do that we must begin with the two thieves who were crucified with Christ.

“Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.” (Matthew 27:38)

The story of the two thieves is fascinating. For one thing it shows the tender mercy of Christ to those who call upon him. It is hard, for example, to imagine the excruciating pain Christ must have felt hanging on the cross with nails driven into his hands and his feet. Mortals would have fainted, but Christ had power over death. It is important to remember that the Romans did not take his life. He gave it freely. Christ said,

“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (John 10: 17-18)

Even under excruciating pain, on the cross Christ thought of others. For example, he said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” In Luke 23 it suggests that he was talking of the Roman soldiers who were bargaining for his garments; however, in his vast love, perhaps he was talking of all those who were involved through ignorance. Only God can judge the heart of another. In his agony Christ also looked down from the cross and commanded John to take care of Mary, his mother. He also conversed with the two thieves. Matthew records that they were critical of him.

“The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.” (Matthew 27:44)

Even the thieves were echoing the words of the mob and mocking Christ. Mark points out that being hanged on the cross between two thieves was in fulfillment of prophecy.

“And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.” (Mark 15:27-28)

Luke, however, suggests that only one of the thieves mocked Jesus. The other sought forgiveness. Even in pain from his tormenters Christ only thought of others, even the thief hanging beside him.

“And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:32-43)

Jesus, regardless of the circumstances, was always God of the moment. According to Luke only one malefactor rebuked Christ. The other defended Christ and pleaded for mercy, leading one to wonder if he was a former disciple who had chosen the wrong path. The statement of the thief certainly suggests that he knew something of Christ’s teachings, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” But the intriguing thing is Christ’s answer, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” What is Paradise? And Where is Paradise? Is Paradise heaven? Certainly, it must be a kind of heaven, but we have a problem with time. Christ said to the malefactor, “Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.

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Season 5 Podcast 71 A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 44, “Dimensions of Life, Pt 6, Dimension Six The Final Judgment Pt C”

There is a wonderful verse in 1 John 3:2 that describes our relationship with Christ in the resurrection if we keep his commandments.

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

At death, some—perhaps many—may have the honor of seeing Christ, but it is a special gift and not the norm. The final judgment does not come until after the resurrection, and it is only after the resurrection that all, saint or sinner, good or evil, will stand before Christ to be judged. No one can become like Christ, who is a resurrected being, until after the resurrection. It is only then that their bodies will shine forth like the sun or like the moon or like the stars.

There are many temporal blessings for those who obey the laws of God; however, no one is immune to what Shakespeare called “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” Few live in our world not knowing personal tragedy.

The gospel in our mortal life can help us cope with the uncertainties of mortality. The light and truth that comes from the scriptures can give us wisdom, understanding, and peace even in the middle of the storm. A story I have told before is pertinent here. When hurricane Hugo hit Charlotte, North Carolina, my father woke up very frightened. He woke up to a shaking house as if it would be destroyed. It was as if the roof were being torn off his small frame house on Roselles Ferry Road. He knelt by his bed and prayed to God. By his testimony to me a feeling of peace came over him, and he lay back down in bed and fell fast asleep. In the morning, he discovered the storm had done terrible damage to his house and yard. His roof had to be replaced and the yard cleared of debris. Insurance covered the damage, but my father was able to sleep through the storm.

In this life things are not always fair. However, the law of restoration will cover all inconsistencies, discrepancies, contradictions, variations, irregularities, injustices, and conflicts. Malachi explains it this way.

Comparing those who serve God to jewels shows how he values his children. He is talking in our language. We understand the worth of jewels as precious stones: diamonds, emeralds, and pearls. Christ compares the kingdom of heaven to a merchant seeking goodly pearls “who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” In the Old Testament jewels are also referred to as “jewels of silver and jewels of gold.”

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Season 5 Podcast 70 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 19 Chapter 4 C, “The Valley of the Shadow of Death.”

Episode 19, Chapter 4 C, “The Valley of the Shadow of Death.”

In last week’s episode, Apollyon tries to destroy Christian and fails; however, that does not mean that his trials are over. In this week’s episode Christian enters into the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

“So, when the battle was over, Christian said, "I will here give thanks to Him that hath delivered me out of the mouth of the lion; to Him that did help me against Apollyon."

The above, referring to Christian’s battle with Apollyon, is in reference to Peter’s words.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8)

After his victory against Apollyon who symbolizes the devil, Christian praises God for helping him win his battle against Satan.

"Great Satan, the captain of this fiend, Designed my ruin; therefore to this end He sent him harnessed out: and he with rage That hellish was, did fiercely me engage; But blessed angels helped me; and I, By dint of sword, did quickly make him fly: Therefore to God let me give lasting praise, And thank and bless His holy name always."

Christian is healed from his wounds.

“Then there came to him a hand with some of the leaves of the tree of life; the which Christian took, and laid upon the wounds that he had received in the battle, and was healed immediately.”

The above, of course, is in reference to Revelation 22.

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

The story of Pilgrim’s Progress weaves in and out of the Holy Bible, thus making Pilgrim’s Progress an allegory of the entire story of mankind as he seeks the Promised Land through Christ. That is its universal appeal to Christians of all denominations. Bunyan draws his imagery primarily from the New Testament. He is a literalist, taking the Bible directly at its word. An allegory personifies virtues, giving them a body and soul. They are living things. That which the Bible teaches spiritually, Bunyan presents literally. The sword he carries is the sword spoken of by Paul in reference to the full armor of God.

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

And thus armed he bravely continues his journey.

“He also sat down in that place to eat bread, and to drink of the bottle that was given to him a little before: so, being refreshed, he went forth on his journey, with his sword drawn in his hand; "For," he said, "I know not but some other enemy may be at hand." But he met with no other harm from Apollyon quite through this valley.”

The valley refers to The Valley of the Shadow of Death spoken of by King David in the 23rd Psalm.

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Season 5 Podcast 69 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 27 C, “The Crucifixion.”

In last week’s episode we explored the long road to Golgotha. This week we shall examine the crucifixion.

“And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.” (Matthew 27:35-36)

Mark’s account is very similar to Matthew’s.

“And sitting down they watched him there; And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.” (Mark 15:24)

In the above we learn

That Christ was crucified.
That His garments were taken from him.
That the Roman Soldiers cast lots to determine what every man should take.

Apparently Christ was not dressed as a pauper because his garments were valued by the Roman Soldiers. The significance of parting the garments is to indicate the final humiliation of the Savior as if the Crown of Thorns weren’t enough. It also suggests in temporal terms that by stripping him of his royal robes he was also stripped of his title. In the large scheme of things, however, the real lesson is that it is not in man to ordain kings and queens in the Kingdom of God. The power of God through ordained authorities alone can do that. Remember the words to Peter.

“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18)

Christ is speaking of the authority of the priesthood. Only those who are duly ordained by God are authorized to exercise priesthood authority. In other words, man has neither the authority to ordain Christ a King nor the authority to take his kingdom away. It is a mockery equal to the crowning of thorns.

However, right in the middle of this humiliation, The Lord and Savior of the world humbly prays.

5 LINDA

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34)

5 RON

John repeats the above but gives greater detail, suggesting that Christ was rather expensively dressed.

“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.” (John 19:23-24)

The details surrounding the crucifixion of Christ are given to prove that it is in fulfilment of prophecy. As Matthew said, “That it might be fulfilled with was spoken by the prophet.” The title placed by Pilate drew criticism by the Jews.

“And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” (Mark 15:26)

In an interesting twist Mark adds validation to his account by including a conversation Pilate had with the Chief Priest and Elders.

“And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.” (Mark 15:2)

“But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?” (Mark 15:9)

We cannot know Pilate’s intent. Was he mocking those who were seeking Christ’s death or was he expressing his own feelings that Christ was indeed the King of the Jews? Perhaps he felt something in his interrogation of Christ, though not enough to overrule the mob. However, Mark adds another detail that suggests that perhaps Pilate was not converted.

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Season 5 Podcast 68 A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 43, “Dimensions of Life, Pt 5, Dimension Six The Final Judgment Pt B.”

There are two curious scriptures in the New Testament that are much talked about.

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6: 19)

Christians hold those scriptures dear to their hearts; the idea that we are temples is revolutionary. Now imagine living in the eternities being one with God. In Revelation 21:22 we read,

“And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”

In literature and art Satan has been presented in frightful images. Revelations is a difficult book to read because it is so unsettling. It is so unsettling because one cannot help but believe that we are now living in the day The Book of Revelation is being fulfilled. Satan wants us to fear him because that gives him power over us. If we fear God, that is if we love God enough that we will keep his commandments—in other words we fear justice—we will have power over Satan. Isaiah gives us a strange image of the downfall of Satan.

Satan is certainly more powerful than we are, and anyone who thinks that of themselves they are superior are in for a terrible awakening. But Satan is not more powerful than God. There is no comparison. The end is never in doubt. Even Satan knows that. As John added,

“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Revelation 12:12)

It is Satan who tries to take away light and truth for that is the only power he has. In fact, Satan targets the following: light, truth, freewill, agency, faith, hope, love, freedom, self-reliance, charity, belief in God, and belief in absolute law.

Being devoid of light and truth himself, he cannot create. He can only destroy that which God creates. He wants everyone to be as miserable as he is. He wants us to fail. He wants to persuade us to get as far away from light and truth as possible and the further away we are from the Light of Christ the more power Satan has over us. He is the Prince of Darkness, and darkness is his domain.

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Season 5 Podcast 67 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 18 Chapter 4 B, “THE BATTLE.”

In last week’s episode, Christian is interrogated by Apollyon, the destroyer, who asks him why he left the City of Destruction to follow Evangelist. With cunning he tries to win Christian back into his fold but fails. In this week’s episode Apollyon tries to destroy Christian. Apollyon asks Christian.

Apol. Thou hast already been unfaithful in thy service to Him; and how dost thou think to receive wages of Him?

Planting seeds of doubt is part of the cunning of Satan. Satan is suggesting that Christian cannot repent; therefore, he is already damned. Christian questions’ Apollyon.

Chris. Wherein, O Apollyon, have I been unfaithful to Him?

Apollyon lists a number of ways that Christian has failed. This, of course, is an attempt to play on Christian’s conscience.

Apol. Thou didst faint at first setting out, when thou wast almost choked in the Gulf of Despond. Thou didst attempt wrong ways to be rid of thy burden, whereas thou shouldst have stayed till thy Prince had taken it off. Thou didst sinfully sleep and lose thy choice things. Thou wast almost persuaded to go back at the sight of the lions. And when thou talkest of thy journey, and of what thou hast seen and heard, thou art inwardly desirous of glory to thyself in all that thou sayest or doest.

This raises an important theological question. Can Satan manipulate our conscience? How does conscience work? All of the accusations of Apollyon above are true. They are past sins; however, they are sins that Christian has suffered for and repented of. Isaiah said,

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

One of the cunning devices of Satan is to tell us that we cannot repent, that our cause is hopeless, that the atoning blood of Christ cannot apply to us because our sins have been too great, thus trying to get us to give up. Conscience is a gift of God, and like all gifts of God, because of the law of agency, it can be used for both good and evil. We must discern between the two. Satan tells us that we cannot repent. Christ tells us that we can. We must discern whose spirit is whispering in our ear. Christ would never tell us that we cannot repent. Many have committed grievous sins by following a false conscience. Christian has learned that great lesson.

Chris. All this is true, and much more which thou hast left out; but the Prince whom I serve and honor is merciful and ready to forgive. But besides, these infirmities possessed me in thy own country; for there I sucked them in, and I have groaned under them, been sorry for them, and have obtained pardon of my Prince.

This is too much for Apollyon. He cannot stand to hear the name of Christ, his arch enemy, used. From last week’s episode as Apollyon tries to persuade Christian to return to this fold, we learn that Satan uses many devices to deceive his prey: Guilt, Fear, Bribery, Cajolery, Lies & half truths, Pacification, and Flattery. This week we see, as a last resort, he uses rage.

Apol. Then Apollyon broke out into a grievous rage, saying, "I am an enemy to this Prince; I hate His person, His laws, and people. I am come out on purpose to withstand thee."

Christian has come a very long way. Formerly he escaped the slough of Despond, he overcame his fear of the lions, and he suffered many other trials. Furthermore, he has been taught by Evangelist, The Interpreter, The Shining Ones, Piety, Prudence, and Charity. He does not shrink before the rage of Apollyon.

Chris. Apollyon, beware what you do, for I am in the King's highway, the way of holiness: therefore take heed to yourself.

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Season 5 Podcast 66 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 27 B, “The Long Road to Golgotha.”

In last week’s episode we introduced Matthew 27 covering the trial. This week we look at the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior. One person who is only briefly mentioned in the life of Christ is Simon, a man of Cyrene. Little is known of Simon, but as if by accident, he stood at the crossroads of the world just at a time when the history of the world was about to change. And perhaps even against his will he is drawn into this epic moment. It is not always easy to distinguish between what is coincidence and what is miraculously orchestrated. How often ordinary things become extraordinary, even earth shaking. Each of us is a potential Simon, a man of Cyrene, inconsequential, invisible, unregarded and suddenly find ourselves in the spotlight. Simon did not volunteer to carry the cross of Christ up the hill Calvary. Matthew Records.

“And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.” (Matthew 27:32)

It is often the small things that make the biggest difference. Upon reflection, what Christion would not take the place of Simon? But that is one of the great paradoxes of Christianity because every Christian is actually commanded to do just that. Listen to the Savior’s words.

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:34-40)

The difference, however, is that Simon was compelled to carry the cross of Christ. We are commanded to do it of our own freewill and choice. Enforced charity has no saving power. In fact, sometimes it is a curse, and enforced charity can destroy a nation and build resentment. There are many who are willing to sacrifice the wealth of others for their own advancement.

The heavy road to Golgotha was a sad one, and we can only image the tears shed by the faithful followers of Christ. We have four accounts of the trail to Golgotha. Matthew recorded.

“And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.” (Matthew 27:33-34)

King David in describing the crucifixion said.

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“Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee. Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” (Psalm 69:19-21)

In the Bible gall is referred to as snake venom (Job 20:14); it is also compared to a bitter herb (Deuteronomy 29:18); Paul refers to the “gall of bitterness” (Acts 8:23; Jeremiah equates gall with wormwood, a bitter herb (Lamentations 3:19). Some scholars equate vinegar given to Christ with cheap Roman wine mixed with vinegar.

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Season 5 Podcast 65 A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 42, “Dimensions of Life, Pt 4, Dimension Six The Final Judgment Pt A.”

In Pts 1, 2, & 3 we discussed the first five Dimensions of Life:

Dimension One: Our self-existing intelligence and consciousness.

Dimension Two: Our spirit body.

Dimension Three: Our mortal body.

Dimension Four: Life after death in the Spirit World.

Dimension Five: The Resurrection

In Part 4 we shall discuss

Dimension Six: The Final Judgment

The final judgment follows shortly after the resurrection. The resurrection, of course, is a kind of judgment for we are only resurrected once, and in the resurrection we will receive light according to the laws of God we lived. That is what Solomon meant when he said,

“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.” (Proverbs 4:18-19)

Speaking of the resurrection the Apostle Paul wrote,

Discounting the Sons of Perdition which include Satan and his angels and some few others known only to God, who forever live outside the light of Christ because in their rebellion they rejected Christ knowing that he was the Son of God, in the final judgment we will all be assigned one of the three degrees of glory spoken of by Paul.

The three degrees of heaven are separated by light and truth. The highest degree of heaven is compared to the light of the Sun. The middle degree of heaven is compared to the light of the moon. And the lowest degree of heaven is compared to the light of the stars. Only those who shine like the sun will have a fullness of light and truth and will live in the presence of the Father and the Son.

That raises the question: What is light and truth? Light and truth are impossible to separate as they are in concomitant variation. As light increases so does truth; as truth increases so does light. John said

John 3:21

21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

David equates light with truth.

Psalm 43:3

3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

Daniel equates light with knowledge and wisdom.

Daniel 5:14

14 I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.

Truth is found in the very definition of God. God is omniscient. Omniscience means all knowledge of past, present, and future. That is the only way to have a fullness of truth. A fullness of truth means a fulness of light. In Matthew 13, it was Christ who said,

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Season 5 Podcast 64 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 17 Chapter 4 A, “Apollyon.”

In last week’s episode, Christian is shown The Delectable Mountains or Immanuel’s Land, which held the gate of the Celestial City. In this week’s episode he must begin his journey through The Valley of Humiliation.

“But now, in this Valley of Humiliation, poor Christian was hard put to it; for he had gone but a little way before he espied a foul fiend coming over the field to meet him: his name is Apollyon.”

This, of course, is a reference to Revelation 9. Abaddon means “destruction” or “doom” and Apollyon means “Destroyer” which in Jewish theology refers to Satan. Though in Revelation Abaddon and Apollyon refer to the same person, Abaddon historically refers to a place such as hell or Sheol or Hades, the place of the dead; Apollyon refers to a person such as Satan or Belial.

“And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.” (Revelation 9:7-11)

In the Palace, Discretion, Piety, Prudence, and Charity dress Christian in the Full Armor of God as described by Paul. Bunyan plays with the image. When Christian meets Apollyon, his first thought is to run; however, his armor doesn’t protect his back. It protects only his front; therefore, he thinks it better to face his enemy. Bunyan suggests that a true Christian must be valiant. Remember earlier that Mistrust and Timorous ran down the Hill Difficulty because they saw a lion, unaware that the lion, set to guard the palace, was heavily chained. He was placed there to test the faith of those who entered the Palace. Mistrust and Timorous, though they had endured the journey up to that point, failed when they were at the very door of success. In the Palace they, like Christian, would have also seen the gate of the Celestial City and also dressed with the Full Armor of God.

Because he had the armor, Christian faced Apollyon.

“Then did Christian begin to be afraid, and to cast in his mind whether to go back or to stand his ground. But he considered again that he had no armor for his back, and therefore thought that to turn the back to him might give him greater advantage with ease to pierce him with darts; therefore he resolved to venture and stand his ground; for, thought he, had I no more in mine eye than the saving of my life, it would be the best way to stand. So he went on, and Apollyon met him. Now, the monster was hideous to behold: he was clothed with scales like a fish, and they are his pride; he had wings like a dragon, and feet like a bear, and out of his belly came fire and smoke; and his mouth was as the mouth of a lion.”

Apollyon was frightful to look at; however, rather than attack, he challenges Christian and tries to win him back. He is very cunning.

“When he was come up to Christian, he beheld him with a disdainful countenance, and thus began to question with him:”

If you recall Piety, Prudence, and Charity also interrogated Christian before he was allowed to enter the Palace. This is clearly a parallel of opposites. It was Christ who built the Palace which was a temple for Christians weary of their journey.

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Season 5 Podcast 63 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 27 A, “The Trial.”

In last week’s episode we concluded Matthew 26. Matthew 27 covers the trial, crucifixion, and burial of the Savior.

“When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.” (Matthew 27: 1-20

As is common, historians seldom agree on ancient events. What is agreed on is that Pilot was the governor of the Roman province of Judaea under the Roman emperor Tiberius, that he presided over the trial of Jesus, and that he ordered his crucifixion. Pilot symbolizes one of the great mysteries of life so cleverly expressed by King Solomon.

“I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12)

Solomon concluded,

“Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.” (Ecclesiastes 9:18)

Pilot was the fifth governor of Judaea. What if he had been the fourth or the sixth, then he would not have been in a position of condemning the Son of God to death. Some Christians have made Pilot a saint, some a villain equal to Judas. The story of Judas, too, is a case in point. What if Judas had been born into a different age. Would he have become what was referred to as a son of perdition? Is King Solomon right? Does time and chance happen of us all? Does everyone have a moment that could hurl them into greatness or thrust them into damnation. If so, what should we do to prepare for those moments.

In Tom Stoppard’s tragicomedy, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, former childhood friends of Hamlet, betray Hamlet at the request of King Claudio. However, through Hamlet’s craftiness, it is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who go to their death. While standing on the gallows, Guildenstern turned to his friend Rosencrantz and said, “There must have been a moment, at the beginning, where we could have said—no. But somehow we missed it.” Those are very haunting words.

Often such a moment is irreversible as was the case of Pilot and of Judas. Matthew does not record Pilot’s end, but he does record Judas’s end.

“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.” (Matthew 27:3-10)

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Season 5 Podcast 62 A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 41, “Dimensions of Life, Pt 3, Dimension Five, The Resurrection.”

In Pts 1& 2 we discussed the first four Dimensions of Life:

Dimension One: Our self-existing intelligence and consciousness.

Dimension Two: Our spirit body.

Dimension Three: Our mortal body.

Dimension Four: Life after death in the Spirit World.

In Part 3 we shall discuss

Dimension Five: The Resurrection

The purpose of life is to gain intelligence until one is like God himself. God has all intelligence. That is why he is compared to the brightness of the sun. How does one gain greater intelligence? The answer is very simple. It is not by going to the university. Truth and Intelligence are synonyms. One is as likely to become less intelligent through false philosophy in a world where propaganda and cause are considered more important than truth. The only way to increase in intelligence is to increase in light and truth, and the only way to increase in light and truth is to keep the commandments of God which are contained in the Holy Scriptures. The learning of man is good. It has been a tremendous blessing in our mortal world, but the philosophies of man change with the times. Eternal truths exist beyond the grave. The existence of man on earth is but a nanosecond to geological time. Time of mortal man is to geological time as geological time is to eternity. It can hardly be measured. A falling star. Nothing more. We are mortal beings struggling in the web of mortality, freed only by death and restored only by the resurrection.

We cannot understand the fullness of the Atonement unless we understand the resurrection. Christ did two things for us in the atonement.

One, he saved us from spiritual death. Spiritual death is being cut off from the presence of God brought about by the fall. Because the law of justice was broken, Adam and Eve were forever cut off from going back to the presence of God. We were forever cut off from the presence of God by being born to mortal parents. We are all descendants of Adam and Eve; therefore, with them, we suffered the consequences of the fall. In Gethsemane Christ paid for our sins, the innocent suffering for the guilty, thus satisfying the demands of the law of justice. That is why Christians use the term, ‘saved by the blood of the lamb’ or ‘saved by grace.’ The purpose of sacrifices in the Old Testament was to remind the House of Israel of the sacrifice of the Messiah. God no longer requires the sacrifice of animals. Our sacrifice is a broken heart and contrite spirit demonstrated by our obedience to the commandments of Christ.

Dimensions One and Two are called the First Estate.

“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” (Jude 1:6)

That would make Dimension Three, or earth life, our Second Estate. Dimension Four, the world of the spirits of the dead, our Third Estate; Dimension Five and Six, the resurrection and judgment, our Fourth Estate. Our Fourth Estate, of course, would include where we spend eternity.

By keeping our First Estate, we earned the right to come to earth and gain a physical body. How we keep our Second Estate determines the quality of our resurrection. Those who keep the commandments of God will have a greater resurrection than those who don’t. In Luke we read, “for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” The quality of our resurrection determines where we live in the Fourth Estate. All resurrected beings have the following in common.

· Adam and Eve and all their posterity will be resurrected.

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Season 5 Podcast 61 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 16 Chapter 3 H, “The Delectable Mountains.”

In last week’s episode, Charity questioned Christian about why he did not bring his family with him. In this week’s episode, Christian is taught the Gospel, dressed in the full armor of God, and further prepared for his difficult journey through the Valley of Humiliation.

Following the interrogation, Discretion, Piety, Prudence, Charity, and Christian sit down at table to eat.

Now I saw in my dream, that thus they sat talking together till supper was ready. So, when they had made ready, they sat down to meat. Now, the table was furnished with fat things, and wine that was well refined;

The feast is symbolic of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb as described in the Book of Revelation.

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” (Revelation 19:7-9)

At the table Christian is told about the Lord of the Hill.

And all their talk at the table was about the Lord of the hill; as, namely, about what He had done, and wherefore He did what He did, and why He had builded that house; and by what they said, I perceived that He had been a great warrior, and had fought with and slain him that had the power of death, but not without great danger to Himself, which made me love Him the more.

As previously mentioned, the Palace symbolizes a Temple or The Kingdom of God on earth, and Christian had to undergo a rigorous test through the interrogation of Piety, Prudence, and Charity to determine his worthiness. The Lord of the Hill, of course, is symbolic of Christ.

For, as they said, and as I believe (said Christian), He did it with the loss of much blood. But that which puts the glory of grace into all He did, was, that He did it out of pure love to this country. And, besides, there were some of them of the household that said they had seen and spoken with Him since He did die on the cross; and they have declared that they had it from His own lips, that He is such a lover of poor pilgrims, that the like is not to be found from the east to the west. They moreover gave an instance of what they affirmed; and that was, He had stripped Himself of His glory, that He might do this for the poor;

The above appears to have some allusion to Isaiah who describes the Lord.

“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

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Season 5 Podcast 60 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 26 F, “Gethsemane B Peter’s Denial.”

In last week’s episode we explored the second half of the story of Gethsemane, focusing on the three prayers of Jesus. In this week’s episode we shall explore Peter’s denial. In the following we have the final act of Judas’s betrayal in the kiss of death.

“Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. (Matthew 26:46-50)

Christ knows every move before it occurs, yet he does nothing to defend himself. This is his hour, the culmination of his life’s work to bring about the salvation of man. Always a perfect example, he faces each crisis with the dignity of his high calling. It would be normal to curse Judas, yet Jesus calls him ‘friend.’ Was that the remark that smote the heart of Judas and compelled him to take his own life.

The impulsive Peter draws his sword and cuts the ear off one of the servants of a High Priest who came to arrest Jesus. The response of Jesus is epic.

“And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? (Matthew 26:51-54)

As recorded in Luke, Jesus heals the servant.

“When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.” (Luke 22:49-51)

Every moment with Christ is a teaching moment. Christ entirely overcame the natural man as the story of healing the servant’s ear demonstrates. There is no anger, no revenge, no hatred, and no fear. He accepts his fate. How many of us, if our lives were in eminent danger, would not, if we could, pray to God and have him send “more than twelve legions of angels?” Historians tell us that one Roman legion was composed of around five thousand soldiers. That would have been more than 60,000 angels, presumably all with raised swords. But, as always, Christ submits himself to the will of the Father just as he did when he fell under the heavy hand of justice when alone he took upon himself the sins of the world.

Christ teaches us what true meekness is. He is no pushover. Though victimized, he never plays the role of a victim. He is always in charge. His courage under circumstances that no mortal could stand is almost beyond comprehension. In the face of a mob, he heals a servant’s ear and then boldly condemns the mob who falsely come in the dead of night to kill him. He reveals to them their own cowardice and their presumption of law.

55 In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. (Matthew 26:55)

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Season 5 Podcast 59 A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 40, “Dimensions of Life, Pt 2, Dimension Four, “Life After Death.”

In Pt 1, we discussed the first three dimensions of life:

Dimension One: Our self-existing intelligence and consciousness.

Dimension Two: Our spirit body.

Dimension Three: Our mortal body.

In this podcast we shall discuss the fourth dimension.

Dimension Four: Life after death in the Spirit World.

The one thing that all dimensions of life have in common is matter. All things are made of matter; however, not all matter is alike. There is mortal matter and there is immortal matter. There is temporal matter and there is spiritual matter. Mortal matter is subject to temporal laws and immortal matter is subject to spiritual laws. Laws do not self-exist. All laws are organized by God for the purpose of organizing matter.

Our carbon-based body is made of mortal matter and, therefore, subject to the laws of entropy which naturally leads to physical death. Only in the mortal world do we measure time by the spinning of earth, by the revolution of the moon around the earth, and by the revolution of the earth around the sun. The revolutions of celestial orbs give time its movement. Entropy gives time its arrow. Everything mortal moves toward death. Old is relative to decay.

The spinning earth gives us our day; the revolving moon gives us our month; and the revolving earth gives us our year. Time is an illusion given credibility only by death. Without death we could not perceive time. In the grave we shed our body which decays back into dust. Only death can release our immortal spirits from mortality. The grave is the gateway back into eternity which is our natural state. When we die we will feel like we are returning home, and life will seem like a dream.

God is in charge of each dimension of life. When we left the spirit world to come to earth, God placed a veil over our minds causing us to forget our former home. But everything God does is to increase our freedom. That is a key to understanding the laws of God that many appear to have overlooked. However, if one considered just the Ten Commandments and imagined a world where everyone lived those commandments to perfection how much freedom we would have—no jails, no murderers, no liars, no passwords, no theft, no fear—just make a list.

The only way we can increase in freewill, faith, agency, liberty, and freedom is to live on earth in celestial amnesia. For example, agency is the choice between good and evil. Who, standing in the presence of God whose majesty shines brighter than the noonday sun, would dare choose evil. We would live in fear not faith, in fretful submission not love.

We are immortal beings presently imprisoned in a mortal body released only by death. Our lives are governed by a celestial clock. We are confined to the time of our own solar system. Mortal man cannot live in any other condition except the conditions of our mortal planet. If man travels in space, to survive, he must take the conditions of earth with him. We are prisoners to our planet.

Why then did we choose to come to earth and choose we did, each and every one of us. God forced no one to come to earth just as God will force no one to go to heaven. That violates the law of justice, the single greatest law in the universe. Naturally Christians consider the law of mercy as the greatest law, and for good reason. Without the law of mercy none could be saved. Paul said,

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

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Season 5 Podcast 58 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 15 Chapter 3 G, “Charity.”

In last week’s episode, Prudence questioned Christian about the details of his journey from the land of destruction and about the experiences he had along the way up until he had climbed The Hill Difficulty to the Palace.

This week we shall listen to Charity who questions Christian about why he left his family. This is a very difficult theological question. In effect, is Christian justified in leaving his family as he seeks salvation on his own? Bunyan appears to be referencing Christ’s teachings in the following parable.

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his across, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27)

The question arises, “If his family refuses to accompany him, should Christian remain in the city of destruction and be destroyed with his family, or should he embark alone on the journey to Zion? Can he help his family best by being destroyed with them or by personally taking the journey and showing them the way, hoping they will follow? It is a question that only a parent can answer for himself or herself.

As with most questions, in the abstract it is easy to take the high road, but when it involves a member of one’s own family, the question becomes more complicated. For example, if a member or members of one’s family choose a route that goes against the Holy Scriptures, should one side with the rebellious to win their love and condemn the church or should they remain with the church and hope the member or members of the family will one day come back?

This was a question that faced Christian 350 years ago. It is even more poignant today as Christianity is under attack and families split and society turns away from the Bible and condemns the teachings of Christ and his apostles and prophets and adopts a different system of ethics. The question is this: Are moral laws absolute, or are moral laws relative subject to popular opinion? Clearly Bunyan takes a strong stand that moral laws are uncompromisingly absolute. Pilgrim’s Progress is as relevant today as it was 350 years ago.

Charity questions Christian very closely trying to discern if Christian had done all he could to persuade his family to come with him.

Char. Then said Charity to Christian, "Have you a family? are you a married man?"

Chris. I have a wife and four small children.

Christian’s answer immediately puts Charity on her guard for Charity wishes to save everyone. Charity represents the love of Christ. It is emphasized in the following scripture, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

4 LINDA

Char. And why did you not bring them along with you?

Chris. Then Christian wept, and said, "Oh, how willingly would I have done it! but they were all of them utterly against my going on pilgrimage."

Charity is critical of Christian. She chastises him.

Char. But you should have talked to them, and endeavored to have shown them the danger of staying behind.

Christian, however, comes to his own defense.

Chris. So I did, and told them also what God had shown to me of the destruction of our city; but I seemed to them as one that mocked, and they believed me not.

Charity is relentless. His answer is insufficient.

Char. And did you pray to God that He would bless your words to them?

Again, Christian is able to defend himself.

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Season 5 Podcast 57 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 26 E, “Gethsemane B.”

In last week’s episode we explored the first half of the story of Gethsemane. In this week’s episode we shall explore the second half. Last week Linda and I ended with Christianity’s favorite scriptures.

Christ alone had the power to remove the cup. He didn’t need the Father’s permission for that. Christ was God. Christ was sinless. Christ’s calling and election were made sure. He could have walked out of the Garden of Gethsemane and still been God for justice had no power over him, being perfect. He could walk away still being God, but he couldn’t walk away still satisfying the law of justice and becoming our Savior and Redeemer, and he couldn’t walk away and still do the will of the Father. It was Christ’s obedience to his Father’s will that kept Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane where in unspeakable anguish he suffered for our sins by satisfying the precise demands of the law of justice.

There was no alternative. That is why the Father remained silent. The law of justice demanded it. That is why the Father could not let Christ off the hook. It was all or nothing. The entire burden fell upon Christ. It was either him or us. Both God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son chose us. The Father suffered as much as the Son did. Remember he is omniscient. He knew what his Beloved Son was going through because it was because of the Father’s laws that Christ had to suffer. This is one of the greatest paradoxes in Christianity. God could not rescind the law of justice, not even to save his Son from agony, or he would cease to be God.

God’s very existence depends upon the Law of Justice being unconditional and absolute.

Christ did not ask the Father to remove the cup three times. He only asked him to remove it once. In the other two prayers, as recorded by Matthew, Christ acquiesces to the Father’s will.

He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

There are three important differences between the law of justice and the law of mercy.

The law of justice is unconditional. The law of mercy is conditional.
The Law of Justice is primary. The Law of Mercy is secondary.
Only God can live the law of Justice; man can only live the law of mercy.

By satisfying the law of justice Christ made it possible for us to return to the presence of God through the conditions of the law of mercy imposed by the law of justice. Though no man is perfect, it is theoretically possible for man to live the law of mercy perfectly else God would not be just. Christ judges us only for the sins we commit, not for the sins of others. That is just one of the free gifts of the atonement.

We cannot live the law of justice because we are already outside the law of Justice. That happened not in the Garden of Gethsemane but in the Garden of Eden. Two things occurred in the Garden of Eden that we had no power over. One was Spiritual death, and the other was Temporal death. In spiritual death we were cut off forever from the presence of the Father; in temporal death our spirit and our body were separated forever, never to be rejoined.

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Season 5 Podcast 56 A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 39, “Dimensions of Life, Pt 1.”

Science is understandably obsessed with the origins of life. However, it will forever be beyond their grasp for the origins of life are spiritual not temporal. Manmade science is a product of the fall for it deals with death, not life. Without entropy there would be no science. Quoting Alfred Wehrl, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, states:

“Entropy is a scientific concept that is most commonly associated with a state of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. The term and the concept are used in diverse fields, from classical thermodynamics, where it was first recognized, to the microscopic description of nature in statistical physics, and to the principles of information theory. It has found far-ranging applications in chemistry and physics, in biological systems and their relation to life, in cosmology, economics, sociology, weather science, climate change, and information systems including the transmission of information in telecommunication.

Wikipedia continues,

“Entropy is central to the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the entropy of an isolated system left to spontaneous evolution cannot decrease with time. As a result, isolated systems evolve toward thermodynamic equilibrium, where the entropy is highest. A consequence of the second law of thermodynamics is that certain processes are irreversible.”

Life cannot evolve from such a system; therefore, we must look elsewhere for the origins of life. The same is true with evolution. Evolution also depends upon entropy or death; therefore, evolution cannot account for the origin of life. In fact, there isn’t anything in nature that accounts for the origin of life. There is nothing in nature that accounts for the origin of matter and energy either. Life does not originate from the flesh. Flesh originates from life. Mortal flesh gives temporary body to self-existing life.

The logical conclusion is that just as matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, the essence we call life or intelligence or consciousness cannot be created or destroyed.

The idea that life began by luck, chance, accident, coincidence, or serendipity of circumstances is not a scientific answer. It is an open admission that science does not know how or where or why or when life began.

The very concept that “isolated systems evolve toward thermodynamic equilibrium, where the entropy is highest” is proof that life cannot come from such a system. Maximum equilibrium is total chaos or total disorder. The only thing that can bring order out of chaos is law. Law cannot come out of thermodynamic equilibrium. As science says, “A consequence of the second law of thermodynamics is that certain processes are irreversible.” The only thing that can preserve, protect, and perfect order is law, and law suggests intelligent design.

Science leaves us with questions, not answers. In discussing the origins of life, we must dismiss science as an objective source for science does not understand what life is. Remember it is science that claims man does not have freewill, that man is an animal, a biological robot, a machine with no more liberty than a planet revolving around the sun or the moon revolving around the earth.

So, what is life? Let’s simplify our definition. Life is intelligence. Life is consciousness. Intelligence cannot be separated from light and truth. The more light and truth one possesses the greater is one’s intelligence. Life is classified by intelligence. God is the greatest intelligence of all. Man has greater intelligence than the animals; therefore, man is greater than the animals. Animals have greater intelligence than plants; therefore, animals are greater than plants.

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Season 5 Podcast 55 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 14 Chapter 3 F, “Prudence.”

In last week’s episode, Piety grilled Christian about his journey thus far. Following Piety’s question, this week we shall listen to the questioning of Prudence, who takes a rather hard line.

Her line of questioning is far different than that of Piety. First, we must ask what is the difference between Piety and Prudence as virtues? Piety is associated with reverence as well as the outward show of religious observance. Piety deals with devotion, duty, and devoutness. Some synonyms are godliness, saintliness, spirituality, holiness, and sanctity.

Prudence is associated with sound judgment, caution, careful management, frugality, and discretion. Some synonyms are caution, sagacity, wisdom, judgment, perspicacity, forethought, circumspection, discerning and discriminating.

Christian, on his journey to Zion, must acquire the virtues of Christ. Bunyan personifies the virtues and gives them a voice. Piety directed her questions toward his experiences while on the journey, getting him to recall to mind everything he saw and heard and learned and the people he met. Prudence, in rapid-fire fashion, grills Christian about his past before he began his journey. Honesty and humility are virtues that Christian possesses. Those virtues have helped him get this far. He is self-deprecating and does not hide his faults.

Then Prudence thought good to ask him a few questions, and desired his answer to them.

Pru. Do you think sometimes of the country from whence you came?

Chris. Yes, but with much shame and detestation. Truly, if I had been mindful of that country from whence I came out, I might have had an opportunity to have returned; but now I desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.

There is a parallel between Christian leaving Babylon and traveling to Zion and the Children of Israel leaving Egypt and traveling to the Promised Land. One problem the Children of Israel had was in leaving the temptations of Egypt behind. Prudence is concerned about the same thing with Christian. She continues her questioning.

Pru. Do you not yet bear away with you in your thoughts some of the things that you did in the former time?

Chris. Yes, but greatly against my will; especially my inward and sinful thoughts, with which all my countrymen, as well as myself, were delighted. But now all those things are my grief; and, might I but choose mine own things, I would choose never to think of those things more; but when I would be doing that which is best, that which is worst is with me.

Prudence understands the difficulty of leaving the past behind.

Pru. Do you not find sometimes as if those things were overcome, which at other times are your trouble?

Chris. Yes, but that is but seldom; but they are to me golden hours in which such things happen to me.

In effect Prudence is asking Christian if he were able to abandon his old sins. Christian admits that the temptations are still there, but he relishes the golden hours in which he feels he has overcome the world. This addresses the ambiguity of repentance. Repentance is not a one-time event, but a continuous struggle. Bunyan himself is a realist. There is a continuous battle between the natural man and the spiritual man. Even though Christian laid his burden at the cross and his sins were forgiven him, he still must struggle. Prudence is teaching the principle of enduring to the end which along with faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost is a saving principle.

Keep in mind that they are in the temple where Christian must be sanctified. Prudence continues her questions, not giving Christian time to fabricate an answer. A great deal is at stake here. They are determining if Christian is ready to continue his journey.

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Season 5 Podcast 54 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 26 D, “Gethsemane A.”

In last week’s episode we explored The Last Supper. In this week’s episode we shall explore Gethsemane.

In a very touching scene, we have the last moments of peace in the Savior’s life. Matthew records.

“And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.”

The greatest drama this earth has ever seen is about to unfold, yet Jesus leads them in a hymn. Perhaps nothing reveals greatness more than serenity in the face of crisis. The Savior is about to face a trial that no human on earth can imagine, a trial that only God can endure while the apostles sleep. Christ knows he is about to be betrayed, tried, and crucified. He knows that in only a few moments he will feel the full weight of the law of justice in which he will take upon himself the sins of the world, yet in preparation he sings a hymn to his father, honoring God though his Father is about to subject him to pain that only the damned in hell can feel.

Following the hymn, he leads the Apostles to the Mount of Olives. He had a choice. He could escape as he had done many times before when the leaders of the Jews sought to kill him, but this time, the greatest moment in the history of the world, He chose the path that brought him to earth in the first place, the path that had been laid before the foundations of the world, the path of salvation for all the children of God who would repent and take upon themselves His name and keep His commandments. He chose the path to the Garden of Gethsemane where in agony for the sins of the world he would bleed from every pore.

To add to his suffering, not only would he be betrayed by Judas Iscariot, but he would be abandoned by all his apostles.

“Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.”

Now Jesus and his disciples enter the Garden of Gethsemane. None but Christ understands the importance of this moment.

“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.”

We can see from the record of Matthew that the weight of the world suddenly begins to fall upon Jesus. He “began to be sorrowful and very heavy.” He tells his chief apostles, Peter, James, and John, what he is feeling. The other disciples he allows to sleep, but He asks his three chief apostles to tarry and watch with him. Never in the three years of his ministry had he asked the apostles to perform a greater task. Christ removed himself, apparently only a short way, referred to as “a little further.” Matthew records.

“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

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Season 5 Podcast 53 A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 38, “Determinism vs Free Will: The Genetic Code.”

Stephen Hawking in his book, The Grand Design, offered the following argument:

“Recent experiments in neuroscience support the view that it is our physical brain, following the known laws of science, that determines our actions, and not some agency that exists outside those laws. For example, a study of patients undergoing awake brain surgery found that by electrically stimulating the appropriate regions of the brain, one could create in the patient the desire to move the hand, arm, or foot, or to move the lips and talk.”

I shall address Mr. Hawking’s argument on two levels.

Level one, I accuse Mr. Hawking of fudging when he said, “A study of patients undergoing awake brain surgery found that by electrically stimulating the appropriate regions of the brain, one could create in the patient the desire to move the hand, arm, or foot, or to move the lips and talk.”

Scientists cannot possibly know that artificially stimulated movements stem from desire. When a doctor taps your knee gently with a mallet, the leg responds but not because of desire. The movement is involuntary. You have no control. It would be the same if it were an electronic stimulation.

Where does desire come from? Naturally Mr. Hawking assumes desire comes from the physical body but that is not possible. A frog leg severed from the frog will jump out of a frying pan. Are we to assume the frog leg had the desire to jump out of the frying pan? Involuntary responses are not acts of desire. They are mechanical responses. As scientists love to point out, the body is a physical or biological machine. What they fail to say is that life is in the spirit not in the body. When the spirit leaves the body the body dies.

Level Two, desire is a spiritual thing not a temporal. The physical body may respond to the passion of love, but the body does not feel love. The primary fallacy of science in claiming that man is a machine or robot or animal is that science assumes there is no immortal soul that gives life to the body. The body may be stimulated to respond—that is the great value of having a physical body—but the body does not feel desire or love or passion. That is reserved for the soul or spirit.

As Descartes said, we have both a body and a spirit which Mr. Hawking denies. Again, let’s examine Hawking’s own words.

“Descartes, for instance, in order to preserve the idea of freewill, asserted that the human mind was something different from the physical world and did not follow its laws. In his view a person consists of two ingredients, a body and a soul. Bodies are nothing but ordinary machines, but the soul is not subject to scientific law.

The differences between Descartes and Hawking are rather simple. Descartes believed in God. Hawking didn’t. In the scientific mind we are animated zombies automatically responding to our environment. From that Mr. Hawking concludes.

“It is hard to imagine how free will can operate if our behavior is determined by physical law, so it seems that we are no more than biological machines and that free will is just an illusion.”

I agree with Mr. Hawking that the physical body is like a sophisticated biological machine. That is the genius of the physical body. It gives flesh to desire. It gives the human experience to spiritual emotions such as altruism. The body by necessity is wired to respond to stimuli such as the genetic code. However, Freewill, by necessity, resides only in the spirit. Unquestionably the spirit is subject to the flesh, and experience shows that many subordinate the desires of the spirit to the wants of the flesh which sometimes leads to self-destruction as demonstrated in addictions. The physical body cannot overcome an addiction, but the spirit can.

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Season 5 Podcast 52 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 13 Chapter 3 E, “Piety.”

In last week’s episode, Christian, after a rigorous interview was invited into the Palace. We were introduced to Watchful, Discretion, Prudence, Piety, and Charity. This week we shall enter the Palace. His hosts, Piety, Prudence, and Charity invite Christian to recount his journey.

Then he bowed his head, and followed them into the house. So, when he was come in and sat down, they gave him something to drink, and agreed together, that, until supper was ready, some of them should talk with Christian, for the best use of the time; and they appointed Piety, Prudence, and Charity to talk with him; and thus, they began:

A very strange conversation follows. What at first appears to be simple banter before dinner in which Piety, Prudence, and Charity invite Christian to tell his adventures is really, upon examination, an interrogation. It is clear that the three virtues already know his full story. You do not get the expected sympathetic gasps of horror at his trials nor the complimentary praise at his successes. It is as if Christian is on trial. Piety is the first to interrogate Christian. Note that the tone is one of superiority. They are not there to learn from Christian. They are there to teach that which Christian has missed. In other words, to become a good Christian, Christian must learn about Piety, Prudence, and Charity. They do not play the role of students. They play the role of Evangelist and of The Interpreter. From Christian’s response we are given much more of the details that before were left out of the narrative. They want Christian to learn everything he can from his journey, suggesting that in Bunyan’s eyes, the journey is equal to the destination. The only way Christian can appreciate Zion is by taking the journey. That is the central theme of Pilgrim’s Progress. We shall first examine Piety’s interrogation.

Piety. Come, good Christian since we have been so loving to you to receive you into our house this night, let us, if perhaps we may better ourselves thereby, talk with you of all things that have happened to you in your pilgrimage.

Chris. With a very good will, and I am glad that you are so well disposed.

Piety. What moved you at first to betake yourself to a pilgrim's life.

Piety takes Christian through every step of his journey and makes him account for all of his actions.

CHRIS. I was driven out of my native country by a dreadful sound that was in mine ears; to wit, that certain destruction did await me, if I abode in that place where I was.

To Piety, the answer is not sufficient.

Piety. But how did it happen that you came out of your country this way?

Remember Worldly Wiseman, Legality, and Civility? They too originally had the same concerns as Christian; however, they chose a different path to deal with them. They chose the way of the world, not the way of Christian sacrifice. To Piety it is very important how Christian answers the above question. The Palace is no ordinary building. It is a temple. The purpose of the temple is to sanctify Christian and better prepare him for his journey to Zion, which is the Holy City. Let me remind you of the words of John the Revelator as found in Revelation 21.

“And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

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Season 5 Podcast 51 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 26 C, “The Last Supper.”

In last week’s episode we explored The Betrayal. In this week’s episode we shall explore The Last Supper.

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:26-29)

Every event in the life of Christ has been celebrated, memorialized in art, and analyzed to the nth degree. It is understandable that his birth and his death have always taken center stage. The seminal event that has become known as The Last Supper has certainly taken its place in Christian theology. It is the last peaceful moment in the Life of Christ. It perfectly and elegantly symbolizes the purpose of his life, death, and resurrection.

Let’s examine it phrase by phrase.

“And as they were eating…”

Presumably that refers to the Passover Feast. In Luke 22:15 we read.

“With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.”

The two foremost images are bread and wine, each highly symbolic. Among the miracles of Jesus, both bread and wine were mysteriously multiplied.

“Jesus took bread.”

“Bread has often been a symbol of Christ. In John 3: 35 we read, “I am the bread of life.” In Revelation 2:17 we read, “I give to eat of the hidden manna.” In the wilderness the Israelites were fed by manna from heaven and, of course, in feeding the five thousand, Christ multiplied the bread. Bethlehem, the birth place of Christ and the birthplace of David, means ‘house of bread.’ It was in Bethlehem where David was anointed King by the prophet Samuel. At his trial, Christ in the City of David was given a crown of thorns.

In John 6:51 we read.

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

The above was foreseen and explained hundreds of years earlier by the Old Testament prophets.

“And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

During the Exodus, Manna was given to the Children of Israel to represent the body of Christ, but many didn’t realize it. One of the great ironies is that the Jews hastened the death of Christ so they could honor the sabbath and celebrate the feast of the Passover. By the time of Christ, the symbolism had become entirely lost to the majority of the Jews.

15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. (Exodus 16:15)

The Children of Israel ate manna for forty years. Without manna they would have

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Season 5 Podcast 50 A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 37, “Determinism vs Free Will: The Uncertainty Principle.”

In this podcast I would like to reveal a fundamental flaw in the logic of science. The flaw exists because science does not recognize the immortality of the soul, that fundamentally we have both a physical body and a spiritual body. The spirit was created first. The physical body was created second. The physical body is mortal. The spirit body is immortal. The physical body is created by God in the express image of our spirit. Our spirit is created in the express image of God. In the spirit resides our self-existing intelligence, our consciousness, our freewill, our life force, and our connection to God who is the Father of our spirits.

The reason science compares man to animal, man to machine, and man to robot is because they do not recognize what the apostle Peter refers to as ‘our divine nature.’ They see only a biological machine, an animal, and a robot. I distinguish man as animal, man as machine, and man as robot in the following way.

In describing man as animal, science does not distinguish us from any other biological creature whether that creature be a beetle, a bird, a dog, a monkey, or a rhinoceros as it relates to freewill.

In describing man as machine, science does not distinguish us from planets or moons or stars or any other natural sphere or object in time and space.

In describing man as robot, science does not distinguish us from other humanoid like creatures run by artificial intelligence which gives us the appearance of freewill.

Science has ingeniously revealed to us three alternate universes. One they call the Newtonian world, the world we experience daily. The second they call the world of Quantum Physics, the world of atoms and quarks and electrons. No one has ever seen an electron or a quark, yet science is able to make predictions in the subatomic realm with astonishing accuracy. The third perhaps could be referred to as the Einsteinian world, the world of space, time, and relativity. For convenience let us call the first the Macroscopic world, the second the Microscopic world, and the third the Telescopic world. All three universes act in perfect harmony demonstrating just how complex our universe is and how far science has advanced.

However, because science is limited to that which they can control in the lab, though their findings may be astonishing, their conclusions about reality are flawed and do not reflect the human experience.

In the human experience many witness the effects of faith, miracles, divine manifestations, answers to prayers, hope, love, visions, dreams, freewill, and God. That is an area the most sophisticated scientific tools and elaborate experiments of science can never reach. It is what Gerard Manley Hopkins calls the “dearest freshness deep down things.” The following poem by Mr. Hopkins is called God’s Grandeur.

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

One must experience Hopkins’ poem to know what it means.

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Season 5 Podcast 49 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 12 Chapter 3 D, “The Palace.”

In last week’s episode, Christian, while climbing the Hill of Difficulty, met Timorous and Mistrust who have given up their quest midway up the Hill of Difficulty because they saw two sleeping lions in the path. In their horror they didn’t recognized that the lions were chained. They go down the hill, but the indomitable Christian continues his journey. Having lost the scroll, Christian had to go back to the Arbor to retrieve it, delaying his journey up the Hill of Difficulty until it became dark. Not only must he face the lions, but he must also face them in the dark. Still he continues. He comes to a stately palace where he is met by the two lions. He wants to flee; however, a Porter whose name is Watchful greets Christian and invites him into the Palace, assuring him that the lions are safely chained.

Christian’s courage and his faithfulness sets him apart from the other pilgrims. Christian is faced with the same dangers and fears; however, he perseveres.

“Then I saw that he went on trembling for fear of the lions; but, taking good heed to the words of the Porter, he heard them roar, but they did him no harm. Then he clapped his hands, and went on till he came and stood before the gate where the Porter was. Then said Christian to the Porter, "Sir, what house is this? and may I lodge here to-night?"

Clearly Bunyan wants every Christian to use Christian as their model. Bunyan accepts the fact that the journey is very perilous for not all lions are chained; however, Bunyan makes it clear that the worst obstacle is fear.

“The Porter answered, "This house was built by the Lord of the hill, and He built it for the relief and security of pilgrims." The Porter also asked whence he was, and whither he was going.”

The question is not an idle question. Only Christian can answer it. The underlying idea is that every Christian must define his journey and his purpose, and he must offer proof of his legitimacy. Only then can people such as Evangelist recognize the true Christian vs the false Christian. So far on the Journey Christian has been assisted by Evangelist, Help, Goodwill, The Interpreter, The Shining Ones, and now Watchful. However, he has been hindered by Obstinate, Pliable, Worldly Wiseman, Mr. Legality, Civility, Man of despair, Simple, Sloth, Presumption, Formalist, Hypocrisy, Timorous, and Mistrust. They symbolize the natural man, and the natural man is at enmity with God. Remember that the Shining ones gave Christian recognizable objects that he may be allowed into the city. There are many, such as Formalist and Hypocrisy who try to take a shortcut.

Chris. I am come from the City of Destruction, and am going to Mount Zion; but, because the sun is now set, I desire, if I may, to lodge here to-night.

Port. What is your name?

Chris. My name is now Christian, but my name at the first was Graceless.

Before leaving on his pilgrimage, Christian was in a graceless state. To find Grace he had make the difficult way to the cross where he laid his burden down, symbolically at the feet of Christ. However, his journey did not end at the cross. It really began at the cross.

Port. But how doth it happen that you come so late? The sun is set.

Chris. I had been here sooner, but that, wretched man that I am, I slept in the arbor that stands on the hill-side. Nay, I had, notwithstanding that, been here much sooner, but that in my sleep I lost my roll, and came without it to the brow of the hill; and then, feeling for it and finding it not, I was forced with sorrow of heart to go back to the place where I slept my sleep, where I found it; and now I am come.

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Season 5 Podcast 48 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 26 B, “The Betrayal.”

In last week’s episode we explored The Anointing. In this week’s episode we shall explore The Betrayal. Because of the principle of opposition, because Christianity deals with mortality and immortality, good and evil, God and Satan, freedom and captivity, the omniscience of God vs the limitations of mortal man, Christianity is filled with paradox. For example, when Christ called his apostles, he knew which one would betray him. In John 6:64 we are told, “But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.” Yet Christ still called Judas to one of the highest callings in the church. Christ knew that David, whose Psalms are like the voices of angels, would commit murder and marry Bathsheba and their son Solomon would become king, yet he chose David. The inability to resolve paradox has led many to turn against God. The betrayal of Jesus is a grand paradox, and is a symbol of the paradoxes inherent in Christianity.

“Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.” (Matthew 26:17-18)

Christ is going to his death, and he knows it. Since the Passover was to be eaten inside the walls of Jerusalem, this must have been a miracle to find a room prepared that was so large. One can only imagine the throngs of people. The terseness of the Bible carries power for one is forced to read between the lines. From this point on everything happens quickly. One can only imagine the intensity of the following conversation.

“And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.” (Matthew 26:19-21)

Judas has already betrayed the Savior. Following the anointing Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and sold the Savior for thirty pieces of silver. Apparently he hasn’t received the silver yet for Matthew records, “they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” It was an oral agreement. Perhaps he is caught by surprise that his betrayal is known by the Savior.

The chilling thought, however, sends fear through the other disciples.

“And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?”

Of course, none of the disciples save one could have known that Christ had already been betrayed. However, even the Savior does not keep it a secret, as if he is trying to give Judas a chance to repent.

“And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.”

Did he whisper that to only those disciples who were closest to him. If so, he kept it no longer to himself. He made it abundantly clear to Judas and to all the other disciples.

“The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.”

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Season 5 Podcast 47, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 36, “Determinism vs Free Will.”

In his book, The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking wrote,

“Since people live in the universe and interact with the other objects in it, scientific determinism must hold for people as well.”

That is a non sequitur. It doesn’t follow. The assumption in Mr. Hawking’s assertion, of course, is that there is no intelligent design, and no master creator of the universe.

It is ironic that science uses law to give evidence against the law giver. To say that we don’t need God because we have law is like saying we don’t need the creator because we already have the creation.

The implications of Mr. Hawking’s assertion are huge. It implies that we do not live in a moral universe. There is no God, no good or evil, and no accountability for our behavior. We are like planets stuck in our orbits. Mr. Hawking continues.

“Though we feel that we can choose what we do, our understanding of the molecular basis of biology shows that biological processes are governed by the laws of physics and chemistry and therefore are as determined as the orbits of the planets.”

The conclusion is that man is a machine without freewill. Mr. Hawking doesn’t answer the question of consciousness. The level of consciousness determines freewill. The assumption is that since planets are not conscious neither is man conscious. Of course, that begs the question. How does man know that earth, for example, is not conscious. I would argue that it is. Another assumption is that because planets are not responsible for their behavior, Man, who is like a planet; is not responsible for his behavior.

The false analogy continues. How can you hold a planet responsible for its behavior governed as it is by gravity? You cannot punish a planet for wrongdoing. So it is for people if they are no more than planets in their orbit. For example, murder, rape, blackmail, robbery, lying, cheating, stealing, terrorizing may all be ethically inadvisable and socially reprehensible, but in a real sense, they are not morally wrong for like a planet in its orbit, no one is responsible for his actions. There can be no perversion in a world where everything is determined by law.

The problem is that thousands of years of human experience argue against the theory of determinism vs freewill. Atheism is just a theory, nothing more. Science can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God. Science is inherently atheistic. Science does not even consider the existence of God as a possibility; therefore, they must account for human behavior by some other means.

Notice how glibly Mr. Hawking, speaking for science, assumes that evolution is our creator.

“If we have free will, where in the evolutionary tree did it develop?”

Can you see the inherent assumption that Mr. Hawking is making? He is asserting that evolution is our creator, that we are creatures determined by evolution—or by law—and have never had freewill. If, for example, you answer his question, you have already admitted to his premise that freewill does not exist and our behavior is predetermined by evolution. It is a loaded question; thus, it is a false question.

Mr. Hawking, as does the scientific world, assumes that all theories regarding evolution are facts, that they are all scientifically proven, that they are all irrefutable laws. Whereas theories of evolution proliferate and fly like feathers in a windstorm, the science of evolution only occupies a very narrow field limited to species. There is wide opinion of scientists but no proof that a lower species evolves into a higher species; and as Mr. Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, claims, evolution is a one-way street to improvement. That is without evidence. Man is still unique and unaccounted for.

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Season 5 Podcast 46 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 11 Chapter 3 C, “The Lions.”

In last weeks episode, two persons who climbed over the wall rather than entering in at the Wicket Gate meet their end. Hypocrisy dies on the Road of Destruction and Presumption is lost in wild woods on the Road of Danger. Only Christian, who entered in at the proper gate, climbs the Hill of Difficulty. Christian is chastised for sleeping too long midway to the top of the hill at a wayside arbor. He quickly resumes his journey but meets Timorous and Mistrust who warn him of two lions sleeping in the way. Christian says to Timorous and Mistrust, who are fleeing back down the Hill of Difficulty,

"You make me afraid; but whither shall I fly to be safe? If I go back to my own country, that is prepared for fire and brimstone, and I shall certainly perish there; if I can get to the Celestial City, I am sure to be in safety there: I must venture. To go back is nothing but death; to go forward is fear of death, and life everlasting beyond it. I will yet go forward."

Perhaps the above is one of the strong examples of why Pilgrim’s Progress has been so successful among Christians of any denomination. He puts things in perspective. Certain death is far greater than the mere fear of death. He also emphasizes that nothing is worse than eternal damnation and nothing is greater than life everlasting. He is abandoned by Mistrust and Timorous.

“So Mistrust and Timorous ran down the hill, and Christian went on his way.”

Bunyan teaches another Christian Principle. Remember that the Shining ones gave him a Roll and commanded him to read it often. Rather than Formalist who became lost in the wild woods because he relied upon adherence to prescribed or external forms, Christian relied upon the Holy Bible. He sees the Bible as a means of interpreting every experience so that he might avoid the traps set by the Devil to ensnare him.

However, to understand what happens next, we must again reflect upon Christian’s journey up to this point. Without understanding the necessity of the journey, what Christian does next would seem silly, what one might conclude ‘a tempest in a teapot.’ Remember that Christian has learned to be sober and vigilant for he sees the adversary the devil as a roaring lion who walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Even now two lions are lying in the path ahead causing Timorous and Mistrust to abandon their journey though they had almost reached the top of the Hill Difficulty.

Every lesson matters to Christian. Along the way Christian has met two very important characters, Evangelist and The Interpreter. They are really two sides of the same coin. Remember when Christian was led through many rooms and was required by The Interpreter to interpret each scene as a parable until he himself became like The Interpreter. That lesson comes in handy now, causing him excruciating repentance for merely sleeping too long in the Arbor.

But, thinking again of what he heard from the men, he felt in his bosom for his roll, and found it not. Then was Christian in great distress, and knew not what to do; for he wanted that which used to comfort him, and that which should have been his pass into the Celestial City.

In his carelessness, he lost the Scroll. Bunyan teaches us one of the greatest principles of the gospel of Christ, daily repentance, even for what appears to be little things.

Here, therefore, he began to be greatly troubled, and knew not what to do. At last he bethought himself that he had slept in the arbor that is on the side of the hill; and, falling down upon his knees, he asked God's forgiveness for that his foolish act,

Next Bunyan teaches us that with repentance comes restitution.

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Season 5 Podcast 45 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 26 A, “The Anointing.”

In the Book of Matthew, Chapter 25 contains the last teachings of Jesus through parables. In only two days he will be betrayed by Judas, and in a cold and calculating way the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders will conspire to crucify The Son of God.

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.” (Matthew 26:1-5)

The Feast of the Passover celebrates the Israelite’s escape from the slavery of the Egyptians. The Children of Israel were commanded to kill a lamb.

“Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover.” (Exodus 12:21)

And to mark above their door with lamb’s blood so that the Angel of Death would pass over them.

“And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord.” (Leviticus 23:12)

23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. (Exodus 12:23)

Another unique feature of the slaughtered lamb is that no bone should be broken.

“In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.” (Exodus 12:46)

The Passover is to begin on the fourteenth day of the first month.

“In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s Passover.” (Leviticus 23:5)

I like to think of it as early April because the dogwood is in full bloom, but that is as scientific and scholarly as I can get. True scholars get very technical. I do favor the argument of the astronomers because of the lunar eclipse.

Of course it is accompanied with the feast of unleavened bread. In Exodus 12:17 we read.

“And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.”

From the time of the Exodus the Children of Israel have celebrated the feast of the Passover. No one can accurately pinpoint the date of the Exodus, but they have celebrated the Passover somewhere between one thousand and fifteen hundred years. That has always been among their greatest festivals. And as recorded above in Matthew, Christ said to his apostles, “Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.” What moment in history can match this? From a perfectly human standpoint one can only be astonished at the Savior of the world’s equanimity hours away from suffering pain so intense that only the Son of God could endure it. He is unruffled. He fills every prophecy to the letter. As always, regardless of the circumstances, He is true to the end to the one principle that sets him apart from the world: “I must be about my Father’s business.”

Matthew 26 follows Christ’s footsteps up to the point of Peter’s denial. First we have the anointing of His burial.

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Season 5 Podcast 44, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 35, “Science and Faith B ‘Self-Existing Law’.”

In last week’s episode we introduced the following quote from Stephen Hawking’s book, “The Grand Design.” In this episode I want to explore its implications further.

Over the centuries many, including Aristotle, believed that the universe must have always existed in order to avoid the issue of how it was set up. Others believed the universe had a beginning, and used it as an argument for the existence of God. The realization that time behaves like space presents a new alternative. It removes the age-old objection to the universe having a beginning, but also means that the beginning of the universe was governed by the laws of science and doesn’t need to be set in motion by some god. (Stephen Hawking, “The Grand Design)

Let’s take the statement, “the beginning of the universe was governed by the laws of science and doesn’t need to be set in motion by some god” to its logical conclusion.

The first response any theist should ask is, “Where did the laws of science come from?” It assumes that science self-exists. In other words, science is God because it precedes law. It is an inherent contradiction. But let’s be fair. Language is seldom precise. Though it is dangerous to say what someone else meant, let’s assume that Mr. Hawking meant that laws came first. But that still begs the question, ‘Where did laws come from?’

A theist would claim that the existence of law is strong evidence for the existence of intelligent design, and intelligent design is evidence of God. That puts science right back where it started, having to explain the origins of law.

The alternative is that laws self-exist. That is the most logical assumption since Mr. Hawking denies the existence of God, unless of course, as with the creation of the universe and the origin of life, he, meaning science, wishes to argue that laws were created by chance. But surely the probability of that is so small that even science would reject it.

However, the self-existence of law poses three major logical problems:

The age of the universe
The accidental universe
The existence of life.

Let’s take those in order.

First The Age of the Universe

Understanding the First Law of Thermodynamics, we know that matter and energy have neither beginning nor ending. They cannot be created or destroyed. They too must self-exist. The self-existence of law means that the organization of matter and energy through law has no beginning or ending. In short, the universe should be infinitely older than it is, older than time, as old as law itself. Science claims the universe is 13.7 billion years; however, that is merely last week on the cosmic scale; otherwise, science must claim that laws are latent and wake up now and then which is contrary to law, logic, and science. If laws wake up, they must go back to sleep.

The number one argument against the self-existence of law is the age of the universe. If law self-exists and matter and energy self-exist then creation must reflect that and in effect be from everlasting to everlasting. You have the problem of infinity. That goes back to the claim of Aristotle that the universe has always existed.

Second, The Accidental Universe

Science claims to have solved two of the greatest dilemmas of creation—the creation of man, and the creation of the universe. Their conclusion is that the universe was organized by accident and life was organized by evolution. Let’s first consider the accidental universe.

Mr. Hawking is correct in claiming that the beginning of the universe was governed by law.

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Season 5 Podcast 43 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 10 Chapter 3 B, “The Hill of Difficulty.”

In last week’s episode, Christian laid his burdens at the cross where he met The Three Shining Ones who gave him gifts to prepare him for his journey to the Promised Land. As Christian resumed his journey, he met Simple, Sloth, and Presumption fettered to the ground. They refused Christian’s counsel. Then Christian meets Formalist and Hypocrisy who sneak over the wall rather than enter through the Wicket Gate. A Formalist is a type of Christian who adheres to prescribed or external forms rather than doctrine. In other words, rather than study the Bible, they rely upon traditions. Remember that the Shining Ones commanded Christian to keep the script, meaning the Holy Bible, with him and read it often. Hypocrisy is a type of Christian who says what others should do but does not follow his own counsel.

In this episode we begin with Christian’s conversation with Formalist and Hypocrisy.

“So as I said, they drew up unto him, who thus began talking with them:

Chris. Gentlemen, whence came you, and whither go you?

Form. and Hyp. We were born in the land of Vain-glory, and are going for praise to Mount Zion.

Chris. Why came you not in at the gate which standeth at the beginning of the way? Know ye not that it is written, "He that cometh not in by the door, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber?"

Form. and Hyp. They said that to go to the gate for entrance was, by all their countrymen, counted too far about; and that therefore their usual way was to make a short cut of it, and to climb over the wall as they had done.

Chris. But will it not be counted a trespass against the Lord of the city whither we are bound, thus to disobey His will?

Form. and Hyp. They told him, that as for that, he needed not trouble his head thereabout; for what they did they had custom for, and could show, if need were, testimony that could prove it for more than a thousand years.

Chris. "But," said Christian, "will it stand a trial at law?"

As we listen to the argument of Formalist and Hypocrisy, it is useful to remember the counsel of Worldly Wiseman, Legality, and Civility, citizens of the City of Morality. Formalist and Hypocrisy appeal to Legality as justification for their cheating.

FORM. and HYP. They told him that custom, it being of so long standing as above a thousand years, would doubtless now be admitted as a thing according to law by a fair judge. "And besides," said they, "if we get into the way, what matter is it which way we may get in? If we are in, we are in: thou art but in the way, who, as we perceive, came in at the gate; and we are also in the way, that came tumbling over the wall: wherein, now, is thy condition better than ours?"

Bunyan is drawing our attention to the cunning of Satan. On the one hand, Worldly Wiseman, Legality, and Civility do not even pretend to take the journey; however, Formalist and Hypocrisy, who do take the journey, use the slick counsel of Legality to take shortcuts. You can see how they get their names.

Christian, having learned his lesson the hard way by listening to Worldly Wiseman and nearly losing his life disputes with Formalist and Hypocrisy.

Chris. I walk by the rule of my Master; you walk by the rude working of your fancies. You are counted thieves already by the Lord of the way; therefore I doubt you will not be found true men at the end of the way. You come in by yourselves without His word, and shall go out by yourselves without His mercy.

Formalist and Hypocrisy ignore the advice of Christian. They rely upon Legality rather than upon the spirit.

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Season 5 Podcast 42 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 25 G, “The Parable of the Sheep and Goats.”

The final parable in Mathew 25 is the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. Again, one of the primary purposes of the parables of Jesus is to teach us how to enter what Paul refers to as the Third Heaven, also referred to by Paul as the Celestial Glory, called by some The Celestial Kingdom which is compared to the glory of the sun. The lesser kingdoms of heaven are compared to the moon, called by Paul the Terrestrial Glory, and the stars respectively. The three degrees of glory are separated by light, the sun, the moon, and the stars. They are all heavens, however, the Father and the son dwell in the Celestial or highest glory, and unless otherwise designated every mention of heaven in the Holy Bible refers to the third or highest heaven, suggesting that is the only heaven we should hope for. As a prelude to the parable of the sheep and goats we read in Matthew 25:

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

There are many images of the Son appearing in his glory, all of which refer to the glory of the sun.

“At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. (Acts 26:13)

“And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” (Matthew 17:2)

In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, the sheep, who are placed on his right refer to the righteous who are invited to live with him in his kingdom. In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the five wise virgins represent those who are on his right and the five foolish virgins represent those who are on his left.

“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

They too will also shine as the sun.

“Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. (Matthew 13:43)

Those who shine forth as the sun are referred to as sheep. All others are referred to as goats. We generally think of those who are referred to as goats as those who go to hell. However, the goats are not all evil. For example, in the Parable of the Talents, the slothful servant who buried his talent committed a sin of omission; therefore, he was not invited into the “joy of the Lord.” However, that doesn’t mean that he went to hell, the same with the five foolish virgins. Perhaps he just inherited a lesser kingdom comparable to the moon or the stars. When the Shepherd, meaning Christ, separates the sheep from the goats, he doesn’t slaughter the goats. Those who are referred to as goats are barred from living in his presence, but we don’t know where they go. Not all evil is alike and the justice of God, though noted for punishment is really the great protector. It allows no injustice, or it would not be a perfect law. Without the law of mercy none of us would get to heaven. Without the law of justice there would be no heaven or hell or God.

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Season 5 Podcast 41, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 34, “Science and Faith A ‘Law’.”

A scientist may be an atheist or a theist, but true science should be neither. Science deals with the how. Religion deals with the why. Both atheist and theist may make a great scientist. The reason is very simple. All things are governed by a complete set of laws, and laws are subject to the scientific method. Laws obey the principle of causality giving predictability. Predictability is the only true validation of science. Without predictability every theory is reduced to opinion.

The Holy Grail of Physics (meaning science) is to prove that all laws are connected. Connecting the four forces of nature—the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, gravity, and the electromagnetic force—is the Holy Grail that scientists seek. It is a noble goal and is reachable.

The conflict between science and religion arises when scientists presume they alone can explain the why, and theists presume they alone can explain the how. Science always flounders when it enters into the realm of why. Religion always flounders when it denies the truths of scientific law. They both become idol worshipers. Religion invents a god who is arbitrary. Science invents gods who work miracles such as happy accidents, startling coincidence, improbable chance, or serendipity of circumstances. They worship false gods who are presented as meaningless substitutes to explain the unknown. They will claim almost anything to avoid admitting to cosmic ignorance. It is hubris in its true form. They even become convinced that their gods are true gods even though they explain nothing.

Science has created elastic gods that stretch into their theories. Let me illustrate this with an example that I have used before and will undoubtedly use again for it perfectly demonstrates the point. I make no secret that one of my favorite science writers is Stephen Hawking. A celebrated genius, he became the modern spokesman for science and atheism.

In the Grand Design, Mr. Hawking said,

2 RON

The clever statement condemns itself. It begs the question, ‘Where do laws come from?’ First of all, Hawking must be right on one point or the universe makes no sense. The point he made is this: “The beginning of the universe was governed by the laws of science.” Everything created by God is governed by law, and higher laws govern lower laws in an unbroken chain.

However, I must take issue with the phrase “the laws of science.” Science has never created a law and never will. Law like truth can be discovered, but not created, certainly not by science. Strictly speaking they are not ‘laws of science.’ They are laws of God discovered by science. The paradox is this. Law came first. Creation second. For the discoveries of science, however, creation came first—that which can be observed—and law came second—that which can be inferred. Let me be bold in saying that the most advanced science hasn’t even begun to understand law, and it never will. It is beyond the scientific method. Part of scientific heresy is to think they can understand the origins of things.

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Season 5 Podcast 40 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 9 Chapter 3 A, “The Three Shining Ones.”

In last week’s episode, we concluded with The Interpreter. In this week’s episode we finally come to the cross where Christian lays his burden down. Following the cross, Christian meets several unsavory fellows. The characters Christian meets along the way symbolize temptations of the flesh.

Now, I saw in my dream that the highway up which Christian was to go was fenced on either side with a wall that was called Salvation. Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back.

He ran thus till he came to a place somewhat ascending; and upon that place stood a Cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a tomb. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the tomb, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.

There is, of course, nothing subtle about Pilgrim’s Progress. What is important, however, is the journey. To Bunyan every Christian must take the journey alone. The symbol above is that it is not necessary to carry the burden of sin when it can so easily be laid at the feet of Christ which is symbolized by the Cross which represents the atonement. Christ died for our sins. Notice earlier that Pliable, Obstinate, Worldly Wiseman, Legality, and Civility all tried to keep Christian from coming to the Cross. Worldly Wiseman counseled that Christian could simply take care of the burden himself without repentance. Wise counselors could replace Christ. Christian could buy a cheap home in the City of Morality, which represented modern ethics, and invite his family to come stay with him there without taking the arduous road to salvation.

Thus far, however, Christian has endured, though he has a very long way to go. Notice his reward.

Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart, "He hath given me rest by His sorrow, and life by His death." Then he stood still awhile to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked, therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the water down his cheeks.

A surprising thing happens. He is visited by three heavenly messengers that further prepare him for the journey. So far each true messenger appears just at the right time and the right place. First there was Evangelist then Help, then Goodwill, and then the Interpreter. Now we have the Three Heavenly Messengers called the three shining ones.

Now, as he stood looking and weeping, behold, three Shining Ones came to him, and saluted him with "Peace be to thee." So the first said to him, "Thy sins be forgiven thee;" the second stripped him of his rags, and clothed him with a change of garments; the third also set a mark on his forehead, and gave him a roll with a seal upon it, which he bade him look on as he ran, and that he should give it in at the heavenly gate; so they went their way. Then Christian gave three leaps for joy, and went on, singing:

The first messenger gave him the best gift of all. “Thy sins be forgiven thee” echoes the words of the Savior which he sometimes used before healing the sick.

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Season 5 Podcast 39 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 25 F, “The Parable of the Talents Pt 2.”

This is the second half of the Parable of the Talents. If you have not heard Pt 1, may we recommend that you listen to Podcast 35 first. It serves as an introduction.

A talent is an extremely large sum of money; however, it can refer to any gift of the spirit. Parables, of course, do not give themselves to one exclusive interpretation. We read parables as we read poetry or stories or cautionary tales. They grow with the reader’s experience, and like a torch they illuminate that which falls under their light. Sometimes a parable expands into us and sometimes we expand into the parable. We carry away that which we are searching for. We search for that which we carry inside.

In this interpretation let’s assume that the man travelling into a far country is actually the Savior who is about to be crucified. The far country is heaven. The servants are disciples of Christ, a disciple being any follower of Christ. Christ is about to return to the Kingdom of Heaven, or return to His Heavenly Father. While on earth he established the Kingdom of God which is his church. His disciples are members of his church. He gave each one of his disciples a certain number of talents to be used to build up his kingdom on earth.

In other words, as a disciple of Christ, we must each evaluate the worth of our own talents in the service of the Kingdom of God on earth. That means, of course, that when Christ returns, we must give an account of what we did with our talents. Which of the three servants or disciples do we identify with?

“Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.”

The first thing we can dismiss is that wealth should be our goal.

“I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.” (Psalm 49:4-10)

Christ made it very clear what our goal should be.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

The Parable of the Talents, then, refers to spiritual growth, not temporal growth, though it may be expressed in innumerable ways, temporal or spiritual. Think of a gift or a talent as an innate quality that, depending upon how well it is managed, can shrink or expand. In other words, we grow into our talents or we lose them. Talent then is a potential rather than a sum total of what we are. The unique part of the Parable, however, is that the faithful servants not only realized their talent—that is they grew into their talent—but they doubled them.

A talent then is exponential. That which can be doubled once can be doubled twice and so on. It is a fact of life that talents are not evenly distributed. We tend to gravitate toward our own talents. Some the world rewards. Others the world ignores. Fame, publicity, popularity, or financial reward are irrelevant to importance.

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Season 5 Podcast 38, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 33, “Charity.”

I should like to begin this with a quote by William James taken from his book “The Principles of Psychology.”

“The hell to be endured hereafter, of which theology tells, is no worse than the hell we make for ourselves in this world by habitually fashioning our characters in the wrong way. Could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state. We are spinning our fates, good or evil, and never to be undone. Every smallest stroke of virtue or of vice leaves its never so little scar. The drunken Rip Van Winkle, in Jefferson’s play, excuses himself for every fresh dereliction by saying, “It won’t count this time!” Well! He may not count it, and a kind Heaven may not count it; but it is being counted none the less. Down among his nerve-cells and fibers the molecules are counting it, registering and storing it up to be used against him when the next temptation comes. Nothing we ever do is, in strict scientific literalness, wiped out. Of course, this has its good side as well as its bad one. As we become permanent drunkards by so many separate drinks, so we become saints in the moral, and authorities and experts in the practical and scientific spheres, by so many separate acts and hours of work. Let no youth have any anxiety about the upshot of his education, whatever the line of it may be. If he keeps faithfully busy each hour of the working-day, he may safely leave the final result to itself. He can with perfect certainty count on waking up some fine morning, to findhimself one of the competent ones of his generation, in whatever pursuit he may have singled out.”

Sometimes we tend to measure things by worldly standards, using a large scale. We ignore the small tremors and note only the earthquakes that shake cities. Often, however, it is the little things that matter. The tiny eruptions of every day friction go unnoticed, yet it is the small and insignificant things that most shape our character and determine our destiny.

I am reminded of the words of James in the Bible,

“4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.”

It is a strange paradox. Just as rough stones of a riverbed grow smooth by constant friction, our characters are shaped by the daily frictions of our lives. If we lash out in anger and rebellion at every correction, we will learn nothing. All learning begins with humility. Those who do not govern their temper in petty things, are sometimes governed by their temper in an unforeseen crisis where they lash out causing irreparable harm.

I think that is what Professor James meant when he said,

“Could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct in the plastic state.”

“We are spinning our fates, good or evil, and never to be undone. Every smallest stroke of virtue or of vice leaves its never so little scar.”

We need to guard little things. But it can also work in our behalf. From small beginnings we can develop good habits that come to our rescue in a crisis. As William James said, “As we become permanent drunkards by so many separate drinks, so we become saints in the moral, and authorities and experts in the practical and scientific spheres, by so many separate acts and hours of work.”

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Season 5 Podcast 37 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 8 Chapter 2 D, “The Final Judgment.”

In last week’s episode, we continued with The Interpreter. In this week’s episode we conclude as he takes us to the Final Judgment.

Speaking to a man, once of great faith locked in a cage, Christian asks, “But how camest thou in this condition. The man answered,

I left off to watch and be sober. I gave free reins to sin; I sinned against the light of the Word and the goodness of God; I have grieved the Spirit, and He is gone; I tempted the devil, and he has come to me; I have provoked God to anger, and He has left me; I have so hardened my heart that I cannot turn.

Of course, these were all obstacles that the Bible warned against. It is impractical for our purposes to trace down every Biblical allusion used in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. It would turn this podcast into an encyclopedia of the Bible. But I shall use the above to illustrate just how rich the allusions are. Notice from the following that in the above short paragraph there are at least seven Biblical Allusions, many more if one traced down all repetitions.

watch and be sober.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8

gave free reins to sin;

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” Romans 6:12

sinned against the light

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Hebrew 6:4-6)

grieved the Spirit,

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)

tempted the devil,

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” (James 1:14)

provoke God to anger,

“Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the Lord. Also in Horeb ye provoked the Lord to wrath, so that the Lord was angry with you to have destroyed you.” (Deuteronomy 9:7-8)

hardened my heart

“Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.” (Proverbs 28: 14)

One message of Pilgrim’s Progress is personal accountability. In the war against Satan on earth, Bunyan analyzes the cunning of Satan; however, he holds us personally accountable for our own actions.

The irony is that the man has put himself in the cage willingly. Christ holds out hope for everyone; however, Satan has so bound the man that he has convinced himself that he can never get out of the cage; therefore, he willfully, from his despair, stays there and refuses to take the steps of repentance necessary to get out of the cage. It is Satan who tells Christians they can’t repent, not God.

Christian asks the Interpreter, “But are there no hopes for such a man as this?” Again, the Interpreter tells Christian, “Ask him.”

Then said Christian, "Is there no hope, but you must be kept in the iron cage of despair?"

It is the man himself who answers the question, not God, Not the Holy Ghost, not the Gospel of repentance. He answers,

“No, none at all.”

Christian tries to tell the man in chains “Why? The Son of the Blessed is very pitiful.” However, the man will not listen to Christian. He declares.

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Season 5 Podcast 36 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 25 E, “The Parable of the Talents Pt 1.”

In the ancient world a talent was a unit of weight used to measure gold and silver. It varied significantly among different countries. A talent in Old Testament Times in Jerusalem, according to some Biblical scholars was 75 pounds. In New Testament times a talent refers to a very large sum of money. Using 75 pounds as the measurement, imagine the worth of a talent of gold in today’s market! We also use the term ‘talent’ to refer to skills or gifts, often referring to the arts, but, of course, the term is generalized to cover any gift of the spirit. In the Parable of the Talents, let’s assume that the man who distributed his talents among his servants was very rich and even the one who was entrusted with one talent had great responsibility.

Another assumption that we must make is the widow’s mite. It didn’t matter, for example, how many talents each was entrusted with. They were equal in the sight of God. What mattered was what they did with the talents God gave to them. There is no evidence in the parable that the person who was given five talents received a greater reward than the person who received only two talents. Both doubled the amount. The only one who was cursed was the one who buried his talent.

A third assumption that we must make is that Jesus is not talking about money. He is talking about service. More particularly he is talking about the conditions for entering the Celestial Kingdom. Let’s examine the opening line of the Parable.

“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.”

As discussed previously, there are two kingdoms of heaven referred to in the scriptures. One is the Kingdom of Heaven in heaven which refers to the throne of God. The other is the Kingdom of God on Earth, which refers to Christ’s church whose purpose is to prepare the children of God to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. That leads to a third assumption. The servants are servants of God left to build the Kingdom of God on Earth until Christ comes again. In other words, they are Christians. These are disciples of Christ. Do not confuse disciples just with the twelve apostles. For example, lets allow Paul to give us a description of who a disciple is.

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:11-16)

A disciple is one who follows Christ. Clearly each person referred to above has a different weight of responsibility. We could even, perhaps, compare the apostles and prophets to those who received five talents, and the others with lesser responsibility receiving fewer talents. It is important to note, however, that position and even responsibility, though necessary to the building up of the kingdom of God on earth is not relevant to their final reward. What is relevant is what they do with the talents entrusted to them.

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Season 5 Podcast 35, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 32, “Science and Atheism.”

On the one hand, I have an almost worshipful attitude toward science and the giants who have moved science forward. What a horrible world we would live in without science. The advancements in medicine, technology, and our understanding of temporal law are nothing less than miraculous. True science and true religion are in perfect harmony because both, above all else, want truth. I am astonished at the genius of science and the genius of the men and women who have dedicated their lives to science. We need more scientists.

I admire those who have an unquenchable thirst for truth, knowledge, and scientific understanding. Truth will never lead one astray when truth is the primary pursuit. It is only when people impose their own philosophy on science and look for scientific validation of their own theories that science turns into propaganda.

I have concerns with those who use science to promote their own atheism. I also have concerns with those who use science to promote their own theism. It is not science. It is pseudoscience. No science, just as no religion, can prove or disprove the existence of God. Belief in God is an act of faith and is not subject to irrefutable empirical evidence.

Some in the name of science have spread their atheism in our schools from K through Twelve, and throughout our colleges and universities. The primary product of a college education today is liberalism, socialism, Marxism, humanism, and atheism. As Christianity is being expelled, atheism is filling the vacuum, being taught as truth; therefore, it is not recognized for the godless propaganda that it is. It is agenda driven, not science driven. Atheism, made legitimate by the declining search for truth, is dressed in the borrowed robes of science.

Personal choice is irrelevant to truth; however, when one uses the supposed authority of science to preach one’s own principles to our youth and thus try to tear down our democracy, our reliance upon God, our faith, and our religion, then I stand first for liberty and condemn all false teachers.

I see propaganda at its worst in the misuse of the theory of evolution. It is an example of taking a brilliant theory and forging it into a double-edged sword to fight against God and religion.

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Season 5 Podcast 34 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 7, Chapter 2 C, “The Interpreter Cont.”

In last week’s episode, we are introduced to The Interpreter. In this week’s episode we continue with The Interpreter.

Then I saw in my dream, that the Interpreter took Christian by the hand and led him into a place where was a fire burning against a wall, and one standing by it, always casting much water upon it, to quench it; yet did the fire burn higher and hotter.

The Interpreter is teaching Christian how to read the symbolism of the Bible. It is probably accurate to assume that John Bunyan has memorized the Bible, if not the Old, certainly the New Testament, for the Biblical allusions are ubiquitous. As Christ sometimes interpreted His parables, The Interpreter interprets each of the scenes in the journey. Christ asks The Interpreter, “What means this?”

The Interpreter answered, "This fire is the work of God that is wrought in the heart: he that casts water upon it to extinguish and put it out, is the devil; but, in that thou seest the fire notwithstanding burn higher and hotter, thou shalt also see the reason of that."

The purpose of Pilgrim’s Progress is to make the invisible world visible. Inherent in Pilgrim’s Progress is that everything has meaning, both temporal meaning and spiritual meaning. In other words, the invisible world, which means the hand of God, and the visible world, which means the world as we see it, coexist; however, all temporal things have spiritual implications.

The paradox becomes even more complex. We all may share a similar physical experience; however, none of us actually perceive it alike. We may even share a similar spiritual experience, yet none of us perceive it alike.

That is the price of mortality. For example, some may look at the night sky and see intelligent design and thus attribute it to the hand of God. Others may look at the same night sky and see the same order yet attribute it to luck or accident or chance or serendipity of circumstances.

That is why the Interpreter is necessary. It is his job to explain the spiritual implications or spiritual feelings of our physical experiences, even if it is in vision. One of the paradoxes of life is that we may have exactly the same physical experience yet none of us see it the same. Even the physical descriptions vary for we are human. What one sees, hears, touches, tastes, or smells in our mortal world another though standing by our side may not.

As to the things which Christian sees, the reader must find analogies to his or her own world. This even the Interpreter cannot do for him. The Interpreter may interpret an event, but he cannot define the event for it is different for every person. For example, “This fire is the work of God that is wrought in the heart,” though visible to Christian, it is not really visible to all people, even all Christians. One must feel the burning of the bosom or the testimony of Christ or the feelings of the Holy Ghost. Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory that symbolizes the spiritual road that every Christian must take. Remember that Christian has forsaken everything to venture on his quest to escape the city of destruction. Bunyan assumes you, like Christian, are on the same journey, on the same path, on the same quest. As shortly made clear by the Interpreter, the end goal of every good Christian is the Celestial Kingdom. Nothing less is acceptable as you will see.

So then he led him about to the other side of the wall, where he saw a man with a vessel of oil in his hand, of the which he did also continually cast, but secretly, into the fire.

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Season 5 Podcast 33 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 25, “The Parable of the Ten Virgins Pt 2.”

If you have not listened to “The Parable of the Ten Virgins,” Pt 1, may we invite you to do so. In Pt 1 we analyzed Revelations 18 and 19 as they related to the Parable of the Ten Virgins. In this podcast we shall examine the text of the parable itself.

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.”

One of the primary purposes of all the parables is to teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven and how to get there. To do that we must first understand which Kingdom of Heaven Christ is referring to. Paul, who was caught up in the third heaven, speaks of three degrees of Glory. He uses light to separate them.

When Christ is describe he is often described by the light of the sun. Paul described Christ this way.

John the Revelator describes the resurrected Lord in the same way.

In the transfiguration, the face of Christ also shown like the sun.

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“And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” (Matthew 17:2)

Christ promises that those who live with him will also shine like the sun.

“Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:43)

It follows then that the Kingdom of Heaven spoken of in the Parable of the Ten Virgins is the Celestial Kingdom. The others shine like the moon and stars. What we have then with the Parable of the Ten Virgins is a representation of the separation of heavens. All are virgins, meaning they lived chaste lives. All began with full lamps. The five wise Virgins are invited into the Celestial Kingdom where the Marriage supper of the Lamb is held. Those five foolish virgins will by default enter the Terrestrial Kingdom, where their bodies will shine like the moon. It is a kingdom of heaven, but Christ does not live there. They will not have a fullness of his light and glory; nevertheless, it is still a kingdom of heaven. There is nothing in their behavior that suggests that they go to hell. They are negligent, but they are not evil. Their sorrow is because they were denied the highest degree of glory where Christ lives.

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Season 5 Podcast 32, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 31, “Principle of Opposition B.”

Satan is by nature without law. He hates law. He hates God. He hates everything God stands for. Satan is eternally under the penalty of the laws of God. The apocalyptic apostle John described the fate of Satan well.

Revelation 20:1-3

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

There are two sets of laws. Temporal laws and spiritual laws. The greatest battle we face on earth is the natural man versus the spiritual man. It is the epic struggle of man to win the war over himself, to have his spiritual desires overcome his natural desires.

The Ten commandments define that war clearly:

Thou shalt not kill.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Thou shalt not steal.

Thou shalt not bear false witness.

Thou shalt not covet

Those all represent the natural man. The two great commandments, Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and love thy neighbor as thyself represent the spiritual man.

Only on earth can that battle take place. Only on earth can we kill, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet. We have earthly lusts, and we covet earthly things. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ tries to turn our hearts to spiritual things.

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Matthew 5:3-11

But opposition does not exist just between temporal laws and spiritual laws, opposition exists within spiritual laws. We see that in the two greatest opposites of all, The Law of Justice versus and the Law of Mercy.

The law of justice represents perfect order. Justice is why there is something rather than nothing, order rather than disorder, law rather than lawlessness, life rather than death, creation rather than maximum equilibrium. God is creator because his laws are perfect. The laws of God represent the very nature of God. Temporal and spiritual law represent the greatest evidence of intelligent design there is. Just as matter and energy self-exist, intelligence self-exists. We are all intelligences. God, the greatest intelligence of all, organized self-existing matter, but first he organized law. Law came first. Order followed. Without law the universe could not come into being. Without law we could not be governed, sanctified, resurrected, preserved, or protected by law. The greatest gift of God is law. Only because of law is there good and evil.

You often speak of paradox. I know, of course, that paradox exists when two thing appear to be contradictory but both are, nevertheless, true. Why is Christianity so filled with paradox?

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Season 5 Podcast 31 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 6, Chapter 2 B, “The Interpreter.”

The main character in Pilgrim’s Progress is named Christian for obvious reason’s. In Bunyan’s mind, every Christian must take the same journey. In other words, the reader is the main character or hero of the story. What Christian learns, the reader must learn.

In last week’s episode, Christian breaks off with Worldly Wiseman and the City of Morality and after being chastised by Evangelist returns to the straight and narrow path.. He meets Goodwill at the Wicket Gate who open heartedly invites him in. One of the first things Christian asks Goodwill is how to get rid of the burden on his back.

Then I saw in my dream, that Christian asked him further if he could not help him off with his burden that was upon his back. For as yet he had not got rid thereof, nor could he by any means get it off without help.

Goodwill gives him a rather strange answer. He told him,

"As to thy burden, be content to bear it until thou comest to the place of deliverance; for there it will fall from thy back of itself."

Then “Christian began to gird up his loins” meaning he was preparing himself for a long journey or for a difficult task. Proverbs 31 tells us, “She girdeth her loins with strength. And strengtheneth her arms.” The image refers to someone tucking their long robe into a girdle or belt so they are not hampered in traveling. One would practically have to memorize the Holy Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments, to pick up all the Biblical allusions in Pilgrim’s Progress. One can hardly read Pilgrim’s Progress without being astonished at his Biblical knowledge. Had he not served twelve years in prison, perhaps Bunyan would never have written Pilgrim’s Progress. There is an analogy with Milton’s Paradise Lost. Milton, who was blind at the time he wrote Paradise Lost was also a kind of prisoner in his own home. He moved to his home outside of London to escape the plague. He too would have known the Bible by heart. Both Milton and Bunyan were perceived as enemies to the crown for their political and religious beliefs. Both Pilgrim’s Progress and Paradise Lost are epic journeys of the soul, while facing enormous opposition, Satan himself being the primary enemy.

Goodwill directs Christian to the house of the Interpreter.

So the other told him that as soon as he was gone some distance from the gate, he would come at the house of the Interpreter, at whose door he should knock, and he would show him excellent things. Then Christian took his leave of his friend, and he again bid him God speed.

The Interpreter, a person much like Evangelist, plays an important role in preparing Christian for his journey. He teaches Christian how to read the Bible by explaining what things mean. While walking through the Interpreter’s home, he sees symbols of things and each symbol must be interpreted. The imagery of the Bible, of course, is heavily symbolic, written in highly poetic language, and requires interpretation. A classic example is the use of Parables by the Savior. Sometimes Christ gave the interpretation and sometimes he didn’t. It is refreshing when Christ interprets his own parables. One gets so much more detail such as the Parable of the Sower.

Then he went on till he came to the house of the Interpreter, where he knocked over and over. At last one came to the door, and asked who was there.

Chris. Sir, here is a traveler who was bid by a friend of the good man of this house to call here for his benefit; I would therefore speak with the master of the house.

So he called for the master of the house, who, after a little time, came to Christian, and asked him what he would have.

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Season 5 Podcast 30 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew 25, “The Parable of the Ten Virgins Pt 1.”

The Oxford Language dictionary defines a parable as “a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.” What distinguishes the stories in the Bible such as taken from the lives of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, John the Baptist, etc. from parables, for the lives of each are used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson? The primary difference is that a parable is considered fiction. A biography is considered nonfiction. If you discount the differences, everyone’s life is a parable.

Perception plays a primary role in everything we do. For example, Christians view the ancient Greeks as idol worshipers; however, some of the greatest spiritual lessons are taught by the Greeks. Non-Christians read the Bible as fiction, yet many agree that it is great literature, teaching valuable truths. Using what Wordsworth called ‘the willing suspension of disbelief,’ Christians may learn from the literature of non-Christians and non-Christians may learn from the literature of Christians. Who, for example, would discount the Iliad, the Odyssey, The Inferno, Paradise Lost, Faery Queene, the works of Shakespeare, etc., simply because the authors took literary license to analyze the human condition? Authors often take liberties with facts to convey truth. A belief in the divinity of Christ is a personal matter. An acceptance of Christ as a master storyteller is universal.

All of the parables of Christ have their uniqueness, emphasizing different virtues, but every one of Christ’s parables have a common purpose—to show us how to enter the celestial kingdom. Linda and I have just finished a brief series of podcasts relating to the use of the word heaven in the Book of Matthew. Terms such as The Kingdom of Heaven, The Kingdom of God, Our Father in Heaven, Heavenly Father are repeated nearly a hundred times in the Book of Matthew alone.

The Parables of Christ are unique because they often begin with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” A comparison using the terms like or as is often referred to as a simile. If the terms ‘like or as’ are left out, it is commonly referred to as a metaphor, saying one thing is another. The connotations are often significantly different. One purpose of a simile is to draw a vivid picture, making the abstract concrete, the general specific. It helps the reader see what the author is saying, comparing the unfamiliar with the familiar. It has the added advantage of designed ambiguity, giving the parable multiple levels or multiple meanings. That is the power of the story. One could say a parable is an extended analogy, a story, or a poem.

Few of the parables get more attention among Christians than the Parable of the Ten Virgins. It is exquisite, and it is disturbing. Who does not feel sorry for the five foolish virgins? Just like the five wise virgins, their oil lamps were full when they began. They all fell asleep. They all didn’t know the Master would delay his coming. Yet only the five wise virgins were allowed in the marriage feast. Why were the other five called foolish when they too heeded the Master’s call?

As background, let’s put the marriage feast in some perspective. To do that let’s go to Revelation 19 of the Book of Revelation. We cannot fully understand the Parable of the Ten Virgins without first understanding Revelation 19.

Revelation 19 is divided into two parts. One is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The other is the “Supper of the Great God.” The first, every Christian would like to attend; the second, no Christian would like to attend. To put it grossly, In the first you eat, in the second you are eaten.

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Season 5 Podcast 29, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 30, “Principle of Opposition A.”

A dilemma of Science is that they use existence itself as the cause of existence. They turn to the genetic code, evolution, and the big bang. The problem is that all three are evidence of intelligent design and science categorically rejects intelligent design. They insist on clinging to a God of chance. To science life is a lottery. We are here by happy accident only to be consumed by a giant heat death. We are insects flying into the flame.

Fortunately for man science collectively has one very important virtue. They believe inherently in law and they are constantly, often ingeniously looking for answers, and their discoveries are often mind boggling. Their contribution to medicine, to technology, to communication, to the origins of things, and so on is magnificent. Where would we be without practical science? Regardless of personal philosophy, their inherent acceptance of order guarantees their ongoing integrity and their ongoing contribution to our survival.

But on religious matters we cannot look to science. If they can look through the Hubble telescope and see the endless creations of God and yet not see the hand of God, then we may assume that if God were standing before them, they would examine the light of his countenance, but they would deny his presence and his power.

However, we cannot understand God without understanding the principle of opposition. If there is God, there must be Satan, if there is good, there must be evil, if there is light, there must be darkness, if there is law, there must be lawlessness, if there is heaven, there must be hell, if there is joy, there must be misery.

The first thing we must understand is who God is and who Satan is. They are opposites. If they didn’t exist, everything would be meaningless. We have freewill only because we have a spirit endowed with an immortal intelligence. We have agency only because we are enticed by both God and Satan. We have freedom only because we have both a spirit body and a physical body faced with a multiplicity of choices. We have liberty only because we have the Ten Commandments. We have a democratic republic only because we have a strong Constitution and an inspired Bill of Rights. None of those can survive in a world of relativity. We must have absolutes and law provides absolutes. All laws of God increase freedom. Disobedience to the laws of God, whether temporal or spiritual, reduces freedom. If you seek freedom elsewhere, you will find captivity camouflaged as freedom.

We need to understand the nature of God so that we can understand who we worship or what we worship. We need to understand the nature of Satan so that we can understand who the enemy is. We often love that which we should fear.

In Christian terms, the two most important attributes of God are omniscience, all knowing, and omnipotence, all powerful. If God did not possess those attributes, then he could not be trusted. He would be constantly experimenting. We would be guinea pigs. Everything we see would be a giant experiment. To God there can be no surprises and no uncertainties.

Another significant attribute of God is that he is a God of perfect order. He is unchangeable. If he were a changeable God, then we would be constantly unsettled, uncertain.

Agency depends upon us being able to serve one or the other, to become like one or the other, to imitate one or the other, God or Satan. Opposition brings choices and choices coupled with knowledge brings agency.

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Season 5 Podcast 28 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 5, Chapter 2 A. “Goodwill.”

In last week’s episode, Christian, after being led off the straight and narrow way, escaped Mr. Worldly Wiseman, Legality, Civility, and The Village of Morality which tried to lure him into the wisdom of the world rather than following the path outlined in the Bible. Evangelist helps guide Christian back on the straight and narrow path which leads to the Wicket Gate where he meets Mr. Goodwill.

Then did Christian begin to go back to the right road; and Evangelist, after he had kissed him, gave him one smile, and bid him God speed; so he went on with haste, neither spake he to any man by the way; nor, if any asked him, would he give them an answer. He went like one that was all the while treading on forbidden ground, and could by no means think himself safe, till again he was got in the way which he had left to follow Mr. Worldly Wiseman's counsel: so after a time, Christian got up to the gate. Now, over the gate there was written, "Knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

Part of the genius of Bunyan is in the meticulous way he analyzes the road to salvation. As we continue in Pilgrim’s Progress, note the role of freewill and agency. Let me first distinguish the difference between the two terms.

First of all, intelligence self-exists. It cannot be created or destroyed. Intelligence is who we are. It is our consciousness. Will is inherent in our intelligence or spirit as is potential also. Freewill is a product of law. God created our spirit body in his image which houses our intelligence. The spirit has freewill, not the body. The spirit has intelligence, not the body. The spirit has life in itself, not the body. The body is subject to temporal laws. The spirit isn’t. The body dies. The spirit doesn’t. The only way we can lose our freewill is to give it away. We are enticed by God to do good. We are enticed by Satan to do evil. The spirit, not the body or brain, chooses whom it will serve. God protects our freewill. Satan tries to take it away or have us forfeit it.

Agency, on the other hand, is related to our knowledge of good and evil. Agency is the ability to choose between good and evil. We lose freewill when we willfully allow Satan to take over our spirit. We lose agency when we call good evil and evil good. Notice the scripture referred to above, “Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” God does not impose his will upon you. That is among the differences between God and Satan. Satan will, if allowed, impose his will upon you. Satan seeks death and captivity. God seeks eternal life and freedom. That is among the primary differences between God and Satan. For the door to be opened to Christ, you must first knock. That preserves your agency.

Also notice in the above that Christian had a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Humility is a necessary virtue to finding Christ. Worldly Wiseman, Legality, and Civility did not possess humility. They were proud and sought to replace God. The Village of Morality is a misnomer. Bunyan was being ironic. It could more accurately be called The Village of Sliding Ethics. It replaced the absolute laws of God with relative values. That is why it had no foundation. Christian continues to knock until someone answers. Notice that Christian has a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

"May I now enter here? Will He within Open to sorry me, though I have been An undeserving rebel? Then shall I Not fail to sing His lasting praise on high."

The gate keeper knows that Christian is there; however, he does not run to the gate. Remember that Christian had veered off the straight and narrow path. Before entering the gate, he had to prove his humility.

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Season 5 Podcast 27 The Stories of the New Testament, The Book of Matthew, “Heaven PT 3.”

The first principle of the gospel is faith. Heaven is invisible. God is invisible. It requires faith to believe in God and in heaven. Christ condemns those who wish to bypass faith. Science, which excels in revealing temporal laws, has done a miserable job whenever it dabbles in spiritual things. Science refers to the accidental universe. Science dismisses intelligent design. Science dismisses anything that cannot be proven in a lab. Science has removed God from the discussion of the origin of earth and man. Therefore, Christ dismisses those who seek for a sign.

The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.

The irony, of course, is that the apostle Paul uses heaven to teach about the kingdoms of God as discussed earlier. If the Pharisees and Sadducees cannot see the sun, moon, and stars as evidence of God and intelligent design, they aren’t going to believe any other signs from heaven either. They are like the people of Capernaum. More miracles were performed there than in any other city, yet they rejected God.

The tremendous irony of the following dilemma is the contrast between the disciples of Jesus and the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees and Sadducees wanted a sign from heaven. The disciples assumed that Jesus was the Christ and thus Lord of heaven and wanted to know who was greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Reading between the lines, there is more to their question. They are joggling for power. Let me refer you to the time that James and John came to Jesus asking to be able to sit on his right hand and on his left.

“And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:35-45)

The same question appears to be on all the apostle’s minds.

At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And he said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

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Season 5 Podcast 26, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 29, “Practical Science vs Theoretical Science.”

Scientists claim that earth, the solar system, the Milky Way Galaxy, the cosmos, and man were all created by accident. Bertrand Russell, a mathematician, and philosopher, said that man is “an accidental collocation of atoms.”

Christians need to understand that there are two sciences: The first is practical science based on temporal laws. The second is theoretical science, based on opinion or personal interpretation. Theoretical science is nothing but theories until proven fact by the scientific method. Some theories, of course, can never be proven or disproven, such as the existence of God, the origin of life, the purpose of the earth, or the existence of life after death. Unfortunately, scientists or those who pretend to use science to prove their personal agenda do not always distinguish between practical science and theoretical science. They present the theories of scientists or philosophers as if they were proven fact rather than inference.

Science can be both inductive and deductive. Inductive science begins with facts and ends with conclusions. Deductive science begins with theories and organizes evidence to prove it. Ultimately true science must end in the lab where theories are validated by the scientific method using experimentation and repetition where the outcomes must meet the predictions. How many remember the fiasco of cold fusion?

However, when the purpose of science is to validate opinion rather than to discover truth, then science is no longer science. When theories are given as facts, then science becomes mere propaganda. Science today in political circles is being used to further the agenda of the left as shown by global warming. It becomes opinion supported by opinion, a very shaky foundation. Science should be apolitical, devoted only to the truth and natural law and not to further a cause.

Some of scientist’s pet theories are still just theories such as The Big Bang, The giant heat death, the age of the universe, the origins of man, etc. Probably no theory is more abused than the theory of evolution. Clearly evolution in species exists, but those who claim that because of evolution God doesn’t exist, or man was created by accident, or man came from monkey, etc. commit the fallacy of false analogy. They carry the theory of evolution further than scientific evidence allows.

When man uses science as authority to validate personal opinions that can never be proven, they commit the fallacy of ‘appeal to authority” or if they appeal to the number of people who support their claim, they commit the fallacy of ‘appeal to majority.’ Neither are valid arguments.

Practical science appeals to law which is predictable and exquisitely and unerringly ordered. Theoretical science appeals to authority which is subject to the preconceived notions of the scientist. Individually people may believe what they wish to believe, but to remain science, science must remain neutral on the existence of God. The only rational claim is that they don’t know and leave it at that. Christians may take any law relative to the creation of man or earth and claim intelligent design. However Christians cannot prove the existence of God any more than atheists, scientists or otherwise, can disprove the existence of God. God is entirely faith based.

One of my favorite analogies must remain anonymous because I cannot remember the author. I just remember the plot. A little boy told his friend that he controlled him. Every time his friend did anything, he said, “I made you do that.” Finally, the friend grew tired of the little boy and punched him squarely in the nose. Nonplussed the little boy said, “I made you do that.”

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Season 5 Podcast 25 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 4, Chapter 1 D. “Mr. Worldly Wiseman.”

In last week’s episode, Christian escaped the Slough of Despond and while on the way to the Wicket Gate met Mr. Worldly Wiseman who warned him that if he followed the advice of Evangelist he would find nothing but sorrow. Cristian explains to Mr. Worldly Wiseman that the burden was already more than he could bear.

Why, sir, this burden upon my back is more terrible to me than all these things which you have mentioned; nay, methinks I care not what I meet with in the way, if so be I can also meet with deliverance from my burden.

The reason Christian left his family in the first place was to find a way to escape the calamity that was to come foretold in the Bible, making reference to end of the world. When he discovers the answer, he will come back and save his family. The burden he carries is caused by the condition of the fall of man. He fears the destruction of the world. He fears what happens to his eternal soul, and of course, he flees from guilt caused by sin. All of these weigh heavily on him. The advice of Evangelist is to follow the teachings of the Bible which are very difficult. The advice of Worldly Wiseman is to follow the philosophy of the world which is easier, dismissing the idea of original sin. Worldly Wiseman asks,

How camest thou by the burden at first?

Christian speaks for himself and all other Christians.

By reading this book in my hand.

This book refers to the Holy Bible. Pilgrim’s Progress could have been written today for it fits our progressive world precisely. Worldly Wiseman gives the same answer that would be given by modern atheists, modern psychologists, and modern universities.

I thought so. And it has happened unto thee as unto other weak men, who, meddling with things too high for them, do suddenly fall into thy crazy thoughts, which thoughts do not only unman men, as thine I perceive have done thee, but they run them upon desperate efforts to obtain they know not what.

The modern mind sees religion as a weakness. As Karl Marx said, ‘Religion is the opiate of the masses.’ Worldly Wiseman also echoes the Marxian idea that only the elite have the intelligence to rule; the proletariat or the common man does not have the ability to rule themselves. Christian is focused on one thing, getting rid of his burden; therefore, he is susceptible to the advice of Worldly Wiseman.

I know what I would obtain; it is ease for my heavy burden.

Worldly Wiseman’s answer is in harmony with modern psychology which leans toward atheism and determinism. They seek scientific remedies through counseling, drugs, and group therapy.

But why wilt thou seek for ease this way, seeing so many dangers attend it? Especially since (hadst thou but patience to hear me,) I could direct thee to the getting of what thou desirest, without the dangers that thou in this way wilt run thyself into. Yea, and the remedy is at hand. Besides, I will add that, instead of those dangers, thou shalt meet with much safety, friendship, and content.

Christian is offered the easy way and immediately grasps it.

Sir, I pray, open this secret to me.

Worldly Wiseman directs Christian to go to the village of Morality. He has confused modern ethics with Christian morality. The one is relative, the other absolute. He sends Christian to Legality. Legality represents the idea that what is legal is also what is right. People, not God decide what is good and what is evil. He is introduced to the relative morality, where people depend upon experts. In other words, those trained in the universities rather than the words of apostles and prophets found in the Bible. He hints that religion is a form of Insanity.

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Season 5 Podcast 24 The Stories of the New Testament, The Book of Matthew, “Heaven PT 2.”

The following statement by the Savior to his disciples has always been a bit of an enigma.

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

We have a distinction. There is the Kingdom of Heaven where God sits on his throne, and we have a Kingdom of God on earth. The Kingdom of God on earth refers to the church Christ organized while in his ministry. Paul gives the organization of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Ephesians 4:10-14)

The primary purpose of the Kingdom of God, on earth is to prepare his saints to enter the Celestial Kingdom spoken of by Paul. As you can see from the writings of Paul above, the purpose of the church, or Kingdom of God on earth, is to perfect the saints, to edify or enlighten the body of Christ, to unify the saints, meaning to keep the doctrine pure, to teach the saints knowledge of the Son of God, to make the saints Christ like, and to keep the saints from false doctrines taught by the cunning of man and Satan.

The Savior, of course, is the key. He is the only way we can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Christ works only under the direction of the Father; however, it is Christ’s church on earth which is referred to as the Kingdom of God on earth. In the Book of Matthew, the phrase ‘The Kingdom of God’ is used six times. Each usage refers to the establishment of Christ’s Church.

Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

Those who confess or preach or bear witness of Christ, Christ himself will bear witness of them to the Father which is in heaven. Likewise, those on earth who deny Christ, those will Christ deny before his Father which is in heaven.

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Season 5 Podcast 23, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 28, “His Many Mansions.”

Having imperfections on earth is the price of mortality. Without mortality we could not comprehend or appreciate immortality. The principle of opposition is necessary. If we don’t know sorrow, we can never know joy. God does not create his children like cars on an assembly line, each product just like the one before. We are free agents to choose for ourselves. On earth we are in a malleable stage. There will never be another experience like earth. God created us so that we could create ourselves. The children’s writer Lloyd Alexander called us “A Great Perhaps.” We are now determining what we will be like forever. Every decision we make on this mortal earth determines who we shall become in the eternities. When man creates, he controls the end product. Quality assurance it is called. When God creates, he endows his creations with the power to become whatever it is they wish to become. The Holy Scriptures are a guideline to eternal progression. We may choose to follow those guidelines or not. We may follow the enticements of God which lead to liberty and eternal life, or we may follow the enticements of Satan which lead to captivity and eternal damnation.

When we think of damnation we automatically think of hell, but really it merely means the end of progression. It is true that there is a hell where some will be punished for their sins, but the only real damnation is the end of progression in an eternity of open opportunity. A mortal body is perfect for mortal earth, but only a resurrected immortal body can give us the freedom we need in heaven where there is no end to progression. Imagine sitting idle for eternity. If you want a good description of hell, there could be no greater damnation than eternal idleness. There will be a huge variety in heaven.

Paul introduces the doctrine of three heavens or three separate degrees of glory in 1 Corinthians 15: 40-41:

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

The only distinguishing characteristics of resurrected beings are light and glory.

Light and glory translate to truth and power. The greater the light and glory, the greater the truth and power. The greater the truth and power, the greater the freedom. Paul uses light and glory to describe his vision of Christ to King Agrippa:

“At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. … And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.”

Speaking of the transfiguration we are told that Christ

“…was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him..” (Matthew 17:2-3)

John the Revelator, who also saw the resurrected Christ in vision, tells us,

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Season 5 Podcast 22 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 3, Chapter 1 C. “The Slough of Despond.”

In last week’s episode, we left Christian floundering in the Slough of Despond. Remembering these are types, Obstinate, Pliable, and Christian demonstrate three different responses to discouragement. Obstinate quits before the journey begins. Pliable immediately upon falling in the Slough of Desponds, abandons Christian, finds his way out, returns home, and turns Christian’s neighbors against him. Only Christian endures. In this episode we are introduced to Help.

“Wherefore Christian was left to tumble in the Slough of Despond alone; but still he tried to struggle to that side of the slough which was farthest from his own house, and next to the wicket-gate; the which, he did but could not get out because of the burden that was upon his back; but I beheld in my dream, that a man came to him whose name was Help, and asked him, What he did there?”

Christian informs Help that Evangelist instructed him to go to yonder Wicket Gate to escape the wrath to come. However, he accidently fell into the Slough of Despond. A slough is a swamp which, of course, is very difficult to navigate and filled with dangers such as heavy bogs that will swallow you up. It also symbolizes an end to progress. Despond, meaning despondent means to lose faith or become depressed or low spirited or discouraged. Help asks.

“But why did you not look for the steps?”

Christian responds.

“Fear followed me so hard, that I fled the next way and fell in.”

The swamp could have been avoided; however, Pilgrim’s Progress is a journey epic. It is the journey that counts, and Christian learns valuable lessons. Bunyan, of course, a Bible scholar which he refers to as The Book in Pilgrim’s Progress, learns to have patience. Therefore, I shall provide Biblical references some of which may have inspired Bunyan during his twelve years in prison.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” (Psalms 40:1-2)

Christian learns not to give in to fear.

“In your patience possess ye your souls.” (Luke 21:19

“Let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:2)

“ Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” James 1:3)

And he also learns endurance.

“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Revelation: 2:10)

Having learned these lessons. As suggested above he learns one more as stated by Peter,

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

Help said,

"Give me thine hand." So he gave him his hand, and he drew him out, and set him upon solid ground, and bade him go on his way.”

Bunyan, of course, knows the end from the beginning. He knows the journey is necessary. It is Christian’s own fault that he fell into the Slough of Despond. Keep in mind that Christian’s questions are actually directed to the Lord. This is a spiritual journey. The narrator, which is Bunyan, steps into the story and asks Help the following question.

Then I stepped to him that plucked him out, and said, "Sir, wherefore, since over this place is the way from the City of Destruction to yonder gate, is it that this place is not mended, that poor travelers might go thither with more safety?"

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Season 5 Podcast 21 The Stories of the New Testament, The Book of Matthew, Matthew 25 A, “Heaven PT 1.”

In this podcast we shall discuss the term ‘heaven’ as it is used in The Book of Matthew. By my count the word ‘heaven’ or its derivation is used approximately 86 times in the Book of Matthew. That does not include references to the Kingdom of God, which is the same thing.

Of those times heaven is mentioned, 11 are parables defining the Kingdom of Heaven, 12 if you consider the parable of the sheep and goats, though the word heaven is not used explicitly. The other references to heaven explore what heaven is, and who lives there. First let’s consider the use of the term heaven.

Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

This, of course, opens up many possibilities. The Olivet Sermon found in Matthew 24 talks about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the Second Coming of Christ. Clearly the above is a reference to the Second Coming. Matthew 24 ties in closely with the Book of Revelation. John was one of the four apostles on the Mount of Olives when the question was asked the Savior, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world?’

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

The above is unique because we have the appearance of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost at the same time. Christ, of course, is in the flesh, being baptized. The Holy Ghost descends from heaven like a dove and lights upon him. That does not mean that the Holy Ghost took the form of a dove. That means that the Holy Ghost descended from heaven like a dove descending from the sky and lighting upon a person. From that point on Christ has the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost dwells in his heart. And then we hear a voice from heaven from the Father saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ This launches Christ’s ministry. He immediately goes into the wilderness to be attended by angels and taught by the Father during an extended fast. In the wilderness he is also visited by Satan who tempts him to turn his back on the Father and follow him.

Having prepared himself by fasting and praying in the wilderness for an extended period of time, he begins his ministry with what many call the greatest sermon ever given: ‘The Sermon on the Mount.’ In the following excerpts from the sermon, we learn some of the attributes necessary to inherit the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

To be poor in spirit doesn’t mean to be depressed. It means to be humble. To be persecuted for righteousness sake means to endure to the end. As clearly taught by Paul we are saved by grace, but Christ makes it clear that grace, though free, is not unconditional. He spent his entire ministry outlining the conditions of grace. For example,

Let your alight so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

He is speaking of the light of Christ which is manifested through works. Christ is the model. It is his works that we should imitate, making us ambassadors for Christ. Christ is asking us to be like him. Everything Christ did, he did in obedience to the Father.

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Season 5 Podcast 20, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 27, “How Satan Works Pt 2.”

Satan knows that faith in God is the most powerful weapon we have; therefore, he tries to divert our faith to other sources, such as a strong leader, the government, one’s own abilities, and so on. Satan does not conquer us by immediately attacking our faith in God. First he must convince us there is no God, that we live in an accidental universe, that we are an accidental collocation of atoms, that God is a myth and religion is the opiate of the masses.

Satan knows that direct opposition only strengthens our faith and builds up our resistance. Satan controls us by appealing to the natural man, whispering in our ear that all desires are natural and are therefore good. He persuades us to worship the word natural.

Contrarywise, if Satan observes that we tend toward religious asceticism, he will urge us to fanaticism, to hate the body, a gift of God, and to give our life over to religious fanaticism, thus creating a gross imbalance.

Satan knows that the Golden Mean is a virtue when we remain within the boundaries established by the Lord; therefore, Satan subtly removes opposition by getting us to ignore the spiritual environment and focus on the flesh. He diverts our attention to self-interests, thus ignoring the needs of others.

Satan knows that our nation was founded on Christian values; therefore, he promotes a New World Order that declares an all-out war on what is now perceived as outdated Christian values.

Satan is cunning and cunning rather than wisdom rules our world today. Satan knows that if he can get us to call good evil and evil good, he has won a great victory. Today, each of the old values is condemned as a violation of rights. Freedom of speech is used as an excuse to allow a more permissive society. Rights replace freedom, and morality becomes a legal term, removed from the teachings of Christ. The state becomes our God and tells us what is good and what is evil; thus, we relegate our conscience to the state and to man-made laws.

Satan knows that he must destroy freedom of speech thus forbidding churches to condemn the new morality as sin; therefore, he makes censorship look like a virtue. Speaking against sin is called hate speech and becomes punishable by law. That is why Satan invented political correctness, thus calling good evil and evil good.

Satan knows that as long as a belief in God is stronger than their belief in man, people cannot be controlled; therefore, he would have us abolish religion, especially Christianity, for Satan is the Antichrist.

Satan also knows that political Correctness provides the balance necessary for the new world order. Freedom of speech can be used to allow any obscenity, but it cannot not be used to condemn the new system of ethics. Satan knows that he must destroy freewill, agency, and liberty, but maintain the words freedom, rights, democracy, and patriotism.

Satan knows that to ennoble sin, Christian sermons must be censored, but only in the name of rights or the greater good. Satan uses public funds, fines, and federal lawsuits to punish those who refuse to buckle to the new world order.

Satan also knows that the family must be destroyed for a new world order to rise. He saw that for over two hundred years the family has been the first defense against evil in our nation. However, Satan is cunning. He knows that he cannot destroy human bonds or the natural attraction between men and women; therefore, rather than disband the family, he redefines the family and calls it The Modern Family. Absolute ideas of gender give rise to the old family order; therefore, he redefines gender and says it is a choice and uses science to prove it.

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Season 5 Podcast 19 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s

Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory; therefore, the names are types or symbols. For example, Pliable who agrees to accompany Christian symbolizes all those who are agreeable and easy to manipulate. They are unreliable and take the easiest way. They do not lead. They follow. Pilgrim’s Progress reads much like a very long sermon. The model, of course, is taken from the Bible itself, which Christian refers to as ‘The Book.’ Evangelist teaches strictly from The Book. In Pilgrim’s Progress we will meet characters, such as Wordly Wiseman who give advice contrary to The Book as well as other characters such as Help who give advice in harmony with The Book. Worldly Wiseman is very persuasive because he bases his advice on logic unencumbered by religious dogmatism. He sounds very logical. Christian told Worldly Wiseman that he is carrying a heavy burden. Worldly Wise simply said, “Put it down.” In other words, you don’t need to go through the steps of repentance. Simply get rid of the guilt. Use counselling if necessary. Use mediation. Use the legal system. Pilgrim’s Progress is ingenious but not subtle. It is didactic not ironic.

Anyone familiar with the Holy Bible is well aware of its generous use of simile, metaphor, analogy, allegory, and parables. For example, in the story of the fall of the house of Gideon, Abimelech, a son of Gideon born to a concubine from the tribe of Shechem. Abimelech conspires with fellow tribesman to murder all the other sons of Gideon and make himself King of Israel. With the help of hired assassins he murders his seventy brothers. Only one brother escapes. It is Jotham.

Jotham confronts Abimelech and his followers with the following allegory.

“And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.”

The richness of the allegory lies in understanding the importance of the Olive Tree, the Fig Tree and the Grape Vines to the House of Israel as well as the symbolism of the brambles. The first three symbols represent peace, prosperity, healing, security, law, and order. They symbolize the people of the covenant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The brambles symbolize just the opposite. They are to be cast into the fire and burned.

Jotham prophesied,

“If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

Pilgrim’s Progress is just one long allegory. Bunyan uses the Bible as the only standard of judgment, and all of his characters are inspired by stories from the Holy Bible.

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Season 5 Podcast 18 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 24 “The Sign of Thy Coming and the End of the World Pt C.”

In this podcast we shall continue with Matthew 24. We shall discuss vs 32- 51.

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.”

The Savior makes it very simple. In the temporal world, we can all recognize the seasons. Those who are close to the soil become very adept at reading the seasons. In my yard I have five fig trees. Fig trees are very hearty plants. When I planted my fig trees I also planted apple trees, peach trees, and plumb trees. None survived but the fig trees, and all of them survived.

The fig tree a metaphor is historically important in Scriptures. In the creation story, the fig tree symbolizes modesty.

Genesis 3:7

7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Traditionally the fig tree symbolizes peace and safety.

1 Kings 4:25

25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon.

It also represented healing.

2 Kings 20:7

7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

In addition, it symbolized law and order

Matthew 7:16

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

The above is dramatically illustrated in one of the tragic stories of the Old Testament. Abimelech, Gideon’s son by his concubine, a woman from Shechem, murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Gideon’s many wives, to become king. Jotham, the only other surviving son of Gideon gave the following parable:

7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.

8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.

9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.

11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?

12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.

13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.

15 And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. (Judges 9:7-15)

The olive, the fig, and the grape are symbols of law and order and goodness and fruitfulness. The bramble is a symbol of evil and barrenness and lawlessness and disorder. In the following parable the fig tree is cursed because it does not bear fruit. It symbolizes those children of the covenant who do not follow the commandments of God.

Matthew 21:19

19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.

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Season 5 Podcast 17, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 26, “How Satan Works Pt 2.”

The new world order understands that to control the individual, they must control the environment, and Christianity stands in the way. A new world order cannot replace our democratic republic as long as a belief in self-reliance, freewill, agency, freedom, and liberty, as well as a belief in the importance of the individual, a belief in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and a belief in God override a belief in the state.

Those who promote the new world order know that Christian values must be replaced with Political Correctness; otherwise, conscience cannot be controlled.

They understand that critical thinking must be replaced with indoctrination, truth with propaganda, freedom with rights, and absolute law with relative ethics; otherwise, the soul cannot be controlled.

Have you given thought to what gives you freewill? By that I mean your basic makeup? We think of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell as our link to the physical world. Those are gifts of God that inherently come with the body, but there is more than animalism that separates man from all other living things. We have a mind superior to all other intelligences on earth. We have a spirit that is immortal, that contains life in itself. We are spirit children of God with a divine nature. Only in the spirit is there life, consciousness, intelligence, and freewill. It is not in the physical body. We have a heart that feels eternal things that the other senses do not feel. We have—and this applies to every human being on earth—the spirit of Christ given to us at birth that helps us discern right from wrong. We have access to the Holy Ghost which bears witness of Christ and gives inspiration, revelation, and intuition to our souls. We are very complex beings living in a complex world.

Science tries to convince us that we are animals, machines, or robots without freewill. That is a false analogy. Our intelligence or consciousness has always existed and will continue to exist from eternity to eternity. Each of us is unique in the universe, and there is no doppelganger, no clone, no other you.

One of the greatest gifts of God is agency. He protects our agency. We may give it away, but it cannot be taken from us. Satan wishes to take away our agency and freewill, but he doesn’t have the power, though he wants us to think he does. We must give it away of our own accord.

There is another element to our nature that the world denies but Christians do not. We are enticed by God to do good. We are enticed by Satan to do evil—that is the core of agency. Without that dual enticement there would be no agency. That is the only reason God allows Satan to remain on earth. In the Apostle Peter’s words as stated in 1 Peter 5:2

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

2 RON

Evil spirits, though invisible to our gross eyes, are real.

“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”

What do you think those evil spirits are doing on earth. They have no physical bodies. They do not sleep. They do not eat, drink, and be merry. They do not feel love or joy or happiness. All they know is misery and hatred and anger, and their goal is to make your life as miserable as theirs. Later in Revelation 12 John records.

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Season 5 Podcast 16 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 1, Chapter 1 A, “The Dream.”

First I would like to give credit to Project Guttenberg for their outstanding services in making classic books in the public domain available. Their library is vast, and I am indebted for their services and strongly recommend that you peruse their library. All direct quotes from Bunyan’s Classic tale are taken from Project Guttenberg. The explication is my own.

John Bunyan is a contemporary of John Milton. In earlier Podcasts Linda and I explored all twelve books of Milton’s extraordinary epic poem, Paradise Lost. Our purpose with John Milton as well as John Bunyan —and may I add Edmund Spenser’s Faerie Queene which we just completed—is to faithfully present their views of the Christian experience through their art. Our reference is the King James Bible. Milton, Bunyan, and Spenser all have one thing in common. Theirs is the journey epic, symbolizing the journey that we all must take in returning to paradise or to heaven our former home. It is no coincidence that the King James Bible is written in the same epic form.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines epic as “A poem, typically derived from ancient oral tradition, which celebrates in the form of a continuous narrative the achievements of one or more heroic characters of history or legend.”

Examples of Epic Poetry are The Old Testament, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Spenser’s Faerie Queen, Milton’s Paradise Lost, Dante’s Inferno, Virgil’s Aeneid. Bunyan’s epic, Pilgrim’s Progress, is unique. The classic epic hero is a king or queen or prophet or great hero. Christian, who represents all Christians seeking salvation, is an ordinary person. Bunyan himself was a tinker. The classic epic style is elevated poetry. Pilgrim’s Progress can be read by children.

In addition, Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory. Christian is the only character that represents a person, though it represents all Christians on a journey to salvation. The other characters are types that symbolize virtues or vices such as Obstinate, Pliable, Evangelist, and Worldly Wise. We know by their names what they represent. The allegory clearly fits well with Bunyan’s purpose since virtues lead us to heaven and vices lead us to hell. Spenser does the same thing in the Faerie Queen, the story of the Redcross Knight. We have the House of Pride vs The House of Holiness, the seven deadly sins vs the seven heavenly virtues.

Pilgrim’s Progress begins with a dream. Please note that I take some liberties in truncating the speeches as it is impractical to quote every word though I will try to be as faithful as possible to the original text. Linda reads directly from the text. Christian is speaking.

As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den, and laid me down in that place to sleep; and as I slept, I dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold, I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked, and saw him open the book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled; and, not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, "What shall I do?"

Pilgrim’s Progress is the story of a poor man who is unhappy with his sinful life and, therefore, seeks repentance. The ‘book in hand’ is The Holy Bible. The ‘burden on his back’ is a knowledge of his sins. He feels remorse and wants to know the way of repentance and redemption. Christian has a family; therefore, he goes home and pours out his heart to his wife.

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Season 5 Podcast 15 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 24 “The Sign of Thy Coming and the End of the World Pt B.”

In last week’s podcast we examined Matthew 24 as it related to the Second Coming of Christ. We used the Book of Revelation to shed light on Matthew 24. This week we shall continue that discussion. In Matthew 24: 22-28 we read.

“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.”

Satan is the great counterfeiter. When Christ actually comes there will be no ambiguity. In Revelation 1 John gives us the following description of his Second Coming.

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” (Revelation 1:7)

In Matthew 24: 29-30, Christ describes the extraordinary weather conditions that will occur prior to his appearing.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Notice that in the above John said, “immediately after the tribulation of those days.” In Christian terminology it is known as “The Great Tribulation.” In review The Great Tribulation will have wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes. And those are just the beginning of sorrows. The saints will be killed and hated of all nations for believing in Christ. There will be betrayal, hatred, false prophets, abounding iniquity, love growing cold. It is the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel. There is no precedent in the history of the world for the intensity of tribulation. Unless the days are shortened no flesh could be saved.

And that is the prelude to the conditions quoted above. John the Revelator refers to the above even as the opening of the sixth seal.

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Season 5 Podcast 14, “Environment of Hope.”

Speaking of the last days Jesus warned:

“Men’s hearts failing them for fear.” (Luke 21:26)

“5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.” (Isaiah 1:5)

“Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt; And they shall be afraid.” (Isaiah 13:7-8)

The scriptures above point out that in the last days many will live in an environment of fear. The question is, ‘Can we control our own environment?’ Can we create an environment of hope?

The answer must be yes for the scriptures serve as a warning to those who believe them. Those who believe can either change the outcome or protect themselves against it. Not all environments are negative. Everything has its opposite. Just as we should avoid environments that pose danger, we should seek environments that increase success; still we must remain independent in all environments and obey our own conscience. One can ride a good horse to one’s own death. Even television, electronic games, and cell phones, though they serve a great purpose, in electronic excess are robbing many of their freedom.

History has shown, that no matter what promises are made by those in power to lure one into captivity, the environments of socialism, communism, and totalitarianism always end in misery, captivity, poverty, oppression, and loss of freedom.

Freewill comes when one chooses to enter the environment of freedom. Freewill continues if one has the option to remain in, to change, or to leave the environment, as long as one has the power to say no. We have freewill if we can choose the conditions that promote freewill. We no longer have freewill when we are compelled to choose the same conditions over and over and over. One is not free if every time one is confronted with temptation one gives in to temptation while protesting that if he wished he could quit at any time.

Any environment, no matter how laudatory, that robs one of freewill has the potential for evil. To be free one must be free not only to enter the environment at will, but also to leave the environment at will without fear of reprisal. As addiction to a healing drug overpowers the will, enslavement to any cause can lead to a greater evil than the cause purports to cure. Many have served the devil, thinking they were serving God.

In the end if we wish to change ourselves, we must also change our environment. If we wish to break a habit, we must first break the pattern that fed the habit. If we wish to save our children, we must create an environment where evil is not the major attraction. If we wish to preserve our liberty, we must create an environment governed by the law of liberty which are the Ten Commandments of God. If we abrogate our responsibility, the ones who govern our children will be the ones who govern the environment our children live in.

But in the end, we know the game; we make the choice; we choose the conditions. The consequences choose us. We live in dangerous times. The new world movement wishes to create an environment where rights are increased but where freedom and agency and all other Christian values are decreased. Let me refine the meaning of terms:

· Freedom is directly related to the number of choices available.

· Agency is the ability to discern between absolute good and absolute evil.

· Liberty is the ability to make those choices.

Here are three things to consider.

The laws of nature give us freedom.
The laws of God give us agency.
The laws of the land give us liberty.

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Season 5 Podcast 13 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 12 Pt IV Episode 41 “The Marriage of Una and the Redcross Knight.”

Welcome to the final episode of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen. In last week’s episode, there was a tremendous celebration upon the death of the dragon. The Redcross Knight is honored. The King of Eden announced the betrothal of his daughter Una to the Redcross Knight; however, the knight must first serve the Faerie Queene for seven more years. As they celebrate the betrothal a letter is delivered by courier to the King declaring that the Redcross Knight is already engaged to Fidessa. Fidessa, who wrote the letter, is actually Duessa, an evil witch who has devoted her life to destroying the Redcross Knight for killing her lover Sans Foy in battle.

After reading the letter the astonished king turns to the Redcross Knight and commands him to answer the charges.

When he these bitter byting wordes had red,

The tydings straunge did him abashed make,

That still he sate long time astonished,

As in great muse, ne word to creature spake.

At last his solemne silence thus he brake,

With doubtfull eyes fast fixed on his guest;

Redoubted knight, that for mine onely sake

Thy life and honour late adventurest,

Let nought be hid from me, that ought to be exprest.

He asks the Redcross Knight a number of questions:

· What do the vows and idle threats mean?

· What solemn vows of marriage before God were made?

· What crimes are you hiding?

What meane these bloody vowes, and idle threats,

Throwne out from womanish impatient mind?

What heavens? what altars? what enraged heates

Here heaped up with termes of love unkind,

My conscience cleare with guilty bands would bind?

High God be witnesse, that I guiltlesse ame.

But if your selfe, Sir knight, ye faultie find,

Or wrapped be in loves of former Dame,

With crime do not it cover, but disclose the same.

The innocent knight answers forthrightly. He confesses his past behavior with the deceitful Fidessa. He asks the king to withhold judgment until he knows the truth about Fidessa.

To whom the Redcrosse knight this answere sent

My Lord, my King, be nought hereat dismayd,

Till well ye wote by grave intendiment,

What woman, and wherefere doth me upbrayd

With breach of love, and loyalty betrayd.

It was in my mishaps, as hitherward

I lately traveild, that unwares I strayd

Out of my way, through perils straunge and hard;

That day should faile me, ere I had them all declard.

The Redcross Knight relates how Fidessa, the falsest woman who ever lived, inveigled herself into his youthful inexperience. She won him by her wicked arts and crafty skill. She was evil and he a young knight was innocent and inexperienced to her wily ways. She trapped him when he least expected it.

There did I find, or rather I was found

Of this false woman, that Fidessa hight,

Fidessa hight the falsest Dame on ground,

Most false Duessa, royall richly dight,

That easy was to invegle weaker sight:

Who by her wicked arts, and wylie skill,

Too false and strong for earthly skill or might,

Unwares me wrought unto her wicked will,

And to my foe betrayd, when least I feared ill.

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Season 5 Podcast 12 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 24 “The Sign of Thy Coming and the End of the World Pt A.”

In last week’s podcast we examined Matthew 24 as it related to the destruction of the temple and the destruction of Jerusalem. Over a million Jews were killed. Most of the rest were scattered, and the nation of Israel ceased to exist. The Roman conquerors built an arch in Rome celebrating the plunder of the temple. The Arch of Titus still exists today.

In this podcast we shall discuss the prophecies of Jesus relating to his Second Coming and the End of the World. All this is given as Jesus sits on the Mount of Olives with his disciples Peter, James, John, and Andrew who had come to him privately. As Jesus speaks, they are overlooking the great Temple which stood in all of its majesty. It must have been difficult for the apostles to believe that in just forty years not one stone would sit upon another. As reported last week, we have two views of the event. One is prophetic, as prophesied by Christ. The other is secular as recorded after the fact by the Jewish historian Josephus. We can look at the signs of the Second Coming of Christ and the End of the World in both religious and secular terms. Eventually everything turns political. Today we are living in the signs of the times. We have the point of view of Josephus as well as the point of view of Jesus and all the holy apostles and prophets who spoke of our day.

Let’s examine Matthew 24 as it relates to the Second Coming and the End of the World. At this moment Israel has been attacked by Hamas who inflicted excruciating acts of terror on innocent Jews, and war is raging as a polarized world looks on in judgment, some calling for the annihilation of Israel. Christ could be addressing this moment when 2000 years ago he said:

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

That is an incredibly bleak prophecy.

Nation shall rise against nation
Kingdom against kingdom
Famines
Pestilences
Earthquakes

It appears that the world will engage in World War III. The above can fall under four classifications:

Manmade wars—nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom.
Human deprivation caused by lack of food, lack of supplies all a product of a world war.
Imbalance of nature causing fatal epidemic diseases. This could be manmade such as lab created chemical warfare, or it could be from insects or animals or pollution and lack of medicines.
Natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis.

What makes prophecy difficult to pinpoint is that all those things are already happening. Covid with its nefarious origins is still a threat. Despite modern technology and so-called modern enlightenment, those disasters above have increased in intensity in our lifetime.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

John the Revelator also prophesied of the above event.

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Season 5 Podcast 11 Faith and Works

We are saved by grace but judged for our works. One may ask what is the link that ties grace and works together?

The tapestry of salvation is tightly woven together. Everything is connected through law and one thing becomes a condition of the other in a never-ending chain.

Paul clearly established that we are saved by grace and not by works. However, the word “works” appears over 400 times in the King James Bible. Why? The obvious answer is that works play a very large role in our judgment. Of the 400 times works are mentioned, I will just select a few key scriptures. Clearly much more could be added than our allotted time allows.

As we read the scripture, I shall highlight at least one key issue related to works. For convenience I shall call them principles. In this podcast I shall deal with five principles regarding works. However, let me here first add a caveat. Two things make it possible for God not to be arbitrary:

One. Everything is governed by law. God does nothing outside of law. His house is a house of law and order. That means that we all have equal opportunity. We choose which of the laws of God we obey and which of the laws of God we will not obey. That is called agency. Every blessing from God is based upon law.

Two. We are judged by our works not by the whims of an arbitrary God. Again, we choose what works we do and what works we do not do. In other words, we are responsible for our own behavior, not God. God is just.

Let’s begin with James, whom some scholars claimed to be the son of Mary or brother of Jesus. James loved talking about works.

James 2:14-20

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

(James 2:14-20)

A few verses later James added, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” In other words, “works” give life to our faith.

Then we must ask, what role does faith have in our Salvation? Paul comes to mind. In Ephesians Paul tells us,

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

He is speaking, of course, of faith in Christ. There is the connection or link between grace and works. We are saved by grace through faith. However, faith without works is dead; therefore, faith in Christ brings grace, but works bring faith. But James goes even further.

“24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” (James 2:24)

According to James, Works justify us. To justify us means to satisfy the demands of the law of justice. Works demonstrate our faith in Christ. A definition of works would be to keep the commandments of Christ. If we violate those commandments, then our works will condemn us. We can’t save ourselves regardless of our works, but Christ can. Through the atonement of Christ, we are saved and resurrected into eternity.

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Season 5 Podcast 10 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 12 Pt III Episode 40 “The Redcross Knight is Betrothed to Una.”

In last week’s episode, none dared approach the corpse of the dead dragon which stretched out for acres, his body as high as a mountain, his tail alone was as long as three football fields. Led by the King and Queen the entire country celebrated the death of the dragon which held them in captivity for four years. The Redcross Knight is treated as a conquering hero and Una is recognized as a princess, the daughter of the King and Queen. A great feast is held.

As was customary in tales of knight errantry, after they had feasted the King called upon the Redcross Knight to recount his adventures before he released them from the great dragon.

Then when with meates and drinkes of every kinde

Their fervent appetites they quenched had,

That auncient Lord gan fit occasion finde,

Of straunge adventures, and of perils sad,

Which in his travell him befallen had,

For to demaund of his renowmed guest:

Who then with utt'rance grave, and count'nance sad,

From point to point, as is before exprest,

Discourst his voyage long, according his request.

The King and Queen are overwhelmed at the pitiful adventures recounted by the Redcross Knight. The tales the knight told brought tears to everyone’s eyes.

Great pleasures mixt with pittiful regard,

That godly King and Queene did passionate,

Whiles they his pittifull adventures heard,

That oft they did lament his lucklesse state,

And often blame the too importune fate,

That heaped on him so many wrathfull wreakes:

For never gentle knight, as he of late,

So tossed was in fortunes cruell freakes;

And all the while salt teares bedeawd the hearers cheaks.

Knight errantry means wandering knight. In medieval romance literature, it was common for a knight to recount his adventures to the edification of others. A knight represents the ideal person, such as King Arthur in the Faery Queen. Their tales were generated as the Knight Errant was embarked upon some noble quest such as the Redcross Knight and the fiery dragon, The tales of the knights of King Arthur particularly express Christian virtues such as the tales of King Arthur, Sir Gawain, Sir Galahad, Sir Perceval. In the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain’s greatest sin was withholding the scarf of Sir Bertilak’s wife which he thought had magic powers. His cowardliness caused Sir Gawain excruciating remorse which he humbly confessed to the other Knights of the Round Table. In the Redcross Knight’s quest he was threatened by dragons, evil magicians, giants, wicked seductresses, and evil knights such as Sans Joy, Sans Foy, and Sans Loy, which mean without joy, without faith, and without law.

The wise King told the Redcross Knight that he had born great evils from the beginning to the end of his great enterprise, such that he had never heard greater. He blessed God for bringing the Redcross Knight to his shores. The King recommends that they devise a means of ease and eternal rest.

Then sayd the royall Pere in sober wise;

Deare Sonne, great beene the evils which ye bore

From first to last in your late enterprise,

That I note whether prayse, or pitty more:

For never living man, I weene, so sore

In sea of deadly daungers was distrest;

But since now safe ye seised have the shore,

And well arrived are, (high God be blest)

Let us devize of ease and everlasting rest.

However, the Redcross Knight rejects the offer of everlasting rest. He says he must return to the Faerie Queen and serve her for six more years in battle against the pagan king. He begs the king’s pardon until he has completed his mission.

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Season 5 Podcast 9 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 24 “The Destruction of the Temple.”

Matthew 24 was given to his disciples on the Mount of Olives; therefore, it is sometimes referred to as the Olivet Sermon. The Mount of Olives overlooks the temple of Jerusalem. The temple would have loomed huge and formidable before their eyes; therefore, it is the perfect of setting and perhaps the most startling of Christ’s predictions. Jesus opens his sermon by saying:

1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Four of his disciples came to Jesus Privately and asked when this would occur.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

In Mark 13 we learn the names of the four disciples: Peter, James, John, and Andrew. As shown above they ask two specific questions.

When will the temple be destroyed?
What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

It is helpful to read Matthew 24 in that context. In this podcast we shall cover scriptures relating to the destruction of the temple. Let’s begin with verses 4 & 5.

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Clearly apostasy began very early in the church. Many Jews who rejected the true Messiah continued to look for another, thus opening the door for many, seeking glory, to claim to be Christ. It appears that even members of the church would be deceived by such claims, thus the Savior’s warning. The threat of apostasy from the true doctrines of Christ never ends.

Now let’s consider verses 9-13—notice, of course, that there shall be overlap because many of the conditions that existed then will also exist in our day.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Historically we know that the early Christians suffered tremendous persecutions. Many of the apostles became martyrs. Apparently it reached into the church itself where members of the church began to betray each other and even hate each other. In fact, many of the teachings of the apostles address the cause of dissension that is growing among the members of the church. In addition, false prophets arose. The Savior set up his organization. He chose twelve apostles to guide his church and of those Twelve he appointed Peter, James, and John to be the head. Those self-appointed prophets or apostles who worked outside of that system were false; however, they would deceive many. Notice that sin or iniquity is anathema to the pure love of Christ. Sin hardens men’s hearts and causes love to “wax cold.” The Savior’s admonition is universal, “He that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved.” Endurance is one of the saving virtues.

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Season 5 Podcast 8 Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 23, “Judged by Works.”

The question is, what role do works have in the great plan of salvation?

The purpose of this podcast is to explain the purpose of works. First of all, what are works? Works are obedience or disobedience to the commandments of God. All good works fall under the two great commandments: Love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Good works are an illustration of that love for God and man. Evil works are an illustration of hate for God and man.

In a nutshell, one could assert that works are the conditions placed upon the law of mercy by the law of justice. In fact, it could be said that one of the primary purposes of the Holy Scriptures is to define the conditions placed on the law of mercy by the law of justice, thus making it our choice whether we obey the commandments of God or not. The very existence of the Holy Scriptures is a testimony of the vast effects of the atonement of Christ. Without Christ, there would be no conditions. Without the law of mercy, or the atonement of Christ, the scriptures would simply say, “Go to hell. Go directly to hell. Do not pass goal. Do not collect $200.”

We must ask the obvious question, if we are saved by grace, what do the scriptures mean when they say that we are judged by our works? Let’s read Revelation 20:12-15.

“12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Every law of Christ holds our agency sacred. Nothing signifies this more than the fact that we are saved by grace but judged according to our works. So, we will all be resurrected and judged for our works, that is the gift of grace. That means that everything we do on earth matters. We know that works can’t save us, but good works can reward us, and evil works can condemn us.

If we take the extraordinary scripture above by John literally, proposition by proposition, assertion by assertion, we get a clearer understanding of justice and mercy, heaven and hell.

Proposition 1

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God”

Everyone will stand before Christ to be judged. No low position makes one invisible; no high position makes one exempt. All are equal before Christ.

Proposition 2

“And the books were opened”

This refers to the Holy Scriptures, written by apostles and prophets. It is from those books which contain the laws or commandments of God that we will all be judged. They are the conditions placed on the law of mercy. Conditions give us agency and freewill. In effect only the commandments of God give us agency and freewill.

Proposition 3

“And another book was opened, which is the book of life.”

We have the Holy Scriptures on earth written by the true prophets of God. The book of life, however, is kept by the angels in heaven and contains the names of those who are not sons of perdition and, therefore, qualify for the grace of Christ based on the conditions made possible by the atonement.

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Season 5 Podcast 7 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 12 Pt II Episode 39 “The Great Dragon is Dead.”

In last week’s episode, The Dragon is pronounced dead. After four years the King and Queen are freed from the castle. The king proclaimed joy throughout the kingdom. The trumpets sound. A solemn feast is assembled. The ancient King and Queen dressed in vintage robes emerged surrounded by a huge entourage of noble souls carrying laurel branches. The Redcross Knight is honored. Una, “a goodly maiden Queen,” is recognized as the King’s daughter.

The common people gather to gaze at their hero, the Redcross Knight, whom they thought was sent from heaven. However, when they saw the huge dragon stretched out dead on the ground, large as a mountain, they were filed with fear, and none dared approach.

And after, all the raskall many ran,

Heaped together in rude rablement,

To see the face of that victorious man:

Whom all admired, as from heaven sent,

And gazd upon with gaping wonderment.

But when they came where that dead Dragon lay,

Stretcht on the ground in monstrous large extent,

The sight with idle feare did them dismay,

Ne durst approch him nigh, to touch, or once assay.

The size of the dragon, of course, is a symbol of both Satan’s gigantic power and of his enormous influence. Fear is one of Satan’s greatest tools. The event is enormous. It was the final battle. The dragon who led the war in heaven whose tail brought a third part of the hosts of heaven with him and the war on earth is dead. It was Michael who led the war against Lucifer in Heaven.

To understand the battle against Satan, let’s turn to the Book of Revelation as seen in vision by John on the Isle of Patmos. Let’s particularly examine Revelation 12.

As Linda reads verses 1 & 2 think about the fall of man.

1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

As we ponder those two verses, think about the curse placed upon Satan, the curse placed upon Adam, and the curse placed upon Eve.

14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

The curse of Eve is suggested in Revelation 12:2, “And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.”

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Season 5 Podcast 6 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 23 “Hypocrisy.” Pt 2

In last week’s Podcast we covered the first half of Matthew Chapter 23 verses 1-15. In this podcast we shall conclude Chapter 23 as we continue Christ’s commandments against hypocrisy.

16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

Simply convert the image. To the Jews the Temple was the center of everything. It is, of course, based on the temple of Solomon which has a long history of destruction and rebuilding. The history of the temple is the history of the Jews.

The idea of a temple is thousands of years old. The Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Israelites, the Mayans, the Hindus, the Greeks, the Romans—all civilizations had temples. Have you visited Las Vegas? Some sarcastically refer to billion-dollar casinos as ‘Temples of Chance.” A temple is where you worship. Unlike a mere meeting house, a temple is the center of your life. It is where your soul resides.

In America the government is become our house of worship, the Capital our temple. From Washington we are told what to think, what to believe, how to worship, how to speak, what to drive, how to cook our food, how to vote, how to treat others, how to teach our children, how to treat our neighbor, how to interpret events, how to use pronouns, how to determine sex, how to view the family, how to respect the rights of others, what is good and what is evil.

Now apply that to the to the scripture in Matthew above. Think of the politicization of the Justice Department, The FBI, the IRS, and all other powers of government. Think of the two-tiered justice system, one for liberals another for conservatives. Think of the witch hunts that are going on as we speak.

Can you not hear the Savior say, “Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater the power of office or the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, the Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness? Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater the entitlements or the rights guaranteed in our founding documents?

But the analogy doesn’t end.

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

To make comment on the above is to weaken it. However, just substitute taxes for tithes and are we not so caught up in rights that our government has omitted the weightier matters of the laws, judgment, mercy, and faith. In fact, our government is attempting to censor Christianity to enforce political correctness. They hide documents that reveal truth and exaggerate flaws to enforce their agenda. They call peaceful demonstrations acts of terrorism and terrorist acts peaceful demonstration. Indeed they “Strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.”

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Season 5 Podcast 5, “From Father to Son.”

The Fifth Commandment is often called ‘the commandment with a promise.’

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”

The Ten Commandments, called by James, The Law of Liberty, written in stone by the finger of the Lord, were delivered by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Children of Israel had just been led out of Egypt, a land of idol worshipers and totalitarian law. The Lord gave Israel monotheism, a prophet, the Ten Commandments, and wise judges. It was the first liberty they had in 400 years.

The first five commandments establish God as the only true God. He is often introduced as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, reminding the Children of Israel of the Abrahamic covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant promised the House of Israel that they would have eternal land, eternal priesthood, and eternal family. That covenant is why the Lord gave the Fifth Commandment in the order it is in: “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”

The first five commandment deal with godhood. The last five commandments deal with the fundamental laws necessary for society to survive. It was the perfect combination. At the core of any free government is a strong family. The destruction of the family will destroy any free government, including America.

Commandment five is the link between heaven and earth. The story of Adam and Eve is fundamental to life. The earthly family is patterned after the heavenly family. God is the father of our spirits just as our earthly father is the father of our physical body. The Apostle Paul said, “Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” There can be no children spiritual or physical without a mother. That is taught in the creation story. The physical body does not have life in itself until the spirit is placed in the body making it a living soul.

In Season 1 Podcast 36, I paid tribute to my mother. In this podcast, in honor of the Fifth Commandment, I want to pay tribute to my father.

My father was a very quiet man. Born in Tennessee, he came with his mother and seven brothers and two sisters to South Carolina when he was nine years old. It was during the depression. Starving, they came to work in the cotton mills. His father, a mountain man, remained behind in Tennessee and wandered the hills the rest of his life, in self-exile, living off the charity of others, lost, alone and homeless.

My father loved the land perhaps more than anyone else I have known. His large garden was always a show piece. I would like to share one incident that marks his honest nature and one which, though I was an adult, reminded me of my childhood. The incident is significant here because my father by example taught the principle of honesty to one of my daughters. It is an example of how virtues (as well as vices I suppose) can travel through families for generations.

My daughter, Natalie, and I were tired, our backs aching after spending three hours sitting on wire baskets, bending over the heavy-laden rows, picking half runners by the handfuls. It was a hot July day in Charlotte, North Carolina. We headed for the shade, but my father, who just turned 77, continued puttering. Natalie exclaimed, "Doesn't grandpa ever run out of energy?"

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Season 5 Podcast 4 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 12 Pt I Episode 38 “Victory.”

In last week’s episode, after fighting the dragon for three days, the Red Cross Knight slays the dragon and rises triumphantly.

CANTO XII

Faire Una to the Redcrosse knight,

betrouthed is with joy:

Though false Duessa it to barre

her false sleights doe imploy.

Overjoyed, Una tells the captain to steer his ship to land. Following the death of the dreadful dragon it is now a safe harbor from offensive storms. After a long and weary journey, Una is now at her journey’s end. She intends to remain in the safe harbor until merrier wind and weather calls her away.

BEHOLD I see the haven nigh at hand,

To which I meane my wearie course to bend;

Vere the maine shete, and beare up with the land,

The which afore is fairely to be kend,

And seemeth safe from storms that may offend;

There this faire virgin wearie of her way

Must landed be, now at her journeyes end:

There eke my feeble barke a while may stay

Till merry wind and weather call her thence away.

The sun had scarcely risen when the last deadly smoke of the fiery dragon had vanished and the watchman on the castle wall had proclaimed that the fearful dragon was dead, that he had witnessed his fatal fall.

Scarsely had Phœbus in the glooming East

Yet harnessed his firie-footed teeme,

Ne reard above the earth his flaming creast;

When the last deadly smoke aloft did steeme

That signe of last outbreathed life did seeme

Unto the watchman on the castle wall,

Who thereby dead that balefull Beast did deeme,

And to his Lord and Ladie lowd gan call,

To tell how he had seene the Dragons fatall fall.

The aged King sprang up and with feeble speed ran to the window to see if indeed what the watchman had said was true. After four years of imprisonment in the castle he opened wide the brass gate to see for himself. He proclaimed joy throughout all his kingdom, Their foe who had plundered his kingdom was now indeed dead.

Uprose with hastie joy, and feeble speed

That aged Sire, the Lord of all that land,

And looked forth, to weet if true indeede

Those tydings were, as he did understand,

Which whenas true by tryall he out found,

He bad to open wyde his brazen gate,

Which long time had bene shut, and out of hond

Proclaymed joy and peace through all his state;

For dead now was their foe which them forrayed late.

The trumpets began to sound from the parapet, their echo heard in heaven. They played the tune of happy victory against that dreadful beast who so long oppressed them and held them prisoner in the castle. Everyone in a solemn feast assembled. They rejoiced at the fall of the great dragon from whose eternal bondage they were now released.

Here we understand the importance of this final battle. Again, we turn to revelation. Notice that there are two great battles. The first battle is just prior to the Millennium when the Savior comes to reign on earth for a thousand years.

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Season 5 Podcast 3 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 23 “Hypocrisy.” Pt 1

Christ often spoke against hypocrisy. Synonyms for hypocrisy are dissimulation, counterfeit, insincerity, guile, imposture, deceit, imitation, fraud, quackery, charlatanry, cajolery, dissembling, mockery, pretense, affectation, lying.

1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:

3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

The scribes and Pharisees were the elite. They sat in Moses’ seat. In other words, they interpreted the law and passed judgment. Having rejected the prophets, they took upon themselves the role of judges of Israel. They were students of the law. For that reason, the Savior said, “All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do.” That is an interesting concept, isn’t it? Generally, we want to condemn all hypocrites and ignore anything they say. The Savior, however, distinguishes between their words and their actions. He added, “but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

I am reminded of one of Shakespeare’s most villainous characters, Iago, yet he often speaks honey. In the following famous lines Iago is baiting Othello, subtly feeding his natural jealousy.

“Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls: Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing; 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands: But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him And makes me poor indeed.”

Every word in Iago’s speech above is true; however, even while Iago is speaking of the virtue of a good name he is destroying the good name of the virtuous Desdemona, Othello’s wife, planting thoughts of infidelity in Othello’s mind though Iago knows that his wife is innocent. Iago further twists the knife by pretending to warn Othello of jealousy at the same time suggesting that Othello has cause to be jealous.

“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'er Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!”

4 RON

The very word ‘cuckold’ refers to an unfaithful wife. The point, however, is that the advice of Iago is good.

“He that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him And makes me poor indeed.”

“O, beware of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.”

However, Iago’s intent is to drive Othello to a jealous rage. Over time it works. Trusting Iago too much and thinking his wife is unfaithful, Othello Praises Iago and strangles his innocent wife, and thus destroys himself just as Iago predicted.

So, the question arises, ‘how do we deal with hypocrites.” Christ gives us the answer. “All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do.” In other words do as they say when what they say is truth, but do not follow their works.

4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

Not only does the Savior warn against following the works of hypocrites, he is also saying by their works we can know their cunning.

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Season 5 Podcast 2, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 21, “Conscience 3.”

Is there such a thing as a bad conscience? Certainly, there is such a thing as a misguided conscience if we choose to call good evil and evil good.

Lucifer, not God, is the father of lies. In John 8 we read.

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

God, on the other hand, is the fountain of truth as taught so beautifully in the Book of John

John 15: 26

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”

John 16: 13-14

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

John 17: 16-17

“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

John 14:6

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

1 John 4:6

“We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”

We need to separate conscience from the desires of the heart and the wants of the body. It is the desires of the heart not the conscience that is bad. Conscience is related to perceptions of truth. Conscience doesn’t create values. Conscience classifies our pre-existing values and acts upon our own perceptions. Truth comes from God, not conscience. That is why on this spinning world there is no greater quest than to search for truth.

Truth is taught in the holy scriptures. Conscience can be no more accurate than the truths we have. In other words, conscience acts on things we already believe are wrong; therefore, we need to guard the source of our truth. Truth self exists. All truth is taught by the spirit of Christ and the Holy Ghost. Truth is related to God; conscience is related to our desires for truth. If our desires are righteous, then our conscience will be righteous. If our desires are evil, then our conscience will be evil. Else agency could not exist.

The purpose of true apostles and prophets is to teach us the truths of God, hence the Holy scriptures. The purpose of conscience is to provoke us to follow our perceptions of truth. It is as important to guard our conscience as it is to seek truth. Safety is in truth, not conscience, unless conscience is guided by truth.

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Season 5 Podcast 1 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 11 Pt V Episode 37 “The Final Battle.”

After being healed in the Well of Living Water, the Redcross Knight was again given power to fight the Dragon. The Dragon was not prepared for such a fierce onslaught. Hardened with the holy water, the sword of the Redcross Knight was able to penetrate the scaly armor of the Dragon. The Knight disabled one wing with one blow and with another he crushed the dragon’s skull. In this episode we shall conclude the great battle between good and evil.

In desperation the dragon clamps his taloned feet on the shield of the Redcross Knight. Nothing could force the Dragon to let go his hold. With all his might the Redcross Knight chopped off the Dragon’s foot. Yet the severed foot continued to hold the shield.

The Dragon, of course, represents Lucifer or Satan. One is reminded of the curse God paced on Satan in the Garden of Eden.

“14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Satan is given power to bruise man’s heel which can cripple him but not kill him. Man is given power to crush Satan’s head. As we have seen earlier the Redcross Knight crushed the Dragon’s head. The symbolism refers to the cunning of Lucifer. Man is given the power to outwit Satan, thus the image to ‘crush his head.’ So far the Knight has crippled one wing, cut off one foot, and crushed the Dragon’s head. Spenser is teaching us that we all have the power to diminish Satan’s hold over us, no matter how much power Satan has. Of course, without bathing in the Well of Living Water, that is without the help of Christ, the Redcross Knight would have no power over the Dragon.

The other foot, fast fixed on his shield,

Whenas no strength, nor stroks mote him constraine

To loose, ne yet the warlike pledge to yield,

He smot thereat with all his might and maine,

That nought so wondrous puissaunce might sustaine;

Upon the joint the lucky steele did light,

And made such way, that hewd it quite in twaine;

The paw yett missed not his minisht might,

But hong still on the shield, as it at first was pight.

The Dragon belches fire. Fire symbolizes total destruction. Spenser compares the fire-breathing dragon to Mt. Etna, a volcano that is still active today. Satan wants nothing less than total annihilation of his foes. He is antichrist. He hates mankind because the Savior died to save mankind. Nothing less than complete subjugation will satisfy the destroyer. The force of the fire was so awful that it darkened the land with smoke.

For griefe thereof and divelish despight,

From his infernall fournace forth he threw

Huge flames, that dimmed all the heavens light,

Enrold in duskish smoke and brimstone blew:

As burning Aetna from his boyling stew

Doth belch out flames, and rockes in peeces broke,

And ragged ribs of mountains molten new,

Enwrapt in coleblacke clouds and filthy smoke,

That all the land with stench, and heaven with horror choke.

The heat is so intense that a second time the Knight is overcome. He retires from the dragon and the flames that belched from his vast belly. To save himself from the flames the injured Knight recoiled backwards guided by the hand of God, into the mire. However, the Knight was too feeble to stand. A second time he fell in dread and shame.

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Season 4 Podcast 196 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 22:34-46, Pt 7, “The Royal Law.”

The economy of the language of Christ is inspiring. He is the great synthesizer. Where most would use a thousand words to explain, Christ used only a few. Look how he Synthesizes the entire Gospel of Christ.

34 ¶ But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.

35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

So that the lawyer couldn’t misunderstand what Christ was saying, he added.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Christ is referring to both the Old Testament, which contains the law of Moses, and the New Testament, which contains the full Gospel of Christ. Of course, Christ, or Jehovah, is the God of both the Old and New Testaments.

In one of his many prophecies of the coming Messiah, Isaiah describes the Messiah in this way.

1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. (Isaiah 11)

Isaiah, among the greatest of prophets, is also noted for economy of language; coupled with his poetic style, some may find Isaiah difficult to comprehend. For our purposes particularly note the following qualities attributed to Christ: the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of understanding; the spirit of counsel, the spirit of knowledge, and the spirit of quick understanding. It is all attributed to the fact that “the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.”

The Royal law is divided into two classes or two distinct parts:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

It is no coincidence that the Royal Law is a synthesis of the Ten Commandments. Let’s examine the first great law. Notice that three concepts in our worship must be considered:

Love the Lord with all thy heart.
Love the Lord with all thy soul
Love the Lord with all thy mind.

Each represents a separate part of our physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual make up. The heart is equated with love, with feelings and powerful emotions. The heart is often associated with passion, spirit, nature, temperament, charity, benevolence, compassion, grace, mercy, magnanimity, love, courage, boldness, heroism, essence or kernel or center or core or base.

The heart, I suspect, is first for a reason, for it is spirit responding to spirit. Many use the phrase, “with all my heart.”

The soul has a different scriptural connotation than the heart. In the creation story in Genesis we read,

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Season 4 Podcast 195 Argument for the Existence of God, What is Real

As eternal children of God we are expected to see not just through our eyes of jelly which merely serve as a camera lens, interpreted by the brain, but through the eyes of our understanding, seen by both the heart and the brain but perceived by the spirit and interpreted by the Holy Ghost.

Clearly, we all have a divine nature. We are of equal birthright with infinite lives. We are brothers and sisters. However, because of the veil drawn over our minds causing us to forget our former home and prisoners to our flesh, we must redefine who we really are. What once we saw through spiritual eyes, we now see only through a looking glass which magnifies our flaws and obscures our beauty. Tragically, too often, rather than redefine ourselves, we allow others to define who we are, using earthly criteria of classification and division. We are to the world as insects to a scientist, classified and divided and pinned to a wall and labeled for the world to see. With the weight of tradition, we allow them to “put us in our place”. Their criteria are false based on prejudice and the arrogance of pride.

But opposition is essential, or we would be like dead things. Earth is the perfect training ground designed for the purpose of helping us to know who we really are. Without all three realities— the temporal, the spiritual, and the philosophical—governed by conditional law, we cannot experience, in full, freewill, freedom, agency, and liberty. Only through the exercise of freewill can we know who we really are.

Temporal reality and spiritual reality are imposed upon us by absolute law. Truth lies only in temporal and spiritual reality. In other words, temporal and spiritual law. Philosophical reality, on the other hand, is based upon our perceptions of who we are. It is based upon our experiences, our culture, our environment, our beliefs, our traditions, our social interactions, learning, logical constructs, desires, emotions, drives, lusts, ambitions, opinions, language, possessions, commerce, literature, etc.

The first challenge in a world governed by temporal laws, spiritual laws, and manmade laws, is how to maintain our liberty. The greatest assault on man is the assault against his freewill. Everything appears bent on taking away our liberty. Everyone else appears to know what is best for us. It is in man’s base nature to want to control others. The evidence is ubiquitous. We are choked by a surfeit of manmade laws designed to force us to obey the will of others. How quickly power turns into control and unlimited power turns into unlimited control.

“For the greater good” is the devil’s motto. Satan is a jailor, and many people voluntarily walk into his prison and slam the doors behind them, like Shakespeare’s Caliban, shouting “freedom! Freedom” Heyday freedom.”

Only when manmade laws are in perfect harmony with physical laws and spiritual laws can perfect liberty be achieved. Liberty is a mortal matter only; freewill, freedom, and agency are eternal matters. Absolute truth, not man’s perceptions of truth, rules the hereafter.

Truth is knowledge of reality based on absolute law. Truth is knowledge of the past, the present, and the future, of things as they really were, as they really are, and as they really will be. We were sent to earth to find truth. In heaven, as spirits, of course, we found truth everywhere, however, without opposition, we could not comprehend truth. We were like fish in water trying to define water without comprehending what water was.

Only on earth does philosophical reality compete with temporal reality and spiritual reality.

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Season 4 Podcast 194 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 11 Pt IV Episode 36 “The Sword of the Spirit.”

In last week’s episode, the first day of the battle, the Dragon, his fiery breath breathing from the depths of his flaming belly, scorched the Redcross Knight, the heat so intense and painful that he wished for death. The Redcross Knight in his weakened state was knocked down, unable to rise. Una thought the battle was over. However, unknown to the Redcross Knight, behind him was the well of living water that contained the healing of the nations. He fell over backwards into the life-giving well and emerged healed and stronger than ever, ready to again fight the dragon. The long tail of the dragon represents what Spenser calls, “errors endless train.” The fiery breath of the dragon represents the fiery darts of the adversary. The Redcross Knight did not have the power sufficient in himself to fight the ferocious dragon; however, he discovered that Christ did have the power over Satan. Everything changed. The first time he fought for himself and was nearly killed. In fact, Spenser said that it was ten thousand times more painful than the pain of an ordinary man. This time he emerges a new man in Christ. It was like a second baptism. His strength was greater, his armor stronger. In this podcast we enter the second day of battle.

In the following stanza Spenser, the narrator, confesses that he doesn’t know how the Redcross Knight was healed and became a new man. He said he didn’t know how the sword was hardened and the blade sharpened with the holy water. He wonders how his baptism in the waters of the living well strengthened his hand, making them larger and more powerful. He wondered what other secret virtues came from the living well.

Spenser does know that if the Redcross Knight hadn’t bathed in the well of living water, he would have had no strength restored to his arm nor could he have had the power to pierce the dragon’s armor with his sword. Without being renewed in the waters of the well the Redcross Knight could never have harmed the dragon by subtlety or cunning or might or sorcery.

I wote not, whether the revenging steele

Were hardned with that holy water dew,

Wherein he fell, or sharper edge did feele,

Or his baptized hands now greater grew;

Or other secret vertue did ensew;

Else never could the force of fleshly arme,

Ne molten mettall in his blood embrew;

For till that stownd could never wight him harme,

By subtilty, nor slight, nor might, nor mighty charme.

The dragon became enraged with the awful wound he received from the Redcross Knight’s sword. He bellowed because of pain. His cries were like a hundred roaring lions driven by ravenous hunger. The dragon tossed his extremely long train. His tail whipped the air so fiercely that it was impossible to resist its force. The mighty strength of his long tail knocked down trees and broke rocks into pieces.

The cruell wound enraged him so sore,

That loud he yelded for exceeding paine;

As hundred ramping Lyons seem'd to rore,

Whom ravenous hunger did thereto constraine:

Then gan he tosse aloft his stretched traine,

And therewith scourge the buxome aire so sore,

That to his force to yeelden it was faine;

Ne ought his sturdy strokes might stand afore,

That high trees overthrew, and rocks in peeces tore.

The dragon advanced, his tail held high above his head containing sharp stings. His tail came down so hard on the ground that even the earth appeared to be stricken dead. No living person could have survived the strike of the long tail. The tail hit the Redcross Knight and shot through the shield and pierced

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Season 4 Podcast 193 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 22:23-33, Pt 6, “The Abrahamic Covenant B.”

God kept his promises to Abraham. However, those blessings are eclipsed by the spiritual blessings. The spiritual blessings have no expiration date. In other words, they are eternal.

I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant,
I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.
In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
All the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

What are we to make of terms such as everlasting covenant, everlasting possession, to the seed forever? And all families of the earth be blessed? We know the earth has an end. Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:

That appears to contradict the covenant made to Abraham. How is it then that the Abrahamic Covenant is an everlasting or eternal covenant as communicated in the language above: everlasting covenant, everlasting possession, thy seed forever. It can only refer to one thing. It refers to the earth after it has melted with fervent heat and becomes celestialized as recorded in Revelation 21. In other words, just like man, the earth is resurrected. That means that like man, the earth has a living spirit. If the earth did not have a living spirit, nature could not live and reproduce. In Revelation 21 John speaks of the resurrection of the earth.

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

That is the only way that God can fulfill his covenant to Abraham. Only if the earth is made an everlasting home to the just can it meet the requirements of

an everlasting covenant,
an everlasting possession.
to thy seed forever.

To prove that Christ, in his teachings about the Kingdom of God is referring to the Abrahamic Covenant, let’s compare John 21 with the Beatitudes. The parallelism may surprise you.

In the Beatitudes it says,

· “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

In John above it says, “7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God.”

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Season 4 Podcast 192 Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 19, Satan

The comedian Flip Wilson had a great routine called “The Devil made me do it.” I can still hear him affecting a woman’s voice and saying, “The devil made me buy that dress.” If he got caught in a lie, he would say “The devil made me say that.” Wilson’s genius was in his expressions. It was a delight just to watch him, but underneath his humor rises that ever haunting question, how much power does Satan have over us? Can Satan make us do anything?

The answer is no. God limited Satan’s power as stated in Genesis 3.

To bruise our heel means he may have power to cripple but not destroy us. To bruise his head means we have power to overcome his cunning and see through his deceit. With a physical body we are natural. With an immortal spirit we are spiritual. The physical and the spiritual are at war with each other. The natural man tends to be an enemy to God and the spiritual man tends to be an enemy to Satan. Sometimes I think the devil has a lot of help. Agency has two parts. First agency is the ability to discern between good and evil. And second agency is the ability to choose good or evil. Why did we have to come to earth where Satan dwells? Why didn’t we just stay in heaven where we could be eternally happy?

If agency is the ability to discern between good and evil, and agency is the ability to choose good or evil, it follows that evil is necessary to agency. Therefore, Satan is necessary?

In other words, for agency to exist, we must be enticed both by God and By Satan. Satan entices us to do evil and Christ entices us to do good. We can choose between one or the other, but God and Satan cannot make us do one or the other. It must be a choice. God guards our agency even though we use our agency to defy him. It is among the great paradoxes of Christianity. Christ said,

“woe unto that man by whom the offence cometh.”

Satan rebelled against God, enticing a third part of the hosts of heaven to follow him. He was once an angel of light, but he stood in open rebellion against Christ. That is why he became a son of perdition. God did not create Satan. God created Lucifer, a son of the morning, and Lucifer chose to become Satan. He chose evil over good until he lost the ability to repent. Satan has no agency because he can never choose the good. That is why he and his angels were cast out of heaven and fell to the earth.

We were sent to the earth for two reasons. One to gain a physical body and two to have agency. Two things were necessary for us to have agency on earth. One, we had to have a veil drawn over our minds so that we do not remember living with God in his kingdom. Faith is a requirement of agency. On earth only through faith can we find God. Two, we can’t have agency without opposition. We must be enticed both by God and by Satan; however, they must remain invisible.

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Season 4 Podcast 191 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 11 Pt III Episode 35 “The Well of Living Water.”

In last week’s episode, we see a close-up of the fiery dragon. His eyes burn like fire. His scales are like steel and could not be pierced with ordinary weapons. His tail was over three football fields long. His wide wings were like the sails of a ship.

Badly wounded the dragon cries in anguish. Fire shot from his mouth deep from the furnace of his vast belly. The Redcross Knight was astonished at the fierceness of the dragon’s cries. The heat was so intense however that it singed even the Redcross Knight’s face and even burned his body through his armor. He could not endure such pain and considered taking off his armor and his helmet. This of course represents the torment of hell which is compared to a lake of fire and brimstone.

Then full of griefe and anguish vehement,

He lowdly brayd, that like was never heard,

And from his wide devouring oven sent

A flake of fire, that, flashing in his beard,

Him all amazd, and almost made affeard:

The scorching flame sore swinged all his face,

And through his armour all his body seard,

That he could not endure so cruell cace,

But thought his armes to leave, and helmet to unlace.

His armor burned like the poisoned garment of Hercules that burned the flesh from his body. The Redcross Knight felt the sorrows of ten thousand such sufferings from his fiery steel which before protected him but now caused him tremendous harm.

Not that great Champion of the antique world,

Whom famous Poetes verse so much doth vaunt,

And hath for twelve huge labours high extold,

So many furies and sharpe fits did haunt,

When him the poysond garment did enchaunt,

With Centaures bloud and bloudie verses charm'd;

As did this knight twelve thousand dolours daunt,

Whom fyrie steele now burnt, that earst him arm'd,

That erst him goodly arm'd, now most of all him harm'd.

The Redcross Knight was tired and sore and embroiled in grief from heat, toil, wounds, and fire such that no other man had felt. He felt that he would be better off dead, but death never comes when needed though he often desired it. He was disheartened just by looking at the dragon. The dragon decided to end the battle and grant him not one more breath. With a mighty stroke he knocked the Redcross Knight to the ground.

Faint, wearie, sore, emboyled, grieved, brent

With heat, toyle, wounds, armes, smart, and inward fire,

That never man such mischiefes did torment;

Death better were, death did he oft desire,

But death will never come, when needes require.

Whom so dismayd when that his foe beheld,

He cast to suffer him no more respire,

But gan his sturdy sterne about to weld,

And him so strongly stroke, that to the ground him feld.

Fortunately, unknowingly to the Knight, behind where he stood was a gushing well that from ancient times rushed forth a silver flood, full of great virtues and effective medicine. The Knight discovered it before the cursed dragon defiled it with the blood of innocent souls. It was nothing less than the Well of Life which the Redcross Knight in his anguish had forgotten. It is, of course, none other than that which is offered by Christ Himself when at the well he offered living waters to the woman of Samaria. As we read in John 4:

“Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

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Season 4 Podcast 190 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 22:23-33, Pt 5, “The Abrahamic Covenant A.”

In the previous Podcast we discussed The Marriage Covenant and the Resurrection. In this Podcast we shall discuss The Abrahamic Covenant. It is necessary to understand the Abrahamic Covenant because it ties everything together, the Old Testament and the New Testament. In this and the following podcast I shall show how the Abrahamic Covenant is tied to everything in the previous podcast as well as how it is tied to the Ten Commandments, The Letters to the Seven Churches, and the coming of the New Jerusalem as recorded in the Book of Revelation. It is incredibly revealing. Let’s first turn to Matthew 22: 31-33 which is a direct reference to the Abrahamic Covenant in which the Savior ties the Abrahamic Covenant to the resurrection. Keep in mind as you listen to this and next week’s podcast that the Abrahamic Covenant, the eternal marriage covenant, and the resurrection are not separate things. I think of the words of Paul, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable.”

“But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.”

Of course, the Abrahamic Covenant began first with Abraham and then it was given to Isaac, the son of Abraham, and then to Jacob the Son of Isaac. And from Jacob we have the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Before examining the covenant, I shall first show how it applies to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through scripture. All three prophets saw God. All three prophets received by revelation the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant. In other words, the Abrahamic Covenant came through the above Lineage. Abraham had many sons, but only through Isaac came the Abrahamic Covenant. Isaac’s oldest son was Esau, but only through Jacob the younger son came the Abrahamic Covenant. That is what is established in the following scriptures.

Genesis 17

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.”

Genesis 26

“And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.”

Genesis 28

“And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.”

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Season 4 Podcast 189, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 18, The Language of Law Pt 3

Because of the principle of causality, laws have conditions. Because laws have conditions, we may learn the language of creation. Everything, even inanimate objects have a language. Language is the key to all laws and the key to all creation. I am, of course, equating conditions or cause, with language, though I go much further. I believe there is a silent and secret language governing law that we must discover. For example, we understand why a sea storm occurs, but we do not understand how Christ calmed the sea with three words, “Peace, be still.”

“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4)

We have the ability to predict the weather, but we do not have the ability to change the weather. Christ had the ability to change the weather. He understood the full language of law.

Our ability to say yea or nay to language is in concomitant variation to our freedom. Inanimate objects have no freedom to say no when they are commanded in their own language. Creation is not about brute force. Creation is about the perfect language of coordinated power and has nothing to do with chance or accident.

Language gives one power to perform a herculean task. That is the principle of creation that God uses as illustrated in the miracle described above.

Higher laws were in place that we cannot understand, but no laws were violated. We are prone to think of faith as an abstraction, but faith is a law of creation connected to the language of law. Perhaps faith is the most powerful law in the universe for it gives access to all laws, even those we do not comprehend. Faith is the perfect language of law. However, it is not faith in nature that performs the miracle. It is faith in God. Faith accesses the power of God. The power of God performs the miracle through law. In other words, language is not the power. Language gives access to the power.

Law is perfectly economical with nothing wasted. It is we who must learn the language of law if we want to utilize law. We must be bilingual. There is a temporal law and a spiritual law. Christ illustrates the spiritual law above which entirely depends upon faith.

Let me illustrate the nature of temporal laws with a very simple example, closing a barn door.

Perhaps we have all experienced it. If you try to pull the barn door from the inside, near the hinges, you must work ten times harder than if you push it from the outside on the other side of the hinges. I don’t know if you can see it or not, but it is illustrated in the icon above.

The first requires brute force. The second the barn door practically closes itself. Nature is very economical in its use of laws. We call them temporal laws or laws of nature. They do not waste energy. In our natural world, we must learn that economy (or the language of law) through trial and error, analogy, or math. Wheels, levers, and pulleys were very early inventions.

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Season 4 Podcast 188 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 11 Pt II Episode 34 “The First Battle.”

In the previous podcast we are introduced to Eden, the home of Una and the tower where her parents are imprisoned. We are also introduced to the fire-breathing dragon itself which appears as large as a mountain, its tail stretching over four football fields, its steel armor strong enough to withstand all blows. It spreads it wide wings and charges the Redcross Knight, half running, half flying, its fiery breath exudes a horrible stink and it roars like thunder. The dragon is filled with guile and subtlety and hate. In this Podcast the battle continues.

The fierce dragon’s eyes blaze like two huge beacons that can be seen for miles and miles. The bright eyes are filled with rage suggesting the rage that fills man’s breast when driven by Satan to do evil. The dragon’s eyes were sunk deep in the caverns of his skull making a dreadful shade.

His blazing eyes, like two bright shining shields,

Did burne with wrath, and sparkled living fyre:

As two broad Beacons, set in open fields,

Send forth their flames far off to every shyre,

And warning give, that enemies conspyre

With fire and sword the region to invade;

So flam'd his eyne with rage and rancorous yre:

But farre within, as in a hollow glade,

Those glaring lampes were set, that made a dreadfull shade.

The dragon charged with dreadful speed, his speckled breast rising up like a sail blowing in the wind and then falling as it bounced on the grassy hillside. The dragon is excited for the battle to the point of feeling joy in the upcoming fight. He raised his high crest to throw fear in his foe’s breast. His bristles like spears were upraised and his steel scales were ready for battle, sending horror and fear in the Redcross Knight as he prepares to meet the dragon in their first fight.

So dreadfully he towards him did pas,

Forelifting up aloft his speckled brest,

And often bounding on the brused gras,

As for great joyance of his newcome guest.

Eftsoones he gan advance his haughtie crest,

As chauffed Bore his bristles doth upreare,

And shoke his scales to battell ready drest;

That made the Redcrosse knight nigh quake for feare,

As bidding bold defiance to his foeman neare.

The Redcross Knight set his spear to meet his foe as he ran toward the towering dragon with all his might, knowing, however, that the steal point of his spear would not be able to pierce the dragon’s armor. The Redcross Knight turned sharply to the right and pushed with all his power; however, the angry dragon quickly turned, and passing by the Knight, he brushed him with his long tail knocking both horse and Knight to the ground.

The knight gan fairely couch his steadie speare,

And fiercely ran at him with rigorous might:

The pointed steele arriving rudely theare,

His harder hide would neither perce, nor bight,

But glauncing by forth passed forward right;

Yet sore amoved with so puissaunt push,

The wrathfull beast about him turned light,

And him so rudely passing by, did brush

With his long tayle, that horse and man to ground did rush.

Both the Redcross Knight and his horse sprang to their feet again for a fresh encounter against the dragon. However, his stroke went amiss and could find no place to pierce the strong steel shield of the dragon. The dragon became even more enraged. The dragon had never been hit with such force before from living man though the dragon had fought many battles against man. This, of course, symbolizes the strong faith of the Redcross Knight. Spencer is referring to the shield of faith that the Redcross Knight wears, echoing the words of Paul as recorded in Ephesians 6:

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Season 4 Podcast 187 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 22:23-33, Pt 4, “Resurrection.”

To understand Matthew 22, it is useful to go back to the story of Adam and Eve and their relationship as husband and wife. The tradition of the resurrection and the eternal nature of the marriage covenant begins with the story of Adam and Eve who were married by the Lord.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Before they are cast out of the Garden of Eden they are referred to as husband and wife.

20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”

There is no more enigmatic prophet in the Old Testament than Elijah who, like Enoch, was taken up into heaven without tasting death. The last chapter of Malachi, speaking of the return of Elijah, also refers to the eternal nature of the family.

“5 ¶ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

Heaven patterns earth and earth mirrors heaven. Earth is a shadow of heaven. We were a family in heaven. We are all spirit children of God. He is referred to as our father, making us all brothers and sisters. We came to earth to gain a physical body with the charge to Adam and Eve, our first parents, to “multiply and replenish the earth. Who comes to earth through the lineage of Adam and Eve? None other than all the other children of God who are still spirits living with God. Elijah is intimately involved in the family relationships as revealed in Malachi’s prophesy. Regarding the eternal nature of marriage, Jesus said, as recorded in Mark 10

2 ¶ And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. 3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? 4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. 5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

As with Adam and Eve who were married by God himself, Christ announces the doctrine, “What God hath joined together let no man put asunder. In other words, the marriage covenant was meant to last forever, but it had to be performed under the power of God. That is why that binding power, which had been lost because of apostasy, was given to the apostles.

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Season 4 Podcast 186, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 17, “The Language of Law Pt 2.”

The principle of causality is the key to deterministic law. The cause brings about the effect. The effect represents the consequences. According to The Oxford English Dictionary, the cause is that which gives rise to any action, phenomenon, or condition. ‘Cause and effect are correlative terms.’ According to Rodale’s Word Finder, the effect is defined as that which is ‘produced by some agency, product of some efficient cause, result, resultant, consequence, etc.’ The Oxford English Dictionary defines effect as ‘something accomplished, caused, or produced.’ Science is devoted to discovering conditions of certain events in nature called the laws of nature.

As a working definition, let’s define conditions as the cause necessary and sufficient to bring about the effect. The effect is the consequence that occurs when conditions are necessary and sufficient.

For example, the National Severe Storms Laboratory presents the following as the cause of lightning.

Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere between clouds, the air, or the ground. In the early stages of development, air acts as an insulator between the positive and negative charges in the cloud and between the cloud and the ground. When the opposite charges build up enough, this insulating capacity of the air breaks down and there is a rapid discharge of electricity that we know as lightning. The flash of lightning temporarily equalizes the charged regions in the atmosphere until the opposite charges build up again.

Notice that the conditions must be both necessary and sufficient. Also, according to NSSL thunder results because

Lightning causes thunder! Energy from a lightning channel heats the air briefly to around 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, much hotter than the surface of the sun. This causes the air to explode outward. The huge pressure in the initial outward shock wave decreases rapidly with increasing distance and within ten yards or so has become small enough to be perceived as the sound we call thunder.

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Laws have two parts, cause and effect. The cause, also called conditions, always precedes the effect. We say that law is deterministic, meaning it will occur whether we like it or not. The effect will occur anytime the conditions are necessary and sufficient to bring the about the effect. In nature multitudinous effects occur over which we have no control. In other words, the conditions occur naturally.

For example, we have no control over thunder and lightning just as we have no control over gravity and other laws of nature. For that reason, scientists claim that we live in a deterministic world. That is why they compare man to animals, man to machines, and man to robots. Some scientists conclude that as a result of natural law we have no freewill. As Mr. Stephen Hawking observed in The Grand Design,

“It is hard to imagine how free will can operate if our behavior is determined by physical law, so it seems that we are no more than biological machines and that free will is just an illusion.”

Reality doesn’t support Mr. Hawking’s opinion; otherwise, why is man so ingenious at inventions? It is for the simple reason that science understands the conditions of laws and man uses those conditions to put a man on the moon, to build computers, to fly jets, to drive cars, and so on. Control over conditions gives us freewill. Jesus said it this way,

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

Jesus is speaking of perfect knowledge of both temporal law and spiritual law, both of which are governed by cause and effect or conditions and consequences. We are composed of two parts, one is spiritual, the other temporal.

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Season 4 Podcast 185 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 11 Pt I Episode 33 “The Dragon.”

In the previous podcast we concluded Canto 10, The House of Holiness. The House of Holiness was the direct opposite of The House of Pride presented in Canto 4.

In the House of Holiness, we meet:

· Humility

· Dame Celia, Heavenly Lady

· Fidelia, Speranza, Charissa known as the three heavenly virtues

· Zeal

· Obedience

· Patience

· Penance

· Remorse

· Repentance

· Mercy

· Contemplation

· Seven Beadsmen or Seven Virtues: Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Kindness, Patience, and Humility

In the House of Pride, we meet the opposite of those in the House of Holiness:

· Malvenu meaning all evil to those who enter

· Queen Lucifera, daughter of Pluto and Proserpina king and Queen of hell

· Duessa or Duplicity

· Vanity

· The evil brothers, Sans Joy, Sans Foy, Sans Loy, which means without joy, without faith, and without law.

· And the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Idleness, Gluttony, Lechery, Avarice, Envy, & Wrath

The House of Pride promotes sin. It represents Babylon or the World. The House of Holiness teaches repentance and forgiveness and the tender mercies of Christ. Ironically the Redcross Knight suffered more in the House of Holiness than he did in the House of Pride suggesting that it is easier to sin than it is to repent. Having been purged of his sins and sanctified, the Redcross Knight is now prepared to go with Una and fight the dragon that holds Una’s parents captive. It is prophesied that the Red Cross Knight will become the famed Saint George widely celebrated in Christian literature.

Canto 11 is introduced by Spencer.

CANTO XI

The knight with that old Dragon fights

two dayes incessantly;

The third him overthrowes, and gayns

most glorious victory.

It was Una, of course, who took the Redcross Knight to the House of Holiness for she could clearly see that he was too weak from his time imprisoned in the giant Orgoglio’s dungeon. He was weakened by indulging in the sins of the House of Pride. Now, however, the Redcross Knight is a new man in Christ. Using Christian terms, he has been born again. It is time for Una to again be thinking of her parents’ long imprisonment and her original mission which is to free her parents, Also that was the commission of the Faery Queen to the Redcross Knight to slay the dragon that held them captive. It was Una who saved the Redcross Knight; however, she never sings her own praises but heaps praise upon the Redcross Knight

HIGH time now gan it wex for Una faire

To thinke of those her captive Parents deare,

And their forwasted kingdome to repaire:

Whereto whenas they now approched neare,

With hartie wordes her knight she gan to cheare,

And in her modest manner thus bespake;

Deare knight, as deare as ever knight was deare,

That all these sorrowes suffer for my sake,

High heaven behold the tedious toyle ye for me take.

They finally reach Una’s native home, a place of enormous peril. The Dragon who holds her parent’s captive symbolizes Satan, and he has great power over the land of Eden.

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Season 4 Podcast 184 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 22:15-22, Pt 3, “Render unto Caesar.”

Christ detected hypocrisy as shown in Matthew 22.

15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not?

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

Their entrapment could have gotten Christ sent to prison by the Romans which was their goal. In fact, just a few days later when Jesus stood before Pilate, the Jews falsely accused Christ of refusing to pay tribute to Caesar. Luke records in Chapter 23:

“1 And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.”

Perhaps he was falsely accused by the same hypocrites who earlier tried to entrap him. The evidence in Matthew 22 proves his accusers were lying.

“19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21 They say unto him, Cæsar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. 22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.”

Christ established the model for Christians through the centuries. He established that we are subject to the government and must obey the laws of the land. Under Roman Law the Jews did not have the power to put people to death. In fact, the leaders of the Jews tried the same entrapment with the woman caught in adultery. In John 8 John records.

“3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

5 RON

Jewish law allowed the Jews to stone the woman, but Roman law didn’t without permission. Here they were trying again to entrap Jesus by forcing him to go against Roman law. If he had said she should be stoned, they would have turned him over to the Romans. If he had said she should not be stoned, they would have turned him over to the Sanhedrin. Christ sees through their hypocrisy and teaches the nature of the atonement that Christ has power to forgive sins. It is two sides of the same coin.

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Season 4 Podcast 183, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 16, “The Language of Law Pt 1.”

Please be patient. This is an introduction to a three-part series on the Language of Law. The purpose of this podcast is to show that language is imbedded in laws thus allowing law to act over distance. The fundamental premise is that everything is governed by law, and chance, luck, accident, and serendipity of circumstances have nothing to do with the laws of creation. God uses law, not chance, in his infinite creations. Practical science, so ingenious in its discoveries and applications, is sometimes perverted by theoretical science which draws conclusions which violate the laws of nature to satisfy a political end. This is particularly aimed at those who use pseudo-science in an attempt to disprove the existence of intelligent design. ‘Anything but God theories’ often fall into scientific heresies and logical fallacies.

The next two podcasts on the language of law have a more spiritual aim.

We can never rise above our knowledge of the language of law. There is temporal law and there is spiritual law. Temporal law gives us our freedom. Spiritual law gives us our agency. Temporal language belongs to temporal laws and operates only in a fallen world. Spiritual language belongs to spiritual laws and operates everywhere, in time and in eternity else there would be no life. Blessed is he who is bilingual.

We have a physical body that is temporal and understands only temporal law. The physical body is a biological machine governed by the brain. It does not have life in itself and it does not have freewill. It obeys the language of temporal law.

We have a spiritual body that is made entirely of immortal spirit matter. It is governed by our immortal intelligence which has neither beginning nor end. It has life in itself and cannot die. It continues after the death of the physical body. Only because of the spirit do we have freewill. Our intelligence governs our spirit. Our spirit governs our brain. Our brain governs our physical body. That is why we are not animals, and we are not robots. We belong to eternity. Our life on temporal earth is of short duration.

We are limited by language, God is not. That is why he is omniscient and omnipotent.

God assigns language to all things. He does not learn from language, and he is not guided by language. He uses language to communicate with us and we with him. Before we utter the words, God knows the language of the heart. Before we tell God our wants, he discerns our desires. God uses language to command our world. We use language to describe our world. We have to rely upon God, not language, to comprehend our world. Without language law could not be conditional. To God language is deductive. To man language is inductive and filled with uncertainty and ambiguity. Man uses language to obscure truth; God uses language to reveal truth. All of nature, even law, uses language assigned by God to communicate with each other. The DNA of the biological kingdom is but a type and shadow of the language of all creations whether temporal or spiritual, physical or biological.

Except in areas where freewill exists, things do not meet and form relationships by accident. All things are governed by law; and law, though it organizes probability in the biological kingdom, does not depend upon accident. Just as smell (all the senses are languages)—brings critters to your camp, a multitude of languages bring different forms of life together to form a symbiotic relationship. There are no unforeseen accidents in nature, only spheres attracting or repelling other spheres through language. Language communicates over distance. All laws have language for all laws communicate over distance.

Intelligence in animals is

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Season 4 Podcast 182 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 10 Pt V Episode 32 “The Celestial City.”

In last week’s episode the Redcross Knight met the greatest of the seven Beadsmen, Humility who welcomed the guests. Humility led the Knight to Charity who instructs the Redcross Knight in almes and charity and how to frame his life in righteousness. Led by Mercy, the Redcross Knight then climbs a steep hill. Exhausted, Mercy had to help the Redcross Knight climb the mountain. On the top they meet blind Contemplation who teaches the Knight the way to heaven. However, Contemplation admits that it is mercy that sends the prayers of the righteous to God and ask God for clemency. Contemplation reminds the Knight that on the straight and narrow path to heaven they will meet long labors and sad delays; therefore, he must endure a season of fasting and prayer until his spirit is cleansed from all sin and his strength returns. Contemplation leads the Redcross Knight up an even higher mountain. Contemplation tries to elevate the thoughts of the Redcross Knight by introducing him not only to holy scriptures but also to the best of great books. He shows the Knight a small path in the distance that led to the New Jerusalem, the celestial city. He describes the walls of the city where inside he will have peace and happiness.

As he thereon stood gazing, he might see

The blessed Angels to and fro descend

From highest heaven in gladsome companee,

And with great joy into that Citie wend,

As commonly as friend does with his frend.

Whereat he wondred much, and gan enquere,

What stately building durst so high extend

Her loftie towres unto the starry sphere,

And what unknowen nation there empeopled were.

Contemplation tells the Knight that it is the New Jerusalem built by God for those who have purged themselves from all sin with the precious blood of Christ. He reminds the Knight that Jesus shed his blood on the cross to cleanse all who come to him and repent of their sins.

3 LINDA

Faire knight (quoth he) Hierusalem that is,

The new Hierusalem, that God has built

For those to dwell in, that are chosen his,

His chosen people purg'd from sinfull guilt

With pretious blood, which cruelly was spilt

On cursed tree, of that unspotted lam,

That for the sinnes of al the world was kilt:

Now are they Saints all in that Citie sam,

More dear unto their God then younglings to their dam.

The Redcross Knight, stunned by the Celestial City, exclaims that before he thought Cleopolis was the greatest city on earth and that Panthea was the brightest thing there was. Those of course symbolize the architecture of man which can have no comparison to the architecture of God. For him London would be Cleopolis and Westminister Abby Panthea. One may just imagine other knights using the greatest architecture or cathedrals of their own country. The point is that nothing on earth compares to the New Jerusalem.

Till now, said then the knight, I weened well,

That great Cleopolis, where I have beene,

In which that fairest Faerie Queene doth dwell,

The fairest citie was that might be seene;

And that bright towre all built of christall cleene,

Panthea, seemd the brightest thing that was:

But now by proofe all otherwise I weene;

For this great Citie that does far surpas,

And this bright Angels towre quite dims that towre of glas.

Contemplation tells the Redcross Knight that becoming for noble Knights to seek to be included in the books of immortal fame, that they may be eternized or made famous forever in the annals of history in doing service to their queen. Serving their queen who is heavenly born will also receive heaven’s rewards.

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Season 4 Podcast 181 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 22:1-14, Pt 2, “The

Last week we talked of the Wedding Guest as it referred to the Celestial Kingdom which is compared to the brightness of the Sun by Paul. This week I shall continue the theme as it refers to the other two kingdoms of Heaven, the Terrestrial Kingdom as spoken of by Paul which is compared to the brightness of the moon and the lowest kingdom compared to the brightness of the stars. Let me again refer to 1 Corinthians 15:

“40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.”

In the kingdom of God everything is governed by a complete set of laws. Each kingdom of heaven is governed by a completely different set of laws. We inherit a kingdom of glory according to the set of laws we chose to obey on earth. As illustrated by the parable of the Ten Virgins, only those who obeyed the laws of the celestial kingdom were allowed to take part in the wedding feast. Only those who take part in the wedding feast inherit the Celestial Kingdom. The door was closed on the other five virgins who did not have sufficient oil in their lamps. Those who rejected the Savior’s invitation must enter a lesser kingdom, equal to the light they have in the resurrection. Let’s first examine GROUP TWO.

The Second Kingdom, next to the Celestial Kingdom, which is compared to the glory of the sun, is called by Paul the Terrestrial Kingdom, compared to the glory of the moon. Those who reject the laws of the Celestial Kingdom yet are honorable people of the earth inherit the Terrestrial Kingdom. In Matthew 22 we read.

“3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:”

3 RON

Notice they are not guilty of any great sins. Working on one’s farm or selling one’s merchandise are not bad things. However, they willfully rejected the invitation of the King to come to the wedding feast. Luke’s account in Luke 14 is similar but with added detail. Keep in mind that the following who received the invitation were a kind of VIP list. This of course could be an allusion to the Chosen of Israel who rejected Christ. They felt obligated to offer excuses why they couldn’t come.

“16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.”

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Season 4 Podcast 180, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 15, “The Science of Evolution vs The Theory of Evolution.”

What does it mean when a scientist claims that evolution is a fact and not a theory? There are four words that every critical thinker should know: fact, inference, judgment, and theory. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the terms as follows:

Fact

“That which is known (or firmly believed) to be real or true; what has actually happened or is the case; truth attested by direct observation or authentic testimony, reality.”

Inference

“The action or process of inferring; the drawing of a conclusion from known or assumed facts or statements; esp. in Logic, the forming of a conclusion from data or premises, either by inductive or deductive methods; reasoning from something known or assumed to something else which follows from it;”

Judgment

“The ability to make considered decisions or to arrive at reasonable conclusions or opinions on the basis of the available information; the critical faculty; discernment, discrimination.”

Theory

An explanation of a phenomenon arrived at through examination and contemplation of the relevant facts; a statement of one or more laws or principles which are generally held as describing an essential property of something. More generally: a hypothesis or set of ideas about something. Often implying that the given ideas are purely speculative in nature.

The Cambridge dictionary defined theory as “a formal statement of the rules on which a subject or study is based or of ideas that are suggested to explain a fact or event or, more generally, an opinion or explanation.

As you can see, theory and inference are the same; therefore, when an atheist or a scientist claims that evolution is a fact, are they claiming that inference is a fact? Or that judgment is a fact? Or that theory is a fact?

That is a contradiction in terms. The greatest fallacy of the theory of evolution is hasty generalization. Because some of the theory has a sound scientific basis, they assume than any theory of evolution has a sound scientific basis. The facts of evolution are facts. Everything else is inference or theory. That is the problem with evolution today. I am not sure that Charles Darwin would recognize the theory of evolution today because scientists and atheists have used the theory of evolution as the cause for nearly everything. Evolution is a biological phenomenon only. It can only happen with living things, yet scientists also use it for all creation.

The theory of evolution is now so ingrained that almost any evolutionary theory is accepted as fact. The scientific method is often entirely ignored. The scientific method requires that every theory regarding evolution should stand on its own merits and be critically examined according to the principles of sound logic. However, in today’s scientific world theories, even unproven theories, which are assumed to be true spawn other theories and the facts get buried and the truth gets lost.

For example, scientists

· Assume God does not exist.

· Assume that we live in an accidental universe, which includes life, law, and all other creation.

· Assume man is nothing more than a robot.

· Assume man is nothing more than an animal.

· Assume man is nothing more than a biological machine.

· Assume that all theories regarding evolution are true.

· Assume that all life, all matter and energy and all laws and creation came from a singularity 14 billion years ago.

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Season 4 Podcast 179 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 10 Pt IV Episode 31 “Contemplation.”

In last week’s episode, the Redcross Knight is subject to rigorous sanctification. Following his sanctification, he is taken to Una by Charissa (Charity) with a clean conscience. Una and the Redcross Knight bid Charissa to have great joy in her happy posterity. Charissa takes the Redcross Knight by the hand and instructs him about love, righteousness, well doing, and other works of charity. She taught him to shun wrath and hatred and to walk the straight and narrow path to God. He is then introduced to Mercy, known for her wisdom, grace, and generosity. Charissa charged Mercy to lead him right that he might be saved by Grace. Mercy removed obstacles from the Redcross Knight’s path. She takes him to the seven Beads-men who represent the virtues of chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, kindness, patience, and humility which oppose the seven deadly sins, lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, wrath, and pride.

In this week’s episode, the Redcross Knight meets the most important of the seven Beads-men whose responsibility was to welcome guests. The Beads-man sees Mercy who is accompanying the Redcross Knight. He reverences Mercy, who was Patroness though the chiefest of the virtues was Charissa or charity.

The Redcross Knight is led up a very high mountain where he meets contemplation. Perhaps one of the great virtues we have lost in our noisy society is meditation. Noise drowns out the still small voice or the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Contemplation creates the quality environment where the still small voice can better be heard. Some synonyms for Contemplation are introspection, observe thoughtfully, view attentively, pour over, envision, think studiously, meditate, ponder, study, reflect upon, deliberate, reason about, mull over, & brood over.

There when the Elfin knight arrived was,

The first and chiefest of the seven, whose care

Was guests to welcome, towardes him did pas:

Where seeing Mercie, that his steps upbare,

And alwayes led, to her with reverence rare

He humbly louted in meeke lowlinesse,

And seemely welcome for her did prepare:

For of their order she was Patronesse,

Albe Charissa were their chiefest founderesse.

Charissa remains a while and instructs the Redcross Knight in almes and charity. She teaches him with such industry that he becomes perfect in obeying her teachings and learns how to frame his life in righteousness and how to be without rebuke and blameless before his fellowman.

There she awhile him stayes, him selfe to rest,

That to the rest more able he might bee:

During which time, in every good behest

And godly worke of almes and charitee,

She him instructed with great industree;

Shortly therein so perfect he became,

That from the first unto the last degree,

His mortall life he learned had to frame

In holy righteousnesse, without rebuke or blame.

Still led by Mercy the Redcross Knight moves forward. Painfully they arrive at a hill very steep and high. On top of the hill is a sacred chapel and a nearby hermitage where lived a very old and holy man who gave his life to devotion to God. He had no other business but mediation. His name was Contemplation. He meditated only on goodness.

Thence forward by that painfull way they pas,

Forth to an hill, that was both steepe and hy;

On top whereof a sacred chappell was,

And eke a little Hermitage thereby,

Wherein an aged holy man did lye,

That day and night said his devotion,

Ne other worldly busines did apply;

His name was heavenly Contemplation;

Of God and goodnesse was his meditation.

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Season 4 Podcast 178 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 22:1-14, Pt 1, “The Wedding Guest.”

Last week we talked of the Wedding Guest as found in Matthew 22: 1-10. This week I should like to continue the theme, for it is such an important one in the teachings of Christ. Remember that the parable began with

2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

Christ often speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven. In John 14, Christ taught:

“2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

We learn from the above that his Father’s House is vast, and mansions cover an incomprehensible real estate. I suppose we could get some idea if we simply looked up at own Milky Way. We also learn that that there is a separation. Above Christ is focusing on where he will live, and he promises to prepare mansions for those who follow him in the same kingdom where he dwells. Paul expands the theme of many mansions in First Corinthians 15, showing three distinct divisions, using light and glory as the dividing factor.

Clearly Christ will live in the Celestial Glory or the glory compared to the brightness of the sun. In Second Corinthians 12, Paul speaks of being caught up in the third heaven

“2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth; 4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”

We can only assume that the Third Heaven, or highest, compared to the glory of the sun, is referring to the Celestial Kingdom also spoken of by Paul. The Second Heaven, or Kingdom of Heaven, compared to the glory of the moon, Paul Calls the Terrestrial Kingdom. The first, or lowest, Kingdom, which Paul does not name, is compared to the glory of the stars. It appears that the kingdoms compared to the glory of the stars are seemingly infinite in number, “for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.”

If we closely examine the scriptures relating to the wedding guests, we find a natural correlation to the three kingdoms spoken of by Paul. They define who enters each kingdom. Using Paul’s language, let’s define Group One as those who inherit the kingdoms relating the glory of the stars. Group Two as those who inherit the kingdom relating the glory of the moon, called the Terrestrial Kingdom. And Group Three as those who inherit the glory of the Sun, called the Celestial Kingdom.

Let’s first examine GROUP THREE, those who inherit mansions compared to the glory of the sun, or those who inherit the Celestial Kingdom.

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Season 4 Podcast 177, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 14, “Lessons From the Past.”

If science quits believing in absolute truth and absolute reality, then science will quit being science. It will slide down the slippery slope of superstition and fall into the very contradictions it tries to conquer. It will be a new superstition held together by the bravery of a former language. It will be like the ruins of a great civilization where people will come and stand before its crumbling glory, wondering how such a mighty people could have fallen.

Evolutionary theorists or theoretical physicists who use ad hoc excuses such as luck, accident, chance, coincidence, or serendipity of surroundings to explain the anomalies of nature to avoid acknowledging God or intelligent design demonstrates very bad science.

What is the difference between that and Ptolemy protecting his geocentric view of the solar system by inventing the retrograde motion theory to explain why the geocentric model of the solar system acted in such complicated ways?

When Copernicus discovered that Ptolemy’s epicycles view of the solar system was false and our solar system was heliocentric, another blunder occurred. He thought the planets traveled in perfect circles because God was perfect.

Ecclesiastical leaders refused to look through Galileo’s telescope because they were afraid the great scientist would put a hex on them and make them see the moon as imperfect. They were certain that God would only create perfect spheres.

It is human nature, whether in science or religion, for man to protect his own paradigm. It is bad science, and it is bad religion. Man should not presume to tell God how to do things. Everything should be able to tell its own tale. Truth first, then religion and then science. Those who fear truth make neither good scientists nor good Christians.

Overzealous scientists are as guilty as overzealous Christians in telling people what they should see. It is in the nature of man, whether theist or atheist, to protect one’s beliefs, carry on one’s superstitions, and create God in one’s own image rather than the other way around.

Observation showed Copernicus that was incorrect, but the anomalies had to be explained. Even one of the greatest geniuses of all time, Sir Isaac Newton, using his laws of gravitation couldn’t explain why the planets weren’t flying off into outer space. Not realizing that God only uses laws, he used miracles to explain why the rotations of the planets corrected themselves; therefore, he quit searching for the truth. A hundred years later, Pierre Laplace, in his Celestial Mechanics, explained the anomaly. Though the story is thought to be apocryphal, Napoleon, after reading Celestial Mechanics, supposedly asked Laplace why he had not included God in the equation. Laplace, if the story is true, replied, “I have no need of that hypothesis.” What seems blasphemous at first blush is actually necessary for the success of science. All things religious are not true, but all things true are religious.

It seems to me that five great lessons can be learned from the mistakes of some of the greatest thinkers on our planet.

Lesson One:

Appealing to luck, accident, chance, coincidence, supernatural, or serendipity of surroundings rather than to law is catastrophic to scientific research, to truth, and to the advancement of science or religion.

Truth and Law are synonymous. All laws come from God, whether temporal or spiritual, and all Truth comes from God, whether temporal or spiritual. Search for God and you will find superstition. Search for truth and you will find God. Everything God does is governed by a complete set of laws.

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Season 4 Podcast 176 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 10 Pt III Episode 30 “The Seven Heavenly Virtues.”

In last week’s episode The Redcross Knight was taught from the Sacred Book by Fidelia and Speranza. He was also taught by Patience, Penance, Remorse, and Repentance until he was purified from his sins.

Following his repentance, he was brought by Charissa, whose strength had been renewed, to Una who suffered from his cries. With a clean conscience, he embraces Una.

Whom thus recover'd by wise Patience

And trew Repentaunce they to Una brought:

Who joyous of his cured conscience,

Him dearely kist, and fairely eke besought

Himselfe to chearish, and consuming thought

To put away out of his carefull brest.

By this Charissa, late in child-bed brought,

Was woxen strong, and left her fruitfull nest;

To her faire Una brought this unacquainted guest.

Charissa, who symbolizes charity, is always of the freshest age and remarkable beauty. Representing the love of Christ, she is filled with love for everyone, but she hates wantonness and lust.

She was a woman in her freshest age

Of wondrous beauty, and of bountie rare,

With goodly grace and comely personage,

That was on earth not easie to compare;

Full of great love, but Cupid's wanton snare

As hell she hated, chast in worke and will;

Her necke and breasts were ever open bare,

That ay thereof her babes might sucke their fill;

The rest was all in yellow robes arayed still.

A multitude of children hung about Charissa playing their sports. They thrilled at being around her. She fed all who were weak and young but demanded independence from those who reached accountability. She wore a golden crown adorned with priceless jewels, one the pearl of great price which is the kingdom of heaven. She sat in an ivory throne flanked by a pair of gentle turtle doves.

A multitude of babes about her hong,

Playing their sports, that joyd her to behold,

Whom still she fed, whiles they were weake and young,

But thrust them forth still as they wexed old:

And on her head she wore a tyre of gold,

Adornd with gemmes and owches wondrous faire,

Whose passing price uneath was to be told:

And by her side there sate a gentle paire

Of turtle doves, she sitting in an yvorie chaire.

Una and the Redcross Knight greet Charissa and bid her joy in her happy posterity whom she entertains always with a cheerful smile. Earlier Una had asked Fidelia to school the Redcross Knight from the Sacred Book which led to his sore repentance. Now Una begs Charissa to school her knight in the works of charity.

The knight and Una entring faire her greet,

And bid her joy of that her happie brood;

Who them requites with court'sies seeming meet,

And entertaines with friendly chearefull mood.

Then Una her besought, to be so good

As in her vertuous rules to schoole her knight,

Now after all his torment well withstood,

In that sad house of Penaunce, where his spright

Had past the paines of hell, and long enduring night.

Charissa gladly complied. She took the Redcross Knight by the hand and began to instruct him about pure love, righteousness, and well doing. It is clearly a reference to the words of Paul who defined charity.

“1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

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Season 4 Podcast 175 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 21:18-46, Pt 3, “The Withering Fig Tree.”

Other than the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, two other trees stand out in the Holy Scriptures: The Olive Tree and the Fig Tree. They have also become Christian symbols. What is the significance of Christ withering the fig tree because it was barren?

Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

First of all Christ, who created the fig tree when he created the earth and all things in it, shows that he has power over the elements of the earth. We must not forget, however, that Christ created the earth through laws that he organized. He never violates laws, temporal or spiritual. He cannot violate laws, or he would cease to be God. He would be fighting against himself. How he withered the fig tree is a mystery; therefore, we assign it to one of the miracles of Jesus. A miracle is nothing more than a law unexplained. In this case it is the miracle of faith. He taught his disciples.

21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

It adds a dimension to the law of creation that we cannot fully understand in this life. The very voice of God is power. When God said, ‘Let there be light” there was light. When God said to the wind and the waves, ‘Peace be still’ the storm calmed. The power of faith is one of the great mysteries of the Bible. There are other miracles in which Christ appeared to govern the laws of nature: The feeding of the five thousand, turning the water to wine, restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, the healing of the sick and so on. We know he performed those miracles through faith, but we don’t know how he did it or what laws he used. But we do learn from the withered fig tree that faith in Christ is the greatest power on earth. Moses learned that when through faith he parted the Red Sea. Joshua learned it when he made it appear that the sun stood still, and so on. Christ further taught,

22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

If Christ wanted us to have that kind of faith here, it follows that he wants us to have that same faith hereafter. He is doing nothing less than giving man the power of creation. None of the apostles wrote more on the subject of faith than did Paul.

Hebrews 11: 1-3

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

The price of faith is to have the courage to act in the face of uncertainty until hope arrives and as Christ turned water to wine, hope turns uncertainty to certainty. But we learn other doctrines from the withered fig tree. The story, though true, has the elements of a parable. The leaves made the tree appear to have fruit when it was barren. It is a story of hypocrisy.

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Season 4 Podcast 174, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 13, “The Patterns of Nature.”

We know that some patterns occur randomly like shapes in a cloud. I caught the image you see at the head of this podcast while watching thousands of starlings swarming above Syracuse, a small town in Utah:

Are the starlings conscious of the fact that they have formed the shape of a giant starling? Perhaps in a primitive way they are. Are birds conscious of being birds as people are conscious of being people? I believe that all living things have some intelligence regardless of how primitive that intelligence may be. They are not driven entirely by instinct. They are not merely biological robots. Intelligence, regardless of the level, is inherent to life. They have consciousness; therefore, they experience some joy in their own world as well as other complex emotions, each creature in its own level.

It could even be said that all living things are separated by levels of intelligence, consciousness, and expressions of emotion. Man is the only being who can expand his consciousness and broaden his intelligence to comprehend God and eternity. Our freedom is inextricably tied to our ability to organize laws, accommodate our desires, and expand our consciousness. Our agency is inextricably tied to our knowledge of good and evil. Our freewill, a product only of our spirit not our physical body, is inextricably tied to the laws of God, spiritual or temporal.

Many patterns in nature appear random, but there are hidden patterns in nature that are not random that evolution claims to answer; however, their explanation leaves a nagging doubt in one’s mind. It appears to violate too many rules.

Without patterns there would be no science. Patterns are a product of order. It is very probable, if not true by necessity, that all patterns, even those patterns that appear random are governed by a strict set of laws. Our astute scientists have written volumes on the patterns of nature which is evidence of their fascination. It is astonishing that their conclusions do not match the sum total of their facts. It is a basic rule of science that the cause must be equal to the effect, and that every effect must be accounted for. Super heroes only exist in comic books.

I absolutely love the world of insects. (Well, not all insects: I don’t like gnats, flies, mosquitoes, borer bees, chiggers, or ticks, but that is all nitpicky, though I don’t like lice either.) One of my favorite insects is the praying mantis. It should be called Nimrod, because it is a mighty hunter. Its body moves slowly, always stalking like a tiger, but its strong arms move at lightning speed and they are deadly. It eats its prey like eating corn on the cob.

I have spent countless hours lying in the grass observing the small world under a magnifying glass. But let me just use one example from a very astute science writer, Lewis Thomas, taken from his delightful book, The Lives of the Cell. Professor Thomas points out a peculiar characteristic of the Australian termite. The termite cannot digest wood, quite inconvenient since wood is its only diet. Those of you who are on a gluten free diets know how difficult it is to find food without wheat. Imagine being an allergic termite looking for a tree without wood. A petrified forest somehow doesn’t cut it. Some humans probably consider that a spot of luck, but that just shows an inherent prejudice against termites.

As Mr. Thomas informs us, the Australian termite, however, has a helper—

“the protozoan Myxotricha paradoxa,”

Which digests the wood.”

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Season 4 Podcast 173 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 10 Pt II Episode 29 “The Price of Repentance in the House of Holiness.”

In last week’s episode Una brings the Redcross Knight to the House of Holiness to heal him, where they meet Dame Celia, or Heavenly Lady, her three daughters: Fidelia (Faith), Speranza (Hope), and Charissa (Charity). They also meet Humility and Zeal. The House of Holiness is in sharp contrast to the House of Pride where they paraded the Seven Deadly Sins—Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride—driven by Satan and ruled by Queen Lucifera, where Duessa had taken the Redcross Knight to destroy him.

Fidelia and Speranza, when they see Una, straightway greet her for they recognize her as a great lady. They are instant friends. Then in modesty, at Una’s request, they turn toward the Redcross Knight whom they do not know and salute him courteously and speak of other great guests who have come to the House of Holiness.

They seeing Una, towards her gan wend,

Who them encounters with like courtesie;

Many kind speeches they betwene them spend,

And greatly joy each other well to see:

Then to the knight with shamefast modestie

They turne themselves, at Unaes meeke request,

And him salute with well beseeming glee;

Who faire them quites, as him beseemed best,

And goodly gan discourse of many a noble gest.

Una asks the two sisters about the whereabouts of Charissa. Is she ill or is she wanted elsewhere? Fidelia and Speranza say their sister Charissa may not come for she has just given birth to another son. They praise God for Charissa’s eternal increase. The sisters, of course, represent the three great virtues of whom Paul said,

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The birth of a new son to Charity represents the fruits of Charity. Again Paul tells us.

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.”

The two sisters praise God for their sister Charissa.

Then Una thus; But she your sister deare,

The deare Charissa where is she become?

Or wants she health, or busie is elsewhere?

Ah no, said they, but forth she may not come:

For she of late is lightned of her wombe,

And hath encreast the world with one sonne more,

That her to see should be but troublesome.

Indeed (quoth she) that should be trouble sore;

But thankt be God, and her encrease so evermore.

Celia, also known as Heavenly Lady, recognizing that the Redcross Knight was exhausted, called a Groom whose name was Obedience to lead him to his room. The Redcross Knight took off his powerful armor and fell fast asleep. The irony is clear. Twice before when the Redcross Knight took off his armor, he was severely vulnerable to temptation and danger. One he fell in sinful dalliance with Duessa causing him to lose his virtue, and two he was beaten in battle by the giant Orgoglio who put him in his dungeon to starve. Here, however, the Redcross Knight is safe in the House of Holiness. In fact, in the House of Holiness he must remove his battle armor and submit himself entirely to the will of all the virtues.

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Season 4 Podcast 172 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 21:12-17, Pt 2 B, “Cleansing of the Temple.”

In last week’s podcast we presented the first half of Cleansing the Temple. If you have not listened to Podcast 172 may we invite you to do so first. In this podcast we complete the theme. It is clear that the Lord’s house is to be the center of their worship because Jehovah, who of course is Jesus Christ, dwells in his Holy Temple, and Christ is to be the center of their lives. Solomon prays that even when the people sin and are scattered over the earth that when they humble themselves before the Lord and turn their hearts back toward the temple of the Lord even if they are in foreign lands among enemies that the Lord will hear their prayer and that the Lord will maintain their cause, as recorded in Solomon’s Dedicatory prayer of Solomon’s Temple in 1 Kings 8:

46 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;

47 Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;

48 And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:

49 Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,

It is clear that Solomon’s dedicatory prayer is about the covenants the chosen people have made with the Lord. It is about repentance when those covenants are broken that if they return to the Lord the Lord will return to them. The prayer continues:

50 And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:

51 For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron:

52 That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee.

53 For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.

Solomon ends his dedicatory prayer and then turns directly to the people and blesses them directly. He tells them that the Lord will fulfill all of his promises.

54 And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.

55 And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,

56 Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

Promises, of course, are covenants between the Lord and his people. They are based on a simple formula, ‘If you keep my commandments, I will bless you. If you do not keep my commandments, you shall not receive the blessings.’

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Season 4 Podcast 171, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 12, “The Science of Spiritual Law.”

Creationists concern themselves with both spiritual law and temporal law. That should not concern the pursuit of science. A creationist can be both a scientist studying temporal law and a creationist studying spiritual law and the supernatural. The two can be easily separated and just as easily combined. Each has its own unified theory, each a subset of the overall theory. Even miracles obey law. There are no exceptions. Ironically it is the theory of evolution, which attributes the origin of life to luck and the laws of nature to chance, accident, coincidence, or serendipity of circumstances, that preaches miracles without law, which violates the laws of physics and the laws of God. All miracles are governed by law. We may increase our miracles by increasing our obedience to law. No miracle can occur without law. We often call a miracle of God a miracle only because we don’t know how God did it. How did Christ walk on water? How did he calm the storm? Because we don’t know the laws, we must exercise faith in God. Faith always precedes the miracle.

Temporal law is based on the scientific method through natural observation. The approach of science to temporal law is inductive. The approach of creationists to spiritual law is deductive. Observation of nature provides the basic premises of temporal law. Revelation through prophets provides the basic premises of spiritual law. However, once the premises are established, the forms of verification are the same. The scientific method applies to both temporal law and spiritual law. The results for both temporal law and spiritual law can be predicted, verified, and repeated. Even the blessings of God are predicated on law as the Holy scriptures amply testify.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22 - 23)

That can be written as a hypothetical syllogism. Let’s call it the Law of Love:

If you have the Spirit of God within, then you will feel love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

The clause “against such there is no law” can be rewritten, “There is no law against the law of love.

In a way scientists work backward; people of faith work forward. For example, a scientist must observe the patterns and work backwards to discover the law. It is an inductive process. He looks for repetition of patterns, and when evidence, sufficient and various, is gathered, he makes a prediction. People of faith listen to the prophet’s voice and apply the commandments of God in faith and look forward to the effect or “fruits of the Spirit” as listed above. That is deductive, the major premise accepted on faith.

The following is an illustration.

Malachi 3

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

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Season 4 Podcast 170 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 10 Pt I Episode 28 “The House of Holiness.”

In last week’s episode The Redcross Knight barely escaped despair. If Una had not interfered and shamed the Redcross Knight for listening to the oily arguments of despair, he would have taken his own life. That ended Canto 9. This is the beginning of Canto 10. Una takes the Redcross Knight to the House of Holiness to purge him of his sins. Remember that the evil witch Duessa took the Redcross Knight to the House of Pride which would have destroyed him had the Dwarf not discovered that the dungeons of the house of pride were filled with the corpses of the dead who had been murdered in the House of Pride. The Redcross Knight and the Dwarf flee the House of Pride only to be followed by Duessa who then seduces the Redcross Knight and then throws him in the dungeon in the castle of Orgoglio the giant where he was imprisoned for three months before being rescued by Prince Arthur. In the following Stanza Spencer summarizes Canto 10.

CANTO X

Her faithfull knight faire Una brings

to house of Holinesse,

Where he is taught repentance, and

the way to heavenly blesse.

Canto 10, where the Redcross Knight is taken to the House of Holiness is absolutely beautiful and is at the heart of the story of the Redcross Knight. Una who represents truth takes the Redcross Knight who represents holiness to the House of Holiness to purge him of his sins. In his youth he was deceived by Duessa who led him off the straight and narrow path to the House of Pride.

In Stanza 1 Spencer raises a key question. It is this: Can any person who puts his trust in the arm of flesh withstand the temptations of Satan. The answer is no. They will eventually yield to temptation as happened to the Redcross Knight. All good comes from God and only through the grace of Christ can we withstand the wiles of the devil.

WHAT man is he, that boasts of fleshly might

And vaine assurance of mortality,

Which all so soone as it doth come to fight

Against spirituall foes, yeelds by and by,

Or from the field most cowardly doth fly?

Ne let the man ascribe it to his skill,

That thorough grace hath gained victory.

If any strength we have, it is to ill,

But all the good is Gods, both power and eke will.

Una recognized how weak and feeble her knight had become. He had become emaciated from prolong imprisonment and was unfit to fight the dragon. That is why she brought him to the House of Holiness.

But that, which lately hapned, Una saw,

That this her knight was feeble, and too faint;

And all his sinews woxen weake and raw,

Through long enprisonment, and hard constraint,

Which he endured in his late restraint,

That yet he was unfit for bloudy fight:

Therefore to cherish him with diets daint,

She cast to bring him, where he chearen might.

Till he recovered had his late decayed plight.

The House of Holiness was not far away. It was renowned throughout the world for the sacred word of God and for the inhabitants who led a pure and unspotted life. It was governed by wisdom through a wise but white-haired matron who joyed only in helping wretched souls and helpless poor. She had infinite energy and never rested. She spent all of her time doing godly deeds.

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Season 4 Podcast 169 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 21:12-17, Pt 2 A, “Cleansing of the Temple.”

Twice the Lord cleansed the temple. In John 2 the apostle John describes the first cleansing.

13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,

14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;

16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

In Matthew 21 Matthew describes the 2nd cleansing.

12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Temples have always been at the heart of Jewish culture and an important part of Christianity. The prophets would go upon the mountain. It was upon Mount Sinai that Moses saw God. It was also upon the mount that Moses received the Ten Commandments. It was upon a mount that Abraham was commanded to offer his son Isaac. It is the same mount upon which Jerusalem, including Solomon’s Temple, was built.

But temple worship dates back thousands of years. If you look up the word Ziggurat in Wikipedia, you find the following:

“The word ziggurat comes from ziqqurratum (height, pinnacle), in ancient Assyrian. From zaqārum, to be high up….The Sumerians believed that the gods lived in the temple at the top of the ziggurats, so only priests and other highly respected individuals could enter.”

Before the Temple of Solomon was built, the Israelites put the Ark of the Covenant in a tent and carried it across the dessert. The tent symbolized the temple. The temple was considered the house of the Lord. In 2 Samuel 7 we read.

4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying,

5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?

6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.

12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

Notice the Lord said he had, “walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.” A temple is the Lord’s house. We can understand why Jesus cleansed the temple because its practices had become corrupted. He said they should not make his Father’s house an house of merchandise. Then he defines one of the purposes of the temple, “My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Notice that the Savior used the definite article ‘the’ rather than the indefinite article ‘a’ or ‘an.’ He called it ‘the house of prayer.’ That elevates temples above churches or cathedrals or chapels or other houses of worship. It has a unique place in religious worship.

King Solomon elaborately describes some of the purposes of the temple when he dedicated the temple he had built. It is found in 1 Kings 8. I shall only present excerpts. We Learn that the temple is dedicated to the Lord and set apart as a House of the Lord.

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Season 4 Podcast 168, In Defense of Christianity, Episode 11 “Argument for the Existence of God,” H, Model Dependent Realism.”

The safety and integrity of science is only as reliable as our willingness to stick strictly to the rules of logic.

Every human endeavor, every discipline, and every theorist wants to claim science as the foundation of their model. That includes evolutionists, psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists, political theorists, educational theorists, environmentalists, geneticists, politicians, and new age propagandists. All those who wish to create a new world order try to use science as their authority. They justify everything from preaching climate change to promoting sex change through the liberal use of modern scientific theories. Modern science has lent its name to every new age nuance including behavior modification, genetic alteration, using body parts of late term aborted fetuses, atheism, humanism, social and political movements, birth control, population control, religious persecution, and nihilism. Modern science is too easily pulled into social issues, and its dominance in education on all levels is pushing out freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom of opinion, and freedom of speech.

Today science is actually moving away from the scientific method by becoming model dependent. Even the respected physicist Stephen Hawking claims:

“It follows that a well-constructed model creates a reality of its own.”

Because that danger exists, developing models and selecting facts to fit them is contrary to the scientific method. A model influences perception, and perception is the illusion of reality. Just as the brain, not the eye, perceives three dimensions, it is the brain not the facts of science that perceives our world. Science then becomes an upside-down world. If you feed models to the brain rather than facts, then the brain will trust those models. The real purpose of science should be to protect the brain from intrusion and preconceived notions. It should feed facts to the brain and let the brain create the models. It should not feed models to the brain and then require the brain to arrange the facts to fit the model, but that is what is happening to science today. That is how propaganda works. Science is supposed to protect us from propaganda so that we can form our own theories from facts. It is not supposed to feed us propaganda so that like sheep we follow preformed models. Today we live in a prefabricated world and truth is dying. Science today serves political, social, and ideological movements; therefore, like Chicken Little, we are all running around exclaiming, “The sky is falling!” or should I say “The sky is heating up!’? What is the difference?

We are told what we are going to see before we are allowed to look. Today we are being told what to think and how to feel or we will be rejected, repudiated without trial, and cast out. Does anyone dare call anything a sin anymore? Before the word ‘model’ was used, the word ‘paradigm’ was used. Changing the model was called a ‘paradigm shift.’ That is an oxymoron. It should be a clue that something has gone wrong with science. Science should care more about truth than about theories. Truth never shifts. Only opinions shift.

The theory of evolution which began as a theory has become the paradigm around which all scientific thinking is based. It has spilled over into our social, political, and cultural environment. We are moving away from the philosophy that we were all created equal by God and endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. That shift has sent us into an entirely new direction that is anathema to freedom.

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Season 4 Podcast 167 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 9 Pt V Episode 27 “Conscience.”

In last week’s episode Una and the Redcross Knight meet Sir Trevisan, with a rope around his neck, fleeing from Despair. Sir Trevisan had just witnessed his companion Sir Terwin, who, after being persuaded by Despair to take his own life, killed himself using the rusty knife provided by Despair. Sir Trevisan himself was also persuaded that life was not worth living and in fear fled from Despair. When Sir Trevisan tells the Red Cross Knight and Una of his sad tale, The Red Cross Knight is enraged and immediately vows to meet Despair and challenge him. It was a dreadful mistake because the oily tongued Despair convinces the Redcross Knight that considering his fall from knighthood his own life was not worth living.

Spencer, a very astute observer of human nature, presents the crafty arguments used by Despair. The Redcross Knight is astonished at the surprising wit of Despair. The Redcross Knight argues that our death is appointed by God. We may neither shorten nor lengthen life. We must be ever vigilant and not leave our life until God bid. Despair responds that life is limited by Almighty doom who knows best the terms established. As sentinels of our own life we have license to die when we know our appointed time is finished.

The knight much wondred at his suddeine wit,

And said, The terme of life is limited,

Ne may a man prolong, nor shorten it;

The souldier may not move from watchfull sted,

Nor leave his stand, untill his Captaine bed.

Who life did limit by almightie doome

(Quoth he) knowes best the termes established;

And he, that points the Centonell his roome,

Doth license him depart at sound of morning droome.

Despair continues his argument. Aren’t we all written in the eternal book of fate and our death has a certain date. Who then can fight the will to die or shun death ordained by destiny. Who can fight against God’s will. When our time to die is come, none should ask where or why. In other words, we shouldn’t fight against the desire to take our own life.

Is not his deed, what ever thing is donne

In heaven and earth? did not he all create

To die againe? all ends that was begonne.

Their times in his eternall booke of fate

Are written sure, and have their certaine date.

Who then can strive with strong necessitie,

That holds the world in his still chaunging state,

Or shunne the death ordaynd by destinie?

When houre of death is come, let none aske whence, nor why.

You can see how subtle Despair has turned the will to live upside down, arguing that we should give in to the will to die for it may be God’s will or our appointed time. Despair continues his argument. The longer we live the more we sin. The greater our sin the greater will be our punishment. Despair argues that the shorter our life the less we will sin and thus the less we will be punished on judgment day. Before meeting Despair, the Redcross Knight felt that it was his duty to right all wrong, to kill the enemy. Despair tells the Redcross Knight that all those great battles he boasts to win through strife, bloodshed, and revenge, he should now repent for life must pay for life and blood must pay for blood regardless of the noble cause. Despair asks the Redcross Knight hasn’t he committed enough evil already. Hasn’t he spilled enough blood. Once he has strayed from the straight and narrow path, the further he goes, the further he strays from God, suggesting of course that instant death is the best way to avoid greater sin.

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Season 4 Podcast 166 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 21:1-11, Pt 1, “Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.”

1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

This is in fulfillment of prophecy as found in Zechariah 9:9-10.

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

In his first triumphal entry into Jerusalem Christ comes on a lowly donkey symbolizing humility, gentleness, and peace, not as a God of War. Because many were looking for a conqueror to deliver them from the slavery of the oppressive Romans, they rejected Jesus. They wanted a war God. They didn’t want a lowly carpenter’s son born in a stable.

The symbolism of Christ riding into Jerusalem on a donkey has even greater significance for it parallels the anointing of King Solomon by his father David. It is very significant that King David in announcing to Israel that Solomon, not his elder brother Adonijah who tried to usurp the throne by pronouncing himself king, uses a donkey in the same symbolic way. In First Kings 1 it is recorded.

5 ¶ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

When under the direction of Nathan the Prophet, Bathsheba draws attention to King David that he has promised the throne to her son Solomon, David announces to Israel that Solomon, not Adonijah, is to be king of Israel. No other prophet spoke of the Savior more than David in his Psalms. Clearly alluding to the prophecy in Zechariah and alluding to the Savior’s own triumphal entry into Jerusalem, David has his son Solomon ride into Jerusalem on an ass where he will be anointed King.

33 The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:

34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.

35 Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.

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Season 4 Podcast 165, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 10, is entitled “The Expanding Universe.”

We must account for all observations of science, and as tools become more sophisticated, science becomes even more accurate in its findings. One of the greatest advances in astronomy is the Hubble telescope, named after Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) who noticed the redshift which indicated that the universe was expanding at a rapid rate as a result of the Big Bang. It was inferred that the universe—all matter, law, life, energy—was compressed in a singularity smaller than an atom. The energy from that singularity was so powerful that when released all matter has been expanding ever since.

Whether the big bang occurred or not is for science to teach us; however, our small universe is a drop of water in the vast oceans of space. Our universe is to the cosmos what a grain of sand is to all the sands on earth. Life and law and the cosmos did not originate with the big bang; and our cosmos, estimated at 14 billion years, is an infant. There are other universes older than ours, and our own spirits are older, infinitely older, than all universes and came from a timeless state. Science is in its infancy and will never catch up to all the creations of God.

The principle of causality, as stated by Stephen Hawking, asserts that,

“There must be a complete set of laws that, given the state of the universe at a specific time, would specify how the universe would develop from that time forward.”

If that is true then the big bang could only happen by a complete set of laws that specify how the universe would develop from that time foreword. Law precedes creation and accident had nothing to do with it. When science catches up to its own philosophy it will turn away entirely from the accidental universe and admit to intelligent design.

Where did that complete set of laws come from? A singularity is a specific state of the universe, and the big bang is from that time forward; therefore, according to Mr. Hawking, a complete set of laws must have preceded the Big Bang. It is therefore impossible for the singularity to create the very laws that created the singularity. What, then, accounts, for the preexisting complete set of laws that created the singularity? Chaos cannot create law, but law can organize chaos; therefore, science must account for the origin of law.

In explaining the origins of life and the cosmos scientists are always confronted with cosmic improbability. Our scientists tell us that if the expansion following the big bang had been even slightly slower (one quintillionth), the universe would have collapsed into a black hole and everything destroyed. If the expansion had been even slightly faster (also one quintillionth), the universe would have expanded continually, never creating galaxies. But, like the earth, called the Goldilocks zone, the expansion was just right for galaxies to form. [At what point do scientists become suspicious of everything being just right?] The universe seems to be a Goldilocks zone as well. For that matter as science expands its knowledge of the universe, it will find that everything is just right. What is even more exciting, if science is right, is that each galaxy, of unimaginable size, is a giant star maker so that creation continues forever.

However, as Christians, just as we hold our evolutionists to boundaries, we must also hold our astronomers to boundaries.

Three things must be accounted for:

(1) Facts as we know them. We must continually separate fact, inference, and judgment.

(2) The principle of causality and the law of creation.

(3) The appearance of Intelligent design.

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Season 4 Podcast 164 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 9 Pt IV Episode 26 “The Redcross Knight Challenges Despair.”

In last week’s episode, the Redcross Knight and Una met a terrified knight fleeing from Despair who had just convinced his companion to commit suicide. Despair could only tempt those who had tremendous cause of grief. His companion, Sir Terwin, had been brutally rejected by the woman he loved. Despair fed his sorrow and then handed him a rusty knife urging him to kill himself. Already in the depths of despair Sir Terwin heeded the counsel of Despair and took his own life. Thinking life was hopeless because of the death of his companion, Sir Trevisan also fell under the spell of despair and put a rope around his own neck. However, frightened of dying he fled on his horse, the rope still around his neck. He tells Una and the Redcross Knight his sad tale.

The Redcross Knight asks Sir Trevisan how it is possible that anyone from mere idle words could be persuaded to take his own life. Sir Trevisan answered that he knew from personal experience, because of his latest trial with Despair. He himself thought it impossible even for all the world’s wealth that he could be persuaded to take his own life; however, the subtle tongue of Despair dropped honey that would melt your heart. Despair searched every vein and by secret stealth he drains you of your power and leaves only weakness. The Redcross Knight swears to meet Despair face to face and destroy him for his evil. Sir Trevisan pleads with the Redcross Knight, “O never Sir desire to try guileful Despair.

How may a man (said he) with idle speach

Be wonne, to spoyle the Castle of his health?

I wote (quoth he) whom triall late did teach,

That like would not for all this worldes wealth:

His subtill tongue, like dropping honny, mealt'h

Into the hart, and searcheth every vaine;

That ere one be aware, by secret stealth

His powre is reft, and weaknesse doth remaine.

O never Sir desire to try his guilefull traine.

The Redcross Knight tells Sir Trevisan that he shall never rest until he has heard that treacherous art and tried it for himself. He asks him to guide him to Despair’s cabin. Sir Trevisan said he would ride with him to show him where Despair lives but would not for any amount of gold or love of money abide there with him. He said he would rather die than see Despair’s deadly face.

Personification is a common literary tool. Spencer, of course, personifies Despair, making him appear as a real person. The message of Spencer is clear. We should not tempt despair by feeding it; otherwise, the power of despair will grow stronger and stronger until despair overwhelms us. Despair is a delicate subject. All of us perhaps have had cause of despair; therefore, it isn’t personal sorrow itself that is the enemy. The enemy is in feeding despair until it becomes a monster that persuades us to give up all hope even to the point of taking our own life.

We see a pattern here with the Redcross Knight. If you remember his first battle with a dragon where unprepared as he was he insisted upon looking into the dragon’s lair. He and Una because of the storm had strayed from the straight and narrow path. However, they could have avoided the dragon because the dragon did not want to come out of his cave. The dragon hated the light. Nonetheless, the Redcross Knight was determined to enter the dragon’s lair and taunt the dragon. To protect her young the dragon had no choice but to attack. The Redcross Knight was not prepared for the fierceness of the dragon. Just as he was about to succumb, Una shouted out which gave him courage else he would have lost his life at the very beginning of their quest.

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Season 4 Podcast 163 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 20:20-34, Pt 3, “Let Him Be Your Servant.”

Before their divine commission, the twelve disciples had a very important lesson to learn as recorded in Matthew 20.

“Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.”

It is clear from the above that the disciples and the other followers of Christ understand at this late date that the kingdom of Christ is not of this world. Many looked upon Christ to deliver them from the bondage of the Romans. They were more concerned with the Kingdom of God on Earth than they were with the Kingdom of God in Heaven. The mother of James and John clearly understood the concept of heaven where Christ would reign forever. The Savior does not condemn the mother for her desires, nor does he condemn James and John who have been very faithful; however, he teaches a greater lesson to all the disciples.

22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

History shows that James and John would remain true to the Savior, and both would endure tremendous persecution. However, no one was able to “drink of the cup that the Savior was required to drink or to be baptized with the baptism that Christ had to be baptized with.” Though the disciples could endure the cross if necessary, they could not endure Gethsemane where Christ took upon himself the sins of the world causing blood to come from every pour as recorded in Luke 22.

“44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

In fact, it is John while imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos who wrote the following as recorded in

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“And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”

It appears that Christ is addressing his remarks to James and John; however, it is overheard by all the twelve apostles. Alluding to their martyrdom, he teaches the following doctrine.

“23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.”

The other apostles are angry with James and John.

“24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.”

Even from their high positions they missed one of the most important teachings of Christ. We must keep in mind the Savior will be with them only a short time for they are on their last journey up to Jerusalem.

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Season 4 Podcast 162, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 9, “That Which Self Exists.”

Life, intelligence, or consciousness self-exist or there is no explanation for the existence of God. We were all self-existing intelligences with the potential of becoming Gods. That is the only reason God created us in his image and in his likeness and gave us a divine nature and made us coinheritors with Christ. What other explanation could there be?

Something cannot come from nothing must be an absolute unchangeable truth. Some things cannot have a first cause. As intelligence can increase I suppose it could decrease but it can never self-destruct. God made it possible for intelligence to increase as stated in Proverbs 4.

“But the ‘path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

In other words, until like God we reach perfection. That cannot happen without God. He is the only one with the ability to help us to become like him. That is the only reason he gave us laws. Those laws are eternal because God is eternal. Obedience to his laws is the only thing he requires of us. The verse following the above in Proverbs 4 is also revealing.

“The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.”

We are moving either forward to greater light and truth or backward to greater darkness and deceit. In other words, we can increase in intelligence or decrease in intelligence. We can increase in light and truth or decrease in light and truth. It is our choice. The purpose of law is to help us increase in intelligence. Obedience to law leads to greater truth. Disobedience to law leads to greater deceit. To increase in light and truth we must stay on the path of light and truth, and what is that path? It is often referred to as the straight and narrow way. It means to keep all the commandments of God as contained in the Holy Scriptures. There is no other path to eternal knowledge. God as an intelligence had the potential to become God. We as children of God are endowed with that same divine nature. It is a birthright that must be earned through obedience to law. For that reason alone, God organized the laws of eternal progression.

The way is God’s. The choice is ours thus preserving agency. God has shown us the way, whether we take that path or not. God is the greatest intelligence of all. He put us, his spirit children, on that path of righteousness and eternal progression if we choose to follow it. Coming to earth to gain a physical body was a major step in that progression. Earth is a proving ground, a probationary state. Think of everything in an eternal prospective. Earth is a stopping off place on that progression. Everything on earth that is made of mortal or reducible matter will self-destruct, even the earth itself. Again, I turn to Peter as found in 2 Peter 3:

“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

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Season 4 Podcast 161 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 9 Pt III Episode 25, “Despair.”

In last week’s episode after exchanging gifts, King Arthur separates from the Redcross Knight and Una to seek greater adventures. Una and the Redcross Knight continue their quest to free Una’s parents from the dragon; however, the Redcross Knight is still too weak to confront the dragon, and Una knows they have a long way to go before the Redcross Knight will be fully healed.

The Redcross Knight and Una have not travelled far before they see an armed Knight galloping fast toward them. The knight was clearly fleeing from some fearful fiend. The approaching knight was looking over his shoulder urging his horse ever faster.

So as they traveled, lo they gan espy

An armed knight towards them gallop fast,

That seemed from some feared foe to fly,

Or other grisly thing, that him aghast.

Still as he fled, his eye was backward cast,

As if his fear still followed him behind;

Als flew his steed, as he his bands had brast,

And with his winged heels did tread the wind,

As he had been a fole of Pegasus his kind.

As the terrified knight drew closer they could see that he was wearing no helmet. As we have seen in earlier imagery, Spencer uses the required armor of a knight to measure his spiritual strength. Only those knights who wore the full armor of God were prepared for battle for as Paul said,

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

The Knight who is riding toward them in such fury however, obviously fleeing from some terrible terror has no helmet. Of the armor, Paul said,

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

But the armor of the frightened Knight is in complete disarray. In fact, he has a hempen rope around his neck and is so dominated by his fear that he thinks neither of the rope nor of his armor.

Nigh as he drew, they might perceive his head

To be unarmed, and curld uncombed heares

Upstaring stiffe, dismayd with uncouth dread;

Nor drop of blood in all his face appeares

Nor life in limbe: and to increase his feares

In fowle reproach of knighthoods faire degree,

About his neck an hempen rope he weares,

That with his glistring armes does ill agree;

But he of rope or armes has now no memoree.

The Redcross Knight cut off the fleeing knight and stands in his way. He wants to know why the frightened knight is so dismayed. He found him so senseless that he appeared afraid of his own shadow and could hardly stand still. The Redcross knight asks him what he is afraid of? What is he running from?

The Redcrosse knight toward him crossed fast,

To weet, what mister wight was so dismayed:

There him he finds all senseless and aghast,

That of him self he seemed to be afraid;

Whom hardly he from flying forward stayd,

Till he these words to him deliver might;

Sir knight, aread who hath ye thus arayd,

And eke from whom make ye this hasty flight:

For never knight I saw in such misseeming plight.

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Season 4 Podcast 160 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 20:17-19, Pt 2, “The Importance of the Twelve Apostles.”

Jesus foretells his crucifixion to his twelve disciples.

“And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

The terseness of the Holy Bible can be astonishing at times. Christ just made one of the greatest announcements in the world, yet there is no record of a discussion. In fact, the narrative moves abruptly to a squabble among the disciples about who will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

This moment is the last time they will go up to Jerusalem, the last time they will go through the countryside teaching the people, the last miracles he will perform healing the sick, except of course of Christ replacing the servant’s ear that Peter cut off. We cannot tell from the narrative whether or not the twelve disciples grasped the enormity of the situation. We can assume, of course, that Judas Iscariot is among the twelve at that propitious moment. Does he know then that he will betray his master? Are they still in disbelief? Certainly, this has been taught to them from the beginning for all along Christ has been preparing them for this moment. Some of them have even been told that they will also be required to give their lives for the cause of Christ, and most of them do.

But still this bleak announcement contains hope for he said,

“And the third day he shall rise again.”

One thing is certain. It is Christ who will triumph, not his enemies and not Satan his arch enemy. An abiding theme of the Bible is that out of evil comes good. Another theme is that the wisdom of God is greater than the cunning of Satan. And finally, that Christ and all those who follow him will triumph. That is the reason Christ came into this world. How often it leads back to John 3: 16-17.

Perhaps we don’t consider this, but Christ could have gone the other way. He didn’t have to go up to Jerusalem. He didn’t have to die for our sins. It was his choice. How many of us, when warned of danger, run the other way? And keep in mind during his ministry more than once Christ escaped death by eluding those who sought to kill him. The difference of course is that it is now his appointed time to die that had been prophesied for centuries.

The final words recorded in Matthew are these, given to them by Christ after his resurrection.

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

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Season 4 Podcast 159, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 8, “Why is God, God?”

In answer to the question, Why is God, God? We have established that he is a God of law and order. It was God who organized the laws of creation and through a complete set of laws he governs all of his kingdoms. Earth is one of his kingdoms, but there is a larger plan. Earth is filled with life. Science has made its job to classify all living things. It is a never ending process. All agree that men and women are the highest form of intelligence on the earth, as we are told in the story of creation in Genesis 1:

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

We learn many things from the above. First we learn that we are created in the image and likeness of God. That is an incredibly complex issue? For example, we must ask:

· Why did he create only men and women in his image and after his likeness.

· Why did he give mankind dominion over all other forms of life.

· Why did he place mankind in such an exalted position?

One answer must be that mankind has greater potential than all other living things. He has greater potential because mankind’s intelligence is greater than all other living things. God does not do things out of order.

That raises another question,

· Why is mankind more intelligent than all other living things.

If God created intelligence, why didn’t God give all living things the same order of intelligence? For that matter why is one person more intelligent than another? Why is one person good and another evil? Why are we different? Can you see the dilemma? Consider the implications of the following:

· If God created our intelligence

· If God created some to be good and others to be evil

· If God created our natures

· If God created our will

· If God created our tendencies.

Can you see where this is going. If God created our natures, then God predestined us to heaven or to hell, to be good or to be evil. God made us puppets. If God is responsible for our sins, then God should be on trial, not us! Did God create us to burn us in hell forever! Is that the God of the New Testament? Is that the God who gave us the Sermon on the Mount? Is that the God who gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life? Is that the God who sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved? I don’t think so. Any God who deliberately designed someone to burn is hell would be a monster.

Mark Twain addresses that issue in one of the strangest stories ever written entitled The Mysterious Stranger. In the end of the story, Satan says,

“Strange! that you should not have suspected years ago—centuries, ages, eons, ago!—for you have existed, companionless, through all the eternities. Strange, indeed, that you should not have suspected that your universe and its contents were only dreams, visions, fiction! Strange, because they are so frankly and hysterically insane—

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Season 4 Podcast 158 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 9 Pt II Episode 24 “Gloriana, Queen of Fairyland.”

In the previous Podcast we learn of King Arthur’s lineage. As a child he was taken from his parents and taught the ways of knighthood by old Timon under the direction of the Magician Merlin. Even in his youth Arthur was anxious to serve God, queen, and county and make a name for himself in fairy land.

King Arthur, referred to here as Prince Arthur for though he is of royal birth he is not yet a king, has gained much wisdom. He understands warfare. He talks about the uncertainty of earthly life, and those who put their trust in the arm of flesh and boasts of their own powers will be the first to fall.

But all in vaine: no fort can be so strong,

Ne fleshly brest can armed be so sound,

But will at last be wonne with battrie long,

Or unawares at disadvantage found:

Nothing is sure, that growes on earthly ground:

And who most trustes in arme of fleshly might,

And boasts in beauties chaine not to be bound,

Doth soonest fall in disaventrous fight,

And yeeldes his caytive neck to victours most despight.

Spencer is referring to a well-known scripture in Jeremiah 17:

“Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.”

The key to King Arthur’s power is his faith in God. Christians through the ages have used the stories of King Arthur to teach the heavenly virtues. King Arthur is a symbol of all the virtues.

The Redcross knight tells Una to Make Prince Arthur her example. He uses the phrase “haplesse (or unlucky) joy, a stark contradiction. Was she unlucky because her parents were imprisoned by the dragon? Was she unlucky because she was deceived like himself by Archimago? Or was she unlucky because she chose the Redcross Knight to be her champion? But the Redcross Knight does add, in addition to making an example of Prince Arthur, to make example of myself now mated.” In other words, the Redcross Knight, like Prince Arthur, is also in love with Gloriana, the Queen of Faeries, who symbolizes both queen and country. The Redcross Knight confesses to his folly of “looser life, and heat of hardiment.” However as he pursued the Fairy Queen, heaven seemed to smile on him.

Ensample make of him your haplesse joy,

And of my selfe now mated, as ye see;

Whose prouder vaunt that proud avenging boy

Did soone pluck downe and curbd my libertie.

For on a day, prickt forth with jollitie

Of looser life, and heat of hardiment,

Raunging the forest wide on courser free,

The fields, the floods, the heavens with one consent

Did seeme to laugh on me, and favour mine intent.

Growing weary of his sport the Redcross Knight climbed down from his lofty horse. He lay on the soft grass using his helmet as a pillow. As the sweet moisture bathed all of his senses he had a dream or vision. A royal Maid lay down beside him and stole his heart. No sun ever shown on so fair a creature.

For-wearied with my sports, I did alight

From loftie steed, and downe to sleepe me layd;

The verdant gras my couch did goodly dight,

And pillow was my helmet faire displayd:

Whiles every sence the humour sweet embayd,

And slombring soft my hart did steale away,

Me seemed, by my side a royall Mayd

Her daintie limbes full softly down did lay:

So faire a creature yet saw never sunny day.

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Season 4 Podcast 157 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 20:1-16, Pt 1, “The Laborers in the Vineyard.”

Scholars don’t appear to agree on the precise number of parables in the New Testament, but even a cursory reading reveals that the kingdom of heaven is a prominent theme of the parables. The Kingdom of Heaven was a dominant theme of the Savior. Again, the stage is set in the Sermon on the Mount.

· Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

· Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

· Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

· Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

· Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

· Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

· Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

I include the Beatitude, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Among the Beatitudes relating to the kingdom of heaven because of the writings of John the Revelator as recorded in Revelation 21.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things anew. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”

I include ‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy’ because those whose sins are forgiven inherit the kingdom of God. I include, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God’ because only in the Kingdom of heaven can they see God. I include ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God’ because ‘Children of God’ is the title of those who inherit the kingdom of heaven.

In John Chapter 1 John informs us

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”

In Matthew 20 we are given the parable of the laborers in the vineyard which also deals with the kingdom of heaven.

“1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.”

Notice he begins the parable with “For the kingdom of heaven is like.” A parable may be literal or figurative. When like or as are used figuratively, we call it a simile. When it is use literally we call it an analogy. An analogy describes two things that are unlike but have similar characteristics. An analogy can be brief or extended, comparing similarities point by point.

Parables, analogies, and similes are common elements in the teachings of the Savior. The power of parables is that they make the abstract concrete, the invisible visible, the unknown known.

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Season 4 Podcast 156, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 7, “The Principle of Opposition B.”

To help understand the nature of God, the next assumption that I wish you to make is this:

· There must be opposition in all things temporal or spiritual, mortal or immortal.

Without opposition there would be no life. There would be no matter—no electrons, no neutrons, no protons. There would be no action. Everything would be as if it were dead. Without opposition there could be no laws, there would be no good and no evil, no God and no Satan. There would be nothing.

Science, of course, teaches us of the necessity of opposition; however, this is where philosophers of science make their greatest blunder. They believe in a giant heat death. That means in the end there would be no opposition, what they call maximum equilibrium. That is an entirely lifeless state. Since something can never come from nothing, if a giant heat death occurred, that would be it. There could be no lightning bolt to hit a bowl of primordial soup to miraculously bring forth life. How can there be lightning without opposition? If indeed the cosmos were in a state of maximum equilibrium there should be nothing rather than something

They blame the giant heat death on the expanding universe caused by the Big Bang. Yet science claims that it will restart. How can that be? In maximum equilibrium there is no opposition. Things would remain forever in the same state? How can another singularity which caused the big bang develop from dead matter? That means that something could come from nothing. There is no scientific theory that allows for the recharging of the universe where everything is dead, and no opposition exists. A dead battery cannot recharge itself.

However, atheists thrive on a theory that something came from nothing for that most certainly indicates there is no God. There is some irony in the fact that atheists mock the Christian hell yet find great delight in announcing that the universe and all life in it are going to end in a giant heat death. They believe in hell all right. They just call it maximum equilibrium. To corrupt a beautiful phrase from Romeo and Juliet, Hell by any other name ….

Whereas it is very possible that this or that solar system or this or that galaxy may end in a giant heat death. They are made of mortal matter. For example, our own sun will eventually run out of fuel. It is not possible, however, that the cosmos will ever stop producing suns, moons, stars, and planets or that life will ever cease to exist. According to the law of opposites, where there is mortal matter, there is immortal matter. The very existence of life is its own witness that life cannot be created or destroyed.

If that were not true, there never would have been life in the first place, or if as science claims life and creation began by some fluke, it would have already ended for that which begins by accident will with the same probability end by accident. Such a fate is inevitable. Not to be too playful, if something came from nothing then something would be nothing. We would live in a dreamworld.

Scientists may be correct in claiming that this or that galaxy began at this or that point, but they are entirely wrong about the age of the vast cosmos. There is one inescapable fact—life has no beginning and life will have no end else life would never have existed in the first place.

If we accept the scientific truth that matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, then we must accept the scientific truth that life cannot be created or destroyed.

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Season 4 Podcast 155 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 9 Pt I Episode 23 “King Arthur’s History.”

In last week’s episode, Una commands that Duessa strip off her royal robes. While wearing her queenly attire, Duessa was strikingly beautiful and alluring. She used her charms to seduce men, even the Redcross Knight. However, Duessa is the Whore of Babylon spoken of by John the Revelator. Without her royal attire, she is revealed to be hideously ugly and repulsive to anyone who sees her. She symbolizes the ugliness of sin which is often camouflaged by earthly habiliments. Ashamed under the eyes of heaven, she hides in the desert. With the Giant dead and the beast upon which Duessa rode heavily wounded, the castle is left vacant. King Arthur, the Squire, Una, the Redcross Knight, and the Dwarf remain while the Redcross Knight gets back some of his physical strength.

Spencer summarizes the theme of Canto 9.

His loves and lignage Arthur tells:

the Knights knit friendly hands:

Sir Trevisan flies from Despayre,

whom Redcrosse Knight withstands.

The virtues of King Arthur are highly praised, Scholars tell us that the “Goodly golden chain” symbolizes chivalry or knightly honor, the bond that unites all virtues.” In the days of chivalry, the only protection people had were the ‘knights in shining armor’ among whom the noble King Arthur stands foremost. Other knights, off course, stand out: Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, Saint George, Sir Gawain. The knights represent the best of Christian virtues. For Christians, the greatest knight of all is Michael the archangel who first fought the dragon in the war in heaven. The other stories of knights and dragons derive from that first account. In Revelation 12 we read.

That same Michael who led the war in heaven will also lead the last great battle as recorded in Daniel 12.

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

Saint George who slays the dragon is a type of Michael, often depicted by artists. The Redcross knight is a type of Saint George. The Redcross Knight symbolizes holiness, and it is his mission to free Una’s parents from the dragon who has held them captive for four years. Una’s parents are the king and queen of Eden, which symbolizes all mankind. We are held captive by the dragon. Una symbolizes truth; the Redcross Knight symbolizes holiness, and King Arthur symbolizes all the virtues because he wears the full armor of God. He is praised for delivering the Redcross Knight from the giant’s dungeon and exposing the ugliness of the witch Duessa who symbolizes lies or duplicity or deceit.

O GOODLY golden chaine, wherewith yfere

The vertues linked are in lovely wize:

And noble mindes of yore allyed were,

In brave poursuit of chevalrous emprize,

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Season 4 Podcast 154 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 19, Pt I, “The Eye of a Needle.”

The Savior’s mission is coming to an end. Matthew, Mark, and Luke focused on the life of Jesus though we all wish we had more. John focused on the doctrine, making him unique of the four gospels. All parts of the New Testament have their importance, each offering something unique. We need the entire record, beginning with the ancient prophets as well, of course, as the record of the apostles and other disciples.

As Christians, though we may have favorites, we cannot pick and choose among what we feel is important and what we feel is unimportant. We need the whole law. In Matthew 4, Christ taught this principle.

“And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Christ had been fasting for a very long time in the desert and he was both hungry and thirsty. We can easily jump to the conclusion that he is talking only about food which naturally would be of primary importance. But the wording suggests that bread, or physical nourishment, is not the primary thing he is referring to. Notice the language, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Logically bread could easily be referring to the word of God. The tempter is quoting scripture—which is a strange thing for Satan to do—but the Savior reminds Satan that we should not just choose the principles of the Gospel that are convenient or that are in harmony with our desires or opinions or traditions, for that can lead to our destruction. We must consider every word word of Christ, every word of his apostles, and every word of his prophets. If we want to be true followers of Christ, we must strive to live the whole law. We often discover that taken out of context a scripture can be misleading. Often additional doctrines or revelations or scriptures clarify the meaning so that we see the entire picture.

In 2 Peter 3, Peter warns us:

“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being bled away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”

Peter warns us to be diligent, without spot and blameless. Paul in his letters warned them about ‘wresting the scriptures” because that leads to destruction. The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘wrest’ as “to subject something to a twisting movement; to turn or twist.” It means that we distort the original meaning and make if fit our philosophy. It is how we get our word “to wrestle” which also suggest grapple, struggle, tug, pin down, or force. In addition, still quoting Paul, Peter tells us to ‘grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” In other words, bwe must learn the doctrine. Ignorance is a form of slavery. It was also Peter who in 2 Peter 1 said,

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Season 4 Podcast 153, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, Episode 6, is entitled “The Principle of Opposition A.”

To understand existence, we must understand the principle of opposition. Stated as a law it would read:

There must be opposition in all things, temporal or spiritual, mortal or immortal.

One of the first principles of opposition that Christians must understand is the existence of good versus evil.

Without a choice between good and evil we could not have agency. To understand the existence of good we understand the nature of God. To understand the existence of evil we must understand the nature of Satan. To understand either, we must understand the nature of law, for without law there would be neither good nor evil.

The only reason Lucifer and his angels are sons of perdition, meaning for them there can be no redemption because they willfully rebelled against God while living in his presence, is that they knew they were in open rebellion against God. Isaiah explains it this way as recorded in Isaiah Chapter 14:

A third part of the hosts of heaven joined lucifer as recorded in Revelation 12:

The first mystery is, what does it mean that “A third part of the hosts of heaven joined Lucifer.” We can only surmise what the scriptures tell us. The hosts of heaven, which refer to all the spirit children of God, were divided into three parts. It doesn’t say they were divided into three equal parts. It merely says three parts or three classes. The Bible clearly defines two of the parts. The above defines one part as those who followed Lucifer. The rebellion of Lucifer which means light bearer is what caused the war in heaven. He stood in the presence of God, yet he defied the power of God. It was a battle he could not win. The scripture below, also in Revelation 12, defines the second part as those who fought against Lucifer with Michael, the archangel.

We can only assume that the third part did not take sides in the War in Heaven. They followed neither Lucifer nor Michael. They were not evil. That is to say they did not fight against Christ, but they were not valiant in fighting for Christ either. Only those who followed Lucifer, however, were cast out of heaven.

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Season 4 Podcast 152 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 8 Pt III Episode 22 “The Red Cross Knight.”

In last week’s episode, King Arthur, held captive the witch Duessa, wounds the many headed beast, and kills the giant Orgoglio. In this episode, the last of Canto 8, they find the Redcross Knight languishing in the dungeon.

The blind jailor, whose face forever looks backward carries the rusty keys of the dungeon but knows nothing. He doesn’t even know which cell the Redcross Knight is in. The jailor’s name is Ignaro, or Ignorance. and he cannot answer any questions. King Arthur grows impatient and tells the old man he expected greater wisdom from someone of his age.

Then asked he, which way he in might pas:

He could not tell, again he answered.

Thereat the courteous knight displeased was,

And said, Old sire, it seems thou hast not red

How ill it sits with that same silver hed,

In vain to mock, or mockt in vain to bee:

But if thou be, as thou art portrayed

With natures pen, in ages grave degree,

Aread in graver wise, what I demand of thee.

The jailor annoyingly always gives the same answer, he cannot tell. King Arthur snatches the keys from the jailor and begins to open all the doors himself.

His answer likewise was, he could not tell.

Whose senseless speech, and doted ignorance

When as the noble Prince had marked well,

He ghest his nature by his countenance,

And calmed his wrath with goodly temperance.

Then to him stepping, from his arme did reach

Those keys, and made himself free entrance.

Each door he opened without any breach;

There was no barre to stop, nor foe him to impeach.

He found in the cells rich tapestry and resplendent gold even such as the greatest Princess might see. The floor, however, was filthy with blood of innocent men, women, and children. Spenser is referring to the crusades and holy inquisitions that burned heretics and murdered many other innocent people.

There all within full rich arrayed he found,

With royall arras and resplendent gold.

And did with store of every thing abound,

That greatest Princes presence might behold.

But all the floore (too filthy to be told)

With bloud of guiltless babes, and innocents trew,

Which there were slain, as sheepe out of the fold,

Defiled was, that dreadful was to view,

And sacred ashes over it was strowed new.

In one room was a marble alter finely carved and stained with the blood of Christian martyrs. The blood of the martyrs continually cried to God for vengeance against strong tyranny.

And there beside of marble stone was built

An Altar, carv'd with cunning imagery,

On which true Christians bloud was often spilt,

And holy Martyrs often doen to dye,

With cruell malice and strong tyranny:

Whose blessed sprites from underneath the stone

To God for vengeance cryde continually,

And with great griefe were often heard to grone,

That hardest heart would bleede, to hear their piteous mone.

King Arthur and Una search every room but could not find the Redcross Knight. Finally, they come to a locked door that had no key. King Arthur calls loudly with all his power hoping for some answer.

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Season 4 Podcast 151 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 18:15-35, Pt II, “Forgive Others Their Trespasses.”

Last week in discussing the first part of Matthew 18, we learned about the importance of seeking that which is Lost. We examined the Parable of the Lost Sheep, The Parable of the Lost Coin, and The Parable of the Prodigal Son. We, of course, are the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son for none of us are perfect. A line in the beloved hymn, Amazing Grace, says, “I was lost but now I’m found.”

Another overriding theme of last week’s lesson is the importance of the atonement. Until this world ends, the mission of Christ is to gather his sheep. Immediately Christ commissions those whom he has found to go and look for the other lost sheep. An important principle of the gospel was taught very early in the Old Testament in the story of Cain and Able as recorded in Genesis 4:

“And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?”

The words are chilling because Cain had just murdered his brother, but every Christian knows the answer to that question. Probably the first thought that comes to mind is the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In the parable a stranger was robbed and seriously wounded and left dying on the road. Both a priest and a Levite, respected men of the community, rather than offer assistance, went on the other side of the road, ignoring the wounded man. A Samaritan, however, who was despised by the Jews, bound his wounds, and paid for his hospital care. The Savior asked,

“Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”

The Samaritan had a right to be bitter. The wounded man may have been his enemy, but the Samaritan had compassion. In Matthew 18 The Savior is really addressing the same issue. “Who is my neighbor?” and “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Listen to his words.

”Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”

From the Beginning Christ has taught the principle of love our neighbor.

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

Matthew 6:12, 14–15

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Christ is not blind to reality. In another place he also said, ‘be wise as serpents but gentle as doves.’ Notice how he follows with cautious advice.

“But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.”

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Season 4 Podcast 150, In Defense of Christianity, “The Richard Dawkins Delusion.” Pt IV. “Argument for the Existence of God.” B

If Intelligence self-exists, we must answer the question, Why is God, God? To do that we must know the nature of God. There are certain absolutes we must recognize, or things will not make sense. To understand the conclusions presented in this podcast, I asked you to accept the following four assumptions:

· Assumption One: Something can never come from nothing.

· Assumption Two: All things are made of matter and energy.

· Assumption Three: Matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed.

· Assumption Four: Even God is bound by the three laws above.

In this podcast I shall ask you to make 12 other assumptions.

1. God is the author or organizer of both temporal and spiritual laws.

2. Everything is governed by a complete set of laws.

3. All laws are governed under one great whole.

4. Even God is bound by law.

5. God cannot allow evil in his presence.

6. Elohim or God the Father and Jesus Christ, his Son, are two separate beings.

7. Elohim or God the Father is the literal father of our spirits.

8. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, under the direction of His father created heaven and earth and everything in them including our physical bodies.

9. Christ is the God of the Old Testament, and Christ is God of this world.

10. As instructed by Christ, we pray to the Father in the name of the Son.

11. We can only know God through faith.

12. Science can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God.

The question is often asked, why would God, who died for our sins, prevent some of his children from going to heaven? The answer is simple. He doesn’t. God is no respecter of persons. All of God’s children are invited to live with God in heaven when they die. We prevent ourselves from going to heaven through willful disobedience of his laws. God is not responsible for who we are or who we become. Because we have always had freewill and agency, we alone are responsible for our behavior. Speaking spiritually and not temporally, for we all have different gifts, we all have equal potential, and the day will come when earthly limitations have no importance. The great battle on earth is not in getting fame or wealth or power. Those are desires of the natural man. The great battle on earth is overcoming sin. The natural man often compels us to fight against God. Our great challenge is to overcome the natural man by obeying the commandments of God. The laws of God set boundaries on the natural man. Those who live within those boundaries will go to heaven for they will be cleansed from sin by the grace of Christ.

That leads to the seventeenth assumption.

God is just. He will never violate the law of Agency. That is to say he will never take away the agency of man. He will force no one to heaven.

It must be understood that every soul on this earth is equally important to God, and all are invited to come to heaven. In Revelation 22 we read,

“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

The clarion call is to all the children of God. Those who do not go to heaven chose of their own freewill not to go to heaven.

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Season 4 Podcast 149 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 8 Pt II Episode 21 “King Arthur Slays the Giant Orgoglio.”

In last week’s episode, King Arthur, his squire, and Una are led to the giant’s castle by the dwarf. The squire blows his magic horn and all the gates of the castle fly open. Duessa riding a many headed beast and the giant Orgoglio attack King Arthur and his squire while Una looks on from a distance. This podcast tells how Arthur slays the Giant and how Una and King Arthur find an emaciated Redcross Knight deep in the dungeon. We ended last week’s episode with King Arthur cutting off the giant’s arm and by King Arthur scalping one of the many heads of the beast that carried Duessa. We begin today by hearing the beast roar in pain causing the beast to nearly throw off his gorgeous rider. However, the giant rushes to her aid and forces King Arthur to back away.

Thereat he roared for exceeding paine,

That to have heard great horror would have bred,

And scourging th' emptie ayre with his long traine,

Through great impatience of his grieved hed

His gorgeous ryder from her loftie sted

Would have cast downe, and trod in durtie myre,

Had not the Gyant soone her succoured;

Who all enrag'd with smart and franticke yre,

Came hurtling in full fierce, and forst the knight retyre.

King Arthur had cut of the giant’s left arm and he was left to fight with only one hand. However, because of his rage, his right arm was doubly strong, and he raises his club high with the strength to cut a mighty oak tree into two pieces. He strikes King Arthur’s shield with such force that King Arthur falls to the floor. No mortal could have endured such a blow.

The force which wont in two to be disperst,

In one alone left hand he now unites,

Which is through rage more strong than both were erst;

With which his hideous club aloft he dites,

And at his foe with furious rigour smites,

That strongest Oake might seeme to overthrow:

The stroke upon his shield so heavie lites,

That to the ground it doubleth him full low:

What mortall wight could ever beare so monstrous blow?

However, King Arthur is no ordinary man. He has on the full armor of God. He has the shield of faith. As Arthur falls, his shield which before was covered shakes the veil and a light reflects from the shield so bright that it blinds Orgoglio. The giant drops his arm and withdraws from the battle.

And in his fall his shield, that covered was,

Did loose his vele by chaunce, and open flew:

The light whereof, that heavens light did pas,

Such blazing brightnesse through the aier threw,

That eye mote not the same endure to vew.

Which when the Gyaunt spyde with staring eye,

He downe let fall his arme, and soft withdrew

His weapon huge, that heaved was on hye

For to have slaine the man, that on the ground did lye.

The many headed beast that carried Duessa was so amazed at the flashing beams of the shining shield that he was blinded, and all of his senses dulled. The beast tumbled to the dirty ground and yielded his powers. When Duessa perceived the fall, she cried aloud to the giant to come back to her rescue.

And eke the fruitfull-headed beast, amazd

At flashing beames of that sunshiny shield,

Became starke blind, and all his sences daz'd,

That downe he tumbled on the durtie field,

And seem'd himselfe as conquered to yield.

Whom when his maistresse proud perceiv'd to fall,

Whiles yet his feeble feet for faintnesse reeld,

Unto the Gyant loudly she gan call,

O helpe Orgoglio, helpe, or else we perish all.

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Season 4 Podcast 148 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 18:1-14, Pt I, “That Which is Lost.”

The disciples, who from the beginning have been taught about the Kingdom of Heaven, ask Christ a very human question.

1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

Perhaps the Savior wondered if they had even listened to the Sermon on the Mount,

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

2. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

3. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

4. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall cee God.

5. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

6. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

It is clear that the greatest in the kingdom of heaven are not measured as are the greatest on earth: kings, queens, captains of industry, the rich and powerful, the talented and famous, the movers and shakers. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven are the humble, meek, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and those who endure persecution for the sake of Christ.

Perhaps Christ is disappointed because he knows his time is short, and from the beginning he has been preparing his disciples to carry on the work after his death; and here they appear to be jostling for superiority. His answer, as usual, is shockingly brilliant, and turns their thoughts away from earthly standards of judgment. One can assume that the twelve apostles had been feeling pretty special having been called and set apart by Christ himself for such a high position. The Lord reminds them that they are servants and have no greater claim to the kingdom of heaven than a small child.

And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

What Christ says to the twelve apostles is true for all of us.

5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

It is difficult to find a greater lesson in humility. But Christ then places a tremendous responsibility upon those who preach the gospel of Christ.

6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

The millstone you saw as you opened the podcast is from a photo I took at Cades Cove in East Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains, a small 19th century village settled by the Europeans in 1818. Some millstones weigh 2000 pounds. At the time of Christ, millstones weighed over 3000 pounds. If you can imagine it hanging around your neck and being cast into the sea, you will get some idea of the seriousness of the Savior’s image.

When we think of little ones we naturally think of small children, but the context suggests Christ’s definition of little ones expands from the very young to the very old. It could refer not just to children but also to all those who are innocent; for example, to anyone who is just learning right from wrong, good from evil, truth from error. It could refer to those who have just come to Christ at whatever age and are seeking to be taught the truth of the gospel. Imagine someone who hangs on to your every word.

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Season 4 Podcast 147, In Defense of Christianity, “The Richard Dawkins Delusion.” Pt III. “Argument for the Existence of God.” A

As recorded in the last podcast, in “The God Delusion,” Mr. Richard Dawkins makes the following statement.

“However statistically improbable the entity you seek to explain by invoking a designer, the designer himself has got to be at least as improbable. God is the Ultimate Boeing 747.”

Mr. Dawkins is referring to Hoyle’s fallacy. The following description of Hoyle’s fallacy is from Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

“The junkyard tornado, sometimes known as Hoyle's fallacy, is an argument against biogenesis, using a calculation of its probability based on false assumptions, as comparable to "a tornado sweeping through a junk-yard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein" and to compare the chance of obtaining even a single functioning protein by chance combination of amino acids to a solar system full of blind men solving Rubik's Cubes simultaneously.”

Atheists must account for the existence of life in the same way that theists must account for the existence of God. Statistically it is not possible that life or creation happened by accident. Christians argue for intelligent design. Strangely science argues for accident. Christians do not feel they need to prove the existence of God for faith is extra-metaphysical, that is to say, it is outside of physics or outside of science.

God simply cannot be proven or disproven by the scientific method. To put it another way, no one, theist or atheist, scientist or nonscientist can prove or disprove the existence of God. Christians claim that to perceive God one must have the testimony of the Holy Ghost which appeals to the heart rather than to the mind. It is often referred to as having spiritual eyes. Things of the spirit can only be discerned by the spirit; Let’s turn to the writings of Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. … But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

When Christ was on the earth thousands of people saw him, but only a few saw him as the Messiah because they did not see him with spiritual eyes or with the eyes of faith or by the witness of the Holy Ghost.

The same claim is made for the other senses. For example, Christians use the phrase, “Still Small Voice” to describe the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. In First Kings 19 we read.

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Season 4 Podcast 146 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 8 Pt I Episode 20 “King Arthur and the Giant.”

In last week’s episode, King Arthur, perceiving Una’s grief, persuades her to tell her entire story. Una is so distraught that she at first refuses to confide in King Arthur. The wise King Arthur persists so Una relates the story of how her parents are held captive by the dragon and how the Redcross Knight is held captive by the temptress Duessa and the evil giant Orgoglio. King Arthur covenants to deliver The Red Cross Knight from the dungeon.

CANTO VIII

Faire virgin, to redeeme her deare

brings Arthur to the fight:

Who slayes that Gyant, woundes the beast,

and strips Duessa quight.

Spencer laments that the righteous must face so many perils from Satan who daily seeks their fall. Only through heavenly grace can we be sustained against the wiles of the devil. Grace is firm and her care continuous. Spencer compares Una, which means truth, to pure grace for her love for the Redcross Knight is steady. However, through foolish pride or personal weakness or sins man becomes overpowered by Satan. If not for the steadfast Una, the RedCross Knight would have died. The Dwarf leads King Arthur, his squire, and Una to the giant’s castle. In the quest, we have everything we need to conquer the giant: Una represents truth. The Dwarf represents common sense. The Squire represents faith. King Arthur represents all the virtues. They are on a quest to rescue the Redcross knight who symbolized holiness but through the wiles of Duessa he committed grievous sins and is now bound by his sins in the giant’s dungeon, persecuted by Duessa, the whore of Babylon.

AY me, how many perils doe enfold

The righteous man, to make him daily fall,

Were not that heavenly grace doth him uphold,

And stedfast truth acquite him out of all.

Her love is firme, her care continuall,

So oft as he through his owne foolish pride,

Or weaknesse is to sinfull bands made thrall:

Else should this Redcrosse knight in bands have dydd

For whose deliverance she this Prince doth thither guide.

3 RON

They persevere until they reach the castle whose walls are very high. The Dwarf spies the castle first and cries out, “Lo yonder is the same in which my Lord my liege doth luckless lie.” The Dwarf turns to King Arthur and begs him to use his mighty powers to free his master. They order Una to stay behind till she knows how the battle ends.

They sadly traveild thus, until they came

Nigh to a castle builded strong and hie:

Then cryde the Dwarfe, Lo yonder is the same,

In which my Lord my liege doth lucklesse lie,

Thrall to that Gyants hateful tyrannie:

Therefore, deare Sir, your mightie powres assay.

The noble knight alighted by and by

From loftie steede, and bad the Ladie stay,

To see what end of fight should him befall that day.

King Arthur moves forward with his squire. The castle gates are shut tight, and no one answers. The Squire takes out his magic horn which has great powers.

So with the Squire, th' admirer of his might,

He marched forth towards that castle wall;

Whose gates he found fast shut, ne living wight

To ward the same, nor answere commers call.

Then tooke that Squire an horne of bugle small.

Which hong adowne his side in twisted gold

And tassels gay. Wyde wonders over all

Of that same hornes great vertues weren told,

Which had approved bene in uses manifold.

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Season 4 Podcast 145 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 17:14-27, Pt 1I, “The Law of Miracles.”

Let’s examine verses 14-21. First we have a statement of the problem, verses 14-15

14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

The unnamed father is obviously a person of great faith for he sought out Jesus. The father is driven by his love for his son. Without second guessing the father, whom we know virtually nothing about, probably every parent who has a crisis in the family can relate to him. Not judging the father, many of us, however, are often crisis driven. We do not act until driven by necessity. As with the natural man, we seek Jesus only when we desperately need him. This is apply illustrated by Christ’s condemnation of those who put their faith in worldly things rather than in spiritual things. It reminds me of the curse recorded in Isaiah against the wealthy women who put their trust in temporal treasures.

Isaiah 3: 18-23

“In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, The rings, and nose jewels, The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the veils.

There is another striking analogy given by the Savior in Matthew 19:24.

24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

It isn’t the wealth of course that makes one unworthy to enter the kingdom of God. It is the confidence in the wealth rather than in God. Some who live in the security of their own wealth do not feel they need God. In James 2:5 we read.

5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

Those who are rich in wealth and rich in faith are twice blessed. It is not the rich who are excluded from the Kingdom of God. It is those who put their faith in their wealth. Proverbs 28 teaches:

11 The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.

As recorded in Revelation 2, John wrote to the Church in Smyrna,

9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)

Sometimes when we are bemoaning our poverty, we should acknowledge our wealth. Christ considers wealth as only that which is eternal. There is, of course, absolutely nothing wrong with being crisis driven because frequently it has a humbling influence and provokes one to turn to God effecting a mighty change of heart. I suspect, however, that those who turn to God regardless of circumstances have the greater advantage. In the story of the father with the troubled son we cannot judge. We can only observe that because of his love for his son he came to Christ while he was near, and Christ perceiving his faith healed his son. However, before coming to Christ the father had first approached the disciples of Jesus.

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Season 4 Podcast 144, In Defense of Christianity, “The Richard Dawkins Delusion.” Pt II. “Mount Improbability.”

In a previous podcast I analyzed Richard Dawkins—The God Delusion—for his use of the anthropic principle as an alternative to Intelligent design (Listen to Season 4 Podcast 141, “The Fallacy of the Anthropic Principle.”). In this podcast I shall simply point out the inconsistency of Dawkins’ argument against intelligent design. I am referring to Chapter 4 of The God Delusion. Entitled “Why There is Almost Certainly No God.” As often happens when one is so caught up in a cause that the ends justify the means, they swim in a whirlpool of words and ignore the maelstrom of their own misaligned logic.

Since Mr. Dawkins attacks Hoyle’s famous Boing 747 argument against chance, let me introduce Mr. Fred Hoyle. The following is taken from Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

According to Fred Hoyle's analysis, the probability of obtaining all of life's approximate 2000 enzymes in a random trial is about one-in-1040,000

Life cannot have had a random beginning … The trouble is that there are about two thousand enzymes, and the chance of obtaining them all in a random trial is only one part in 1040,000, an outrageously small probability that could not be faced even if the whole universe consisted of organic soup.

He further said:

The chance that higher life forms might have emerged in this way is comparable to the chance that a tornado sweeping through a junkyard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein.

This echoes his stance, reported elsewhere:

Life as we know it is, among other things, dependent on at least 2000 different enzymes. How could the blind forces of the primal sea manage to put together the correct chemical elements to build enzymes?

Hoyle used this to argue in favor of panspermia, that the origin of life on Earth was from preexisting life in space.

Mr. Dawkins’ (logically I might add) counters with:

3 LINDA

“However statistically improbable the entity you seek to explain by invoking a designer, the designer himself has got to be at least as improbable. God is the Ultimate Boeing 747.”

On that perceptive point, Mr. Dawkins deserves an answer. In next Wednesday’s Podcast, Number 147, I shall address the issue. The existence of God could not happen by chance. In fact, anyone who rejects chance and accepts intelligent design must disallow chance on any level of creation, even, if not especially, the existence of God.

Ironically, as I shall show next week, science gives us the answer. But first let me have some fun at Mr. Dawkins’ expense. Unknowingly, in arguing against the existence of God, Mr. Dawkins builds a case for the existence of God. Unfortunately, his argument is too flawed to accept it. But here is his argument.

“Natural selection works because it is a cumulative one-way street to improvement. It needs some luck to get started, and the ‘billions of planets’ anthropic principle grants it that luck. Maybe a few later gaps in the evolutionary story also need major infusions of luck, with anthropic justification.”

If that is true, how can Mr. Dawkins possibly argue against luck accounting for the existence of God. After all, it only had to happen once and as Mr. Dawkins adamantly claims,

“The origin of life only had to happen once. We therefore can allow it to have been an extremely improbable event, many orders of magnitude more improbable than most people realize, as I shall show.”

The argument is a classic non sequitur. It could be used as an excuse for the creation of anything. Let me write it another way.

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Season 4 Podcast 143 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 7 Pt III Episode 19 “King Arthur Counsels Una.

In last week’s episode, Una by chance meets King Arthur, the greatest of all knights. She tells him her sad tale, almost fainting with grief. She recounts the story of her own parents who are held captive by a great dragon. She relates how many knights have failed in trying to free them. She tells of how she met the Red Cross Knight and recounts his sad fate. King Arthur listens patiently and carefully reasons with her. He vows not to rest until he has delivered her beloved knight from the clutches of the giant Gorgoglio and the wicked witch Duessa.

This is a battle of virtue, good versus evil. The Red Cross Knight, has fallen to the seductions of the witch Duessa, lost his powers, equivalent to Samson having his hair cut because of the cunningness of his unfaithful wife Delilah.

King Arthur, however, is above reproach. He wears the full armor of God. He is accompanied by his young squire, his arms bearer.

A gentle youth, his dearely loved Squire,

His speare of heben wood behind him bare,

Whose harmefull head, thrice heated in the fire,

Had riven many a brest with pikehead square:

A goodly person, and could menage faire

His stubborne steed with curbed canon bit,

Who under him did trample as the aire,

And chauft, that any on his backe should sit;

The yron rowels into frothy fome he bit.

At first Una, overcome with grief, is reluctant to open her heart. King Arthur draws closer to Una. He discerns her secret sorrow and strives to calm her fears with gentle words. Una resists but King Arthur cleverly draws her out with fitting words. King Arthur is a master counselor for he has total empathy for Una. He listens both with his head and his heart. He is a true minister of Christ.

When as this knight nigh to the Ladie drew,

With lovely court he gan her entertaine;

But when he heard her answeres loth, he knew

Some secret sorrow did her heart distraine:

Which to allay, and calme her storming paine,

Faire feeling words he wisely gan display,

And for her humour fitting purpose faine,

To tempt the cause it selfe for to bewray;

Wherewith emmov'd, these bleeding words she gan to say.

Una rejects King Arthur, saying her sorrow is too deep to express. In other words, King Arthur couldn’t understand her grief. Spencer is a student of human nature for it is very common that those who seek help fight against those who offer help. She says it is better to keep her sorrows to herself. Her only comfort is in weeping. The exchange between Arthur and Una is a lesson in compassionate counseling. Una says to King Arthur.

What worlds delight, or joy of living speach

Can heart, so plung'd in sea of sorrowes deep,

And heaped with so huge misfortunes, reach?

The carefull cold beginneth for to creepe,

And in my heart his yron arrow steepe,

Soone as I thinke upon my bitter bale:

Such helplesse harmes yts better hidden keepe,

Then rip up griefe, where it may not availe,

My last left comfort is, my woes to weepe and waile.

Carefully notice the patient exchange between King Arthur and Una. He acknowledges her grief for he feels it in his own spirit. But Arthur doesn’t accept her argument that keeping her story to herself is best. He argues that good counsel softens or soothes the pain and overpowers the hurt. Those who keep their sorrows hidden cannot find help. King Arthur counsels:

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Season 4 Podcast 142 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 17:1-13, Pt 1, “The Mount of Transfiguration.”

Matthew 17 contains one of the most unique events in scripture, The Mount of Transfiguration.

“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them.”

The Oxford English Dictionary defines transfigure as follows:

To alter the figure or appearance of; to change in outward appearance, to transform.

On the Mount of Transfiguration, we have the following description.

“and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.”

That, of course, is a foreshadowing of his resurrection. In Revelation 1 John describes the resurrected Lord as follows:

“And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And `his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

Paul had a similar experience on the road to Damascus. In Acts 26 in his account to King Agrippa, he said.

“At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;”

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul further tells us that in the resurrection, we too will have a transfiguration. Those who live in the celestial glory will shine as bright as the sun, only this transfiguration, which is the resurrection, will be permanent.

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“There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”

Paul tell us that he was caught up in the Third Heaven. John the Revelator also saw the kingdom of heaven.

“5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them blight: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”

Therefore, we may look at the transfiguration on two levels. One, of course, the literal level, for it actually happened, which we shall discuss in this podcast, and two, the analogical, symbolic, or metaphorical level for it is a foreshadowing of the resurrection of all those who live in the presence of God with the holy prophets. According to John the Revelator in Chapter 21 the earth also will be transfigured.

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Season 4 Podcast 141, In Defense of Christianity, “The Richard Dawkins Delusion.” Pt I. “The Fallacy of the Anthropic Principle.”

In his Preface to “The God Delusion,” Richard Dawkins stated,

“If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it down.”

First let me point out the obvious. There are two assumptions we must accept.

Science and philosophers can never prove the existence of God.
Science and philosophers can never disprove the existence of God.

The existence of God is entirely based on faith. Once a person has faith, he sees the hand of God everywhere. The road to faith is to prayerfully read the scriptures and to obey the commandments of God. That will lead to all the proof one needs. Man’s belief in God or man’s disbelief in God has no effect on the existence of God. The entire world could deny the existence of God, but it would not affect his existence. It would limit his blessings to us because he only demonstrates his power through our faith. He chooses to remain invisible that faith may flourish and freewill be protected.

In this podcast I want to reveal the fallacy of the Anthropic Principle which is Richard Dawkins’s primary argument against the existence of God. He uses the Anthropic Principle as an alternative to intelligent design.

Mr. Dawkins defines the Anthropic Principle in the following way. All quotes of Mr. Dawkins are from his book, The God Delusion.

“We exist here on Earth. Therefore Earth must be the kind of planet that is capable of generating and supporting us, however unusual, even unique, that kind of planet might be.”

The Wikipedia Encyclopedia defines the Anthropic Principle in the following way:

“The anthropic principle, also known as the "observation selection effect", is the hypothesis, first proposed in 1957 by Robert Dicke, that the range of possible observations that we could make about the universe is limited by the fact that observations could only happen in a universe capable of developing intelligent life in the first place.”

It echo’s Descartes’ famous phrase, “Cogito, ergo sum.” I think therefore I am. However, the difference between Descartes principle and the anthropic principle is that Descartes affirms existence; the anthropic principle claims to affirm the reason for existence, but it doesn’t. It is circular. It says we exist because we exist. It adds no information for or against God or for or against intelligent design. It is a non-argument. Because earth supports existence doesn’t mean that earth has the power to generate existence. It is like claiming that a farm doesn’t need a farmer, or a machine doesn’t need an inventor or that architecture doesn’t need an architect.

Let’s first assume that the anthropic principle is true by necessity. Since it is circular, it is hard to refute that the earth has power to support life, but we cannot assume that earth is responsible for first cause.

Mr. Dawkins essentially said that “We exist because Earth is the kind of planet that allows us to exist.” Mr. Dicke essentially said the same thing, “Observations are only possible where intelligent life makes observations possible, and intelligent life exists only where it is possible for intelligent life to exist.” That too is acceptable but there is a gap between the ability to support existence and the ability to generate first cause.

All circular arguments are self-evident if the premises are true. But the information does not extend beyond the circle. We still don’t know anything about the origins of creation.

Then why bother to refute it? I bother because in some convoluted way Mr. Dawkins uses that circular argument as proof that God doesn’t exist. Mr. Dawkins’ argument against God could be worded this way:

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Season 4 Podcast 140 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 7 Pt II Episode 18 “King Arthur

In last week’s episode, The Redcross Knight is seduced by Duessa and captured by the giant Orgoglio and put into a dungeon. In this podcast we continue with the adventures of the Redcross Knight who is languishing in the dungeon of the giant Orgoglio. The dwarf witnessed the Red Cross Knight’s capture. He picks up all of the mournful armor of the Redcross Knight and sadly leaves to tell his tale to Una.

The woeful Dwarfe, which saw his masters fall,

Whiles he had keeping of his grazing steed,

And valiant knight become a caytive thrall,

When all was past, took up his forlorn weed,

His mighty armor, missing most at need;

His silver shield, now idle masterless;

His poignant spear, that many made to bleed,

The rueful moniments of heaviness,

And with them all departs, to tell his great distress.

Notice that the Red Cross Knight did not wear his armor when he most needed it. For example, the Red Cross Knight did not have his armor on when Duessa seduced him; therefore, he fell to her salacious charms. The Red Cross Knight did not have his armor on when the giant Orgoglio, who was three times bigger than he was, attacked him. The Red Cross Knight had never lost a battle before because he always wore his armor. When he most needed it he had placed it out of his reach.

Soon the dwarf met Una head hung heavy in sorrow for she thought her knight had been killed. She was still fleeing from the pagan Sansloy who was in a bloody battle with her hero the Satyrane. When she saw the dwarf carrying the armor of the Red Cross Knight, she fell to the ground in a swoon for it confirmed her fears.

He had not traveled long, when on the way

He woeful Lady, woeful Una met,

Fast flying from that Paynims greedy pray,

Whilest Satyrane him from pursuit did let:

Who when her eyes she on the Dwarf had set,

And saw the signs, that deadly tydings spake,

She fell to ground for sorrowful regret,

And lively breath her sad breast did forsake,

Yet might her piteous heart be seen to pant and quake.

The dwarf who loved Una nearly died for pity at seeing her fall. He rubs her temples and strokes her chin and brings her out of her faint. Still thinking her knight is dead, she grieves her great loss. With great difficulty the dwarf coaxes Una back to life.

The messenger of so unhappy news,

Would faine have died: dead was his hart within,

Yet outwardly some little comfort shewes:

At last recovering hart, he does begin

To rub her temples, and to chaufe her chin,

And every tender part does toss and turn.

So hardly he the flitted life does win,

Unto her native prison to retourne:

Then gins her grieved ghost thus to lament and mourne.

Una laments as she sees the armor of her fallen knight. She wants to die for her life and love were wrapped up in the Red Cross Knight. She wanted eternal night to cover the sad sight.

Ye dreary instruments of dolefull sight,

That doe this deadly spectacle behold,

Why do ye longer feed on loathed light,

Or liking find to gaze on earthly mould,

Sith cruel fates the careful threads unfold,

The which my life and love together tide?

Now let the stony dart of senseless cold

Perce to my hart, and pas through every side,

And let eternal night so sad sight from me hide.

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Season 4 Podcast 139 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 16:13-28, Pt 3, “The Chief Cornerstone.”

We know that the sermon on the mount established the doctrines of Christ. There was never a sermon before nor after that has its equal. But it would be difficult to find a chapter more pivotal than Matthew Chapter 16. Everything is about to change dramatically. People are still uncertain of who Christ is, but here Christ definitively declares unto his apostles his true title.

13 ¶ When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

Notice that even with all of his miracles none outside the twelve apostles actually claimed that he was the Christ who should come. The people were not yet ready to accept him as the promised Messiah. They flocked to him because of his miracles. Then Jesus asks his disciples.

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

It is no surprise that Peter is the first to answer, and his answer is startlingly absolute, unambiguous, and definitive.

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Christ knows that the end is near, and he must prepare his disciples to teach the people that he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, but even with Peter’s declaration, the apostles are not ready to carry the mantle. He teaches them one of the greatest lessons they will ever learn. It is a lesson that every Christian must learn for himself or herself.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Peter and the other apostles are taught that even though they have been standing in the presence of the Mortal Messiah, no one can know that Jesus is the Christ without personal revelation from heaven. John the Revelator records.

Revelation 19:9-10

“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

All who have a testimony of Christ must have the spirit of prophecy. Jesus says to Peter.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Peter, as we know, means rock but the pronoun reference does not point to Peter. It points to revelation from heaven. The Lord does not build his church upon Peter. Peter, the chief apostle who takes on the mantle of leadership after Christ’s death, is not a substitute for Christ. Christ taught.

Matthew 21: 42-44

“Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

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Perhaps the greatest physical evidence of intelligent design is the equal and opposite struggle between creation and destruction. It prevents both the future and the past from overlapping and locks us into an eternal present. The future exists and the past exists, but not in the world of entropy balanced by the forces of opposition. We are frozen in the great here and now between the past and the future, between birth and death. We are caught in a maelstrom of madness saved from despair by a thin veil of forgetfulness of our former lives and teased into sanity by the illusion of reality enhanced by the senses and held together by language. When we wake up from the sleep of death it will all have been like a dream.

According to the law of creation, we live in two time zones, a temporal time zone and a spiritual time zone. The temporal time zone is made up of a solar time zone (or cyclical) and a biological time zone (or linear). The spiritual time zone is made up of infinity because the spirit never dies. That is an incredibly complex system, each with its own independent set of laws, one complete set of laws working in harmony with the other complete set of laws.

Everything was first spiritual or else life makes no sense. Life or intelligence cannot be created or destroyed. There is no first cause to infinity. Life exists in infinity and therefore is not subject to evolution or temporal laws. We existed as male and female as spirits before we came to the earth, and we will exist as male and female forever. In the eternity of life sexual identity is not a choice, though in this melting world we tolerate philosophical ambiguity and confusion. One purpose of coming to earth was to gain a physical body in harmony with our eternal sexual identity. The physical body gives mortal expression to our sexuality. Our spiritual identity never changes and that which we were before coming to this earth will be the same when we return to the spiritual realm where our sexual identity will be forever stamped in the resurrection. Some things are eternal, unchanging, and unalterable.

The spirit gives the body life. The physical body does not give the spirit life. All living things have a spirit separated by intelligence. Men and women are the highest form of intelligence on earth. Intelligence can expand or diminish, but intelligence cannot be created or destroyed. God is the highest intelligence of all. God organized laws, and by obedience to those laws we may become more like him. That is what Solomon meant in Proverbs 4:18 when he said,

“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

The Beloved Apostle John said it another way as recorded in 1st John 3.

That is the purpose of life. Anything less diminishes us. If joy is to have a fullness of truth, why would God want us who are his sons and daughters to have less than he has.

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Season 4 Podcast 137 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 7 Pt I Episode 17 “The Giant Orgoglio

In last week’s episode, Una was led out of the forest by Satyrane. When confronted by Sansloy who sought the destruction of Una, Satyrane attacks him. As the battle rages, Una flees only to fall into the grasp of a greater enemy, Archimago, who lies to Una and says her Redcross Knight is dead. We leave Una for a while in mortal danger.

In this the beginning of Canto VII, we again meet the Redcross Knight who with the dwarf fled the House of Pride. He is pursued by the evil Duessa who is still seeking revenge for the death of her lover Sansfoy. The Redcross Knight encounters a giant.

CANTO VII

The Redcrosse knight is captive made

by Gyaunt proud opprest,

Prince Arthur meets with Una great-

ly with those newes distrest.

Spencer contemplates the difficulty of discerning between good and evil in a world where evil can disguise itself as truth. In Isaiah 5 One is reminded of Isaiah’ prophetic words, “

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

One’s mind is also drawn back to the Redcross Knight’s first adventure where, ignoring the warning of Una, he gets too close to the dragon’s lair. As he is wrapped in the long tail of the dragon, Spencer, said, “God help the man so wrapt in Errours endlesse traine.”

WHAT man so wise, what earthly wit so ware,

As to discry the crafty cunning traine,

By which deceipt doth maske in visour faire,

And cast her colours dyed deepe in graine,

To seeme like Truth, whose shape she well can faine,

And fitting gestures to her purpose frame;

The guiltlesse man with guile to entertaine?

Great maistresse of her art was that false Dame,

The false Duessa, cloked with Fidessaes name.

When Duessa discovered that the Redcross Knight had fled the House of Pride, she immediately searches for him for she has not yet exacted her revenge. She finds the Redcross Knight, his protective armor removed, resting by a fountain. The armor, remember symbolizes the full armor of God spoken of by Paul: the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the girdle of truth, the sword of the word of God, the feet shod with the gospel of peace. Without his armor, the Redcross Knight is vulnerable to the wily temptations of Duessa. She discovered that she could not destroy him by force; now she tries seduction.

Who when returning from the dreary Night,

She found not in that perilous house of Pride,

Where she had left, the noble Redcrosse knight,

Her hoped pray; she would no longer bide,

But forth she went, to seek him far and wide.

Ere long she found, whereas he wearie sate

To rest him self, foreby a fountain side,

Disarmed all of iron-coated Plate,

And by his side his steed the grassy forage ate.

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Season 4 Podcast 136 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 16:5-12, Pt 2, “The Language of the Heart.”

We know that Christ often spoke in parables, using extended analogy, requiring us to look at one thing and see another. In Matthew 16: 5-12, Christ teaches his disciples and us how to read and interpret scriptures through simile and metaphor. Simile says one thing is like another Metaphor says one thing is another. For example, in verses 1-4, Christ compares his death and resurrection to the story of Jonah. In other words, he uses simile. He said to the Pharisees and Sadducees,

“A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.”

In other words Christ is saying that the story of Jonah, who was in the belly of the whale for three days, is like Christ who will be in the tomb for three days. It is a simile or extended analogy. The stories are similar up to a point. The word “like” that sets a simile apart is implied.

In Matthew 13:33, speaking of leaven, Christ uses simile.

“Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”

A simile uses like or as in the comparison. Metaphor says that one thing is another. Using the same image of leaven. In Matthew Chapter 16: 5-6, Christ uses metaphor.

5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.

6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, leaven is

“An agent added to dough to produce fermentation, a raising agent, e.g. yeast; spec. a quantity of fermenting dough reserved from a previous batch to be used for this purpose.”

The dictionary also describes its metaphorical usage as referred to in Matthew 16 with an emphasis on “old leaven.”

6 LINDA

“An agency that produces profound change by progressive inward operation; a pervasive influence that transforms something; = old leaven; a tempering or modifying element; a tinge or a mixture of some quality.”

Christ is referring specifically to the old leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, how it taints the teachings of the ancient prophets. There had been no prophets on the earth since Malachi, 400 years earlier, and false doctrines had crept into the Mosaic Law. It is those doctrines that the Pharisees and Sadducees used to justify the crucifixion of Christ.

It is not just a problem of ancient times. It is human nature to interject opinion into the teaches of the Holy Bible, thus changing its meaning. We are taught by tradition rather than by the literal word of God. That is why there are so many Christian denominations on earth today, which has caused enormous contention. It is the same principle. Christ is warning Christians about borrowed interpretations of the scriptures. He is telling his disciples to stick not only with his words but also with the words of the holy prophets. There is safety only in the word. It is a message for today as much as ancient times. Christ knows that even the words that he will reveal to his twelve apostles will become subject to the leaven of modern Pharisees and Sadducees.

The disciples did not understand his allusion.

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Season 4 Podcast 135, In Defense of Christianity, “The Sabbath Day, Part VIII, Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy 4, The Sacrament or The Lord’s Supper.”

One symbol that should be of primary importance in Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy is the Holy Sacrament or The Lord’s Supper. The sacrament is among the holiest ordinances of the church.

During Passover, the night before he was betrayed, Christ instituted the Sacrament or the Lord’s supper. In commemoration of that event, each Sabbath, Christians take the sacrament. The bread is in remembrance of the body of Christ who died for us; the wine is in remembrance of the blood of Christ which was shed for us. In Hebrews 10 Paul tells us that

“We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.”

To be sanctified means to be cleansed, purified, or made holy through forgiveness of sins. And that is the purpose of the sacrament, isn’t it, that we may be sanctified through the offering of the body and blood of Jesus Christ by remembering his atoning sacrifice. The purpose of the sacrament is to renew that covenant and to receive that sanctification. To Paul, the sacrament was serious business. In 1st Corinthians 11, The Apostle recounts the experience the original Twelve had in the Upper Room:

“And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”

If we analyze each assertion from the above scripture, we learn the following ten things:

1. And when he had given thanks

First the Lord gave thanks to his heavenly Father. Christ obviously is giving thanks to God in his name, but since he is speaking, that is strongly implied. We are told to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Everything must be done by the authority of Christ. At this moment the bread becomes blessed and sanctified. It is set apart for a very special purpose as defined by Paul in the following assertion.

2. He brake the bread.

5 RON

Christ blessed and sanctified the bread as a whole; therefore, its parts contain the same. He breaks the bread and symbolically gives a token of his body that was broken and sacrificed for us to his twelve apostles. When we partake of the sacrament, we do the same thing as the apostles. The token of his body came with the following commandment.

3. He said Take, eat this is my body.

The bread symbolizes the body of Christ that was broken for us. Jesus adds.

4. Which is broken for you.

Therefore, when we take the bread of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper we are commanded to remember that his body was broken for us, that he died on the cross for us, and that he was resurrected for us. The word broken is a painful reminder of the persecution he patiently endured, the whipping, the crown of thorns, the sword thrust into his side, the nails in his hands and his feet, the carrying of the cross after he had been badly whipped, and finally his death on the cross. Christ adds.

5. This do in remembrance of me.

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Season 4 Podcast 134 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 6 Pt II Episode 16 “The Perils of Una

In last week’s episode, Una was saved from the evil Sansloy by the Woodgods which consisted of Fauns and Satyrs. They think she is a God. She orders them not to worship her and tries to teach them truth and light. They become her great friends. In this podcast we continue with Una’s trials. In this the second half of Canto 6, we are introduced to a new hero, a very strange hero, a rather uncouth and fearless and famous knight known as Satyrane. He delights in being a knight in shining armor. He came to the woodland to find his father and mother who deserted him. When he sees Una’s plight, he immediately sets out to rescue her.

It fortuned a noble warlike knight

By just occasion to that forrest came,

To seeke his kindred, and the linage right,

From whence he took his well deserved name:

He had in arms abroad wonne muchell fame,

And fild far lands with glory of his might,

Plaine, faithfull, true, and enemy of shame,

And ever loved to fight for Ladies right:

But in vaine glorious frays he little did delight.

As the name suggests, Satyrane is the son of a Satyr, but he rises above his heritage though he has come to the forest to seek out his kinfolk. He is unique, however. Satyrane rescues fair ladies. His father exploited them. Spencer calls his father, Therion, “a loose unruly swane.” His mother, “Fair Thyamus” also a woodland creature was a mild lady, born of Labryde, a rather lustful mother.

A Satyres sonne yborne in forrest wyld,

By strange adventure as it did betide,

And there begotten of a Lady myld,

Faire Thyamis the daughter of Labryde,

That was in sacred bands of wedlock tied

To Therion, a loose unruly swayne;

Who had more joy to range the forest wide,

And chase the salvage beast with busie payne,

Then serve his Ladies love, and wast in pleasures vayne.

Thyamis, pregnant with her son, Satyrane, comes to the woods to find her wandering husband who seeks other lovers. She falls under the power of another satyr who imprisons her.

The forlorne mayd did with loves longing burne

And could not lacke her lovers company,

But to the wood she goes, to serve her turne,

And seeke her spouse that from her still does fly,

And followes other game and venery:

A Satyre chaunst her wandring for to finde,

And made her person thrall unto his beastly kind.

He holds her captive in a secret cabin. When the child is born, the Satre allows Thyamis to return home but keeps her son for ransom. Rather than his real father and mother, Satyrane is raised by the wild Satyr, teaching him the life and manners of wild beasts and woods, exiled from the laws of men. Satyrane has a mixture of uncouth knightly chivalry and woodland savagery.

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Season 4 Podcast 133 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 16:1-4, Pt 1, “The Sign of Jonah.”

The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I think one could spend a lifetime and never come to the bottom of faith. Perhaps most of us are familiar with the following scriptures and have even been envious of the faith of others,

· Not found so great faith … in Israel, Matt. 8:10

· Thy faith hath made thee whole, Matt. 9:22

· According to your faith be it unto you, Matt. 9:29.

· Faith as a grain of mustard seed, Matt. 17:20

· If ye have faith, and doubt not, Matt. 21:21.

I have always puzzled over Peter’s statement, “trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold” (1 Pet. 1:7). I am struck with the oxymoron, “precious trial.” Few people when in the hurricanes of life consider a trial to be precious. But it is a law of nature that without opposition nothing can be strengthened. And that is why it is such a great sin to seek for a sign. It bypasses the trial of our faith. Matthew 16 opens with the verse.

“The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.”

The Lord condemns those who seek a sign.

· evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, Matt. 12:39

· tempting him, sought of him a sign, Luke 11:16.

· Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe, John 4:48.

Signs become a stumbling block to faith. There is an old saying, “seeing is believing” but that is not necessarily true. The problem with signs is that even though they may seem spectacular at first, they can soon be rationalized away through logic or through science or through opposing testimony or through doubt or prejudice or counter arguments. As the memory fades the miracle becomes clouded. If the sign continues people become less and less surprised and begin to accept it as ordinary. The technological advances we have today would astonish those of the distant past, but to the modern mind they are expected. In fact, Science has become a stumbling block to religion. People use science to prove that God does not exist. It is ironic but we use the laws of God to disprove the existence of God. We use the creation to disprove the creator.

A classic example is found in the last book of the great scientist Stephen Hawking entitled, “Brief Answers to the Big Questions.” Published posthumously the book includes the following by Mr. Hawking, which echoes the view of scientific atheism.

“There is no God. No one directs the universe.”

Of course, it is a direct denial of intelligent design, the primary argument for the existence of God. He added,

“For centuries, it was believed that disabled people like me were living under a curse that was inflicted by God. I prefer to think that everything can be explained another way, by the laws of nature.”

On the one hand Mr. Hawking is certainly correct in debunking the false idea that “disabled people are living under a curse that was inflicted by God.” Only Satan would perpetuate such a lie relating to the Savior who devoted his ministry to healing people.

Also Mr. Hawking is correct in saying that disease can be explained by the laws of nature. What is missing, however, is that the laws of nature were organized by God.

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Season 4 Podcast 132, In Defense of Christianity, “The Sabbath Day, Part VII, Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy 3.”

The final proposition is like the previous one presented in Podcast 129, Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy 2.

Proposition 13: The Lord hallowed the sabbath day.

The words blessed and hallowed clearly overlap, but there are distinctions.

Synonyms for blessed are—

consecrated,
divine,
exalted,
glorified,
holy,

Synonyms for Hallowed are—

absolved,
adored,
anointed,
blessed,
celestial,

Those are the same synonyms that Christ uses when describing his children. Keeping the Sabbath Day holy is a symbol of that blessed and hallowed state. There are two words in logic that are essential in determining a cause: necessary and sufficient. To be necessary means that the effect cannot occur without it. To be sufficient means that all necessary conditions are accounted for without any superfluous assertions. Keeping the Sabbath Day holy is necessary to reach a sanctified state, but it is not sufficient. As Christ said,

Matthew 4:4

“But he answered and said, it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Because of its importance much is said in holy writ concerning the Sabbath day. When the Children of Israel enter the Promised Land, they are commanded to keep the Sabbath which is The Law of Liberty:

And the Lord spake

unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying

Speak unto the children of Israel,

and say unto them

When ye come into the land which I give you

then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord

Six years

thou shalt sow thy field

and six years

thou shalt prune thy vineyard

and gather in the fruit thereof

But in the seventh year

shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land

a sabbath for the Lord

thou shalt neither sow thy field

nor prune thy vineyard

That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest

thou shalt not reap

neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed

for it is a year of rest unto the land

And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you

for thee

and for thy servant

and for thy maid

and for thy hired servant

and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee

And for thy cattle

and for the beast that are in thy land

shall all the increase thereof be meat

And thou shalt number

seven sabbaths of years unto thee seven times seven years

and the space of the seven sabbaths of years

shall be unto thee forty and nine years

Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound

on the tenth day

of the seventh month

in the day of atonement

shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land

And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty

throughout all the land

unto all the inhabitants thereof

it shall be a jubilee unto you;

and ye shall return every man unto his possession,

and ye shall return every man unto his family

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Season 4 Podcast 131 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 6 Pt I Episode 15 “The Perils of Una."

In last week’s episode, Sansjoy is healed by Aesculapius, but he must remain in hell. When Duessa returns to the House of Pride, she discovers that the Redcross Knight has fled. She pursues him. Canto 6, however, picks up the story of Una from Canto III who has been kidnapped by the lawless Sansloy. Though threatened by beastly man, she is saved by a savage nation of superstitious woodgods called Fauns and Satyres. They symbolize those who have not been taught the truths of the gospel. Una means truth. The savage race is moved by her plight and accept her immediately, allowing her to teach them the Gospel of Christ though they continued to worship idols. Spenser is teaching how truth can be recognized even by the most barbaric and how the gospel changes behavior.

From lawless lust by wondrous grace

fayre Una is releast:

Whom salvage nation does adore,

and learns her wise behest.

In a previous episode Una escaped the wicked Archimago. only to be kidnapped by the lawless Sansloy who intends to make her his sex slave. To describe her unfortunate fate, Spenser uses the image of a ship that flies free only to run upon rocks and is shipwrecked. One peril is passed for Una by escaping Archimago while another greater peril occurs by being kidnapped by Sansloy.

AS when a ship, that flies faire under sail,

An hidden rocke escaped hath unawares,

That lay in wait her wrack for to bewail,

The Mariner yet half amazed stares

At peril past, and yet in doubt ne dares

To joy at his foole-happie oversight:

So doubly is distrest twixt joy and cares

The dreadless courage of this Elfin knight,

Having escapt so sad ensamples in his sight.

Una is true to the Redcross Knight, though the Redcross Knight is tricked into betraying her. Leaving the chaste Una, the Redcross Knight was tricked by Duessa into going with her to the House of Pride. No crime is found in Una and for the love of her knight she continues to search for him. However unaware of the evil around her, she is overtaken by the lustful Sansloy.

Yet sad he was that his too hasty speed

The faire Duess' had forst him leave behind;

And yet more sad, that Una his dear dreed

Her truth had stained with treason so unkind;

Yet crime in her could never creature find,

But for his love, and for her own self sake,

She wandered had from one to other Ynd,

Him for to seek, ne ever would forsake,

Till her unawares the fiers Sansloy did overtake.

Thinking he has killed Archimago who was dressed as the Redcross Knight, Sansloy leads Una into the forest where he intends to rape her. Before, Una had been protected by the Redcross Knight and when he deserted her, she was protected by a lion. However, Sansloy killed the lion and she was left helpless under the power of Sansloy, brother to Sansfoy and Sansjoy.

Who, after Archimagoes fowle defeat,

Led her away into a forest wilde,

And turning wrathful fire to lustful heat,

With beastly sin thought her to have defiled,

And made the vassal of his pleasures wilde.

Yet first he cast by treaty, and by traynes,

Her to persuade that stubborn fort to yield:

For greater conquest of hard love he gaynes,

That works it to his will, then he that it constraines.

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Season 4 Podcast 130 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 15, 21-39, Pt 2, “Miracles.”

In Matthew Chapter 15 Part 1, verses 1-20, we examined False Traditions. In this the second half of Matthew 15 we shall address miracles.

Matthew 15: 21-26

21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.

27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

If the words of the Savior appear harsh, we must remember that Christ can do no miracle except by the faith of the people who receive the miracle. He was testing her faith. Now if you put yourself in the woman of Canaan’s shoes, see if it doesn’t appear very familiar.

There are three levels of faith tested here:

First Level. Christ ignores the woman: “He answered her not a word.” How many of you have felt ignored when you asked for a miracle. A long period of time may happen, and heaven appears completely silent. Many quit. Some get angry and turn against God. Some lose their faith. The woman of Canaan persisted. How long the silence lasts varies for everyone. Persistence is critical.

Second Level. Christ appears to insult the woman of Canaan. Christ said, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.” How many of us have felt insulted, as if we were inferior, unworthy, looked down upon, invisible to God. It is a temptation to either get angry and quit or batter ourselves into believing we are unworthy.

Third Level. The woman of Canaan looks beyond the apparent affront. Her answer is the right answer. We are all beggars before God. We all, no matter who we are, eat the crumbs which fall from the master’s table. Humility is primary. Christ does not see anyone as a dog. He died for everyone equally. This Canaanite woman represents every one of us. She rose to heroic stature, and therefore her miracle is publicized for the entire world to see and learn from. More of us identify with the woman of Canaan than we do with Peter walking on water. It is because of the woman of Canaan that all of us can expect miracles from God.

The Savior, of course, already knew the power of the woman’s faith. He already knew that he would heal her daughter, and he knew her answer. Christ is the great teacher. He is teaching his disciples one of the greatest lessons they can learn. They too, when he is gone, will have to go among the gentiles and teach the gospel and perform miracles. Christ is also flying in the face of the Sadducees and Pharisees who see all non-Jews as unworthy and unclean. He puts them in their place by healing the Canaanite’s daughter. Christ is also teaching the gentiles that like the Jews they must humble themselves and come unto him to be saved.

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Season 4 Podcast 129, In Defense of Christianity, “The Sabbath Day, Part VI, Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy 2.”

129, The Sabbath Day, Pt VI, is entitled “Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy 2.”

In Podcast 126 Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy 1 we covered the first four propositions:

Remember the sabbath day,
Keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work.
The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.

We shall begin Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy 2 with Number 5.

Proposition 5: In it thou shalt not do any work.

Again, it is parallel to the story of Creation.

Genesis 2: 2

“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”

Here I would like you to ask yourself, and be very generous with the word creation—how many of you are involved in some act of creation during your working days? Exercising your personal gifts is an act of creation.

Several days ago, my wife and I were in Cosco looking for eyeglasses. I had just been told by the optometrist that I needed cataract surgery to restore 20 20 vision. I am 80 years, so I suppose it is not unusual. Anyway with prescription in hand, I was startled when an elderly gentlemen came up to me obviously out of his way for he had no purpose in the optical department. He apologized for the interruption and then said to my wife. I have never said this to a man, but I want to say this to your husband, then he turned to me,

“You have a nice smile. I saw you across the room and I wanted to tell you that.”

No one, man or woman has ever said that to me before, and to be truthful I have never thought I had a nice smile. Thanks to very good dentists I have most of my teeth, but they are anything but remarkable. I have always been embarrassed by my smile. Nevertheless, it cheered me up that he would do that, but what followed cheered me up even more. Let me point out that he looked like jolly old Saint Nick. Unsurprisingly he said, “Let me show you this.” He opened his wallet and showed me a picture of him in a Santa Clause suit with a little girl on his lap. He did not have a false stomach or a false beard or a false smile. He fit the role. He said that he worked in the temple six months out of the year and then he stopped while he dedicated himself to growing out his beard for Christmas so he could play Santa Clause. From his age I assumed that he was retired. He said he liked encouraging people. He wasn’t boastful. He was genuine. And then he left. I won’t forget his kind compliment, deserved or undeserved. I believed he believed I had a nice smile. I know he brought a smile to my face. I immediately thought of Kris Kringle in the famous movie “Miracle on 34th Street,” the original version.

Proposition 6: In it thy son, nor thy daughter shalt not do any work.

It is a family thing, isn’t it. In fact, the Fifth Commandment refers to the family. The Fifth Commandment is the one explicit promise of liberty stated in the Ten Commandments. It relates to the importance of the family:

(Deuteronomy 5:16)

“Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”

But the Fourth Commandment extends to the entire household.

Proposition 7: In it thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, shalt not do any work.

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Season 4 Podcast 128 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 5, Pt III Episode 14 “Escape from the House of Pride"

In last week’s episode, Duessa and Erebus or Night take the comatose body of Sansjoy who is near death from the sword of the Redcross Knight deep into the recesses of Hell to be healed. Erebus, Queen of Darkness, vows vengeance against the Redcross Knight for killing her nephews. They must bypass Cerberus, the Hound of Hades, a three headed monster who guards the gates of hell and doesn’t allow anyone to leave. As they travel through hell they meet those who are suffering in endless torment.

There was Ixion turned on a wheel,

For daring tempt the Queen of heaven to sin;

And Sisyphus an huge round stone did reel

Against an hill, ne might from labor lin;

There thirsty Tantalus hung by the chin;

And Tityus fed a vulture on his maw;

Typhœus joints were stretched on a gin,

Theseus condemned to endless sloth by law,

And fifty sisters water in leaky vessels draw.

Astonished at the visitors the once great men and women of the earth, now condemned by the Gods suffering in hell, stop what they are doing, momentarily released from suffering, and stare at Hideous Night and the witch Duessa. Finally, they arrive at a deep dark cavern where Aesculapious was bound in chains. Aesculapious was the god of medicine killed by Zeus for postponing death and healing diseases.

They all beholding worldly wights in place,

Leave off their work, unmindful of their smart,

To gaze on them; who forth by them doe pace,

Till they become unto the furthest part;

Where was a Cave wrought by wondrous art,

Deep, dark, uneasy, doleful, comfortless,

In which sad Aesculapius far apart

Imprisoned was in chains remediless,

For that Hippolytus rent corse he did redress.

They meet Hippolytus, son of Theseus, Duke of Athens, and his Amazon wife, Hippolyte. They are very familiar to those of you who are fans of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. However, here Theseus a tyrant is not governed by rule of law, but by revenge against his injured son. Their son Hippolytus, who had taken an oath of chastity, was falsely accused of rape by Phaedra, his stepmother, once wife of Theseus, who Hippolytus spurned. The Greeks are brilliant at understanding human nature which is illustrated by their fantastic tales. The sad story of the innocent Hippolytus shows how quickly love can turn to hate.

Hippolytus a jolly huntsman was

That wont in chariot chase the foaming Boar:

He all his Peers in beauty did surpass,

But Ladies love as loss of time forbore:

His wanton stepdame loved him the more,

But when she saw her offered sweets refused,

Her love she turned to hate, and him before

His father fierce of treason false accused,

And with her jealous terms his open ears abused.

The entire story of incestuous love is too convoluted to cover here. Hippolytus at the behest of his own father Theseus is killed by Poseidon who frightens his horses and causes him to wreck.

Who all in rage his Sea-god sire besought,

Some cursed vengeance on his son to cast,

From surging gulf two monsters straight were brought,

With dread whereof his chasing steeds aghast,

Both chariot swift and huntsman overcast.

His goodly corps on ragged cliffs yrent,

Was quite dismembered, and his members chased

Scattered on every mountain, as he went,

That of Hippolytus was left no monument.

Phaedra seeing that she had caused the death of Hyppolytus commits suicide with a wretched knife. She leaves a note declaring her son to be innocent. Theseus learning that he had been betrayed is devastated that he caused the death of his son.

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Season 4 Podcast 127 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 15, Pt 1, “False Traditions.”

Four hundred years separated Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament, from John the Baptist, the first prophet of the New Testament. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, is the transition between the Old and New Testaments.

During the apostasy, new traditions crept in obscuring the true teachings of Christ revealed to his prophets in the Old Testament. Everything before the apostasy pointed to the coming of Jesus Christ to redeem the world. The purpose of the Law of Moses was to prepare the children of Israel for the coming of Christ. All the words of the Old Testament prophets pointed to Christ; yet many of those teachings were lost and rather than prophets interpreting the scriptures, they had scribes and pharisees “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” That is what Peter meant when he said,

2 Peter 1:19-21

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

Therefore, rather than using the teachings of the prophets of the Old Testament to receive Christ at his coming, they used their own traditions to condemn him and ultimately to crucify him. There is a parallel. Just as the Old Testament prophets prophesied of Christ and tried to prepare the chosen people of God for his coming, the New Testament apostles and prophets have done the same thing in preparing the chosen for the second coming of Christ. As Christians we must be on our guard and not let traditions that have crept in obscure us from the true word of God. The question is will we be prepared for his Second Coming or will we reject his word because of false traditions. Christ warned us:

Matthew 24: 2-14

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14 And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

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Season 4 Podcast 126, In Defense of Christianity, “The Sabbath Day, Part V, Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy 1.”

As mentioned in previous podcasts, after the earth was created, God rested from his labors.

Genesis 2: 1-3

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

The Seventh or Sabbath Day is unique and set apart from the other six days of the week. On the Sabbath Day we are to remember our creator which sets the tone for the other six days of the week. God is asking us to parallel his work. For example, Adam was told as recorded in Genesis 1:28

“Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

As Moses was leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, in preparation for them establishing a nation unto the Lord and entering into the Promised Land, Moses was given the Ten Commandments, written by the hand of the Lord upon stone tablets. The preface of the Ten Commandments said this.

Exodus 20: 2
“I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

In the passage above, God declares that the purpose of the Ten Commandments is to keep them out of the house of bondage. In other words, they were in bondage to the Egyptians because they did not obey the Ten Commandments. They had forgotten the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and had followed Egypt’s Gods. The first thing the Lord did was to command them to leave the idols of Egypt in Egypt.

Exodus 20: 3-5

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.”

Some atheists read that passage and accuse God of having petty jealousies like a high school sweetheart. They have entirely missed the context. God is declaring his love, and teaching the Children of Israel that he is the one true God, and the idols of Egypt are false gods. It was idol worship that put them in bondage. It was the Ten Commandments that freed them from bondage.

God doesn’t curse the second, third, and fourth generation. They curse themselves. Any student of history knows that it is the parents who pass their traditions down to their children that goes through many generations; therefore, the sin will be upon the parents not God if they go back to idol worship. The Lord is trying to help Israel break the chains of slavery. The Ten Commandments became known as The Law of Liberty. The Old Testament is written in epic form to teach the Children of Israel and those who later become Christians the consequences of violating the Ten Commandments. The history of the Jews is a history of rebellion, apostasy, and restoration. The same lesson is taught over and over.

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Season 4 Podcast 125 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 5, Pt II Episode 13 “Descent into Hell.”

In last week’s episode, the Redcross Knight battles Sansjoy. It is a very bloody battle that The Redcross Knight barely wins; however, just before he delivers the death blow, through the magic of Duessa, Sansjoy is taken to hell for safety. Sansjoy. whose name means without joy, is at home in hell. The bloody shield of Sansfoy, whom the Redcross Knight has previously killed in battle, now goes to the Redcross Knight. In addition, he wins the evil Duessa whose only desire is to destroy the Redcross Knight though she pretends to love him. They remain in the House of Pride. The Redcross Knight is treated for his wounds while Duessa sheds bitter tears; though pretended for the Redcross Knight, they are really for the loss of her lovers Sansfoy and Sansjoy, both of whom the Redcross Knight conquered. The more Duessa pretends to love the Redcross Knight, the more she hates him for as a Christian he stands against everything she stands for.

Home is he brought, and laid in sumptuous bed:

Where many skillful leaches him abide,

To salve his hurts, that yet still freshly bled.

In wine and oil they wash his wounds wide,

And softly can embalm on every side.

And all the while, most heavenly melody

About the bed sweet music did divide,

Him to beguile of grief and agony:

And all the while Duessa wept full bitterly.

The Redcross Knight, thinking Duessa loves him, does not discern her crocodile tears. Remember that during the battle, Duessa cries out to Sansjoy, cheering him on just as he is about to deal the death blow to the Redcross Knight. However, in cruel irony, the Redcross Knight thinks she is cheering for him, and with added courage, he comes out of his stupor and crushes Sansjoy.

As when a wearie traveler that strays

By muddy shore of broad seven-mouthed Nile,

Unweeting of the perilous wandering ways,

Doth meet a cruel crafty Crocodile,

Which in false grief hiding his harmful guile,

Doth weep full sore, and sheddeth tender tears:

The foolish man, that pities all this while

His mournful plight, is swallowed up unawares,

Forgetful of his own, that minds another’s cares.

3 RON

Duessa continues mourning for Sansjoy till night when she sneaks away and visits Sansjoy in hell. The defeated knight is listless having lost his luster. He is in a coma, enshrouded in a cloud which depressed her.

So wept Duessa until eventide,

That shining lamps in Jove’s high house were light:

Then forth she rose, ne longer would abide,

But comes unto the place, where th' Hethen knight

In slumbering swownd nigh void of vital spright,

Lay covered with enchanted cloud all day:

Whom when she found, as she him left in plight,

To wayle his woeful case she would not stay,

But to the eastern coast of heaven makes speedy way.

Duessa seeks a way to restore Sansjoy to life. She visits Sansjoy’s aunt, “grisly Night, also called Erebus, who always lives in pitch-black darkness. Erebus rides in a death coach. She, of course, is the opposite of light.

Where grisly Night, with visage deadly sad,

That Phœbus cheerful face durst never vew,

And in a foul black pitchy mantle clad,

She finds forth coming from her darksome mew,

Where she all day did hide her hated hew.

Before the door her iron charet stood,

Already harnessed for journey new;

And coal-black steeds yborne of hellish brood,

That on their rusty bits did champ, as they were wood.

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Season 4 Podcast 124 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 14, “Miracles.”

When John the Baptist was beheaded, the Savior understood that his mission was completed. The language of the Bible is terse; therefore, we are required to read between the lines. Matthew records.

13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

Christ often sought a desert place apart for prayer and meditation. In this instance perhaps to express his grief. We know his heart was broken for the unjust murder of his cousin who had served his purpose on earth so honorably by sacrificing his life for Christ, the first of many martyrs. Christ also knew even at this early hour that his own disciples would be required to sacrifice their lives for the cause of Christ. And thousands of others would follow. It must have weighed on him, yet it is followed by one of the great miracles of the Bible, the feeding of the five thousand.

Saints, or followers of Christ, are required to go through many filtering systems to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, what Peter calls ‘The trial of your faith.” Those who followed Christ into the wilderness were the faithful for it must have been a hardship for them to leave their daily obligations to seek out the Savior. They were rewarded immensely. We think of it as the feeding of five thousand but in their custom they only counted the men. The number of women probably exceeded the number of men and then there were the children. It was more like ten or fifteen thousand, all fed on five loaves and two fishes.

14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

It is revealing that Christ set aside his own sorrow and immediately looked with pity upon the multitude, many of whom came to hear the pleasing word of God and many came to be healed. Imagine for a moment the reality of those who were seriously ill following Christ far into the desert. It was that kind of faith that led to the amazing miracles, and that is the primary message of the feeding the five thousand. Christ, Lord of the earth, creator of man and the universe, could do no miracles unless the people had faith. His move into the desert filtered out those of little faith. What a lesson that was for us to learn today. It is only in our extremities that God is able to perform miracles. Why would Christ so restrict his power. It was a lesson he taught us at the very beginning of his ministry when he went alone into the wilderness led by the spirit to commune with God. Only after he had fasted forty days, meaning a very long time, when he was at his weakest did Satan appear to him, was he confronted with temptations. His answers to Satan explain Christ’s miracles. Remember the temptations of Christ were as great to him as ours are us to. That is why he has empathy for our sins. The fact that he never gave into temptations is the reason he has the power to satisfy the law of justice and to atone for our sins through his mercy.

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Season 4 Podcast 123, In Defense of Christianity, “The Sabbath Day, Part III, The Ten Commandments.”

A lawyer, trying to trip Christ, asked,

“Master, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Christ’s answer not only confounded the Pharisees, but it establishes the law of liberty for all time. James calls the Ten Commandments The Law of Liberty. He calls the two great commandments The Perfect Law of Liberty.

Matthew 22:37-40

The Pharisees, who knew the Books of Moses, would have perfectly understood Christ. Look at the two great commandments through the eyes of the Pharisees who were steeped in the Law of Moses and the traditions of the Jews. Note how, through the use of parallel structure, Christ summarizes all of the Ten Commandments in those two commandments:

Just look at the First Great Commandment.

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”

Now look at the first five of the Ten Commandments:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.

4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

5. Honour thy father and thy mother.

The great commandment is an abstract of the first five commandments. Now look at the second great commandment.

“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

The Second Great Commandment is an abstract of the last five commandments.

7 LINDA

6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

10. Thou shalt not covet.

It left the dissembling lawyers nonplussed. If we honor God, we will live the first five commandments; if we love our neighbor as ourselves, we will live the last five commandments and many more.

Again, that relationship between the two great commandments given by Christ, the Ten Commandments given to Moses, and the Story of Creation, because of parallelism, though it may be lost on us, would not have been lost on the early Hebrews. The far-reaching effects of parallelism in the Bible are amazing. What may not be clear in one context becomes perfectly clear in another.

A very interesting side-line about parallelism becomes apparent. When you divide the scriptures according to the parallel elements, they are much easier to memorize than the division of the chapter and verse system we use today. Parallelism is the perfect pneumonic device. It is very possible that the early Hebrews did memorize long passages of scripture. Parallelism would facilitate making connections far easier. A scripture given in one century would correlate perfectly with a scripture given in another century. The Old Testament would be connected to the New Testament. The parallel structure, including repetition with variation, would automatically bring both scriptures to mind, putting it in a broader context. Scriptures are not meant to be read in isolation which creates private interpretation.

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Season 4 Podcast 122 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 5, Pt I Episode 12 “The Full Armor of God”

In last week’s episode, Sansjoy, seeking revenge for his brother’s death challenges the Red Cross Knight to a duel. Remember that we are in Faerie Land; therefore, strange things happen, and there is nothing stranger than the outcome of the duel. Spenser, following ancient traditions, is using the stories of the famous King Arthur to describe the battle between good and evil, God and Satan, the spiritual man and the natural man. In reading the Faerie Queen, keep in mind Peter’s words.

1 Peter 5: 8-10

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

The Redcross Knight, seeking holiness, represents all of us seeking holiness. His obstacles, though couched in medieval knight errantry, are our obstacles and we too are confronted by our adversary the devil who as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Paul couches the battle also in the imagery of knight errantry when he said,

Ephesians 5: 11-18

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.

The three brothers, Sansfoy, Sansloy, and Sansjoy are referred to as Sarazins which means pagans. Sansfoy, without faith, Sansloy, without law, and Sansjoy, without joy, are anathema to true Christianity. They are tools of the adversary, and the Redcross Knight must conquer all three before he can obtain holiness.

In fact, they are obstacles in the path of holiness. Spenser, of course, externalizes the three major barriers to holiness—lawlessness, faithlessness, and joylessness, in the form of evil knights who are under the spell of Duessa, doublemindedness, but really they are within the Knight himself and potentially in all of us. They represent the natural man, and in his quest for holiness, he must overcome the natural man. The Redcross Knight represents all of us in our quest for holiness.

As long as the Redcross Knight wears the full armor of God, he is able to defeat the Sarazins. However, he recognizes the adversary only when the adversary is dressed in the armor of evil and attacks him in open battle. For example, he was blind to the arch magician Archimago who appeared as a Holy Monk. He is also blind to Duessa which means unfaithful who is disguised as Fidessa or faithful. Duessa declares her love to the three brothers but when she is with the Redcross Knight, she declares her love to him. He doesn’t know the difference between Una which means oneness and Duessa which means doublemindedness.

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Season 4 Podcast 121 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 14, “The Beheading of John the Baptist, a Parable for our Day.”

The story of the beheading of John the Baptist is perhaps one of the most famous stories of the New Testament. It has all the aspects of high drama: sex, violence, intrigue, deception, collusion, revenge, power, seduction, manipulation, and murder. It was later elevated to stage drama by such notables as Flaubert, the French novelist, and Wilde, the English dramatist. The dramatists exercise their poetic license and are not historically reliable. From there we got the term “The Dance of the Seven Vails.”

And you have the clash of the titans. The ambitious Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, and John the Baptist, a prophet of God, sent to prepare the earth for the coming of Jesus Christ. It is good vs evil, and evil prevails in our unjust world. Herod is referred to by Jesus as “that old fox.”

Herod, however, is afraid of John the Baptist who has a huge following, yet he becomes a pawn in the hands of his illegitimate wife, Herodias, who seeks revenge against John for condemning her marriage to Herod. Both Herod and Herodias were divorced and because of Jewish law their marriage was condemned by the bold John the Baptist. Herodias wanted John killed. Herod compromised by putting him in prison; therefore, the battle between Herodias and Herod begins. With all of Herod’s power, he is no match for his subtle wife.

Herodias represents the feme fatale. She has a daughter, Salome, probably a teenager, perform a sensuous dance before King Herod for his birthday. He is seduced by her beauty. The dance was almost certainly provocative in a most reprehensible way as she was Herod’s stepdaughter. King Herod was so taken that he promised with an oath to give Salome anything she asked for. That was a foolish oath which cost John the Baptist his life. And King Herod his soul. He was naively unaware of the depths his wife would go to satisfy her revenge.

It was Herodias who plotted from the beginning with her daughter to seduce the superstitious Herod into making such a hasty promise. Salome coldly asked for the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter called a charger.

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,

2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.

3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife.

4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

6 But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.

7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.

8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.

Next we have a very chilling story summarized in only 25 words,

9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.

Herod ordered the murder of an innocent man, merely because of a hasty oath made under the influence of lust for his stepdaughter. A rash act by a petty king which could not be rescinded cost the life of one of the greatest prophets to live on the earth.

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Season 4 Podcast 120, In Defense of Christianity, “The Sabbath Day, Part III, The Ten Commandments B.”

Parallelism has many uses in the Old Testament. It allows for easy memorization. It provides structure and makes strong connections over distance, even down the centuries. It gives unity, economy, clarity, emphasis, variety, and coherence with minimum use of language. It provides multiple ways of reading passages. Parallelism suggests a unit of meaning and whenever repetition occurs, those passages can be read both separately and together, one enlarging the meaning of the other. It is almost like a code. Those who understand the code, as the Children of Israel would have, would have clearly understood what the prophets were saying because it would all be in context. Because of parallelism one passage of scripture would automatically suggest to the mind another passage with a similar theme. We all know that the mind links through association.

Notice, for example, through parallelism, how the Ten Commandments are a direct offshoot of the six days of creation. The Hebrews would have made the connections automatically since Moses is the author. It is built into their rhetorical patterns.

For example, verse one of Genesis begins,

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

Notice that the first three commandments parallel the story of creation by acknowledging God as creator and defines our relationship to him. God instructs the Children of Israel that they should not confuse things that are created by the power of God with the creator himself. The power is in God, not in the creation. Having come out of Egypt, an idol worshiping nation, after living there for four hundred years, the Hebrews had forgotten the concept of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But first notice the introduction to the Ten Commandment for it establishes the theme and explains why James calls the Ten Commandments The Law of Liberty.

1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

The Lord reminded the Children of Israel that it was he who brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

In the following Ten Commandments, the Lord instructs the Children of Israel on how to remain free from the house of bondage. Remember that the Israelites tried to take all the customs of Egypt with them to the Promised Land which centered around idol worship, the source of bondage. The Egyptian idols represented everything that was evil and kept them in slavery. Throughout history every evil is associated with idol worship. That is why we have the first two commandments.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Adding the third commandment to the two above turns their hearts away from idols. Introduces the principle of One God, and directs their worship directly to their creator. It also teaches a new concept in worship—reverence rather than fear.

3 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

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Season 4 Podcast 119 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 4, Pt III Episode 11 “Sansjoy”

Fidessa, of course, her name suggesting fidelity, is the former Duessa, her real name suggesting infidelity. Though she has fooled the silly Red Cross Knight, she has not fooled anyone in the underworld. After all she rode with Lucifera high on the coach leading the Seven Deadly Sins driven by Satan in the House of Pride. The three brothers, Sansfoy, which means without faith, Sansloy, which means without law, and Sansjoy, which means without joy are all in love with Duessa and she with them. The Redcross Knight killed Sansfoy in battle. The false Duessa who was in love with Sansfoy ran away. When the Redcross Knight caught up with her, she lied to him, saying she was the daughter of an Emperor kidnapped by Sansfoy. The Redcross Knight foolishly believed her though only moments before he saw Sansfoy and Duessa embracing in sensuous play.

Duessa is evil and wants revenge on the Redcross Knight. Her ploy is to get him killed or to seduce him which will destroy him because the Redcross Knight above all else seeks holiness. However, when Sanjoy sees the Redcross Knight carrying his dead brother’s shield in the House of Pride. He immediately seeks revenge for the murder of his brother. He challenges the Redcross Knight to a duel.

So having solaced themselves a space

With pleasaunce of the breathing fields yfed,

They back returned to the Princely Place;

Whereas an errant knight in armes ycled,

And heathenish shield, wherein with letters red

Was writ Sans joy, they new arrived find:

Enflamed with fury and fires hardy-head

He seemed in hart to harbor thoughts unkind,

And nourish bloody vengeance in his bitter mind.

Sansjoy snatches the shield, but the Redcross Knight, unwilling to give up the prize he won in a fair battle, takes it back.

Who when the shamed shield of slain Sansfoy

He spied with that same Faery champions page,

Bewraying him, that did of late destroy

His eldest brother, burning all with rage

He to him leapt, and that same envious gage

Of victor’s glory from him snatcht away:

But th' Elfin knight, which ought that warlike wage

Disdained to lose the meed he won in fray,

And him reencountering fierce, rescued the noble pray.

The two knights immediately begin a violent quarrel and prepared for battle. However, Lucifera, queen of the House of Pride, stops the quarrel and commands them to refrain. She orders them to meet the next day in duel to determine who owns Sansfoy’s shield. Ironically in knight errantry it was thought that God would support the just and condemn the wicked. Duels to the death were how such conflicts were settled. It was somewhat like how they discerned witches. They threw the accused witch into the pond. If she drowned, she was innocent because it was believed that a witch could not drown. If she floated to the surface, she was burned at the stake. That was frontier justice.

Therewith they gan to hurtlen greedily,

Redoubted battle ready to darrayne,

And clash their shields, and shake their swords on high,

That with their sturre they troubled all the train;

Till that great Queene upon eternal pain

Of high displeasure that ensewen might,

Commanded them their fury to refrain,

And if that either to that shield had right,

In equal lists they should the morrow next it fight.

Sansjoy apologizes to the queen and explains that he only attacked the Redcross Knight through grief of his brother’s death. He tells her that only false treachery and shameful treason could have killed his valiant brother.

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Season 4 Podcast 118 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 13: 2:24-58, “The Kingdom of Heaven”

Christians are associated with the terms God and Satan, good and evil, heaven and hell. It is a battle ground. Peter tells us,

1 Peter 5:8

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

Paul warns us to put on the whole armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10-18

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Before coming to earth to gain a physical body, we lived with God in heaven as spirits. When the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, he breathed into his nostril the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” That breath of life was our premortal spirit. Only the spirit has life in itself. The body did not become a living soul until after the spirit was placed in it. The spirit can never die. Death is the separation of the body from the spirit. Only the physical body dies. The resurrection, of course, is the reuniting of the body and the spirit never to be separated again. Where then do we go when we die? Many wish to oversimplify the answer and say we either go to heaven or hell. The Holy Bible does not support that thesis. The Savior said.

Matthew 25:31-34

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:”

“Inherit the kingdom prepared for you” suggests different kingdoms. In another place Christ clarifies the statement.

John 14:2

“In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

Paul teaches that there are three major divisions of heaven. Paul was caught up in the third or highest heaven.

2 Corinthians 12:2

“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.”

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Season 4 Podcast 117, In Defense of Christianity, “The Sabbath Day, Part II, The Ten Commandments, A.”

In the creation story it is important to understand the sequence of events for they all center around the Sabbath Day. In the first, or spiritual creation, everything is completed on the Sixth Day of creation as is made plain in Genesis Chapter I. For economy’s sake, I shall only deal with the creation of man.

Genesis 1:26-27, & 31

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them…. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

Following the Sixth Day of the Spiritual Creation, we are introduced to the Seventh, or Sabbath, Day.

Genesis 2: 1-3

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

What was that work? It was the spiritual creation of heaven, earth, and man. Everything is now prepared for the physical creation of man. The Seventh or Sabbath Day is the hinge of creation. It represents the last day of the spiritual creation or preparation or organization. It is concluded with the words in Genesis 1:1:

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

How is it possible that “all the host of them,” meaning men and women, were finished? Adam and Eve hadn’t been created. For that matter none of us had been created in the flesh. It means that all the spirit children of God were created, and those spirit children would come to earth to gain a body. In other words, it refers to the spiritual creation of mankind. So what does God do on the Sabbath Day, take a long nap? No! Not Likely. The first thing he does is to bless and sanctify the earth.

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Adam and Eve have not been created yet, that is to say their physical bodies had not been created yet. Moses records.

Genesis 2:5

“And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.”

Only someone in the flesh could till the ground; however, remember this is the Seventh or Sabbath Day. The next thing God does on the Sabbath is to water the earth.

But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the Ground.

Before you accuse God of going out like a farmer and watering his garden, remember that during the first day of creation all the laws are in place. God simply sets in motion those laws which work independently. God does not continue to create laws. All laws were created during the first six days, both spiritual laws and temporal laws. All laws are organized in complete sets to act independently once set in motion.

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Season 4 Podcast 116 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Canto 4, Episode 10 “The Seven Deadly Sins.”

Duessa is at home in the house of pride; however, the goodly Red Cross Knight sees only vanity.

Goodly they all that knight do entertain,

Right glad with him to have increased their crew:

But to Duess' each one himself did pay

All kindness and faire courtesy to shew;

For in that court while her well they knew:

Yet the stout Faerie amongst the middest crowd

Thought all their glory vain in knightly view,

And that great Princess too exceeding proud,

That to strange knight no better countenance allowed.

Lucifera who overlooks the crowd suddenly rises up and calls for her coach. Everyone stops and looks with admiration at Lucifera for they see the imposter as a great queen.

The Seven Deadly Sins—sloth, gluttony, lust, greed, envy, and wrath—are often pitted against the Seven Cardinal Virtues—chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. What artists have done in painting the Seven Deadly Sins, Spenser has done in vivid poetic imagery: Lucifera, wife of Lucifer, symbolizing pride accompanied by Duessa, duplicity, leads the parade, her carriage pulled by peacocks. She is followed by Sloth riding on a mule; Gluttony riding on a swine; Lust riding on a goat; Greed riding on a camel; Envy riding on a wolf; And Wrath riding on a lion. The animals fit the sin. Driving the parade is Satan with a long whip in his hand. They parade through the streets of the House of Pride cheered on by thousands of admirers. The entire scene represents the world and the natural man.

Sudden uprises from her stately place

The royal Dame, and for her coach did call:

All hurtled forth, and she with Princely pace,

As faire Aurora in her purple pall,

Out of the east the dawning day doth call:

So forth she comes: her brightness broad doth blaze;

The heaps of people thronging in the hall,

Do ride each other, upon her to gaze:

Her glorious glittering light doth all men’s eyes amaze.

Lucifera climbs upon her coach adorned with flowers. Her coach is drawn by peacocks symbolizing her glorious vanity.

So forth she comes, and to her coach does clyme,

Adorned all with gold, and garlands gay,

That seemed as fresh as Flora in her prime,

And strove to match, in royal rich array,

Great Junos golden chair, the which they say

The Gods stand gazing on, when she does ride

To Jove’s high house through heavens brass-paved way

Drawn of faire Peacocks, that excel in pride,

And full of Argus eyes their tails dispreading wide.

The Six other deadly sins are her counselors. They ride on unequal beasts that symbolize their sins. Immediately behind PRIDE is IDLENESS who rides on a slothful mule. Spenser calls IDLENESS the “nurse of sin.” It is the synonym for SLOTH.

But this was drawn of six unequal beasts,

On which her six sage Counselors did ride,

Taught to obey their bestial behest’s,

With like conditions to their kinds applied:

Of which the first, that all the rest did guide,

Was sluggish Idleness the nurse of sin;

Upon a slothful Asse he chose to ride,

Arrayed in habit black, and amis thin,

Like to an holy Monk, the service to begin.

Idleness dressed like a monk carries the holy scriptures with him but doesn’t read them. Idleness though he appears sanctimonious is a hypocrite and does not care for religion. He sleeps most of the time.

And in his hand his Portesse still he bare,

That much was worn, but therein little read,

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Season 4 Podcast 115 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 13:1-23, “The Parable of the Sower”

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a parable is an allegorical or metaphorical saying or narrative; an allegory, a fable, an apologue; a comparison, a similitude.” The Dictionary adds, “A usually realistic story or narrative told to convey a moral or spiritual lesson or insight; esp. one told by Jesus in the Gospels.” Christ, of course, is famous for teaching in parables. We are introduced to the parables in a wonderful setting:

Matthew 13:2-3

“The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, “

The first parable listed in Matthew 13 is the parable of the sower.

“Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

There are three elements at play in the parable: the seed, the sower, and the scattering of the seed.

Where would the world be without seeds? In the creation story, seeds were organized on the third day.

Genesis 1:11-13

One key phrase is “whose seed was in itself.” That which does not have seed in itself cannot reproduce. A seed is the embryo of the adult. It contains all the information necessary to become an adult which produces more seeds. The seed itself is generally very small consisting of the embryo and nutritive tissues protected by a hard shell. A seed will remain in that state forever unless acted upon by its environment. If the environment is not good the seed will not be good.

In this context, the seed is the gospel, the word of God, or the teachings of Christ. One of the most important seeds would be the Sermon on the Mount which contains the core of Christian doctrine. A seed, of course, remains a seed if not planted. The protective shell must be broken. The fate of the seed depends upon the soil and other conditions such as sun and rain.

Secondly, a seed must have a sower. The sower in the above parable would be the disciples of Christ. The resurrected Christ said to his apostles.

Mark 16:15-16

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

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Season 4 Podcast 114, In Defense of Christianity, “The Sabbath Day, Part I, The Law of the Sabbath.”

It is very possible that the least regarded and least understood law is The Law of the Sabbath. Today we see an alarming rise of atheism, a decline in church attendance, and an increasing disregard for the Sabbath day even among professed Christians.

The term bellwether originated from a sheep (wether) that led the flock by having a bell around its neck. Many of our words have an analogical or metaphorical background. Today we use bellwether to refer to an indicator or predictor of a trend. The decline of Sabbath Day observance is the best bellwether of the increase or decrease of our commitment to Christ. To use a term from Mills Methods, it is in concomitant variation. As Sabbath Day observance increases, dedication to Christ increases. As Sabbath Day observance decreases, dedication to Christ decreases. Claiming to be a Christian is perhaps one of the weakest bellwethers of our commitment to Christ. Sabbath Day observance one of the strongest.

To understand the Law of the Sabbath we must go back to the creation story for that is where it originates.

Here we shall review the creation story, but first let me refer you to Season 4, Podcasts 105, 108, and 111 in which I analyze Genesis Chapter’s 1-3.

Here I should like to make a small correction as well as add an addendum. In the podcasts referred to I said that Chapter one ended with verse 1 of Chapter two as indicated by the parallelism. Upon closer analysis I see I was mistaken. Chapter 1 ends with verse 3 of Chapter 2. Let me explain why for it relates to the Law of the Sabbath.

As explained in the podcasts on creation, though there are seven days of creation, there are two distinct periods of creation, running parallel. One is spiritual, the other is temporal. Here I want to show the unique qualities of each period of creation and how they relate to the Sabbath Day.

Chapter 1 of Genesis and Chapter 2 of Genesis verses 1-3 refer to Elohim or God, the Father. Chapter 2 verses 4 – 25 refer to Jehovah, the son of God who is the God of the Old Testament and of course the New Testament and creator of the world and all things in it, including man. Let me illustrate. Chapter 1 and the first three verses of Chapter 3 use the following clauses. I have listed both the clause and the number of times it appears. For example, Chapter 1 uses the term “God” which refers to Elohim.

1. God blessed (2)

2. God called (3)

3. God created (1)

4. God divided (1)

5. God made (3)

6. God said (10)

7. God saw (6)

8. God set (1)

9. God ended (1)

10. God blessed (1)

11. God created. (1)

Chapter 2, verses 4-25 uses the term “The Lord God” which refers to Jehovah.

1. The Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

2. The Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth,

3. The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

4. The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

5. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight,

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Season 4 Podcast 113 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Book I, Pt I Canto 4, Episode 9 “The House of Pride.”

Last week we followed the adventures of Una as she was threatened by a lion, a robber, a magician, and then by Sansloy, a lawless Knight. She conquered the lion, the robber, the magician, but we left her under the terrible power of Sansloy. We will return to Una in the future. Today we follow the Redcross Knight who, under the spell of the evil witch Duessa, is led into the House of Pride.

CANTO IV

To sinful house of Pride, Duessa

guides the faithful knight,

Where brother's death to wreak Sansjoy

doth challenge him to fight.

Enamored by the beauty of the false Duessa, the Redcross Knight willingly follows her into the House of Pride, which, of course, is destructive to one who is supposedly on the path to holiness.

YOUNG knight whatever that dost arms profess,

And through long labors huntest after fame,

Beware of fraud, beware of fickleness,

In choice, and change of thy dear loved Dame,

Least thou of her believe too lightly blame,

And rash misweening do thy heart remove:

For unto knight there is no greater shame,

Than lightness and inconstancy in love;

That doth this Redcrosse knight’s ensample plainly prove.

The Redcross Knight has foolishly abandoned Una, falsely thinking she was evil and followed Duessa who is the Whore of Babylon.

Who after that he had faire Una lorne,

Through light misdeeming of her loyalty,

And false Duessa in her sted had borne,

Called Fidess', and so supposed to be;

Long with her traveled, till at last they see

4 RON

Spenser describes the House of Pride.

A goodly building, bravely garnished,

The house of mighty Prince it seemed to be:

And towards it a broad high way that led,

All bare through people’s feet, which thither traveled.

Great troupes of people traveled thitherward

Both day and night, of each degree and place,

But few returned, having scaped hard,

With baleful beggary, or foul disgrace;

Which ever after in most wretched case,

Like loathsome lazars, by the hedges lay.

Thither Duessa bad him bend his pace:

For she is weary of the toilsome way,

And also nigh consumed is the lingering day.

The House of Pride, of course, is just the opposite of the New Jerusalem as described by John in the Book of Revelation.

10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve agates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

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Season 4 Podcast 112 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 12:22-50, “The Temple of the Holy Ghost”

Christ performed a variety of miracles, particularly healing. We seem to learn something new from each miracle. The following is the story of one possessed of a devil.

22 ¶ Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

Devil possession perhaps has always been controversial. I think that silly Hollywood horror movies have so distorted the meaning of devil possession that some dismiss the concept altogether. However, Satan and his angels are real. They are spirits. All spirits, even our own, are made of matter too refined to see. The only difference between our spirits and the spirits of devils is that we have a physical body in the form and shape of our spirit. The only way evil spirits can have a body is to enter the bodies of those who have a physical body. The Bible says a third part of the host of heaven followed Lucifer. Christ said.

LUKE 12:17-18

“And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”

One of the curses of Satan and his angels is that they were denied a physical body. We know that Satan and his angels fell to earth. What then do they do with their time? John the Revelator answers that question.

Revelation 12:7-13

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

It is clear from the writings of John that the devil is persecuting the Christians. It takes many forms. The weapons used to combat Satan are unconventional. John records, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.” That is also how the war in heaven was fought. It was not through contention. It was through testimony. The spirits in heaven who rejected the testimony of Christ followed Lucifer and were cast out of heaven with Satan. We know from the scene in the country of the Gergesenes that evil spirits were able to enter into the bodies of swine.

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Season 4 Podcast 111 “The Story of Creation, Genesis 1-3 Pt III”

Now we move to Genesis Chapter Three. We have already learned that the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil were planted in the garden, thus giving Adam and Eve a choice. Two things give mankind agency. One is choice, the other is enticement. The choice is between good and evil; the enticement is between Christ and Satan.

We learn from John the Revelator in the Book of Revelation that Lucifer was cast out of heaven.

Revelation 12

This was during the Sixth Day of Creation, before Adam and Eve were formed in the flesh and the Garden of Eden became their home. Satan decided to continue his war against God on earth. John records.

Revelation 12

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Having lost the war in heaven, Satan’s first target on earth, of course, is Adam and Eve. The following is his account from Genesis 3 of his conversation with Eve. Eve is naive and does not recognize Satan for he appears to her as a serpent.

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

We learn an extremely important lesson from this. On the one hand, I take literally the idea that Satan used the serpent and that it was no strange thing that the serpent could talk. We only understand the animals of our narrow world. We have no clue of the extraordinary possibilities of all of God’s creations. On the other hand, some things have never changed. Satan uses man to be his voice which is very deceptive. It is only natural that he would use those who only pretend to be religious.

It is also true that God uses man frequently to be his voice. From that we may conclude that man has the ability to speak his own mind, to listen to the promptings of God, or to follow the promptings of Satan. It is up to us to discern which spirit is at play, even in our own conversations. To do that we must be able to discern good from evil, God from Satan, as well as the philosophies of man which may pretend to be of God. The serpent is speaking the words of Lucifer.

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

Satan, of course, speaks only half truths. He lies to Eve about not dying but tells the truth that she will be as the Gods knowing good and evil. Eve having lived in the Garden of Eden for who knows how long, would have understood little about death for she had no comparison. There was no death in the Garden of Eden. Death was certainly not something she would be terribly afraid of. Obviously she studies the fruit for a very long time, and this is probably not her first time contemplating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Notice her own reasoning.

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Season 4 Podcast 110 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Canto 3 Episode 8 “The Adventures of Una.” Pt II

In the previous Podcast, # 107, The Redcross Knight listens to the tale of The Weeping Tree. It is a warning to the Redcross Knight to flee from Duessa; however, the Knight does not heed the warning because Duessa presented herself as Fidessa, the daughter of an Emperor who had been kidnapped by Sansfoy.

Having lost Sansfoy, Duessa seeks to destroy the Redcross Knight by causing him to lose his virtue, the source of his strength.

In Canto 3 Una sets out on a journey to find the Redcross Knight who has abandoned her because of the false dream caused by the magician Archimago.

Una and the lion leave at daybreak. Una continues her quest to find the Redcross Knight. Meanhile, Archimago who has been following Una’s trail happens upon the blind woman and her daughter. Filled with hate for killing the robber who supported them, they tell Archimago how to find Una. The wicked Archimago has the power to take on any shape he desires; therefore, cunningly he takes upon him the shape of the Redcross Knight, and in that disguse he meets Una and the lion.

Ere long he came where Una traveled slow,

And that wilde Champion waiting her beside:

Whom seeing such, for dread he durst not show

Himself too nigh at hand, but turned wide

Unto an hill; from whence when she him spied,

By his like seeming shield, her knight by name

She weend it was, and towards him gan ride:

Approaching nigh, she wist it was the same,

And with faire fearful humblesse towards him she came:

Thinking the vile magician is really the Redcross Knight, she asks him where he had been and why he left her.

And weeping said, Ah my long lacked Lord,

Where have ye bene thus long out of my sight?

Much feared I to have bene quite abhorred,

Or ought have done, that ye displeasen might,

That should as death unto my deare heart light:

For since mine eye your joyous sight did mis,

My cheerful day is turned to cheerless night,

And eke my night of death the shadow is;

But welcome now my light, and shining lampe of blis.

The crafty magician answers.

He thereto meeting said, My dearest Dame,

Farre be it from your thought, and fro my will,

To thinke that knighthood I so much should shame,

As you to leave, that have me loved still,

And chose in Faery court of meere goodwill,

Where noblest knights were to be found on earth:

The earth shall sooner leave her kindly skill,

To bring forth fruit, and make eternall derth,

Then I leave you, my liefe, yborne of heavenly berth.

And sooth to say, why I left you so long,

Was for to seeke adventure in strange place,

Where Archimago said a felon strong

To many knights did daily worke disgrace;

But knight he now shall never more deface:

Good cause of mine excuse; that mote ye please

Well to accept, and evermore embrace

My faithfull service, that by land and seas

Have vowd you to defend: now then your plaint appease.

The guileless Una is entirely unaware that she is really speaking to the deceitful Archimago. The guileless often project their virtues onto others, thinking they are better than they are. The wicked magician has taken upon himself the very form and shape of the Redcross knight.

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Season 4 Podcast 109 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 12:1-15, “Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy”

During the time of Christ, the Pharisees and Sadducees, rejecting his divinity and seeing him as a threat to their power, sought early on to destroy the Savior. Before John the Baptist, A prophet had not been in Israel since Malachi, 400 years earlier. The Mosaic law had become buried under layers of scholarly interpretations. One law that had particularly become corrupted was the law regarding the Sabbath Day. The Jewish leaders used the laws of Moses as a source of power. They particularly used the laws regarded the Sabbath Day to justify killing the Messiah.

1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

The Sabbath had become a burden with a long checklist of do’s and don’ts. As with other laws, they had lost the spirit of the Sabbath and become slaves to the letter of the law defined by the leaders. Of course, it was not without precedent. Early on in their history the following is recorded.

Numbers 15:32-36

“And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses.”

I grew up in the South when we had Sunday Blue Laws defining what could and could not be done on the Sabbath day. Such a law today, as defined by the Old Testament, would probably wipe out the world. It was this ancient tradition that the Pharisees and Sadducees used against Christ’s disciples.

But Jesus uses the example of the corn to establish the fact that he is the Lord of the Sabbath. Using examples from the Old Testament, He teaches new doctrine regarding the Sabbath Day.

3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; 4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

Christ is establishing his authority.

6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

As part of the New Testament covenant, Jesus teaches that serving others unselfishly without intent to get gain is a proper Sabbath Day observance. Notice that the Savior is not doing away with the observance of the Sabbath day. Rather he is redirecting the people’s thoughts on how they should view the Sabbath Day.

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Season 4 Podcast 108 “The Story of Creation, Genesis 1-3 Pt II”

DAY SEVEN

In this podcast Linda and I will analyze Genesis Chapter 2 which continues to relate the story of creation. We thank you for taking this journey with us.

Notice that in Chapter Two of Genesis the structure of the first six days is abandoned. In Chapter One, each day of the first six days begins the same way:

“And God Said.”

And ends with

“And the evening and the morning were the”

Followed by the number of the day, First through Sixth. In Chapter Two there is no evening and morning of creation. In fact, it begins with:

“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”

It is perhaps illogical to assume that the Almighty ever stops creating. He is defined by his creation. However, we are dealing with only one story of creation, the Genesis story which details the creation of earth and the people of the earth, which is each of us, and its environment. It is as if God has finished the creation story specifically defined in Genesis. Even the language changes. Moses records.

“And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

Can we assume then that all the laws of creation related to our galaxy are in place and the earth will begin its evolutionary process. But something is missing, an incredibly important element—water.

“These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.”

This is in Genesis two, after the six days of creation. Nothing can live without water,

There is only one conclusion that we can reach and it is this: It suggests two creative periods, each with six days of creation. In the first creative period all living things were first created spiritually and not temporally. They are governed strictly by spiritual laws. Temporal creation, or that creation which is governed both by spiritual laws, for all living things have a spirit, and temporal laws, for all living things must die, could not occur until after the rains started. The two-periods of creation that closely parallel each other are clearly set forth in Job.

Job 38: 4-12

“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it, And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed? Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;”

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Season 4 Podcast 107 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Canto 3 Episode 7 “The Adventures of Una.” Pt I

In the previous Podcast, # 104, The Redcross Knight listens to the tale of The Weeping Tree. It is a warning to the Redcross Knight to flee from Duessa; however, the Knight does not heed the warning because Duessa presented herself as Fidessa, the daughter of an Emperor who had been kidnapped by Sansfoy who in fact was her lover. Having lost Sansfoy, Duessa seeks to destroy the Redcross Knight by causing him to lose his virtue, the source of his strength.

In Canto 3 Una sets out on a journey to find the Redcross Knight who has abandoned her because of the false dream caused by the magician Archimago.

CANTO III

Forsaken Truth long seeks her love,

and makes the Lyon mild,

Mars blind Devotions mart, and falls

in hand of leacher vile.

Canto 3 is the story of the adventures of Una as she seeks the Redcross Knight. As mentioned The Redcross Knight represents holiness. Achieving Holiness is a very rocky road as will be illustrated by his further adventures. Una, on the other hand, represents truth. Una does not suffer the same temptations as her champion; however, her own journey is fraught with dangers. For example, in Canto 3 she is met by a lion, by a robber/rapist, by the wicked magician Archimago who is disgused as the Redcross Knight, and by Sansloy, whose name means without law. All seek Una’s destruction, and she has no champion. If they can destroy Una, who symbolizes truth, then it will follow that they can destroy The Redcross Knight, who symbolizes holiness.

To appreciate the journeys of Una and the Redcross Knight, we must examine how they overcome the obstacles in their path, one in seeking truth and the other in seeking holiness. In that sense it becomes a cautionary tale for Spenser is assuming that we are also on the path of truth and holiness and will be confronted by strong opposition. Remember that Una is on a mission to find the Redcross Knight so that he can deliver her royal parents who are held captive by a powerful dragon. Una is true but she is inexperienced to the subtlety of Satan and the evils of the world.

The first obstacle that Una meets is a fierce lion.

One day nigh wearie of the irksome way,

From her unhastie beast she did alight,

And on the grass her dainty limbs did lay

In secret shadow, far from all men’s sight:

From her faire head her fillet she undight,

And laid her stole aside. Her angels face

As the great eye of heaven shined bright,

And made a sunshine in the shady place;

Did never mortal eye behold such heavenly grace.

It fortuned out of the thickest wood

A ramping Lyon rushed suddenly,

Hunting full greedy after salvage blood;

A strange thing happens. The beast is so taken by Una that he forgot his ravage hunger.

Soon as the royal virgin he did spy,

With gaping mouth at her ran greedily,

To have at once devoured her tender corse:

But to the prey when as he drew more ny,

His bloody rage asswaged with remorse,

And with the sight amazed, forgat his furious force.

Instead of seeking blood he becomes as tame as a kitten. Of course, it perpetuates the idea that beauty can tame the most savage beast. But the lion senses more in Una than mere physical beauty. He is responding to the purity of her soul and the simplicity of truth.

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Season 4 Podcast 106 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 11, “My Yoke is Easy”

The relationship between The Savior of the World and the forerunner, his cousin, John the Baptist is intriguing. There is only one recorded incidence of their meeting, and it is one of the most spectacular events recorded in scripture. First, you get a rugged image of John the Baptist.

MATTHEW 3

4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

But many came out into the desert just to hear John preach. John was just as bold as the Savior in condemning the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Matthew 3

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

John clearly received many revelations for he knew who he was and what his primary role was.

Matthew 3

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

When he saw Christ, he recognized him immediately.

Matthew 3

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

Christ teaches John and the world the importance of what John is doing.

Matthew 3

And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

That was followed by one of the greatest events the world has seen. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are revealed on earth proving that they are three separate and distinct beings.

MATTHEW 3

In Matthew Chapter Eleven John has been cast into prison, but he sends two disciples to Christ to ask a strange question.

Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

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Season 4 Podcast 105 “The Story of Creation, Genesis 1-3 Pt I”

In this and the succeeding two podcasts on The Story of Creation, Linda and I will analyze Genesis Chapters 1-3 which relate the story of creation and the fall of man. The story of creation is among the greatest stories ever told. Those who read the Bible are acutely aware of what is not said. For such an important story, the language of the Holy Bible is very succinct. It is also beautiful and astonishingly informative. We thank you for taking this journey with us.

In the following I recommend that you have the King James Version of the Text in front of you. Though I have used the wording of the KJV, I have discarded the traditional chapter and verses and divided the story of creation into parallel elements as if it were a poem. It would take many pages to do a complete analysis which could only be illustrated in written form. Audio does not do it justice. In reading Linda is following my parallel structure.

In the beginning God created

the heaven

and the earth.

And the earth

was without form,

and void;

and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God moved

upon the face of the waters.

The above was the introduction. Now we begin the description of each day of Creation. Each Day begins with “And God said,” and ends with “And the evening and morning were” followed by the number of the day. Day of course means period of time, not 24 hours. Time cannot be created before the timing mechanism is in place, and that does not really occur until after the fall. Our time is measured by the revolutions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth as they stand in heaven today. Such a clock did not exist before creation occurred. I am not competent enough in science to discuss the scientific implications of Genesis. Science must stand or fall upon its own methods. I have one primary goal. I let the great poets John Milton and Alexander Pope speak for me—to justify the ways of God to man. I believe the Bible is the word of God. I am a literalist. My goal is not to question the Bible but to understand it. It is true that we are at the mercy of human translators, and it is always possible that in translation some ambition souls may slant the text according to opinion rather than sticking to the original text. We do not live in a perfect world, but we are very fortunate that down through the centuries men of great character tried to preserve the original thus we have what we have, and it is magnificent.

DAY ONE

And God said,

Let there be light:

and there was light.

And God saw

the light, that it was good:

and God divided

the light from the darkness.

And God called

the light Day,

and the darkness

he called

Night.

And the evening and the morning were the first day.

By restructuring the epic poem, you may easily discern the parallel elements: God created, God moved, God said, God saw, God divided, God called. In some I insert words that are clearly implied to complete the parallel elements. You may also see the antithetical parallelism: heaven & earth, form & void, darkness & light, day & night, evening & morning. Without paragraphs or verses or numbers or titles, parallelism provided the structure of ancient Hebrew poetry. Whenever things are repeated they are repeated for a purpose thus allowing the readers to connect scriptures throughout the Holy Bible. Parallelism enhances meaning, provides emphasis, gives structure, connects concepts, and clarifies relationships. It is awkward at first for readers of English, but it grows on you. Now Let’s connect it to the second day.

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Season 4 Podcast 104 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Canto 2 C Episode 6 “The Weeping Tree.”

In the previous Podcast, # 101, The Redcross Knight kills Sansfoy and Duessa changes her name to Fidessa, and deceives the Redcross Knight. Having abandoned Una, his true love, The Redcross knight now travels with Fidessa whose only desire is to destroy the Redcross Knight for killing her lover Sansfoy.

This epic story is about how the Redcross Knight, who represents the virtue of holiness, becomes St. George. However, the road is very difficult. It is compounded by the fact that he has abandoned Una, who stands for truth, and now he is in the clutches of the Evil Duessa posing as the daughter of an Emperor when in reality she is the evil Duessa, the Whore of Babylon, and represents pure evil. What follows is the first warning to the Redcross Knight that Fidessa is a wicked witch and wishes to destroy him. Without Una the callow youth does not understand the warning.

Long time they thus together traveled,

Till weary of their way, they came at last

Where grew two goodly trees, that faire did spred

Their arms abroad, with gray moss overcast,

And their green leaves trembling with every blast,

Made a calm shadow far in compass round:

The fearful Shepherd often there aghast

Under them never sat, ne wont there sound

His merry oaten pipe, but shund th' unlucky ground.

Even shepherds won’t go near the cursed ground, but the Redcross Knight, who is fearless, pays no heed. The sun is high in the sky. It is a very hot day, and he seeks rest under the cursed trees.

But this good knight soon as he them can spie,

For golden Phœbus now ymounted hie,

From fiery wheels of his fair chariot

Hurled his beame so scorching cruell hot,

That living creature mote it not abide;

And his new Lady it endured not.

There they alight, in hope themselves to hide

From the fierce heat, and rest their weary limbs a tide.

The Redcross Knight sees Fidessa as the most beautiful woman he has ever met; therefore he plucks a limb from the tree to make her a garland. A very strange thing happens. Blood rather than sap drips from the broken branch.

Faire seemely pleasaunce each to other makes,

With goodly purposes there as they sit:

And in his falsed fancy he her takes

To be the fairest wight that lived yit;

Which to express he bends his gentle wit,

And thinking of those branches green to frame

A garland for her dainty forehead fit,

He pluckt a bough; out of whose rift there came

Small drops of gory blood, that trickled down the same.

Furthermore, the tree cries out at the Knight begging him not to tear his poor body apart. Then the tree warns the Redcross Knight to fly from Fidessa and get as far away from her as he can. If he doesn’t the same thing will happen to him as happened to the unhappy voice coming from the tree. It turns out that it is not a tree at all but two former unhappy lovers who were turned into trees by Fidessa and her evil powers.

Therewith a piteous yelling voice was heard,

Crying, O spare with guilty hands to tear

My tender sides in this rough rynd embard,

But fly, ah fly far hence away, for fear

Least to you hap, that happened to me hear,

And to this wretched Lady, my dear love,

O too dear love, love bought with death too dear.

Astond he stood, and up his hair did hove,

And with that sudden horror could no member move.

The Redcross Knight doesn’t know what to make of the strange event. He doubted his own senses. He thought it was a ghost from hell or an evil spirit.

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Season 4 Podcast 103 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 10 B”

Last week we learned that the gospel is to be taught and the children of Israel to be gathered until Christ comes again. This brings to mind the statement of John in the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 14:6-7

The following statement is not meant just for the twelve apostles. He is speaking of all those who bear witness of the Savior. What was true in his day is also true in our day.

Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Christians everywhere can take courage from his words. But Christ goes further and explains how important all his children are.

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Christ offers this great promise to those who testify of him.

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

Christ is speaking of our day. As the scriptures attest, to whom much is given much is expected. In Luke we read.

Luke 12: 32-40

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

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Season 4 Podcast 102 “Sing A New Song of Freedom.”

Linda and I live on the banks of Big Creek in East Tennessee. I love to sit in my Amish rocking chair on the wide wooden deck of our log cabin, listening to the singing creek rushing over the washed rocks, watching the cardinals, blue birds, and yellow finches feeding on sunflower seeds from our red bird feeder hanging on an iron post under a black walnut tree by the creek. Often a great blue heron can be seen fishing the winding waters, standing on spindly legs on the smooth rocks or spreading its wide wings as it glides silently over the rushing creek.

Big Creek, flowing to freedom, begins its odd journey to the sea with a single voice in a little stream at the top of the Smoky Mountains in Martha Sundquist State Forest:

It carries the song of freedom along as it travels hastily and bravely down the mountain, winding through the dark hollers, joined by other small creeks and singing wildlife. Gradually the creek grows and the choir increases:

Finally, Big Creek flows into the French Broad River.

The French Broad river is 218 miles long, the third oldest river in the world.

Joining the Holston River, they form the Tennessee River, which flows into the Ohio river, which is 981 miles long. The Ohio flows into the Mississippi River which is 2,320 miles long, the fourth-longest and the fifteenth-largest river in the world.

The Mississippi River flows into the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico, which is 300 million years old and connects to the Atlantic Ocean, the second largest ocean in the world, covering 20 percent of the surface of the earth, separating the old world from the new world.

My, what a little creek can do!

From humble beginnings the movement swells as it gathers momentum, flowing to the sea with all nature following behind it. When it joins the fountain into which all rivers run, the deep fountain sings in perfect harmony for the voices are no longer individual but one voice. The idea is that nature itself loves freedom, that agency is why we are here and why earth was prepared for mankind.

Inspired by nature, the people, in their march to freedom, start to join in, from a small choir to a vast assembly, accompanied by heavenly hosts as they again assert their rights and restore their freedom—freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from hate, freedom from prejudice, freedom from addictions, freedom from propaganda, freedom from sin, freedom from selfishness, freedom from fear, freedom from lies, freedom from racism.

Heaven hears their song and accepts their offering. It is only then, when the waters flow from the mighty basin of the Great Gulf of Mexico into the vast Atlantic Ocean, that the Fountain of all Righteousness, The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, arrives and a new song is sung.

After watching the sparkling stream by day from my deck and the multitudinous fireflies blinking like stars by night, I came up to the loft of the cabin, still thinking of that sparkling image and wrote the following song. It is meant to be a song of freedom and hope. At the same time, it is a call for action.

I can imagine hearing all the voices in the music of the rushing waters—starting very small, first branches, then creeks, then rivers, and then oceans: first the insects, the frogs, the reeds, the willows, the rushing waters, the harps, the symbols, the dancing fireflies, the jubilee of nature. Next, I can also imagine as men, women, and children join with nature singing in loud chorus, accompanied by a heavenly choir, till the King of Freedom Himself comes in the clouds on a white horse surrounded by all the saints dressed in white. All sing the new song of freedom.

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Season 4 Podcast 101 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen Canto 2 A Fidessa

In the previous Podcast, # 96, the Redcross Knight and the Dwarf abandon Una. In his very next adventure, he encounters Duessa which means false, and Sansfoy, her lover, which means faithless. The Redcross Knight kills Sansfoy and Duessa changes her name to Fidessa, true, and deceives the Redcross Knight. This episode begins with the battle between the Redcross Knight and Sansfoy. Sansfoy is one of three brothers: Sansfoy (without faith); Sans joy (without joy); and Sans Loy (without law), all of whom the Red Cross Knight must conquer to achieve holiness. However, he is deceived by Duessa.

It is Duessa who commands Sansfoy to kill the Red Cross Knight.

With faire disport and courting dalliance

She entertained her lover all the way:

But when she saw the knight his spear advance,

She soon left off her mirth and wanton play,

And bade her knight address him to the fray:

His foe was nigh at hand. He prickt with pride

And hope to win his Ladies heart that day,

Sansfoy is in love with Duessa and will do anything she commands him to do. He charges the Redcross Knight.

Forth spurred fast: down his coursers side

The red blood trickling stained the way, as he did ride.

The knight of the Redcrosse when him he spied,

Spurring so hot with rage dispiteous,

Gan fairly couch his spear, and towards ride:

The following description of the battle symbolizes the battle between good and evil. The Red Cross Knight represents holiness. Sansfoy represents faithlessness. All the battles fought by The Redcross Knight symbolize two things: (1) Evil in a fallen world inspired by Satan. And (2) The battle within himself. The Red Cross Knight must overcome his own weaknesses. The following scenes in Canto II brilliantly show the wiles of Satan. Remember the Redcross Knight, tricked by false dreams, has abandoned Una who represents truth, leaving him very vulnerable. The Redcross Knight immediately recognizes Sansfoy as evil and, therefore, fights with all his might. He kills Sansfoy; however, following the battle, he is entirely deceived by Duessa. He believes all of her cunning lies. She represents falsehood and has only one goal in mind—to destroy the Redcross Knight for killing her lover. If Una had been with him, she would have unmasked Duessa immediately.

Soon meet they both, both fell and furious,

That daunted with their forces hideous,

Their steeds do stagger, and amazed stand,

And eke themselves, too rudely rigorous,

Astonied with the stroke of their own hand

Do back rebut, and each to other yielded land.

As when two rams stirred with ambitious pride,

Fight for the rule of the rich fleeced flock,

Their horned fronts so fierce on either side

Do meet, that with the terror of the shock

Astonished both, stand senseless as a block,

Forgetful of the hanging victory:

So stood these twain, unmoved as a rock,

Both staring fierce, and holding idly

The broken relics of their former cruelty.

The Sarazin sore daunted with the buffe

Snatcheth his sword, and fiercely to him flies;

Who well it wards, and quyteth cuff with cuff:

Each others equal puissance envies,

And through their iron sides with cruel spies

Does seek to pierce: repining courage yields

No foot to foe. The flashing fire flies

As from a forge out of their burning shields,

And streams of purple blood new dies the verdant fields.

The enraged Sarazin with a last violent charge goes in for the kill, but he is under a curse. Sansfoy had been forwarned not to fight the Redcross Knight, but because of his love for Duessa he overrules his reason and fights with fury.

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Season 4 Podcast 100 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 10 A”

We offer a weekly podcast, Monday thru Friday. Each Friday we discuss the New Testament, King James’ Version. We are now on Matthew Chapter 10.

The Twelve Apostles are sent on their first mission. They are instructed to only teach the Jews. Christ gives them his power “against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

The names of the twelve apostles are given.

The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphæus, and Lebbæus, whose surname was Thaddæus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

In Chapter Ten we are given to understand the administrative role of the twelve apostles. They are commissioned to gather the house of Israel. Matthew records:

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Ironically the Jews, being the seed of Abraham did not know they were lost sheep, but they are given the first chance to hear the saving principles of the gospel of Christ. Historically, we know that by and large not only do they reject the apostles but they crucify the Savior and kill the first apostles. But notice the message Jesus charges them to give.

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

What does that mean, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand? First remember the Sermon on the Mount and the promises attached to the beatitudes:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Christ, in sending his disciples among the Jews, is teaching a new doctrine. First they are teaching that Christ is the prophesied Messiah. The Jews were looking in the wrong place. They expected a Messiah to deliver them from the Romans, not a lowly carpenter’s son born in a stable. Next they are teaching where Christ is, there is the Kingdom of heaven. To be in the Kingdom of heaven you must be with Christ. However, only through faith can they recognize him.

While on earth, Christ is teaching about himself, that he is the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the savior, and redeemer of the world and only through him can mankind be saved. He wants the Jews to know that he is the true Messiah prophesied by the ancient prophets and the law of Moses. Everything begins with Christ. That was the message the Twelve Apostles were to bring to the Jews first. Why. Well, it was the responsibility of the Jews to take the Gospel to the world. Christ was building a missionary force so that when he died, they would go to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people and preach the gospel.

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Season 4 Podcast 99 “The Law of Restoration.”

Of course, one cannot separate the final judgment from three primary laws:

1. The irrevocable law of justice

2. The equitable law of mercy

3. The eternal law of agency

The law of restoration is governed by the law of justice. Because of justice, there is both a heaven and a hell, good and evil, God and Satan. How can it be otherwise?

It is because of the law of justice, the law of mercy, the law of agency, and the law of restoration that the Savior revealed to John, “my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” To be God carries Godlike responsibilities. Nothing can be arbitrary or there would be a respecter of persons. Unjust to unjust, filthy to filthy, righteous to righteous, and holy to holy are a form of restoration. The law of restoration is also encapsulated in the following favorite Christian proverb:

“Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1)

That bread may be good or evil. At the end of the chapter, The Preacher warned:

“Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10)

The law of restoration means that good will be restored for good and evil will be restored for evil in the final judgment. Justice demands it. In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior warned:

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” (Matthew 7: 1-2)

The word “measured” suggests the precision of the law of restoration at the final judgment. Consider bread to be our works. Consider “after many days” to be the judgment.

The law of justice is inextricably connected to the restoration of all things. If we do good in this life, then God shall restore good unto us. If we do evil in this life, then justice shall restore evil unto us. When Adam fell, he fell outside the law of justice. He was condemned forever to both a physical and spiritual death.

One must be able to ascend as high as he can fall or fall as far as he can ascend. Lucifer was once near to God. Because of justice, there will be a perfect law of restoration. We must pay attention to the little things for they will be restored to us. We must guard our words. James warns us:

“But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:8)

We must also guard our thoughts, our actions, our desires, our wants, our emotions, our temper—in other words, we must govern everything that makes us who we are for we will all stand before God pierced through with his all-seeing eye.

When we leave this earth, we carry our essence with us. Our physical body dies, not our immortal spirit. Those who think there shall be a sudden transformation at death shall be sorely disappointed.

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Season 4 Podcast 98, “The Necessity of Law Pt II.”

Those spirits who rejected Lucifer and followed Christ chose to come to earth, to know good from evil, and to have agency. Every spirit who comes to earth to gain a body wanted freedom. Everyone who comes to this earth chose to come to this earth. God protects freewill and agency at all costs.

Those spirits who come to earth to gain a physical body fought with Michael against Lucifer and his angels for the privilege. The spirit of freedom is inherent in mankind. That is what I mean by “The New Voice of Freedom.” Let us take back that which is ours by inheritance, that which we fought for in the war in heaven against Lucifer, and that which we continue to fight for in the battle on earth against Satan.

It is very possible that there are angels in heaven who didn’t choose to follow Lucifer but chose not to have the earthly experience, who remained in heaven as spirits, never to have a physical body. They chose salvation without risk but also without eternal progression, a mystery that we must yet learn.

The advantage, however, though at high risk, is with those who chose to come to earth and to gain a body. If, like Paul, we “fight a good fight” and endure to the end, we will enjoy eternal progression or eternal life with God. Having had the earthly experience, heaven will be a greater heaven because our eyes will be open and as John said,

(1 John 3:1-4)

To be like Christ, we must adopt all of his virtues. Without opposition, there is no growth. Look at what Christ had to endure to become the Savior of the World. He is defined by his works. Had Christ remained in heaven, he would still be God because he was God before he came to earth, but he would not have been Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. That required sacrifice. His glory came because of his inimitable sacrifice for man. His entire reason for being is to bring about our salvation. That is why Christ is incomprehensible. Being God was not enough. He wanted to fulfill the desires of his Father. He wanted to be our Savior. He entwined his happiness with our happiness, his joy with our joy. He was God because he was the Son of God. He was perfect because he obeyed the laws of his Father perfectly. He was Christ because he sacrificed himself for our sins and saved the world.

Christ agreed to come to earth and atone for our sins even before Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden. Those who return to heaven are only those who choose to return to heaven. They prove their desires, not by words but by obedience to the laws of Christ.

Ultimately everything is about freedom and agency. At the final judgment, we will not be able to blame God for anything. That is what The Law of Equality means. We were all created equal by God, with equal potential. God is our Father; therefore, we have the potential to become like him but only if we keep his commandments. We have freewill. We will discover that how we exercise freedom, agency, and liberty was our choice all along the path of eternal progression.

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Season 4 Podcast 97, “The Necessity of Law Pt I.”

If we live the laws of liberty perfectly, we will have perfect freedom. Any violation of those laws leads to captivity. If the laws of man are not in harmony with the laws of God, then freedom, agency, and liberty will fall. A measure of disorder is a measure of the absence of obedience to the laws of God. One may as easily change the tides by howling at the moon like a coyote as to try to restore freedom by disobeying the laws of God.

The reason the law of mercy is necessary is because the law of justice cannot be compromised. If the law of justice were compromised, then God would cease to be God, order would give way to chaos, and all would end as our misdirected scientists claim into a giant heat death or maximum equilibrium.

The law of justice is the embodiment of the perfections and power of God. The law of mercy is the demonstration of the perfect love of Christ for his children. Because Christ obeyed the law of justice perfectly, he never fell under the penalty of the law; however, because none of us can live the law of justice perfectly, we all fall under the condemnation of the law. The law of justice must exist, or absolute chaos would take over. If God violated the law of justice, he would cease to be God. That is why absolute standards are necessary. Sin is not arbitrary. Sin is the violation of the commandments of God. The commandments of God represent his perfection. Without law there would be no sin, but also without law there would be no God, no heaven or hell, no good or evil, and no order and creation—there would be nothing!

Science, which only considers temporal law, is closer to the truth than they know because without the law of justice, all creation would reach maximum equilibrium, also called ‘the giant heat death.’ Maximum equilibrium is absolute chaos, the only chaotic state. Science discounts the existence of God, the existence of absolute law, and the existence of immortality and eternal life. By excluding spiritual law or the absolute power of God, science, because of entropy, can arguably arrive at no other conclusion but maximum equilibrium. After all, in the scientific world, all things are measured by mortal measurements, all that lives must die, including the cosmos.

Also, because science accepts only temporal law, which is deterministic, they cannot account for the immortal spirit, the resurrection, eternal life, or freewill. The mortal body, for example, is governed entirely by law; therefore, science claims, man cannot have freewill. Given their false premise, their conclusion is perfectly logical. It is for that reason that they compare man to animals, one of the greatest fallacies of our age. The arguments of science are meticulously logical; however, because their fundamental premises are false—that God does not exist, that immortality does not exist, that spiritual laws do not exist—their arguments, no matter how logical, are unsound.

Remove God from the equation and science has no other option but scientific nihilism and cosmic cynicism. Regardless of the appearance of liberty on earth, if science were correct in their assumptions, then death would be the final act. They cling to Darwinian evolution because what else is there based on their false premises? They walk by sight and not by faith.

The theory of evolution is a mortal matter only, strictly governed by temporal law; therefore, it is limited by temporal law and, though it accounts for the continuation of species, it cannot account for the origin of species. It is a perfect explanation for the variety of life on earth and the endurance of life on earth, but it is not an explanation for the beginning of life or the continuation of life after death.

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Season 4 Podcast 96 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Canto 2 A Episode 4 “Duessa.”

In the previous Podcast, # 91, Archimago, the wicked magician, lures The Red Cross Knight, Una, and the Dwarf to his cabin, where using a false dream convinces the Red Cross Knight that Una is untrue. Now we move to Canto II.

CANTO II

The guileful great Enchanter parts

the Redcrosse Knight from truth,

Into whose stead faire Falsehood steps,

and works him woeful ruth.

Morpheus, the God of dreams, at the command of Archimago, causes The Red Cross Knight to have salacious dreams. Evil sprites conjured up by Archimago take on the false form of the true Una and her lover while the real Una sleeps innocently in her bed in another room.

Eftsoones he took that miscreated faire,

And that false other Spright, on whom he spread

A seeming body of the subtle air,

Like a young Squire, in loves and lustybed

His wanton days that ever loosely led,

Without regard of arms and dreaded fight:

Those two he took, and in a secret bed,

Covered with darkness and misdeeming night,

Them both together laid, to joy in vain delight.

The Redcross Knight, unaware that it is only his own lustful dreams, is invited voyeur-like by the wicked Archimago to witness the dreadful betrayal of his true love.

Forthwith he runs with feigned faithful haste

Unto his guest, who after troublous sights

And dreams, gan now to take more sound repast,

Whom suddenly he wakes with fearful frights,

As one aghast with fiends or damned sprights,

And to him calls, Rise, rise, unhappy Swaine

That here wex old in sleep, whiles wicked wights

Have knit themselves in Venus shameful chain,

Come see where your false Lady doth her honor stain.

The Redcross Knight rises quickly from his bed and draws his sword. He wants to kill Una but Archimago stops him. Ironically had he actually destroyed the villains who were counterfeiting Una in a dream, falsely accusing her of infidelity, he would have discovered the truth. But the Redcross knight thinks Archimago is a holy man and believes him over what before he knew to be true, that Una was the epitome of holiness and virtue. In fact, only with Una could the Redcross Knight obtain holiness. Without her he would once again fall into errors endless train. The purpose of Archimago is to separate the Red Cross Knight from truth, thus preventing him from become Saint George, the famed knight of old who slayed the fiery dragon.

All in amaze he suddenly upstart

With sword in hand, and with the old man went

Who soon him brought into a secret part

Where that false couple were full closely ment

In wanton lust and leud embracement:

Which when he saw, he burnt with jealous fire,

The eye of reason was with rage yblent,

And would have slain them in his furious ire,

But hardly was restrained of that aged sire.

Horrified to see Una in the luxurious bed of salty love, the Redcross Knight returns to his own bed in horror at his discovery. At the break of dawn, the Redcross Knight takes the Dwarf and they hastily abandon Una who all this while innocently slept, guiltless of any sin. It was the Red Cross Knight’s own salacious dreams that he was running from. The fault was in him not her.

Returning to his bed in torment great,

And bitter anguish of his guilty sight,

He could not rest, but did his stout heart eat,

And waste his inward gall with deep despite,

Irksome of life, and too long lingering night.

At last faire Hesperus in highest sky

Had spent his lamp and brought forth dawning light,

Then up he rose, and clad him hastily;

The Dwarf him brought his steed: so both away do fly.

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Season 4 Podcast 95 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 9”

We offer a weekly podcast, Monday thru Friday. Each Friday we discuss the New Testament, King James’ Version. We are now on Matthew Chapter 9.

Chapter Nine begins with Jesus healing a man who was paralyzed.

Matthew 9:6-8

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Faith is the first principle of the gospel because it is the principle of power. However, not only is faith the principle of power. Faith is also the principle of action.

2 Corinthians 5:7

For we walk by faith, not by sight:

As we see from the healing of the paralytic, faith, which is the principle of action and power, always precedes the miracle. Without faith there can be no miracle. Even Christ was restricted by the faith of those whom he healed. But faith also precedes hope. In fact, as we increase in faith we increase in hope.

2 Corinthians 10:15

Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly.

Galatians 5:5

For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Faith even precedes charity,

1 Timothy 1:5

Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

Faith also precedes salvation.

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Paul tells us that faith is a law.

Romans 3:27

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

So what is faith? Again we look to Paul

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The key words are substance and evidence.

Synonyms for substances are matter, material, element, mass, reality, actuality, realness, factuality, essence, essential part, solidity, significance.

Synonyms for evidence are proof, confirmation, verification, validation, authentication, testimony, witness, substantiate, corroborate, confirm, validate, authenticate.

Faith then gives reality or factuality to that which we hope for. That is why faith must precede hope. Without faith hope is merely a wish, a want, or a desire without substance or essence or materiality. Hope must be compounded with faith for it to be real. The second part, evidence, is even stronger. Faith provides the proof or confirmation or validation for that which is unseen. Faith allows us to see it with spiritual eyes. Faith is why we are able to bear testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ without ever having seen him. Paul also said,

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Season 4 Podcast 94 “Temporal Law vs Spiritual Law.”

It is perhaps universally agreed that one of the great scientists of our day was Stephen Hawking. I have three of his books on my desk in front of me—A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking’s Universe, & The Grand Design. They are heavily marked, frequently read, and greatly admired. I am no scientist, so I appreciate his gift of clarity. I suppose that only scientists of equal understanding can judge his scientific conclusions. I am in no position to argue against his knowledge of the universe; therefore, I read his books for information. I become his enthusiastic student.

He is, of course, very controversial for Christians because he uses his scientific knowledge as an argument to disprove the existence of God. That for me is his greatest flaw. It is the same flaw committed by Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion. I do not consider Richard Dawkins to be a scientist, but I do consider him to be an excellent science writer. Both, however, fall into the same fallacy.

It is not possible, through science to prove the existence of God or to disprove the existence of God, and on a purely logical basis, any attempt will result in logical fallacies. It is like arguing over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? It is a silly question and can only provoke silly answers. The fallacy lies in the unprovable assumptions. That is the fallacy that both Mr. Hawking and Mr. Dawkins fall into.

There is one universal truth that if scientists deny, they must deny science. It is this: Everything in our world is predicated upon law. There are two classes of universal laws, both relying on the principle of causality, meaning where there is a cause there must be an effect, and where there is an effect, there must be a cause.

Temporal laws govern the known universe. It is familiarly called the laws of science. You cannot find God through temporal laws. For those who have faith in God, temporal laws provide evidence of his existence because law suggests intelligent design; however, the designer will always remain invisible. You cannot conjure up God in a laboratory.

Imagine, for example, a jet stream in the sky that appears regularly but you never see the jet. For argument’s sake the jet is in another dimension, but only the jet stream is visible in our dimension. Those who believe in jets would attribute the jet stream to a jet. Those who don’t would look for temporal causes. Now let’s imagine two sets of science books. One set is written by temporal scientists who only see the jet stream. The other set is written by prophets who have not only seen the jet stream but also have seen the jet in vision. The temporal scientists would examine the jet stream entirely through temporal laws. Their facts could even be right about everything, but they would never discover the origin of the jet stream. The visionary scientists would connect the two and explain the existence of another dimension.

Such is the case today between science and religion. All agree that life exists. All agree that earth is the perfect habitat for life which is called The Goldilocks Zone. They do not agree on how life is accounted for. Science attributes the existence of life to chance; Prophets attribute the existence of life to God. Scientists write books on temporal law; prophets write books on spiritual law. Scientists gather information through the scientific method. Prophets gather information through visions, revelations, inspirations, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Prophets may accept the facts of science but not the conclusions about origins. Scientists, who are atheists, reject both the facts and the conclusions of the prophets. Science attributes the origin of the Goldilocks Zone and life to luck; Prophets attribute the origin of the Goldilocks Zone and life to God. Only faith can bring them together.

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Season 4 Podcast 93 The Twenty-Third Psalm Pt II.”

Welcome to the second half of our discussion of the Twenty-Third Psalm. In Podcast 92 we discussed the following verses.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

If you haven’t downloaded Podcast 92, may we suggest that you do so first. In Podcast 93 We continue with the following verses.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

In this podcast we shall begin with the fifth concept:

Concept Number Five. 3 He restoreth my soul:

The principle of repentance comes to mind where guilt is washed away by the blood of Christ, and peace is restored.

· Whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy, Prov. 28:13

· Put away the evil of your doings … cease to do evil, Isa. 1:16.

· Unrighteous man … let him return unto the Lord, Isa. 55:7.

· Return ye now every man from his evil way, Jer. 35:15

· Repent, and turn … from all your transgressions, Ezek. 18:30.

· Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, Matt. 3:2

· Bring forth … fruits meet for repentance, Matt. 3:8

· Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish, Luke 13:3

· Joy … in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, Luke 15:7.

· Repent ye therefore, and be converted, Acts 3:19.

· Commandeth all men every where to repent, Acts 17:30 ).

· Turn to God, and do works meet for repentance, Acts 26:20

· Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, 2 Cor. 7:10.

· Lord is … longsuffering … that all should come to repentance, 2 Pet. 3:9.

I personally believe, however, that the phrase, he restoreth my soul,” is a primary image of the resurrection. The poem is about death and the resurrection, and only Christ can raise us from the dead. In Job we read

Job 19

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me

At Death the body and the spirit are separated. In the resurrection the body and the spirit are reunited. In Genesis we are told that the body and the spirit are the soul of man.

Genesis 2:7

7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

In other words, “he restoreth my soul” means exactly what it is. The body and spirit were separated at death, they are restored in the resurrection and once again become a “living soul.”

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Season 4 Podcast 92 The Twenty-Third Psalm Pt. I.”

Probably every Christian is familiar with what is sometimes referred to as The Psalm of David. Considering there are 150 Psalms, to be referred to as The Psalm of David is a clue to its universal appeal. In this and the following podcast we shall attempt to show why it is so universal and so appealing. It is about Christ. It is the story of Christianity.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

I have divided the Twenty-Third Psalm into fifteen separate concepts. In this Podcast Linda and I shall discuss concepts one through four. In the next Podcast we shall discuss concepts five through fifteen.

Concept Number One: The Lord is my shepherd;

In Idaho and Wyoming shepherds are common, some with hundreds of sheep. Because of the wild wilderness terrain, shepherds are generally on horseback accompanied by several highly trained sheep dogs. The very real enemies are wolves, coyotes, cougars, and mountain lions. Out on the desert some shepherds sleep in covered wagons, exposed to the elements. Jesus, of course, is the shepherd referred to as

the good shepherd
the shepherd of Israel
that great shepherd of the sheep
Shepherd over all the earth
Great and true shepherd
Chief shepherd

David refers to the Lord as “My Shepherd.” And that is the way we should all regard him—our personal shepherd. David adds.

Concept Number Two: I shall not want.

We are very complex beings with many needs: spiritually, temporally, emotionally, financially, intellectually. We must distinguish among wants, needs, appetites, and desires. We have direct access to God through prayer. What other king offers that accessibility. We must ask ourselves which wants will the Lord supply. Here are eight concepts about prayer taken from the Holy Bible.

1. We are encouraged to Pray always

· Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, Ps. 55:17.

· Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation, Matt 26:41

· Men ought always to pray, and not to faint, Luke 18:1

· We will give ourselves continually to prayer, Acts 6:4.

· Pray without ceasing, 1 Thes. 5:17

· I should sin … in ceasing to pray, 1 Sam. 12:23.

· Watch ye therefore, and pray always, Luke 21:36.

2. The Father and the Son are two separate beings. Jesus instructs us to pray directly to the Father in heaven.

· Pray to thy Father which is in secret, Matt. 6:6.

· Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask, Matt. 6:8.

· After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Matthew 6:9

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Season 4 Podcast 91 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Canto 1 C Episode 3 “Archimago.”

In the previous Podcast, # 86, The Red Cross Knight defeats the dragon and earns his armor. He and Una and the Dwarf, who because of a storm had divagated from the straight and narrow path and wandered in the wilderness seeking shelter. That is how they came upon the Dragon’s lair. They leave the wild wilderness and get back on the path. Proud of his accomplishment, the Red Cross Knight is unprepared for his next test which comes in disguise.

The three meet a holy man.

At length they chaunst to meet upon the way

An aged Sire, in long black weeds yclad,

His feet all bare, his beard all hoary gray

And by his belt his book he hanging had;

Sober he seemed, and very sagely sad,

And to the ground his eyes were lowly bent,

Simple in shew, and void of malice bad,

And all the way he prayed, as he went,

And often knockt his breast, as one that did repent.

Fooled by appearances the three feel perfectly safe. The adventurous knight asks the holy man if he knew of any strange adventure that needed his attention.

He faire the knight saluted, louting low,

Who faire him quited, as that courteous was:

And after asked him, if he did know

Of strange adventures, which abroad did pass.

Ah my dear Son (quoth he) how should, alas,

Silly old man, that lives in hidden cell,

Bidding his beads all day for his trespass,

Tidings of war and worldly trouble tell?

With holy father sits not with such things to mell.

The old man assures them that he is but a hermit and doesn’t meddle with worldly things; however, he does know someone who can answer his question.

But if of danger which hereby doth dwell,

And homebred evil ye desire to hear,

Of a strange man I can you tidings tell,

That wasteth all this country far and near.

Of such (said he) I chiefly do inquire,

And shall you well reward to shew the place,

In which that wicked wight his day doth wear:

For to all knighthood it is foul disgrace,

That such a cursed creature lives so long a space.

Far hence (quoth he) in wasteful wilderness

His dwelling is, by which no living wight

May ever pass, but thorough great distress.

The Red Cross Knight, seeking adventure, wants to meet this strange man. It is the same curiosity that enticed him to look into the Dragon’s lair. He feels it is his duty as a knight to challenge such an evil man. Having learned nothing from his first experience, again he desires to run to a battle he never should have fought.

Una, however, immediately senses danger and as she warned the Red Cross Knight not to get too close to the dragon’s den, she warns him again not to go to this “wasteful wilderness.” Even the sun rests after a weary day and so should the Knight.

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Season 4 Podcast 90 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 8, Vs 16-34”

We offer a weekly podcast, Monday thru Friday. Each Friday we discuss the New Testament, King James’ Version. We are now on Matthew Chapter 8, the Sermon on the Mount just concluded.

In, Podcast 85, we discussed Matthew 8: 1-15, in which the Savior cured the leper, the Centurian’s servant, and Peter’s mother-in-law. In verses 16 thru 34 the miracles continue.

When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

We always think of Christ as taking away our sins, but it is clear here that not only did he bear our sins, but he also took upon himself our infirmities and bare our sicknesses. Why is that important to know?

We really don’t know all of the miracles that Christ performed, but every miracle recorded has a message for us. It is unlikely that anyone listening to this podcast has been spared from infirmities or sicknesses. Many call upon Christ for his healing powers, and many have witnessed personal miracles in their lives.

Christ did not just heal infirmities and sicknesses. He took upon himself our infirmities and our sicknesses meaning that he suffered every bit as much as we suffer and that includes headaches and toothaches and cancer and every other ailment. He felt our pain that he may have empathy for us in our anguish. When we cry out to God, he understands. The only way he can have empathy for us is to suffer as we suffer, whether it is sin or sickness or weakness or temptations or desires or appetites or passions.

It is not an easy concept to grasp. For one thing he was sinless, yet he suffered for our sins; for another, he only lived to about age thirty-three or thirty-four, meaning he was in the prime of health, yet he suffered and died for us. The scope of the atonement is as broad as the pain of all humanity. What did Luke mean when he said of Christ in Gethsemane?

LUKE 22

44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Christ shed his blood not only on the cross of Calvary, but also in the Garden of Gethsemane. Without gethsemane the cross would have been meaningless for it is there in Gethsemane where his blood spilt on the ground like sweat that he took upon himself the sins of the world. In gethsemane he suffered for our sins. On the cross he died for our sins and in the tomb he was the first fruits of the resurrection thus bringing about the resurrection of all mankind. His mission was to bring about our immortality and our eternal life with the Father.

Also remember Christ’s response when the woman with the issue of blood touched his garments and was immediately healed.

Luke 8

And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.

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Season 4 Podcast 89 Pt B “The War in Heaven vs the Battle of Armageddon and Gog and Magog as Seen by John the Revelator.”

We learned from the previous podcast that the Beast mentioned in Revelation refers both to Lucifer who led the War in Heaven against Christ and his followers and Satan, the earthly name for Lucifer, who leads the War on earth against Christ and his followers. John speaks of earthly kingdoms who perhaps unknowingly carry on the War in Heaven by trying to destroy those who keep the commandments of God and who believe in Christ. We learned that Satan is behind all evil, and though man may not know it, if he fights against God he is a slave to Satan. Mankind creates secret societies and conspiracies among peoples and nations to overthrow governments, to enslave man, and to rule the world, but the really great conspirator is Satan who reigns in the hearts of evil men.

If you want to know who the beast is—it is Satan and everyone else who fights against God, who fights against Christ, who fights against the children of Christ, who fights against freedom, liberty, agency, and freewill. There have been beasts in every age, but none so fierce as those in these the last days because never has there been such means of world domination—nuclear power, one world government, new world order, satellites, internet, one banking system, artificial intelligence, and above all an effort uniting the world that wants to destroy the saints of God. Conspiracy is where the beast is, whatever language he speaks, whatever colors he wears, whatever religion he proclaims. The beast is anti-Christ and dwells in the hearts of other anti-Christs who wish to overthrow the kingdom of God on earth just as he tried to overthrow the kingdom of God in heaven. Listen to the words of Isaiah.

Isaiah 14: 12-22

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the Lord.

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Season 4 Podcast 88 Pt A “The War in Heaven vs the Battle of Armageddon and Gog and Magog as Seen by John the Revelator.”

Of all places to look for clarity, one’s first thoughts do not incline toward the Book of Revelation by John. It is considered by some to be the most difficult book in the Bible, followed perhaps by Isaiah. John is unique among the other writers of the four gospels, indeed unique among all the other writers of the New Testament for his extraordinary visions and profound knowledge.

John appears to have one focus on the Old Testament, taking inspiration from Ezekiel, Daniel, and Isaiah, who were all visionaries; one focus in the New Testament, taking his inspiration from his life with Christ as one of his chosen apostles; and one focus in the future at the end of the World taking inspiration from Christ’s words as recorded in Matthew 24. The Book of Revelation, composed of 22 chapters is one epic poem that covers the history of the world, past, present, and future. Written on the Isle of Patmos, a prisoner of the Romans, John saw the entire history of mankind in their premortal state, in their mortal state, and in their resurrected state. He saw the end of the world and the coming down of the New Jerusalem.

We have the writings of the apostles and prophets and then we have John who stands apart, who brings it all together. We have the Gospel according to Saint John added to 1st John, 2nd John, and 3rd John, and finally added to that one of the most unique writings in the world, the Book of Revelation. The four gospels chronicle the life of Christ, but there is no book comparable to the Book of Revelation. To add to the mystery, we have this strange exchange between the resurrected Christ and Peter regarding the Apostle John:

John 21: 21-24

Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.

Controversy has surrounded that statement for two thousand years I suppose. And, of course, we have no record of John’s death, only that he was banished to the Isle of Patmos. John is a man of mystery, and his role was to bring man’s history together, even beginning with the premortal existence until the final wrapping up scene, including the Second Coming of Christ, the Millennium, and the final battle at the end of the world when the earth shall be like a crystal where God and Christ shall dwell with all the resurrected Saints who live with them. We learn from John in the Book of Revelation that the resurrected earth will be the final inheritance of the followers of Christ who endured to the end. It will also be the final place of the New Jerusalem.

The purpose of this and the following companion podcast is to show the connection John made between the War in Heaven where Satan and his angels were cast out and the final battles of Armageddon and Gog and Magog that bring about the end of the world.

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Season 4 Podcast 87 “Liberalism Pt IV.”

On December 13, 2022, The Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, House of Representatives, 117th Congress, Second Session, met for the 7th and final time on the Subject of White terrorism. If you have not downloaded Parts I, II, & III may we suggest that you listen to those podcasts first. In this podcast we conclude our analysis of the final meeting on Oversight and Reform.

Let’s now hear from Mr. Eric Ward, Executive Vice President, Race Forward, Senior Advisor, Western States Center. For time I must truncate the speech, but the words are a direct quote.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you about the ongoing crisis of anti-democracy extremism and white nationalism, currently present in this country.

White nationalists and other bigoted groups are driving harassment campaigns against elected officials, law enforcement, leaders of color, the LGBTQ community, school officials, and many more at an alarming rate.

I live and work in the Pacific Northwest, a place deeply shaped and impacted by anti-democracy extremism. This region has been a proving ground for extremists and anti-democracy formations.

First, it is important to understand that the insurrection did not end on January 6, 2021. Across the country, in small communities and towns, the insurrection is still a daily reality for many Americans. Health workers, educators, local government officials, civil rights activists, election workers, and community leaders are the targets. They are bearing the brunt of intimidation, physical violence, and acts of domestic terrorism from those who are supportive or took part in the insurrection.

Much of the violence and intimidation I’ve been describing is perpetrated by those who have been influenced by the Great Replacement, a genocidal conspiracy theory belief that is grounded in anti-Semitism. It falsely purports a global force is orchestrating a master plan to undermine white political power and white existence.

If we seek to counter domestic extremism, we must recognize that anti-Semitism and the Great Replacement Theory remain the energizing principle behind white nationalism.

To keep this in perspective, terrorists’ groups do exist, and some are highly organized. In my personal opinion gangs in America will one day rise up to be the greatest threat our democracy has ever faced, and that will happen when law and order entirely breaks down stemming from defunding our police, open borders, corrupt laws, tribalism, class hatred, a collapsed economy, and a compromised military. If it is not quickly reversed, the woke government today is laying the foundation for the destruction of our democratic republic,

However, the speech above is based on a false premise. From the speech above, it cannot escape you that Trump is still at the center of White Extremists, including all his supporters. At least Hillary Clinton said that only half of Trump supporters were part of the basket of deplorables, “you know, they’re racist, sexist, homophobic, zenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it.” Everything stems from the January 6th riot incited by Trump.

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Season 4 Podcast 86 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Canto 1 B Episode 2 “Errors Endless Train.”

Edmund Spenser was born in 1552 in London and died January 13, 1599, at the young age of 47. He is a contemporary of William Shakespeare. He states his purpose.

I labor to portray in Arthur, before he was king, the image of a brave knight, perfected in the twelve private moral virtues, as Aristotle hath devised: which if I find to be well accepted, I may be perhaps encouraged to frame the other part of politick virtues in his person, after he came to be king….

This series of Podcasts are from Book One entitled “The Legend of the Knight of the Red Cross, or of Holiness.” The Red Cross Knight, a symbol of the virtues of King Arthur, exemplifies holiness. He represents everyone who is on a quest to perfection.

Spenser wants us to learn from the epic journey of the Red Cross Knight. Spenser, a classical scholar, assumes we have read the Holy Bible and the stories of King Arthur. In his letter to Raleigh, Spenser describes the plot of the story.

Soon after entered a faire Lady in mourning weeds, riding on a white Asse, with a dwarf behind her leading a warlike steed, that bore the Arms of a knight, and his spear in the dwarf’s hand. She falling before the Queen of Faeries, complained that her father and mother, an ancient King and Queen, had been by an huge dragon many years shut up in a brazen Castle, who thence suffered them not to issue: and therefore besought the Faery Queen to assign her some one of her knights to take on him that exploit. Presently that clownish person upstarting, desired that adventure; whereat the Queen much wondering, and the Lady much gain-saying, yet he earnestly importuned his desire. In the end the Lady told him, that unless that armor which she brought would serve him (that is, the armor of a Christian man specified by Saint Paul, VI. Ephes.) that he could not succeed in that enterprise: which being forthwith put upon him with due furniture thereunto, he seemed the goodliest man in all that company, and was well liked of the Lady. And eftesoones taking on him knighthood, and mounting on that strange Courser, he went forth with her on that adventure: where beginneth the first book.

The lady’s name is Una. Una means one and only. So the three together, Una, the Dwarf, and the Red Cross Knight in his new armor embark on a journey to slay the dragon who holds Una’s parents captive. The story is really about how the Red Cross Knight, a clumsy youth, untried in battle puts on the whole armor of God described in Ephesians 6 of the New Testament.

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Season 4 Podcast 85 “The Stories of the New Testament Chapter 8

We offer a weekly podcast, Monday thru Friday. Each Friday we discuss the New Testament, King James’ Version. We are now on Matthew Chapter 8, the Sermon on the Mount just concluded.

From the beginning of Christ’s Ministry, after his baptism by John, after his sojourn in the wilderness, and after calling his twelve disciples, Christ performed miracles. In Matthew 4 we are told:

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

After that he was often followed by multitudes. Miracles, from the beginning, marked his ministry. They were prophesied hundreds of years before his birth. In Isaiah 35 we read

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

Isaiah is also alluded to in Matthew 7:

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Notice that Matthew didn’t use the words “heal our infirmities and heal our sicknesses.” He said He “took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses.” That means that Jesus himself felt exactly what we feel. There is no suffering that he did not himself suffer. That is the greatness of the atonement. He has compassion and empathy for us because he knows exactly what we are going through no matter how harsh, whether the suffering is temporal or spiritual, physical or emotional, deserved or undeserved, life or death.

Healing, of course, has multiple meanings. The scriptures tell us:

· He healeth the broken in heart, Ps. 147:3.

· with his stripes we are healed, Isa. 53:5

· Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, Mal. 4:2.

· Jesus … healing all manner of sickness, Matt. 4:23

· he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, Luke 4:18.

· healing all that were oppressed of the devil, Acts 10:38.

· leaves … were for the healing of the nations, Rev. 22:2.

Christ understood suffering or else he could not have empathy for us. That was part of His atonement. Everything we suffer, he suffered, even temptation:

· They pierced my hands and my feet, Ps. 22:16.

· I gave my back to the smiters, Isa. 50:6.

· For thy sake I have suffered rebuke, Jer. 15:15.

· It behoved Christ to suffer, Luke 24:46.

· Shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, Acts 3:18.

· If so be that we suffer with him, Rom. 8:17.

· Sufferings of Christ abound in us, 2 Cor. 1:5.

· Ye are partakers of the sufferings, 2 Cor. 1:7.

· He himself hath suffered being tempted, Heb. 2:18.

· Learned he obedience by the things which he suffered, Heb. 5:8.

· Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, Heb. 11:25.

· Ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, 1 Pet. 4:13.

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Season 4 Podcast 84 “Liberalism Pt III.”

On December 13, 2022, The Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, House of Representatives, 117th Congress, Second Session met for the 7th and final time on the Subject of White terrorism. Yesterday in Part II We examined the first half of the minutes of the meeting, In this Podcast, Part III, we examine the second Half. If you have not downloaded Part II, may we suggest that you listen to that podcast first.

So that you do not get confused by the rhetoric of the Hearing let me disambiguate you. It is about Donald Trump, the MAGA Republicans who supported him, and all others who disagree with the agenda of the left.

The rioters of January 6 are called the following names:

· Violent insurrectionists

· Rioters

· Seditious conspiracy, which means conspiracy to overthrow or put down the government.

Before I continue, are you aware that among the seditious conspirators that stormed the capitol not one remembered to bring a gun or a knife or fire bombs or baseball bats or bricks or any other weapons common to the rioters who burned down city blocks, took over government buildings, attacked police, brutalized pedestrians, and destroyed billions of dollars of property, and in some instances killed innocent people? Yet those leaderless and pathetic violent insurrectionists of January 6, many of whom were simply caught up in a moment of high emotion, were seen on camera being led on tours or aimlessly wandering the halls like sight seers. Their biggest crime on camera appeared to be trespassing. They looked leaderless and confused and acted like they really didn’t know what to do. Nevertheless, despite the evidence, according to Chairman Raskin, the January 6th march on the U.S. Capitol inspired the following:

Indeed, these same authoritarian and racist movements pose a similar danger to people living in many democratic societies on Earth. Just last week German authorities arrested dozens of far-right extremists, including members of a royal house in Germany seeking restoration of the Second Reich, an active-duty German soldier, former members of the German police and elite special forces units, and neo-Nazi activists for allegedly participating in a violent right-wing plot to topple the German Government and seize power.

The coup plotters, many of whom were heavily armed when arrested, were inspired by the American insurrection of January 6 and are followers of deranged online QAnon conspiracy theories. They profess that the democratic German government is an imposture of corporate subsidiary of the United States, run by the American deep state. The insurrectionists planned to disrupt the German power grid and take parliament by force, to impose a new authoritarian and anti-Semitic government. The German people and democracy around the world are fortunate that their law enforcement and intelligence agencies acted with speed and vigor to interrupt the conspiracy before the conspirators could succeed in staging a full-blown January 6-style attack on the German Government.

Just to tickle your imagination place the rag-tag rebel rousers of January 6th, one wearing Viking horns and dressed like John the Baptist, the others aimlessly sightseeing, leaderless, without weapons, except for a few carrying confederate flags, without any clearly defined purpose trying to topple the German Government and seize power. Seig heil. My how those Germans would shake in their boots, that is if they could quit laughing long enough.

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Season 4 Podcast 83 “Liberalism Pt II.”

The following is the opening statement, by the Honorable Jamie Raskin (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Well, I want to recognize myself for an opening statement. I want to thank our excellent witnesses for joining us today. This is our seventh. And it is our final of several years; worth of hearings that we’ve conducted on the problem of violent White supremacy, a traditional and pernicious enemy of the voting rights, the civil rights, and the civil liberties of the American people.

From statements such as “pernicious enemy of the voting rights, the civil rights, and the civil liberties of the American people” would you like to guess the foregone conclusion of the committee on who the enemy is. Let me give you another clue provided by The Honorable Jamie Raskin, a democrat representing Maryland’s 8th Congressional District, an attorney, law professor, and Harvard Graduate. Quote,

“In prior hearings over the last three years, long before violent insurrectionists bearing confederate battle flags overran the Capitol on January 6, 2021, we found that violent White supremacy and its partner, antidemocratic extremists, today constitute the most serious domestic terror threat facing our people.”

The committee met 7 times. Let me remind of the theme of committee meeting number 6 held September 29, 2021, as suggested by the following statements from the transcript:

The protest that turned into a riot and an insurrection had been promoted and incited by then-President Donald Trump.
The well-trained battalions of domestic violent extremists consisted of Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, Q-Anon followers, Aryan Nations, Boogaloo Boys, armed militiamen, white Christian nationalists, and other violent extremists. They rallied behind the banner of Donald Trump’s Big Lie:
And yet Trump’s Big Lie unified these disparate violent groups into a mass street movement to ``stop the steal” and storm the Capitol to interrupt the counting of Electoral College votes for the very first time in the history of the United States, nearly toppling the peaceful transfer of power in our country.
During the Trump Administration, top officials focused on the threat posed by far-left extremism, while a right-wing insurrection against the Capitol was planned in plain sight on social media, in the newspaper, on the airwaves.
Ninety percent of those plots were committed, as you can see, by domestic extremists, 67 percent by far-right groups.
``Countering Violent Extremism in the Trump Era; which estimates that 85 percent of countering violent extremist grants and over half of the programs targeted minority groups.
New York Times report from February 2021. It details how the Trump Administration’s obsession with antifa hindered Federal law enforcement’s attempts to counter the rising tide of right-wing violence.
The report details how personnel and other resources were diverted from investigations into white supremacist and far-right anti-government groups to satisfy President Trump’s desire to target so-called antifa activists.

In other words, the violent white supremacists are Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans.

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Season 4 Podcast 82 “Liberalism Pt I.”

Liberty cannot survive an affluence of uninhibited freedom. Manmade laws that are in harmony with the laws of God expand our liberty in the social arena. Where spiritual laws, temporal laws, and manmade laws work in perfect harmony, man can have maximum liberty in a perfect society symbolized by the Christian Millennium. Our forefathers understood that and upon that principle created our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights.

Our modern politicians are trampling on that principle, punishing self-reliance, over-regulating free enterprise, punishing religion, legalizing destructive substances, elevating selected groups, tearing down our borders, abolishing our sovereignty, and destroying our Constitution and Bill of Rights, thus taking away our freedom, restricting our agency, and destroying our liberties. The difference between the Bill of Rights and the rights that are granted today is the difference between democracy and demagoguery.

Merriam-Webster, whose writers could have had the modern politicians in mind, defines demagoguery as “a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power.”

The Bill of Rights applies to everyone equally; whereas, Civil Rights, LGBT Rights, Women’s Rights, Gay Rights, hate crime laws, etc. apply to privileged groups at the expense of the majority. There is an organized attack against Christian’s today under the guise of White Christian Nationalism. In Americans United for Separation of church and state, the following was published:

White Christian nationalism is the dangerous belief that America is – and must remain – a Christian nation founded for its white Christian inhabitants, and that our laws and policies must reflect this premise. Denying the separation of church and state promised by our Constitution, white Christian nationalists oppose equality for people of color, women, LGBTQ people, religious minorities, and the nonreligious.

We believe that only separation of church and state protects the free exercise of religion and a government of, by, and for the people. All people.

3 RON

Googling White Christian Nationalism, the following headlines popped up:

4 LINDA

· Brookings Institution: “Understanding the threat of white Christian nationalism.

· Time Magazine: Why White Christian Nationalism Isn’t Going Away

· The New Yorker: How White Christian Nationalist Seek to Transform America

· Washington Post: Mar 19, 2023—The group that has declined the most is at the core of the MAGA movement, the group most devoted to Christian nationalism.

· New York Magazine: White Christian Nationalism is a ‘Threat to Democracy.’

· Wikipedia: Christian nationalism—In the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, the term “Christian nationalism” has become synonymous with white Christian identity politics.

· CNN: An ‘imposter Christianity’ is threatening American democracy. July 24, 2022—One of the most popular beliefs among White Christian nationalist is that the US was founded as a Christian nation;

· The Boston Globe: November 4 2022—The White Christian nationalism leads to authoritarianism, impediments to voting, and even violence to meet political ends.

If you read one liberal opinion, you have read them all. If you have seen one liberal news cast, you have seen them all. The rhetoric is always the same, often word for word. They validate each other’s opinions. Their studies are based on other opinions.

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Season 4 Podcast 81 Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen, Canto 1 A, Episode 1 “The Full Armor of God.”

Having finished John Milton’s Paradise Lost, I shall now embark on Edmund Spenser’s Faerie Queen. As with Milton I give credit and thanks to the Guttenberg Press for making the book available free for all to read. If you haven’t discovered Guttenberg Press, let me encourage you to type it in your search engine. You will find countless books that are in the public domain. The Guttenberg Press is amazing in its comprehensiveness, its professionalism, and its use of the electronic media.

I shall begin this series of podcasts by having Linda read excerpts from a letter written by Spenser to Sir Walter Raleigh. Spenser explains his purpose in writing the books of The Faerie Queen. In many instances throughout this series on the Faerie Queene I have modernized the language for your convenience. Though the English language by Spenser’s time had evolved to more modern English as illustrated by Shakespeare, still it has the strong flavor of Middle English, perhaps in keeping with the period of his fantastical tale. Edmund Spenser was born in 1552 in London and died January 13, 1599, at the young age of 47. He is a contemporary of William Shakespeare.

The general end therefore of all the book, is to fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous and gentle discipline….

Merlin delivered to be brought up, (so soon as he was borne of the Lady Igrayne) to have seen in a dream or vision the Faerie Queen, with whose excellent beauty ravished, he awaking, resolved to seek her out: and so, being by Merlin armed, and by Timon thoroughly instructed, he went to seek her forth in Faery land. In that Faery Queen I mean Glory in my general intention: but in my particular I conceive the most excellent and glorious person of our sovereign the Queen, and her kingdom in Faery land….

So in the person of Prince Arthur, I set forth magnificence in particular, which virtue, for that (according to Aristotle and the rest) it is the perfection of all the rest, and contains in it them all, therefore in the whole course I mention the deeds of Arthur appliable to the virtue, which I write of in that book. But of the twelve other virtues I make XII other knights the patrons, for the more variety of the historic: Of which these three books contain three.

2 RON

This series of Podcasts are from Book One entitled “The Legend of the Knight of the Red Cross, or of Holiness.” The Red Cross Knight exemplifies holiness because no one else could fight the final battle against evil exemplified by a fierce dragon. However, when we first meet the Red Cross Knight, though he is valiant, he is foolhardy and clumsy and ill prepared to meet the Dragon. Of course, we are reminded of the Dragon described in the Book of Revelation.

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Season 4 Podcast 80 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 7: The Sermon on the Mount Pt VIII, “False Prophets.”

We offer a weekly podcast, Monday thru Friday. Each Friday we discuss the New Testament, King James’ Version. We are now on Matthew Chapter 7, the end of the Sermon on the Mount. The final chapter contains five concepts.

Judging Others
Prayer
The Golden Rule
The Strait and Narrow Path
False Prophets

In previous podcasts we discussed Judging Others, Prayer, the Golden Rule, and the Strait and Narrow Path. In this podcast, we shall analyze “False Prophets.”

Matthew 7: 15

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Wolves devour sheep, but in nature wolves always appear as wolves. They are very easy to identify. In the church, however, they are dressed in sheep’s clothing. In other words, they appear as one of the flock.

John Milton in Paradise Lost refers to this verse in Book 11. Adam asks Michael, the Archangel, if after Christ leaves will the leaders always treat members of his church with the same charity. Michael’s answer is profound. He talks about what happens in the church after the apostles are killed. He said:

Thus they win
Great numbers of each Nation to receive
With joy the tidings brought from Heav’n: at length
Their Ministry performed, and race well run,
Their doctrine and their story written left,
They die; but in their room, as they forewarn,
Wolves shall succeed for teachers, grievous Wolves,
Who all the sacred mysteries of Heav’n
To their own vile advantages shall turn
Of lucre and ambition, and the truth
With superstitions and traditions taint,
Left only in those written Records pure,
Though not but by the Spirit understood.

Any denomination and any congregation may have false prophets. Jesus gives a clear definition of false prophets so that they will be easy to recognize.

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Thorns and thistles have sharp barbed points. I live in the South. I have been wounded by many different plants with sharp thorns. Thorns are often discrete and line a stem or vine. Thistles often appear in clusters. Some are poisonous like a bee sting and leave one sore for a very long time. One is even called stinging nettle, another is called devilheads. Those in desert country know the evils of cactus. Some seem to shoot barbs at you. Some are like fishhooks and hard to tear out of the flesh.

Some are invisible. You don’t know they are there until you touch them. So it is with false prophets. They are subtle, camouflaged, and deadly. To recognize them by their fruits you must have contrast, the fruit of truth vs the fruit of lies, the sweet fruit vs the bitter fruit, the healing fruit of the gospel vs the stinging fruit of false prophets. To know the sweet you must have tasted the bitter. To know the bitter you must have tasted the sweet. The good fruit refers to the fruits of the true gospel taught by him on the Sermon on the Mount. The entire Sermon the Mount is teaching us of the fruits of the Gospel, which many Christians refer to as the fruit of the Tree of Life spoken of by John.

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Season 4 Podcast 79, “The Golden Mean and the Decline of Democracy”

The popular Greek Myth of Daedalus and Icarus tells the story of a father and son imprisoned in the Labyrinth on the isle of Crete by the wicked king Minos. Daedalus, upon being commanded by Minos, had designed the Labyrinth to imprison the Minotaur, a monster bull that devoured all prisoners. In danger on land and sea, to escape, Daedalus created wings of bird feathers held together by wax for him and his son Icarus.

Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun or the wax would melt, and he would fall into the sea and drown. Icarus was young, however, and once he learned how to fly, he soared high in the azure sky and low to the frothy waves of the turbulent sea, dashing past his troubled father who stayed a steady course.

Icarus flew too close to the sun, the wax melted, the feathers flew to the wind, and Icarus, under the watchful eye of his horrified father, plunged into the sea and drowned.

The story is about moderation. The story of Icarus illustrates what happens when man violates the golden mean. The ancient Greeks preached moderation.The Greek view of freedom would be a perfect balance between any two extremes.

On the Temple of Apollo at Delphi were written three Delphic Maxims:

Know thyself
Nothing in Excess
Give a pledge and trouble is at hand.

Of the three maxims, “Know thyself” is probably the most quoted and the most written about. The Golden Mean, however, refers to the second maxim, “Nothing in Excess.” We see this philosophy in In Milton’s Paradise Lost. In Bk XI, the Archangel Michael shows Adam the future of man and the coming of Christ. Adam, painfully aware that he has brought death into the world, wonders if death can be less painful. Adam asks Michael:

I yield it just, said Adam, and submit.
But is there yet no other way, besides
These painful passages, how we may come
To Death, and mix with our connatural dust?

Michael echoes the same principle that was so important to the Greeks, “Nothing in Excess.” Michael said to Adam:

Aristotle in The Nicomachean Ethics, BOOK II, explains the Golden Mean. The text is published by the Guttenberg Project.

In all quantity then, whether continuous or discrete, one may take the greater part, the less, or the exactly equal, and these either with reference to the thing itself, or relatively to us: and the exactly equal is a mean between excess and defect. Now by the mean of the thing, i.e. absolute mean, I denote that which is equidistant from either extreme (which of course is one and the same to all), and by the mean relatively to ourselves, that which is neither too much nor too little for the particular individual. This of course is not one nor the same to all: for instance, suppose ten is too much and two too little, people take six for the absolute mean; because it exceeds the smaller sum by exactly as much as it is itself exceeded by the larger, and this mean is according to arithmetical proportion.

Aristotle emphasizes that the Golden Mean is relative to the individual. What is too much for one may be too little for another. When Aristotle uses the word mean, substitute Golden Mean, meaning the perfect balance between the two. He continues.

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Season 4 Podcast 78, “The Language of Liberty Pt II.”

In Pt I, I use as my example the congressional argument over The Parents Bill of Rights Act. In this podcast, I shall use as my example the Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress. The following is the opening statement:

The Biden Administration took power only two weeks after the January 6th insurrection. That day, the whole world watched the storm troopers of violent white supremacy act as the vanguard of a mass violent political insurrection against the Government of the United States that smashed our windows, invaded our Capitol, wounded and injured more than 140 Capitol Police officers and Metropolitan Police Department officers, and left several people dead. The protest that turned into a riot and an insurrection had been promoted and incited by then-President Donald Trump.

A verification of the 140 Police officers who were wounded or injured was not given, neither did they distinguish between those who were wounded and those who were merely injured, neither was the identification of the several people murdered given. It has since been proven that President Donald Trump was innocent of the charge of inciting a riot on January 6th, just as it was proven that he was innocent of the charge of Russian collusion. The charges were not just an error in judgment. They were lies consciously promoted by the left to discredit Trump.

With the above introduction one can only imagine that what follows will not be an objective look at terrorism in America. Though that is the stated purpose of the series of committee meetings on terrorism in America, the true theme is to destroy Donald Trump and the MAGA republicans who support him. What Hillary Clinton, former Presidential Candidate, referred to in her campaign speech four years earlier as the 'basket of deplorables'. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic — you name it.” The committee dominated by the left referred to them as domestic terrorists, violent extremists, and white supremacists. They called the mob

· Well-trained battalions of domestic violent extremists

· Nearly toppling the peaceful transfer of power in our country.

· The most dangerous domestic terror threat facing America today.

· The most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland

They continued:

We are facing an unprecedented situation in which political leaders, up to and including a former President, (meaning Trump) have been actively promoting corrosive anti-democratic messages that circulate paranoia, cynicism, and violence. This cesspool of conspiracy thinking is activating unstable individuals predisposed, because of a mixture of ideological grievances and personal disappointments, to commit violence.

Notice the hyperbole of “Cesspool of conspiracy thinking” They hiss their words with venomous tongues. The alliteration of sibilant sounds is literally spit out of their mouth. Trump actually called for a peaceful demonstration, but that was left out by the press and of course by the democrats in congress.

In this podcast I shall analyze the language of the 117th session of the Committee listed above. The pretense of the meeting is to address violence in the United States. The actual content of the meeting proves otherwise. It was an attempt to impeach Donald Trump though he was already out of office and to attack his supporters now referred derogatorily as MAGA republicans as if it were a swear word. The contents of the meeting are far too long to cover assertion by assertion; therefore, I shall summarize.

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Season 4 Podcast 77, “The Language of Liberty Pt I.”

Once upon a time we liked terms such as God, flag, country, mother, father, apple pie, patriotism, American, freedom, liberty, independence. Of course, in our umbrageous age we have seen the assault on God, flag, and country. A Stanford University document said we shouldn’t use the term American because somehow those on our southern borders might find it offensive. The Publishers of children’s author Roald Dahl removed the words mother and father from his children’s books for fear of offending somebody. Personal pronouns are commonly being banned to avoid offence.

But there is another assault on language that is as strange as any of the above. In “The Language of Liberty Pt I.” I am going to analyze the democratic argument against the Republican Bill entitled “The Parents Bill of Rights Act.” In “The Language of Liberty Pt II.” I am going to analyze the House Hearing before the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, House of Representative 117 Congress, First Session Sep 29, 2021. It illustrates the beginning of the degradation of the language of liberty.

This article is more about the abuse of language than the use of language by our Congress. It is as astonishing as it is appalling that persons in such high office in our nation do not display even a shred of critical thinking in their attempt to solve problems facing our nation. They do not use language to think, to analyze, to synthesize or to solve problems. They use language like rabid mobs use tanks and cannon and rockets and bullets to decimate their enemies. They charge their opponents for hate speeches while they themselves are foaming at the mouth.

In this podcast I shall illustrate my point with the argument of the left against the Republican supported bill called “The Parents Bill of Rights Act.” The act itself should not have even been necessary. The fact that it was necessary illustrates how far the left has destroyed the Bill of Rights.

The act is rather straight forward. As described on PBS News Hour

“The bill would require schools to publish course studies and a list of books kept in libraries, as well as affirm parents’ ability to meet with educators, speak at school board meetings and examine school budgets.”

We have all watched the news. Parents have expressed concern over the Woke agenda in school board meetings. Suddenly concerned parents found themselves classified as white domestic terrorists by the US Department of Justice for speaking out against exposing elementary students to pornography. They also object to their children having their heads filled with transgender idealism or by having their daughters referred to as he or their sons referred to as she. They objected to teachers even in the third grade who glorified the virtues of transgenderism without informing the parents.

For their concerns anyone who spoke out against the agenda of the left were called domestic terrorists, or white supremacists because they opposed the agenda of the left. Even the President said that white domestic terrorists pose a greater threat to our government than foreign terrorists which includes those who murdered thousands of innocent people during the 9/11 attack.

You may listen to the Congressional hearings which include the full text as I did. It is rather tedious as one would expect, but it is not without its moments. If the subject were not so serious, one would find some of the comments so hyperbolic and outrageously absurd that one would hardly be able to stop laughing.

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Season 4 Podcast 76 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk XII, Pt XLIV (44), “Expelled From Eden, Pt IV”

This is the final part of the final book of Milton’s Paradise Lost. In the prologue to Book XII, Milton writes.

The Angel Michael continues from the Flood to relate what shall succeed; then, in the mention of Abraham, comes by degrees to explain, who that Seed of the Woman shall be, which was promised Adam and Eve in the Fall; his Incarnation, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension; the state of the Church till his second Coming. Adam greatly satisfied and recomforted by these Relations and Promises descends the Hill with Michael; wakens Eve, who all this while had slept, but with gentle dreams composed to quietness of mind and submission. Michael in either hand leads them out of Paradise, the fiery Sword waving behind them, and the Cherubim taking their Stations to guard the Place.

Following the resurrection Christ will be on earth only a short time. He leaves his Apostles in charge to teach the gospel to all nations. Baptism is a sign that all guilt is removed. The gospel of salvation shall be preached not only to the children of Abraham but to all the world.

Nor after resurrection shall he stay
Longer on Earth then certain times to appear
To his Disciples, Men who in his Life
Still followed him; to them shall leave in charge
To teach all nations what of him they learned
And his Salvation, them who shall believe
Baptizing in the profluent stream, the sign
Of washing them from guilt of sin to Life
Pure, and in mind prepared, if so befall,
For death, like that which the redeemer died.
All Nations they shall teach; for from that day
Not only to the Sons of Abraham’s Loins
Salvation shall be Preacht, but to the Sons
Of Abraham’s Faith wherever through the world;
So in his seed all Nations shall be blest.

Christ shall then ascend into heaven victorious. Satan lost the greatest battle of his life. Christ enters into his glory, above all the names in heaven, sits on the right hand of God. Christ will return when the world is ripe in iniquity to judge those who are resurrected. He will punish those who are unfaithful and reward those who are faithful. The Earth shall be a Paradise during the Millennial reign of Christ, happier than Eden.

Then to the Heav’n of Heav’ns he shall ascend
With victory, triumphing through the air
Over his foes and thine; there shall surprise
The Serpent, Prince of air, and drag in Chains
Through all his realm, & there confounded leave;
Then enter into glory, and resume
His Seat at Gods right hand, exalted high
Above all names in Heav’n; and thence shall come,
When this world’s dissolution shall be ripe,
With glory and power to judge both quick & dead,
To judge the’ unfaithful dead, but to reward
His faithful, and receive them into bliss,
Whether in Heav’n or Earth, for then the Earth
Shall all be Paradise, far happier place
Than this of Eden, and far happier days.

Adam is overcome with joy and sings praises to God that evil will be turned to good. Adam recognizes that the fall was necessary to bring about the eternal happiness of man. Grace will abound.

So spake th’ Archangel Michael, then paused,
As at the World’s great period; and our Sire
Replete with joy and wonder thus replied.

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Season 4 Podcast 75 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 7: The Sermon on the Mount Pt VII “The Strait and Narrow Path.”

Judging Others (Matthew 7:1-5)
Prayer (Matthew 7:7-11)
The Golden Rule (Mathew 7:12)
The Strait and Narrow Path (Matthew 7: 13-14)
False Prophets (Matthew 7: 15-29)

In previous podcasts we discussed Judging Others, Prayer, and the Golden Rule. In this podcast, we shall analyze Matthew 7: 13-14, “The Strait and Narrow Path.”

Clearly we have our agency. We must of our own freewill enter at the strait gate. The scriptures tell us.

· And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

· I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

· How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.

· Choose you this day whom ye will serve; …as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

In the scriptures there are two forms: S-T-R-A-I-T and S-T-RA-I-G-H-T. First let’s examine S-T-R-A-I-T.

Luke 13:24

Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Matthew 7:13

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Matthew 7:14

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

A S-T-R-A-I-T is a narrow passage of water connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. Metaphorically the word is sometimes used to indicate heavy onerous restrictions as in the following scriptures.

· “place where we dwell with thee is too strait,” 2 Kgs. 6:1.

· “removed thee out of the strait into a broad place,” Job 36:16.

· “place is too strait for me,” Isa. 49:20

Traditionally Christians have interpreted S-T-R-A-I-T to mean baptism because of the image of a narrow body of water. Baptism is the gate way into the kingdom of Heaven. Remember that the Beatitudes contain conditions for entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

· Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

· Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

· Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

· Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

· Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Season 4 Podcast 74 “The Law of Liberty.”

Freedom and agency are gifts of God governed by law. Liberty is a creation of man which is made possible only when the laws of man are in perfect balance with the laws of God. Language cannot preserve liberty. Language may help us to celebrate liberty, but only divine law can help us to create liberty. Only commitment to truth can preserve, protect, and perfect liberty. When the laws of man move away from the laws of God, even if the language of liberty is kept, the concept of liberty is lost, and man becomes a prisoner to his on self-deceptions. Just as when the spirit leaves, the body dies, so it is that when the Spirit of Christ leaves, liberty dies. The body without the spirit is dead. Liberty without the Spirit of God is dead.

History has shown that freedom without voluntary moral restraints will consume itself. Man cannot survive in a world of moral relativity, uninhibited pleasure and moral decadence. It is against moral law and will eventually self-destruct. If we feed the natural man and starve the spirit, we fall below the animal kingdom. We will exceed the animals in cruelty, in dissipation, and in degradation. True freedom requires a perfect knowledge of temporal law. True agency requires a perfect knowledge of spiritual law. Good and evil are absolutes. They are established by God, the very God who created all mankind equal. Man can determine what is allowed, but he cannot determine what is good. Truth can be discovered, but not created. That is fixed. Obedience to the laws of God is the only good, disobedience the only evil. If man calls evil good and good evil, then our knowledge of agency becomes confused, conscience becomes corrupted, imbalance occurs, and liberty becomes the victim.

Here is the difference between a society ruled by manmade ethics and a society ruled by moral absolutes. Moral absolutes are defined by God as stated in the Holy Scriptures. Our government was built upon the Ten Commandments. Hence our laws were based upon the absolute laws of God.

A society ruled by manmade ethics redefines good to mean any new ideology or ethical system based on the opinions of man. Absolute laws override personal opinion and do not regard man’s opinions. Absolute laws are no respecter of persons. A majority may change manmade laws, but a majority cannot change the laws of God or the laws of liberty. In other words. Law is the standard upon which everything is based and does not change with the philosophies of man.

In a society ruled by the absolute laws of God man’s behavior is judged by those absolute standards. In a society ruled by man’s opinions, then the standards of judgment are shifted to accommodate the majority. Ethics change as opinions change and laws are rewritten to accommodate the new standards of judgment. That is where we find ourselves today. Our nation is in transition from the Ten Commandments to the revised ethics of a godless society. The majority no longer believe in moral absolutes. They believe in moral relativism. A democratic republic cannot survive moral relativism. Moral relativism leads to the breakdown of law and order. Good is called evil and evil is called good.

There are four absolute laws of liberty upon which this country is founded:

1. The Ten Commandments, also called the Law of Liberty.

2. The teachings of Christ, also called the Perfect Law of Liberty.

3. The Law of Equality, expressed in the Holy Bible as the truth that God is no respecter of persons.

4. The Royal Law, which means to Love the Lord with allyou heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

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Season 4 Podcast 73 “Tragedy.”

As a good soldier prepares for the assault of the enemy, we must prepare for the assault of tragedy. Tragedy does not define our nature. Tragedy reveals our nature and defines the weaknesses in our armor against evil, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Tragedy comes to us all. Those who use tragedy to strengthen their armor are true disciples of Christ. Those who use tragedy as an excuse to abandon God, to abandon truth, or to abandon that which they know is right and to run to sin will find, upon reflection, that they used tragedy as an excuse to follow their true desires. Tragedy does not create one’s nature. Tragedy is the magic mirror that reflects one’s true character. Tragedy does not cause one to lose his faith. Tragedy reveals the strengths or weaknesses of one’s faith. Paul said, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Tragedy is never neutral. Tragedy either causes us to strengthen our faith or Tragedy causes us to drop the illusions that we had about our faith. James calls tragedy “the trial of our faith.”

James 1:3-4Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

In. First Peter we read

1 Peter 1:7

Paul adds

Romans 5:3-5

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

In other words, tragedy puts our faith on trial. Without our faith being put on trial, we cannot measure our progression or the strength of our faith. It has its analogy in nature. Things are tested only by resistance and strengthened only by opposition. Few of us in life escape tragedy. Just as we physically prepare for a storm before the storm, we must spiritually prepare for the tragedy before the tragedy. True faith is in God not in the fiery fluctuations of our factitious lives. True faith in God is a shield that protects us from the “fiery darts” of the wicked.

Life is filled with ten thousand trials, but there is only one tragedy and that is spiritual death brought about by willful rebellion against God. To die physically is to have the spirit separate from the body. To did spiritually is to have the soul separate from God through willful disobedience.

God, ever preserving agency, by necessity, leaves the choice entirely to us. Perhaps our daily prayer should not be, ‘Let me avoid sorrow,’ but our prayer should be, ‘Let all my sorrow be godly.” In Man’s Search for Meaning,Doctor Frankl quotes Dostoevsky:

“There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings.”

In patience in suffering lies the hope of redemption. It is easier to believe in God than it is to believe that God believes in us. In Candide, Voltaire’s brilliant satire, that would have made Juvenal blush, Candide and two philosophers, Pangloss and Martin, pass the time in endless disputes over the nature of good and evil. They consult a famous Dervish, known for his wisdom.

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Season 4 Podcast 72 “Pt II, The Second Beast.”

In Chapter 13 of Revelation, John mentions two beasts. Many have attempted to identify the beasts. It is not my purpose to determine what John saw or what he specifically referred to.

My purpose is to use my literary license to employ the beasts metaphorically, as I would any other literary allusion regardless of the source, to illustrate what is happening to our world today. In Podcast 69 we discussed the First Beast. In this podcast we shall discuss the Second Beast.

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

The first beast came up out of the sea suggesting it had power over the seas. When the First beast stepped on the land it appeared as a man. The prophet Daniel saw the same beast 600 years before.

DANIEL 7

The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.

The second beast envisioned by John came up out if the earth, suggesting he had power over the land. The first beast had seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. The Second beast had “two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” The first beast was compared to a leopard, a bear, and a lion both by John and by Daniel. The first beast is a predator. The lion, the bear, and the leopard rule the jungle. They prey. They are not preyed upon. The second beast, however, appears as a lamb, with only two horns. He appears harmless, vulnerable, the least of the animals. They are not sly like a fox or swift as a dear. Lambs are helpless, yet the second beast is more cunning than the first beast. He has the power of the first beast, meaning they do what he tells them to do. It suggests that three very powerful nations are under his single command. The lamb-like image is a false image. People are naturally on guard if stalked by a lion, a bear, or a leopard. No one is afraid of a lamb. It is a Christ-like image, meaning the second beast is a false Christ. The lamb’s alliance with the leopard and bear and lion is kept a secret. The image of the lamb is doubly deceitful because some sheep have horns and can fight, but a lamb has no defense. One is reminded of the words of the Savior.

Matthew 7: 15

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Christ went to great lengths to teach us how to identify a false prophet,

Matthew 7

The cunning of the second beast has no boundaries. Notice how the second beast actually has power over the first beast. The image appears very strange that a lion, a leopard, and a bear would take orders from a lamb until it begins to unravel before our eyes.

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Season 4 Podcast 71 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk XII, Pt XLIII (43), “Expelled From Eden, Pt III”

This session is from Book XII, Pt XLIII (43) of Milton’s Paradise Lost. Podcast 71 is entitled “Expelled from Eden, Pt III.” In the prologue to Book XII, Milton writes.

The Angel Michael continues from the Flood to relate what shall succeed; then, in the mention of Abraham, comes by degrees to explain, who that Seed of the Woman shall be, which was promised Adam and Eve in the Fall; his Incarnation, Death, Resurrection, and Ascention; the state of the Church till his second Coming. Adam greatly satisfied and recomforted by these Relations and Promises descends the Hill with Michael; wakens Eve, who all this while had slept, but with gentle dreams compos'd to quietness of mind and submission. Michael in either hand leads them out of Paradise, the fiery Sword waving behind them, and the Cherubim taking their Stations to guard the Place.

In the previous Podcast Michael showed Adam the wickedness that brought about the flood. He also showed Michael that the seed of Noah would also eventually become very wicked; therefore, the Lord chose Abraham as the patriarch through whom all the children of the earth would be blessed. Michael finished speaking and Adam speaks.

Here Adam interpos’d. O sent from Heav’n,
Enlightner of my darkness, gracious things
Thou hast revealed, those chiefly which concern
Just Abraham and his Seed: now first I find
Mine eyes true opening, and my heart much eased,
Erwhile perplext with thoughts what would become
Of me and all Mankind; but now I see
His day, in whom all Nations shall be blest,
Favor unmerited by me, who sought
Forbidden knowledge by forbidden means.
This yet I apprehend not, why to those
Among whom God will deign to dwell on Earth

So many and so various Laws are giv’n;
So many Laws argue so many sins
Among them; how can God with such reside?

Adam, conscious of his role in bringing evil into the world, asks Michael how God can reside with man when they become so sinful. Michael explains that man was given laws or commandments to reveal their natural depravity. Without law there is no sin. In other words, sin is violation of law. Man can only recognize sin through law. However, man does not have the power of atonement. The blood of bulls and goats is insufficient. More precious blood must be paid, meaning, of course, Jesus Christ, the just for the unjust. However, they can only recognize Christ through faith. Only through Christ can they find peace of conscience. Ceremonial law is insufficient. Also, imperfect man cannot atone for his own sins.

Doubt not but that sin
Will reign among them, as of thee begot;
And therefore was Law given them to evince
Their natural pravitie, by stirring up
Sin against Law to fight; that when they see
Law can discover sin, but not remove,
Save by those shadowy expiations weak,
The blood of Bulls and Goats, they may conclude
Some blood more precious must be paid for Man,
Just for unjust, that in such righteousness
To them by Faith imputed, they may find
Justification towards God, and peace
Of Conscience, which the Law by Ceremonies
Cannot appease, nor Man the moral part
Perform, and not performing cannot live.

Only through Christ can mankind be justified. The purpose of the Mosaic law is to prepare them to believe in the Savior. The Mosiac Law is a type and shadow of things to come, what Milton calls, “From imposition of strict Laws, to free Acceptance of large Grace.” He tells Adam that only faith in Christ can save them not works. They must make a higher covenant than the covenant of the Law of Moses. The higher covenant requires even greater discipline.

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Season 4 Podcast 70 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 7: The Sermon on the Mount Pt VI “The Golden Rule.”

Judging Others (Matthew 7:1-5)
Prayer (Matthew 7:7-11)
The Golden Rule (Mathew 7:12)
The Strait and Narrow Path (Matthew 7: 13-14)
False Prophets (Matthew 7: 15-29)

In previous podcasts we discussed Judging Others and Prayer. In this podcast, we shall analyze Matthew 7: 12, “The Golden Rule.”

“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

Most religions have the equivalent of the Golden rule. Christians draw their authority from the Sermon on the mount. The law and the prophets refer to the Hebrew Scriptures; therefore, The Golden Rule is an ancient teaching to the Children of Abraham. The Sermon on the Mount is revolutionary; however, as with The Ten Commandments Jesus is reaffirming the eternal commandments taken from the law and the prophets such as the Golden Rule.

The concept of the Golden Rule is also taught in what James calls The Royal Law.

The Royal Law is as follows.

Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Notice how parallel the Royal Law is with the Golden Rule: “Love thy neighbor as thyself” and “All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” Notice that both the Royal Law and the Golden rule are confirmed by “all the law and the prophets.”

Inherent in the Golden Rule and the Royal Law is that concept that we must love ourselves. Self-love, of course is a double-edged sword, for certainly selfishness is destructive as the scriptures often remind us. Paul for example reminds us that charity “seeketh not her own.” What is charity, the virtue Paul places about Faith and Hope? He said, “And now abideth faith, hope, and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

Synonyms for charity are kind, beneficent, benevolent, merciful, compassionate, unselfishness, altruistic, self-sacrifice, love of mankind, Christian love, agape. Agape according to Wikipedia is “the highest form of love, charity” and “the love of God for man and of man for God.” The Holy Bible is rich in teachings of agape also known as charity also known as the pure love of Christ. Think of the Golden Rule and the Royal law as Linda reads the following verses.

love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, Deut. 6:5
I have loved thee with an everlasting love, Jer. 31:3.
Love your enemies, Matt. 5:44
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, John 3:16.
ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another, John 13:35.
If ye love me, keep my commandments, John 14:15
in him verily is the love of God perfected, 1 Jn. 2:5.

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Season 4 Podcast 69 “Pt I The First Beast.”

In Chapter 13 of Revelation, John mentions two beasts. Many have attempted to identify the beasts. It is not my purpose to determine what John saw or what he specifically referred to. I am not qualified and shall leave that to others.

My purpose is to use my literary license to employ the beasts metaphorically, as I would any other literary allusion regardless of the source, to illustrate what is happening to our world today. I find the use of metaphor very helpful. If I exceed the writer’s intent it is because my purpose is not to interpret John, but to use his extraordinary imagery as it applies to our political circumstances today.

Let’s examine the imagery of the first beast.

1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

They are political kingdoms. The number seven means completeness which suggests that it is not just seven nations but the entire world which has turned wicked. It is One beast meaning a totalitarian state that has united all the other states. Ten horns represent total power. Ten Crowns suggest a powerful king or ruler and represent a totalitarian state comprised of subservient states ruled by a single tyrant. The beasts have the name of blasphemy meaning they are all anti-Christ. It is a war against Christ and all his followers. There is to be no freedom of religion, no freedom of speech, and no right to peaceable assembly. Coming up out of the sea suggests that they are on the move and set forth to conquer the world and put everyone under their power, a one-world government.

One only must look at the news to see that such a force is growing today. People are pushing for a one-world government. Some are using climate change as an excuse or pandemics as an excuse or poverty as an excuse, but the images above are all about power, and the invisible force behind the power is Satan though they don’t know it.

First of all, notice that the beasts do not refer to Satan. Satan is referred to as the dragon that controls or gives power to the beasts.

And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

The extraordinary prophet Daniel who saw our day as clearly as Isaiah and John saw the same image. Daniel adds further details.

DANIIEL 7

“Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

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Season 4 Podcast 68 The First Amendment, The Six Pillars of Freedom

If any one of the six pillars of freedom stated as law in the First Amendment falls, then freedom as we know it will fall.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Religion is protected by the first amendment. Consider the actions of atheists who are trying to destroy Christianity. Speaking as a Christian, I assert that our First Amendment rights began to be taken away the moment atheists took over and introduced the false principle of separation of church and state. Nowhere in the Constitution or Bill of Rights does it say anything about separation of church and state. That is a lie promoted by atheists to destroy the power of Christianity in America. Prohibiting a state religion, which was part of the genius of our Constitution, is not the same thing as removing religion from our government. Let’s look, for example, at the First Amendment from the point of view of protecting religious liberty:

Pillar one: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.

That is one of the greatest safety valves of our Constitution. World history has shown that people seeking power often use religion to rule the conscience of others. Religion has been used as a façade to gain total power. The First Amendment was intended to protect freedom of religion, not to take it away. It allows all religions the ability to have a voice. By claiming separation of church and state, however, atheists have taken away the voice of Christianity, and in its place have established a secular religion that has taken over our nation and become our state religion. By trickery they have bypassed the First Amendment and established a state religion which has given them total power, even the power over conscience, the last vestige of freedom. They are using the forces of government to enforce their religion on all Americans. They use climate change, global warming, pandemics, and socialism as excuses to gain power. They give special treatment to people because of the color of their skin, their sexual orientation, their economic status, their heritage, their race, and so on, under the false claim of equity. They oppose fossil fuels, guns, and God-given equality. They claim gender is a choice. They preach abortion, language control, equity, and a strange thing called environmental justice.

The left wishes to destroy the nuclear family, that is marriage defined exclusively as a union between a man and a woman. They are enslaving us to all doctrines of the state religion which are being enforced by law. The fact that they are taking away freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and even the ability to petition the Government for a redress of grievances is not applicable to the new state religion.

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Season 4 Podcast 67 Self-Reliance Concept 10 Solitude

I have selected Ten concepts from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay Self-Reliance. Each concept expands the virtues and variations of Self-Reliance or warns of the vices of the ways we forfeit Self Reliance:

· Concept 1: Blind Obedience

· Concept 2: False Charity

· Concept 3: Truth

· Concept 4: Faith

· Concept 5: Non-Conformist

· Concept 6: To Thine Own Self Be True

· Concept 7: Self-Reliance

· Concept 8: Character

· Concept 9: God

· Concept 10: Solitude

In this podcast we shall explore Number Ten, SOLITUDE

If you have followed the podcasts you already know how I love synonyms. A synonym accomplishes two things. One it strengthens a word by creative repetition and two it expands the meaning by rich variation. Related words to solitude are solitary, alone, unattended, apart, separate, nonpareil, secluded, isolated, recluse, sequestered.

What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

Solitude conjures up the image of one on a mountain top, perhaps perched on a rocky ledge overlooking the spreading valley miles below, lost in thought. Silver rivers and lost lakes interrupt the forested floor and stretch for miles. Distracted for a moment as an eagle or hawk whose wide wings rest on the uplifting wind appear almost at arm’s length, its crooked beak and sharp talons prophesying death as with telescopic eyes he surveys the beating hearts of small prey scampering about in false security. Unthreatened in the safety of solitude, he who was given dominion over the animals sinks back into the fathomless wealth of his boundless mind. Silence is his companion.

I like the synonym for solitude—nonpareil. I first came in contact with the word ‘nonpareil’ from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Caliban, a not quite evolved human, who tried to rape Miranda, Prospero’s daughter, to populate the magic island with more Calibans describes Miranda to the two fools Stephano and Trinculo who conspire to murder Prospero and steal his daughter and become masters of the Isle.

And that most deeply to consider is

The beauty of his daughter; he himself

Calls her a nonpareil: I never saw a woman,

But only Sycorax my dam and she;

But she as far surpasseth Sycorax

As great’st does least.

Nnonpareil means peerless, unparalleled, incomparable, unrivaled, paragon, or pinnacle. Nonpareil, solitude, and solitary fit nicely for they suggest independence and set apart.

Solitude is inherent in self-reliance. Emerson continues.

We must go alone. I like the silent church before the service begins, better than any preaching. How far off, how cool, how chaste the persons look, begirt each one with a precinct or sanctuary! So let us always sit.

“Why should we assume the faults of our friend, or wife, or father, or child, because they sit around our hearth, or are said to have the same blood? All men have my blood, and I have all men's. Not for that will I adopt their petulance or folly, even to the extent of being ashamed of it. But your isolation must not be mechanical, but spiritual, that is, must be elevation.”

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Season 4 Podcast 66 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk XII, Pt XLII, “Expelled From Eden, Pt II”

This session is from Book XII, Pt XLII (42) of Milton’s Paradise Lost. Podcast 66 is entitled “Expelled from Eden, Pt II.” In the prologue to Book XII, Milton writes.

The Angel Michael continues from the Flood to relate what shall succeed; then, in the mention of Abraham, comes by degrees to explain, who that Seed of the Woman shall be, which was promised Adam and Eve in the Fall; his Incarnation, Death, Resurrection, and Ascention; the state of the Church till his second Coming. Adam greatly satisfied and recomforted by these Relations and Promises descends the Hill with Michael; wakens Eve, who all this while had slept, but with gentle dreams compos'd to quietness of mind and submission. Michael in either hand leads them out of Paradise, the fiery Sword waving behind them, and the Cherubim taking their Stations to guard the Place.

In the second part of Book Twelve, the final book of Paradise Lost Michael continues to show Adam the future. Michael calls Ham, the son of Noah, ‘the irreverent Son’ because he saw the nakedness of his father. He is cursed to be a servant of servants.

Witness th’ irreverent Son
Of him who built the Ark, who for the shame
Done to his Father, heard this heavy curse,
Servant of Servants, on his vitious Race.

The world again turns wicked as it was before the flood, causing God to withdraw his presence.

Thus will this latter, as the former World,
Still tend from bad to worse, till God at last
Wearied with their iniquities, withdraw
His presence from among them, and avertHis holy Eyes; resolving from thenceforth
To leave them to their own polluted ways;

The Lord selects Abraham to be the father of many nations.

And one peculiar Nation to select
From all the rest, of whom to be invoked,
A Nation from one faithful man to spring:
Him on this side Euphrates yet residing,
Bred up in Idol-worship;

Michael is appalled that the world would so quickly turn to evil.

O that men
(Canst thou believe?) should be so stupid grown,
While yet the Patriarch lived, who scap’d the Flood,
As to forsake the living God, and fall
To-worship their own work in Wood and Stone
For Gods!

Michael praises God for calling still another righteous man, Abraham, through whom his chosen seed shall come into the world. We can see the pattern. First the children of Adam and Eve become so wicked that the earth is destroyed by water. The Lord saved Noah, a man perfect in his generation, and through his family once again peoples the earth, making Noah the second Adam. However, though they were taught by father Noah, the descendants of Noah become so wicked that they too are rejected; therefore Abraham becomes the third Adam, a righteous man like unto Noah and Adam, through whom he will send his elect. Abraham was born into an idolatrous family; therefore, he is removed and led to the promised land and is promised that through him will grow a mighty nation. Also through Abraham’s seed all the earth shall be blessed.

yet him God the most High vouchsafes
To call by Vision from his Father’s house,
His kindred and false Gods, into a Land
Which he will shew him, and from him will raise
A mighty Nation, and upon him shower
His benediction so, that in his Seed
All Nations shall be blest; he straight obeys,
Not knowing to what Land, yet firm believes:

Abraham is a man of tremendous faith. He will teach his children about the true God.

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Season 4 Podcast 65 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 7: The Sermon on the Mount Pt V “Prayer.”

We offer a weekly podcast, Monday thru Friday. Each Friday we discuss the New Testament, King James’ Version. We are now on Matthew Chapter 7. It contains eight concepts.

1. Judging Others

2. Prayer

3. The Golden Rule

4. The Strait and Narrow Path

5. False Prophets

In last week’s podcast, Podcast 60, we analyzed Matthew 7: 1-6, Judging others. In this podcast, Number 65, we shall analyze Matthew 7: 7-11, Prayer.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Previously, in what some would perhaps consider the most beautiful prayer ever given, Jesus gave us what is commonly called ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ which is a perfect model for prayer. In the above scripture Jesus continues to teach us about prayer.

Note the three primary verbs: ask, seek, and knock. Prayer is not a passive act. We are not expected to simply ask for a blessing and then wait for it to come. Asking is just the first step in what sometimes is a very long process. In this podcast we shall cover the three steps to prayer.

Step 1 To Ask!

As we learned in the Lord’s prayer, we are actually addressing our prayers to our Father in heaven. It is as if we are kneeling before his throne. How many kings will give you daily access to his throne? God is the only ruler who not only gives us daily access but commands us to approach him as often as we need to.

Psalm 55:16–17

As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

5 RON

It is helpful to actually imagine that we are talking directly to our Father in Heaven, but naturally we must remember that the only one who gives us that access is his Son Jesus Christ who made access to the Father possible by suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and by dying on the cross. That is our only calling card. We must do everything in the name of Jesus Christ.

What is it that we ask for? The general answer is that God is in the details of our lives, and to him nothing is too trivial. That is the second magnificent attribute of our Father in Heaven. What is important to us is also important to him. In the above Christ mentions the following:

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

Food for our table is a fundamental need for everyone, and God is aware of that. The image represents all the necessities of life: food, clothing, shelter, health, etc. But Christ doesn’t stop there: In the Lord’s prayer Christ mentions that we should pray for forgiveness, for deliverance from temptation, and for deliverance from evil.

Luke expands the image:

Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

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Season 4 Podcast 64 Self-Reliance Concept 9 God

I have selected twelve concepts from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay Self-Reliance. Each concept expands the virtues and variations of Self-Reliance or warns of the vices of the ways we forfeit Self Reliance:

· Concept 1: Blind Obedience

· Concept 2: False Charity

· Concept 3: Truth

· Concept 4: Faith

· Concept 5: Non-Conformist

· Concept 6: To Thine Own Self Be True

· Concept 7: Self-Reliance

· Concept 8: Character

· Concept 9: God

· Concept 10: Solitude

The above principles are not presented in any kind of order. They are randomly selected from Emerson’s Essay. The ninth principle below taught by Emerson could easily be Number One:

· Number Nine: God.

No discussion on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay Self Reliance would be complete without including his views on God. Emerson, who was a freethinker, integrated a belief in God with self-reliance.

It may be safely trusted as proportionate and of good issues, so it be faithfully imparted, but God will not have his work made manifest by cowards.

Emerson graduated from Harvard Divinity School and became a Unitarian Minister like his father. Emerson, however, fell out with the church and resigned his position. Influenced by his brother, his views on Christianity were significantly altered, and when he was invited by Harvard to speak at the Divinity School, he so angered them from his independent thinking that they didn’t invite him back for 30 years.

A PBS presentation entitled “God in America: People: Ralph Waldo Emerson,” quoted Historian Grant Wacker’s description of Emerson's belief in God. Wacker, also a Harvard Graduate, taught at Duke Divinity School. Professor Wacker described Emerson’s religious views in the following way:

"God was best understood as a spirit, an ideal, a breath of life; everywhere and always filling the world with the inexhaustible power of the divine presence. God was as close as the atmosphere, as intimate as the 'blowing clover and the falling rain."

I particularly like Professor Wacker’s description because it is validated throughout Emerson’s essay Self- Reliance. In Emerson’s view without God there would be no self-reliance. Linda is going to share five brief quotes from Emerson’s essay.

The relations of the soul to the divine spirit are so pure, that it is profane to seek to interpose helps. It must be that when God speaketh he should communicate, not one thing, but all things; should fill the world with his voice; should scatter forth light, nature, time, souls, from the center of the present thought; and new date and new create the whole.
When a man lives with God, his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook and the rustle of the corn.
Thus all concentrates: let us not rove; let us sit at home with the cause. Let us stun and astonish the intruding rabble of men and books and institutions, by a simple declaration of the divine fact. Bid the invaders take the shoes from off their feet, for God is here within.
As soon as the man is at one with God, he will not beg. He will then see prayer in all action. The prayer of the farmer kneeling in his field to weed it, the prayer of the rower kneeling with the stroke of his oar, are true prayers heard throughout nature, though for cheap ends.

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Season 4 Podcast 63 Self-Reliance Concept 8 Character

I have selected ten concepts from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay Self-Reliance. Each concept expands the virtues and variations of Self-Reliance or warns of the vices of the ways we forfeit Self Reliance:

· Concept 1: Blind Obedience

· Concept 2: False Charity

· Concept 3: Truth

· Concept 4: Faith

· Concept 5: Non-Conformist

· Concept 6: To Thine Own Self Be True

· Concept 7: Self-Reliance

· Concept 8: Character

· Concept 9: God

· Concept 10: Solitude

In this podcast we shall continue setting forth Emerson’s thoughts on Self-Reliance by focusing on Character.

We pass for what we are. Character teaches above our wills. Men imagine that they communicate their virtue or vice only by overt actions, and do not see that virtue or vice emit a breath every moment.

It is difficult to tie down the meaning of the word character because it is so ambiguous. Character can refer to personality: individuality, disposition, temperament, or essential qualities. She is a genius; or it can refer to reputation: status, prestige, name. He is a superstar; or it can refer to a moral component: integrity, honesty, honor, courage, rectitude. He is a person of character; or it can refer to eccentricities: He is a real oddball.

Let’s not think of character as reputation, caricature, or personal idiosyncrasies. Though they may affect our perceptions, they do not necessarily define a person’s true character. After all it may, like an actor on a stage, be merely a persona. Let me define character in the following way.

Character refers to the essential traits, attributes, or qualities inherent in an individual beyond the projected persona or advertised traits. Character is that person we really are and not that person we portray when the artificial stage is set, and the lights are on. Emerson refers to it as our ‘aboriginal self.’ Who we really are outlives all performances, all applause, all accolades, and all praise. Character is unscripted, without costume. Character is not that which we present in the present that makes us self-conscious. Character is that which we have become from the thousands of unscripted acts, words, thoughts, works, beliefs, and actions of the past. Character is the ghost of the past that haunts our present and determines our future. We protect our reputation, but our character reveals who we really have been, who we really are, and who we will really become. Character is a summation of our desires, the force of our will, the accumulation of our thoughts, our words, our actions, and our beliefs. Our character is the crystal ball of our lives that can only be read by those who seek truth rather than personal gain. “Know thyself” was prominently inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. It could mean “know thy measure” or “know thy character.” Our knowledge is revealed by the words that come out of our mouth; our persona is revealed by the façade we hide behind; but our character is revealed by the silent feelings of our heart. There is where the truth lies.

When Emerson said that our character teaches above our wills perhaps he is referring not to our consciousness but to our subconsciousness. Sometimes we focus so much upon our body that we forget that we have a soul, an immortal spirit, a divine nature.

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Season 4 Podcast 62 Self-Reliance Concept 7 Self-Reliance

· Concept 1: Blind Obedience

· Concept 2: False Charity

· Concept 3: Truth

· Concept 4: Faith

· Concept 5: Non-Conformist

· Concept 6: To Thine Own Self Be True

· Concept 7: Self-Reliance

· Concept 8: Character

· Concept 9: God

· Concept 10: Solitude

In this podcast we shall explore Concept Number Seven, Self-Reliance.

It is appropriate that we include in our discussion of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essay Self-Reliance an episode containing the main title. Inherent in democracy is the principle of self-reliance. Inherent in Socialism and Communism is the principle of slavery and subjugation. The totalitarian state controls its citizens by keeping them in permanent bondage, oppressed by fear that they cannot make it in the world alone. The leaders of all totalitarian states operate on the premise that they know better than you do what is best for you. As Emerson said,

The greatest drive on earth is the drive of man to have power over others. Selfishness is the primary source of evil. The noblest goal of man is to have power over himself. Only then can he Love the Lord with all his heart and his neighbor as himself. Godlike love is the primary source of good. The natural man is the primary source of evil. Agency requires that we have a choice between good and evil. Christ is the author of all good. Satan is the author of all evil. For agency to exist it is necessary that we be enticed by both Christ and Satan, thus giving us a choice. Evil always leads to bondage and captivity. Good always leads to freedom and liberty. Freewill is possible only because of the existence of absolute law. Obedience to law gives us freewill. Disobedience to law leads to captivity. Obedience to temporal law gives us freedom. Obedience to spiritual law gives us agency. Only when manmade laws are in harmony with the laws of God do we have liberty. A democratic republic can only survive when the majority of its citizens voluntarily obey the commandments of God.

One of the primary virtues necessary for a democratic republic such as the United States of America, which is based on a Constitution, Bill of Rights, free elections, perfect balance of power, voice of the people, belief in God, belief in absolutes, and a belief in equality, is self-reliance. As government increases in power, the power of the individual decreases. As laws of government increase, freedom decreases.

The following are the ten primary signs of a decaying democracy:

Rise of Atheism
Rise of Tribalism
Rise of Hedonism or moral relativity
Rise of Socialism, Communism, or Totalitarianism
Decline of Freedom of Speech
Decline of Freedom of the Press
Decline of Freedom of Religion
Decline of States Rights
Decline of Balance of Power
Decline of Self Reliance

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Season 4 Podcast 61 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk XII, Pt XLI, “Expelled From Eden, Pt I”

In the prologue to Book XI, Milton writes.

The Angel Michael continues from the Flood to relate what shall succeed; then, in the mention of Abraham, comes by degrees to explain, who that Seed of the Woman shall be, which was promised Adam and Eve in the Fall; his Incarnation, Death, Resurrection, and Ascention; the state of the Church till his second Coming. Adam greatly satisfied and recomforted by these Relations and Promises descends the Hill with Michael; wakens Eve, who all this while had slept, but with gentle dreams compos'd to quietness of mind and submission. Michael in either hand leads them out of Paradise, the fiery Sword waving behind them, and the Cherubim taking their Stations to guard the Place.

The reason the flood came was because the earth was filled with violence. Milton is echoing Genesis 6:12-13.

“12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

Notice the phrase, “all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth,” meaning they had broken their covenants and turned away from God’s word. As a consequence, the earth was “filled with violence.” The same conditions that existed in the days of Noah exist today.

Adam rejoices that even after the world is destroyed by flood that man will survive because of Noah who was so perfect and just. He is thankful that God will forget his anger. Then he asks Michael, the archangel, about the rainbow?

O thou that future things canst represent
As present, Heavenly instructor, I revive
At this last sight, assured that Man shall live
With all the Creatures, and their seed preserve.
Far less I now lament for one whole World
Of wicked Sons destroyed, then I rejoice
For one Man found so perfect and so just,
That God vouchsafes to raise another World
From him, and all his anger to forget.
But say, what mean those colored streaks in Heaven,
Distended as the Brow of God appeased,
Or serve they as a flourie verge to bind
The fluid skirts of that same watery Cloud,
Least it again dissolve and shower the Earth?

Michael tells Adam that the rainbow is a covenant between God and Man that he will never again destroy the earth by flood.

To whom th’ Archangel. Dexterously thou aim’st;
So willingly doth God remit his Ire,
Though late repenting him of Man depraved,
Grieved at his heart, when looking down he saw
The whole Earth filled with violence, and all flesh
Corrupting each their way; yet those removed,
Such grace shall one just Man find in his sight,
That he relents, not to blot out mankind,
And makes a Covenant never to destroy
The Earth again by flood, nor let the Sea
Surpass his bounds, nor Rain to drown the World
With Man therein or Beast; but when he brings
Over the Earth a Cloud, will therein set
His triple-colored Bow, whereon to look
And call to mind his Covenant:

Michael does, however, tell Adam that in the end the earth will be destroyed by fire.

Day and Night,
Seed time and Harvest, Heat and hoary Frost
Shall hold their course, till fire purge all things new,
Both Heav’n and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell.
Thus thou hast seen one World begin and end;

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Season 4 Podcast 60 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 7: The Sermon on the Mount Pt IV “Judging Others.”

We offer a weekly podcast, Monday thru Friday. Each Friday we discuss the New Testament, King James’ Version. We are now on Matthew Chapter 7. In last week’s podcast, Podcast 55, we analyzed the final concepts 4 – 12 of the Lord’s Prayer. In this podcast, Number 60, we shall continue with the Sermon on the Mount by discussing Chapter 7.

Judging Others
Prayer
The Golden Rule
The Strait and Narrow Path
False Prophets

In this podcast we shall discuss Concept One: Judging Others.

1. Matthew 7: 1-5

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

I think we may be prone to read verse one, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” and then quit. It is not humanly possible to never judge nor is it wise. We must keep in mind that it was Christ who gave the Sermon on the Mount, and it was that same Christ who revealed his word to all the Holy Prophets before him. Christ said to Satan in the wilderness that we must live by every word that proceeds forth from the mouth of God. Therefore, for clarification, let’s do two things. (1) Let’s look at the entire passage verses 1-5 and (2) let’s consider what Christ said about judgment to his holy prophets. It is not complete until we read all five verses. Let’s begin with verse two

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

4 RON

We are going to be judged, not by making judgment, but by making false judgement. Remember the Ninth Commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” The first verse could read, ‘Judge not unrighteously, that yet be not judged for your unrighteousness.’ In the final judgment God will measure us by how we measured others. In Zechariah 7:9 Christ revealed to his prophet:

Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassion.

“Execute true judgment” sheds light upon Christ’s true meaning. In addition, if we want mercy and compassion in our judgment, we must show mercy and compassion in judging others. In the Sermon on the Mount Christ comes down hard on hypocrisy. That explains the next two verses.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

A beam would refer to any particle obstructing your vision, thus we have Christ’s harsh condemnation.

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

That holds the key to what Christ is teaching us. To judge righteously we must first be righteous so that we can see clearly how to help our brother, in other words how we can exercise righteous judgment.

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Season 4 Podcast 59 Self-Reliance Concept 6 To Thine Own Self Be True

· Concept 1: Blind Obedience

· Concept 2: False Charity

· Concept 3: Truth

· Concept 4: Faith

· Concept 5: Non-Conformist

· Concept 6: To Thine Own Self Be True

· Concept 7: Self-Reliance

· Concept 8: Character

· Concept 9: God

· Concept 10: Solitude

In this podcast we shall explore Concept Number Six, To Thine Own Self Be True.

Many are familiar with Shakespeare’s Hamlet when the garrulous old Polonius gives counsel to his son Laertes who is going off to college.

There, my blessing with thee.
And these few precepts in thy memory
Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportioned thought his act.
Be thou familiar but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel,
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatched, unfledged comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,
Bear ’t that th’ opposèd may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear but few thy voice.
Take each man’s censure but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not expressed in fancy—rich, not gaudy,
For the apparel oft proclaims the man,
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are of a most select and generous chief in that.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell. My blessing season this in thee.

How can anyone have true liberty without being true to oneself? Emerson said in Self-Reliance:

A great man is coming to eat at my house. I do not wish to please him; I wish that he should wish to please me. I will stand here for humanity, and though I would make it kind, I would make it true. Let us affront and reprimand the smooth mediocrity and squalid contentment of the times, and hurl in the face of custom, and trade, and office, the fact which is the upshot of all history, that there is a great responsible Thinker and Actor working wherever a man works; that a true man belongs to no other time or place, but is the center of things. Where he is, there is nature. He measures you, and all men, and all events. Ordinarily, everybody in society reminds us of somewhat else, or of some other person. Character, reality, reminds you of nothing else; it takes place of the whole creation. The man must be so much, that he must make all circumstances indifferent. Every true man is a cause, a country, and an age; requires infinite spaces and numbers and time fully to accomplish his design;—and posterity seem to follow his steps as a train of clients.

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Season 4 Podcast 58 Self-Reliance Concept 5 Non-Conformist

· Concept 1: Blind Obedience

· Concept 2: False Charity

· Concept 3: Truth

· Concept 4: Faith

· Concept 5: Non-Conformist

· Concept 6: To Thine Own Self Be True

· Concept 7: Self-Reliance

· Concept 8: Character

· Concept 9: God

· Concept 10: Solitude

In this Podcast, we shall discuss Concept Number Five: Non-Conformist.

Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.

Satan’s greatest tool today is to call good evil and evil Good. In the words of Isaiah,

(Isa. 5:20.)

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

Emerson cautions, “He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness.” Emerson asks us to put the integrity of our own mind above the philosophies of man. This is explored in Concept 3 Truth.

Conforming has both negative connotations and positive connotations. The negative would be subservient, obsequious, ingratiating, bowing, scraping, fawning, cowering, cringing, toadying, bootlicking.

The positive would be to acknowledge, to respect, to concur, to harmonize, to accommodate.

Emerson doesn’t ignore common sense, but he strongly advocates self-reliance. He cautions against accepting other people’s truths. He opposes subservience, servility, obsequiousness, acquiescence, capitulation, deference, submissiveness, docility, timidity, passiveness, or unassertiveness.

Emerson found refuge in truth rather than in institutionalized orthodoxy.

A man is to carry himself in the presence of all opposition, as if everything were titular and ephemeral but he. I am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to badges and names, to large societies and dead institutions. Every decent and well-spoken individual affects and sways me more than is right. I ought to go upright and vital, and speak the rude truth in all ways.

He practiced what he preached. One can only imagine how Emerson would respond to the religiosity of the left as they impose their woke values on the nation. The left attempts to crush anyone who disagrees with their philosophy. Emerson would advise us all “to go upright and vital, and speak the rude truth in all ways.” He continues his argument for non-conformity.

My life is for itself and not for a spectacle. I much prefer that it should be of a lower strain, so it be genuine and equal, than that it should be glittering and unsteady. I wish it to be sound and sweet, and not to need diet and bleeding. I ask primary evidence that you are a man, and refuse this appeal from the man to his actions. I know that for myself it makes no difference whether I do or forbear those actions which are reckoned excellent. I cannot consent to pay for a privilege where I have intrinsic right. Few and mean as my gifts may be, I actually am, and do not need for my own assurance or the assurance of my fellows any secondary testimony.

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Season 4 Podcast 57 Self-Reliance Concept 4 Faith in Self

· Concept 1: Blind Obedience

· Concept 2: False Charity

· Concept 3: Truth

· Concept 4: Faith

· Concept 5: Non-Conformist

· Concept 6: To Thine Own Self Be True

· Concept 7: Self-Reliance

· Concept 8: Character

· Concept 9: God

· Concept 10: Solitude

Obviously there is overlap in the ten concepts. For example, Concept 7, Self-Reliance, subsumes all other concepts. It is also clear that faith in self is a primary component of Self-Reliance. Like synonyms each is both a repetition and a variation on the theme. In these ten podcasts, though I may repeat certain quotes from Emerson’s essay, Self-Reliance, for emphasis, I also wish to highlight the variation, thus expanding the theme and pointing out the nuance of each concept.

In this Podcast, we shall focus on Concept Four: Faith in Self.

“To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men,—that is genius. Speak your latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense; for the inmost in due time becomes the outmost,—and our first thought is rendered back to us by the trumpets of the Last Judgment.”

Consider faith as a three-legged stool. For the stool to stand it must have all three legs. So it is with liberty. There are three levels of faith necessary to sustain liberty in our democratic republic. The loss of any level or leg will cause our liberty to fall.

number one is Faith in God, which is addressed in Concept Nine..
number two is Faith in Self.
number three is Faith in Others.

Self-reliance depends upon the perfect balance of all three levels of faith. However, in this podcast we shall focus primarily on Faith in Self.

Faith in Self, otherwise referred to as self-reliance, is essential to a democratic republic or it will turn into a socialist state. People who seek power prey on those who seek guaranteed security. Democracy requires self-reliance, courage, faith, endurance, patience, preparation, hard work, accountability, and individual responsibility. As Emerson said, “It may be safely trusted as proportionate and of good issues, so it be faithfully imparted, but God will not have his work made manifest by cowards.”

The possibility of failure is inherent in self-reliance. Only through opposition can growth occur. It is a law of nature. When citizens start looking to government for entitlements, handouts, bailouts, parity, special privileges, and guaranteed equity, then it spells the end of democracy and the beginning of totalitarianism. The few rule the many. Democracy is built upon the idea so eloquently set forth by Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address: Government of the people, by the people, and for the people. The right to succeed comes with the right to fail.

Faith in others makes a free market possible. We are all children of God and come to earth with special gifts. We may call them talents. In the eyes of God, we are all equal, it is the order of heaven; however, because we have freewill, freedom, liberty, and agency, we have enormous diversity. Diversity of gifts is also essential to a free market system: diversity in wealth, diversity in talent, diversity in skills, diversity in desires, diversity in professions, diversity in education.

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Season 4 Podcast 56 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk XI, Pt XLI, “The Intercession, Pt V”

In the prologue to Book XI, Milton writes.

The Son of God presents to his Father the prayers of our first parents now repenting, and intercedes for them: God accepts them, but declares that they must no longer abide in Paradise; sends Michael with a band of Cherubim to dispossess them; but first to reveal to Adam future things: Michael's coming down. Adam shows to Eve certain ominous signs; he discerns Michael's approach; goes out to meet him: the Angel denounces their departure. Eve's Lamentation. Adam pleads but submits: the Angel leads him up to a high hill; sets before him a vision what shall happen till the Flood.

Michael is showing Adam the future up until the flood of Noah. We are told by Peter that only eight souls were saved on the Ark.

1 Peter 3:19 – 20

Being the father and mother of the human race, through Milton’s eyes, the teachings of Christ and his atonement were taught by Adam and Eve to their posterity and handed down from generation to generation. From Milton’s point of view Adam and Eve were Christians and Christianity was first taught to the human race by our first parents. It goes along with Milton’s theme to justify the ways of God to man. Mankind did not sin in ignorance. They willfully violated the laws. Michael teaches Adam.

These are the product
Of those ill-mated Marriages thou saw’st;
Where good with bad were matcht, who of themselves
Abhor to join; and by imprudence mixt,
Produce prodigious Births of body or mind.
Such were these Giants, men of high renown;
For in those days Might only shall be admir’d,
And Valor and Heroic Vertu called;
To overcome in Battel, and subdue
Nations, and bring home spoils with infinite
Man-slaughter, shall be held the highest pitch
Of human Glorie, and for Glorie done
Of triumph, to be styl’d great Conquerors,
Patrons of Mankind, Gods, and Sons of Gods,
Destroyers rightlier call’d and Plagues of men.
Thus Fame shall be achieved, renown on Earth,
And what most merits fame in silence hid.

Michael tells Adam of Noah, the only righteous man in an evil world. Michael points out that God rewards the good and punishes the evil.

But he the seventh from thee, whom thou beheldst
The only righteous in a World perverse,
And therefore hated, therefore so beset
With Foes for daring single to be just,
And utter odious Truth, that God would come
To judge them with his Saints: Him the most High
Rapt in a balmie Cloud with winged Steeds
Did, as thou sawst, receive, to walk with God
High in Salvation and the Climes of bliss,
Exempt from Death; to shew thee what reward
Awaits the good, the rest what punishment;

Michael directed Adam’s eyes as he looked into the future. Everything changed. The wars ceased but Adam’s posterity followed the natural man and began to indulge in adultery, fornication, rape, licentiousness, libertinism, debauchery, wantonness, and abandonment.

He looked, & saw the face of things quite changed;
The brazen Throat of Warr had ceast to roar,
All now was turned to jollity and game,
To luxury and riot, feast and dance,
Marrying or prostituting, as befell,
Rape or Adultery, where passing faire
Allured them; thence from Cups to civil Broiles.

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Season 4 Podcast 55 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 6: The Sermon on the Mount Pt III, The Lord’s Prayer B.”

We offer a weekly podcast, Monday thru Friday. Each Friday we discuss the New Testament, King James’ Version. We are now on Matthew Chapter 6. In last week’s podcast, Podcast 50, we analyzed concepts 1 – 3 of the Lord’s Prayer. In this podcast, Number 55, we shall analyze concepts 4 - 12. If you have not listened to Podcast 50 may we invite you to do so now.

Concept number four: “Thy kingdom come.”

“Kingdom,’ of course, suggests another relationship we have with our Father. Christ acknowledges that God the Father is the head, the quintessential ruler of all things. That shows the relationship between the Father and the Son because the Son is also referred to by John the Revelator as king of kings:

REVELATION 17:14

“These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”

Christ has many names, but the mystery is easily explained. Everything that the Father has he gives to his Son, In John 16: 15 we read.

“All things that the Father hath are mine.”

And even more exciting, everything Christ has he promises to give to us. That is the economy of heaven.

Revelation 21:7

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

When Christ is referred to as lord of Lords it could refer to the fact the Father is the supreme Lord and he made Christ Lord, making him Lord who comes from the Lord God. And when Christ is referred to as King of Kings, it means that Christ is our King and he made us kings, making him King of Kings.

What did Christ mean when he said, “Thy kingdom come.” We can best answer that if we add the next concept.

Concept number five: “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”

There are two kingdoms of God. One refers to his church on earth and the other refers to his kingdom in heaven, referred to by John as the New Jerusalem, or Holy City, which of course leads to the Second Coming of Christ. We may go again to John the Revelator for an explanation. Speaking of the church, in Revelation 14 John records:

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every enation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

And what is the purpose of the church or earthly kingdom? John tells us above: “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.” In other words, the kingdom of God on earth is to prepare the saints for the kingdom of God in Heaven. That kingdom is described in Revelation 21 and 22. The purpose of the church or kingdom of God on earth is to prepare the saints for the Second Coming of Christ. Paul teaches us that same principle.

EPHESIANS 4:11-13

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Season 4 Podcast 54 Self Reliance, Concept 3, Truth

· Concept 1: Blind Obedience

· Concept 2: False Charity

· Concept 3: Truth

· Concept 4: Faith

· Concept 5: Non-Conformist

· Concept 6: To Thine Own Self Be True

· Concept 7: Self-Reliance

· Concept 8: Character

· Concept 9: God

· Concept 10: Solitude

In this Podcast, we shall discuss Concept Number Three: Truth.

For thousands of years truth has been considered one of the highest virtues. There are many synonyms for truth: reality, actuality, authentic, genuine, valid, factual. We speak of gospel truth, naked truth, and unvarnished truth. Those who are truthful are considered honest, veracious, righteous, honorable, ethical, moral, proper, principled, noble, high-minded, uncorrupt, precise, and genuine.

In my lifetime, I have never seen such a disregard for truth among people in high government office, among the press, and among the people at large. We live in a collusion of lies where the ends justify the means and where language is not attached to reality. Even the laws of nature are being denied. How, for example, can people claim to believe in evolution and yet deny gender? Without gender there would be no evolution. There would be no life. Our nation was founded on the principle of absolute truth. Our Declaration of Independence states:

A self-evident truth is an absolute truth that is its own witness. Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his Essay Self-Reliance, speaks of absolute truth:

“If you are true, but not in the same truth with me, cleave to your companions; I will seek my own. I do this not selfishly, but humbly and truly. It is alike your interest, and mine, and all men's however long we have dwelt in lies, to live in truth. Does this sound harsh to-day? You will soon love what is dictated by your nature as well as mine, and, if we follow the truth, it will bring us out safe at last. But so may you give these friends pain. Yes, but I cannot sell my liberty and my power, to save their sensibility. Besides, all persons have their moments of reason, when they look out into the region of absolute truth; then will they justify me, and do the same thing.”

We would all do well to follow the advice of Emerson when he said, “I cannot sell my liberty and my power, to save their sensibility.” Emerson would blush at our day for the democratic socialists are demanding that we sell our liberty to save their sensibility. We cannot even use personal pronouns anymore until someone declares their preference. America needs to stand tall against anyone who demands that we put their sensibilities above absolute truth. Sensibilities will not sustain us when our liberty falls, and it will fall if we do not stand for absolute truth. The highest truths are the laws of God. If we deny the laws of nature, then all truth becomes relative.

“If we live truly, we shall see truly. It is as easy for a strong man to be strong, as it is for a weak to be weak. When we have new perception, we shall gladly disburden the memory of its hoarded treasures as old rubbish. When a man lives with God, his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook and the rustle of the corn.”

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Season 4 Podcast 53 Self-Reliance Concept 2 False Charity

· Concept 1: Blind Obedience

· Concept 2: False Charity

· Concept 3: Truth

· Concept 4: Faith

· Concept 5: Non-Conformist

· Concept 6: To Thine Own Self Be True

· Concept 7: Self-Reliance

· Concept 8: Character

· Concept 9: God

· Concept 10: Solitude

In this Podcast, we shall discuss Concept Number Two: False Charity.

“Then, again, do not tell me, as a good man did to-day, of my obligation to put all poor men in good situations. Are they my poor? I tell thee, thou foolish philanthropist, that I grudge the dollar, the dime, the cent, I give to such men as do not belong to me and to whom I do not belong. There is a class of persons to whom by all spiritual affinity I am bought and sold; for them I will go to prison, if need be; but your miscellaneous popular charities; the education at college of fools; the building of meeting-houses to the vain end to which many now stand; alms to sots; and the thousand-fold Relief Societies;—though I confess with shame I sometimes succumb and give the dollar, it is a wicked dollar which by and by I shall have the manhood to withhold.”

Socialists, of course, today would be offended by Emerson, but Emerson’s point is profoundly American. We are being bullied by the left to support the poor without requiring anything in return. In fact, they have discovered that by using taxpayer money to bribe the poor they can win their votes, enslave their bodies, and secure for themselves longevity in office. It is for that reason that we are now over 30 trillion dollars in debt.

It is the left’s ideology of redistribution of wealth. Enforced charity destroys self-reliance. The left robs from the rich to give to the poor. The left operates on the principle that everyone’s vote is for sale to the highest bidder. Socialism is built into their agenda.

The following list is from the 2016 Socialist Democratic platform:

· Raise Incomes and Restore Economic Security for the Middle Class.

· Raising Workers’ Wages

· Protecting Workers’ Fundamental Rights

· Supporting Working Families

· Helping More Workers Share in Near-Record Corporate Profits

A cursory look at the democratic platform reveals its true intent. The only way they can “raise incomes and restore economic security to the middle class” is to do away with the free-market system and increase government regulations. The left wishes to control the economy through redistribution of wealth, thus increasing taxes on the middle class and the wealthy.

To raise worker’s wages, they must dictate minimum wage, thus destroying small businesses and inflating prices. Notice how intrusive the democratic socialists have become.

They want to protect worker’s fundamental rights. The job of the federal government is to enforce the Bill of Rights equally for all its citizens. The left is dividing America into a class system and favoring one class over another. They claim to “support working families.” That clearly refers to redistribution of wealth for all families are working families. Their view of supporting working families is to equalize wealth through government control, not self-reliance.

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Season 4 Podcast 52 Self-Reliance Concept 1 Blind Obedience

At the heart of our democratic republic is the principle of self-reliance. If we do not require self-reliance from our citizens we soon lose our freedom and liberty. Any move toward a democratic republic produces an increase in self-reliance; any move toward totalitarianism produces a decrease in self-reliance. It has company. It is all in concomitant variation. Any movement away from democracy and toward socialism, communism, and totalitarianism is a movement toward

· Bigger government

· Centralized power

· Loss of liberty

· Loss of freedom

· Loss of self-reliance

Elected officials become puppets governed by the strings of those few in power. You do not need to ask how Congress will vote if you already know how the leader of their party will vote.

You do not measure freedom by the number of rights or by free elections or by quarrelling parties. You measure freedom by the percentage of citizens who are self-reliant. If the number of those who are dependent upon big government is larger than the number of those who are self-reliant, then freedom is but a name used to hide the specter of socialism.

As power becomes more centralized, corruption increases by those holding high office. When elected officials become superfluous, many turn their thoughts away from their loss of power in politics and toward personal wealth, self-preservation, and retirement such is our government today. They exempt themselves from their own laws. The left has one vote, not many. There are no dissenters among democratic socialists. Their wealth increases as their power decreases because in wealth they find substitute power. Many enter office poor and leave rich.

If we do not return to self-reliance our democratic republic is doomed. With over a 30 trillion-dollar debt perhaps we have already reached critical mass that will set off the chain reaction of economic collapse.

In this podcast and the others that follow I wish to discuss Self-reliance as seen through the eyes of Ralph Waldo Emerson as discussed in his remarkable essay, Self-reliance. It was written when this nation was in its youth. Emerson captured the spirit of our forefathers. For the full text please read Emerson’s entire discourse. By necessity in these podcasts, I must be selective. Hopefully, however, I can be true to Emerson’s philosophy and accurately define his perspective of self-reliance. I have selected twelve concepts related to Self-Reliance from Emerson’s Essay:

· Concept 1: Blind Obedience

· Concept 2: False Charity

· Concept 3: Truth

· Concept 4: Faith

· Concept 5: Non-Conformist

· Concept 6: To Thine Own Self Be True

· Concept 7: Self-Reliance

· Concept 8: Character

· Concept 9: God

· Concept 10: Solitude

In this Podcast, we shall discuss Concept Number One: Blind Obedience.

“Well, most men have bound their eyes with one or another handkerchief, and attached themselves to some one of these communities of opinion. This conformity makes them not false in a few particulars, authors of a few lies, but false in all particulars. Their every truth is not quite true. Their two is not the real two, their four not the real four; so that every word they say chagrins us, and we know not where to begin to set them right. Meantime nature is not slow to equip us in the prison-uniform of the party to which we adhere.

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Season 4 Podcast 51 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk XI, Pt XL, “The Intersession, Pt IV”

In the prologue to Book XI, Milton writes.

Michael tells Adam that mankind was made in God’s image, but because man chose to serve the appetites of the natural man and used their bodies to serve evil they lost that godlike image. They violated the laws of nature, therefore becoming subject to disease.

Their Makers Image, answered Michael, then
Forsook them, when themselves they vilified
To serve ungoverned appetite, and took
His Image whom they served, a brutish vice,
Inductive mainly to the sin of Eve.
Therefore so abject is their punishment,
Disfiguring not Gods likeness, but their own,
Or if his likeness, by themselves defac’t
While they pervert pure Natures healthful rules
To loathsome sickness, worthily, since they
Gods Image did not reverence in themselves.

Adam agrees with Michael, saying God is just, but asks if there is another way out besides pain and misery to accompany death.

I yield it just, said Adam, and submit.
But is there yet no other way, besides
These painful passages, how we may come
To Death, and mix with our connatural dust?

Michael warns Adam against gluttony and tells him to use temperance in what he eats and drinks. That way they will have a longer life and easier death. Still they must grow old and suffer the natural effects of age

There is, said Michael, if thou well observe
The rule of not too much, by temperance taught
In what thou eatst and drinkst, seeking from thence
Due nourishment, not gluttonous delight,
Till many years over thy head return:
So maist thou live, till like ripe Fruit thou drop
Into thy Mothers lap, or be with ease
Gathered, not harshly pluckt, for death mature:
This is old age; but then thou must outlive
Thy youth, thy strength, thy beauty, which will change
To withered weak & gray; thy Senses then
Obtuse, all taste of pleasure must forgoe,
To what thou hast, and for the Aire of youth
Hopeful and cheerful, in thy blood will reign
A melancholy damp of cold and dry
To weigh thy spirits down, and last consume
The Balm of Life..

Adam replies that he will not run from death, but he would study how the fairest and easiest way to meet the inevitable.

Henceforth I flee not Death, nor would prolong
Life much, bent rather how I may be quit
Fairest and easiest of this cumbrous charge,
Which I must keep till my appointed day
Of rendering up.

Michael tells Adam that the best thing to do is to live well.

Nor love thy Life, nor hate; but what thou livst
Live well, how long or short permit to Heav’n:

Then Michael cautions Adam to be prepared because he is going to show him the future. Adam sees a huge plain filled with tents and cattle. He heard beautiful music. He watched as they created tools from molten metal. He saw people who were just, who worshiped God and studied the words of God. They sought freedom and peace.

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Season 4 Podcast 50 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 6: The Sermon on the Mount Pt III, The Lord’s Prayer, A.”

We offer a daily podcast, Monday thru Friday. Each Friday we discuss the New Testament, King James’ Version. We are now on Matthew Chapter 6. In last week’s podcast, Podcast 45, we discussed Hypocrisy. In this podcast we shall analyze the Lord’s Prayer and divide it into twelve concepts. Because of the length we divided the Lord’s Prayer into two Podcasts. In this Podcast, Pt A, we shall discuss concepts 1 – 3. In next Friday’s Podcast, Podcast 55, The Lord’s Prayer Pt B, we shall discuss concepts 4 – 12.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

It is a common belief among the majority of Christians that The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one and the same person; however, the Lord’s prayer suggests otherwise. I am a literalist. I find safety in literalness. It prevents me from imposing my opinion on the words of the apostles and prophets. Christ teaches us to pray directly to The Father. To me the greatest prayers ever given are the three prayers of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane where he takes upon himself the sins of the world. Are we to believe that he went into Gethsemane to pray to himself.

Remember the moment when drops of blood like sweat were coming from every pore as recorded by the physician Luke:

Luke 22: 44

“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

There is no other moment like it in the life of Christ. Christ spills his blood twice for us. First in the Garden of Gethsemane where he bleeds from every pore; and Second on the Cross where he is crucified for our sins. The cross, that great and magnificent symbol where Christ is seen by everyone being lifted up is only possible because of the Garden of Gethsemane. Before the Cross Christ has already paid for our sins. That occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Cross, followed by the empty tomb symbolize another of the greatest gifts of God to man—death and the resurrection. Christ gave up his body willingly. The Romans had no power over the death of Christ, but the resurrection of mankind depended upon two things (1) the perfection of Christ and (2) The Garden of Gethsemane where he took upon himself our sins. He brought about our resurrection by dying on the cross and rising from the tomb.

Listen to the first prayer in Gethsemane and ask yourself, “is he praying to himself.”

Matthew 26: 38-39

“Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

If he were praying to himself, the prayer would be nothing but a philosophical debate with Christ taking both sides. It is far more logical to assume that he is actually talking to his Father in Heaven. Examine what Christ said to Mary Magdalene at the Garden tomb.

JOHN 20: 17

“Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”

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Season 4 Podcast 49 Twelve Steps to the New World Order

The only way you can destroy the old-world order is by making the majority of people dissatisfied with the way things are or by making the new world order look more attractive. People naturally resist change. When people are content and comfortable, they are harder to move. The democratic socialists want to destroy our democratic republic and replace it with socialism or the new world order. To do that they must make people dissatisfied with the status quo. The following are the twelve primary tactics they are using in collusion with the popular media.

1. Tribalism

Tribalism is the purpose behind their slanderous name calling—sexist, racist, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia. They need to generate hate and distrust of government; therefore, they are trying to persuade the people that all conservatives hate women, hate blacks, hate gays, hate lesbians, hate Muslims, hate immigrants, hate the poor, etc. They must create division on a large scale, or their revolution will not succeed. If they can show themselves as the champions of women, champions of blacks, champions of gays, champions of Muslims, champions of the poor, champions of immigrants, etc. they can win their votes. Individually the groups are a minority, but collectively they are a guaranteed majority. However, to keep the vote, the left must keep the fear, hatred, distrust, and feelings of oppression alive in those groups. Whites have become the enemy. All whites are referred to as white supremacists, domestic terrorists, and systemic racists. In fact, they are the basket of deplorables referred to by the left. What Marxism and communism did with the working class, the democratic socialists are doing with the minorities in America. What better way to do that than to show that all conservatives and all who want to keep our democratic republic alive. are villains?

2. Class System

Democratic socialists must convince the people that the rich are evil and are the cause of misery and oppression of the poor. Redistribution of wealth is necessary to socialism, but that can only be justified if the people are convinced that the rich earned the wealth by exploiting the poor. It is Marxism. They must show that the rich are in a conspiracy to take over the world, and if it weren’t for the rich, the poor would not be poor. That is how they justify redistribution of wealth; otherwise, it would be seen as theft. They constantly blame the evils of the world on rich whites; thus, increasing division.

3. Economic Collapse

Though the left are the great give-away artists, politicians on both sides of the isle ignore the thirty plus trillion-dollar debt as if it didn’t exist. Even when they rarely talk about balancing the budget, it doesn’t include paying off the debt. They simply disregard the debt or the cost of their social programs.

The democratic socialists, the biggest spenders, will benefit the most because they are seeking for a total economic collapse so that they can save us. Anyone who thinks that we can continue ignoring the debt is living an illusion.

Money is an elusive thing at best. In times past rocks were symbols of wealth. If a person had a large rock by their front door, it symbolized wealth. That proved impractical as society advanced; therefore, the gold standard was introduced. That also proved impractical with world trade; therefore, the gold and silver standard were discarded, and money became merely paper, then plastic. In our electronic age paper and plastic have become impractical so we are changing to cryptocurrency or digital money. In other words, money is disappearing.

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Season 4 Podcast 48 The First Amendment: “Congress Shall Make No Law Respecting the Establishment of Religion Pt II”

The First Amendment explicitly states that

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

In other words, there should be no state religion. It does not say there should be no religion in the state, yet they are trying to remove God from everything.

However, you cannot remove religious people from government when the majority of those whom politicians love to refer to as “we the people” are religious. No matter where they go, religious people are going to carry their religion with them. For that matter, religious or not, people carry their morals, personal values, and ethics with them wherever they go. In terms of the First Amendment, what is the difference between the Ten Commandments of Christianity and the multiplicity of commandments of the democratic socialists? The left has become the state religion. They think that by denying God they can impose their religion on everyone and condemn the religion of others. There is a general hypocrisy in government today.

Notice, however, the level of specificity. The Ten Commandments deal with principles of moral behavior. The commandments of the left become a long list of ‘thou shalt nots.’ It is the level of specificity that takes away freedom. It is one thing to say, ‘Thou shalt take care of the land.’ It is another to say, Thou shalt not eat meat, drink from plastic straws, wear fur, burn fossil fuels, oppose gay marriage, etc. In a world ruled by fanatical causes, laws will multiply like cancer cells dividing until it infects the entire nation.

If you separate those who believe in the Beatitudes:

· Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

· Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

· Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

· Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

· Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

· Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

· Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

· Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

· Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. (Matthew 5:3-11)

3 RON

You must also separate those who believe in the following commandments:

· Thou shalt not eat meat.

· Thou shalt not use fossil fuels.

· Thou shalt not use the term illegal alien

· Thou shalt not drink out of a plastic straw

· Thou shalt not eat sugar

· Thou shalt not wear fur

One must ask the question, how is it that the moral virtues of the democratic socialists escape “separation of church and state” mania, but Christian virtues don’t. Both are declarations of moral beliefs. Because a political organization doesn’t call itself a religion does not exclude it from falling under religious biases. A religion is a compilation of shared moral values regardless of whether or not they believe in a supernatural being. It is absurd to condemn the moral values of one organization because its members believe in God and allow the moral values of another organization legal status because its members do not believe in God under the guise of separation of church and state.

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Season 4 Podcast 47 The First Amendment: “Congress Shall Make No Law Respecting the Establishment of Religion Pt I”

The First Amendment states

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

In this podcast, we are addressing the first part, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

In the Christian community, what is known as the three theological virtues—faith, hope, and charity—are universally taught as the most desirable of virtues because they help us become more like God.

1 CORINTHIANS 1-8 & 13

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

…

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Those virtues cannot be legislated by the laws of the land. Where they are enforced by the whims of society, rather than individual conscience, the people are not free. Personal conscience is a necessary part of a democratic republic. That is why freedom of religion is an essential ingredient to any democracy.

Indeed, God is defined by His virtues. Christ embodies all virtues. However, it is not possible in the scope of this podcast to attempt a definitive description of the character of God as revealed by His multitudinous virtues: faith, charity, justice, mercy, light, truth, hope, love, knowledge, bounty, purity, pity, prudence, temperance, perfection, wisdom, intelligence, obedience, humility, zeal, reverence, patience, contemplation, omniscience, and omnipotence, etc.

Freedom is founded on no other laws than the laws of God. The greatest challenge to man who wants to be free is to decide which of the laws of God should be enforced by government and which of the laws of God must be strictly voluntary.

A democratic republic must manage a perfect balance between the laws of God and the laws of man or there can be no freedom. There is a vast difference between saying that there should be no state established religion and that there should be separation of church and state, meaning literally a separation of God and state. The first (no state established religion) is necessary for religious freedom; the second, however, (separation of state and God) is death to democracy, death to our republic, and death to freedom. It is like separating the spirit from the body. Freedom without God is like a wax figure in a museum. It has the dull presumption of similarity to a human being, but it does not have life. It is a parody of life.

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Season 4 Podcast 46 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk XI, Pt XXXVIII, “Michael’s Visit, Pt III”

In the prologue to Book XI, Milton writes.

Seeing Adam’s profound disappointment at being cast out of the Garden of Eden, Michael speaks softly and reminds Adam that God is creator of both heaven and earth. They all belong to God; therefore, the omnipresence of God fills land, sea, and air and every living thing. In other words, wherever he is on the earth, there is the presence of God. He reminds Adam of the words of God given to him in the Garden of Eden:

GENESIS 1

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Michael regards Adam with a benign countenance as he speaks

Adam, thou know’st Heav’n his, and all the Earth
Not this Rock only; his Omnipresence fills
Land, Sea, and Aire, and every kind that lives,
Fomented by his virtual power and warmed:
All th’ Earth he gave thee to possess and rule,

Michael tells Adam that God is not confined to the narrow boundaries of Eden. No matter where he lives on earth, he can feel the presence of God.

No despicable gift; surmise not then
His presence to these narrow bounds confined
Of Paradise or Eden: this had been
Perhaps thy Capital Seat, from whence had spread
All generations, and had hither come
From all the ends of th’ Earth, to celebrate
And reverence thee their great Progenitor.

Michael teaches Adam that God is everywhere, and everything denotes there is a God. He can feel his fatherly love and see his face in his creations.

But this preeminence thou hast lost, brought down
To dwell on even ground now with thy Sons:
Yet doubt not but in Vallie and in Plaine
God is as here, and will be found alike
Present, and of his presence many a signe
Still following thee, still compassing thee round
With goodness and paternal Love, his Face
Express, and of his steps the track Divine.

Michael tells Adam that he was sent by God to reveal the future regarding his offspring, both good and bad. Even though evil will come, Adam can expect God’s grace to descend upon his children.

Which that thou mayst believe, and be confirmed,
Ere thou from hence depart, know I am sent
To shew thee what shall come in future days
To thee and to thy Offspring; good with bad
Expect to hear, supernal Grace contending
With sinfulness of Men;

Experience of good and evil will teach true patience, will temper joy with fear. He will feel godly sorrow and will be able to bear both happiness and sadness. Success or failure. Regardless of how difficult life becomes, because of the grace of God he will be able to endure suffering.

thereby to learn
True patience, and to temper joy with fear
And pious sorrow, equally enur’d
By moderation either state to bear,
Prosperous or adverse: so shalt thou lead
Safest thy life, and best prepared endure
Thy mortal passage when it comes.

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Season 4 Podcast 45 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 6: The Sermon on the Mount Pt III, Hypocrisy.”

In Podcast 35 we examined the Beatitudes. In Podcast 40 we examined The Lord’s Kingdom. In this Podcast we shall continue with the Sermon on the Mount, with the focus on Hypocrisy. Matthew Chapter 6 begins by distinguishing between true charity and the exploitation of charity.

MATTHEW 6: 1-4

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

History has shown that charity can be exploited, and people are often moved more by the show of charity than by charity itself. Our politicians today have learned to bribe the poor with taxpayer money. The politicians receive the glory while giving away stolen money and the poor taxpayers bear the burden. Politicians “sound a trumpet before them” as they steal our taxes to win votes. Many collect money for charitable purposes but divert the money for their own gain.

Charity, which appears so simple is a complex thing. How, for example do you “let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth?” Christ emphasizes secrecy and promises that the Father shall reward you openly. Whenever, we want a definition of charity, we immediately turn to Paul in 1st Corinthians 13: Paul elevates charity about the other virtues. It is the virtues listed by Paul that distinguish between those who have the pure love of Christ and the hypocrite. But first, in the next three verses the subtlety of the hypocrite is revealed. In fact, it reveals that charity isn’t the act of giving. It is the intent of the giver. Without the love of Christ, which is Charity, all giving is hypocritical. Let me point out that you do not have to be a Christian to have the pure love of Christ. Whether we acknowledge it or it, the spirit of Christ is given to everyone born on this earth, and it is the driving power behind all things. Christ is the creator of heaven, earth, and all things in the earth, especially including mankind. Without his light, there would be no life. God is behind everything that is good.

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Scriptures are always filled with paradox as illustrated above. Another example is how can you give all of your goods to the poor, and yet not have charity? Christ answers the question in the Sermon on the Mount.

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

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Season 4 Podcast 44 “What is Knowledge”

Synonyms for knowledge are

Scholarship, education, erudition, intelligence, awareness, consciousness, cognition, comprehension, discernment, perception, information, facts.

When we think of knowledge, we often think of facts, sometimes redundantly referred to as “true facts.” A better word would be “accurate facts” though that also is a tautology. Factual implies accuracy. In a crime investigation detectives gather facts but learn very quickly that perceptions differ. No two people see things exactly alike.

How many thousands, if not tens of thousands have claimed to see Bigfoot, that elusive monster of the woods, UFO’s, or ghosts. Putting hoaxes aside, it is irrational to condemn every eyewitness of lying, but in the absence of physical proof, it is not irrational to be skeptical about their interpretation of what they saw. Their facts may be accepted but not their perceptions or interpretations of those facts.

We must distinguish between facts, regardless of how accurate, and knowledge. We also need to separate knowledge from truth. All the synonyms above are synonyms of knowledge, but they are not synonyms of truth. Truth, for example, exists without knowledge; therefore, we need to distinguish between knowledge and truth. Paul said

2 Timothy 3:7

“7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Truth, then, is in a category by itself. We may have a knowledge of truth, but knowledge itself is not truth. Truth is impervious to knowledge. We discover truth; we do not create it. Truth is impervious to everything. Interestingly enough, if you try to find a definition of truth, reference books become rather elusive. One Oxford dictionary defined truth as “the quality or state of being true.” That is like defining salt as “the quality or state of being salty.” In fact, it is hard to get out of a loop. The same Oxford dictionary defined truth as “That which is true.” Of course, it is meaningless to define a word with the word itself. The dictionary continues, “That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.” The definition does not get out of its tautology. To say that truth is fact is the same as saying that truth is truth. The dictionary continued, “A fact or belief that is accepted as true.” That negates the entire idea of truth. To accept something as true does not make it true.

Go back to the fruitless chase for Bigfoot or UFO’s or aliens or ghosts. To say I believe something is true; therefore, it is true is a classic logical fallacy. It is also a classic logical fallacy to say that the majority believe it is true; therefore, it is true. Or to say that this or that authority says it is true; therefore, it is true. We are as a nation a gullible bunch for we accept truth simply because a movie star or a sports figure or some other famous person said it was true. It sells mouthwash and global warming, but it doesn’t change truth. Truth and facts are not the same thing which means that knowledge and truth are not the same thing.

Since it is somewhat fruitless to define a term by saying what it isn’t, perhaps it is best if we try to identify the primary attribute of truth. To my mind it is this:

Truth never changes.

That eliminates facts as a definition of truth because facts change. Facts are like an ice sculpture in the sun or the image of a cloud in the sky. So, what in our world of entropy is permanent? Laws are permanent. Are laws truth? The answer, of course, depends upon whose laws you are talking about. The laws of man are not permanent; therefore, they do not qualify as truth. There are only two sets of laws that are permanent: The laws of nature and the laws of God.

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Season 4 Podcast 43 “My American Heroes”

I have many heroes, many among the founding fathers, but for me two of the most important political figures in modern times are Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King.

One released the slaves by proclamation. The other released the slaves by acclamation. One was inspired by a vision, the other by a dream. One sharpened his sword and healed the wounds by softening his pen; the other buried his sword and pierced the festering wounds by sharpening his pen. One taught himself to read by the Bible. The other taught us how to read the Bible. The voice of one rang from the requiem of war; the other rang from the pulpit of peace. One united a nation through conflict; the other united a nation through armistice. One voice came from the highest office in the land; the other voice came from a lowly prison cell.

Both forced the government to recognize the self-existing equality of all people as stated in our original documents. Both gave their lives for freedom and brotherhood. Both used the power of the pen to define liberty and to galvanize people into doing the right thing. Both changed the way that we look at each other. And both tied the final knots that united this nation.

Today we have abandoned their principles. We have trampled on their vision and denied their dream.

One of the threats to our freedom today comes from the liberal left, both black and white, who, while shouting racism, promote racial division for personal and political gain. The liberals accuse conservatives of racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and Islamophobia, saying they hate people of color, hate women, hate gays, hate strangers, and hate Muslims. It is fiery rhetoric based on a lie intended to divide the nation: blacks against whites, men against women, straights against gays, and citizens against the world. In the majority of cases, they are pernicious, false, and foolish allegations, emotionally charged, used to incite hate, riot, division, anger, and disharmony. Invectives have become a bludgeon of the left to knock down any dissenting voice. When one is accused of racism or sexual harassment, they are assumed guilty without the rule of law. Shouts of “we believe the victim” hounded the Kavanaugh inquisition, though the charges were spurious and unsubstantiated. Even after the FBI found no evidence of guilt, the harassment continued. But innocence wasn’t the issue. When coming from the left, the accusations are almost never the issue, proven by the fact that they are always against conservatives and the accusations always die when the cause is lost. It does not matter how valid, how gross, how disgusting, and how unlawful an act of a liberal is, it is seldom if ever condemned by the left; whereas, the least fault by a conservative is shouted from the halls of congress and broadcast on every liberal network. For example, the issue with Kavanaugh was not his moral behavior, though that was the cry. It was the coveted seat on the Supreme Court, and the liberals were willing to do anything, even perjure themselves, to prevent the conservatives from holding that seat.

The liberals want to appear as the saviors of blacks, women, gays, immigrants, and non-Christian religions to guarantee their votes and secure their power. They judge a nation by the actions of a few. They wish to silence anyone who dares to speak against the liberal agenda and will stoop to any slander.

As a nation we have become like the leaves of an aspen, we shake at every slander. Even the innocent fear the hammering rhetoric of the left which leaves their tongue so readily.

All laws must apply to all men and all women equally all the time without regard to race, color, or religion. No laws should favor one race over another.

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Season 4 Podcast 42 “What is Equality Pt IV”

If you have not download What is Equality Pts I & II, may we invite you do so now. This podcast is the third in the series.

Socialism dominates the ideology of the left. To remake America, first they must tear down the old structure. They began by destroying the economy and increasing the size of the government. Now they want to add over 80,000 new IRS agents, which will increase the power of the government enormously for the ones in power are able to spend tax dollars without public consent, often without congressional consent. With tax dollars they bribe voters with free money in return for their support. They withhold federal funds from any institution who does to bow to their demands.

I shall begin this podcast by summarizing major concepts from President Obama’s primary speeches, particularly his two Inaugural Addresses and his State of the Union Addresses.

Redistribution of wealth, increasing the middle class through government handouts.
Obamacare, entitlements, increased welfare, taxing the rich, reducing standards, giving special privileges to those who support the agenda of the left, no longer requiring excellence, favoring one group over another, not holding people accountable, decrease in quality and production.
More government control, government control of the free market, more socialist programs, government determined salaries
Guaranteed income, and socialized medicine
Guaranteed middle class. Redistribution of wealth by taking from the rich and elevating the poor to guaranteed incomes equal to the middle class regardless of personal achievement or abilities or experience or education.
Lowering the standards to meet people’s abilities rather than to hold people to high standards. Taking away incentives to increase skills or advance education.
Enforcing equality by enforcing equal pay based on government entitlement rather than work or production. Requiring those who are self-reliant to sustain those who are not self-reliant.
Guaranteed income, guaranteed jobs, guaranteed salary, guaranteed security both in job security regardless of ability or production and in retirement. Government control of the free market system.
Free college tuition, Government controlled salaries, redistribution of wealth, guaranteed retirement.

Working hard is not always enough. Working smart is also required. It is not the role of a democratic republic to make up deficiencies in people. That is the language of socialism and communism. Where is self-reliance? We must learn from our own mistakes. Government dependency is not the answer.

The left has turned its back on self-reliance. Mr. Obama is not speaking just for himself. He is the voice of the left. Socialized medicine is a giant step toward complete socialism.

Let me illustrate how the left interprets equality from a statement by President Obama in his Second Inaugural address.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Today we continue a never-ending journey to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they’ve never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth."

He frequently quotes from historical documents, as if he agrees with the statement, and then immediately undermines that statement

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Season 4 Podcast 41 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk XI, Pt XXXVII, “Michael’s Visit, Pt II”

In the prologue to Book XI, Milton writes.

Eve is contrite and takes the blame of their fall upon herself. She acknowledges Christ, now their judge, as being infinite in pardon. She resigns herself to daily toil with sweat imposed. She approaches the new day optimistically and smiling and promises never to leave Adam’s side again. Even though they will be required to toil from morning till night, it will still be pleasant. She urges Adam to be content in their fallen state.

To whom thus Eve with sad demeanor meek.
Ill worthy I such title should belong
To me transgressor, who for thee ordained
A help, became thy snare; to me reproach
Rather belongs, distrust and all dispraise:
But infinite in pardon was my Judge,
That I who first brought Death on all, am grac’t
The source of life; next favorable thou,
Who highly thus to entitle me voutsaf’t,
Far other name deserving. But the Field
To labor calls us now with sweat imposed,
Though after sleepless Night; for see the Morn,
All unconcerned with our unrest, begins
Her rosy progress smiling; let us forth,
I never from thy side henceforth to stray,
Wherere our days work lies, though now enjoined
Laborious, till day droop; while here we dwell,
What can be toilsome in these pleasant Walks?
Here let us live, though in fallen state, content.

But now that they are in a fallen world, nature is harsh, and even the animals have turned predator and prey. They watch helpless as beast chases the terrified deer.

So spake, so wished much-humbled Eve, but Fate
Subscribed not; Nature first gave Signs, imprest
On Bird, Beast, Aire, Aire suddenly eclipsed
After short blush of Morn; nigh in her sight
The Bird of Jove, stoopt from his aerie tour,
Two Birds of gayest plume before him drove:
Down from a Hill the Beast that reigns in Woods,
First Hunter then, pursued a gentle brace,
Goodliest of all the Forrest, Hart and Hinde;
Direct to th’ Eastern Gate was bent their flight.
Adam observed, and with his Eye the chase
Pursuing, not unmoved to Eve thus spake.

Adam laments as even greater changes await them. It is because death is now introduced into the world. Adam, seeing death in nature, now considers their fate, that they too will turn to dust and be no more.

O Eve, some further change awaits us nigh,
Which Heav’n by these mute signs in Nature shews
Forerunners of his purpose, or to warn
Us haply too secure of our discharge
From penalty, because from death releast
Some days; how long, and what till then our life,
Who knows, or more then this, that we are dust,
And thither must return and be no more.
Why else this double object in our sight
Of flight pursued in th’ Air and ore the ground
One way the self-same hour? why in the East
Darkness ere Dayes mid-course, and Morning light
More orient in yon Western Cloud that draws
O’re the blew Firmament a radiant white,
And slow descends, with something heavenly fraught.

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Season 4 Podcast 40 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 5: The Sermon on the Mount Pt II, The Kingdom of Heaven.”

In Podcast 35 we examined the Beatitudes. In this Podcast we shall continue with the Sermon on the Mount, with the focus on The Kingdom of Heaven.

MATTHEW 5: 19-20

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

In the above Christ teaches us two things: (1) There are different degrees of glory in the kingdom of heaven, else how can one be greatest and another least (2) Not everyone is allowed in the kingdom of heaven. That means we must consider two things. (1) What are the degrees of glory and how do we inherit the highest and (2) what keeps us from entering into heaven and where do we go if we don’t go to heaven. In this podcast we shall focus on the kingdoms of heaven.

In the previous podcast, entitled The Beatitudes, Christ gave us at least nine virtues we must have to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The rest of the Sermon on the Mount is an extension of that discussion. Christ not only refines what he means in the Beatitudes, but he also expands the conditions to get into heaven.

Let’s deal first with the degrees of Glory. We can turn to the words of Paul and the words of John. Speaking of the resurrection Paul tells us.

1 CORINTHIANS 15: 40-42

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

Paul describes three kingdoms of glory

One glory of the sun, which he calls celestial bodies.
One glory of the moon, which he calls bodies terrestrial
One glory of the stars.

The greatest would be the glory of the sun, which he calls celestial bodies; the least would be the glory of the stars. Paul also indicates that the kingdoms compared to the glory of the stars are infinite in number

“for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.”

In another place Paul refers to the greater glory, the celestial bodies, as the third heaven.

2 CORINTHIANS 12: 2-4

2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

It is clear that the kingdom of heaven referred to in the Beatitudes is the Celestial bodies or Celestial Kingdom.

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Season 4 Podcast 39 “What is Equality Pt III”

Obama does not like the free enterprise system because some do really well, and others barely get by. He, like the other liberals, thinks like a Marxist. That is why he likes redistribution of wealth. Obama, and I am speaking of the liberal left, does not like the free market system. In his First Inaugural Address Obama said:

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control—the nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart—not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

Mr. Obama is very good at manipulating words. While pretending to praise the free market system, he immediately condemns it. Examine the major propositions of the above:

Without a watchful, the market can spin out of control
The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous
The success of our economy depends upon the reach of our prosperity
The success of our economy depends upon the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart

Hiring 80,000 new IRS agents, Obamacare, and the 31 trillion-dollar debt are proof of Obama’s intent.

Now just take those assertions alone and read between the lines. “Without a watchful eye,” of course, means the watchful eye of Big Brother, the government. Goodbye free enterprise, goodbye to allowing the market to right itself. It means greater government control. Favoring only the prosperous means to take their wealth and redistribute it to the poor which is confirmed by the assertion “the success of our economy depends upon the reach of our prosperity.” In other words, the prosperous must share their wealth with the unprosperous. That leads to his fifth assertion which, to be more accurate, should have been written this way

Redistribution of wealth is the surest route to our common good

I always cringe at the phrase “common good.” It does derive from commune and communism. It always means socialism. Who decides the common good? Those in power, of course. He claims it is not charity, but what else can it be when he is taking from the rich and giving to the poor? The left is in denial when it comes to language, but in actions they are fully committed socialists. The left thinks it knows what is best for us. As Mr. Obama said, free enterprise is not my idea of America. In Obama’s Commencement Speech at Ohio State he said

“Too many on Wall Street forgot that their obligations don’t end with what’s happening with their shares.”

What is their obligation if not to look at their own shares? Do you see how subtle the language of socialism is? “fair share,” “lucky few,” “redistribution of wealth,” “pool resources,” "fair shot,” “giving everybody a chance to do well,” “common good,” “fair shake.” In short, those who fail will be supported by the government. How else can you read the following?

To care for the sick and the vulnerable and provide a basic level of protection from falling into abject poverty in the wealthiest nation on Earth.

How do you keep people from falling into abject poverty if they don’t want to work? The government solution is to give the poor entitlements, increased welfare, and free money, but that is but a steppingstone to communism who wants to do away with money and property and rights of inheritance, private bank, and free enterprise.

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Season 4 Podcast 38 “What is Equality Pt II”

If you have not downloaded What is Equality Pt I, may we suggest that you do so before continuing with Pt II. It provides helpful background.

In this tetrad on “What is Equality,” I am using the speeches of President Barrack Obama to represent the ideology of the modern democratic party which has turned its back on capitalism, free enterprise, and self-reliance and has turned to socialism and big government in an attempt to remake America. Though some ragged remembrances of pretension are left, they have essentially dropped the rhetoric of our former democratic republic and are openly preaching Marxism.

In yesterday’s podcast I gave the following two quotes: (1) In Mr. Obama’s speech at Ohio State, he said, “To repair the middle class, to give more families a fair shake, to reject a country in which only a lucky few prosper because that’s antithetical to our ideals and our democracy.” (2) And at the University of North Carolina, he said “I don’t want this to be a country where a shrinking number of Americans are doing really, really well, but a growing number of people are just struggling to get by.”

Karl Marx would have applauded along with the university students: In the Communist Manifesto, Article II, Proletarians and Communists, Karl Marx wrote,

The immediate aim of the Communist is the same as that of all the other proletarian parties: formation of the proletariat into a class, overthrow of the bourgeois supremacy, conquest of political power by the proletariat.

Karl Marx added,

We have seen above, that the first step in the revolution by the working class, is to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling as to win the battle of democracy.

The bourgeoisie are the white middle class. The proletariat are the minorities protected by the left. The left is systematically forming all minorities into a one-party system that will have permanent control in the Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court. That is the aim of the left, permanent control. That is why they are building discontent among the classes in America, and it is working.

Let us not forget another major spokesperson of the left, Hillary Clinton when she said,

“Deep seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed.”

She is speaking of Christian virtues, particularly their objection to abortion. Let me remind you of another speaker from the left who totally agrees with her.

“There are, besides, eternal truths, such as Freedom, Justice, etc. that are common to all states of society. But Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis; it therefore acts in contradiction to all past historical experience.”

That too is from the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx.

The left is systematically dismantling the Bill of Rights, ignoring the Constitution, corrupting the balance of power by using the Justice Department and FBI as enforcers of the agenda of the left, endangering our sovereignty with open borders, destroying law and order with sanctuary cities, defunding police, disregarding bail, opening prisons, encouraging vandalism and theft, and bankrupting our nation with a 31 trillion-dollar debt. They are demonizing whites, promoting racial tension, hatred, and discontent, disregarding truth, corrupting our voting process, and promoting propaganda through social media and major news outlets. They hold one standard for conservatives and another for liberals who support their agenda. It is an open attempt to destroy our democratic republic and remake America into a socialist state. The goal is power, unlimited power, and perpetuity in office, using taxpayer dollars as bribes to win the votes of minorities and of the poor.

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Season 4 Podcast 37 “What is Equality Pt I”

First, let me pose a question: Have you considered how obvious inequality can be reconciled with the self-evident truth that all men are created equal by God? Everything we see around us suggests inequality. How can man be free and equal at the same time? Fundamentally that is why socialists and communists oppose a belief in God or freedom. Belief in God undermines socialism, and God-given equality undermines communism.

It is one thing to be created equal by God. It is another thing to be created equal by man or government. God-created-quality is absolute and cannot be taken from us; however, how we use that equality is up to us. All inequality is man-made. The only reason communism exists is because men are unequal in wealth, and government promises to make everyone equal, thus removing the burden of self-reliance. That is the goal of the liberal socialists of the democratic party.

Man-made equality, because it is quantitative, based on wealth, will always lead to totalitarianism and loss of freewill, freedom, and agency. It is in concomitant variation. The greater power government has, the less freedom you have or to put it another way, as government increases in power, you decrease in freedom.

We must distinguish between freedom and liberty. They are not the same thing. To be definitive I would have to write a book so I can only give the short version. Government is in charge of your liberty; you are in charge of your freedom. However, freedom must work within the parameters of government-controlled liberty. Liberty is based on manmade laws. Freedom is based on individual potential driven by desire. It may seem paradoxical, but government can increase your liberty while taking away your freedom.

Let me provide a few peculiar examples, consequences of the democratic platform, all of which I never thought I would see in America.

1. Providing safe injection sites for drug addicts.

2. Open borders

3. Defunding police

4. Making a law saying stealing $1000 is a misdemeanor.

5. Sanctuary cities.

6. Releasing criminals without bail

7. Freeing criminals without prosecution

8. Releasing criminals from prison in violation of the court appointed sentences

Do I even need to point out the obvious of how that decreases freedom. Do you feel safer? Would you carry a thousand dollars on big city streets? How many big stores have had to close their doors because of unprosecuted theft? How many small businesses cannot afford to remain open. Store owners cannot even call the police for there are not enough policemen to go around. Police don’t bother with rapes or robbery. Understaffed their response time is slow and unreliable. They don’t even bother with crimes under a thousand dollars per individual, meaning a mob can bankrupt you in one evening and go unprosecuted as long as they individually stay under a thousand dollars. This all occurred because of the policies of the democratic party in trying to create equality.

God who created all men and women equally protects our freewill and agency. What then, do we mean, when we say that all men are created equal by God? Talents differ but equality is not measured by talents. There are many ways God created us equal, but let me give you eight things to consider:

1. We lived with God before coming to this earth. We are all children of God equal in his sight.

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Season 4 Podcast 36 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk XI, Pt XXXVI, “The Intercession, Pt I”

In the prologue to Book XI, Milton writes.

The Son of God presents to his Father the prayers of our first parents now repenting, and intercedes for them: God accepts them, but declares that they must no longer abide in Paradise; sends Michael with a band of Cherubim to dispossess them; but first to reveal to Adam future things: Michael's coming down. Adam shows to Eve certain ominous signs; he discerns Michael's approach; goes out to meet him: the Angel denounces their departure. Eve's Lamentation. Adam pleads, but submits: the Angel leads him up to a high hill; sets before him a vision what shall happen till the Flood.

Because of the fall, the physical bodies of Adam and Eve change; however, their hearts are softened, and both feel repentant. Their prayers are heard in heaven. Milton apparently draws inspiration from John The Revelator who wrote “and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.”

Thus they in lowliest plight repentant stood
Praying, for from the Mercy-seat above
Prevenient Grace descending had remov’d
The stonie from their hearts, and made new flesh
Regenerat grow instead, that sighs now breath’d
Unutterable, which the Spirit of prayer
Inspir’d, and wing’d for Heav’n with speedier flight
Then loudest Oratorie: yet their port
Not of mean suiters, nor important less
Seem’d their Petition, then when th’ ancient Pair
In Fables old, less ancient yet then these,
Deucalion and chaste Pyrrha to restore
The Race of Mankind drownd, before the Shrine
Of Themis stood devout. To Heav’n their prayers
Flew up, nor missed the way, by envious winds
Blow’n vagabond or frustrate: in they passed
Dimentionless through Heav’nly dores; then clad
With incense, where the Golden Altar fum’d,
By their great Intercessor, came in sight
Before the Fathers Throne:

Christ intercedes to the Father for Adam and Eve symbolizing Christ’s intercession for all of us who also became subject to the fall. Christ becomes our advocate. Christ redeems us from the fall and makes us one with him as he is one with the Father.

Them the glad Son
Presenting, thus to intercede began.

See Father, what first fruits on Earth are sprung
From thy implanted Grace in Man, these Sighs
And Prayers, which in this Golden Censer, mixt
With Incense, I thy Priest before thee bring,
Fruits of more pleasing savour from thy seed
Sow’n with contrition in his heart, then those
Which his own hand manuring all the Trees
Of Paradise could have produc’t, ere fall’n
From innocence. Now therefore bend thine eare
To supplication, heare his sighs though mute;
Unskilful with what words to pray, let mee
Interpret for him, mee his Advocate
And propitiation, all his works on mee
Good or not good ingraft, my Merit those
Shall perfect, and for these my Death shall pay.
Accept me, and in me from these receive
The smell of peace toward Mankinde, let him live
Before thee reconcil’d, at least his days
Numbered, though sad, till Death, his doom (which I
To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse)
To better life shall yield him, where with me
All my redeemed may dwell in joy and bliss,
Made one with me as I with thee am one.

The Father accepts his Son’s request, but Adam and Eve must leave Paradise and become subject to the laws of nature. He tells his Son that death must be man’s final remedy, meaning that without death we could not be redeemed. Without death mankind would live in eternal misery. Earth becomes a probationary state refined by sharp tribulation and refined by faith and judged by works. Only through faith and obedience can we have a seco

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Season 4 Podcast 35 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 5: The Sermon on the Mount Pt I The Beatitudes”

In the last two Podcasts of The Stories of the New Testament, we examined the three temptations of Christ in the Wilderness. In this Podcast we shall discuss the greatest sermon ever given, The Sermon on the Mount, with the focus on the Nine Beatitudes.

We first think of Matthew when we think of the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew begins with the Nine Beatitudes which some interpret as “supreme blessedness” Or “state of great joy.”

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

The first thing we notice about the nine Beatitudes is that they are all commandments with a promise. Each can be turned into a hypothetical statement:

If you are poor in spirit, you shall inherit the kingdom of heaven
If you mourn, you shall be comforted.
If you are meek, you shall inherit the earth
If you hunger and thirst after righteousness, you shall be filled.
If you are merciful, you shall obtain mercy
If you are pure in heart you shall see God
If you are a peacemaker, you shall be called the children of God
If you are persecuted for righteousness’s sake, you shall inherit the kingdom of heaven
If men revile you and persecute and say all manner of evil against you falsely, you shall have great reward I heaven.

The scriptures do not leave us without an explanation. For example, If you mourn, you shall be comforted. Who is the comforter? We are told in John

JOHN 14: 26-27

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Acts 5:32

32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

The fourth Beatitude also refers to the Comforter. “If you hunger and thirst after righteousness, you shall be filled.” Paul tells us

Acts 9:17

17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

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Season 4 Podcast 34 Adversity

Agency cannot exist in a world without both God and Satan. When Satan was cast out of heaven, he was thrust to earth. Luke records the words of Jesus:

Luke 10:18

18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Having lost the war in heaven, Satan continued his war on earth. Satan is allowed on earth that we may have agency. Agency only occurs when we are enticed both by Christ and by Satan. Both God and Satan, like law, are invisible that faith may increase, but their enticing influence is everywhere. In heaven, after this life, Satan will be eternally absent, and we will be forever happy only because we came to earth and experienced misery brought about by his inveigling lies.

We must learn opposites on earth because there will be no opposites in heaven. If we keep the commandments of God, if we endure the miseries of this world, we are guaranteed unlimited happiness in the next life.

Revelation 21

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

However, regardless of how good we are in this life, goodness untried by adversity contains no wisdom and develops no patience and no faith.

James 1:3

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Romans 5:3

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience.

The Apostle Peter speaks of opposition as the trial of our faith.

1 Peter 1:7

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Everybody suffers, but the cries of those who suffer in patience are heard by heaven and call forth the power of God. The patient inherits the kingdom of God.

Hebrews 6:12

12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Romans 2:7

7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Revelation 14:12–13

12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Patience in suffering is the cauldron out of which pours forth humility, understanding, wisdom, faith, hope, miracles, and the still small voice.

2 Peter 1:6

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

Patient suffering is life’s greatest teacher because it blends the spiritual with the temporal and gives meaning to life. Suffering without patience often turns to revenge and leads to greater suffering.

Revelation 13:10

10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

It is a greater blessing to be tried in our obedience than to be punished for our disobedience. We gain greater wisdom in our patience in suffering than in our serenity. As some fruit is sweetened by frost, some frosty countenances are sweetened by adversity. Christ suffered that he may have empathy for our suffering. We suffer that we may have empathy for other’s suffering. Those who suffer in patience are often spared that they may show forth the power of God and become a witness to others that God is merciful.

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Season 4 Podcast 33 “Title IX, The Disentitlement of Women, Pt II”

This podcast is a continuation of Part I. If you have not downloaded Podcast 32 Part I, may we recommend that you do so before continuing this one. It gives the necessary background. These two podcasts are an analysis of a letter written in 2016 under the Obama Administration, enforcing Title IX to impose transgender rights above the rights of women who are uncomfortable sharing their private spaces with biological men identifying as women. This podcast is a continuation of that analysis.

“Schools receiving federal money.”

In other words, all schools who receive federal money are being implicitly bullied into compliance or they will lose their funding. That gives one person, the President of the United States, the power to use taxpayer money to enforce his personal agenda. He is not held accountable to the people, the Congress, or the Supreme Court.

“The school must treat the student consistent with the student’s gender identity”

That empowers students over administration, making the administration helpless. Any student can arbitrarily declare his or her gender and thus get a teacher in trouble for disrespecting their rights. Any student who has a personal grudge against a teacher has enormous power over that teacher. Our teachers are now tyrannized by their students. We discipline teachers not students. If you doubt it let me invite you to spend a day in the classroom. The agenda of the left is to empower all those who support their policies regardless of right and wrong, justice, fairness, or even decency or public safety.

Where gender is not absolute, as nature demands, gender identity can potentially change from one day to the next on a whim, simply because of government empowerment. Teachers cannot assume a boy is a boy or a girl is a girl. They cannot even use personal pronouns without permission. Potentially they must wait to be informed by the student on a daily basis what his or her present gender status is. But Title IX also opens the door for males to freely enter a woman’s private space.

“Access sex-segregated facilities consistent with their gender identity”

It is not consistent with their gender. It is consistent with their gender identity which can change from moment to moment. Male students, simply by declaring female gender identity, have free access to girl’s bathrooms, showers, and other private facilities. Men can compete on equal terms in women’s sports, thus denying women potential success. It is a biological fact that in some sports—track, football, basketball, hockey, etc.—that biological men are superior to biological women regardless of declared gender. Keep in mind who is being empowered here: Teenagers, for one thing, who by their nature are immature and filled with mischief. In this instance, it provides an open door to very harmful mischief. Every parent should revolt against such gross injustice to the delicacy of young people who deserve our protection. In addition, there is no age set. Imagine the worst because it will happen. They ignore the feelings of young, impressionable adolescents who are already plagued with personal insecurities.

And of course, language is now under attack, even personal pronouns. Those who control language control thought. To control one’s thoughts and one’s conscience is the road to absolute power. Theoretically, even in education, in the future it will be impossible to communicate through language.

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Season 4 Podcast 32 “Title IX, The Disentitlement of Women, Pt I”

A government that can punish its citizens who claim that gender is absolute can punish its citizens for any whim the liberal left delights in. The following, published in 2016, is an excerpt from a letter by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice sent to school principals across our nation:

Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, schools receiving federal money may not discriminate based on a student’s sex, including a student’s transgender status.

That is the 2016 version, the one that evolved to fit the Woke agenda. The original 1972 version reads as follows.

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

In 1972 that referred to sex identification as determined by God and by nature as indicated on birth certificates and described in biology texts and as common sense dictated. The sex of a person in 1972 was considered absolute and could not be a whim of a teenager. The original Title IX benefited women who were discriminated against, particularly in sports. It was not originally intended that men could declare themselves as women willy nilly and compete against women in women’s sports. The modern interpretation of Title IX is a perversion of the original intent of Title IX promoted to advance the agenda of the left as defined in their platform.

The evolution of Title IX is strong evidence that power, not civil rights are the primary goal of the left. Notice how today’s Title IX takes away women’s rights. Not only do women have to compete against men in sports, but women, even very young girls are forced to allow men in their most private and once protected environments: restrooms, showers, and personal space. They are exposed to any practical joke and any perversion men want to impose on them under the name of rights. Their privacy and even their lives are endangered by the modern interpretation of Title IX. What began as an entitlement of women ended as a disentitlement of women and an entitlement of men who arbitrarily decided to adopt women’s roles. It has been fifty years since Title IX was enacted, and now women are worse off not better off for Title IX.

Title IX now allows discrimination based on a student’s sex. Women, for example, now cannot prevent men from entering in their bathrooms, their showers, their sport’s events, and their personal space. Title IX gives any man, regardless of intent the right to infringe on the rights of women. And how did they do it? Simply by adding the following phrase.

“Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, schools receiving federal money may not discriminate based on a student’s transgender status.”

How many of you who were around in 1972 could have imagined that Title IX meant the following:

· Public schools can encourage your young daughters to have a sex change without your consent or your knowledge. That doctors have the right mutilate their bodies and change their sex irreversibly.

· If you protest before the school board you may be considered a White Domestic Terrorist and arrested by the FBI.

But that is already happening in the United States of America..

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Season 4 Podcast 31 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk X, Pt XXXV, “The Fall Pt VII”

In the prologue to Book X, Milton writes.

[Eve] persists, and at length appeases him; then, to evade the curse likely to fall on their offspring, proposes to Adam violent ways, which he approves not; but, conceiving better hope, puts her in mind of the late promise made them, that her seed should be revenged on the Serpent; and exhorts her with him to seek peace of the offended Deity, by repentance and supplication.

One of the reasons that Eve agreed to eat the forbidden fruit is that she wanted children. That was her greatest desire. She knew that without eating the fruit of knowledge of good and evil they could not have children. Now, however, in her grief, she offers a strange solution. Since sin and death await to devour their children, she suggests they remain childless.

Milton addresses in a straightforward manner the age-old question, ‘Should we bring children into such a wicked world?’ It is interesting to follow Milton’s solution. Keep in mind that during the writing of Paradise Lost the black plague is claiming the lives of half the people in Europe. Milton himself is in exile in the country to avoid the plague ravaging London. Milton is not speaking in the abstract.

If care of our descent perplex us most,
Which must be born to certain woe, devoured
By Death at last, and miserable it is
To be to others cause of misery,
Our own begotten, and of our Loins to bring
Into this cursed World a woeful Race,
That after wretched Life must be at last
Food for so foul a Monster, in thy power
It lies, yet ere Conception to prevent
The Race unblest, to being yet unbegot.

Childless thou art, Childless remain:
So Death shall be deceived his glut, and with us two
Be forced to satisfy his Ravenous Maw.

But Eve is not finished. She suggests that they go to an even greater extreme. She suggests that they both commit suicide and prevent any children from ever coming into the world. At this point Eve has not grasped that the entire purpose of the fall is to bring children into the world and to let them exercise their agency.

Milton, a true Biblical scholar, is actually writing Paradise Lost to “justify the ways of God to man.” Milton is defending the plan of salvation. He is defending the fall of man. He is defending the fact that Satan, Sin, and Death are necessary attributes of this fallen world to give all the spirit children of God the opportunity to come to earth, to gain a physical body, and to be exposed to the enticements of both Christ and Satan in order to have agency. Milton understands the far-reaching atonement of Christ and the necessity of the resurrection. It is enlightening to see how Milton answers the dilemma. This is the theme of Book X. Eve’s solution suggests that she is still under the influence of Satan. Adam, who was taught daily by Gabriel, steps forward and presents God’s solution. First Adam listens patiently as Eve urges Adam to enter into a suicide pact with her.

But if thou judge it hard and difficult,
Conversing, looking, loving, to abstain
From Loves due Rites, Nuptial embraces sweet,
And with desire to languish without hope,
Before the present object languishing
With like desire, which would be misery
And torment less than none of what we dread,
Then both ourselves and Seed at once to free
From what we fear for both, let us make short,
Let us seek Death, or he not found, supply
With our own hands his Office on ourselves;
Why stand we longer shivering under fears,
That shew no end but Death, and have the power,
Of many ways to die the shortest choosing,
Destruction with destruction to destroy.

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Season 4 Podcast 30 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 4 & Luke Ch 4: The Temptations of Christ.” Pt II

In Podcast 25 we examined the first temptation of Christ in the wilderness. In this podcast we shall examine the second and third temptations of Christ in the wilderness. If you have not down loaded Podcast 25, may we invite you to do so. Though the two podcasts are self-contained, Podcast 25 does offer some useful background information.

TEMPTATION TWO

MATTHEW

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

LUKE

9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Again, Satan is mocking Christ.

“If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down.”

“If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence.”

Temptation Two symbolizes the spiritual kingdom. It is ironic, of course, that Satan is promising something that he doesn’t have to give, and that Christ already has. Christ will be forever known as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. But it is the same lie that Satan promises all of us. Satan uses religion to achieve his ends. Many people have used the power of religion to control the conscience of man. Satan wants us to worship him. Notice that Satan freely quotes Scriptures.

“For it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

“10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

Solomon’s temple, or the temple of Jerusalem symbolizes the power of God on earth. It is the center of worship for all Jews. We must accept that this moment in the life of the Savior is Real, that Satan really took Christ upon the highest part of the temple. If he had thrown himself off the temple in front of thousands of onlookers and been miraculously saved, all the Jews of Jerusalem would have worshiped him as the Messiah. That is the kind of miracle even the Pharisees were looking for, something spectacular to impress the Romans. It was perhaps the only act Christ could have done to persuade them to worship him for they all looked for the return of the Messiah at the temple.

The second temptation addresses the act of using religion to gain power over people, and that is not the role of Christ’s true church. Satan is offering Jesus power though priestcraft. That was not Christ’s way. When he healed people, he often cautioned them not to tell anyone who did it. He never used his miracles to show off or to increase his power. Miracles became a witness of Christ only to true believers and those who believed in the ancient prophets. All miracles can be explained away through natural means. Without the Holy Ghost no miracle has the power of conversion.

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Season 4 Podcast 29 “Truth vs Lies”

Corrupting language is a cosmic crime, for it cuts off comprehension. Lying, democracy’s public enemy number 1 because it cuts off truth, which is the law of freedom, is more than prevarication of the facts. Lying is a kind of death sentence to the truth because it cuts off the spirit of truth.

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

What does Christ mean when he said, And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free?” To understand that let’s divide the proposition into the two major assertions.

Assertion One: And ye shall know the truth.

Christ gives us the key to knowing the truth. It is a conditional statement. Christ said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.

Condition one is to continue in the word of Christ. In other words, to endure to the end. To be a true disciple we must continue in the word throughout our lives. The second condition is that we will be His disciples in deed. In other words, we shall be his disciples in action, in deeds, in works, in behavior, and in the service of God. That is the key to knowing the truth. Christ is the source of truth. John records:

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

In other words, Christ is saying, “I am the straight and narrow way; I am the Word or the truth; and I am eternal life. To live with the Father forever is eternal life and the only way we can live with the Father is through his Son Jesus Christ. He is the keeper of the gate. He is both judge and advocate. He is both savior and redeemer.

"17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

Satan is the father of lies

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

Dictionaries skirt the real meaning of truth. To understand truth, or what truth means, let’s turn to the scriptures. Notice in the following the synonyms that accompany truth.

· God of truth and without iniquity,

· serve him in sincerity and in truth, J

· Mercy and truth are met together,

· truth of the Lord endureth for ever,

· Let not mercy and truth forsake thee,

We can better understand the truth by the company it keeps. Notice in the above all the attributes that are associated with truth:

· God

· sincerity

· Mercy

· endurance

I especially like the triadic company of law, light, & truth. They are inseparable. Also, truth is associated with language, with speaking and with hearing and with mercy and grace. Truth has very good company.

Compare that with lies

· Thou shalt not bear false witness,

· false balance is abomination to the Lord,

· wicked doer giveth heed to false lips,

· love no false oath, Zech.

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Season 4 Podcast 28 “Peace be Still”

Ancient prophets referred to the language of the Spirit as the still small voice.

1 KINGS 19

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

Elijah a prophet heard the still small voice, but it did not come readily. He was distracted by the strong winds, by the earthquake, and by the fire. The winds, earthquake, and fire are symbolic of the powerful distractions in our world that keep us from hearing the still small voice.

David teaches us how to hear the still small voice even during the worst storms. In Psalms 46, David lists a number of calamities relating to end time:

· The earth is removed

· Mountains are carried into the midst of the sea

· The waters roar

· The mountains shake

· The heathen rage

· The kingdoms were moved

· Desolations come

After all this, the Lord said to David.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

3 RON

It is hard to be still during tragedy. When fear flows through our veins like fire; When we are stricken with grief; When the foundations of our world are shaken, being still is not the first thing we think of. When our world appears to be falling apart, it is hard to be still. It is difficult to hear the “still small voice.”

Yet it seems that the remedy often can only come when we stop, take a deep breath, and turn our hearts to God. The Lord is mindful of the storms of our life. Remember when the Savior is out on the sea and a storm arose.

MARK 4: 37-41

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Perhaps we have all been caught on that ship that appeared about to sink, and we thought God was in the hinder part asleep and couldn’t hear our cries, so we cry louder. The image of “waking the Lord” is very interesting. Doesn’t that often ring true? We think the Lord is deaf to our cries. We think that he doesn’t care or that he doesn’t hear us or that he is sleeping. And we cry out in despair, or anger, or fear, or frustration: “Don’t you care that we perish?” But it isn’t that he does not hear us. The problem may be that we don’t hear him for we are looking in the wrong place.

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Season 4 Podcast 27 “The Mind of God”

The Book of Genesis gives us a clear picture of our creation.

Genesis 1

26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

God gave man the following attributes:

1. God created man in his own image

2. God created man after his likeness

3. God gave man dominion over the earth

4. God created male and female

5. God blessed all mankind

6. God commanded man to multiply and replenish the earth

That sets us apart from all animals. When science tells us that we are animals, science uses false analogy. False analogy is to extend a comparison beyond its logical boundaries. It would be more accurate to say that man has some similarities to animals or animals have some similarities to man, but they are not the same. Man is not an animal. We are children of God. As Peter tells us.

2 Peter 1:3-4

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Among other things God gave us

· All things that pertain to life and godliness

· Knowledge of God

· A calling to glory and virtue

· Exceeding great and precious promises

· A divine nature

· A moral conscience

Those attributes are denied to animals. Not only did God give us a divine nature, but according to God’s own divine power he gave all things that pertain to life and godliness through knowledge of God. We are called both to glory (which refers to exaltation with God in the Holy City new Jerusalem) and to virtue (which are the divine attributes of Christ.)

The key is knowledge. Unlike animals we are given to know the mind and will of God. We are very complex beings. We learn things through many avenues.

1. We have the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and feel.

2. We have a mind that understands reasoning and logic and law.

3. We have a heart that senses the divinity with in and is in tune with spiritual things.

4. We have a living immortal spirit that once lived in the presence of God. In fact, God is the father of our spirits and that is why we call him Father. We have divinity within.

There are two things that we should learn on this earth.

1. The mind of God

2. The will of God

Mind and will could be interchangeable. But for convenience I should like to separate them. For definitions, I prefer to use synonyms, let me give synonyms for mind.

· Intellect

· Cognitive function

· Consciousness

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Season 4 Podcast 26 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk X, Pt XXXIV, “The Fall Pt VI”

In the prologue to Book X, Milton writes.

Adam ended his lamentation; however, he is still in despair. He is burdened by a newly awakened conscience. Conscience is the first price that Adam must pay for the fall. Conscience brought guilt, sorrow, and despair. He lies prostrate on the ground.

Thus Adam to himself lamented loud
Through the still Night, now, as ere man fell,
Wholesome and cool, and mild, but with black Air
Accompanied, with damps and dreadful gloom,
Which to his evil Conscience represented
All things with double terror: On the ground
Outstretcht he lay, on the cold ground, and oft
Curs’d his Creation, Death as oft accus’d
Of tardy execution, since denounc’t
The day of his offence.

In his despair, Adam wishes for death. He questions why divine justice doesn’t immediately carry out its office and end his misery. Before the fall Adam gave no thought to justice. It is only because of his awakened conscience does he consider justice now. Adam did not comprehend what it meant to have a knowledge of both good and evil.

Why comes not Death,
Said he, with one thrice acceptable stroke
To end me? Shall Truth fail to keep her word,
Justice Divine not hast’n to be just?
But Death comes not at call, Justice Divine
Mends not her slowest pace for prayers or cries.

O Woods, O Fountains, Hillocks, Dales and Bowrs,
With other echo far I taught your Shades
To answer, and resound far other Song.

In his despair Adam sees Eve approaching. His anger turns on her.

Whom thus afflicted when sad Eve beheld,
Desolate where she sat, approaching nigh,
Soft words to his fierce passion she assayed:
But her with stern regard he thus repelled.

Adam orders Eve to leave his presence. He detests Eve.

Out of my sight, thou Serpent, that name best
Befits thee with him leagued, thy self as false
And hateful; nothing wants, but that thy shape,
Like his, and color Serpentine may shew
Thy inward fraud, to warn all Creatures from thee
Henceforth; least that too heav’nly form, pretended
To hellish falshood, snare them.

Adam blames Eve for everything. It is all her fault. Satan beguiled Eve, but Eve beguiled Adam. Adam sees no difference between the two. Adam chides himself for thinking Eve was wise. Now he calls her a crooked rib.

But for thee
I had persisted happy, had not thy pride
And wandering vanity, when lest was safe,
Rejected my forewarning, and disdained
Not to be trusted, longing to be seen
Though by the Devil himself, him overweening
To over-reach, but with the Serpent meeting
Fooled and beguiled, by him thou, I by thee,
To trust thee from my side, imagined wise,
Constant, mature, proof against all assaults,
And understood not all was but a show
Rather than solid virtue, all but a Rib
Crooked by nature, bent, as now appears,
More to the part sinister from me drawn,
Well if thrown out, as supernumerary
To my just number found.

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Season 4 Podcast 25 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 4 & Luke Ch 4: The Temptations of Christ.” Pt I

Only one perfect being ever lived on planet earth, and it was Christ, the creator of man and the creator of heaven and earth. What must be understood, however, is that Christ suffered the same temptations that we suffer, which is the theme of today’s podcast; otherwise, how could he understand our temptations. The difference is that Christ never gave in to temptation. The scriptures tell us:

2 Corinthians 5:21

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Hebrews 4:15

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

1 Peter 2:22

22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

Christ came to earth to pay for our sins.

John 1:29

29 ¶ The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Hebrews 9:28

28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

1 Peter 3:18

18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Because Christ understands temptations, he restricted the power of Satan so that Satan cannot tempt us above our ability to withstand temptation. The apostles Peter and Paul teach us

1 Corinthians 10:13

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

2 Peter 2:9

9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Even in the Garden of Eden Christ placed a curse upon Satan’s head that he could not tempt man more than he was able to resist.

Genesis 3

13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

What does the curse mean that “her seed shall bruise thy head”? Notice that Eve said she was beguiled by Satan. To beguile means to mislead, delude, dupe, fool, take in, and deceive. When Christ told Lucifer that the posterity of Adam and Eve “shall bruise thy head” he is referring to the cunning of Satan. Man will be able to outwit Satan, to see through his cunning devices. To “bruise his head” refers to man’s ability to outsmart Satan, to foil his designs, to avoid his entrapments. The only way that Satan can beguile us if we willingly enter into his territory. Even through his cunning, Satan cannot take away our agency through trickery. We forfeit our agency willingly. The old comic routine, “The devil made me do it.” Is false. It would be more accurate to say that the devil enticed me, and I willingly gave in to his enticements.

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Season 4 Podcast 24 “Socialism & The Democratic Platform” PT II

The multiplicity of rights is doing just the opposite of what social democrats claim. A right that does not apply equally to everyone is a threat to our freedom. Special rights to favored groups are dividing this nation, not uniting it. The Bill of Rights promotes freedom and equality for all. Human rights based on special interests promote racism, division, class hatred, and tribalism. Hate crimes are a case in point. The very nature of hate crimes is the claim that one person’s rights are more important than another person’s rights. A person who kills a man because of race, religion, or gender is just as evil, but no more so, than a person who kills a man because of greed, revenge, robbery, or contract. Murder of any innocent human being is murder and unless diminished capacity can be proven, all criminals should receive equal treatment before the law.

Our ‘fairness’ most often has a tinge of selfishness, revenge, and punishment to it. Look at the hate crime laws in the U.S. To say violence against one person because of special circumstances is worse than the violence against another is institutionalized racism and promotes class division. Racism in America will never end until all laws protecting one group over another are removed and all are treated as equal.

Civil Rights laws are not passed to create equality. They are passed to create division, increase power, exercise control, and satisfy the selfish ends of a few. It is used by those in power as a form of manipulation or bribery to secure votes from special interest groups. There are those who will betray our freedom to remain in power. Racial division is worse in America today than it was in the 60’s because the principles of democracy have been abandoned, whether by misplaced charity, for personal gain, or for the secured power of the ruling party, the consequences are the same. Minorities have given up one slave master only to become enslaved to another. Freedom can only come when all are treated equally under the law.

Only essential attributes should be used in determining rights. Human rights, for example, should represent all humans. Special rights based on manmade attributes or political correctness promote racism to the point that our nation has never been more divided. Skin color, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, though essential to certain classifications, just as age, hair color, or physical fitness are essential attributes to certain classifications, are not essential attributes to being human. We are all humans. Human rights should be based only on essential attributes. One size fits all.

Any law that favors one color over another is racist.

There has never been more tension between blacks and whites, men and women, straights and gays, rich and poor, whites and racial minorities, atheists and theists, social democrats and conservatives, police and non-police. The reason is very simple. The left must persuade minorities that they are victims and that the enemy is the white conservative right; otherwise, they cannot be their saviors. And there has never been greater division created by burgeoning laws that elevate or favor one group above another. Suddenly those who achieve “the American Dream” have become enemies of those who haven’t and are somehow perceived as responsible for the failure or circumstances of the poor.

Any discrimination based on politically correct policies is a form of racism. It is politically motivated. Political correctness should be seen for what it is: an infringement on freedom of speech and an excuse to tyrannize over others.

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Season 4 Podcast 23 “Socialism & The Democratic Platform PT I”

The following language is purposely used in the Bill of Rights.

· “Right of the people” Amendment 1

· “Right of the people” Amendment II

· “Right of the people” Amendment IV

· “No person” Amendment V

· “By the people” Amendment IX

· “To the people” Amendment X

Why did our forefathers deliberately avoid favoring specific groups? The answer is obvious. To the government, there should be no respect of persons. All should be treated equally. To see how the language of government has changed, examine the 2020 platform of the Democratic Party which is 83 pages long. Apart from the “We hate Trump” tirade, which if removed would reduce the document to a pamphlet, look at the language:

· Democrats will protect and promote the equal rights of—women, LGBTQ+ people, religious minorities, people with disabilities, Native Americans, and all who have been discriminated against

· Democrats will support medical and public health research grants for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority-Serving Institutions

· Democrats will prioritize support for Black entrepreneurs and other entrepreneurs of color, as well as women entrepreneurs, and other proven programs that invest in low-income communities and communities of color.

· Paid sick leave is a necessity especially for the Black, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Native American, and low-income workers

It is, of course, the language of communism and socialism, not the language of a democratic republic. The language of a democratic republic would be:· Democrats are committed to improving economic mobility for people of color.

· We will make homeownership and the wealth-building more accessible for people of color.

· Democrats are committed to ending sexual assault against Native American women and transgender women of color.

· We will outlaw discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in housing, public accommodations, access to credit, education, jury service, and federal programs.

· We will guarantee transgender students' access to facilities based on their gender identity.

· Democrats will ensure federally funded programs for older adults are inclusive for LGBTQ+ seniors.

· We will prioritize alternatives to detention for individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, transgender, gender non-conforming, or intersex,

It is, of course, the language of communism and socialism, not the language of a democratic republic. The language of a democratic republic would be:

Democrats will protect and promote equal rights

Democrats will support medical and public health research

Democrats will prioritize support for small business.

Democrats will support paid sick leave.

Democrats will support free enterprise.

Democrats will increase funding directed investigations into violations of human rights.

However, if the democrats used the above platform they would no longer be guaranteed the votes of special interest groups. Who would they bribe? Who would they make dependent upon government. Who would they hold captive by entitlements and guaranteed incomes.

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Season 4 Podcast 22 “Wants vs Desires”

Reference books show wants and desires as synonyms because we are often very imprecise in our language. We confuse wants with desires. In this podcast Linda and I shall present ten defining attributes or characteristics of desire for you to ponder. Here is attribute one:

One: We sometimes get what we want, but we always get what we desire.

Wants can be generalized, and it will be found that most of us have similar wants. Satisfying people’s wants is what makes billionaires. Wants, or instant gratification, create a very strong drive. All of us have experienced watching children, whether our own or others, throw tantrums because they didn’t get what they wanted. The tantrum may have been stimulated by a toy or piece of candy or some other eye-catching attraction they happen to come across on the store aisle while their parents are shopping. In the following list of synonyms, see if you can distinguish between wants and desires.

Wish for, long for, yearn for, hope for, care for, pine for, sigh for, hanker after, fancy, be bent upon, set one’s heart upon, need, require, necessitate, demand, craving, appetite, inclined toward, prone to, hunger, thirst, relish, lust after, importune, entreat, urging, beseeching, begging, imploring,

The list, of course, could continue. Rodale’s Word Finder, my reference book of choice, offers many other synonyms for want and desire without distinguishing between the two; but what if I said that all the synonyms above describe wants and none describe desire. Would you accuse me of dissembling? In effect I am asking you to redefine desire. We are apt to trivialize desire by defining desire as something we really want. However, desire is not an intensified want or a physical necessity.

Let me continue by presenting the second attribute of desire:

Two: Want is physical or temporal. Desire is spiritual.

Wants generally appeal to the senses. Advertisers know that. They are ingenious at packaging their products. They appeal to sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and feel. They also appeal to vanity, sexual stimulation, and other less noble characteristics of human nature. Stimulants favor wants. Look at any display. We generally connect sexual stimulation to desire, but by my definition sex appeals to the natural man or to wants not to desires.

Once we start looking at wants as natural or temporal and desires as spiritual, the words take on a new meaning. In other words, wants appeal to the natural man; desires appeal to the spiritual man. I will add the third distinguishing characteristic.

Three: Everyone knows their wants. Our economy is based on that fact, but few know their desires. Our comfort is based upon our wants, but our salvation is based upon our desires.

Desire should not be confused with want or hope or dreams or goals or plans arrived at by reasoning or ambitions. Wants motivate us, but desires drive us. Wants are of the flesh; desires are of the spirit. Though it is possible that desire motivates those ambitions, it is not through necessity. Many forces affect our goals. However, we must look at desire, not always as an out-of-control passion, as a lustful glance, or even as a long-awaited goal. To understand desire, we must remove all planners, all designs, all goals, all dreams, and all sensuality—we must remove everything imposed by our society or provided by reason, ambition, appetites, passions or established programs.

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Season 4 Podcast 21 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk X, Pt XXXIII, “The Fall Pt V”

In the prologue to Book X, Milton writes.

Emphasizing God’s omniscience, Milton has God looking down upon Lucifer and his angels. God also tells his Son that it was the folly of man that caused their own fall, and the fault should not be imputed to God.

See with what heat these Dogs of Hell advance
To waste and havoc yonder world, which I
So fair and good created, and had still
Kept in that state, had not the folly of Man
Let in these wasteful Furies, who impute
Folly to mee, so doth the Prince of Hell
And his Adherents, that with so much ease
I suffer them to enter and possess
A place so heavenly, and conniving seem
To gratify my scornful Enemies,
That laugh, as if transported with some fit
Of Passion, I to them had quitted all,
At random yielded up to their misrule;

Milton also shows that Satan is self-deceived into thinking he has outwitted God. God shows that his wisdom is greater than Satan’s cunning. God allowed Satan, Sin, and Death to enter the world, but in the end the earth will be entirely cleansed from sin because of the sacrifice of his Son.

And know not that I called and drew them thither
My Hell-hounds, to lick up the draff and filth
Which man’s polluting Sin with taint hath shed
On what was pure, till crammed and gorged, nigh burst
With suckt and glutted offal, at one fling
Of thy victorious Arm, well-pleasing Son,
Both Sin, and Death, and yawning Grave at last
Through Chaos hurled, obstruct the mouth of Hell
For ever, and seal up his ravenous Jaws.
Then Heav’n and Earth renewed shall be made pure
To sanctitie that shall receive no stain:
Till then the Curse pronounc’t on both precedes.

The earth will remain under a curse until it is renewed; however, because of the atonement of Christ, the earth will be renewed and the curse lifted. The angels of God shout for joy at the good news.

He ended, and the heavenly Audience loud
Sung Halleluiah, as the sound of Seas,
Through multitude that sung: Just are thy ways,
Righteous are thy Decrees on all thy Works;
Who can extenuate thee? Next, to the Son,
Destined restorer of Mankind, by whom
New Heav’n and Earth shall to the Ages rise,
Or down from Heav’n descend. Such was their song,
While the Creator calling forth by name
His mighty Angels gave them several charge,
As sorted best with present things.

Milton shows that God knew that the fall of man would occur; therefore, he established a plan wherein man could be saved. Speaking of a new heaven and new earth. Milton is clearly referring to the Book of Revelation

Revelation 21

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

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Season 4 Podcast 20 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Chapter Three: Behold, the Lamb of God”

One of the greatest witnesses of Christ is John the Baptist who is six months older than Christ. John’s divine mission was to bear witness of the coming of Christ. He spoke in parables.

Matthew 3: 1-2

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

We have the great meeting between Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, but there is no evidence that John had ever met Christ until the day of Christ’s baptism in the river Jordan. John was humble. He drew a clear distinction between his mission and the mission of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 3: 11-12

11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

In preparing for the kingdom of heaven, John teaches two necessary ordinances. First is baptism by water. John, who was given the Aaronic priesthood by his father, Zacharias, the priest, has the authority to baptize “with water unto repentance.” Water is a symbolic cleansing to prepare one for a greater cleansing which only Christ can give the authority to do, “he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.”

In the early days of the church the Holy Ghost was given by the laying on of hands by the apostles. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, we are told

1 Timothy 4: 14

14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

Presbytery come from the Greek word ‘Presbyteros” meaning elder. Following baptism, elders or apostles of the early Christian Church gave the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.

Acts 8: 18-20

18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, 19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.

20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

Both baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost are necessary requirements for entering the kingdom of heaven. Peter, who clearly had the words of John the Baptist in mind, teaches the same principle. Perquisite to receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost is baptism.

Acts 2: 38

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Both water and fire are symbolic of total cleansing suggesting that to enter the kingdom of heaven one must be cleansed of all sins by the power of Christ. Christ went a long way out of his way to be baptized by John because at that time John was the only one with the priesthood authority to perform that sacred ordinance. Speaking to the Pharisees and Sadducees, John establishes conditions for baptism.

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Season 4 Podcast 19 “Conscience” Pt II

Conscience is liberty’s greatest police force. Free a man from his conscience, and government will have to pay trillions of dollars for his sins. However, the only way you can free a man from his conscience is to make sin relative.

Contrary to popular belief conscience is not an indicator of good and evil or right and wrong. Conscience is an indicator of our perceptions of good and evil, right and wrong.

Conscience indicates a system of beliefs. Satan can use conscience as easily as God. Conscience has driven many men to do evil. It was the wise King Solomon who said,

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7)

God bears witness to truth; conscience bears witness to man’s idea of truth. If you want God to govern conscience, then you must align yourself with truth. You do not improve conscience by working on conscience. You improve conscience by working on truth. It is truth, not conscience that makes one free. Conscience has held many men captive to evil.

Satan is known as the father of lies because he knows that those who call good evil and evil good will in good conscience serve him thinking they are serving God. Satan has led many an army carrying the banner of Christ to fight in Satan’s army. Satan is perfectly willing to let man do his work in God’s name. Truth is Satan’s enemy, not religion. Satan is the most religious person on the planet for he knows that righteous indignation for an evil cause creates the greatest soldiers. Satan is perfectly willing to lead the band in playing Onward Christian Soldiers as long as they are marching in his direction.

Truth is the only banner of liberty that Satan hates because he cannot win against truth. When our nation turned its back on the Ten Commandments and replaced it with political correctness, then Satan rejoiced for he knew that the uncertain battle cry would lead the children of God in all directions, fighting chimeras.

We erroneously see Satan at the forefront of his soldiers leading the attack, a fierce dragon spitting flames of fire and wearing the colors of evil. Satan is cunning. He is a chameleon. He wears the colors of his enemy and mingles among the children of noble birth whispering delicately into their ears half truths and camouflaged lies thus leading them to fall into their own unguarded pit.

Satan wins by creating dissension, doubt, discontent, hatred, turning brother against brother and sister against sister. Satan wants us to see racism everywhere.

Because of the vast complexity of big government, democracy can only survive in an environment where most of the people govern themselves with a common view of morality and a desire for self-reliance. Government controlled morality must move away from democracy and toward a totalitarian state. The police force must increase. Two things happen: (1) Some evils must be decriminalized to ease the courts and empty the prisons; other evils must be winked at. (2) Severe penalties must be imposed on some evils merely to cut down the volume of criminals.

When the majority move away from absolute standards of morality, the fluid laws of a nation move with it, as we see by the changing of laws that once strictly governed abortion, chastity, prostitution, traditional marriage, gambling, drugs, pornography, and crime. What doesn’t move with it is the freedom from consequences. Those must be paid for, and the government is picking up the tab, offering free abortion, redefining marriage and the family, and extending rights. We are moving rapidly toward a welfare state. The taxpayers are required to pay for the effect, but political correctness does not allow them to say anything about the cause.

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Season 4 Podcast 18 “Weaponizing Conscience” Pt I

There are various dictionary definitions of conscience

· “Consciousness of the moral right and wrong of one’s own acts or motives.”

· “A sense of right and wrong with an urge to do right.”

· An inner feeling or voice viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one’s behavior.”

· “The sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right to be good.”

One must ask, what is missing from all those definitions? Or perhaps a better question is, what are the assumptions in each of those definitions. Take the key words that appear in all the definitions above::

· Moral right and wrong

· Rightness or wrongness of one’s behavior

· Inner sense of what is right or wrong

· Feeling that you know and should do what is right and avoid doing what is wrong

The assumption is that everyone agrees on what is right and what is wrong. Once upon a time that was true in America because our moral sense was founded on the Bible, particularly the Ten Commandments. What has happened, however, now that the Bible has been removed and political correctness has taken its place? It renders the definitions of conscience above as meaningless.

Who defines right? And who defines wrong? You? Government? The liberal left? California? The Democratic Party? The woke generation? Black Lives Matter? The Democratic Party? God? Catholics? Protestants? The Bible? The law?

What about views regarding abortion? Gay marriage? Gender? Critical Race Theory? Global warming? Wearing fur? Eating meat? Fossil fuels? Homosexuality? Adultery?

Our Declaration of Independence speaks of self-evident truths such as

· all men are created equal,

· all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

· that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-

Those lines would not have been written today. For example, they assume

· That God exists

· That God is our creator

· That God created all men equal

· That God endowed us with certain unalienable Rights

It is inevitable that the Declaration of Independence in the near future will be condemned as politically incorrect, that the language is sexist or racist or exclusive or male dominated or offensive. Just as there are those who insist that we remove God from our coins, from our pledge of allegiance, from the halls of congress, there will be those who will insist that we remove allusions to God from our founding documents. The declaration above as well as the following offensive lines will be removed or rewritten from our Declaration of Independence because they refer to God or because they use male dominated language:

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

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Season 4 Podcast 17 “The Cave of Despair”

Above all other living things, we are emotional creatures, and sometimes we feed despair with despair, turning pain to ignoble pleasure or self-pitying hopelessness. Edmund Spenser the English poet in his epic poem “The Faery Queen,” warns us of voluntarily entering into the Cave of Despair.

The Red Cross Knight, freed from the dungeon by King Arthur and carrying heavy guilt, meets a terrified Knight fleeing from the Cave of Despair. Speaking of Despair who lurks in the Cave of Despair, the knight warns :

“His subtill tongue, like dropping honey, mealt’th Into the hart, and searcheth every vain, That before one be aware, by secret stealth His power is stolen, and weakness doth remain. O never Sir desire to try his guileful train.”

Emboldened by pride, the youthful Red Cross Knight ignores the terrified Knight’s warning and, weak though he is from guilt and the deprivations of the dungeon, boasts of his own powers:

“Certain,” said he, “hence, shall I never rest, Till I that treacherous art have heard and tried.”

The Red Cross Knight confidently enters the Cave of Despair, thinking to outwit his sly enemy, disregarding the Knight’s warning and disregarding the fact that despair had already lodged in his heart through guilt of sin, and the long nights of darkness brooding in the giant’s dungeon. Carrying despair within his breast, he did not recognize that the enemy within was the same enemy without that he was trying to outface. Even with a bold and defiant beginning, the Red Cross Knight is soon overcome by Despair’s guileful argument and sly cunning and is convinced by Despair that suicide is his only way out.

Anyone with experience knows that life is a roller coaster of emotions. And many of us have had personal friends who committed suicide. Despair has many companions.

· Abandonment

· Hopelessness

· desperation

· Despondence

· melancholia

· discouragement,

· Pessimism

· Depression

· Grief

But more often than not, in our uncertain, turbulent world, despair comes galloping into our heart uninvited. The following is a quote from the blog of Paula Hiatt at paulahiatt.com. Paula is my oldest of eight daughters. It was her experiences that inspired this podcast on courage in despair:

Two months before I was diagnosed with cancer, I believed I had hit rock bottom, navigating a heartbreaking trial I never, ever thought could happen to me. Who knew rock bottom had a basement, or that basement would have a sewer, and that sewer had a sinkhole. Eventually I was paddling around in the magma where my oars kept catching fire, facing a platoon of bone shattering disasters of which cancer was by far the easiest. Who knew I would honestly wish for those heady days in the cozy comfort of rock bottom.

I’m going to be upfront and admit that I now have far more empathy for suicides than I once had because I now understand what it means to genuinely want to die, anything to stop the horrific emotional pain created by a combination of overwhelming circumstances and a body too weakened by chemo and surgery to properly support my heart and mind. I would not have taken my life because I know the eternal consequences of such an act, nor did I ever beg God to take me. The image of my three beautiful children loomed in my mind more powerfully than they had when the plane caught fire, and I knew I could never intentionally leave them unguarded, that was key, a decision made. I don’t say any of this for sympathy, I don’t need it, but I do need you to know that I speak from the depths rather than the surface.

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Season 4 Podcast 16 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk X, Pt XXXII, “The Fall Pt IV”

In the prologue to Book X, Milton writes.

The proceedings of Sin and Death; God foretells the final victory of His Son over them, and the renewing of all things; but, for the present, commands His angels to make several alterations in the heavens and elements. Adam, more and more perceiving his fallen condition, heavily bewails, rejects the condolement of Eve.

As the drama unfolds we have three major settings. (1) We have the Father and Son and the hosts of heaven looking down on earth and hell from heaven. (2) We have Satan, Sin, and Death speaking to the spirits who fell from heaven with Lucifer in hell. (3) We have Adam and Eve on the fallen earth. From heaven we learn that God is omniscient and that his plan is unfolding as it should. From hell, we see the curse that was placed on Lucifer come to pass, but we also see Satan, Sin, and Death plotting to destroy mankind. From, earth we see things from the view of a fallen Adam who feels deep remorse for what he has caused by eating the forbidden fruit. His lamentations are pitiful as he thinks through the consequences, He is inconsolable. As the scene opens, Satan is contemplating the curse that God placed on him, wondering what it means.

True is, me also he hath judged, or rather
Me not, but the brute Serpent in whose shape
Man I deceived: that which to me belongs,
Is enmity, which he will put between
Me and Mankind; I am to bruise his heel;

His Seed, when is not set, shall bruise my head:
A World who would not purchase with a bruise,
Or much more grievous pain? Ye have th’ account
Of my performance: What remains, ye Gods,
But up and enter now into full bliss.

Satan dismisses the curse, mocking God showing that Satan does not know the ways of God to man. He is in denial, boasting to the other devils as he promises them full bliss. He suffers his second great humiliation and defeat, the first being cast out of heaven. Expecting enormous applause Satan receives a huge shock.

So having said, a while he stood, expecting
Their universal shout and high applause
To fill his ear, when contrary he hears
On all sides, from innumerable tongues
A dismal universal hiss, the sound
Of public scorn;

Satan stupidly thought the curse was on the serpent whose body he usurped. He suddenly discovers that the curse is actually on him, proving again that God is in charge and his wisdom is greater than Satan’s cunning. Many actually criticized Milton for making Satan a hero, but Milton is far ahead of his critics. Milton sticks to his theme, “To justify the ways of God to man.”

Milton is a scholar. He is analytical. He perfectly understands the Greek skill in sustained argument. Satan, though shown as cunning, does not come out as a hero. He is never in charge. God is always in charge and merely allows Satan to further his plan to give man agency. For agency to exist man must be enticed both by Christ and by Satan. Without opposition, without choice, man could not have agency. Satan can do nothing more than God permits him to do.

Milton captures this beautifully in the scene that follows. Only someone with Milton’s genius could have pulled this off. The imagery is astonishing. For me personally the following scene and the one at Hell’s Gate where Satan first meets his daughter Sin and his Son Death after being cast out of heaven are some of the greatest images in literature.

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Season 4 Podcast 15 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Chapter Two”

One of Christianity’s favorite stories is the story that is known as the Three Wise Men.

Matthew 2:1-2

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Do the scriptures actually use the number three? Is it because three very expensive gifts were given of gold, frankincense, and myrrh that we think there were only three? Such wealthy men would probably have an entourage of servants.

We are introduced to the dynasty of Herod. They were astute politicians managing a delicate balance of power between Rome and Jerusalem, but they were not nice people. All the signs of the times pointed to the meridian of time when Christ would be born. One can only imagine the excited conversations about the birth of the Messiah on the lips of those from every walk of life. Such excitement probably filled the court of Herod, making Herod rather nervous. It is doubtful that Herod believed in the divinity of Christ, but he understood politics and a movement like that among the Jewish nation could topple his throne. Herod’s own counselors would have been of the highest education in astronomy, astrology, and ancient Biblical prophecies. He would have consulted with the best bible scholars around. Such a thing could not be hidden. When Herod heard of the Three Wise Men he summoned them to his court.

The Wise Men appeared about two years after Christ’s birth and they stirred up in Herod a fear that his power was going to be challenged by a peasant. He looked at things only through political eyes. He probably didn’t believe in Christ as the true King of the Jews, but he understood the threat to his dynasty if a man called Christ was preferred by the people. There would be civil war, and he would lose. After all religious fanaticism is a powerful political force. People will die for their God. The Romans were idol worshipers and many Jews had adopted the culture of their conquerors. Roman gods were necessary for the longevity of the state. Herod could not afford to have a man among his people calling himself God. Though it doesn’t excuse his ruthlessness, it explains it. Like all people of total power, Herod understood how to gain power and how to hold power. It was people like Herod that inspired Nicolo Machiavelli to write The Prince centuries later.

Matthew 2: 3-7

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

Notice that the chief priests and scribes all knew of the prophecy in great detail for the Children of Israel had been looking for the coming of Christ for two thousand years. All of the ordinances of the Mosaic law pointed toward Christ. All of the prophets prophesied about him, especially Isaiah, religious leaders of the Jews were the ones who later would crucify him.

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Season 4 Podcast 14 “The Law of Equality Pt II”

Thank you for joining us in Pt II of The law of equality. If you have not downloaded Pt I, may we recommend that you do so. The Law of Equality is among the first laws given by God to the Israelites as they traveled to the Promised land. It was held in high esteem and was one of the primary guiding principles of the judges of the House of Israel. Our nation is modeled not after the rule of the kings of the House of Israel but after the rule of the Judges. That was the first great democracy. It would, of course be considered today as a theocracy because it was ruled by Moses, the prophet, but it was governed by Judges. Moses was the court of last resort.

Deuteronomy 1:16-17

16 And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.

17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.

That counsel given to the House of Israel is necessary for any government that believes that we were created equal by God.

1. Judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger.

2. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment.

3. Ye shall hear the small as well as the great.

4. Ye shall not be afraid of the face of man.

How would America change today if we obeyed that counsel with exactness? Where would be the cry of racism then? Again, the Lord counseled.

Deuteronomy 16:18-19

8 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.

19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

1. Judges and officers shall thou make thee in all thy gates.

2. They shalt judge the people with just judgment.

3. Thou shalt not wrest judgment.

4. Thou shalt not respect persons.

5. Thou shalt not take a gift for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

Can you imagine a world where politicians, judges, lawyers, policemen, and all who sat in judgment were free of bribes or even the appearance of bribes? The first rule that should be strictly applied to all those in authority is they should not be permitted to take gifts of any kind or of any worth for any circumstances. The scriptures warn to avoid the appearance of evil. It should be an offence worthy of impeachment or otherwise removal from office.

To “wrest” judgment means to twist, seize, grasp, tug, pull, extort, or wring judgment. When I was a boy of ten growing up in South Carolina, we lived on a 63-acre farm way down in Cherokee County where houses were very far apart. Our clothes washer was in the yard behind the house. I watched my mother wring clothes. That is what it was called, “wringing clothes.” And sometimes I did it for her. Actually, I did it quite often. It was an electric washer. The wringer then was on top of the washer. Sometimes I had to pull and tug to get the clothes through the wringer, hence the phrase “put through the wringer.” Warm soapy water would run down my arms, and I would be exhausted when the job was done.

The Lord condemned those who put judgment through the wringer. That means you wrested judgment and pulled and tugged and twisted it to fit something it wasn’t meant to fit.

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The Law of Equality

Season 4 Podcast 13 “The Law of Equality Pt I”

One thing we can always count on is law. Law gives order to chaos. Those who argue against intelligent design appear to ignore law. How can law be accidental? How can laws emerge out of chaos? Law creates order out of chaos and preserves, perfects, and protects that order. Even science, which is entirely dependent upon the absolute nature of law, does not address where laws come from. To say that laws self-exist poses enormous existential problems.

It is astonishing that some of the greatest minds on our planet can be blind to the necessity of intelligent design. They will accept any theory as long as it leaves out the possibility of God. Intelligent design is the only explanation that accounts for the organization of natural and physical laws.

Science cannot explain the existence of law. Somehow they magically emerged from the Big Bang. No accident has the power to create one law, and yet we don’t even yet know the number of laws that exist. Then there is the problem of the complex organization of laws. The only explanation is that all laws are governed by a single law. If laws fought against laws, then order could never come out of chaos. How many levels of laws are there in the world of physics, chemistry, and biology?

Science, of course, recognizes that everything is governed by law. Without law science would have no reason to exist. They may as well be alchemists, astrologists, necromancers, magicians, or conjurers. They spend all their time trying to discover and understand and use law. That is our primary debt to science. The world is a better place because of science.

All laws have conditions. The conditions are the cause. The conditions must be necessary and sufficient for the effect to occur. Law such as gravity has the power to organize and govern the elements. Laws must be absolute. We choose the conditions of law giving us freewill, but the effect or consequences of the law choose us. They are automatic. The fact that laws have conditions is the greatest evidence of intelligent design there is. It is irrefutable evidence. If laws were self-creating and unconditional there would be no freewill. We would all be parts in a cosmic machine that went on forever. God organized laws to give man agency and freewill. Stephen Hawking said that because of law we cannot have freewill. He has it wrong. Only because of law do we have freewill. But Mr. Hawking denies intelligent design. Without intelligent design, where can you go but accidental universe and nihilism?

To understand the significance of the theme of this and the following podcast, I want to emphasize the necessity of law as it relates to liberty. Fundamental to existence is opposition. The two great opposites are order and chaos, law and lawlessness, freedom and captivity. Laws, of course can be classified infinitely, but by necessity I shall deal only in very broad strokes.

There are temporal laws that govern all temporal worlds. A temporal world, by its nature, is subject to time and time means entropy where things move from order to disorder resulting in death to all life forms and chaos to non-life forms. That is the primary world of science, and it is truly astonishing and endless. We have physical bodies; therefore, we are subject to the laws of nature where for every birth there is a death. Law alone governs the balance of nature. Science cannot explain how that phenomenon occurred. Evolution cannot account for law. Evolution is governed by law; evolution does not govern law. By the very definition of the scientific method any scientific argument about origins is based on opinion because they cannot recreate it. My problem with theoretical science, as exciting as it is, is that they often claim scientific authority where there is none.

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Season 4 Podcast 12 “Profitable Poverty”

Little by little our freedoms are being stolen from us, each in the guise of a good cause, but isn't it odd how the one who robs from the rich to give to the poor is often the primary benefactor? Somehow money to the poor turns into power to the politicians and all by sleight of hand, like a magician.

I remember sitting in an American fast-food restaurant on CMH Road in Bangalore, India, overlooking a busy crossroads. I saw a teenage beggar girl dressed in dirty, brown, tattered clothing, hobbling on a cane going from car to car. I could see her foot even from my second story window which she kept clearly visible. It was deformed. For obvious reasons, beggars often prominently display their deformities.

Many are reduced to begging because all other resources have been exhausted. We are all familiar with the Biblical quote, “For God loveth a cheerful giver.” God condemns those who do not help the poor. A country that does not address poverty is a heartless country indeed, but there is a reality to everything, even begging. A country that does not use wisdom in welfare is easily exploited and will soon itself become a beggar. We make begging more profitable than working.

Such is the case in America today on an obscene scale. If one asked who benefits most from poverty in America it is the socialist element of the Democratic party. That is why we are now on a slippery slope toward socialism. We are abandoning the principle of self-reliance. President Obama said in his Commencement Speech at Ohio State:

To care for the sick and the vulnerable, and provide a basic level of protection from falling into abject poverty in the wealthiest nation on Earth.

Those are wonderful words until they get translated into action. Obamacare, which is socialized medicine, moved our nation a giant step into socialism. Its purpose is redistribution of wealth. It is called affordable health care because it is free for those who don’t work and extremely costly for those who do. Its purpose is to make people dependent upon the government. Regardless of what it is called, socialism leans, by necessity, toward totalitarianism, or it cannot work. A Democratic Republic can only operate under the principle of personal accountability and self-reliance.

The left openly uses taxpayer dollars to bribe the poor for votes. The most blatant example is President Biden’s promise to college students while campaigning that he would forgive all student debts which is just another form of redistribution of wealth. As Mr. Obama said, “I actually believe in redistribution of wealth.” President Biden wanted the student vote and he got through open bribery. Paying the students personal debts with government funds was unconstitutional but that was irrelevant once the election was over.

Regardless of what excuse or cause the government uses to collect our taxes, once the taxes are paid to the government the taxpayers have no control over how the money is spent, and many of us wonder how much control Congress has over the money spent. Do we really know the full truth about President Obama’s $150 Billion Iran muclear deal as well as the $1.8 billion in cash. President Trump reported,

“Iran’s hostilities substantially increased after the foolish Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2013 and they were given $150 billion, not to mention $1.8 billion in cash. … Then, Iran went on a terror spree, funded by the money from the deal and created hell in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq. The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration.”

In a true democracy, every penny collected for taxes should be accounted for to the taxpayers.

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Season 4 Podcast 11 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk X, Pt XXXI, “The Fall Pt III”

In the prologue to Book X, Milton writes.

Satan arrives at Pandemonium; in full assembly relates, with boasting, his success against Man; instead of applause is entertained with a general hiss by all his audience, transfomed, with himself also, suddenly into serpents, according to his doom given in paradise; then, deluded with a show of the forbidden tree springing up before them, they, greedily reaching to take of the fruit, chew dust and bitter ashes.

Satan glories in his new titles. Now that he has brought about the fall of man, he sees himself as God of this world. Though he lost the war in heaven, he sees himself as victor in the war on earth. The great irony of the fall is that Satan would have done more to defeat the plan of God by staying out of Eden; by never tempting Adam and Eve; and by never bringing about the fall.

If Adam and Eve had remained in the garden of Eden there would have been no progression. They would have never known good and evil, never known opposition, never had children. They would have remained forever in an innocent state knowing neither joy nor misery. Agency requires both the enticements of Christ and the enticements of Satan. In addition, we could never have come to earth to gain a body.

By bringing about the Fall Satan launched the plan of salvation in which Christ would redeem man from the fall, allowing mankind freewill, agency, freedom, and liberty, bringing about their resurrection, and allowing them to return to the presence of God in a sanctified and perfected state where they themselves would be Gods if they chose to keep the commandments of God.

That could never happen as long as Adam and Eve remained in the Garden of Eden. This is the great paradox of the fall. Satan is necessary for the eternal progression of mankind. At the heart of everything is freewill and agency. Without Satan we never would have had either one.

Whom thus the Prince of Darkness answerd glad.
Fair Daughter, and thou Son and Grandchild both,
High proof ye now have giv’n to be the Race
Of Satan (for I glorie in the name,
Antagonist of Heav’ns Almightie King)
Amply have merited of me, of all
Th’ Infernal Empire, that so neer Heav’ns dore
Triumphal with triumphal act have met,
Mine with this glorious Work, & made one Realm
Hell and this World, one Realm, one Continent
Of easie thorough-fare.

Satan is cunning, but Christ is wise. He allows Satan to tempt man to bring about his purposes. Satan does not know the mind of God. In the above Satan glories in his new role of antagonist. The irony of the statement is that the only creator is Christ. Satan, who has no powers of creation, lives only to destroy the works of Christ. The Jews call Satan The Destroyer.

Satan’s greatest triumph is that he has paved the road to hell which he calls an “easy thorough-fare. He lives to make people miserable like himself.

Satan, Sin, and Death are now going to the depths of hell to inform his associates, the other devils, of his great triumph. Remember all this above occurred at Hell’s Gate. He is conversing with Sin and death. In hideous irony, he refers to his incestuous union with sin and death by calling the mother of his child “Fair Daughter” and by referring to his Son from that incestuous union “thou Son and Grandchild both.” Milton brilliantly defines the foul relationship between himself and sin and death.

Therefore while I
Descend through Darkness, on your Rode with ease
To my associate Powers, them to acquaint
With these successes, and with them rejoyce,
You two this way, among those numerous Orbs
All yours, right down to Paradise descend;

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Season 4 Podcast 10 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Chapter One”

If you have been following the Podcasts, you will note that they are published five days a week, Monday thru Friday. The Podcasts have been taken from Four Books entitled In Defense of Christianity, particularly from the endnotes. The common theme of the podcasts is liberty, divided into Freewill, Agency. Freedom, and Liberty. I focus on the Four laws of liberty defined by James.

The Law of Liberty which encompasses the Ten Commandments.
The Perfect Law of Liberty which encompasses all the teachings of Christ
The Law of Equality, based upon the principle that God is no respecter of persons.
The Royal Law, based upon the two great commandments, love the Lord and love thy neighbor

In addition to the volumes mentioned above inspired by the Holy Bible, on Monday of each week, Linda and I focus on the writings of world literary figures who embody the virtues of Christ in their poems, plays, stories, or novels. Not all are Christian writers by faith, but all embody the teachings of Christ in their philosophy. Virtues are universal to mankind.

I am presently focusing on John Milton’s Paradise Lost. We are on Book X. There are twelve books in Paradise Lost. The previous books are available in the library of past podcasts. The series is entitled Poet’s Corner. Following Milton, I shall continue Poet’s Corner, focusing on other great writers.

This podcast introduces a new series that will be published each Friday entitled Stories of the New Testament, beginning with Matthew. I am looking forward to taking a journey through the New Testament and hope that you will take the journey with us.

Linda and I are not scholars and don’t pretend to be. We are not ordained ministers. We pretend to no qualifications but love of what we are doing. We have both had very long academic careers with various college degrees of sorts but nothing that gives us authority. In my academic career I focused on literature. Linda focused on education. I have been a serious student of logic for many many years. My personal interests were language, logic, literature, science, and religion but I have been eclectic in my reading and pretend to no expertise in anything. I offer a lifetime of disorganized study, experience, and critical thinking. I am in my 80’s, Linda in her 70’s. Our combined families equal 13 children, 43 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren and growing. We both share a love for life, for family, for this country, for liberty, and most of all for God. We are interested in many things and perfect in nothing. We are fully aware of the superiority of those who download these podcasts and are counting on the fact you will employ your own genius in extracting and keeping what is good and discarding that which to you appears to be error.

As professional educators Linda and I both know that learning only occurs when two opposing forces come together and spark new ideas. We hope to generate that spark.

This is the first podcast in the new series “The Stories of the New Testament.,” which by design, unless something interferes, will appear in the Friday Podcast. Linda, who has taken on the role of reader, is far more than just a reader. Her voice is everywhere. I call her my little electron. She seems to appear in two places at once with no perceptive path in between. She keeps things moving. Without her these podcasts would not be possible. When I need a Bible reference, I ask her. She has hundreds of scriptures memorized. When we go on our long walks, it is like walking with the Bible. We shall begin with Chapter 1 of Matthew.

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Season 4 Podcast 9

“The Most Dangerous Game” Pt II

In the Previous Podcast we discussed ways that the left are transforming American from a democratic republic to a socialist state through the corruption of language. We focused on the First Amendment. Today we shall continue the same theme by focusing on the Second and Tenth Amendments.
Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Again, as with all the Amendments the Second Amendment is simply written and straight forward. “The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” Synonyms for infringed are

· breached

· Violated

· Broken

· Contravened

· Transgressed

· Treated as of no importance

· Repudiated

· Encroached

Such language is ignored by the left. President Joe Biden speaking on Gun Violence in America said,

“I respect the culture and the tradition and the concerns of lawful gun owners. At the same time, The Second Amendment, like all other rights, is not absolute.”

And all this time we thought the Bill of Rights were absolute. Notice how President Biden, like President Obama quotes the statements from our founding documents then immediately repudiates them. President Biden just said, “I respect the culture and the tradition of the Second Amendment, but as with all the other amendments they are not absolute. In other words, we can change them. Using President Obama’s words: “Today we continue a never-ending journey to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time.”

Recently with Roe vs Wade overturned, we saw just how much the left resists the Tenth Amendment.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Could our forefathers have been any plainer. If the Constitution does not specifically give the government power, then the decision is entirely up to the states. The constitution did not give the government the power to control abortion. How is it that they were able to by-pass the Constitution? It is because the Supreme Court turned their back on their duty, violated the Constitution, and gave the government the power over abortion. The job of the Supreme Court is to interpret the Constitution, not to change it. The left has ignored that for decades and continually appoint justices who will advance their agenda regardless of the Constitution. Now they are threatening to pack the Supreme Court which will entirely destroy our balance of power, but it fits in with the philosophy to transform and remake America.

To acquire absolute power in America, you must destroy the Tenth Amendment. Roe vs Wade was unconstitutional from the beginning. The issue never was abortion. The issue was states’ rights. The issue of abortion was not delegated to the United States by the Constitution; therefore, it was only under the power of the states. However, those who wanted abortion trampled on states’ rights and passed Roe Vs Wade giving unconstitutional authority to the Federal Government..

To illustrate just how far the left will go to by-pass the Tenth Amendment, let me refer to Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 22, 2009) It illustrates how the left is destroying our rights through language.

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Season 4 Podcast 8 “The Most Dangerous Game” Pt I

If you want to destroy our democratic republic, what is the best approach? We have survived the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and two World Wars. War strengthens a nation’s resolve and creates patriots.

You cannot destroy America by a direct attack. You can destroy America only by transforming it from within. The transforming of America began with the election of Barack Obama in 2008, not because he was the first Black man to be elected president, but because he was the most liberal president America has ever had.

Speaking at a Rally in Columbia, Missouri, Mr. Obama said:

OBAMA: Now, Mizzou, I just have two words for you tonight: five days.

OBAMA: Five days.

After decades of broken politics in Washington, and eight years of failed policies from George W. Bush, and 21 months of a campaign that's taken us from the rocky coast of Maine to the sunshine of California, we are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.

To show how serious President Obama was, in his First Inaugural Address he said,

But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions—that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

“Remaking America and transforming America are two sides of the same coin. Let’s go to my favorite synonym book, J.R. Rodale’s The Synonym Finder. The following are synonyms for transform or transformation:

· Change the form of

· Transfigure

· Metamorphose

· Transmute

· Convert

· Revolutionize

· Alter

· Transubstantiate

· Remold

· Recast

· Remodel

· Reconstruct

· Reform

Do you get the picture? Let’s continue

· Transfiguration

· Trans morphism

· Conversion

· Regeneration

· Alteration

· Permutation

· Modification

We quickly discovered that President Obama meant to transform our democratic republic to a socialist state as proven by Obamacare, the biggest socialized medicine program America has ever seen, by bypassing Congress with Executive order, by ignoring the Constitution, and by making the Justice Department and the FBI an extension of the left to spy on Americans, influencing the outcome of elections, and censoring social media. President Biden continues the transformation by opening our border to millions of illegal immigrants providing them with extensive government handouts, cutting off our energy supply and making us dependent upon foreign oil and burdening us with a 30 trillion-dollar debt with the help of former presidents.

You change America from within. And how do you do that. Orwell taught us in 1984. You begin with language. Oceania had Newspeak. The left has political correctness.

Let’s take three principle laws that must be destroyed before the left can complete its transformation. You will recognize them for they are taken from the Bill of Rights.

Let’s take Amendment I

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Season 4 Podcast 7 “The Journey”

There is an intriguing scripture in Ecclesiastes written by King Solomon.

“9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

I have pondered that so many times trying to discern what it means. Perhaps if we break it down.

“The thing that hath been”

Refers to the past.

“It is that which shall be”

Refers to the future. In our jargon the past often repeats itself which is validated by a study of history. It is explained by scriptures. Everything is governed by law. There are temporal laws and there are spiritual laws. Laws are subject to the principle of causality. In other words, for every cause there is an effect, and for every effect there is a cause. History repeats itself because laws never change; therefore, consequences never change, whether temporal or spiritual. The laws of nature are fixed. That is what gives science predictability. It depends upon King Solomon’s statement being true.

“The thing that hath been, is that which shall be.”

The same is true with spiritual laws. Obedience to the laws of God brings blessings. Disobedience to the laws of God brings cursings. That is why history repeats itself. The second part of Solomon’s statement is a repetition with variation of the first.

“And that which is done is that which shall be done.”

Every generation must learn for themselves right and wrong, good and evil, law and lawlessness. Though we are all unique in our own way, we are alike in everything. Differences manifest themselves because we have agency. We cannot choose laws. Laws choose us, but we can choose to ignore temporal laws and thus suffer the consequences or break spiritual laws and thus suffer the consequences. It is sin that creates variety. It is the ability to choose between good and evil that creates agency. People who commit the same sins suffer the same consequences.

The third statement is a little more complicated.

“And there is no new thing under the sun.”

We can only assume that if two people are on a journey in a dimension where nothing is fixed, then time is relative. If one stops, but the other keeps going, how is the distance between the two measured? Is it quantitative or qualitative? On earth, with the appearance of fixed referents, it may appear quantitative, measured in kilometers or miles or landmarks, or time but on our journey through life, it is qualitative.

Only on earth is time linear, and that is an illusion. The earth isn’t fixed. It spins at 24,000 miles an hour giving us the appearance of a day. Entropy is the only thing that gives time its arrow. What happens to time in a world where nothing dies? The earth appears flat only because of our perspective. We may digitize time, but our celestial clocks measure time in circles, everything returning to its origin. Because we travel in circles, growth is not linear. In the temporal dimension our physical body changes. In the spiritual dimension where the soul is immortal, change only happens within us regardless of our coordinates.

The moon circles the earth, the earth circles the sun, our solar system circles the Milky Way, the Milky Way circles other galaxies, and all galaxies circle the throne of God, our creator, wheels within wheels, ending where we began.

It isn’t where we are when we die that matters. It is who we are. The only thing that breaks the pattern is death. We all die somewhere between sunrise and sunset. We remain in the earthly dimension travelling in circles around and around the sun until death releases us. What matters if we die at perihelion or aphelion, we are no further away from God?

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Season 4 Podcast 6 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk X, Pt XXX, “The Fall Pt II”

In the prologue to Book X, Milton writes.

Then, in pity, clothes them both, and re-ascends. Sin and Death, sitting till then at the gates of hell, by wondrous sympathy feeling the success of Satan in this new world, and the sin by Man there committed, resolve to sit no longer confined in hell, but to follow Satan, their sire, up to the place of man. To make the way easier from hell to this world to and fro, they pave a broad highway or bridge over Chaos, according to the track that Satan first made; then, preparing for earth, they meet him, proud of his success, returning to hell, their mutual granulation.

Christ is sent by the Father. He now has the title Judge and Savior. Christ pities Adam and Eve and clothes their nakedness. Milton shows great insight about the fall of man and the Savior’s love. The clothing is both literal and symbolic. He clothes their outer body with skins of animals. He clothes their inner body with “robes of righteousness,” meaning they will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

So judged he Man, both Judge and Savior sent,
And th’ instant stroke of Death denounc’t that day
Removed far off; then pitying how they stood
Before him naked to the air, that now
Must suffer change, disdained not to begin
Thenceforth the form of servant to assume,
As when he washed his servants feet, so now
As Father of his Family he clad
Their nakedness with Skins of Beasts, or slain,
Or as the Snake with youthful Coat repaid;
And thought not much to clothe his Enemies:
Nor he their outward only with the Skins
Of Beasts, but inward nakedness, much more
Opprobrious, with his Robe of righteousness,
Arraying covered from his Fathers sight.

Christ returns to the Father and gives a full account. Meanwhile Sin and Death are waiting inside the Gates of Hell for Satan to return. If you recall, the gates of hell remain wide open for they cannot be shut.

To him with swift ascent he up returned,
Into his blissful bosom reassumed
In glory as of old, to him appeased
All, though all-knowing, what had passed with Man
Recounted, mixing intercession sweet.
Meanwhile ere thus was sin’d and judged on Earth,
Within the Gates of Hell sat Sin and Death,
In counterview within the Gates, that now
Stood open wide, belching outrageous flame
Farr into Chaos, since the Fiend passed through,
Sin opening, who thus now to Death began.

There is a sharp contrast between the gates of heaven and the gates of hell. Just as the Father talks to his beloved Son. Sin talks to her monstrous son Death. Sin has faith in her father Satan and fills renewed strength. She can’t wait to come to earth and devour the offspring of Adam and Eve.

O Son, why sit we here each other viewing
Idlely, while Satan our great Author thrives
In other Worlds, and happier Seat provides
For us his offspring dear? It cannot be
But that success attends him; if mishap,
Ere this he had returned, with fury driven
By his Avenger, since no place like this
Can fit his punishment, or their revenge.
Methinks I feel new strength within me rise,
Wings growing, and Dominion given me large
Beyond this Deep; whatever draws me on,
Or sympathy, or some connatural force
Powerful at greatest distance to unite
With secret amity things of like kind
By secretest conveyance.

Sin refers to her son Death as “my shade” and assured him that on earth they shall be inseparable. They are going to build a bridge between earth and hell that follows the same path that Satan took.

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Season 4 Podcast 5 Political Correctness 2023 Pt II

Welcome to season 4 of ‘A New Voice of Freedom.’ The Podcasts are taken from the four volumes ‘In Defense of Christianity’ written by Ronald Keith Messer. Podcast 5 is entitled “Political Correctness 2023 Pt II.”

“The goal of the Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative is to eliminate many forms of harmful language, including racist, violent, and biased (e.g., disability bias, ethnic bias, ethnic slurs, gender bias, implicit bias, sexual bias) language in Stanford websites and codes.”

May I encourage you to listen to Podcast 4 before listening to this podcast; however, they can be understood separately. This is a continuation of Part I.

Some of the phrases recommended by the Stanford committee on Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative communicate no information. For example, rather than the phrases, “handicap parking,” “handicapped,” or “handicapped space,” the committee recommended the following substitutes: “accessible parking,” “person with a disability,” or “accessible space.” Trying to remove all connotations, they neutralize the language. We all have disabilities of some kind and in a crowded parking lot, we all look for accessible parking or accessible space. The only offence is the Stanford committee on Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative which is a form of mind control. If you preface each initiative with the phrase,”Thou shalt not” it reveals the fanatical religion it is. Stanford does not want separation of church and state. They want separation of competing religions and state.

The same committee replaced the acronym “OCD” with the phrase “detail oriented.” OCD refers to those with an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Are they suggesting that all “detail oriented” people have OCD? My wife alphabetizes her spices and makes infinite lists. Does she have OCD?

The committee kills language, stripping it of both its denotation and connotation. According to the Stanford Committee, you can’t even use the phrase “rule of thumb” because supposedly the phrase is attributed to an old British law that allowed men to beat their wives with sticks no wider than their thumb. Were you aware that every time you said “rule of thumb” you were encouraging husbands to beat their wives with a stick? How lucky we are that Stanford has nipped it in the bud. Wait, by Stanford logic, you can’t say “nip it in the bud” because it suggests violence to plants. Far-fetched? I don’t think so. They banned the phrase “spirit animal” because it might offend people who identify with animals. Once you are converted to their religion there is no end to the commandments.

One is tempted to call that lunacy, but you can’t use the word lunacy because it comes from lunatic, which comes from moonstruck which means crazy because, according to the committee on the Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative, lunatic defines people by just one of their characteristics.

They ban the word “brave” because it perpetuates the stereotype of the “noble courageous savage” equating the Indigenous male as being less than a man. They also condemn the use of the word “chief.”

There is a pattern. The committee on the Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative is an artificial attempt to turn one group against another. None of those words were offensive until the Stanford committee on the Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative made them so. In other words, they want the Indians, the Blacks, and all people of color to be offended. They want to convince them that the language was created by white Anglo Saxon male supremacists to oppress all people of color. They want them to hate the whites. It has nothing to do with sensitivity training. It is and will always be about gaining power. They want to be seen as everyone’s champion who has nonwhite skin.

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Season 4 Podcast 4 Political Correctness 2023 Pt I

Stanford University produced the “Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative.” The following is their purpose statement,

The media buzz began when Stanford condemned the word American because it is offensive to the 42 other countries who live on the American continent. According to Stanford the term “American” denotes superiority. In other words, Stanford is condemning as evil pride in America, patriotism, the American Flag, and the American way of life and holding up as equal any contrary political views that inhabit the American continent.

One could say that Stanford is crippling the language, but you can’t use the word crippling or handicap because they unnecessarily equate the weakening of something with people living with disabilities.

You could say that Stanford has strong convictions about using harmful language, but according to their manifesto you can’t use the word conviction either because it has the word convict in it and the term convict defines people by just one of their characteristics.

Of course, using the same sound reasoning you can’t call anyone a murderer, a rapist, a criminal, a sadist, a psychopath, a serial killer, a terrorist, a gunman, a gangster, a racketeer, a cutthroat or a mugger because they define criminals with just by one characteristic. You must be inclusive. A psychopath for example, may also be a serial killer, a rapist, a gunman, a terrorist, a gangster and a racketeer, and thus he may be offended by just one title. So, you refer to him—whoops, can’ t use the pronoun him because it suggests a male-dominated language. According to Stanford you shouldn’t group criminals using masculine language into gender binary groups, which don’t include everyone. You may use the pronoun them regardless of whether or not it agrees in number because them are inclusive or should I say ‘them’ is inclusive? Grammar no longer matters. Only political correctness matters.

The point is you must guard your language and become dumb, but you can’t use the word dumb either because it implies a person is incapable of expressing themselves (notice it is themselves and not himself or herself because those preferred pronouns are exclusive—whoops! Again—you cannot use the phrase “preferred pronouns” because the word preferred suggests that non-binary gender identity is a choice and a preference. It doesn’t end with pronouns. Most nouns are also banned. For example, you cannot use the term Hispanic because its roots lie in Spain’s colonization of South American countries. All words denoting colonialism are banned. Never mind that it is a denial of history. It is a small sacrifice as long as you choose the politically correct words. You cannot even say “Philippine Islands” because it denotes colonialism, unless of course you are of Filipino heritage.

One is tempted to call the personages at Stanford who are on the committee to eliminate harmful language insane except they banned the word insane because it is Ableist language that trivializes the experiences of people living with mental health conditions. So you would have to say to those on the committee to Eliminate Harmful Language that they are people living with mental health conditions.

However, according to Stanford, you may avoid the circular jargon by replacing the word insane with the word “surprising” or “wild.” It is nice to know that Stanford has found a cure for insanity. A person is no longer criminally insane. He, she, it, they, or them are criminally surprising or criminally wild.

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Season 4 Podcast 3 “We the People vs Globalism”

It is common for members of the same party to excuse every faux pas of members of their own party and condemn every fault of members of the opposing party. It is obvious, when listening to the news, which party the newscasters belong to by the way they spin the news.

But we need to bypass the spin and listen to the language of our leaders and hold them accountable. On the one hand, we must show charity for simple verbal blunders spoken extemporaneously, sometimes in a fluster. We all stumble. On the other hand, we must hold them accountable for what they say. In prepared speeches, every word matters. In extremely important events, such as an Inaugural Address of a President or a State of the Union Address, they should be accountable for every word, every phrase, every clause, every proposition. We must be wary of rhetorical devices and dissembling words.

In President Barrack Obama’s First Inaugural Address, he uses the phrase “We, the people” only once; however, he uses phrases that mean “We, the people” over fifty times. In other words, he uses the clinical we as if “we the people” were in entire agreement with every assertion he makes. It is one thing to use the phrase “we the people” in the preamble to the Constitution, it is another to assume that what a president or any other politician says represents ‘the voice of the people.’

For example, examine the following statement By President Obama:

· “At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents.”

Noble words, but that is the heart of the problem, isn’t it? They may not mean what you think they mean. The liberals, who are trying to turn us into a socialist state and a globalist community, have not “remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents.” Our forebears would be appalled at where the liberals are taking our nation.

As a conservative, ask yourself if President Obama speaks for “We, the people” when he says the following (taken from his First Inaugural Address):

· Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many -- and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.

And what did Obama replace our health care system with—Obamacare which is twice as expensive for those who must pay for it and free for those who don’t. We don’t even get to choose our own doctors. Many prefer to pay the penalty and go without health insurance rather than pay the high premium of Obamacare. Obamacare is socialized medicine and a gross form of redistribution of wealth. Furthermore, members of Congress, whose health care is paid for by tax-payer money, exempted themselves from Obamacare, making it mandatory only for “we the people.”

· On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations, and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.

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Season 4 Podcast 2 “Trust in the Lord”

It is the New Year, time for resolutions. I can’t think of a better way to start the New Year than with a message of Hope. In this podcast I am going to do something a little different. I am turning this podcast over to my wife and at my invitation she is going to tell part of her story. Linda and I were married in the year 2000 following my first wife’s death from cancer. Linda has seven children. I have six. We have a baker’s dozen, with 43 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

This vignette is from her autobiography, “Ye Daughters of Zion, Trust in the Lord.” Linda does not like the public eye, but she has an amazing story to tell and hopefully I will be successful in getting her to share future stories of inspiration as well.

Let me begin with her favorite scripture:

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I Shall add to that one of my favorite poets from one of my favorite American authors, Emily Dickenson.

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

I think you will be able to tie both the scripture and the poem to Linda’s own life. Her story, though different, is all too familiar. Faith has two famous children, Miracle and Hope. Without their mother Faith, daughters Miracle and Hope would never be born. If the mother is Faith then the father is tribulation.

At the birth of her seventh child, when Linda was barely out of the hospital, her husband abandoned her and his children and sought happiness elsewhere, leaving her with seven children to raise alone under the age of ten, without child support, without an education, without a means of support, and without hope.

In my life I have experienced times when I felt a total lack of hope. When I was left with seven young children to raise on my own, I was terrified. I didn’t have the skills or the education needed to support them with the physical necessities of life, and I felt empty spiritually. I decided that if I exercised faith in God and moved forward doing the best I could with what I had, my Heavenly Father would bless me with the miracles I needed. I had always tried to be obedient and serve him so I was confident that he would bless my little family. Actually, the opposite happened. Everything that could possibly go wrong did. Everything broke down, the furnace, the car, the refrigerator, the lawn mower, and the list could go on and on. We were faced with significant illnesses, there was no child support, no income or hope for income. How could I pay day care for seven children, the oldest just nine years old? It wasn’t a matter of months, but of years. The challenges were insurmountable.

As I faced my uncertain future, I learned a great deal about hope. First, I learned that faith comes first. One must exercise faith to find hope. No matter how difficult things are, a loving kind Father in Heaven will strengthen us and help us. He doesn’t remove the obstacles, but He does shape us, and teach us. He cares about the details of our lives and will help us to find solutions for all obstacles. I learned that God’s ways are always superior to mine. And that is where hope comes in.

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Season 4 Podcast 1 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk X, Pt XXIX, “The Fall Pt I”

In the prologue to Book X, Milton writes.

“Man’s transgression known, the guardian angels forsake paradise, and return up to heaven to approve their vigilance, and are approved; God declaring that the entrance of Satan could. Not be by them prevented. He sends His Son to judge the transgressors, who descends, and gives sentence accordingly.”

Heaven, which knows all, watched the entire scene unfold in the Garden of Eden, but because of freewill did nothing to interfere. In Book I Milton states his purpose.

“What is in me dark, illumine; what is low, raise and support; That, to the height of this great argument, I may assert eternal providence, And justify the ways of God to man.”

We often want God to intervene. We want him to stop tragedy before it happens. We want him to thwart nature and take away freewill. Often when things are going well, we want God to stay out of our way. When they are going poorly, we want God to step in and save us from ourselves. That leaves the great question: when should God intervene and when should God remain aloof and silent? Many have lost their faith because they blame God for the evil in the world. Some who reject God depend entirely upon their own genius and assign the rest to fate. Others, however, like Jacob, often wrestle with God. Like Milton we all must strive to understand the ways of God to man.

The paradox of the Garden of Eden is that before Satan appeared, there was no opposition. One day was just like the day before and would have continued so forever if Satan had not entered the Garden. For agency we must be enticed both by God and by Satan and be left to choose for ourselves as was Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It was necessary for Adam and Eve to leave the Garden to have freewill, agency, freedom, and liberty. One must know sorrow to appreciate joy. We are all Adam and Eve, and we all as we grow up are required to leave the Garden of Eden.

The grand question then is how do we persuade God to intervene in our lives? That is why faith is the first principle of the gospel. Faith precedes all miracles because agency must be preserved. Our invitation allows God to intervene without violating our agency. The question is will he intervene even when invited. That is the second paradox. The greatest power on earth is faith in God. Faith also precedes hope and requires patience and trust. When we invite God into our lives, we also agree to “Trust in the Lord and lean not unto our own understanding.” In other words, we allow God to answer our prayers his way even if it is contrary to our wishes. Without the wisdom of God, often we would condemn ourselves with blessings.

Meanwhile the heinous and despiteful act
Of Satan done in Paradise, and how
He in the Serpent had perverted Eve,
Her Husband she, to taste the fatal fruit,
Was known in Heav’n; for what can scape the Eye
Of God All-seeing, or deceive his Heart
Omniscient, who in all things wise and just,
Hindered not Satan to attempt the mind
Of Man, with strength entire, and free Will armed,
Complete to have discovered and repulst
Whatever wiles of Foe or seeming Friend.
For still they knew, and ought to have still remembered
The high Injunction not to taste that Fruit,
Whoever tempted; which they not obeying,
Incurred, what could they less, the penalty,
And manifold in sin, deserved to fall.

Raphael, Ariel, and the other angels hasten to heaven for fear they will be blamed for Satan’s actions.

Up into Heav’n from Paradise in hast
Th’ Angelic Guards ascended, mute and sad
For Man, for of his state by this they knew,
Much wondering how the suttle Fiend had stolen
Entrance unseen.

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Season 3 Podcast 257 The Uttermost Farthing Pt II.

In the previous podcast we discussed the following scripture taken from the Sermon on the Mount. If you haven’t listened to Podcast 256, may we encourage you to consider listening to it first.

We concluded the previous podcast with the following scripture by Paul on the resurrection:

3 RON

It is not probable that those cast into prison (or hell) will, after being released from prison, resurrected, and judged for their works, go to either the celestial glory or the terrestrial glory. It is more likely that they will inherit a glory compared to the stars.

Notice the variety of those who inherit the glory of the stars. Paul tells us, “for one star differeth from another star in glory.” There is an incredible variety of glories in the lowest heaven. They will be in a lesser degree of glory because while on earth they chose not to keep the commandments of God. However, having paid for their sins in hell, they are rewarded for the good they had done. Few people are totally evil. The damnation is that after the judgment, they will not ever see Christ and the Father again because both the Father and the Son reside in the Celestial glory. The reward, however, is that the glory of the stars is a kingdom of glory of unimaginable splendor. Paul also emphasizes that the heavens referred to as having the glory of the stars are infinite in number, “for as one star differeth from another star in glory.” That emphasizes the fact that not all people inherit the same reward. No one goes to heaven without the grace of God; however, we are now determining the glory that we will inherit by our works.

The glory of the stars is a heaven for they have already paid for their sins in hell. Since it shines like the stars, it is rather an unimaginable glory as a reward for what they did that was right. The law of mercy is amazingly extensive in that it can bring people out of hell. Never forget John 3: 16-17:

Christ really does want to save everyone but if they don’t want to be saved, what can he do? In the previous podcast we referred to the following scripture from the Book of Revelation.

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Season 3 Podcast 256 The Uttermost Farthing Pt I

Christ taught in parables. He loved analogy. John the Revelator frequently used figurative analogy which makes the Book of Revelation sometimes very difficult to understand. The Savior appeared to prefer literal analogies, comparing the gospel to everyday things. For example,

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? (Matthew 6:28-30)

What is so profoundly significant about Christ’s homespun analogies is that Jesus Christ is the creator of the world. John tells us,

An analogy compares two things that are basically unlike but have similar characteristics. It is one of the most powerful teaching tools we have. Arthur Koestler in his phenomenal book, The Act of Creation, talks about the power of analogy in helping us discover new things. For example, as one examines the similarities and differences of two things, it often sparks an original idea not necessarily contained in the original comparison. It was reputed that Eli Whitney, the inventor of the cotton gin, came up with the idea of how to separate the seeds from the strong cotton fibers when he saw a cat reaching his paw through the chicken wire trying to catch a chicken. All he brought back was a paw full of feathers. It is that magic moment when two familiar things come together to form something new. Many inventions have been inspired by nature.

But, considering that Christ is the creator of the earth, there is a deeper meaning in his analogies. With each analogy or parable or comparison he not only teaches us a point of doctrine, he teaches us that he built into his creation the mysteries of heaven and placed them on earth for us to find them. Sometimes we focus our eyes on heaven looking for the Second Coming of Christ, when we would better perhaps focus our eyes upon his creations to understand the nature of Christ and the mysteries of heaven. They are living witnesses. The earth as well as the celestial bodies are a constant reminder of Christ our creator. We take the sacrament each Sabbath to help us remember the blood of Christ that was shed for our sins and the body of Christ that was crucified for our sins. We also remember that Christ was resurrected and came forth from the tomb. Everyday becomes a sabbath day, a witness of Christ as we walk among the creations of Christ in remembrance of him.

But in this podcast and the one that follows I want to select a singular analogy that has intrigued me for a very long time. I cannot seem to let it go. It is the analogy of the farthing. In the Sermon on the Mount Christ said,

First of all the Savior is asking us to avoid contention. How much evil has come to good people because in a fit of understandable anger they lash out and injure someone, sometimes even killing them in their fit of uncontrolled passion. Revenge, regardless of cause, is not acceptable to God.

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Season 3 Podcast 255 "A Call for Restoration"

I can see why James calls the Ten Commandments the Law of Liberty. All of the ills of society are related one way or another with the violation of the Ten Commandments. There is a pattern. We have turned everything upside down. On the one hand, we reduce the number of crimes, not by arresting the criminals but by renaming the behavior, calling good evil and evil good. We reduce arrests by reducing the police force. We empty our prisons by releasing the criminals before they have served their sentence, thus negating the court system. We have rejected the idea of absolute law, making all behavior relative and hiding it under the camouflage of political correctness.

We applaud sin and parade it before our children, calling evil good and good evil. There is a kind of insanity in our approach to everything. We sugar coat behavior that was once recognized as evil. By tearing down the Ten Commandments we have torn down the only thing that has protected our freedom for over two hundred years.

Do you realize that if we kept the Ten Commandments voluntarily, there would be no need for crime laws. Social ills would disappear. That is the power of absolute law. As stated above, all the ills of society are related to violation of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments can be divided into three parts: (1) Love the Lord with all your heart, might, mind, and strength.

thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
7Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

(2) Honor your Father and Mother and strengthen the family

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

(3) Love your neighbor as yourself

Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

That is why the Ten Commandments are called the Law of Liberty. True liberty can be achieved in no other way. The further a nation moves away from the Ten Commandments the closer to tyranny it comes. Manmade laws are a puny attempt at correcting the ills that are caused by voluntary violation of the Ten Commandments. A nation that does not voluntarily obey the Ten Commandments must have a police force to enforce law and order. It must have prisons. It must have infinite lawyers and judges and courts to interpret countless laws.

The greater the enforcement necessary, the stronger the police state must become. When we tear down the bastions of democracy, the only thing that can replace it is totalitarianism. When fear replaces freedom, then we will follow the first monster that claims he will protect us.

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Season 3 Podcast 254 “The Nature of Law”

In this podcast, I assert five assumptions without which creation is not possible.

Assumption One. Certain things must self-exist, having neither beginning nor end, requiring no explanation. Among those are intelligence (meaning life or consciousness), matter, energy, and potential.

Matter and energy self-exist. And chaos self exists, but laws do not. The paradox is that laws cannot be arbitrary, or they would not be laws, but they still must be organized from self-existing matter and energy. Nature cannot be organized on any other principle than upon the one which we call the laws of nature and still sustain mortal life. In other words, fish must tend to swim upstream, and ice must expand as water freezes. Since the earth was created for mortal man, the laws of earth were organized by necessity. The same is true for what scientists call ‘The Goldilocks Zone’ in which everything is in place to sustain mortal life, and if even one phenomenon were out of place, life on earth could not be sustained—the tilt of the earth, the rotation of the earth, the revolution of earth around the sun, the magnetic pole, the constants, the molten center, the distance from the sun, etc. There is no such thing as an accidental universe. Purpose came first, and the organization of complete sets of laws came second.

Without Christ there would be no natural laws. Laws are what they are through intelligent design. All laws of our world work together with precision tailored to fulfil the purposes of God. If laws appear perfect, it is because God is perfect. His kingdom represents perfect order. He doesn’t make mistakes. He doesn’t experiment. He doesn’t deal with uncertainty in any form. Though I believe in evolution as manifest in nature, that rules out the theory of evolution as creator. Consider life on other planets. Who can limit God? One thing is certain. If there is life like ours on other planets, you will find the same set of laws there as you find here. The laws will be the same because the purposes of God, who never varies, are the same. Chance plays no part in God’s creations.

Assumption Two: Something cannot come from nothing.

All scientific inquiry must begin with that immutable premise; otherwise, we live in a fairyland where anything is possible, even elves, trolls, witches, unicorns, fairies, etc. We must assume that matter and energy self-exist, that intelligence self-exists, that consciousness and life self-exist. In other words, that which we call life must have always existed or there is no explanation for its existence, even the existence of God. For life to create itself is for something to come from nothing. The principle that something can come from nothing annihilates the very idea of science, the very fabric of science, the very reason for science to exist, for that which can come from nothing can go back to nothing, even law. If something could come from nothing, then science is merely a temporary phenomenon that explains the appearance of reality and the illusion of law.

One can only assume that if life self exists that intelligence self exists. That is the only explanation for the existence of God and for the existence of all humans whose spiritual bodies and physical bodies are created by God in the image and likeness of God. Nothing can reach beyond its potential or something can come from nothing. God is God because he was a self-existing intelligence with the potential to become God. All children of God are intelligences with the potential to become Gods. That is what separates man from animals. Through organization of laws, God, the Father of us all, set us as his children upon a path of eternal progression, a path that we may, having agency, accept or reject.

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Season 3 Podcast 253 Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk IX, Pt XXVIII, “Temptation of Adam D”

This podcast ends Bk IX of Milton’s Paradise Lost. Having eaten the forbidden fruit, for the first time they felt lust. After their long sleep, the illusion was gone, the eyes of Adam and Eve had been opened, and they awakened to a realization of the full effects of the fall. For the first time they feel shame and guilt.

Soon as the force of that fallacious Fruit,
That with exhilarating vapor bland
About their spirits had plaid, and inmost powers
Made ere, was now exhaled, and grosser sleep
Bred of unkindly fumes, with conscious dreams
Encumbered, now had left them, up they rose
As from unrest, and each the other viewing,
Soon found their Eyes how opened, and their minds
How darkened; innocence, that as a veil
Had shadowed them from knowing ill, was gone,
Just confidence, and native righteousness,
And honour from about them, naked left
To guilty shame he covered, but his Robe
Uncovered more.

Shame and self-consciousness were new feelings for the parents of the human race. Aware of their nakedness they felt intense guilt. Milton compares Adam and Eve to Samson and Delilah.

So rose the Danite strong
Herculean Samson from the Harlot-lap
Of Philistean Dalilah, and waked
Shorn of his strength, They destitute and bare
Of all their virtue: silent, and in face
Confounded long they sat, as struck’n mute,
Till Adam, though not less than Eve abasht,
At length gave utterance to these words constrained.

Thus we have the first quarrel between husband and wife as they fall to blaming each other. First Adam puts all the blame on Eve.

O Eve, in evil hour thou didst give care
To that false Worm, of whomsoever taught
To counterfeit Man’s voice, true in our Fall,
False in our promised Rising; since our Eyes
Op’nd we find indeed, and find we know
Both Good and Evil, Good lost and Evil got,
Bad Fruit of Knowledge, if this be to know,
Which leaves us naked thus, of Honour void,
Of Innocence, of Faith, of Purity,
Our wonted Ornaments now soiled and stained,
And in our Faces evident the signs
Of foul concupiscence; whence evil store;
Even shame, the last of evils; of the first
Be sure then.

Now Adam is faced with another dilemma. Everything is a first for the couple. Before Adam walked in the garden and conversed freely with God and with his angels. Now he is horror struck to even think he must face them. In his fallen state, he won’t even be able to look upon them.

How shall I behold the face
Henceforth of God or Angel, earst with joy
And rapture so oft beheld? those heavenly shapes
Will dazzle now this earthly, with their blaze
Insufferably bright.

Before the fall, every part of the Garden had its charm. He could freely walk its paths, freely converse with the angels. Now Adam wants to hide

O might I here
In solitude live savage, in some glad
Obscured, where highest Woods impenetrable
To Starr or Sun-light, spread their umbrage broad,
And brown as Evening: Cover me ye Pines,
Ye Cedars, with innumerable boughs
Hide me, where I may never see them more.

And suddenly he feels shame for his nakedness.

But let us now, as in bad plight, devise
What best may for the present serve to hide
The Parts of each from other, that seem most
To shame obnoxious, and unseemliest seen,
Some Tree whose broad smooth Leaves together sowed,
And girded on our loins, may cover round
Those middle parts, that this new commer, Shame,
There sit not, and reproach us as unclean.

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Season 3 Podcast 252 “A Christmas Message Pt II.”

Shortly after, having called his twelve apostles, Christ gives the greatest sermon in the world, simply called The Sermon on the Mount. It contains, among other teachings, the Beatitudes.

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

No event in the life of Christ was greater than His divine suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Hill called Calvary. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he took upon himself the sins of the world.

As a prelude to Gethsemane Christ took his twelve disciples into the Upper Room to honor the Passover. The event is known worldwide as The Last Supper. In Christian churches everywhere the sacrament is still served commemorating that event. The purpose of the sacrament is so that saints everywhere can renew their covenants with Christ. Matthew records those events:

26 ¶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. (Matthew 26: 26-30)

3 RON

The Garden of Gethsemane is at the base of the Mount of Olives. It was there that he took upon himself the sins of the world, an event so excruciating that three times He asked the Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me; but, always submissive to the Father’s will, each time he added, “Not as I wilt but as thou wilt.”

36 ¶ Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

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Season 3 Podcast 251 “A Christmas Message Pt I.”

We have talked about the many titles of Christ. If you Google it, some scholars will list a 1000 names for Christ. Some names, of course, are more well-known than others: Savior, Redeemer, Only Begotten Son, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Holy One of Israel. Creator, Prince of Peace, Immanuel, Advocate, Author and Finisher of our Faith, The Good Shepherd, Fountain of Living Waters, Messiah, Chief Cornerstone, the Lamb of God, The Bright and Morning Star, The Way, the Truth, and the Life, Alpha and Omega, the Resurrection and the Life.

It is fruitful to meditate upon his titles for they give us insight into the attributes of Christ. One cannot really pick best titles for all are important, but if He didn’t carry the titles of Savior and Redeemer, we would all be lost. And if he did not hold the title Lamb of God, he could not have saved us from the law of justice. Christ had to voluntarily sacrifice his life for our sins. And if he did not hold the title, The Resurrection and the Life, our bodies would never rise from the dead.

I like the titles King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I have often asked myself what kings is he king of and what Lords is he Lord of? At first, I thought he was talking about earthly nobility, but that is not possible. He cared nothing for earthly rank. The nobles he knew sought to bring about his death.

He is talking about his heavenly kingdom. Those who inherit his Kingdom become Kings and Lords. Those are the only titles he acknowledges. Speaking to those who were trying to stone him he said,

32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? (John 10:31-36)

John the Revelator records

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Notice the titles that John gives to Christ: “Jesus Christ,” “the faithful witness, “the first begotten of the dead,” and “the prince of the kings of the earth.” Especially at Christmas we like to celebrate the birth of Christ. We have so many inspiring and glorious songs: “Away in a Manger,” “O Holy Night,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “The First Noel,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Joy to the World”; and in sacred literature, of course, we have Luke’s version of the birth of Christ.

But Christ was God before he came to the earth. He did not begin his mission on earth. For the full story of Christ, we must go back into the eternities. We must view Christ as the creator.

John 1:1-5

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

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Season 3 Podcast 250 “What is Real, Pt 17, Implications of the Assumptions of Science” 8

There is no greater fallacy in science than the claim that something can come from nothing. In the previous podcasts we dealt with the following logical fallacies of theoretical science.

· Assumption One: There is no intelligent design and no intelligent designer.

· Assumption Two: Life was created by accident.

· Assumption Three: Man is nothing but an accidental collocation of atoms.

· Assumption Four: We live in an accidental universe.

· Assumption Five: Man is an animal, and man is a machine; thus has no freewill.

· Assumption Six: Man is ruled by determinism and thus has no freewill.

· Assumption Seven: There is no life prior to earth.

· Assumption Eight: There is no life after death.

· Assumption Nine: Only the physical body has life. In other words, there is no soul.

Today we shall address the following false assumption.

· Assumption Ten: Science replaces the need for God.

Assumption ten is the inevitable conclusion given the nine previous assumptions. It is only the Christian God that is being denied. The Gods that replace the Holy Trinity are the Gods of accident, chance, coincidence, serendipity of circumstances, science, evolution, atheism, and. humanism. The Christian God is not allowed in government, but the Gods of atheism are. We should not be fooled by rhetoric. Atheism is a religion. It has its apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors, and teachers, and their fanaticism is unbounded. America today is worshiping nature. It is worshiping the created, not the creator.

We have lost the balance of power in Congress because the left has abandoned the Constitution and Bill of Rights and adopted humanism which inevitably leads to socialism.

The terms Democrat and Republican no longer have any meaning. It is now liberal vs conservative, and the liberals have the majority. They have taken over the universities, the schools, the corporations, the press, the social media, the government, the judges, the hospitals, Hollywood, the FBI, the Justice Department, the IRS, the Post Office, even Disney. We are now engaged in an ideological war of far greater significance than the Civil War for we are determining this very moment whether or not a democratic republic can stand on this planet.

Here let me bring back the four laws of Liberty discussed in previous podcasts. We stand in concomitant variation to these four laws. The further we move away from the four laws of liberty the closer to totalitarianism we come. The closer we move toward the four laws of liberty the greater our freedom.

1. The Law of Liberty

2. The Perfect Law of Liberty

3. The Law of Equality.

4. The Royal Law.

James defines the law of Liberty.

11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. (James 2:11-12)

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Season 3 Podcast 249 “What is Real, Pt 16, Implications of the Assumptions of Science” 7

There is no greater fallacy in science than the claim that something can come from nothing. In the previous podcasts we dealt with the following logical fallacies of theoretical science.

· Assumption One: There is no intelligent design and no intelligent designer.

· Assumption Two: Life was created by accident.

· Assumption Three: Man is nothing but an accidental collocation of atoms.

· Assumption Four: We live in an accidental universe.

· Assumption Five: Man is an animal, and man is a machine; thus has no freewill.

· Assumption Six: Man is ruled by determinism and thus has no freewill.

· Assumption Seven: There is no life prior to earth.

· Assumption Eight: There is no life after death.

Today we shall address the following false assumption.

· Assumption Nine: Only the physical body has life. In other words, there is no soul.

Central to our democratic republic is the sacredness of human life. That includes the unborn, the newborn, the young, the middle age, and the elderly. Three movements are growing in America and in the world that denies the sacredness of life: abortion, partial birth abortion, and euthanasia. Abortion is death to the unborn; partial birth abortion is death to the newly born, euthanasia is death to the injured, disabled, mentally ill, and elderly.

According to the New York times, in Canada in 2021, 31,664 Canadians received assisted deaths. The times reported, “Of those, 224 who died last year were not terminally ill.” In America 9 states plus DC have legal physician-assisted suicide. One state has legal physician-suicide by court ruling. Do you remember Dr. Kevorkian, AKA Dr. Death who killed his patients with a Thanatron or “death machine,” Thanatos is a Greek word meaning death. The second death machine was euphemistically called a Mercitron, or “mercy machine.” According to Wikipedia many of his patients were not terminally ill and some were not ill at all. He was credited for 130 deaths. When death becomes the best cure then society has lost its soul. Options are not considered. That is what happens when abortion and euthanasia become a cause or a political movement. Planned Parenthood has built an industry on abortion. Our courts are more lenient to a serial killer than they are to the infirm, elderly, and unborn.

But it is clear that by removing God as creator and referring to man as an accidental collocation of atoms, the sacredness of life is diminished. By claiming that life is only in the flesh, we are no more than the flora and fauna of the earth. We live in privilege but die in obscurity, our elements reincarnated as accident of nature. All identities, relationships, ties, bonds, and loves are meaningless, for this life only. The unborn and newly born are considered medical tissue rather than human beings. The elderly and disabled are considered a burden to society.

The further we move away from the teachings of the Holy Bible the more we disregard human life. That is the gift of atheism. From the beginning the Lord established the sacredness of human life.

7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

It is no accident that the Lord revealed to Moses that until the “breath of life” was “breathed into his nostrils” he did not have life. Only in the spirit is there life. It is not in the flesh. That is the real story of creation. The spirit gives life to the flesh. The apostle Peter said we have a divine nature.

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Season 3 Podcast 248, Milton’s Paradise Lost, Bk IX, Pt XXVII, “Temptation of Adam C”

In poetic form Milton brings to life the struggles of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden as they contemplate eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Milton shows that although Eve was deceived by the Serpent that our first parents understood the nature of the fall and why it was necessary for them to eat the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve were married by the Lord. The first commandment God gave to them was to have children:

If they had remained in their innocent state in the Garden of Eden, they could never have children, never know the joys of marital bliss, never know love, never know desire. One day would be like the next. They would remain themselves like children not knowing joy because they couldn’t know sorrow. The forbidden fruit brought opposition into their lives because their bodies were changed from an immortal state to a mortal state. Opposition is a necessary requirement for agency. The experience of mortality was necessary for them to carry out God’s plan of salvation; however, it had to be entirely their choice. The purpose of the law of justice is to protect creation from uncreation. The law of justice is absolute. To break one law is to break all laws. You are either inside the law of justice or outside the law of justice. That is why eating the forbidden fruit caused both a spiritual death, cutting them off from the presence of God, and a physical death, separating the body and the spirit.

To exercise freewill, agency, and liberty, they had to eat the forbidden fruit. The law of justice is different from the law of mercy. The law of justice is the ruling law of everything. It has only one standard—absolute perfection. It is the law of creation; it must be satisfied. God is just or he wouldn’t be God. God doesn’t just live the law of justice. He is the law of justice. He is the standard. Nothing less can live with him in his kingdom. He never changes. If he did, he would cease to be God. Only those who are inside the law of justice can live in the presence of God. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, both fell outside the law of justice. They would have remained in their fallen state forever, being subject to Satan forever, if Christ had not volunteered to atone for their transgression. We too, as children of Adam and Eve, born into a fallen world, would remain in a fallen state forever if Christ had not volunteered to atone for our sins. The law of justice applies to a perfect world. The law of mercy apples to a fallen world. The law of mercy cannot violate the law of justice. The law of justice governs all laws. Without the law of justice, there would be nothing rather than something. It is because of the law of justice that God never changes. God cannot lie.

That is why if you live with God you will be in a state of happiness forever. The law of mercy helps us survive in a mortal world. Morality deals with the sins of the flesh. All moral laws pertain to our life here on earth. What purpose could the Ten Commandments serve if you lived in the presence of God? Which one could you break? You would be so filled with the love of God and the love of your neighbor that being commanded to love God or your neighbor would be superfluous.

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Season 3 Podcast 247 “What is Real, Pt 15, Implications of the Assumptions of Science” 6

There is no greater fallacy in science than the claim that something can come from nothing. In the previous podcasts we dealt with the following logical fallacies of theoretical science.

· Assumption One: There is no intelligent design and no intelligent designer.

· Assumption Two: Life was created by accident.

· Assumption Three: Man is nothing but an accidental collocation of atoms.

· Assumption Four: We live in an accidental universe.

· Assumption Five: Man is an animal, and man is a machine; thus has no freewill.

· Assumption Six: Man is ruled by determinism and thus has no freewill.

· Assumption Seven: There is no life prior to earth.

Today we shall address the following false assumption.

· Assumption Eight: There is no life after death.

Fallacies one thru four are founded on the principle that something can come from nothing. Fallacies five and six are founded on the principle of false analogy, that we are nothing but robots or biological machines or animals without freewill. Fallacy seven is based on the principle that life, which science claims was created by accident, exists only in a temporal world and is, therefore, subject to death. Fallacy eight is based on the principle that since life has a beginning, life must also have an end. All eight assertions are merely theories of man. They are opinions, not facts. They are unproven assumptions with no scientific proof. Those theories are ad hoc arguments invented to fill a vacuum in scientific discovery. They reject God and intelligent design; therefore, where do they go for an explanation? There is life. There is earth. There is the cosmos. How were they created? Opinions, regardless of the source, are not proof. Appeal to authority is one of the most abused argument’s man has invented. Because someone, regardless of credentials, says something is true does not make it true. Because most people believe something is true does not make it true. People once believed that the world was. They also thought the earth was the center of the solar system.

Religious fanatics are as guilty as paradigm driven theoretical science fanatics of rejecting truth. The story goes that when Galileo asked a group of priests to look through his telescope at the moon to prove it had craters, they refused, claiming he would perform some magic trick and make them believe that the moon wasn’t perfect. All would do well to heed the poet Clough’s advice:

4 LINDA

“Play no tricks on thy soul, oh man. Let fact be fact and life the thing it can.”

4 RON

Just as science cannot answer the question, ‘where did life come from?’, they also cannot answer the question, “Is there life after death?” One of the fundamental tenants of Christianity is that there is life after death. The Apostle Paul said,

19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:19-22)

To those who reject Paul and accept unquestionably the theories of science also accept the idea that there is no intelligent design, no God, no life prior to earth, man is an animal, man is a machine, man is an accidental collocation of atoms. If you accept those assumptions, you also accept as fact that:

· We have no freewill

· We have no agency

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Season 3 Podcast 246 “What is Real, Pt 14, Implications of the Assumptions of Science” 5

In the previous podcasts on Implications of the Assumptions of science, we discussed the following false assumptions of theoretical science:

· Assumption One: There is no intelligent design and no intelligent designer.

· Assumption Two: Life was created by accident.

· Assumption Three: Man is nothing but an accidental collocation of atoms.

· Assumption Four: We live in an accidental universe.

· Assumption Five: Man is an animal, and man is a machine; thus has no freewill.

· Assumption Six: Man is ruled by determinism and thus has no freewill.

In this podcast we shall address the following logical fallacy of science:

· Assumption Seven: There is no life prior to earth.

The fundamental flaw in the views of theoretical science concerning the nature of man is the false idea that life has a beginning. They think that life began by accident on earth with the procaryotic cell and evolved into a complex human being and will continue to evolve into an even more complex human being. To theoretical science life is biological. That is why Stephen Hawking refers to man as a biological machine.

The physical body does not have life in itself as proven by the fact that the body is subject to death. Life isn’t. The body would be nothing without the spirit. Again, I repeat a part of the creation story found in Genesis:

7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

All living things from the least cell to the most complex have a spirit or they would not have life. The cell dies. The spirit doesn’t. That alone debunks the idea that man is a biological machine. The physical body is a sophisticated biological machine but the soul, which is made of the spirit and the body, isn’t. The analogy of man and machine only works when limited to the physical or biological component. That which goes back to dust cannot have life in itself.

Perhaps we should ask the question, “What is life?”

First, we must begin with the idea that life cannot be created or destroyed. Life self-exists and has existed throughout the eternities. There is no other suitable explanation. God created our spirit in his image, and he created our physical body after his likeness, but if you claim that God created life, you have the inevitable question,

“Who created God?”

One of the most fundamental laws of the universe must be this:

“Something can never come from nothing.”

We accept the fact that matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed. They self-exist. Why would it be difficult to assume that the life force cannot be created or destroyed? God had to come from somewhere. God cannot create himself because of the law stated above.

When dealing with creation, the first thing we must dismiss is the unsustainable ideas that

· Something can come from nothing

· That life came about by accident

· That the universe came about by accident

· Life has a beginning

· Matter and energy have a beginning

· · There is no intelligent design and no God.

Such arguments fall apart very quickly, and suddenly science must start making excuses for every contradictory piece of evidence such as the existence of life, the existence of the goldilocks zone, the existence of man.

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Season 3 Podcast 245 “What is Real, Pt 13, Implications of the Assumptions of Science” 4

In yesterday’s podcast we examined the two primary false analogies of science: (1) man is a machine and (2) man is an animal. For that reason, science claims, man has no freewill.

In this podcast we shall expand the discussion to include the entire concept of determinism. We shall address the following fallacy:

Assumption Six: Man is ruled by determinism and thus has no freewill.

We tend to think of science as infallible. Many with vested interest play on the gullibility of people by using the opinions of scientific theorists as fact. Atheists, for example, will quote scientists who are also atheists to prove there is no God. It is beyond the power of the scientific method to prove or disprove the existence of God. Any claim by science that God does not exist is meaningless.

We sometimes overlook the fact that scientists are not robots. They have feelings, biases, prejudices, and pre-conceived notions like the rest of us.

Politicians use the same false arguments to advance their agenda. They find scientists who agree with their agenda and quote them as authority, ignoring all the falsifying evidence. It is a game they play to acquire more power. Truth is the first casualty in any high stakes bid for power and control. Just examine the state of our nation today. Truth is a mouse among lions. Fundamentally, when we give opinions, they are based on a personal world view. The same is true with scientists. We need to understand what that world view is. Let me remind you that theoretical scientists base their opinions on the following assumptions:

· There is no God.

· There is no intelligent design.

· There is no freewill.

· Accident and evolution are the answers to the mysteries of life and creation.

· Human life is merely a stepping stone in the vast economy of evolution.

· Man is merely an accident.

We could list more but those six are sufficient. We assume that because science uses the scientific method everything scientists say are held strictly to the scientific method. That is a false assumption. Human nature is a powerful force. In practical science, scientists have no choice but to follow the scientific method. If you want a jet to get off the ground, you must follow the strict laws of aerodynamics. Without strict laws, everything would come to a standstill.

Theorists are free from such restrictions. Not all scientific opinions are held accountable to the scientific method. Some theorists are in the business of protecting their paradigm. They do not look for falsifying evidence. They select only the evidence, no matter how tenuous, that supports their opinions. An atheist will seek to prove the tenants of atheism. Some present the theories of science as if they were facts. In other words, in trying to prove there is no God, they assume the truth of any evidence that may persuade you to believe there is no God.

Any belief in God must be faith based, and any disbelief in God must be faith based. It is beyond the reaches of science. The biggest hindrance to theoretical science today is their fight against God. Like Don Quixote, they are fighting windmills. Rather than denying intelligent design and freewill, science should ask why is there such strong evidence for intelligent design and freewill.

The scientific method has proven to be the most powerful tool man has in breaking the code of scientific inquiry. It has built in safety nets: prediction and validation, for example. However, it is too easy to confuse the strict rules of practical science with the often-freewheeling opinions of theoretical science.

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“What is Real, Pt 12, Implications of the Assumptions of Science” 3

In previous podcasts, we discussed the following false assumptions of theoretical science:

· Assumption One: There is no intelligent design and no intelligent designer.

· Assumption Two: Life was created by accident.

· Assumption Three: Man is nothing but an accidental collocation of atoms.

· Assumption Four: We live in an accidental universe.

In this podcast, we shall add the following false assumption of theoretical science.

· Assumption Five: Man is an animal, and man is a machine; thus has no freewill.

In the last podcast, using the first four assumptions above, we focused on the fallacy of probability. In this podcast, using the Fifth Assumption, we shall focus on false analogies and freewill. The opposite of determinism is freewill. By claiming that life is determined by natural law, theoretical science denies freewill. In his book The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking observed,

“It is hard to imagine how free will can operate if our behavior is determined by physical law, so it seems that we are no more than biological machines and that free will is just an illusion,”

It should not escape your notice that when theoretical scientists are confronted with unpleasant truths that contradict their paradigm, they call them appearances or illusions. Theorists claim, ‘Creation has the appearance of intelligent design.’ Or ‘Man has the illusion of freewill.’ Christians see intelligent design for what it is, an act of God. I suppose most are familiar with Hans Christian Anderson’s folktale, The Emperor’s New Clothes. Only a child had the innocence to pronounce that the emperor was stark naked. Once the child pointed it out, the town came to its senses and agreed that the emperor had no clothes.

But how many remember the ending for it describes theoretical science precisely:

"But he hasn't got anything on!" the whole town cried out at last.

The Emperor shivered, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, "This procession has got to go on." So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn't there at all.”

That is the predicament science has gotten itself into. By denying intelligent design, by denying freewill, they must also deny what they see clearly, that man does have freewill and that only by intelligent design could earth be compatible to life and galaxies created and organized. But the procession has got to go on. The facts must be denied, the illusion continued. But it leaves science naked to criticism.

In this podcast I shall focus on two of the greatest fallacies of theoretical science, called in logic False Analogy.

Theoretical science bases its conclusions on two false analogies. (1) man is a machine and (2) man is an animal. We can thank Charles Darwin for the animal image, and we can thank robotics for the machine image.

The primary reason that Christians reject the false analogies of theoretical science is because we understand the origin of man. Science rejects intelligent design. Theoretical science rejects the idea that God created the universe and God created men and women in his own image.

Christians take literally the assertion of Moses:

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1: 26-27)

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk IX, Pt XXVI, “Temptation of Adam B”

Eve, beguiled by the serpent, has eaten of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Now she must persuade Adam to eat the forbidden fruit; otherwise, she will be expelled from the Garden of Eden and die alone; whereas, Adam will remain behind forever like a child.

13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

To beguile means to delude or deceive through cunning. The serpent beguiled Eve and Milton shows Eve beguiling Adam. The scope of Milton’s genius is expressed in his magnum opus Paradise Lost. Milton was a historical scholar; he was a biblical scholar, he was a literary scholar; he was a master of poetry, master storyteller, and a master at understanding human nature. He was blind when writing Paradise Lost, a testament to his massive memory.

Milton brings Adam and Eve to life. He lifts them off the pages of the Bible and gives them flesh, blood, bones, brains, and feelings. He helps us relate to our first parents. In Milton’s epic they are human, not mythical characters. He transports us into the Garden with them and lets us experience the fall.

I saw a comic strip decades ago that etched itself into my mind. A spaceship just landed on a new planet in another Garden of Eden. To the astronaut’s horror the new Eve had just plucked the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and was just about to take a bite. The astronaut frantically ran toward Eve shouting, “Stop! Stop! For heaven’s sake, don’t eat the fruit.”

What impressed me about the cartoon was that the astronaut with all the ignorance of a well-meaning liberal entirely destroyed God’s plan of happiness for his children on that planet. He did what Satan himself didn’t have the wisdom to do. He stopped the planet from being populated and he stopped mankind from progressing and from ever achieving their potential. It would have been in Satan’s interest never to have tempted Eve.

Eve, who is now superior in knowledge uses the following argument to persuade Adam to also eat the forbidden fruit.

Thou therefore also taste, that equal Lot
May joined us, equal Joy, as equal Love;
Least thou not tasting, different degree
Disjoyne us, and I then too late renounce
Deity for thee, when Fate will not permit.

Adam does not respond as Eve perhaps thought he would with her forceful argument. For the first time Adam feels horror. We must remember that Adam had been tutored for many hours by Raphael about the dangers of eating the forbidden fruit. Eve, though she listened to parts, busied herself with tending the garden which she loved. Also, the relationship between Adam and Eve has now dramatically changed. Before, Adam was perceived as the superior intellect. Now Eve really is the superior intellect and is counselling Adam. Adam innocently was perfectly content to remain in ignorant bliss in the Garden of Eden forever. Eve, on the other hand, though she has fallen, feels none of the horror and none of the regret, showing that she hasn’t completely grasped the gravity of what she has done.

Thus Eve with Countenance blithe her story told;
But in her Cheek distemper flushing glowed.
On the’ other side, Adam, soon as he heard
The fatal Trespass done by Eve, amazed,
Astonished stood and Blank, while horror chill
Ran through his veins, and all his joints relaxed;
From his slack hand the Garland wreathed for Eve
Down dropped, and all the faded Roses shed:
Speechless he stood and pale, till thus at length
First to himself he inward silence broke.

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“What is Real, Pt 11, Implications of the Assumptions of Science” 2

This is Part 11 of the series, What is Real? If you haven’t listened to the previous 10 podcasts, you may find it helpful to keep the continuity; however, each podcast is independent and can be understood on its own. In Podcast 241, we discussed the first three of ten Logical Fallacies of Science:

1. There is no intelligent design and no intelligent designer.

2. Life was created by accident.

3. Man is nothing but an accidental collocation of atoms.

In this podcast we shall continue with the list.

Assumption 4: We live in an accidental universe.

It is difficult to separate accidental life, accidental man, and accidental universe so I shall bring them together and make them the subject of this podcast.

A Christian would say that we should not assume that without God the universe would eventually create itself. It is more logical to assume that without God there would be nothing rather than something, that it would be logically impossible for something as complicated as man or the universe to be created by accident.

Theoretical science does not agree. In this podcast I wish to show why theoretical science cannot sustain their argument for an accidental universe. Science appeals to probability. In this podcast I shall show why that is not valid.

The dichotomy is clear. Either man and the universe are created by intelligent design, meaning God, or they aren’t. The question is, what is the alternative to intelligent design? There are two alternatives: (1) accidental universe (2) self-existing law.

Science claims accidental universe. Accident is easier to debunk than appeal to law. It is easy to debunk because science isn’t trying to prove something is true. They are trying to prove something is not true. They are desperate to prove that intelligent design does not exist; however, you cannot disprove the existence of God. It is not logically possible. Of course, you can’t prove the existence of God either. Both atheists and theists must deal with that limitation.

The former democratic party has abandoned its roots. We no longer have a two-party system made of democrats and republicans.

The democratic party has abandoned the Constitution and Bill of rights and morphed into an amalgamation of theoretical science, atheism, and liberalism. They can no longer be separated. Atheism today is driving the liberal party. Climate change, global warming, the war against fossil fuels, even partial birth abortion which denies the right to life of a living human being can be attributed to theoretical science, atheism, and liberalism. God is simply left out of the paradigm. American politics is coming down to those who believe in God and those who don’t believe in God. We haven’t reached the point where the left will admit that, but it is coming. Look how long it took the left to admit they were socialists. The liberals are the ones who want to remove the name of God from everything, including the halls of congress, our coins, our pledge of allegiance, and even our patriotic songs. They are waging an undisguised open war against freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and Christian morality.

Do not underestimate the words of Hillary Clinton, former candidate for President of the United States:

“Deep seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed. Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will…All the laws we’ve passed don’t count for much if they’re not enforced. .”

“Deep seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases,” what do you think those refer to? They refer to the teachings of the Holy Bible. They want to fundamentally change the religion of America.

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“What is Real, Pt 10, Implications of the Assumptions of Science” 1

Up until now in the series, “What is Real?” I have defined some of the important assumptions of science and some of the important assumptions of Christianity. I doubt if any list could be definitive. Now I shall present the implications of those assumptions. In this podcast I shall focus on the implications of science. As a reminder, there were ten:

1. There is no intelligent design and no intelligent designer.

2. Life was created by accident.

3. Man is nothing but an accidental collocation of atoms.

4. We live in an accidental universe.

5. There is no life prior to earth.

6. There is no life after death.

7. Only the physical body has life. In other words, there is no soul.

8. Man is ruled by genetic determinism.

9. Man came from monkeys and will continue to evolve into a higher more intelligent being on a one-way street to ever evolving perfection.

10. Science replaces the need for God.

Science is divided into two types: (1) practical science, which deals strictly with temporal law and cause and effect. (2) theoretical science, which is an interpretation of science.

All science relies upon hypothesis. Practical science seeks, through the scientific method, to prove those hypotheses. Until proven they are unacceptable as laws. Theoretical science, however, often deals with the unknown. In many cases they accept the conclusion without scientific verification. The ten assumptions above are the product of theoretical science. They cannot be proven or disproven using the strict scientific method.

The problem, of course, is that they are accepted by the scientific community as fact and are presented to the public as fact. They become the premises upon which world views are formed, wearing the authority of science but not supported by true science. They remain theory, opinion, belief, conviction, but are not facts. They cannot be falsified.

The left today, in the United States, has adopted the scientific world view and from that new world view are trying to create a new world order without the Christian God.

The above false assumptions are the primary arguments against the existence of God. Atheists have defaulted to science for verification of opinions. It is merely opinion supporting opinion.

I personally doubt if science has ever created an atheist. In fact, it is the other way around. Atheism is driving science. The only reason science promotes that man, earth, and the universe were created by accident is because they deny the existence of God. If you deny intelligent design, where do you go? Accident, regardless of how preposterous it is, is the only alternative. Atheists creates theoretical science; theoretical science creates a new world order.

I believe that atheists simply look for validation for their atheism wherever they can find it. As long as a scientific theory supports their opinion, they champion science. They don’t care for pure scientific validation. The robes of science are all they need to confirm their biases and spread their propaganda. It is the same with left leaning politics. They develop a paradigm and select only those facts or events that validate, ignoring all falsification. Truth is irrelevant and the ends justify the means.

Skeptics perhaps have been converted to agnosticism by false analogies and theoretical speculation, but atheism is a religion and serves its own God. The weight of true scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports intelligent design. The probability of our universe produced by accident is the same probability that a freeway pileup could produce a Tesla.

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“What is Real, Pt 9, Ariel G, The Resurrection & Judgment, Assumptions 68 -74.”

In this podcast we shall address the resurrection and judgment. For a judgment to be made there must be standards of judgment. For rewards to be given, there must be standards for rewards. The purpose of the Holy Scriptures is to outline those standards. God is never arbitrary either in blessings or cursing, either in good or evil, either in punishment or reward, either in heaven or hell. If God were arbitrary in judgment, then what is the purpose of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers? What is the purpose of law? What is the purpose of scriptures?

With God everything is predicated upon law, even blessings. The two great celestial laws are the law of justice and the law of mercy. The law of justice is the supreme law that governs all other laws whether in the spiritual world or in the natural world. Only in perfect justice is there safety. The law of mercy satisfies the law of justice. Mercy was only necessary because a law was broken beginning with the fall. Because a law was broken justice barred everyone outside the law from entering into the presence of God. Physical and spiritual death were the consequences of the fall of Adam and Eve. Christ overcame spiritual death with the atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane. He overcame physical death on the cross and in the tomb. Nothing less than the blood of Christ was necessary to satisfy the law of justice. Christ shed his blood both in the Garden of Gethsemane where he bled at every pour and on the cross where they drove nails into his hands and feet. Without the shedding of the blood of Christ, there could be no atonement for nothing less than the sacrifice of the Son of God could satisfy the law of justice. Even God the Father could not rescind the law of justice to save his Son from offering his life as a sacrifice.

In Matthew it is recorded:

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

The Father could not remove the cup without condemning all his children to hell forever. Of course, Christ understood that, but in his prayer, he wanted to teach us that even the Father could not violate the law of justice even to save his only begotten Son from agony. Twice Christ asked the Father to remove the cup. Twice the Father refused. However, the law of justice placed conditions upon the law of mercy. The purpose of the Holy scriptures is to define those conditions. It is the conditions oh the law of mercy that give us agency. Everyone will be resurrected; however, not everyone will receive the same glory in the resurrection. There are conditions for the resurrection and conditions for the final judgment. That is at the very heart of Christianity.

1 Corinthians 15

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

Assumption 68: There are three heavens or kingdoms, one that shines like the sun called celestial bodies; another that shines like the moon called terrestrial bodies; and another that shines like the stars.

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“What is Real, Pt 8, Ariel F, The Atonement, Assumptions 61-67

The assumptions deal with the five stages of man’s eternal progression: (1) Our pre-mortal life, (2) the Creation, Garden of Eden, and the fall of man, (3) our earth life, (4) our life after death in the spirit world or period between death and the resurrection, and (5) our life after the resurrection and final judgment.

It is impractical to list all assumptions. I present these few as merely representative of the whole. A complete list would include thousands of assumptions. In fact, hopefully you will provide your own for these are merely an attempt to represent the Christian worldview. Individual Christian worldviews commonly differ. The idea is that we all have a world view upon which we rule our own lives. I suspect that if we analyzed our life’s choices, a pattern would soon emerge that revealed our true world view. We do not live in a vacuum. I have oversimplified by contrasting only two world views: the paradigm of science and the paradigm of Christianity. We shall begin this podcast with assumption 61:

Isaiah 24:5

5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

It is easy for us in our swirling world to forget that we are children of God, having a divine nature. We become so caught up in what Shakespeare’s character Festus calls “the whirligig of time” that we sometimes forget that God has a plan for us to return to him, and in that plan, to preserve agency, he has established laws, ordinances, and covenants which we may choose to follow or to not follow. We may choose the conditions, but the consequences will choose us. That is how absolute law works. That leads to assumption 61

61. We must keep the laws, ordinances, and covenants as outlined in the Holy scriptures in order to return back to God.

· Daniel 9:11

11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

· Romans 4:14

15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

· 1 John 3:4

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

The above illustrate that God is not arbitrary. God abides by absolute law. We have temporal laws, often called the laws of nature; and spiritual laws, often called the commandments of God. That leads to Assumption 62:

62. All sin is transgression of the laws of God. Without law there would be no sin.

· Romans 8:17

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

· Galatians 3:29

Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

· Titus 3:7

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

· Hebrews 1:2

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.

63. We shall be heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ and shall be glorified together with Jesus Christ.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk IX, Pt XXV, “Temptation of Adam Pt A”

In the preface to Book IX, Milton presents the following abstract

[Eve], pleased with the taste, deliberates awhile whether to impart thereof to Adam or not; at last brings him of the fruit; relates what persuaded her to eat thereof. Adam at first amazed, but perceiving her lost, resolves, through vehemence of love, to perish with her; and, extenuating the trespass, eats also of the fruit: the effects thereof in them both; they seek to cover their nakedness; then fall to variance and accusation of one another.

Feeling the effects of the fruit, Eve praises the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

O Sovran, virtuous, precious of all Trees
In Paradise, of operation blest
To Sapience, hitherto obscured, unfamed,
And thy fair Fruit let hang, as to no end
Created;

The first effect on Eve is a desire to know everything. Eve vows to dedicate her life to caring for the tree until she has all knowledge.

but henceforth my early care,
Not without Song, each Morning, and due praise
Shall tend thee, and the fertile burden ease
Of thy full branches offered free to all;
Till dieted by thee I grow mature
In knowledge, as the Gods who all things know;

Milton shows that Eve understands the power of the forbidden fruit. She wants to be as the Gods knowing good and evil. Milton also portrays Eve as fully understanding that the Gods are omniscient. Milton, unlike others, portrays Eve as equal to Adam in her search for knowledge. She understands that without eating of the forbidden fruit, she would have remained in ignorance, and the only way of wisdom is by eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Though others envy what they cannot give;
For had the gift been theirs, it had not here
Thus grown. Experience, next to thee I owe,
Best guide; not following thee, I had remained
In ignorance, thou op’nst Wisdom’s way,
And giv’st access, though secret she retire.

Already Eve perceives that she must keep her secret hidden.

And I perhaps am secret; Heav’n is high,
High and remote to see from thence distinct
Each thing on Earth; and other care perhaps
May have diverted from continual watch
Our great Forbidder, safe with all his Spies
About him.

However, she deceives herself into thinking she can hide from God. She turns her thoughts to Adam and contemplates how she can approach him. It is a huge dilemma for Eve because she knows that she is now different from Adam and cannot remain in the Garden of Eden. She ponders if she should hide her secret from him. She realizes that she is now far superior to Adam and wonders if she should let Adam continue in blissful ignorance while she grows in knowledge, or should she tell him her secret. She understands that knowledge gives one power over another. She wrestles with the idea that perhaps she should remain superior to Adam.

But to Adam in what sort
Shall I appear? shall I to him make known
As yet my change, and give him to partake
Full happiness with me, or rather not,
But keep the odds of Knowledge in my power
Without Copartner? so to add what wants
In Female Sex, the more to draw his Love,
And render me more equal, and perhaps
A thing not undesirable, sometime
Superior; for inferior who is free?

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“What is Real, Pt 7, Ariel E The Atonement, Assumptions 33-60.”

Practically speaking we can only list a few of the thousands of assumptions that define the Christian world view. As pointed out in the previous podcast, which was an interlude to describe the two primary world views that govern America today, the assumptions are taken from the five stages of the plan of salvation. (1) Our pre-mortal life, (2) the Creation, Garden of Eden, and the fall of man, (3) our earth life, (4) our life after death in the spirit world or period between death and the resurrection, and (5) our life after the resurrection and final judgment.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

From that we learn a very important assumption.

The Father of Jesus is also our Father.

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven Hallowed by thy name.” (Matthew 6: 9)

Related to the above assumption, we learn that

We should pray to our Father in Heaven.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

When praying to the Father, we must pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)

We were those morning stars who sang together, and we were those sons of God who shouted with joy. Therefore, that leads to Assumption

As immortal spirits, we lived in heaven with God and Jesus Christ before the earth was even created.

4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jeremiah 1:4-5)

37. Prophets are foreordained by God before even coming to the earth.

4 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (Matthew 25:34)

God knew us all as spirits. But specifically, we learn the following assumption from the above:

In heaven, we, like the prophets, were all foreordained by God to inherit a kingdom before the foundation of the world.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3: 14-17)

We learn of the foreordained mission of Christ to be our Savior. The assumptions are

It was necessary for Christ to die for our sins.
It was the Father’s will that Jesus Christ sacrifice himself for our sins.
Those who believe in Christ will have everlasting life.
The purpose of the atonement of Christ was to save the world, not to condemn it.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? (Hebrews 12:9)

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“What is Real, Pt 6, Ariel D Theism vs Atheism.”

It is not practical to attempt to list all the assumptions in the Holy Scriptures. Imagine the length of such an encyclopedia. Since I address the plan of Salvation, I have chosen a few representative assumptions from the Holy Bible relating to the five distinct periods in our journey back to God. The periods are: (1) Our pre-mortal life, (2) the Creation, Garden of Eden, and the fall of man, (3) our earth life, (4) our life after death in the spirit world or period between death and the resurrection, and (5) our life after the resurrection and final judgment.

The purpose of these podcasts is to emphasize the conflicting world views that are governing our lives, our decisions, our behavior, our opinions, our politics, and our nation.

The two world views presented in this series are the Christian world view and the atheistic world view or view of science. Podcast 231 entitled Laplace’s Demon focused on the atheistic world view. It contained the ten most common fallacies promoted by atheists relating to the story of Creation. They are

There is no intelligent design and no intelligent designer.
Life was created by accident.
Man is nothing but an accidental collocation of atoms.
We live in an accidental universe.
There is no life prior to earth.
There is no life after death.
Only the physical body has life. In other words, there is no soul.
Man is ruled by genetic determinism.
Charles Darwin is the only god, and evolution is the only orthodox doctrine.
Science is God and God is science.

The podcasts entitled Ariel focus on the Christian paradigm. They include the following: Podcast 232 focuses on the Creation. Podcasts 233 & 234 focus on the Fall. This podcast, 236, focuses on Theism vs Atheism, and the podcasts entitled Ariel that follow focus specifically on the additional assumptions of the Christian world view and their application.

As our world moves away from Christ toward atheism, our world views, particularly as they affect our views on government become more and more in conflict. This is probably true in most countries, but it is strongly illustrated in the United States between the liberal view and the conservative view.

In America we are so used to the terms Democrat and Republican that we erroneously assume that those are the two world views that divide our government and give us a two-party system. Once upon a time in the not-too-distant past that was true. Today it is not. The names continue, but the terms are meaningless. America is no longer about the differences between two political parties seeking the same Goal as stated in our Declaration of Independence.

Regardless of the religious leanings of the individuals of each party, the two parties today are Atheists and Theists. The liberal left has adopted the atheistic views of science. The conservative right maintains the original theist position of our founding fathers.

For example, The left with the view of global warming, abortion, gay marriage, critical race theory, gender identity, government created equality, separation of church and state, attack on Bill of rights, particularly freedom of speech and freedom of religion, the rejection of the Ten Commandments, and the adoption of the scientific view of creation is moving away from the principles of our Founding Fathers, away from self-reliance, away from freedom, liberty, and agency, away from law and order, away from balance of power, away from sovereignty, away from the Constitution, and toward socialism, communism, agnosticism, atheism, totalitarianism, and a one world government.

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“What is Real, Pt 5, Ariel C The Fall of Man 2 Assumptions 27-32”

This podcast is Pt 2 of the Fall of Man. If you haven’t listened to Podcast 234, may I recommend that you listen to 234 first because it lists the first eleven assumptions of the fall as presented in Genesis Chapter Three verses 1-11. In this podcast I shall continue with Genesis Chapter 3. Adam and Eve have eaten of the fruit. They hid from the Lord. The Lord is questioning them. It is ironic that the Lord asks Adam and Eve something he already clearly knows, but confession is one of the first principles of repentance. As with so many things, the Lord uses our first parents to set the standards for us all. Adam and Eve must individually confess their transgression to the Lord.

12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

We see how human Adam and Eve are. Adam blames Eve.

13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Adam blames Eve, Eve blames the Serpent. Does that sound familiar, “The devil made me do it.” But all three, Satan, Eve, and Adam are each held accountable for their own behavior. The temptations of Satan do not excuse Adam and Eve from personal accountability. Neither does that excuse us from personal responsibility.

14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

The first curse Lucifer received with all those who followed him was to be cast out of heaven. The Savior said to his disciples.

18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (Luke 19:18)

Not only was Satan and his angels cast out of heaven, but they were also denied physical bodies forever. That is why they want to possess our bodies. They even preferred swine over nothing. Now a very important thing occurs. Satan in heaven was a very powerful angel. On earth he is far more powerful than we are. However, he received a specific curse. First, without a physical body even the cattle are better off than Satan, but the greater curse is that his power is significantly attenuated. God places enmity between Eve and her seed and Satan and his angels. Synonyms for enmity are hostility, hate, antagonism, animosity, and rancor. The seed of the woman, of course, refers to her posterity, meaning all of us. All the posterity of Adam and Eve who choose Christ over Satan will hate Satan and all that he stands for. Then he gives the greatest curse of all, “Satan can only bruise our heal, but we have the power to bruise Satan’s head.” Satan may trip us up but because the wisdom of God is greater than the cunning of Satan, we can outsmart him. In other words, if we hearken unto the counsel of God, Satan will not be able to deceive us. We will see through his wiles.

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“What is Real, Pt 4, Ariel B The Fall of Man 1 Assumptions 16-26

The center of Christianity is Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, the creator, the Savior and Redeemer of the entire world. He came in the meridian of time suggesting that the time from Adam to Christ is about 4000 years and the time from Christ to the end of the world is about 4000 years. If we take that literally, it means that the period of time of man from the fall to the end of the world is about 8 thousand years. We live in the year 2022 slightly over two thousand years after Christ. Christians anticipate the Second Coming of Christ where the wicked will be destroyed, and Christ will reign for a thousand years. No one knows the day nor the hour and speculation is fruitless; nevertheless, the signs of the times given by John the Revelator lead us to believe that we live in the last days before the Second Coming.

In Holy Scriptures we have only a few chapters telling the story of creation and the Garden of Eden. From then on, the scriptures teach us how to live in a fallen world. It is necessary in any treatise dealing with the plan of salvation and the primary assumptions of Christianity that the fall has a primary part. For that reason, we turn to Chapter 3 of Genesis.

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Until Satan entered the garden neither Adam nor Eve considered eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When Satan said ye shall not surely die, he was correct if by surely, he meant you won’t die instantly. The Lord said in the day you eat you will die. Adam lived almost a thousand years after the fall which is a day unto the Lord as taught by Peter. God planted two trees in the garden of Eden: the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He gave Adam and Eve the power to choose for themselves. The nature of knowledge of good and evil was in the fact that their eyes were opened meaning they would be able to discern good from evil. Knowledge of good and evil was not in the fruit itself but in the experience of the fall.

From the above we can draw the following 6 assumptions:

For agency to exist first, we must have knowledge of good and evil.
For agency to exist second, we must be enticed by Satan to do evil and by Christ to do good.
For agency to exist, third we must have choices between good and evil.
Cunning Satan uses half-truths to deceive us.
For knowledge of good and evil we must have experience.
Knowledge of good and evil is an attribute of God, and we can only be as the Gods if we can discern between good and evil.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk IX, Pt XXIV, “Temptation of Eve Pt D”

In the preface to Book IX, Milton presents the following abstract

the serpent, now grown bolder, with many wiles and arguments induces her at length to eat,

He continues his deceitful argument.

Shall that be shut to Man, which to the Beast
Is open? or will God incense his ire
For such a pretty Trespass, and not praise
Rather your dauntless virtue, whom the pain
Of Death denounc’t, whatever thing Death be,
Deterred not from achieving what might lead
To happier life, knowledge of Good and Evil;

The irony is that in one thing Satan, though self-deceived, is right. Knowledge of Good and Evil will lead to a happier life because they will experience opposition. Satan does not comprehend the ways of God. He does not even comprehend that the fall is necessary, or he would have stayed out of the Garden of Eden. Notice the subtlety of his argument because, though laced with lies, it contains some eternal truth.

Of good, how just? of evil, if what is evil
Be real, why not known, since easier shunned?

Satan is cunning and clever, and his argument is rather persuasive. However, his cunning carries him too far.

God therefore cannot hurt ye, and be just;

Milton’s Lucifer does not understand the law of justice, neither does he understand the law of mercy. It is the law of justice that requires payment for any broken law. The law of justice is unique. It cannot be bargained with. It is irreversible, unalterable, and unmerciful. It cannot be robbed or cheated or altered or overturned or reformed or revised or amended. It is absolute. God is God because he is just. There is more safety in justice than there is in mercy. If God were not a just God, imagine the chaos that would ensue. Mercy can satisfy the law of justice, but it cannot alter the law of justice. Mercy can overpower the law of justice, but it cannot rob the law of justice. The only reason Christ can save us through the law of mercy is because he perfectly obeyed the Father in all things and through his atoning sacrifice, he paid the price for our sins. As Paul said,

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Lucifer tries to portray God as an unjust god.

Not just, not God; not feared then, nor obeyed:
Your fear itself of Death removes the fear.

Justice and fairness are not the same thing. Justice is the controlling law of the universe that governs all other laws. Fairness is a term we use to measure mercy. We may not think it fair, for example, that because of the transgression of Adam and Eve all mankind suffered from the fall. Justice has nothing to do with fairness or mercy. Justice is above opinion, above adjudication. If a law is broken justice takes immediate and impartial action. It is because of the law of justice that the atonement was necessary. Even God must bow to the law of justice. To save mankind, the Father had to sacrifice his only begotten son to satisfy the law justice. The paradox is that justice is not a law external to God. It is the very essence of God himself. He is just. If he were unjust, he would cease to be God. God is at one with justice by necessity because justice governs all laws, temporal and spiritual, mortal and immortal, time and eternity, physical and metaphysical.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)

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“What is Real, Pt 3, Ariel A, The Creation Assumptions 1-15”

Podcast 230, “What is Real?, Pt 1” contains the introduction. Podcast 231, “What is Real?, Pt 2, Laplace’s Demon” contains the fundamental assumptions of science. In this podcast, “232 Pt 3 and in continuing podcasts I shall present the fundamental principles of Christianity as it relates to the story of creation.

We make our decisions based on our worldview. Laplace’s Demon represents the worldview of atheists who believe in science and an accidental universe. Ariel represents the world view of Christians who believe in God and in intelligent design

It is important that we know the world view that governs our lives and helps shape our decisions. It translates into behavior, how we view ourselves and others, how we view good and evil, how we view freewill, agency, liberty, and freedom, how we vote, how we view politics, government, education, morality, how we view issues such as abortion, gender, marriage, family. It is important that we understand the underlying assumptions of our world view and their consequences.

Of course, it is far beyond the scope of these podcasts to examine all world views. That would be encyclopedic. I present only two world views: Science and Christianity for those are the two warring factions that is splitting our country today.

Science is divided into two parts. 1. Practical science: The temporal laws of science strictly based on the principle of causality. 2. Theoretical science: Unprovable theories inductively drawn from practical science. It is theoretical science based on false analogy, non sequitur improbabilities, and logical fallacies that I attack. Theoretical science is the cause of destruction in our democracy today. In fact, theoretical science is destroying the world and leading to a one-world view driven by a lust for money and power.

Christianity, as we know, is splintered into many denominations. No one can speak for all Christians. And many devout Christians will take strong issue with some of my assumptions presented in the Ariel Podcasts. I ask you to look beyond individual interpretation, replacing arguable assumptions with your own interpretation or assumption; and using your emendations consider the assumptions as a whole, taken from the King James Bible, for collectively they do represent the world view of very many Christians. Satan is at war with Christianity, and Satan is using the theories of science to destroy Christianity in the world, not just in America. He is targeting the billion Christians worldwide.

In my imaginary world, I have Laplace’s Demon, who represents pure science, sitting on top of a very high mountain overlooking a busy freeway which symbolizes the flow of life. Think of the freeway as symbolizing the earth and its people busily going about their affairs—north, south, east, and west. Laplace’s Demon is the quintessential scientist with access to all the scientific data. And from that infinite amount of data, he predicts events on earth using the most powerful computer in the world and the strict scientific method. He is about wealth and power. He has become the richest man in the world because people from all over the world pay him for advice. He has become the most powerful man in the world because he has unlimited money and unlimited power over people. He has the mark of the beast. He not only accurately predicts their future, using the infinite scientific information at his fingertips but he also teaches them the meaning of life based on ten assumptions accepted by science as scientific truths. His world is entirely without God and without a belief in intelligent design. He believes only in the scientific method. He believes in an accidental universe governed by the principle of causality.

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“What is Real, Pt 2, Laplace’s Demon”

The purpose of Podcast 231 is to distinguish between science and religion. Because of scope, in this podcast I shall discuss the attributes of science. In Podcast 232 Pt 3, I shall contrast it with the attributes of Christianity. I have decided to do it via a parable, a rather strange parable. If you haven’t listened to Podcast 230, “What is Real, Pt 1, Introduction,” let me encourage you to do so before listening to Podcast 231. Podcast 230 provides the context for Pt 2.

In Podcast 230 I mentioned that the following allegory had a rather peculiar origin; therefore, before presenting the allegory, I shall tell you the events that inspired it.

On a beautiful afternoon, Linda and I were riding our side by side on the multitudinous dirt roads of the heavy foliaged mountains of East Tennessee where we spend a lot of our time lost. Cautiously we stick to roads, not trails, though some of the rocky, rain-gutted roads are not passable with a regular vehicle.

We carry neither map nor GPS. We simply follow where the roads take us, exploring any new detour. We especially like sparsely travelled, narrow dirt roads winding up steep mountains. Even when lost, we don’t turn around. We keep driving until we see something we recognize. It is not too daring. All the roads eventually lead back to the same place.

One time though we hit the jackpot. I don’t remember the name of the mountain, and I don’t remember the name of the road, but it was perfect for an ATV. It was in frequently traveled, one-way up and one-way back. It was a very narrow dirt road, rocky, rugged, and steep that led up a very tall mountain. The mountain was cone-shaped and on its little round top was a fenced in, unmanned satellite station monitoring airline traffic. It was on the north side of Interstate 40 and had a magnificent, unfettered view of the Smoky Mountains. Ever the writer, as I stood on top of the mountain with the monitoring station behind me, a strange thought came to my mind. I created an imaginary station of my own in which I had every technological advancement at my disposal. In my imagination I was a genius mathematician, a number cruncher, a guru, if you will, sitting on top of a mountain with instant access to all the information in the world. I asked myself the question, what would happen if I could predict the future, say an accident on highway 40 during a snowstorm. Back to the details of that later.

Perhaps a year after that experience, Linda and I were again riding our side-by-side, only this time with some friends. They were more experienced riders and far more daring and faster, much faster, but I led the entourage because I knew how to cross Interstate 40 on the back roads to go to Cataloochee, North Carolina. On the way we drove by the cone-shaped mountain. Confused, I took a wrong turn and we dead ended at someone’s house on top of another mountain. We retraced our path. I saw my mistake and we drove over another very steep, very winding dirt road that led up the mountain on the Tennessee side and down the mountain to the North Carolina side. We went under Interstate 40 and came out at Waterville. We crossed the Pigeon Forge River on a one-way wooden bridge, and continued on a dirt road on another steep mountain that led to Cataloochee where my own ancestors settled in the early days of America.

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What is Real Pt 1 Introduction

In other podcasts I have written about the subject, “What is Real?” The question is simply too large to cover in a few podcasts, so I keep coming back to it. In this podcast, because of the limitations of time, I shall be obliged to just give a brief introduction. It will be followed in Podcast 231 by a rather strange, but hopefully revealing, allegory. The theme of reality is not easy to deal with. I realize that trying to explain the real with the unreal is a rather strange way to approach reality.

We are dual beings. We are temporal beings subject to temporal laws, and we are spiritual beings subject to spiritual laws. The subject of reality must address both natures and both sets of laws. Laws define reality. Laws define truth. Temporal laws define temporal reality or temporal truth, and spiritual laws define spiritual reality or spiritual truth. To understand reality, we must understand law. Truth and law cannot be separated.

When studying science, you must separate true science, or true law, from theories of law. Theoretical science is not strictly speaking science. It is a sort of working hypothesis that has not been proven to be an absolute law. Some of the wild theories surrounding evolution are a case in point. Probability is a gamble. True science cannot play dice. There is no proof that man descended from apes. The gap is too large. There is no evidence that life began by accident, the probability is too small. The same is true for religion. One should not confuse science with theories of science any more than one should confuse religion with theories of Religion. The Apostle Paul said, “For why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience.”

There is true science and true religion both based on law, or neither have meaning. There is that which is real and that which is merely presumed to be real. This podcast and others like it are based on the following ten assumptions. Obviously, there are other assumptions, but the following ten are sufficient for my purposes. If any of the assumptions are false, then any discussion about reality is meaningless. The assumptions are:

All truth is circumscribed or bound or encompassed under one vast universal whole.
Truth can never contradict truth just as law can never contradict law.
Truth and law are absolute.
Something can never come from nothing, which include the obvious, nothing can create itself.
Everything is made of matter and energy.
Matter and energy self-exist or it violates propositions 4 & 5 above.
Intelligence or consciousness or life force self-exist for the same reason that matter and energy self-exist.
That which self exists cannot be created or destroyed.
Everything has its opposite or even life couldn’t exist, laws couldn’t exist, creation couldn’t exist.
All creation is organized by law through intelligent design. Only through law can it be protected, perfected, and sanctified. The intelligent designer is God who never changes.

The above assumptions validate the existence of God and deny

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A Layman’s Argument for the Existence of God Pt 5

We are here on earth to become Christ-like.

1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. (1 John 3:1-7)

Examine the eleven primary concepts from the writings of John above:

We should be called the sons of God.
We are the sons of God.
When he shall appear, we shall be like him.
We shall see him as he is.
Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself.
Christ is pure.
Sin is the transgression of the law.
Christ was manifested to take away our sins.
In Christ is no sin.
Those who abide in Christ sinneth not.
He that doeth righteousness is righteous even as Christ is righteous.

We do not become the sons of God—in other words we do not reach that state of perfection—until Christ appears and purifies us. That will not occur until after we are resurrected. As John said, “It doth not yet appear what we shall be.” That is a future day. Only Christ, through his atonement, can take away our sins. Only those “that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” In other words, we can only be purified by Christ if we have hope in Christ and strive to keep his commandments.

But the promises are astonishing:

“When he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Christ himself tells us what it means to be like him.

“43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:43)

That is what Paul is referring to in 1st Corinthians 15 when he talks about the resurrection of the dead.

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

Christ will be a celestial body. He will shine with the glory of the sun as described by Paul who saw Christ on the road to Damascus. He told King Agrippa:

“13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.” (Acts 26:13)

John also saw the resurrected Lord and describes him in the same way.

“and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.” (Revelation 1:16)

If you want to know what God looks like imagine a being like yourself with the following differences: he is a resurrected being with a perfect body that shines like the glory of the sun.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk IX, Pt XXIII, “Temptation of Eve Pt C”

In the preface to Book IX, Milton presents the following abstract

the serpent, now grown bolder, with many wiles and arguments induces her at length to eat,

Eve innocently followed the serpent, not even considering that the serpent was guiding her to the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Up to this point the serpent had not revealed his real intent. He led her to think that it was the fruit of one of the many other trees in the Garden of Eden from which Adam and Eve could eat freely, including the tree of life. It had not occurred to Eve that Lucifer would come to her disguised as a snake, and she still does not recognize his true character; therefore, her guard is still down. The Tempter, who feels he has been wronged, armed with the courage of self-righteousness, grows bolder.

She scarse had said, though brief, when now more bold
The Tempter, but with shew of Zeal and Love
To Man, and indignation at his wrong,
New part puts on, and as to passion moved,
Fluctuates disturbed, yet comely, and in act
Raised, as of some great matter to begin.
As when of old some Orator renound
In Athens or free Rome, where Eloquence
Flourished, since mute, to some great cause addrest,
Stood in himself collected, while each part,
Motion, each act won audience ere the tongue,
Sometimes in highth began, as no delay
Of Preface brooking through his Zeal of Right.

Human nature doesn’t change. On one level, Satan knows that he rebelled against God, yet he has convinced himself that his rebellion was just, and God is in the wrong for denying him the throne. Milton draws a parallel between Lucifer and ancient Roman politicians, who are so caught up in the zeal of their cause and the eloquence of their own language, believe their own lies.

So standing, moving, or to highth upgrown
The Tempter all impassioned thus began.

O Sacred, Wise, and Wisdom-giving Plant,
Mother of Science, Now I feel thy Power
Within me clear, not only to discern
Things in their Causes, but to trace the ways
Of highest Agents, deemed however wise.

Satan, of course, is lying. Satan has no body and cannot eat the forbidden fruit. He is an immortal spirit and can never die. But, of course, he is speaking through the serpent, so his true character is not detected. He appeals to flattery.

Queen of this Universe, do not believe
Those rigid threats of Death;

The phrase “rigid threats of Death” is remarkably deceitful. It merely suggests that she won’t die immediately. Then Satan resorts to a bold lie. Being a spirit, he is not subject to death, but Eve is. The fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil will change Eve’s immortal body to a mortal body. Adam and Eve were forbidden to even touch the tree for its very touch brought death into the world. We tend to overlook a very important issue. Adam and Eve, though made of flesh and bones, were immortal. They were vegetarians. The fruit of all the other trees in the Garden of Eden could be eaten without consequences; however, their bodies were such that the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil interrupted that immortality and made their bodies subject to entropy and death.

There is another condition that we must consider. Adam was actually created outside the Garden of Eden. The finer details of the story of his creation are not given. After his creation he was placed in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis we read,

7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

8 ¶ And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

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A Layman’s Argument for the Existence of God Pt 4

Turning away from the writings of Mr. Richard Dawkins, let me turn to some logical fallacies of our own.

The Christian view is not off the hook either. For example, where does God come from? Let me refer you back to the previous podcast. Everything goes back to first cause.

However, let’s begin with the law that matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed. That means, of course, that

1. Matter and energy have always existed

2. The amount of matter and energy cannot be increased or decreased

3. There is no beginning or end to matter and energy

Let’s add to that list two other self-evident laws.

1. Something can never come from nothing.

2. Everything is made of matter and energy.

Let’s carry that to a second level, using the above as absolutes.

Because something can never come from nothing, intelligence (life, consciousness, awareness, etc.) as stated in the previous podcast cannot be created or destroyed. That also means that intelligence has no beginning or end. The assumptions are the same.

1. For matter, energy, and intelligence there is no first cause.

From the principles above, let’s make a case for the existence of God. God is a self-existing intelligence. We are self-existing intelligences. We are as old as God is with this notable difference, He simply has more intelligence, infinitely more intelligence. The differences are too vast for the mortal mind to comprehend. God is omniscient. He knows everything there is to know about the past, present, and future. That makes him omnipotent. He not only has all knowledge. He also has all power. If God began as an intelligence and through law achieved Godhood, the potential must exist in other self-existing intelligences. That means that not only will but also potential are self-existing in self-existing intelligence.

2. The entire purpose of God is to help us to become like him.

That leads to another assumption. How can God make us like him? The only possibility is through law. Law alone brings order out of chaos. Without law there would be no creation. As an intelligence, God organized laws from self-existing matter and energy. That is how he created worlds. That is how he created us. He did not create our self-existing intelligence. We are as old as he is. He gave us a spirit body in his image, using the elements of matter and energy, and he gave us a physical body after his likeness using the elements of matter and energy. Furthermore, using the elements of matter and energy, he organized laws and with those laws, also using the elements of matter and energy, he organized worlds, including our perfect earth that accommodates life.

That is in harmony with all the principles above:

1. Matter and energy have always existed.

2. The amount of matter and energy cannot be increased or decreased.

3. There is no beginning or end to existence.

4. There is no beginning or ending to intelligence.

5. Something can never come from nothing.

6. Everything is made of matter and energy.

7. Intelligence (life, consciousness, awareness, etc.) cannot be created or destroyed.

8. For matter, energy, and intelligence there is no first cause and no beginning.

Everything we learn about God makes him even more incomprehensible. Law is no exception. God understands the very nature of all the elements. With God there can be nothing superfluous, especially there could be no superfluous laws.

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A Layman’s Argument for the Existence of God Pt 2

The Bible focuses on why the universe was created. Science focuses on how the universe was created. My advice to Christians is to look through the Hubble Telescope with one eye open to science and the other eye open to God. You will get closer to the truth that way for ultimately, when science matures, science and religion will come back together because all laws, temporal and spiritual, operate under one great whole, and all is one with God. God is the author of both temporal law and spiritual law, and he never violates either. Creation is a product of the laws of God. One day we will all realize that studying law and studying God are the same, that we must obey spiritual law in the same way we obey temporal law. All evil is a product of disobedience to law. Temporal law explains the temporal world; spiritual law explains the spiritual world.

Science strengthens the faithful. For example, the Hubble Telescope has shown us just how endless and unfathomable the creations of God are. Science, of course, in an inexplicable non sequitur, turns that into an argument against the existence of God. The entire focus of atheists is to prove that God is not necessary for creation with the false assumption that if there is a scientific reason for creation, God does not exist. It brings attention to the fact that Satan is cunning, but God is wise. As long as faith exists the argument for the existence of God will never go away.

There is a fundamental flaw in the atheistic argument that God does not exist. The flaw is this. Atheists claim that because God didn’t create the world in the way they think it should be created; therefore, he is unnecessary. The flaw becomes more transparent as I will demonstrate when atheists attribute the origins of life entirely to chance. I will be bold enough to say that if earth was created by chance and man was created by chance, then God does not exist. The irony, however, is that no matter how high the mountain of evidence proving that neither earth nor man were created by chance, science clings to their theory. They refer to intelligent design as “the appearance of intelligent design” or “the illusion of intelligent design.” When science rejects concrete evidence as illusion, it quits being science for what else do they build their theories on but evidence.

True science focuses on law. Using law to disprove God is like jumping off a cliff to disprove gravity. So where does science go wrong? They confuse the language of things for the thing itself. They confuse the creation for the creator. The anthropic principle, for example, argues that the existence of things is evidence of the necessity of their existence. It is, of course, circular as any argument about the origin of things will be. It carries no information.

It is science that told us that matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed. In other words, matter and energy self-exist. If matter and energy self-exist, it is not a large leap to assume that intelligence, consciousness, or life force also self exist. It is far beyond the powers of science to explain self-existence. Science can never answer why matter and energy self-exist. To say they exist by necessity is begging the question. It doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t answer why they exist. It merely explains a paradox with a paradox.

Is the existence of God reasonable? Christians would say that his existence is not only reasonable but self-evident through overwhelming evidence of intelligent design. It is a short leap to say if there is intelligent design, there must also be an intelligent designer. In fact, it is hard for Christians to understand why everyone doesn’t see that.

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A Layman’s Argument for the Existence of God Pt 1

Following the publication of The Origin of Species, science and religion split as if they were mutually exclusive, causing many to turn away from God, from the story of Genesis, and from religion and toward science. The split has become wider and wider. A relatively recent book entitled “The God Delusion,” a New York Times Bestseller, by the popular science writer Richard Dawkins, promotes an open antagonism between science and religion. Through the eyes of some, a belief in God is seen as evil.

In a very strange diatribe against God, Dawkins’ in the opening lines of Chapter Two, “The God Hypothesis,” makes the following accusation:

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. Those of us schooled from infancy in his ways can become desensitized to their horror.”

I take no offense at people’s personal beliefs. But in the above Mr. Dawkins is a little too subjective to be taken seriously. “Methinks Mr. Dawkins doth protest too much” perhaps fits here. The language drives the narrative. It demonstrates a tremendous ignorance of the God of the Old Testament. Mr. Dawkins, as often happens when writers have no distance from the subject, gives himself over to logical fallacies, clichés, and rattling hyperbole. The book is only convincing to those who already hold that opinion.

An admirer of Mr. Dawkins’ earlier book, The Blind Watchmaker, I have read the God Delusion four times. It is not science. It is an attempt to prove preconceived opinions. The cleverness of his language camouflages the blatant fallacies of his spurious arguments. Religion cannot prove the existence of God through argument any more than science can disprove the existence of God through argument. Any attempt on either side is itself a logical fallacy. ·

· You cannot prove that God exists; therefore, God does not exist.

· You cannot prove that God does not exist; therefore, God exists.

You may think me hypocritical since the title of this series of podcasts is “A Layman’s Argument for the Existence of God.” I don’t pretend to prove the existence of God. But I do pretend to tear down any arguments, even those that hide behind science, that proport to prove the nonexistence of God. You cannot use the scientific method to disprove the existence of God, and anyone who pretends to will fall into a deep pit of logical fallacies and non sequiturs. Reading the God Delusion is much like being in Charles Dickens Circumlocution Office.

There is no scientific evidence in the God Delusion that disproves the existence of God. The only thing one can be certain of after reading the book is that Mr. Dawkins is an atheist and is willing to disregard logic in order to persuade others to become an atheist.

Nevertheless, Dawkins’ best seller status and popularity suggests that he has a very supportive audience; however, science, as brilliant as it is in making our lives better, is not the answer to social problems nor is it the answer to faith. The fact is that science is faced with the evidence of intelligent design without accepting an intelligent designer. Scientific based atheism, though it lures away the untrained mind, poses no threat to Christianity. Christianity is faith based. The Holy Bible says little or nothing about the laws of nature used by God to create the universe; therefore, it gives science a broad canvas to paint their picture of creation.

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“Temptation of Eve Pt B”

In the preface to Book IX, Milton presents the following abstract

Eve requires him to bring her to that tree, and finds it to be the tree of knowledge, forbidden:

Eve still does not know that she is talking to Lucifer. She sees only the fantastic looking serpent with its stranger powers of speech and beautiful disguise.

So talk’d the spirited sly Snake; and Eve
Yet more amaz’d unwarie thus reply’d.

Eve continues to refer to the fact that She and Adam will bear children who will help tend the garden. She does not comprehend the fact that to bear children, she must leave the garden of Eden. She has not figured out that Lucifer is talking about the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. She is still deceived.

Serpent, thy overpraising leaves in doubt
The virtue of that Fruit, in thee first proved:
But say, where grows the Tree, from hence how far?
For many are the Trees of God that grow
In Paradise, and various, yet unknown
To us, in such abundance lies our choice,
As leaves a greater store of Fruit untoucht,
Still hanging incorruptible, till men
Grow up to their provision, and more hands
Help to disburden Nature of her Bearth.

The subtle serpent gives no hint that he is taking her to the tree bearing the forbidden fruit. He is delighted with her naivete.

To whom the wilie Adder, blithe and glad.
Empress, the way is readie, and not long,
Beyond a row of Myrtles, on a Flat,
Fast by a Fountain, one small Thicket past
Of blowing Myrrh and Balme; if thou accept
My conduct, I can bring thee thither soon.

There is no hesitation with innocent Eve, but in fairness, she was not privy to all the warnings of Raphael to Adam. She only overheard part of the conversation.

Lead then, said Eve. He leading swiftly rolled
In tangles, and make intricate seem strait,
To mischief swift. Hope elevates, and joy
Bright’ns his Crest, as when a wandering Fire
Compact of unctuous vapor, which the Night
Condenses, and the cold environs round,
Kindled through agitation to a Flame,
Which oft, they say, some evil Spirit attends,
Hovering and blazing with delusive Light,
Misleads th’ amazed Night-wanderer from his way
To Boggs and Mires, & oft through Pond or Poole,
There swallowed up and lost, from succor far.
So glister’d the dire Snake and into fraud
Led Eve our credulous Mother, to the Tree
Of prohibition, root of all our woe;
Which when she saw, thus to her guide she spake.

When Eve perceives that the snake has led her to the forbidden fruit, she speaks frankly, but she is still innocent. She talks to the serpent as if he had made some mistake and thus has wasted his time. But Eve is out of her depth. Milton refers to Eve as “unwarie” and “credulous.” He refers to Lucifer as “enemy of mankind,” “guileful Tempter,” “sly snake,” and “willie Adder.”

Serpent, we might have spar’d our coming hither,
Fruitless to me, though Fruit be here to excess,
The credit of whose virtue rest with thee,
Wondrous indeed, if cause of such effects.
But of this Tree we may not taste nor touch;
God so commanded, and left that Command
Sole Daughter of his voice; the rest, we live
Law to our selves, our Reason is our Law.

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Perfection

We do not achieve perfection by itemizing sins and hammering ourselves over our past imperfections. We are not stones that God uses to chip away excess materials to create something beautiful. We are flesh and blood endowed by an immortal spirit and an eternal intelligence. We have freewill. God is not our sculptor. He is our Savior. He works with us, not on us. He invites us to become like him and accepts our decision. He entices us but does not drive us. It is a kind of denial of the atonement of Christ, who died that we may be free, to think that we cannot be forgiven of our sins. We become candidates for perfection by daily repenting of our sins and striving to obey the commandments of Christ, and, at the final judgment, if we endured to the end, he, through his grace will make us perfect.

The finest manor built by man, like a turreted castle made of soft sea-sand, is subject to the tides of time and melts into liquid earth, indistinguishable. Many castles of the past, which once dominated the high hilltop, decorated in purple, now lie on the barren plains in ruins, their gray stones broken and scattered, their former royal-robed occupants forgotten.

The richest man who places his trust in himself will of himself fall, lying in ignominy and obscurity. I am reminded of a poem by Percy Shelley that aptly illustrates the vanity of pride:

Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Wealth cannot purchase salvation, and poverty cannot purchase redemption. We are not condemned for our wealth nor exalted for our poverty. Humility, not suffering, satisfies the conditions of grace. The poorest man, though he lived in a crumbling shack on earth, who places his trust in Christ, will inherit a mansion made of everlasting materials and receive immortality and eternal life with Christ, to rule and reign forever.

1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5)

All sin is violation of spiritual law. We can’t control others or change their habits—and the sins of others often affect us—but we may control our own and change ourselves. Freewill is of the spirit and cannot be taken from us regardless of the calamity around us. Agency gives us the ability to take charge of our lives. If we learn that great secret, then living the laws of God becomes a treasure hunt for truth and the doorway to freedom.

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The Law of Equality Pt 2

As an introduction to this podcast, please first listen to Podcast 220, “The Law of Equality Pt 1.”

To fully understand freedom, we must distinguish among the five terms: freewill, agency, freedom, liberty, and equality. They are often used as synonyms; however, for teaching purposes, I need to draw a clear distinction.

There is only one savior and redeemer of the world and that is Jesus Christ. Only because of Christ will we be resurrected. Only because of Christ can we be saved. If God did not give everyone a chance to accept Christ, whether on earth or in the world of the spirits of the dead he would be a respecter of persons.

Agency is a delicate balance. On the one hand, the ability to choose between good and evil is necessary for agency. On the other hand, society must be able to protect itself against evil people. Agency is related to our knowledge of good and evil. Freedom is related to choices. We have temporal laws; therefore, we have temporal choices. We have spiritual laws; therefore, we have spiritual choices.

Some temporal choices are marginally relevant. Should I drive a Ford or a Chevy? Some temporal choices have life-changing consequences. Should I take drugs or not take drugs. There is overlap because many temporal choices have lasting spiritual consequences. We often think of temporal choices as dealing with good, better, and best. Spiritual choices deal with good and evil, right and wrong, moral and immoral, God and Satan, heaven and hell. The laws contained in the Holy Scriptures deal primarily with spiritual laws or the laws of God called the Commandments of God.

Only God can determine good and evil, moral and immoral. Agency depends upon spiritual law, primarily knowledge of good and evil. Freedom depends upon temporal law, primarily upon the laws of nature or what we generally call natural law. Liberty depends upon manmade laws or laws of government. A democratic republic depends upon a perfect balance of temporal law and spiritual law. God alone, not government, has the power to create equality. Any attempt by government to create equality will fail. It will result in blatant, divisive, and destructive inequality and promote racism.

God alone, who is no respecter of persons, has the power to create perfect equality. His method is very simple. He teaches us his laws and gives us the agency to obey or disobey those laws. The father of inequality is sin and sin alone, and the father of sin is Satan. All evil in the world is the consequence of sin, either ours or someone else’s. Good people often suffer from the behavior of bad people. The primary job of government is to control the behavior of bad people. Government would be superfluous in a perfect society.

Government should stay entirely out of the business of equality. Only Christ should have that power. People must be allowed to stand or fall upon their own merits.

The three greatest lusts are lust for sexual gratification, lust for money, and lust for power. Where those lusts are not voluntarily controlled by the people, then government must establish boundaries, strictly enforced by law.

In a free nation, people have a right to be selfish. In a free nation, though, for the good of society, laws must be strictly enforced to protect liberty, people must have the right to choose between God and Satan, moral and immoral, good and evil.

In a free nation, liberty, subject to manmade laws, is an attempt by society to balance freedom and agency. How much evil should be allowed in a free society is at the core of manmade laws. America, above all nations in modern times, has been blessed because it was founded by people of all nations and religions who came here seeking religious freedom.

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The Law of Equality Pt 1

America is the greatest experiment in freedom the earth has ever seen. In the history of the world there have been many attempts at creating a free society. Democracy is not new. The Greeks experimented with democracy. America differs from the Greeks in scale and in scope.

Our model, however, is not the Greeks. Our model is the House of Israel during the time of the judges. We adopted the Judeo-Christian values, particularly the Ten Commandments. James in the New Testament defines the four primary laws of liberty as discussed in earlier podcasts.

The Law of Liberty, which is the Ten Commandments.
The Perfect Law of Liberty, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Law of Equality, which is that God is no respecter of Persons
The Royal Law, which is a combination of the previous three laws, called the law of Love. Love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

Perfect liberty can be achieved in no other way than strictly obeying the four laws of Liberty defined by James.

In this Podcast we shall deal with the Law of Equality. In Acts 10:34 we read

“34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:”

In Romans 10:12 we read:

“12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.”

There are many references in the Holy Bible proving that God is no respecter of persons.

“15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.” (Leviticus 19: 15)

“17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.” (Deuteronomy 1:17)

“23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.” (Proverbs 24:23)

“11 For there is no respect of persons with God.” (Romans 2:11)

“9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.” (Ephesians 6:9)

“25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.” (Colossians 3:25)

“9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.” (James 2:9)

Freewill is inherent in the soul of man. Our spirits were born free. Will is who we are. Will is that which we call consciousness or intelligence or life. It cannot be created or destroyed just as intelligence, or consciousness, or life cannot be created or destroyed. It self-exists, else, where did God come from? Where did intelligence or consciousness or life-force come from? Life does not begin with the physical body. Without the spirit, the physical body has no life. Will self-exists. Freewill depends upon the existence of law. God organized laws to set our will free that we may reach our potential. Freewill is inherent in the spirit, called in Genesis, “The Breath of Life.”

7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

Agency depends upon knowledge of good and evil. Good and evil depend upon the laws of God. Without law there is no good and there is no evil. The laws of God are absolute; therefore, good is absolute and evil is absolute. Good is obedience to law. Evil is disobedience to law. Obedience to law increases agency.

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Tyranny Against Christianity Pt 2

One can gauge the moral climate of a society by studying that which drives the economy. Today billions of dollars are spent on divorce, abortion, games, toys, alcohol, drugs, recreation, sports, gambling, leisure, luxury, cosmetics, plastic surgery, elixirs of youth, sexually charged movies, fine homes, fancy cars, expensive clothes, etc. We truly live in a hedonistic age. Some even prefer the virtual world over the real world, and in the confusion a growing number of college youth, controlled by their liberal professors, are traumatized, and sent to counseling by simply hearing views that oppose their own borrowed opinions. The greatest surprise of a decadent age is that people lose the ability to be surprised. A ten-year old may hear about erectile dysfunction several times a day while watching a children’s program.

Once upon a time in American history, abnormal applied to those who lived outside the Judeo-Christian code of morality, commonly called the Ten Commandments. Today the only people considered abnormal are those who cling to discarded Christian traditions and hold to the Ten Commandments. Some psychologists, in counseling patients, condemn Christianity for imposing guilt upon those who violate the laws of Christ, as if the teachings of Christ are the culprit for the breakdown of society rather than the consequences of violation of moral laws.

Virtues taught by the church are said to be detrimental to youth because they create too much guilt and stress. What they fail to comprehend is that the human misery that comes because of violating the Ten Commandments is far worse than the inconvenience of a burning conscience that may lead to a correction of actions. Conscience is not our enemy. The absence of truth is our enemy. To validate bad behavior just leads to more bad behavior and greater misery.

Religion, particularly Christianity, is being forced out of our culture because good and evil, which have been traditionally defined by the Christian Bible, have become inconvenient, and society wants to replace restrictive traditional values with their own liberal system of ethics. That is why the Bible must be removed from the courtrooms, prayer from schools, Christmas celebration from public places, Christian rituals (such as baptism or places of meditation) from government lands, and crosses from graveyards and churches and jewelry adorning the necks of believers. All symbols of the rejected religion must be removed because they are a reminder of the conservative philosophy. They stir up the grumblings of an old conscience that society wants to remain quiet. Oh, conscience! You old crocodile, camouflaged in the swamp of our muddy lives, ready to opt open your powerful jaws and with a quick sharp snap rip apart our peace just when we thought you were sleeping.

Those who insist on manmade ethics want nothing to do with agency because they want nothing to do with good and evil. Absolute values are a hindrance. They only want freedom. They want freedom from conscience, freedom from traditions, freedom from what they see as archaic, oppressive, and passé, and freedom from consequences.

The new world order plays into the hands of those seeking power. Sin is an easy sell. We legalize prostitution, gambling, marijuana, the lottery, pornography, abortion, and many other things that bring in huge revenues such as alcohol and tobacco.

A government that has the power to determine ethics has the power to control conscience and, therefore, can gain greater control over the people. God is necessary to a totalitarian state, just not the Christian God. Machiavelli would be pleased. Ethics, laid down as law and couched in clever aphorisms, are mere opinions of those in power used to manipulate the masses.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk IX, Pt XXI, “Temptation of Eve Pt A”

In the preface to Book IX, Milton presents the following abstract

Adam at last yields, the serpent finds her alone: his subtle approach, first gazing, then speaking; with much flattery extolling Eve above all other creatures. Eve, wondering to hear the serpent speak, asks how he attained to human speech, and such understanding, not till how; the serpent answers that, by tasting of a certain tree in the garden, he attained both to speech and reason, till then void of both.

Having won the argument, Eve separates from Adam

Thus saying, from her Husbands hand her hand
Soft she withdrew, and like a Wood-Nymph light
Oread or Dryad, or of Delia’s Traine,
Betook her to the Groves.

Adam pleads with Eve to return soon

Her long with ardent look his Eye pursued
Delighted, but desiring more her stay.
Oft he to her his charge of quick returne,
Repeated, she to him as oft engaged
To be returned by Noon amid the Bower,
And all things in best order to invite
Noontide repast, or Afternoons repose.

Eve ignores Adam’s pleas, little knowing that this was a journey from which she could never return. The physical difference would be but a short walk, but the spiritual difference would be eternally defining. Milton captures the mystery of the severance of sin and how earthshaking and divisive sin is in our lives.

O much deceived, much failing, hapless Eve,
Of thy presumed return! event perverse!
Thou never from that hour in Paradise
Foundst either sweet repast, or found repose;
Such ambush hid among sweet Flowers and Shades
Waited with hellish rancor imminent
To intercept thy way, or send thee back
Despoiled of Innocence, of Faith, of Bliss.

Eve was unaware that Satan, in the body of a serpent, was lying in wait. The astonished serpent was thrilled to find Eve alone.

In Bower and Field he sought, where any tuft
Of Grove or Garden-Plot more pleasant lay,
Their tendance or Plantation for delight,
By Fountain or by shady Rivulet
He sought them both, but wished his hap might find
Eve separate, he wished, but not with hope
Of what so seldom chanced, when to his wish,
Beyond his hope, Eve separate he spies,
Veiled in a Cloud of Fragrance, where she stood,
Half spied, so thick the Roses bushing round
About her glowed, oft stooping to support
Each Flower of slender stalk, whose head though gay
Carnation, Purple, Azure, or spect with Gold,
Hung drooping unsustaind, them she upstaies
Gently with Myrtle band, mindless the while,
Her self, though fairest unsupported Flower,
From her best prop so far, and storn so nigh.
Nearer he drew, and many a walk traversed
Of stateliest Covert, Cedar, Pine, or Palme,
Then voluble and bold, now hid, now seen
Among thick-woven Arborets and Flowers
Imborderd on each Bank, the hand of Eve:

For the first time Satan is nonplussed and speechless. He had never beheld such beauty. For a moment he is immobilized and abstracted.

Such Pleasure took the Serpent to behold
This Flowery Plat, the sweet recess of Eve
Thus early, thus alone; her Heavenly form
Angelic, but more soft, and Feminine,
Her graceful Innocence, her every Aire
Of gesture or lest action overawed
His Malice, and with rapine sweet bereaved
His fierceness of the fierce intent it brought:
That space the Evil one abstracted stood
From his own evil, and for the time remained
Stupidly good, of enmity disarmed,
Of guile, of hate, of envy, of revenge;

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A Layman’s Argument for the Existence of God Pt 3

Atheists such as Richard Dawkins use the anthropic principle to prove that God does not exist by showing that life can occur by accident if the numbers are large enough. However, his hypothesis cannot be verified or falsified because the galaxies are too far away. The fact is, if the anthropic principle were acceptable evidence that God does not exist, then the same tautology could also be used to prove that God does exist. But because it is unsound it is void to any party, atheists or theists, to use as proof or disproof of the existence of God.

The anthropic principle addresses existence, not the cause of existence. If, however, using the anthropic principle you are saying

“I observe the universe; therefore, I create the universe.”

Then you become God. But, of course, that is a ridiculous statement. It is the nineteenth century idea that life is just a dream, and the dreamer is the creator. It is a strange form of the multiverse theory that is coincidentally coherent only when we share the same dream. It is a multiverse where you can move freely in and out of anyone’s dreams. Sleep is the only way to escape the madness.

I am going to turn to The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, the self-appointed spokesman for scientific atheists. I shall draw my quotes from

· The Anthropic Principle Planetary Version

· The Anthropic Principle Cosmological Version.

First of all, let’s examine Mr. Dawkins’ fundamental argument on the origin of life.

“The origin of life only had to happen once. We therefore can allow it to have been an extremely improbable event, many orders of magnitude more improbable than most people realize.”

If you find that statement believable, I would appreciate you explaining how. Flaws are often revealed if you can reduce a statement to the absurd. The statement is inherently absurd. And Mr. Dawkins’ argument goes downhill from there. Effectively he is saying that anything can happen regardless of the magnitude of improbability if it only must happen once. Therefore, imagine any world you want, and it can happen: a world where water runs up hill, where ice doesn’t expand when it freezes, where cold moves from cold to colder, where there are no laws and no constants. Every morning I fill my glass with ice and water. Within a short time in my warm den the ice melts. There are no exceptions. Right now, I am sitting before a glass of water with no ice. Only moments ago, it was filled with ice. Why? Because the laws of thermodynamics always hold true in our world. Imagine a world where that did not happen, and you would imagine a world with no life. It would be a frozen wasteland.

But Mr. Dawkins follows that argument with an equally illogical argument. He actually gives a number to probability and claims that one in every billion planets life spontaneously occurs just like on earth. He assumes that you will accept that argument without question. In his words:

“Scientists invoke the magic of large numbers. It has been estimated that there are between 1 billion and 30 billion planets in our galaxy, and about 200 billion galaxies in the universe. Knocking a few noughts off for reasons of ordinary prudence, a billion billion is a conservative estimate of the number of available planets in the universe. Now, suppose the origin of life, the spontaneous arising of something equivalent to DNA, really was a quite staggeringly improbable event. Suppose it was so improbable as to occur on only one in a billion planets.”

One flaw is that it is a hypothetical situation without a shred of proof, yet Mr. Dawkins is asking you to accept it as a fact. Actually, he assumes that you will accept it as a fact. It is a magician’s trick. It is a sleight of hand. You have been taken in.

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Tyranny Against Christianity Pt 1

Linda, please read the statement of one of the early 2020 Presidential contenders of the left during the democratic debates:

“There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone or any institution, any organization in America, that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us. So as president, we’re going to make that a priority, and we are going to stop those who are infringing upon the human rights of our fellow Americans.” … “Freedom of religion is a fundamental right, but it should not be used to discriminate.”

To understand what the liberal candidate is really saying, we must analyze each sentence. It only has three sentences, but each sentence has many very unsettling propositions embedded.

Please read the first sentence.

“There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone or any institution, any organization in America, that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us.

In the interest of economy, lets divide the assertions into three groups:

Group One

1. “There can be no reward, no benefit, and no tax break for anyone in America, that denies the full human rights of every single one of us.

Group Two:

1. “There can be no reward, no benefit, and no tax break for any institution in America, that denies the full human rights of every single one of us.

Group Three

1. “There can be no reward, no benefit, and no tax break for any organization in America, that denies the full human rights of every single one of us.

The Presidential candidate is talking about the Bill of Rights. The candidate is talking about the rights defined in the agenda of the left which has come to be known as the woke agenda. To the left, human rights are not freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms, etc. Human rights are gay marriage, abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment, individual choice of gender. In fact, he is talking about every policy of the left: tearing down the border wall, sanctuary cities, open borders, right of illegal aliens to vote, to receive driver’s licenses, to receive free healthcare, free social security. In other words, he is talking about every right the left promises to make into law. Do not forget Hillary Clinton’s statement. “Deep seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed.”

He said anyone, any institution, any organization.” What institution is most likely to oppose abortion? Christianity, of course! It is a direct attack against the Christian Religion and freedom of Religion. It is an attack against the First Amendment which states:

He is advocating taking away the tax exemption of Churches. Without tax exemption, churches, which are nonprofit, cannot survive. And what is denied to Christian churches: “No reward, no benefit, and no tax break.” This applies to any individual, any organization, or any church that denies abortion, gay marriage, gender fluidity, transgender of youth without parent consent, and the entire woke agenda. He us denying the rights of one group in favor of the rights of another group.

It is just the beginning. Remember that you must allow “full human rights” and “full civil rights” to every single one of us except Christians, except organizations who disagree with the policies of the left, except individuals who decide for themselves what is good and what is evil.

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Decline of Democracy Pt 2 The Last Ten of Twenty Signs that Democracy in America is Dying

In the last podcast we discussed the first ten of the twenty signs that democracy in America is dying. In this podcast we shall discuss the last ten. The list is not definitive, but it is revealing, and these twenty are sufficient to bring down our democratic republic. If we do not return to the Ten Commandments, the true law of liberty, we are doomed to go the way of other nations that have fallen from world leadership. Over two hundred years ago De Tocqueville warned that “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”

Loss of States Rights

States that oppose the left feel the heavy hand of Washington. If the moral values of the states are contrary to the amoral values of those in power, federal funds are withheld, burdensome lawsuits drag them into courts, and persecutions persist on every level. States are not allowed to protect their borders, to recognize natural gender differences, or to protect their values. Until Roe vs Wade was overturned as unconstitutional, states weren’t even allowed to determine the legality of abortion. The purpose of states’ rights is to give more power to the people, making individual votes in their own community count, thus protecting them from values established in more populated states. Without states’ rights there is no democratic republic. Those who unconstitutionally pushed Roe vs. Wade wanted power over all dissenting states. Centralized power is a form of totalitarianism. The number of congressmen is determined by the number of people in a state; the number of senators, however, is limited to two per state regardless of the population. That was to prevent larger states from overpowering the wishes of smaller states. If we destroy the balance of power, we destroy American democracy. Roe vs Wade gave the Supreme Court power that violated the Constitution which was a direct attack against the balance of power. The further you move away from the rights of the individual the closer to a totalitarian state you become. All efforts to destroy the balance of power should be defeated. When states’ rights cease to exist, American democracy ceases to exist.

Loss of Freedom of Speech.

Political correctness ties men’s tongues. Penalties are attached against those who take a moral stand. Free opinions cannot be expressed. Sin can no longer be called sin. Persons can be fined for being politically incorrect. The social media such as Facebook and Twitter violated freedom of speech when they censored a president of the United States or people with dissenting views. Freedom of speech is lost when the government determines which terms are correct and which terms are incorrect. Euphemism has become a plague of our nation. Controlling speech is a form of mind control. When you control speech, you control thinking. To control the tongue is to bind the mind. When President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security launched the “Disinformation Governance Board to combat “misinformation.” It was immediately dubbed the “Ministry of Truth” a term from Orwell’s 1984 because its true purpose was to distort truth. The Obama Administration spent millions of dollars changing the language of government documents, particularly censoring words which referred to terrorist acts. They preferred terms such as “workplace violence.”

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Decline of Democracy Pt 1 The First Ten of Twenty Signs that Democracy in America is Dying

We are getting a disturbing taste of open disregard for law among our leaders in America today. In the decline of democracy, two things become transparent: (1) Leaders, who supposedly represent the people, begin to consider themselves above the law. (2) Laws become unequal, favoring one group over another.

In this and the following podcast we are going to list 20 signs that indicate that democracy is dying in America. The following list covers the first ten signs. One can measure our nation by how far advanced we are to the left of the values that once made us great:

1. Decline of Morals.

The Ten Commandments, called by James, The Law of Liberty, are the foundation of liberty in America. The further we move away from the Ten Commandments, the closer to a totalitarian state we become. Only by strict obedience to the Ten Commandments can this nation remain free. The New World Order disregards the Christian values based on the Bible and replaces them with an ethical system that eases the conscience of a nation in moral decline. Absolute values are disregarded. The views of the left, voiced by leading Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton declared that “Deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed,”which restricts religious freedom in America. If the majority of Americans become wicked or immoral, liberty will be the first casualty.

2. Breakdown of sexual barriers and the traditional family.

The Fifth Commandment states, “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” The Seventh Commandment states, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

The Fifth Commandment, which strengthens the family, is a commandment with a promise. The Seventh Commandment establishes sexual mores that protect our children, establish sexual boundaries, and establish a firm foundation upon which the family can be built. Strict adherence to those two commandments alone would protect us from so many ills that plague us as a nation today.

Today the American family is under attack. It is being redefined. It is no longer exclusive to a union between a man and a woman. Children no longer have the guarantee of both a mother and a father as role models. Marriage is mocked. Children are having children. Many couples move in together unmarried for financial, social, and sexual convenience. Fewer children are born. Some couples prefer to raise dogs rather than children. Marriage is becoming obsolete. Open sex, even among teens is encouraged. Sex enhancing drugs, devices, and other stimulants, once discretely discussed with doctors, are now advertised to children of all ages in public media. Chastity is mocked. Pornography is shown in schools teaching sex education. Virginity is laughed at. Pre-marital sex is encouraged, and sex among children and teens is considered an acceptable social recreation. Marriage is postponed, and a new term has entered into the growing lexicon of our Brave New World: “friends with benefits.” No free society can endure where the nuclear family breaks down and sexual morality is disregarded.

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Simon, a Man of Cyrene

Only a few words describe Simon, a Man of Cyrene.

32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. (Matthew 27: 32)

In Mark we find a little more information.

21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. (Mark 15:21)

Luke adds one more small detail.

26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. (Luke 23:26)

Sixteen verses are given to Simon the Sorcerer who tried to buy the gift of God with money, but only 3 verses are given to Simon, a man of Cyrene, In Matthew we learn that Simon was from Cyrene and that he was compelled to bear the cross. In Mark we learn that Simon came out of the country, that he was the father of Alexander and Rufus. And finally, in Luke we learn that he was made to bear the cross behind Jesus.

No one would want to trade places with Simon the Sorcerer, but I suppose every Christian would like to trade places with the anonymous Simon, a Man of Cyrene.

Though few would match the high drama of Simon, a Man of Cyrene who carried the cross of the Savior of the world, perhaps all of us have had defining moments in our lives which following nothing was ever the same. My personal opinion is that Simon was ordained to that high calling in the eternities before he even came to earth. There is president. The Lord said to the Prophet Jeremiah

4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jeremiah 1:4-5)

What would a prophet of the stature of Jeremiah have in common with an obscure country boy named Simon. Well, more than meets the eye. Both were sent to earth at a pivotal time in history. During Jeremiah’s time the Jews were destroyed by war and taken captive into Babylon. Jeremiah himself was rejected by his own people because he didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear. During Simon’s time, Jesus Christ offered himself as a sacrifice to not only save Simon but to save the whole world. Simon was not at that crossroads to carry the cross of Christ by accident or coincidence or chance. He was there by the design of the Almighty God to assist the Savior of the world in his divine mission.

Now I ask, how is Simon different than us? Is there ever a time when Christ does not need our assistance in his great work. Are we not all an extension of his hands? Does he not work through his children when extending a helping hand?

In addition, we have the witnesses of the Birth of Christ. Matthew records the story of the Three Wise Men of the East.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk IX, Pt XX, “Adam and Eve’s First Argument”

A new day begins. Practical Eve suggests that until they have children to help them, they divide the labor and separate to get more done. Eve, having already worked out the details in her organized mind, proceeds to tell Adam how best to divide the labors.

Adam, well may we labor still to dress
This Garden, still to tend Plant, Herb and Flower.
Our pleasant task enjoined, but till more hands
Aid us, the work under our labor grows,
Luxurious by restraint; what we by day
Lop overgrown, or prune, or prop, or bind,
One night or two with wanton growth derides
Tending to wild. Thou therefore now advise
Or hear what to my mind first thoughts present,
Let us divide our labors, thou where choice
Leads thee, or where most needs, whether to wind
The Woodbine round this Arbor, or direct
The clasping Ivie where to climb, while I
In yonder Spring of Roses intermixt
With Myrtle, find what to redress till Noon:
For while so near each other thus all day
Our task we choose, what wonder if no near
Looks intervene and smiles, or object new
Casual discourse draw on, which intermits
Our days work brought to little, though begun
Early, and th’ hour of Supper comes unearned.

Adam, however, having been warned by Raphael that Lucifer is in the Garden doesn’t want Eve to leave his sight. He is less concerned about the task at hand. He tries to dissuade Eve from her plan. He is at first very diplomatic without coming to the point. He uses sincere flattery.

To whom mild answer Adam thus returned.
Sole Eve, Associate sole, to me beyond
Compare above all living Creatures dear,
Well hast thou motioned, well thy thoughts employed
How we might best fulfill the work which here
God hath assigned us, nor of me shalt pass
Unpraised: for nothing lovelier can be found
In woman, than to study household good,
And good works in her Husband to promote.

Adam is less practical. He reminds Eve that although tending the garden is important, companionship is better. Intelligent discourse is barred the brute beasts. Humans were made for higher things than satisfying the stomach. They were made to delight in each other’s company. If they work together, they may reason together and exercise their higher faculties. Adam compromises and suggests that being apart a short time would be acceptable, hoping to dissuade Eve from her more ambitious plan to remain apart all morning. Adam continues

Yet not so strictly hath our Lord imposed
Labor, as to debar us when we need
Refreshment, whether food, or talk between,
Food of the mind, or this sweet intercourse
Of looks and smiles, for smiles from Reason flow,
To brute denied, and are of Love the food,
Love not the lowest end of human life.
For not to irksome toil, but to delight
He made us, and delight to Reason joined.
These paths and Bowers doubt not but our joint
Will keep from Wilderness with ease, as wide
As we need walk, till younger hands ere long
Assist us: But if much converse perhaps
Thee satiate, to short absence I could yield.
For solitude sometimes is best society,
And short retirement urges sweet return.

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Recognizing the Hand of God Pt VI: The Logic of Law

Before listening to this podcast, we recommend, if you haven’t already, that you download and listen to Podcast 211 entitled “Recognizing the Hand of God, Commandment with a Promise.” Podcast 212 is the conclusion of Podcast 211.

Though this podcast isn’t the conclusion to the series, it is the conclusion to the introduction to the series. Other podcasts on this topic will follow periodically.

Why is it so surprising to discover that God always works through law? After all he gave us both natural law and spiritual law. Miracles occur when both are brought together to alter conditions on earth. People of faith see both God and natural law in miracles. Science sees only natural law. They attribute the rest to coincidence just as they do the origin of life, the origin of the universe, and the origin of the Goldilocks zone. Science rejects miracles because they have the false notion that somehow miracles violate the laws of nature.

That can never happen. No miracle has ever violated the laws of nature any more than the miracle of flight violates the law of gravity.

Spiritual law and natural law never contradict each other. Remember the analogy of the Wright Brothers.

The law of gravity says that one cannot fly. A combined set of laws says one can fly without violating the law of gravity. One overpowers gravity by invoking other laws. That is also the way God works. He understands all conditions, and he uses complete sets of laws to perform his work. Why would he create laws and then circumvent them? The law of perfection is comprehensive.

The Ideal quest of any Christian is to examine the commandments (or laws) of God, discover their conditions and boundaries, and obey their conditions. One will discover that spiritual law relies upon the principle of causality in the same way that temporal law relies upon the principle of causality. God creates laws. Man creates mysteries.

But let’s return to Malachi. We aren’t through yet in trying to understand how God thinks. From a logical point of view God did not say it would not rain on non-tithe payers. He only promised that it would rain on the tithe payers. There is a huge difference. Non-tithe payers might get rain because their land is adjacent to the land of a tithe payer, or they might get rain because rain clouds naturally developed. There is a natural, but not a supernatural connection.

In a hypothetical syllogism one can affirm the antecedent and deny the consequent, but one cannot deny the antecedent and affirm the consequent. In other words, the following arguments are invalid:

If you bring all the tithes into the storehouse, [then] I will cause it to rain.

· You didn’t bring all the tithes into the storehouse.

· [therefore] It didn’t rain.

That sounds logical, but it isn’t. It denies the antecedent. The Lord only addressed one issue. He promised that if you bring all the tithes into the storehouse, it will rain. He said nothing about what would happen if you didn’t bring all the tithes into the storehouse. We know that at the time he made the promise there was a drought. We also know that that particular drought was a curse for not remembering the poor and needy. We know that if they paid their tithes and offerings that particular drought would be over. No where did the Lord say that every time that you don’t pay your tithes and offerings, you will have a drought, and every time you pay your tithes and offerings it will rain. Can you see how that would destroy the purposes of God. People would pay their tithes and offerings strictly out of fear and not out of faith or charity.

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Recognizing the Hand of God Pt V: Commandment with a Promise

Before listening to this podcast, we recommend, if you haven’t already. that you download and listen to Podcast 204, 205, 206, 207, 209 & 210. They will give context to the message; however, each is independent of the other.

Mortality is temporary. It is the only way that we can advance in freewill, agency, liberty, and freedom. Birth is the only ingress into mortality. Death is the only egress out of mortality. One is greeted by tears of joy, the other by tears of sorrow. Both birth and death were designed by God in the great plan of redemption. It is the only way we can discover who we really are. All things are comprehended by contrast. Everything in this world has its opposite or we would learn nothing. 9/11 happened because we live in a fallen world. Satan is real. Heroes stepped forward and gave their lives to save others because the spirit of Christ is alive and still dwells in men’s hearts. He too is real.

We must know the good from the evil. In the resurrection we will get our bodies back and they will be perfectly formed. God counts the hairs of our head, and he restores everything in the resurrection. No teeth will be missing, no imperfections will exist. The difference between individuals, however, will not be in the perfection of the flesh for all resurrected beings will be perfect. The difference will be in the glory of the body. As Paul said, some will shine like the sun, some will shine like the moon, and some will shine like the stars. “As one star differeth from another star in glory”

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. (1st Corinthians 15)

It takes faith and works to bring about the blessings of God, but it also takes faith to recognize the blessings of God. Together, let us analyze a commandment with a promise as if it were a law. I intend to use it as a model in analyzing other commandments of God. Let us go to Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament:

“8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:8-12

Let’s take the law apart proposition by proposition. What is the law referred to above? It is the law of tithes and offerings. As with all laws with conditions, it has both a curse if we do not obey the law and a blessing if we do. Malachi points out to the Jews that the famine is caused because they did not observe the law of tithes and offerings.

God is never arbitrary. Notice the connection between the law and the curse. Tithes and offerings go to building up the kingdom of God on earth and to helping the poor and needy. Remember the parable of the sheep and goats

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Excerpt Recognizing the Hand of God Pt IV: Power

For continuity we recommend that you first download 204, 205, 206, 207 & 209. However, each podcast may be listened to independently.

People commonly recognize the laws of nature, but we do not always recognize the hand of God. In God’s kingdom everything is governed by law, whether it is temporal law such as earth or spiritual law such as the teachings of Christ.

The hand of God, by design, is invisible that faith may grow. The temporal world is detected by the temporal senses; the spiritual world is detected by the spiritual senses, but both worlds are governed by the laws of God. All miracles are brought about by faith. A miracle is governed by a law of God that we do not yet understand. God never works by accident or chance, or coincidence, or serendipity of circumstances. He does not deal with guess work.

Science, though brilliant at discovering the principle of causality, is clueless about the origin of things; therefore, they claim that man is an accidental collocation of atoms and that we live in an accidental universe. Bertrand Russell, English mathematician, and philosopher, sums up the views of science:

“That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and that the whole temple of Man’s achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the débris of a universe in ruins—all these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearly certain, that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand. Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built.”

Whereas I have no doubt that Mr. Russell is a devout atheist, I would like to point out a danger that writers of his caliber face. Sometimes language has a life of its own so that it is not always possible to discern if the thought controls the language or the language controls the thought. The elegance of Mr. Russel’s argument suggests the latter. For example, for a philosopher supposedly searching for truth, his claim in the last two sentences seems a little disingenuous. To assert, “I am right and no philosophy that contradicts me can hope to stand” is foolhardy. He assumes that science has nothing else to learn. In addition, the very last assertion can be dismissed as hysterical. When he says, “Only within the scaffolding of these truths”—what truths is he referring to? The incomplete science regarding the expanding universe? or Mr. Russell’s opinion? And to claim that “only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built” is indefensible and doesn’t really merit reply. The majority do not share his “unyielding despair” and his conclusion that only on unyielding despair can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built is utter nonsense. First of all, it can hardly be called safe.

I think the great Bertrand Russell indulged himself too much in the declaration above, setting his rhetoric on fire to illuminate scientific prejudice rather than to reveal truth. It is a common fault of scientific evangelists who are unaccustomed to being opposed.

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Recognizing the Hand of God Pt III: Faith

It is assumed that you have listened to podcasts 204, 205, 206 & 207. If not, perhaps for continuity you would like to download those first. However, it is not essential. Each podcast is independent.

There is one word that separates the temporal law from the spiritual law. That word is faith. We don’t have faith in the law of gravity though we use the term loosely. We have perfect knowledge that the law of gravity exists. We know the effects of gravity. We don’t get up every morning deciding whether or not we are going to obey the laws of nature. Strictly speaking we never violate the laws of nature. We may choose to ignore the law of gravity, but the law of gravity will never ignore us. Nature is a harsh teacher.

However, we may choose to obey or disobey the laws of God. God remains hidden so that faith can flourish. Earth is a probationary state. The judgments of God are often postponed giving us time to repent. Evil people get rich. Evil people get powerful. Evil people often get what they want. Evil people often find pleasure in what they do. The law of justice, however, has a perfect memory and there will come a time of judgment and restitution. The law of justice is as exact as the laws of nature, but it does not operate on the same time frame. The laws of nature are for mortality only. The law of justice is for eternity. We will forever be under the law of justice. Because of the law of justice there is both a heaven and a hell. Because of the law of mercy, we may choose where we will spend eternity.

Everyone falls under the law of justice. The law of justice is the controlling law of all creation. Justice is absolute and cannot be compromised. If justice were compromised, there would be nothing rather than something. It is the glue that holds everything together. All laws bow to justice. Christ submitted his will to the Father. Even the law of mercy, brought about by the atonement of Jesus Christ, must satisfy the demands of the law of justice. That is why the law of mercy is conditional.

It is the law of mercy alone that satisfies the law of justice and allows us back into the presence of God. No scripture describes the mission of Christ better than John 3:16-17:

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

The purpose of the Holy Scriptures is to define the conditions established by the law of mercy that we may have everlasting life. We call those conditions the commandments of God.

The only reason the law of mercy can exercise power over the law of justice is because Christ, the perfect one, sacrificed his life to pay for our sins. What Christ doesn’t pay for, we must pay for. He alone can save us from our sins. The law of justice is an eternal law. That is why the law of mercy must be an eternal law. Christ will always be our savior. Only through faith in Christ can we be saved from our sins. There is no substitute for Christ. The price we must pay is obedience to the laws of Christ.

Because of the fall of Adam, we are already under condemnation from the law of justice. Christ’s atonement redeems us from the fall. We can never satisfy the law of justice, but we can satisfy the laws of Christ. The law of justice demands perfection. The law of mercy allows repentance. We cannot reach perfection in this life.

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Bk IX, Pt XIX, “Lucifer Enters the Snake”

In the beginning of each Book Milton provides an abstract. In Milton’s words.

Satan, having compassed the earth, with meditated guile returns, as a mist, by night into paradise; enters into the serpent sleeping.

The King James Version of the Bible is very succinct. In Chapter 3, verse 1, we read the following:

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Perhaps it is a good thing that Milton didn’t translate the Bible into English for he is not going to bypass a chance like that. He turns it into high, unforgettable drama. It is a humiliating moment for Lucifer who once was called “son of the morning” or “shining one.” It is clear that he once had a very high position in the presence of God. Isaiah tells us

“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the North; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (Isaiah 14:12-14)

First of all if Lucifer persuaded a third part of the hosts heaven to follow him, it is obvious that he was known by all the spirits in heaven. “Son of the Morning” is clearly a high title. He apparently had reason to think he could “ascend into heaven and exalt his throne above the stars of God.’ The ‘stars of God’ refer to all the children of God. Lucifer wanted to be the greatest star in heaven, In fact, he aimed for the highest office, “I will be like the most High.” It was Christ who was referred to as the “bright and morning star.” Satan wanted to replace Christ and be our savior, the ‘bright and morning star.’ Now he has to lower himself into possessing the body of a snake. It was a humiliation he was willing to endure to bring about the fall of man.

Milton continues his epic.

I now must change
Those Notes to Tragic; foul distrust, and breach
Disloyal on the part of Man, revolt
And disobedience: On the part of Heav’n
Now alienated, distance and distaste,
Anger and just rebuke, and judgement giv’n,
That brought into this World a world of woe,
Sin and her shadow Death, and Misery
Deaths Harbinger: Sad task,

After being threatened by Gabriel, Satan sneaks back into the garden under the cover of darkness.

The Sun was sunk, and after him the Star
Of Hesperus, whose Office is to bring
Twilight upon the Earth, short Arbiter
Twixt Day and Night, and now from end to end
Nights Hemisphere had veiled the Horizon round:
When Satan who late fled before the threats
Of Gabriel out of Eden, now improved
In meditated fraud and malice, bent
On man’s destruction, maugre what might hap
Of heavier on himself, fearless returned.

Protected by the veil of night, Satan circles the globe seven times, always under darkness, and finally he returns to Eden where he knows of a deep underground cavern that leads to the tree of life.

By Night he fled, and at Midnight return’d
From compassing the Earth, cautious of day,
Since Uriel Regent of the Sun descried
His entrance, and forewarned the Cherubim
That kept their watch; thence full of anguish driven,
The space of seven continued Nights he rode
With darkness, thrice the Equinoctial Line
He circled, four times crossed the Carr of Night
From Pole to Pole, traversing each Colure;
On the eighth returned, and on the Coast averse
From entrance or Cherubic Watch, by stealth
Found unsuspected way.

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Pt II B: Agency cont.

If you have not downloaded Podcast 206, may we recommend that you listen to it first. This is a continuation.

In our hypothetical world described in Podcast 206, a very powerful dictator represented himself to the people as a benevolent libertarian. He persuaded them that there was no God and no Devil, no absolute good and no absolute evil, no life before birth and no life after death. There was only today. He offers a world where everyone will be happy, where everyone will receive the desires of their heart.

As you have guessed the dictator of the fictitious world described in the previous podcast is Lucifer. It is the kind of world he would create. Not being omniscient, he must learn from his mistakes. His first mistake was in allowing people to change worlds when they disagreed with popular policies. He corrected his mistake by allowing his slaves to silence or eliminate anyone who disagreed with their opinions.

From that point on he observed a strange phenomenon. Once a common enemy was identified, the dominate party melted into one like pieces of soft lead under intense heat. Regardless of individual philosophies, even the strongest gave up all independence of thought and merged with the will of the strong-minded leaders, fanatically agreeing with everything: the press gave up freedom of the press; Christians gave up once cherished values; universities gave up critical thinking and freedom of thought; the masses gave up freedom of speech. They all gave up freewill, agency, freedom, and liberty and bleated like sheep with one voice when anyone threatened them.

Lucifer realized that without a common enemy, he had to battle for every soul he won. After he invented a common enemy, everyone voluntarily relinquished their freewill on every issue, no matter how abhorrent it at first appeared and focused on the enemy, subordinating everything to its extinction. As long as he kept the hated enemy at the forefront, there was no more struggle, no more dissention, and no more opposing voices inside the ranks. If any rank and file member dared to express opposition, though once highly honored, they were exposed, excoriated, and cast out in disgrace amid uniform outrage and public slander. There was fanatic complicity, like dummies voicing the will of the puppeteer. Lucifer achieved power over his subjects without effort, a feat that his number one enemy could never achieve. That was his greatest triumph.

Perhaps you have not overlooked the similarities between the world Lucifer created and the world the liberals are creating in America today. The liberals are eliminating the opposition. For example, The persecution of Justice Kavanaugh in trying to block his nomination to the Supreme Court; the false accusations and incessant persecution of President Trump throughout his Presidency, even hounding him after he left office. The persecution via the media of any person of color, any woman, any minority, or any other of the protected class who changed ranks; calling those who oppose their policies domestic terrorists and using the FBI and Justice department to persecute them; using the IRS to scrutinize the tax records of conservatives while ignoring the liberals; putting under a microscope any suspicious activities of the opposition while covering up the scandalous crimes of those in their own high ranks.

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Pt II A: Agency

If you are new to the “Recognizing the Hand of God” series, we recommend that you first download Season 3 Podcasts 204 and 205 “Mortality vs. Immortality Pt I A and Pt I B for continuity.

The one thing that everyone at the final judgment will recognize unambiguously is that God is Just. On earth we tend to blame God for both good and evil. On my Facebook page today a person wrote, “Where was God during 9/11?” It is a plaintive cry and an understandable question, and one cannot criticize a person for asking it. I suppose that in one form or another, people have been asking that question since Cain killed Abel.

I touch on the question briefly in this podcast, but I go more in depth in other podcasts because the issue is very important. And we all need to come to terms with it.

The short answer is that God is the author of good. Satan is the author of evil. On earth we are enticed both by Christ to do good and by Satan to do evil. That is the only way that agency can exist. We choose whom we follow, or where is freewill? Suffering is the price we pay for the existence of evil in this world.

Let me pose a hypothetical world. First let’s assume there is no God and there is no devil, no absolute good and no absolute evil. Second let’s assume there are two earths exactly like ours. A single dictator rules both worlds. The dictator presents himself as a benevolent libertarian with god-like powers, but he is not what he seems. He is the only immortal. In fact, he is a bored immortal and creates worlds for his amusement. He cares nothing for the happiness or misery of his subjects.

Eternity is a dull thing, and he needs diversion; therefore, he decides to give his subjects everything they desire. He will simply stand back, aloof, silent, sipping Margaritas as he watches things unfold. He never interferes.

On one world he allows only those who think one way and on the other world he allows only those who think the opposite way. The point is that all those who think exactly alike live together. If there were no absolute standards defining what is good or what is evil, how would you know if your world were good or evil? The answer is that you wouldn’t. You would have no opposition. What would be your frame of reference if everything were the same? The only reference you would have would be the consequence of things. The problem is that without contrast, you really wouldn’t know that your way is best.

As we know from our experience in the real-world people often call evil good and good evil. It is Satan’s greatest tool. Satan likes nothing better than a fanatical saint in his service who thinks he is serving God.

In our hypothetical universe where there are no laws only opinions, people would say that they were good. The thing that is missing is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil cannot exist in a world where there are no absolutes, no opposites, and everything is relative.

Let’s use our world today as an example. Let’s say our fictitious dictator focuses on our world and organizes us according to our innate desires.

From America alone the dictator would place all liberals who adopt the woke philosophy on one world and all conservatives who are traditionalists on another. Remember, however, with our dictator, there are no absolutes. People can make up their own laws.

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Pt I B: Mortality vs. Immortality cont.

We are so glad you joined us. If you missed our last podcast, we recommend that you first listen to Season 3 Podcast 204 Pt I A before listening to Podcast Pt I B. This is a continuation of Pt I A and will help you keep the continuity.

In the Christian view, in pre-mortality we lived as spirits with God called our First Estate. In Jude we read,

6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. (Jude 1)

Living as spirits with God, we were all brothers and sisters equal in the sight of God. Jude is referring to Lucifer and the other fallen angels as the ones who did not keep their first estate. John the Revelator refers to that as the War in Heaven

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12)

Those of us who fought with Michael against Lucifer were allowed to come to earth and gain a physical body. It logically follows that this is our Second Estate. In the pre-mortal existence, we were subject only to spiritual laws. In mortality we are subject to both spiritual laws and mortal laws. We became subject to death because of the fall of Adam. When we die, we will go to the spirit world where we will wait for the resurrection and the final judgment. Peter tells us

10 “For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (1 Peter 4:10.)

After the resurrection and final judgment, we will be assigned a kingdom of glory according to our works in the flesh. In the final judgment we will be judged by Christ according to our works while we lived in the Second (or mortal) Estate. Paul tells us

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

But, of course, according to the law of opposites, where there is a heaven, there must be a hell.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

For those who reject God because they object to hell must understand that if there is a heaven there must also be a hell. To have mercy you must have justice, to have good, you must have evil, to have moral you must have immoral, to have God you must have Satan.

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Recognizing the Hand of God, Mortality vs. Immortality

I am beginning a new series entitled “Recognizing the Hand of God.” This is the first in the series. The other examples will follow randomly.

The purpose of this series is to prove that God works by law; that all blessings of God are based upon law; otherwise, faith could not develop, and it is only by faith that miracles occur, and it is only by faith that we follow the commandments of God. By discovering law, we can discover the hand of God. For example, consider the laws of nature. There is a cause and there is an effect. We call that The Principle of Causality. God is the God of nature, and God works through law, whether natural law or spiritual law. They are both subject to the Principle of Causality. In other words, if we want electricity, we must obey the conditions of the laws of electricity. If we want a blessing from God, we must obey the commandments or conditions established by God to receive that blessing. I will illustrate this principle with the following example from the Ten Commandments often referred to as the commandment with a promise.

“Honor thy father and thy mother, so that thy days may be long in the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee.”

The condition is “to honor your father and mother.” The promise is that “your days will be long in the land that the Lord thy God gives you.” The condition, stated as a commandment, is the cause, the blessing is the effect. It is not my purpose here to explicate the verse or to define the terms. I’ll save that for another podcast. Here, I shall just say that the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments before they reached the Promised Land. The Ten Commandments, as stated by James in the New Testament, is The Law of Liberty. The fifth commandment was given as the key to the longevity of a nation. The Children of Israel were not intended by the Lord to have kings. They were meant to be led by prophets but judged by righteous judges chosen by the people. Though theocratic it was not a totalitarian state. It was a democracy.

They had twelve tribes comparable to our states. Each tribe would choose their own judges. It was the perfect model. Strong families are essential to any free nation. The Ten Commandments apply just as much to America as they did to the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and it is just as important for America to obey the fifth commandment as it was for the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Just as the House of Israel fell because the family fell, America will fall if the families fall. I urge everyone to resist any attack on the family. There is no greater act of treason in America than the act of destroying the family.

There is an old Catholic hymn adopted by all Christians entitled “Faith of our Fathers,” which is a clear reference to the Fifth Commandment. The following are verses 3 & 4:

3 | Faith of our fathers, we will strive
To win all nations unto thee;
And through the truth that comes from God
Mankind shall then indeed be free.
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!
4 | Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife,
And preach thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!

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“The Story of Creation” Pt V

Milton emphasizes that Adam and Eve are man and wife, married by God himself.

She disappeared, and left me dark, I wak’d
To find her, or for ever to deplore
Her loss, and other pleasures all abjure:
When out of hope, behold her, not far off,
Such as I saw her in my dream, adorned
With what all Earth or Heaven could bestow
To make her amiable: On she came,
Led by her Heav’nly Maker, though unseen,
And guided by his voice, nor uninformed
Of nuptial Sanctity and marriage Rites:
Grace was in all her steps, Heav’n in her Eye,
In every gesture dignity and love.
I overjoyed could not forbear aloud.

Of course, as always Milton is merely following the narrative in Genesis.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:23-25)

That eliminates entirely the mistaken idea of some that original sin was adultery or sexual promiscuity or prurience of any kind. It is clear that they were married by the Lord and the posterity of Adam and Eve was not the result of lechery. They were commanded by God to have children.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the dearth, and subdue it: and have edominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1: 27-28)

4 RON

In fact, it was impossible for Adam and Eve to have a sexual relationsip before the fall. Moses tells us,

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

That means, of course, they weren’t even aware of their nakedness. This becomes clear in the following conversation between Adam and God.

9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? (Genesis 3:9-11)

I continue with Milton’s version. Adam addresses his maker.

This turn hath made amends; thou hast fulfilled
Thy words, Creator bounteous and benign,
Giver of all things faire, but fairest this
Of all thy gifts, nor enviest. I now see
Bone of my Bone, Flesh of my Flesh, my Self
Before me; Woman is her Name, of Man
Extracted; for this cause he shall forgoe
Father and Mother, and to his Wife adhere;
And they shall be one Flesh, one Heart, one Soule.

Milton emphasizes that our first parents were married in Eden by God himself and that the human race is their legitimate offspring, suggesting that marriage between a man and woman is ordained of God, and it is only through the marriage covenant that children should be brought into the world.

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“Abortion”

Abortion began with the following arguments:

· Outrage against the butchery of dark alley abortions

· Women’s rights

· Health of the mother

· Incest and rape

· Emotional trauma

But it quickly escalated into a political battle mostly buried under rhetoric. The first thing that we can dismiss is the argument that abortion is about women’s health. If abortion were strictly about women’s health, there would be no escalating argument. I cannot imagine anyone condemning a woman to death. Any compassionate person would leave that decision entirely to the mother and to those whom she chose to be her counselors. There may be other extenuating circumstances such as incest or rape which should be determined privately with competent people of her own choosing. The abortion issue, however, quickly escalated and went beyond the issue of a mother’s health or emotional state of mind.

In an article “Studies in Family Planning,” a Publication of The Population Council, February 1969, Number Thirty-Eight, the following methods of population control were presented for consideration. You may access the entire article on the Internet.

1. Institutionalization of maternal care in rural areas of developing countries…aimed particularly at women of low parity.

2. Liberalization of induced abortion.

3. Mass use of “fertility control agent” by government to regulate births at acceptable level: the “fertility control agent” designed to lower fertility in the society by five per cent to 75 percent less than the present birth rate, as needed.

4. Marketable licenses to have children”, given to women and perhaps men in “whatever number would ensure a reproduction rate of one”, say 2.2 children per couple: the unit certificate might be the “deci-child’, and if ten of these units by purchase, inheritance or gift, would permit a woman in maturity to have one legal child”.

5. Temporary sterilization of all girls via time-capsule contraceptives, and again after each delivery, with reversibility allowed only upon government approval: certificates of approval distributed according to popular vote on desired population growth for a country, and saleable on open market.

6. Compulsory sterilization of men with three or more living children: requirement of induced abortion for all illegitimate pregnancies.

7. Inclusion of population materials in primary and secondary school systems.

8. Payment for the initiation or the effective practice of contraception: payment or equivalent for sterilization.

9. Payment for periods of non-pregnancy or non-birth: a bonus for child spacing or non-pregnancy…. “Responsibility prizes” for each five years of childless marriage or for vasectomy before the third child, and special lotteries with tickets available to the childless.

10. Withdrawal of maternity benefits after 3 children

11. Reversal of tax benefits to favor the unmarried and the parents of fewer rather than more children.

12. Promotion of “two types of marriage, one of them childless and readily dissolved, and the other licensed for children and designed to be stable.

The above was not a movie script for a horror film. The article was written in 1969, over fifty years ago. Of course, none of the proposals are legal in the United States. I merely present the article to illustrate that think tanks regarding population control do exist. It should be clear to everyone that Family Planning, Planned Parenthood, and abortion clinics are more about population control than women’s health.

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“The Dirac Equation Paradox.”

Okay, assuming you have listened to Podcast 197 Pt I “How Taxpayers view inflation reduction”; and Podcast 199 The Land of Laputa; and Podcast 200 Xeno’s Paradox, in this the final podcast on The Inflation Reduction Act, I shall address how Congress uses the Dirac Equation Paradox to reduce inflation.

The Dirac equation in one way is similar to Zeno’s Paradox but just the opposite in another, However, that is the way of paradox. Using Zeno’s Paradox allows Congress to increase inflation indefinitely thus dividing our spending power into half indefinitely yet still keep the illusion that we will never run out of money. It is clearly explained in the previous podcast to everyone’s satisfaction. Using the Dirac Equation Paradox allows Congress to continue the illusion that they can get something from nothing. They are similar in that they are both paradoxes, both were discovered by geniuses, and best of all both allow Congress unlimited spending power without running out of money and without burden to the taxpayers. It is the liberal jackpot. Like Biden promised, “You don’t have to pay a dime.”

But first let me explain what the Dirac Equation is in layman’s terms so that you can follow the analogy. I hope you will be as excited as Congress when you understand how brilliantly it works. As we have learned through global warming and the Covid crisis the liberals become very animated when they have solid science on their side regardless of the facts. In fact, Barack Obama and Al Gore received Nobel Prizes just for preaching the liberal agenda while holding high office. Facts, truth, and common sense were not even relevant because science was behind them. After all they have something in common with the genius Paul Dirac. They all three won Nobel Prizes. It stands to reason that they must be equal in intelligence. Of course, Paul Dirac had to shake the world with his discovery. All Obama and Gore had to do was to shake their fist at conservatives, but why quibble over trifles. The Nobel committee couldn’t possibly be biased and surely, they would not stoop as low as the Oscars that favor liberal propaganda so there must have been some deeper reason to award the world’s highest honor on those who by all appearances had nothing to offer but party propaganda.

Paul Dirac, an English theoretical physicist who won the Nobel prize for physics at age 31, predicted the existence of the positron or first anti particle, also called anti matter, which is identical to the electron, only with a positive charge. It was like predicting the existence of ghosts and then proving it.

The positron made up half the matter of the universe. In other words, an invisible world mirrors the visible world. In the visible world protons, neutrons, and electrons combine to form atoms, called matter. Dirac predicted that those had a mirror image, but with a different electric charge that combined to form antimatter. Dirac combined quantum mechanics with special relativity. The electron has a negative charge. The positron is a particle with a positive charge that acts like an electron. When they meet, they annihilate each other, their energy released as light.

The implications of that are astonishing scientifically because, unless something intervenes, we can never have a solid universe which means that planets, moons, suns, stars, galaxies, etc. could never form. In other words when matter and antimatter meet, besides energy expressed in flashes of light, there should be nothing rather than something. Can you see where this is leading? It means that something can come from nothing because we do have moons, planets, suns, stars, and galaxies. Science has frantically been trying to unify the four forces of nature to explain the phenomenon of the existence of celestial bodies. Where they have failed Congress has succeeded.

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“Zeno’s Paradox.”

Okay, assuming you have listened to Podcast 197, “How Taxpayers view The Inflation Reduction Act” in which I explained what inflation reduction means to an average person on a fixed income; and also assuming that you have listened to Podcast 199 “The Land of Laputa” in which I showed how our present-day Executive Branch and Legislative Branch modeled their behavior after the Laputians, a successful kingdom which existed 300 years ago.

In this podcast I shall further justify the peculiar actions of our Executive Branch and our Legislative Branch by showing how they have built our economy on Zeno’s Paradox, a Greek philosopher who lived about 500 B.C. My purpose is to, if not justify our dictators, at least to explain their behavior so that the critics of Congress will have a better understanding of their mysteries and perhaps show some compassion.

The Blue states do not need this for they do not require explanations or logic. They only look at the results of things. Also they look to CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC and the other major news networks and newspapers who kindly keep silent on major news stories that might upset people, who always take the highroad and remain on the primrose path, and who perfume the airways to camouflage any open cesspool of foul smelling putrescence. Their job is to assuage the public, convincing them that all is well even when it isn’t, and to protect the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch from criticism. They know that variety and truth are annoying inconveniences for liberals and thinking is too difficult. They give peace of mind, for example, by proving that all violent demonstrations, regardless of how many are murdered, are actually peaceful expressions of patriotic terrorists who have been wronged by white supremacists. They soothe the unsettled hearts of a credulous audience who, as long as they get what they want, they don’t really care what our leaders do.

I am writing this for the Red states that tend to cling to ancient traditions and listen to Fox News who keep them in an uproar by confusing appearances with facts.

In other words, the purpose of this podcast is to help those of you who may be angry at what you perceive as the false promises of the Inflation Reduction Act to understand how Congress thinks. For example, you might think that spending $369 billion in taxes on bribes and climate change and $124 billion more hiring additional IRS agents may actually increase inflation. You may think that you have been lied to. You may be further inflamed by the fact that experts have proven that the Inflation Reduction Act doesn’t reduce inflation, that it probably increases inflation. After all it is because of uncontrolled spending that we have a 30 trillion-dollar debt, a bankrupt nation, and the promise that in the near future we won’t be able to afford gas, food, clothing, or shelter. But even in the face of certain economic catastrophe, I wish to disambiguate you on the diabolical appearance of things.

I wish to explain why on our planet we are in a recession, but on the moon where members of Congress live, we are not. Why on our planet inflation increases when Congress spends obscene amounts of money on cooling the planet that has been heating up for 4.5 billion years; but on the moon the more you spend the less you have inflation. It is just a matter of perspective. You see, as explained in the previous podcast, the moon is higher than our planet; therefore, they see things more clearly.

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“The Land of Laputa.”

Okay, assuming you have listened to Podcast 197, “The Inflation Reduction Act for Dummies,” “How Taxpayers view inflation reduction” in which I explained inflation from the common person’s point of view, I shall now turn my thoughts to Congress and look at things from Congress’s point of view. In this podcast, I should like to show a precedent for Congress by comparing our government to the government of a country that existed 300 years ago as describe by Lemuel Gulliver and recorded in Gulliver’s Travels.

The reason I think it is necessary to compare Congress to the governors of the land of Laputa is so you will not think that our Congress is without precedent. I thought if you saw that the rulers of other sovereign nations acted just like our Congress you would have more compassion. Probability dictates that two such governments could not act with the same mindless irresponsibility that some disaffected citizens are charging against our high leaders. If two countries act exactly alike, there is the greater possibility that there is some intelligence behind their behavior. It is a historical fact that highly intelligent people often appear odd. They may stumble over words or forget where they are or repeat phrases infinitely without apparent purpose and cannot always explain their behavior in ordinary terms. I think it may give you peace to know our government leaders have a great deal in common with the people of Laputa; and instill in you a desire, perhaps, to show more compassion for apparent aberrations.

COMPARISON NUMBER ONE

Just as members of our congress live on the moon that floats above the earth, The King lives on an Island that floats above the mainland. And although, like our Congressmen, the Aristocracy have mansions below, they spend the majority of their time on the floating Island. And just as the moon is held into orbit by the gravitational pull of the earth, the floating island is held into orbit by the gravitational pull of the land of Laputa. In addition, just as our congress lives in luxury and do not have to worry about the economic woes of the inferior taxpayers below, so do the King and Aristocracy live in luxury and do not have to worry about the economic woes of the inferior taxpayers below. In fact, just as Congress comingles with commoners only by necessity once in a while, so do the King and Aristocracy of the land of Laputa comingle with commoners only by necessity once in a while.

But at the same time the reader can hardly conceive my astonishment, to behold an island in the air, inhabited by men, who were able (as it should seem) to raise or sink, or put it into progressive motion, as they pleased. But not being at that time in a disposition to philosophize upon this phenomenon, I rather chose to observe what course the island would take, because it seemed for a while to stand still. Yet soon after, it advanced nearer, and I could see the sides of it encompassed with several gradations of galleries, and stairs, at certain intervals, to descend from one to the other. …The number of people increased, and, in less than half an hour, the island was moved and raised in such a manner, that the lowest gallery appeared in a parallel of less than a hundred yards distance from the height where I stood.

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“The Story of Creation” Pt IV

As Adam ponders the questions—Who am I we? Who created me? Where did I come from? Why am I here on this earth?—the answer comes in a dream.

On a green shady Bank profuse of Flowers
Pensive I sat me down; there gentle sleep
First found me, and with soft oppression seis’d
My drowsed sense, untroubled, though I thought
I then was passing to my former state
Insensible, and forthwith to dissolve:
When suddenly stood at my Head a dream,
Whose inward apparition gently moved
My Fancy to believe I yet had being,
And lived: One came, methought, of shape Divine,
And said, thy Mansion wants thee, Adam, rise,
First Man, of Men innumerable ordained
First Father, called by thee I come thy Guide
To the Garden of bliss, thy seat prepared.
So saying, by the hand he took me raised,
And over Fields and Waters, as in Aire
Smooth sliding without step, last led me up
A woodie Mountain; whose high top was plaine,
A Circuit wide, enclosed, with goodliest Trees
Planted, with Walks, and Bowers, that what I saw
Of Earth before scarse pleasant seemed. Each Tree
Load’n with fairest Fruit, that hung to the Eye
Tempting, stirred in me sudden appetite
To pluck and eat;

Adam woke from his dream and discovers the dream was real. He discovers himself standing in the presence of God.

Whereat I waked, and found
Before mine Eyes all real, as the dream
Had lively shadowed: Here had new begun
My wandering, had not he who was my Guide
Up hither, from among the Trees appeared,
Presence Divine. Rejoicing, but with aw
In adoration at his feet I fell
Submiss: he reared me, & Whom thou soughtst I am,
Said mildly, Author of all this thou seest
Above, or round about thee or beneath.
This Paradise I give thee, count it thine
To Till and keep, and of the Fruit to eat:

Adam is given charge of the Garden. In fact, he inherits the garden. He has access to every fruit for it is his; however, Adam is forbidden to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Of every Tree that in the Garden grows
Eat freely with glad heart; fear here no dearth:
But of the Tree whose operation brings
Knowledge of good and ill, which I have set
The Pledge of thy Obedience and thy Faith,
Amid the Garden by the Tree of Life,
Remember what I warn thee, shun to taste,
And shun the bitter consequence: for know,
The day thou eat’st thereof, my sole command
Transgrest, inevitably thou shalt dye;
From that day mortal, and this happy State
Shalt loose, expelled from hence into a World
Of woe and sorrow. Sternly he pronounced
The rigid interdiction, which resounds
Yet dreadful in mine ear, though in my choice
Not to incur; but soon his clear aspect
Returned and gracious purpose thus renewed.
Not only these fair bounds, but all the Earth
To thee and to thy Race I give; as Lords
Possess it, and all things that therein live,
Or live in Sea, or Aire, Beast, Fish, and Fowle.

God explains the curse that is placed upon the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The price is death and loss of happiness and loss of the garden. He shall be expelled from Eden and sent into a world of sorrow and woe. It was a dreadful curse; however, Adam soon forgot the horror and focused on the present. He was made Lord of the earth and everything in it. He was Lord of everything that lived in the Sea, on the land, or in the Air. Adam is commanded to name the animals.

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The Inflation Reduction Act for Dummies Pt I

In this Podcast, Part I, I shall give a working man’s definition of The Inflation Reduction Act. In Part II, Podcast 199, I shall give a Congressman’s definition of The Inflation Reduction Act as influenced by Zeno’s Paradox. In Part III, I shall give a Congressman’s definition of The Inflation Reduction Act as influenced by the Dirac Equation.

In this podcast, however, I want to simplify what inflation reduction means to the common man. I know the common man already understands it. I call it The Inflation Reduction Act for Dummies because I want members of Congress to understand it too. If the language appears oversimplified remember that the primary audience is Congress.

I will use myself as an example of the average taxpayer. My wife is in her early seventies. I just turned eighty-years-old. We are retired. We live on a fixed income. Our income is the same this year as it was last year. It will be the same next year as it is this year. It is a modest income but was comfortable under the Trump administration. We have simple tastes but enjoy life. It is a second marriage for us both. I have six children. She has seven. The combined families equal thirteen children, all grown; 43 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren. Our parents came out of the depression and taught us spending habits based on necessity; therefore, Linda and I, through the example of our parents, live beneath our means, meaning that regardless of what we do without, we spend less than we have.

For example, yesterday we went to Walmart. I have a serious sweet tooth. I went to buy my favorite candy, M&Ms. I was astonished, even at Walmart the bag of M&Ms was almost $10. Never had I paid that much. I went home without the M&M’s. We needed milk. I picked up a gallon of 2% without looking at the price and put it in the cart. My wife, who pinches pennies, immediately plucked the gallon of milk out of the cart and put it back on the shelf. She said, “We are not paying $5 dollars for a gallon of milk.” She searched the shelves until she found one for under $4 and put it in the cart.

I shall use that example to define inflation for dummies.

In the first example we met inflation reduction by doing without the M&M’s. It was a luxury item. People on a fixed income understand what it means to do without though Congress doesn’t since they do not have to balance a budget. To Congress there is no connection between how much money they have and how much they spend. For example, our nation has a $30 trillion dollar debt yet Congress just allocated billions of dollars to change the climate and called it the Inflation Reduction Act for no other reason than it sounded better than calling it the Inflation Doubling Act.

They don’t have to consider practical consequences such as the fact that when they give money away, we the taxpayers must give up things that we have grown accustomed to such as M&M’s. Some, of course, also have to give up milk, but what is that to Congress. They grow richer as we grow poorer, but I will explain that in later podcasts.

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Linda Tribalism in America Pt II

In a democratic state, when laws break down, tribes no longer having common ground, turn against each other. That is how the left is winning. They claim that conservatives hate women, hate gays, hate lesbians, hate transgenders, hate immigrants, hate the poor, hate the blacks, hate the Hispanics, hate Muslims. They even claim that conservatives have mental illness: homophobia, Xenophobia, gynophobia, Islamophobia, transphobia, misogynist, sexist, racist.

In a recent speech by President Biden entitled “The Continued Battle for the Soul of the Nation,” one of the most divisive speeches I have heard a President give, Joe Biden attacked the tribe he called MAGA Republicans. According to President Biden the MAGA Republicans:

· represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic

· do not respect the Constitution

· do not believe in the rule of law

· do not recognize the will of the people

· refuse to accept the results of a free election

· refuse the right to choose

· refuse the right to privacy

· refuse the right to contraception

· refuse the right to marry who you love

· promote authoritarian leaders

· fan the flames of political violence

· are a threat to our personal rights

· are a threat to the pursuit of justice

· are a threat to the rule of law

· are a threat to the very soul of this country

· are a “clear and present danger” to our democracy

· embrace anger

· thrive on chaos

· live not in the light of truth but in the shadow of lies

The liberals on the other hand according to Mr. Biden

· honor our Constitution.

· believe in the rule of law.

· respect free and fair elections.

· honor the will of the people.

· reject violence as a political tool.

· believe in honesty and decency

· have respect for others, for patriotism, for liberty, for justice for all, for hope, and for possibilities

To put it into perspective, the Cook Political Report determined that 81, 282,916 voted for Biden in the 2020 election and 74,223,369 voted for Trump. Therefore, according to Biden’s definition, the MAGA Republicans constitute over seventy million Americans. In his speech those are the ones he called “white supremacists and the extremists.” In another speech he called them “semi fascists.”

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Tribalism in America Pt I

Tribalism is a closed group held together by extreme loyalty. Each tribe is defined by attributes unique to the members: blood, nationality, religion, crime, politics, money, poverty, skin color, work, wealth, occupation, education, geography, language, nationality, etc.

Tribalism is essential to all organized groups, large or small. Every nation is a tribe. Loyalty is the primary attribute of members of a tribe. Some tribes are egalitarian, some totalitarian, and anywhere in between.

Tribalism is natural. We all like to belong. People join churches, fraternities, sororities, clubs, associations, teams, circles, unions, leagues, guilds, institutions, political parties, corporations, lodges, etc. Without tribalism sports could not survive, colleges could not survive, business could not survive, politicians could not survive.

Some tribes work within the laws but remain separate. Indian tribes are one example. Others are nationalities who remain separate and form cities within cities: Little Italy, China Town, etc.

Broadly speaking every competing group is tribal. States are tribal; Cities are tribal; colleges are tribal, high schools are tribal. We refer to rival schools or rival teams.

Traditionally American politics were divided into two semi-friendly tribes: democrats and republicans. As a general rule, they were fiercely competitive within the tribes but united against the opposing tribe. What was unique in America’s past was that though both parties were independent they worked for the common good and collectively believed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

That is no longer the case in America. Though they have cunningly preserved the names, we no longer have democrats and republicans. Those limp names are dredges of the past and will probably be voluntarily dropped in the near future.

We have one tribe made up of socialists, communists, and Marxists who want to destroy the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the traditional America and replace it with socialism and another tribe made up of conservatives who want to preserve the Constitution and Bill of Rights and balance of power. All democrats and the majority of republicans in Congress primarily belong to the left or liberal tribe. They haven’t yet adopted the name of socialists or Marxists or Communists but only because they are in denial or because it is not yet politically expedient. Bernie Sanders, a devout socialist, is the leader of the party. President Joe Biden and the other acknowledged leaders of the former democratic party, though they avoid the language of socialism—which President Biden refers to as “malarky” they have totally adopted the policies of socialism. The conservative party is made of a few former republicans and some independents. They are an overwhelming minority in Congress and have very little power. The socialists lean toward a one-world government; the conservatives want to preserve our sovereignty.

Tribes are a standard fixture in every government. Tribalism is unavoidable. Tribes came first, government second. Many tribes came to America seeking religious freedom.

Everyone belongs to a tribe; most belong to many tribes. One may belong to a family, a church, a religion, a club, a team, a corporation, a union, etc. The primary difference between a Democratic Republic and Socialism, Marxism, and Communism is that a Democratic Republic respects the rights of individuals and individual tribes while uniting them under a single government.

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A Perfect Model of Freedom

As stated many times laws have two parts: conditions and consequences. Freewill is determined by our ability to choose the conditions. Captivity is determined by the consequences. All laws have conditions. Freewill relates to the conditions (or cause) of law. Determinism relates to the effects (or consequences) of law.

The laws of nature do not always give us choices over the conditions. At this writing a hurricane is headed for Florida. All Floridians can do is to prepare for the hurricane. They cannot change the course of the hurricane. The same is true for earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, and other violent upheavals we call natural disasters or acts of God.

Scientists consider all laws of nature deterministic. Because of the conditions of natural law, some scientific theorists claim man does not have freewill. The late Mr. Stephen Hawkins voiced that opinion when he said, “It is hard to imagine how free will can operate if our behavior is determined by physical law, so it seems that we are no more than biological machines and that free will is just an illusion,” (From his book Grand Design)

It is a classical non sequitur. It is true that we cannot change the course of nature, but we can prepare for its onslaughts. But that is incidental to the important issue. The truth is that all laws have conditions; whereas some of those laws, such as tornadoes, are beyond our power to control, many laws can be manipulated by understanding the conditions. For example, because our scientists understand electricity, they are able harness the power of electricity to benefit mankind. We understand the law of gravity; therefore, we use gravity to our advantage. The examples are infinite as demonstrated by our advancement in technology.

On the one hand our physical bodies appear independent. That is to say our heart beats, our blood flows, our hair grows, etc. without any apparent effort on our part. On the other hand, science has learned about ways to help us improve our health because they better understand how the body works. The upshot is because we can organize the conditions of law, we have freewill. We are not animals. We are not machines. We are not robots although we have some of the attributes of animals, machines, and robots.

One thing that theoretical scientists who claim we do not have free will ignore is the fact that we have tremendous ability to organize the conditions of innumerable laws. That is why we are able to harness electricity, fly to outer space, manufacture cars, build cities, etc. The list would soon go into the hundreds of thousands.

All laws of our world have conditions and it is because of those conditions that we may exercise freewill. Freewill is the ability to make choices. Technology, invented by man, provides millions of choices, thus increasing freewill.

Freewill is in concomitant variation to our ability to govern conditions of law and to obey or disobey law. Obedience to law increases freewill. Disobedience to law decreases freewill.

The reason theoretical scientists deny freewill is because they deny the existence of the dual nature of man. Science sees man as composed of only a physical body subject to temporal laws. If that were true, then science would be correct. We would have no freewill. The physical body is a biological machine as Mr. Hawking suggests.

The biological machine has two parts. It has a brain which governs every action of the body, and it has the body which is entirely governed by the brain. The body can do nothing without the brain. If scientists appear to make the body act independently by applying electrodes, it is only because they are imitating the actions of the brain. The brain, though it governs the actions of the body, does not have freewill for it too is a biological machine.

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Paradise Lost Bk VII, Pt XVI, “The Story of Creation” Pt II

In the following segments of Book VII, we first have a conversation between Adam and Raphael about the purpose of creation. Milton, the Christian and Bible scholar, uses the Bible as his primary resource for the fundamental elements of the creation story. For those familiar with Genesis the story will be very familiar. Milton, the poet, however, in addition to telling the creation story, attempts to make Adam and Eve more personal. He gets inside their head and tries to show what it is like to be the first humans on earth. But primarily, Milton wants to justify the ways of God to man. This is a very ambitious theme. In addition, he wants to show Adam and Eve as real people. In the following Adam speaks to Raphael:

When I behold this goodly Frame, this World
Of Heav’n and Earth consisting, and compute,
Their magnitudes, this Earth a spot, a graine,
An Atom, with the Firmament compared
And all her numbered Stars, that seem to role
Spaces incomprehensible (for such
Their distance argues and their swift return
Diurnal) merely to officiate light
Round this spacious Earth, this punctual spot,
One day and night; in all their vast survey
Useless besides, reasoning I oft admire,
How Nature wise and frugal could commit
Such disproportions, with superfluous hand
So many nobler Bodies to create,
Greater so manifold to this one use,
For aught appears, and on their Orbs impose
Such restless revolution day by day
Repeated, while the sedentary Earth,
That better might with far less compass move,
Served by more noble than herself, attains
Her end without least motion, and receives,
As Tribute such a sumless journey brought
Of incorporeal speed, her warmth and light;
Speed, to describe whose swiftness Number fails.

While Adam contemplates the science of creation, Eve, a more practical person, immediately begins to tend the garden.

o spake our Sire, and by his countenance seemed
Entering on studious thoughts abstruse, which Eve
Perceiving where she sat retired in sight,
With lowliness Majestic from her seat,
And Grace that won who saw to wish her stay,
Rose, and went forth among her Fruits and Flowers,
To visit how they prospered, bud and bloom,
Her Nursery; they at her coming sprung
And touched by her fair tendance gladlier grew.

Eve took little interest in discussing the creation with Raphael. She preferred to have Adam summarize their conversation. To quote Milton,

With Goddess-like demeanor forth she went;
Not unattended, for on her as Queen
A pomp of winning Graces waited still,
And from about her shot Darts of desire
Into all Eyes to wish her still in sight.

Raphael speaks of the scope of knowledge, but he cautions Adam not to overreach the designs of the Almighty. He also advises Adam to be exact in his reckoning. In other words, not to accept any theory that poses itself.

To ask or search I blame thee not, for Heav’n
Is as the Book of God before thee set,
Wherein to read his wondrous Works, and learn
His Seasons, Hours, or Days, or Months, or Years:
This to attain, whether Heav’n move or Earth,
Imports not, if thou reckon right, the rest
From Man or Angel the great Architect
Did wisely to conceal, and not divulge
His secrets to be scanned by them who ought
Rather admire; or if they list to try
Conjecture, he his Fabric of the Heav’ns
Hath left to their disputes, perhaps to move
His laughter at their quaint Opinions wide
Hereafter, when they come to model Heav’n
And calculate the Stars, how they will wield
The mighty frame, how build, unbuild, contrive
To save appearances, how gird the Sphere
With Centric and Eccentric scribbled o’re,
Cycle and Epicycle, Orb in Orb:

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Part II The Beatitudes and the Book of Revelation

First let me refer you to Podcast 187, The Beatitudes and the Structure of Law. It is helpful to review that podcast to fully appreciate Pt II.

All who study the scriptures know that they mean different things at different times to different people. Personalizing scriptures is a gift from God when inspired by the Holy Ghost. The scriptures live and can be applied to every individual in every age and culture. They can also be applied to an infinite variety of situations.

Though we cannot just willy-nilly decide what scriptures mean, we can claim ownership by applying them to our personal lives. Everyone on earth is entitled to personal inspiration from God. If we become familiar with the scriptures, often inspiration comes by a scripture popping into our mind that is relevant to our needs or our prayers. God always speaks to us in our own language, and often he speaks to us through his Holy prophets as recorded in the scriptures.

The correlation between the Beatitudes and the prophecies of John the Revelator is not just a coincidence. When reading the Book of Revelation some understandably focus so much on destruction that they miss the true theme. The true theme of the Book of Revelation is the completion of the Beatitudes. Notice that the promises to the seven churches are the same as the promises in the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. The Book of Revelation is about the Second Coming of Christ where He reigns for a thousand years, and it is about the end of the world when there is a new heaven and a new Earth where God and Christ and those who inherit his kingdom dwell forever.

As a reminder Linda shall again quote the Beatitudes. Following the Beatitudes, we shall present the promises give to the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. That will help you to clearly see the connections.

(1) Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(2) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

(3) Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

(4) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

(5) Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

(6) Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

(7) Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

(8) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(9) Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:3-12)

Now let’s consider the promises to the Seven Churches. We shall present them in the order presented in Chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of Revelation. The first is the Church at Ephesus.

To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

That, of course, can be written as a Beatitude.

Blessed is he that overcometh for to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Of course, we are just quoting the blessing. To fully understand what the Savior meant when he said, “To him that overcometh” you must read the full letter. Remember that the Beatitudes are laws with conditions and consequences. We must fully understand and obey the conditions to receive the full blessings. That is true for all laws of God.

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The Road to Power, Machiavellian Pragmatism, Rule # 39: “Argumentum ad Hominem.” Pt II

If you haven’t listened to Pt I, let me encourage you to download it first. In this podcast I wish to present some observations based on the information in Pt I. This Podcast serves as a kind of conclusion to Pt I. It is divided into four parts. The first two parts contain observations about how the democratic party views America and the strategy they are using to take over full power. The last two parts contain predictions of what will happen if we allow the democrats to achieve their goals. In this podcast I do not address the ultimate consequences to America if the left has their way for it is very simple—the entire destruction of our democratic process and the rise of totalitarianism, first disguised as socialism.

PART I

The liberals view their democratic base as the vulgar. It is for them that they put on the charades listed above. To illustrate this, I shall quote liberally from the prince. First, please note, and it will become even more apparent if you read the democratic platform. The liberal left has divided American into tribes and is now attempting to turn the tribes against each other. Fundamentally their strategy is racist and the only way they can gain power and hold power is through contention. However, the liberals are contemptuous of their voting base for they wish to keep them enslaved by entitlements and by their own policies. Machiavelli’s description of the vulgar fits how the left perceives the majority of Americans. The leaders of the democratic party are elitists and think they know best what is right for America and anyone who disagrees with their policies are called fascists. As Linda reads the following, keep in mind that this is exactly how the left views the majority of Americans. I have divided it into four points.

1. “for the vulgar is always taken by appearances and the result of things; and the world consists only of the vulgar, and the few find a place when the many have nothing to rest upon.”

2. “Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you succeed they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood, property, life, and children, as is said above, when the need is far distant; but when it approaches they turn against you.”

3. “for men in general judge more by the eyes than by the hands, for every one can see, but very few have to feel. Everybody sees what you appear to be, few feel what you are, and those few will not dare to oppose themselves to the many, who have the majesty of the state to defend them.”

4. “and men are so simple and so ready to obey present necessities, that one who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.”

Politicians learn early that if they can give people what they want when they want it, they can manipulate them like puppets. The left shows persistent contempt for their supporters. It is their supporters whom they really see as vulgar. It is their supporters whom they seek to manipulate.

Most people don’t want to think. They want results, and the liberal majority in congress from their position of power, produce results regardless of the consequences to the nation. They know their audience and they know the complicit press who overlook their foibles. They delivered free health care to those who wanted free health care. Supported by the liberal press, they used language not to reveal truth, but to gloss over the flaws. The press actively covers up the mistakes of the left with oily rhetoric.

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The Road to Power, Machiavellian Pragmatism, Rules # 39: “Argumentum ad Hominem.” Pt I

“Argumentum ad Hominem” is a logical fallacy that refers to “personal attack”. One commits the ad hominem fallacy when one in any way diminishes, attacks, belittles, insults, discredits, disparages, ridicules, maligns, disdains, slanders, or otherwise uses any form of character assassination.

Rule 39 of Machiavellian Pragmatism is a form of argumentum at hominem. The term “vulgar” refers to the masses.

“Let a prince therefore aim at living and maintaining the state, the means will always be judged honourable and praised by every one, for the vulgar is always taken by appearances and the result of things; and the world consists only of the vulgar, and the few find a place when the many have nothing to rest upon.

The belief that “the world consists only of the vulgar who are taken by appearances and the results of things”is common to all people in power. They exploit that strategy to the limit.

During the presidential election of 2016, Hillary Clinton referring to Trump supporters who numbered into millions of Americans as vulgar, said:

“You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic—you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up.”

The ‘basket of deplorables’ constitute those who disagree with the liberal agenda. Those who oppose abortion and free condoms are sexist, those who want equal rights for all are racist; those who want voter ID are xenophobic; those who fight terrorists are Islamophobic; those who oppose gay marriage are homophobic. In other words, every conservative who opposes the liberal agenda is suffering from some sort of phobia defined by the left.

A phobia is an excessive or irrational fear. Most of us know of claustrophobia, fear of enclosed places; agoraphobia, fear of open places. There is even a word for those who are afraid of Americans, Germans, French, English, Italians, etc. A phobia can be attached to anything: fear of animals (zoophobia); fear of beards (pogonophobia); fear of fish (ichthyophobia) In extreme cases a phobia can imprison its victim. Some will not leave their homes, some are afraid of heights, some of spiders, etc. A phobia is considered a mental illness.

If you disagree with the left on any point, it is not because you have a rational explanation, but because you have a mental illness. To the left, all those who disagree with them have a mental illness and belong to “the basket of deplorables.” As Hillary Clinton said, “You name it.” In other words, ‘you name it’ and we will tell you what phobia you have. The left is saying that you are either liberal or you are mentally ill.

The liberals by claiming that conservatives hate women, hate blacks, hate Muslims, hate foreigners, hate gays, etc. are inciting riot and justifying a social war against all conservatives.

In the September 01, 2022, speech at Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entitled Remarks by President Biden on the Continued Battle for the Soul of the nation, President Biden expands Hillary’s slanderous attack on Trump supporters.

Whereas Hillary Clinton called them a basket of deplorables, President Biden call MAGA Republicans, which stands for Republians who what to Make America Great Again, “White Supremacists.

"American manufacturing has come alive across the Heartland, and the future will be made in America no matter what the white supremacists and the extremists say. "

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Some Random Thoughts on Addiction Part V “Three Attributes of Addiction”

This is the conclusion of the five-part series on Addiction. Let me refer you to Podcasts 157, 170, 171, & 172. I leave it into the hands of experts to create programs or agendas or steps of recovery. To succeed any program must include faith in self, faith in others, and faith in God. The first step is desire. One must want to break his or her addiction. To do that one must acknowledge that the addiction exists. In this podcast we cover three attributes of addiction that must be addressed.

Attribute Number One: False Denial

Some, to excuse their own behavior, seek the isolation of obfuscation, even accusing those who want to help of what they themselves are guilty of. Whether their accusations are true or false has no relevancy to their own dire situation. Denial is an enemy to freedom. If we want to change the future, we must acknowledge the past and take ownership for our behavior. Again, listen to the words of Clough.

“Play no tricks on thy soul, oh man. Let fact be fact and life the thing it can.”

It takes courage to face truth, but truth is the beginning of freedom. The Master said, “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

Attribute Number Two: Red Herring

To say that addiction is a sickness that perpetuates itself is correct, but to claim that the sickness, though it perpetuates the addiction to the point that one cannot escape on his own, is the cause of the addiction begs the question. Those who use sickness as an excuse for the cause of addiction overlook the cause of the sickness. You wouldn’t say, ‘I have the flu because I am sick.’ It is circular. You would say I have the flu; therefore, I am sick.” The same with addiction. One does not have an addiction because he is sick. One is sick because he has an addiction. The goal is to cure the sickness, not to use it as an excuse for the sickness.

Attribute Number Three: Patterns

All addictions reveal patterns. The only way to break the addiction is to break the pattern or to escape the pattern. A pattern is an environment of addiction. To leave the addiction, one must leave the environment behind. The environment may be internal or external, physical or mental, emotional, spiritual, temporal, psychological. The environment may be a place; it may be a group of people; it may be an attitude; it may be an escape; it may be an excuse; it may be a combination of negative forces; it may be low self-esteem; it may be peer pressure; it may be a desire to be included. It may be a frame of mind. One must identify the pattern created by the addiction.

The list of patterns is as varied as the individual. But to every addiction there is a pattern. Patterns create predictable behavior, meaning one is chained to his or her behavior and confined to constant repetition. A person confided to me once that his father-in-law organized his entire life around his drinking, even family reunions.

If that pattern is not identified and conquered or broken or permanently put away one will never be totally secure in his or her new-found freedom. One may be free of substance abuse for a while but will never be free from the temptation as long as the pattern continues. A dam breaks at the weakest part.

All addictions have a predictable pattern. Addiction is repetition of past behavior. To break out of captivity, one must break the predictable pattern, often visible to everyone but to the one caught in the net. With addictions comes a confusion of justifications, anticipated objections, self-defense, denial, and rationalization.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk VII, Pt XV, “The Story of Creation” Pt II

In Bk VII, Raphael explains to Adam and Eve about the creation of the earth.

In the following Milton describes the First Day of Creation. One could successfully argue that the Old Testament is already written in exquisite poetry; however, Milton, though faithful to the original story, adds his own peculiar and elegant style and strays from the economy of the Holy Bible.

It is fun to juxtapose the style of Milton with the Style of the King James Version of the story of creation. Milton leaves out verses 1 & 2; therefore, I am just going to compare the language of Milton with the comparable language of the King James Bible.

Speaking of the first day of creation, Moses in the King James version, records.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and morning were the first day.

The Bible is celebrated for its terseness. In Milton’s version of the same thing, we have.

Let there be Light, said God, and forthwith Light
Ethereal, first of things, quintessence pure
Sprung from the Deep, and from her Native East
To journey through the airie gloom began,
Sphear’d in a radiant Cloud, for yet the Sun
Was not; she in a cloudy Tabernacle
Sojourned the while. God saw the Light was good;
And light from darkness by the Hemisphere
Divided: Light the Day, and Darkness Night
He named. Thus was the first Day Eev’n and Morn:

In the King James version, we have only 49 words. In Milton’s version, we have 80 words, nearly double. Milton takes other liberties with the first day, because he brings in the heavenly choirs who celebrate the first day of Creation.

Nor past uncelebrated, nor unsung
By the Celestial Choirs, when Orient Light
Exhaling first from Darkness they beheld;
Birth-day of Heav’n and Earth; with joy and shout
The hollow Universal Orb they filled,
And touched their Golden Harps, & hymning praised
God and his works, Creator him they sung,
Both when first Evening was, and when first Morn.

In the above Milton has taken his cue from the Book of Job who recorded,

4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)

Milton in poetic elegance embellishes the story of the creation. One addition is notable. Throughout the story of creation Milton has heavenly choirs praising God and singing of the glory of the earth’s creation. Using his poetic license, Milton wants you not only to understand the creation, but to feel its impact on the spirits anxiously waiting to come to earth.

Fortunately for you I am not going to make a line by line comparison between Milton and the King James Bible or the podcast would never end. For economy’s sake I shall primarily present Milton’s version as it parallels the Biblical version. That allows me to cover all six days of creation in a single podcast. If time permits, with Bible in hand, I recommend you compare the entire Biblical version with Milton’s poetic rendition. It is worth your time.

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The Beatitudes and the Structure of Law

In this podcast, Linda and I would like to examine the nine Beatitudes found in Matthew, each beginning with the word “Blessed.”

(1) Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(2) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

(3) Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

(4) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

(5) Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

(6) Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

(7) Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

(8) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The Beatitudes are a model for all the laws of God. If we understand the model, then we will better understand God and how he works with us through faith. The Beatitudes are commandments of God. All commandments are laws of God. Each Beatitude has three parts:

(1) The law

(2) The conditions

(3) The blessing

That means, of course, that each law has its opposite. In other words, if you obey the law, you receive the blessing. If you disobey the law, then you receive the curse. The curse may be a stated curse or it may simply be the absence or denial of the blessing.

Those same attributes apply to all the laws of God. If we expect any blessing from God, we must understand the law and obey the conditions of that law. The laws of God are entirely based on our faith. We show our faith by obeying the conditions of the law. That is what James meant when he said,

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. (James 1:5-7)

Furthermore, James added,

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1: 22)

And finally, James added,

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:17-20)

The works that James is referring to are the conditions of the commandments of God. Works are equivalent to obedience. In other words, we show our faith through our obedience. James warns that without obedience we won’t receive anything from the Lord, that we deceive ourselves, and that our faith is dead.

Matthew Chapter Five establishes the conditions of the laws that we must meet to inherit the kingdom of heaven. To understand conditions, let’s turn each Beatitude into a hypothetical statement. A hypothetical statement begins with the word “If.” If defines the conditions.

(1) If you are poor in spirit, then yours is the kingdom of heaven.

(2) If you mourn, then you shall be comforted.

(3) If you are meek, then you inherit the earth.(

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The Road to Power, Machiavellian Pragmatism, Rules # 30 – 40: “A Glimpse into the Future, Pt II.”

It took a visionary like John to see into the future and imagine a world that could make such a nightmare possible. It took a world with nuclear weapons, missiles, worldwide communication technology, computer dependency, jets, biological warfare, television, satellites, domino financial instability, worldwide polarization of ideologies, the rise of “--isms,” energy crisis, religious bigotry, bloodlust, propaganda driven media, international hatred, unstable weather conditions, runaway debt, toppling governments, world poverty, incessant war and ubiquitous crises, unlimited technology, unlimited power, a lack of humility, widespread immorality, and loss of faith in God.

Rule # 35 “A prince, therefore, must not mind incurring the charge of cruelty for the purpose of keeping his subjects united and confident.”

Rule # 33 “A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a private state to that rank. And on the contrary, it is seen that when princes have thought more of ease than of arms they have lost their states…. He ought never, therefore, to have out of his thoughts this subject of war, and in peace he should addict himself more to its exercise than in war; this he can do in two ways, the one by action, the other by study.”

Throughout history the two beasts have raised their ugly heads; but only now are they given new life; only now do they have the potential for global power, only now can they destroy the world, or more accurately provoke us to destroy ourselves. The beasts have always been the same. Man is fragmented, burning with this cause or that, but Satan isn’t. Satan is the only true conspirator who acts on a global scale. All those who want to destroy the freedom of man are enemies to God and servants to Satan.

Slaves to the Romans, John saw the two beasts in his own day. Satan may change strategy to fit the moment, but he never changes his goals to bring man into misery and captivity. He has always used man who has become his willing slaves to bring the world under domination. Every age has probably produced the two beasts; however, never before today has it been so global. Never has the opportunity for mass destruction been so unlimited, and never have so many madmen had access to atomic weapons, comprehensive and instant communication, and unimaginable power. Perhaps in the past there have been nations who modeled the two beasts, but in the future, it will be on a global scale unlike anything the earth has witnessed. Indeed, in modern politics the tactics described by Machiavelli will become more widespread.

Only one person on this planet could rule with perfect justice and perfect charity, and He was crucified. In His absence, who would rule the earth? —the meek! The meek may rule the next life, but they do not rule this life. Since Cain killed Abel, man, under the influence of Satan, has sought riches and power through tyranny, murder, and conspiracy. Imagine what would quickly happen under one global rule where all the world power is concentrated in a single person or small group of persons! Those in power use bribery to keep the strong in subservience and coercion to keep the weak in submission.

In a global society, only those who would stop at nothing could rise to power, even if there was a pretense at democracy. There would be assassinations, machinations, collusions, secret societies, and rivers of blood leading to the throne. It would be a Machiavellian hell!

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The Road to Power, Machiavellian Pragmatism, Rules # 33 – 40: “A Glimpse into the Future, Pt I.”

I have made it very clear in these podcasts that there are only four laws of liberty. Any government that moves away from these laws, regardless of the rhetoric, will move toward totalitarianism. The four laws of liberty are:

The Law of Liberty
The Perfect Law of Liberty
The Law of Equality
The Royal Law

The Law of Liberty refers to the Ten Commandments. The Perfect Law of Liberty refers to the Sermon on the Mount or all the virtues of Christ. The Law of Equality refers to the truth that God is no respecter of persons, and neither should government be a respecter of persons. The Royal Law refers to the two great commandments: love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Everything about liberty is contained in those four laws. All four laws are referred to in the Book of James in the New Testament.

America and the world today, however, are on a different tract. They have replaced God with government. Having denied the very existence of God, it is the responsibility of government, not God, to create men as equal; therefore, they are seeking omnipotence.

Regardless of the rhetoric the world is moving toward centralized power placed in the hands of a few. From sovereign nations they are moving toward a one-world government using climate change, pandemics, and poverty as an excuse. Today power is the single dominating theme in world governments, including the United States of America. If we continue the path we are on, the predictions contained in this and the following podcast will inevitably come true. World history proves it.

They are following the forty rules of The Little Book, written by Machiavelli entitled The Prince. I took the liberty of numbering the rules as they occurred chronologically in The Prince. I call them the rules of Machiavellian Pragmatism—The Road to Power. Machiavellian Pragmatism ignores rule of law, democracy, self-reliance, justice, mercy, equality, individualism, freewill, agency, liberty, or freedom.

In this and the following podcast we shall define some of those rules, which if continued will be the destruction of liberty not only in the United Sates but around the world.

Rule # 37 “You must know there are two ways of contesting, the one by the law, the other by force; the first method is proper to men, the second to beasts; but because the first is frequently not sufficient, it is necessary to have recourse to the second. Therefore, it is necessary for a prince to understand how to avail himself of the beast and the man. … one without the other is not durable.” (Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince)

“And of all princes, it is impossible for the new prince to avoid the imputation of cruelty, owing to new states being full of dangers.” (Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince)

In other words, Machiavelli is saying, Use law where possible, use force when necessary. Be both man and beast. Be lenient sparingly. Be cruel profligately. However, Machiavelli understood cunning.

Rule # 38 “A prince being thus obliged to know well how to act as a beast must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from snares, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize snares, and a lion to frighten wolves. Those that wish to be only lions do not understand this. … those that have been best able to imitate the fox have succeeded best.” Nicolo Machiavelli

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Revenge

As mortals, we live with a multitude of niggling contradictions, petty parasites, infinite decisions, kaleidoscopic temptations, roller-coaster emotions, multitudinous feelings of rising Fahrenheit and plunging Celsius, ever struggling between good and evil, right and wrong, love and hate, freedom and captivity. On a normal day, the sun will shine, and the rain will fall, thunder will crack, and lightning will strike; however, there is a defense, and it is found not in the head, which is the seat of logic, but in the heart, which is the seat of wisdom. It is the head that we must educate, but it is the heart we must guard. The English poet Clough said,

“Play no tricks on thy soul, oh man. Let fact be fact and life the thing it can.”

His words have become my motto. I think of those words whenever my judgment begins to become clouded with emotion. The head fortifies us against foolishness, but the heart fortifies us against sin. Combustible hate consumes us; pure love expands us into our true god-like potential.

“7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)

God is pure love, a concept that is not easy to grasp and even harder to execute. But we must understand that love and hate are not abstractions, mere platitudes that please the ear. Love and hate are sources of great power, even over whelming power. When we give ourselves to hate, it gives Satan power over us. We are easily led by any power that feeds our desire for revenge. We can be so consumed by hate and the desire for revenge that we shut out the finer parts of our nature. Hate holds us captive to the person we hate. Love frees us from the person we have reason to hate. Christ said,

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:9-12)

The word love itself represents freedom. Earlier I said that God is free because he is law. Perhaps I should have also said that God is free because he is perfect in law and love. The two great commandments teach us to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. If we lived the law of love perfectly, the weight of mortality would be lifted, and all problems in the world would be resolved. After reading the podcast a close friend who was recently divorced wrote,

“When you are hurt very deeply by someone who promised to love and protect you AND your sweet children, it's REALLY hard to NOT hate his guts and that hatred towards him is a powerful emotion. But what you are saying is truth. Forgiveness heals the hate.”

Think about one commandment—Love your enemy. If we could follow that commandment perfectly, no one could have power over us. They may rule our actions, but they could never hurt our feelings or conquer our spirits. Love expands us; hate consumes us. The only power our enemies have over us is that which we give them through the consuming fires of furious hate or blood boiling revenge. Rage, revenge, and railing are evil regardless of the cause or the perceived justification. God alone can make laws. We, mortals that we are, have only the power to make decisions whether to obey those laws or to disobey those laws. We have no power to alter them.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk VII, Pt XIV, "The Story of Creation" Pt I

In Bk VII, Raphael explains to Adam and Eve about the creation of the earth. Milton writes in his preface to Bk VII.

Raphael, at the request of Adam, relates how and wherefore this world was first created; that God, after the expelling of Satan and His angels out of heaven, declared His pleasure to create another world, and other creatures to dwell therein; sends His Son with glory, and attendance of angels, to perform the work of creation in six days: the angels celebrate with hymns and performance thereof, and his re-ascension into heaven.

Raphael explains to Adam that before coming to earth, they lived in heaven with God.

Descend from Heav’n Urania, by that name
If rightly thou art called, whose Voice divine
Following, above th’ Olympian Hill I soar,
Above the flight of Pegasean wing.
The meaning, not the Name I call: for thou
Nor of the Muses nine, nor on the top
Of old Olympus dwell’st, but Heavenly borne,
Before the Hills appeared, or Fountain flowed,
Thou with Eternal wisdom didst converse,
Wisdom thy Sister, and with her didst play
In presence of th’ Almighty Father, pleased
With thy Celestial Song.

Milton points out that the story of creation precedes the Greek myths, that God existed before Mount Olympus. In other words, Milton is asserting that God is creator of heaven and earth and there is no other God. A veil has been drawn over Adam’s mind and he does not remember his former home; therefore, Raphael reminds Adam that he once lived with his Father in Heaven. He further teaches him of the war in heaven against Lucifer and warns him to beware of the wiles of Satan. He also warms Adam not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Say Goddess, what ensued when Raphael,
The affable Arch-angel, had forewarned
Adam by dire example to beware
Apostasy, by what befell in Heaven
To those Apostates, least the like befall
In Paradise to Adam or his Race,
Charged not to touch the interdicted Tree,
If they transgress, and slight that sole command,
So easily obeyed amid the choice
Of all tastes else to please their appetite,
Though wandering. He with his consorted Eve
The story heard attentive, and was filled
With admiration, and deep Muse to hear
Of things so high and strange, things to their thought
So unimaginable as hate in Heav’n,
And War so near the Peace of God in bliss
With such confusion: but the evil soon
Driven back redounded as a flood on those
From whom it sprung, impossible to mix
With Blessedness.

Milton emphasized that Lucifer had no chance at defeating God. “Driven back redounded as a flood on those From whom it sprung, impossible to mix With Blessedness.” Book VII addresses the limits of knowledge. Raphael instructs Adam on what knowledge he should pursue and what knowledge he should not pursue. Adam is curious about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It is an ageless question: When is too much knowledge detrimental? What should be our boundaries? In Bk VII Milton attempts to answer that question. The dialogue in Book Seven is between Adam and the archangel Raphael, between Adam and God, between and Elohim and Jehovah. It is mostly between Adam and Raphael, the angel who has been assigned to watch over Adam and Eve.

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Pandora’s Box, A Story of Hope

The following story of Hope was written by my daughter Paula Hiatt and read by Linda. Let me refer you to her Blog Post at paulahiatt.com. Some background to the story may be helpful. One dreadful evening, Paula came into my den, shut the door and said, ‘Dad I have been diagnosed with cancer.’ Her mother, my first wife, died of cancer in 2000. She was 55 years old. She died three weeks to the day of her diagnosis. She had only one chemotherapy treatment. During Paula’s long years of cancer treatment, which included extensive chemotherapy, radiation, and serious surgeries, her husband announced that he was leaving her. Afterword’s she said to me that the divorce was ten thousand times worse than the cancer. The following, written during the trial of her faith, is an excerpt taken from the Blog of Paula Hiatt.

As a child I listened to the story of Pandora’s Box with a mix of horror and childish self-righteousness. Naturally, I could never be guilty of opening a box like that. But now I look at Pandora with different eyes. It’s an Adam and Eve story, of course. In the myth Pandora is considered the first woman on earth. She is given a jar or box, told it is filled with gifts, and warned never open it for any reason. She’s a bit of a meme now, thousands of years later, because her curiosity does get the better of her, and she lifts the forbidden lid, unleashing illness, misery, and all kinds of evil on an unsuspecting world. She smacked the lid back down, but it was too late. Lots of people still haven’t forgiven her for this. If only she had contained it, we would not have had to suffer so! If only the virus had stayed in the box where it belonged, if only I hadn’t gotten cancer at the same time our family imploded, if only Porter had been able to sing “Lily’s Eyes” in the Secret Garden! It’s not fair! It’s not fair!

I think we’ve missed the point. In Greek “Pandora” means “one who bears all gifts,” and her magic box still contains one more, the gift of Hope. The myth tells us that Pandora was intentionally designed by the gods to be curious, and read one way she is a punishment to humankind, a warning for all stupid enough to disobey. But if that is true, why name her Pandora? It makes no sense.

What if “curious” is another word for “brilliant?” What if Pandora’s true genius was recognizing that no human can gain strength who had not first faced weakness. But why would such a clever woman shut the box on Hope, trapping it inside? Surely suffering people need something to hold onto. But here again she is maligned by those who choose to ignore the great paradox of her story. Hope cannot be trapped, nor can it fly out.

When Evil flew streaking from the box, eager to impose its hateful will on any possible victim, Hope lingered in the bottom of the box because it was the only gift that cannot be imposed on anyone. We are required to seek it out, individually reaching our hands into Pandora’s infinite and enchanted box to capture our own personal version, tailor-made for our specific circumstances. The trouble is, it’s easier to blame someone else than to reach into the box for ourselves.

A very short time ago, Paula, who had some time earlier been declared cancer free, announced that she had just taken the last pill of the last treatment. Let me encourage you to read her blog at paulahiatt.com.

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Utopia

We have names for the perfect society:

· The Garden of Eden,

· Shangri La,

· El Dorado,

· Promised Land,

· Heaven,

· Camelot,

· Paradise,

· Nirvana,

· Utopia,

· Happy Valley,

· The New Jerusalem,

· The Celestial Kingdom

· Zion,

· Elysium,

· Empyrean,

· The Millennium.

· Arcadia

I dare say that all religions promise an eternal utopia, and all mankind dreams of Elysium. Those, however, are future imaginings, and, surprised by tragedy and disrupted tranquility, we must live in the real world filled with noisy commotions, inveigling distractions, and abrupt interruptions.

It is ironic but Adam and Eve willingly partook of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil to escape Paradise, knowing they would be forced to leave the Garden of Eden. The story of Adam and Eve has become the archetype of all utopian literature: Hugh Conway left Shangri La; Candide left El Dorado; Raphael left Utopia; and Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, left Happy Valley. Once they left, they all longed to return, but, of course, like an unhappy adult one can never return to the elysian fields or “blissful captivity” of youth.

“Blissful captivity” is the term Samuel Johnson used to describe Happy Valley. The Prince was unhappy because he had everything and didn’t know what to desire: In Johnson’s novel we read,

“Here the sons and daughters of Abissinia lived only to know the soft vicissitudes of pleasure and repose, attended by all that were skillful to delight, and gratified with whatever the senses can enjoy. They wandered in gardens of fragrance, and slept in the fortresses of security. Every art was practiced to make them pleased with their own condition.”

3 RON

Christians long for the Garden of Eden, Paradise, the Millennium, Heaven, and the New Jerusalem. We always desire that which we do not have; but, like freedom once achieved, once we do have it, we consider it as common and trade it for that which has the most glitter. As Peter warned,

16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16)

Today, Christians long for the Second Coming of Christ, the coming down from heaven of the New Jerusalem, the Rapture, and The Millennium where Christ will reign a thousand years; but the paradox of life is that the only way we can enjoy the Millennium and even heaven is to first experience a taste of hell. We must gain a knowledge of good and evil which can only be found in mortality. The law of opposition is necessary in both the temporal laws and spiritual laws. Adam and Eve and their posterity had to first leave the Garden of Eden and experience life in the natural world before they could enjoy the fruits of paradise. Adam and Eve chose the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil over the fruit of the tree of life because immortality in the Garden of Eden, without the forbidden fruit, was tasteless.

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The Road to Power, Machiavellian Pragmatism, Rule # 21: “Trample on Traditions.”

One of the first things any new tyrant must do is to destroy old traditions and old laws. Machiavelli understood that for a person to gain power and to hold power, he must not only destroy old laws, but he must establish new laws. In what I have called Machiavelli Rule # 21, Machiavelli said,

“And nothing honours a man more than to establish new laws and new ordinances when he himself was newly risen. Such things when they are well founded and dignified will make him revered and admired.” (Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince)

To establish new laws and new ordinances one must destroy old laws and old ordnances. That is what is behind destroying our Bill of Rights, stacking the Supreme Court, and changing our Constitution. You cannot create a new world order unless you first destroy the old-world order. Tyrants who do not understand that do not remain in power very long.

That is why there is a movement to destroy the Supreme Court. The left does not want justices who interpret the Constitution. That is why they tried to crucify Justice Kavanaugh. They want justices who will write a new constitution. They do not want Justices who will uphold the Bill of Rights. They want justices who will destroy the Bill of Rights and write new ones.

That also explains the movement to open our borders and destroy our sovereignty, to take away our energy independence, to release prisoners in our streets and break down rule of law, to encourage the destruction of monuments and statues, to defund police, to destroy our faith in the fairness of the voting process, to encourage Black Lives Matter, to turn people of color against all whites by calling them white supremacists and systemic racists, to encourage riots in our streets. They want to destroy the old rule of law and replace it with a new rule of law.

Tradition is the enemy of a new world order. Everything must be new. Worship change. Destroy old statues, destroy Christianity. Rewrite history. Belittle the forefathers. Play down the sacrifice of others. We see that in America today.

Statues of the following have been either systematically removed or destroyed by mobs:

· Christopher Columbus

· Thomas Jefferson

· George Washington

· Ulysses S. Grant

· Francis Scott Key

Perhaps those names are familiar. Christopher Columbus discovered America, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence; George Washington—the father of our country, Valley Forge, The Leader of the army that defeated the British, The First President, the “first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of our countrymen; Ulysses S. Grant, the General who won the Civil War that abolished slavery; and Francis Scott Key, the poet who wrote our National Anthem.

It was all done in the aftermath of the George Floyd tragedy under the pretense of social justice. Does one wrong, no matter how horrible, justify another. Not in a society that revered law and order.

Why then didn’t the liberal Congress speak out against the riots. The answer is simple. The rioters furthered their agenda. Remember this as the “never let a good crisis go to waste’ Congress. In the aftermath of the riots, the democratic run house voted to remove all Confederate statues from the Capitol. It was supposedly in protest over systemic racism and injustice. When asked if it was right for a mob to destroy the statue of Christopher Columbus rather than say a commission by the city council, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “people will do what they do…if the community doesn’t want a statue, the statue should not be there.” The community she was speaking of were all rioters.

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Random Thoughts on Repentance

ONE

Those who stray from the law leave the path, and law cannot bring them back. Christ alone can bring them back. Repentance brings one back under the safety of the law and places one back on the road to sanctification and on the path to spiritual perfection through the grace of Christ. Repentance helps us to continually adjust our course and stay on that correct path. The law of mercy does not play the game of three strikes and you are out. Through the grace of Christ, we are all given the gift of repentance throughout our probationary state. Just as salvation is free, the gift of repentance is free; however, as with salvation, we must accept the gift of our own freewill and abide by its conditions, or it is as if no gift were given.

TWO

The image we have been given of the way of salvation is the strait and narrow way. Strait can be spelled S-T-R-A-I-T which means a narrow body of water between two larger bodies of water. In the Holy Bible, it is a symbol for baptism.

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:14)

Sometimes it is spelled S-T-R-A-I-G-H-T which means without a bend or curve, Direct, Continuous, Honorable, Upright, Honest, etc. Sometimes, when we divagate from that path, it is hard to find our way back. But the Lord has shown us the way. Christ said,

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

In other words, he will keep us on the straight and narrow path.

THREE

In addition to being supported in the conflagrations of our own effulgent afflictions, if we endure to the end, we are promised eternal life with God. All laws of God are designed for our progression through our agency. Repentance is a choice that only we can make. No one can repent for us. Obedience to law increases freedom, agency, liberty, happiness, intelligence, consciousness, light, truth, and perfection—all attributes necessary for our progression and happiness. Those are not material things. In fact, it was Christ who declared:

“for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15)

FOUR

Disobedience to law restricts the amount of truth we receive which means a reduction to progression: to freedom, to agency, to joy, and to perfection. Christ is the gateway to life, liberty, and happiness. Unless one repents and calls upon Christ, one cannot bypass justice and return to the presence of God where one will once again have access to the perfection of God, thus giving one eternal joy.

FIVE

In our journey on earth, we make lots of mistakes; therefore, the greatest gift of all is repentance. Repentance allows us to constantly correct our course. We do not want to be found with our lamps empty when the bridegroom comes. Repentance is an act that only we can do. We alone choose whether or not to repent. Repentance is part of the law of agency. We must take the first step, thus, as with all laws, preserving our agency. The key to understanding law is agency. Without agency, law would be far simpler. However, without agency, what would be the point of law? We would be of no more consequence than a lamp post.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk VI, Pt XIII, The War in Heaven Pt 3 The Final Battle

In the last Podcast, Lucifer and his army create weapons of mass destruction, taking Michael and his army by surprise. Michael, however, leader that he is, responds in an unexpected way. They have no firepower to match the machinery of Satan; therefore, they throw their weapons down, not in surrender, but so they can dig up mountains of earth and bury Satan’s weapons of war.

From their foundations loosening to and fro,
They plucked the seated hills, with all their load,
Rocks, waters, woods, and by the shaggy tops
Up-lifting bore them in their hands: Amaze,
Be sure, and terror, seized the rebel host,
When coming towards them so dread they saw
The bottom of the mountains upward turned;
Till on those cursed engines’ triple-row
They saw them whelmed, and all their confidence
Under the weight of mountains buried deep;
Themselves invaded next, and on their heads
Main promontories flung, which in the air
Came shadowing, and oppressed whole legions armed;
Their armour helped their harm, crushed in and bruised
Into their substance pent, which wrought them pain
Implacable, and many a dolorous groan;
Long struggling underneath, ere they could wind
Out of such prison, though Spirits of purest light,
Purest at first, now gross by sinning grown.
The rest, in imitation, to like arms
Betook them, and the neighboring hills uptore:
So hills amid the air encountered hills,
Hurled to and fro with jaculation dire;
That under ground they fought in dismal shade;
Infernal noise! war seemed a civil game

However, they are stalemated. Neither side can gain victory. It is immortals fighting immortals and nothing but confusion follows confusion.

3 LINDA

To this uproar; horrid confusion heaped
Upon confusion rose: And now all Heaven
Had gone to wrack, with ruin overspread;

The upshot is that because the two armies were equal, the war in heaven would have continued perpetually, never ending, one side trying to outmaneuver the other but without a final conclusion. This continued for two thousand years.

Milton teaches a principle that runs throughout Paradise Lost. He teaches the principle of agency. The Father and the Son, from a distance, have been watching the war but did not intervene. It was a test to see who would follow Michael who had been ordained by Christ himself to lead the war and who would follow Satan. After two thousand years, the battle lines were clearly drawn, and all the hosts of heaven had made their choice. It was fruitless to let the war continue.

The second principle that Milton teaches is that God is always in charge, that God always has a plan, and that God always wins.

The third principle that Milton teaches is that God has placed all power in his Son, and he wants all those who followed Michael to know that without Jesus Christ, they cannot win the war against evil, but with Christ they cannot lose. The Father instructs his Son to take charge of the war and have the armies of Michael step aside and watch. The Father says to his Son.

Two days are therefore past, the third is thine;
For thee I have ordained it; and thus far
Have suffered, that the glory may be thine
Of ending this great war, since none but Thou
Can end it. Into thee such virtue and grace
Immense I have transfused, that all may know
In Heaven and Hell thy power above compare;
And, this perverse commotion governed thus,
To manifest thee worthiest to be Heir
Of all things; to be Heir, and to be King
By sacred unction, thy deserved right.

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Linda Faith in Action

Like the creation of the earth, faith also has two creative periods: a spiritual creation and a temporal creation. “The substance of things hoped for” occurs in the spiritual creation; “the evidence of things not seen” occurs in the temporal creation.

Using Paul’s definition of faith, the spiritual creation is linked to the temporal creation with the common coupler hope. As with God so with us—everything should first begin spiritually and then be carried out temporally. The spiritual deals with the purpose, the principles, the plan, the model, the organization of laws, the gathering of materials, the preparation, the first step into the shadows of uncertainty. With complete preparation comes hope that the mission can be accomplished. The temporal deals with courage, labor, action, and endurance. Faith gives power and inspires action. Fear parts like a curtain of darkness before the firm walk of faith as darkness gives way to light. Faith is a step into the darkness. Hope is a step into the light. From faith springs hope and from hope springs action.

I had a unique experience that has stuck firmly in my mind. I was in Wittenberg, Germany. Wittenberg has two great claims to fame. One, it is the home of the legendary Doctor Faustus who sold his soul to the devil for fame and glory. His story was made famous by the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and the English writer Christopher Marlowe. But I suppose Wittenberg is most famous for its favorite son, Martin Luther, who is credited for starting the Protestant Reformation by tacking the 95 Theses attacking the Catholic Church to the church door in 1517.

As I was walking on the cobblestone streets of Wittenberg from Martin Luther’s apartment to the Castle Church, a strong feeling came over me that I was walking too slowly. I felt that great man’s spirit pushing me forward. I quickened my step. Luther’s faith did not begin with writing the ninety-five theses. That was an exercise of a highly trained intellect with inspired conviction. Luther’s faith began with the first step down the cobblestone street toward Castle Church and increased with each swift step. Hope sprang to light when the Castle Church first came into view. I am speaking of the strong emotional feeling that came over me as I followed his footsteps.

Faith is a journey from the evidence of things not seen to the substance of things hoped for. Notice that hope is the link between desire and fulfilment. Faith inspires action. Hope connects faith to realization of achievement. Faith begins when you think you can do something, Hope begins when you believe you can do it. Faith carries you through the darkness of uncertainty; hope carries you through the stages of certainty. In a way, perhaps, faith forms our first step and hope quickens the pace. First, we have the passion, the vision or dream or desire. Next, to the definitive degree, we create a plan to carry out the desire. We form the principles of organization. We contemplate the opposition. We acquire the tools, forces, materials, expertise, education, architectural drawings, etc. necessary to carry out the dream. Next, we organize a complete set of laws that will see the project through. Finally, using the materials collected, we build the dream. If any stage is left out, the dream will generally fail and our faith with it. Martin Luther could have written the Ninety-Five Theses, but what if he hadn’t tacked them to the Church door? That brief mile walk of Luther over cobbled stone streets circled the globe and changed the world.

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A Demonstration in Denver

On March 24, 2018, Linda and I, after touring the Molly Brown house, were swept away in a river of happy protestors in downtown Denver, Colorado, all flowing toward the Capitol to an anti-gun rally, attended by hundreds of people carrying homemade signs of protest. They were led by ministers, civic leaders, and concerned parents. The day was crisp, the sky blue, the people jovial, the demonstration peaceful, attended by the very young and the very old. Some of the signs were clever, though many used violent and vulgar language. The crowds were courteous and kind, the speakers loud, artificial, sonorous, and belligerent, rhythmically chanting the plagiarized parallelism of Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a Dream speech,’ trying to rouse the distracted crowd who appeared more in a picnic mood than a protest demonstration.

They were exercising their rights of freedom of assembly and freedom of speech to trample on the Second Amendment and destroy every citizen’s right to bear arms. Nothing is ever simple. One would feel safe in the hands of a thousand of those jovial protestors at the rally, armed or not, yet they were willing to give up their guns in some vain hope that terrorists, criminals, thieves, housebreakers, fanatics, deranged aberrations, robbers, intruders, and murderers will also voluntarily give up their guns.

I care nothing for guns. I don’t shoot. I don’t hunt. I can’t stand to see anyone or anything suffer. I am a sentimentalist when it comes to animals, but I eat meat, I wear leather shoes and fur lined coats, and I care for the Constitution. And I will oppose those good people of Denver, Colorado who voted to stupefy their youth by legalizing marijuana while they push to take way all American citizens’ right to bear arms.

On the one hand I will protect their right to march peacefully but I will protest their right to take away my right to bear arms. That I don’t bear arms is my choice, and I intend to keep it that way. Emotion is on their side as was demonstrated in their predictable speeches, but logic and common sense is not on their side. The only people who will be restricted to bear arms are law abiding citizens. Criminals who bear arms are criminals because they don’t obey the law. Even in high security prisons, ingenious weapons emerge, and inmates are murdered by a shank, some nothing but plastic toothbrushes melted and hardened into lethal weapons. For law abiding people to forfeit their rights of carrying guns because criminals who murder them carry guns defies logic. Guns will always be available to those who want to kill. The black market for the sale of guns will flourish, and the criminal world will grow richer and more dangerous. What will deter them? The left has defunded the police, released hardened criminals on the streets who were incarcerated by rule of law before a jury of their peers, transferred the safety of our borders to drug cartels, made serious crimes misdemeanors, and encouraged riots in the streets.

A simple question should be asked: Why did our forefathers die for the right to bear arms? It was because of oppression from evil people. Today, the oppressions are even greater, coming from within, by terrorists, robbers, drug dealers, and murderers who all bear arms. People who want to kill will find ways to kill and an unarmed citizenry make safe targets.

What then is the tragic flaw? What has changed in America? It is not guns. Guns have always been available. If you look at the internet, the headlines will read something like this, “Gun violence becomes leading cause of death among US Youth.’

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The Road to Power, Machiavellian Pragmatism, Rule # 20: “Never Let a Good Crisis go to Waste.”

The quote, “Never let a good crisis go to waste” is first attributed to Winston Churchill, who was pushing to form the United Nations during the dark days of WWII. Whereas I am a great fan of Winston Churchill, I abhor Machiavellian Pragmatism. The statement by Churchill in one instance may be fundamentally useful if governed by experience and good judgment, but as a principle to live by, it comes straight out of Machiavelli’s playbook of how to gain power and how to hold power. Nothing could be more dangerous to freedom than to use every crisis as a means to destroy law, destroy the Bill of Rights, and to change the Constitution. And that is exactly what is happening in America today.

Machiavelli said,

“The prince who relies entirely on fortune is lost when it changes. I believe also that he will be successful who directs his actions according to the spirit of the times and that he whose actions do not accord with the times will not be successful.” (Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince)

“The phrase, “the spirit of the times” is rather freewheeling. It can refer to fads, cultural shifts, sudden changes in beliefs, philosophies, or moral revolutions (such as the ‘turn on, tune in, and drop out’ drug culture and sexual revolution of the sixties.

In Machiavellian fashion, “the spirit of the times” is amoral. It is power Machiavelli is talking about, not truth or virtue or good. He believes in manipulating the cultural revolution for personal advantage, which is exactly what Timothy Leary, who coined the phrase ‘turn on, tune in, and drop out’, did when talking to 30,000 hippies in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. He became an icon on college campuses and spokesmen for the LSD and marijuana movement. As a result, today in many states marijuana is now legal.

The cultural movement in America today is toward anti-Americanism, socialism, one world government, and libertarianism. The liberal movement has adopted that course and has become its leader. Their motto is ‘never let a good crisis go to waste’ which is an extreme form of “directing actions according to the spirit of the times.” For example, anytime someone is killed with a gun, the left pushes to have the Second Amendment repealed. In the same breath they encourage violence in the streets by defunding the police, releasing violent criminals from prison, making police the enemy and the criminal the victim, by encouraging riots, by encouraging violent demonstrations and destruction of monuments and statues commemorating the brave patriots of the past, and even by encouraging harassment of conservative judges or congressmen or others of power who disagree with their liberal policies.

I have assigned it as Rule # 20 simply by chance. I took the liberty to classify and divide the suggestions Machiavelli made to the Medici. “The spirit of the times” just happened to be in the twentieth spot on my list.

By ‘directing one’s actions according to the spirit of the times,’ one must not only ignore the morality of the movement but also the future consequences. There is an ancient phrase, Carpe diem, which means “to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future.” A common phrase is ‘seize the day’ or ‘seize the moment.’ Another for it is ‘pick the fruit while it is ripe.’ And today is ripe for revolution and the left is making use of it. The liberals have mastered the process and by adopting as their motto, ‘never let a good crisis go to waste,’ they have institutionalized Carpe diem into their political process. They ride high the waves of social tides and champion all popular movements such as Black Lives Matter. “I want to be your champion,’ said Hillary Clinton while running for president.

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Godly Sorrow

Sometimes, because we seek joy in sin, we are just sorry that we got caught.

“10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10)

Many sincerely repent in prison because they are removed from the exquisitely decorated enticements of the orchestrated lights of the outside world; however, being forced to change because of incarceration, though it causes one to temporarily postpone behavior, does not automatically bring repentance. Postponing behavior and repenting of behavior are two separate issues. Like old Ben Gunn, while marooned on Treasure Island, who piously abstained from alcohol, but lost his fortune on drink the moment he was rescued, so it is with many who are forced by circumstances to live in seeming rectitude and to adopt the appearance of repentance without putting on the whole armor of God. It is not until one is tried in the fires of freedom that he or she knows whether they have truly repented.

The Garden of Eden was a form of incarceration. Adam and Eve were not truly tested until they were cast out. It is opposition that challenges the soul and forges wisdom. One may halt the act of sin for a time because he was caught; but, even in the safety of incarceration, in imagination, one may nurture natural desires and remain in temptation’s path until the opportunity to sin finds him.

I had a friend who had a highly addictive nature. He was in and out of jail for he supported his habits by stealing. He confided in me that he was entirely free of drugs and alcohol while in prison. The day of his release he would overdose. It was a pattern. One overdose nearly cost him his life.

Pretention merely suspends our conscience while we lie in wait for opportunity. Even in freedom, some avoid the seat of sin to assuage a drowsing conscience, grumbling in unquiet sleep, but linger in the familiar path so that stalking temptation will catch them by surreptitious surprise, thus tricking their conscience and exonerating themselves of guilt. It isn’t sin they shun; it is guilt. Guiltless sin is the saccharine that Satan sells to sweeten temptation. Those who run from sin in the light but wait for opportunity in the dark are like a spider that weaves her web in the path of the most treasured traffic.

“Oh, how crafty we must be to keep conscience from disrupting equanimity.”

As a ship that sits in salty water often collects barnacles, good works corrupted by idle intentions often turn to evil. Beware the seductions of charity. Many an innocent girl has lost her virtue through guileful charity.

Anonymous says:

“Woe to those who pass the time with noble thoughts, but gorge on whatever guileful chance has wrought.”

False repentance is a gorged lion idly lying beside the unwary lamb. True repentance comes only when we change our desires, and in turn help the helpless, not prey off them. It is from the inside out, not the outside in. Enforced virtue, like holding one’s breath under water, endures only until the end of the sentence. Repentance requires a change of heart more than a change of place. If the heart does not change during times of distraction, no matter how long, then one runs back to sin at the first opportunity.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk VI, Pt XII, The War in Heaven Pt 2 Michael and Lucifer

The first day of battle favored Michael. With his usual arrogant confidence Satan led his rebels.

From skirt to skirt a fiery region, stretched
In battailous aspect, and nearer view
Bristled with upright beams innumerable
Of rigid spears, and helmets thronged, and shields
Various, with boastful argument portrayed,
The banded Powers of Satan hasting on
With furious expedition; for they weened
That self-same day, by fight or by surprise,
To win the mount of God, and on his throne
To set the Envier of his state, the proud
Aspirer;

The allusion is from Isaiah,

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the moist High. (Isaiah 14:13-14)

Satan is a formidable foe, standing in unrighteous majesty at the head of his eager army. He tries to imitate God with a chariot as bright as the sun, with flaming Cherubim’s, and sitting on a golden throne.

High in the midst, exalted as a God,
The Apostate in his sun-bright chariot sat,
Idol of majesty divine, enclosed
With flaming Cherubim, and golden shields;
Then lighted from his gorgeous throne, for now
’Twixt host and host but narrow space was left,
A dreadful interval, and front to front
Presented stood in terrible array
Of hideous length: Before the cloudy van,
On the rough edge of battle ere it joined,
Satan, with vast and haughty strides advanced,
Came towering, armed in adamant and gold;

But Michael looks to God and not himself for strength.

Whereat Michael bid sound
The Arch-Angel trumpet; through the vast of Heaven
It sounded, and the faithful armies rung
Hosanna to the Highest:

Michael is equal to but not superior to Satan. Both are still in heaven and Satan’s powers have not been as severely modified as they will be on earth. In fact, the powers of both the armies are limited by God or the destruction would be even more horrible.

All Heaven
Resounded; and had Earth been then, all Earth
Had to her center shook. What wonder? when
Millions of fierce encountering Angels fought
On either side, the least of whom could wield
These elements, and arm him with the force
Of all their regions: How much more of power
Army against army numberless to raise
Dreadful combustion warring, and disturb,
Though not destroy, their happy native seat;
Had not the Eternal King Omnipotent,
From his strong hold of Heaven, high over-ruled
And limited their might;

This is a precursor of what happens on earth. On earth Satan is more powerful than man, but not more powerful that God; therefore, God severely limits Satan’s authority. In Genesis we read

14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:14-15)

Paul echoes that same curse.

20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. (Romans 16:20)

We are told that Satan cannot tempt us more than we are able to resist, thus preserving our agency.

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Some Random Thoughts on Addiction Part IV: Wants, Appetites, and Desires

These podcasts address only spiritual preparation so that one puts himself or herself into a frame of mind to overcome undesirable habits or addictions or behaviors. Spiritual preparation lies squarely on the individual who is suffering. There are some things that only we can do for ourselves.

Changing one’s behavior is a form of creation, or recreation, of putting away the old and creating the new. The fundamental principle upon which these random thoughts are based is that all creation is first spiritual. It is the model set forth in Genesis. The earth was first created spiritually. Man was first created spiritually. Without the spirit there can be no life, no creation, no intelligence, and no freewill. Changing the body is a good thing if it is according to the boundaries established by God, both temporally and spiritually, but changing the heart is a better thing. We are exceptionally complex beings, God’s greatest creations. We are the only beings created in the image of God. We are of the royal household of God and are his heirs.

We came to earth to gain a physical body which is after the likeness of God because our physical body is in the image of our spirit which was made in the image of God. Our intelligence resides in our spirit. Our spirit resides in our body. Only in our intelligence does freewill reside. Our spirit communicates with our brain. Our brain communicates with our body. All functions of our body reside in the brain. Neither the brain nor the body has freewill.

When we speak of the heart, we don’t mean the organ that pumps blood. It is metaphorical. The heart symbolizes our desires. With that in mind the heart communicates with the spirit, and the spirit communicates with God.

If we are going to change; If we are going to recreate ourselves, we must first change the heart

In this podcast I want to speak of changing the heart. To do that I must distinguish among wants, appetites, and desires.

All addictions are a kind of bondage and an enemy to freewill. In the Garden of Eden there were two trees: The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Both were planted by God to give Adam and Eve a choice else they would have had no agency. Lucifer was allowed into the Garden of Eden to tempt Adam and Eve else there would have been no agency. God protects our freewill even if it means that we may fall. The war in heaven was over agency. Why did God even allow Lucifer to tempt his spirit children when he knew that a third part would fall and become sons of perdition. It was because of agency. God is a free agent, and he wants us to become free agents else we can never become like him.

The great opposites are law and lawlessness, order and chaos, good and evil, God and Satan. Those who choose law, order, good, and God will be free forever. Those who choose lawlessness, chaos, evil, and Satan will be bound in captivity forever. For those of you who are following these podcasts, you will note that Linda and I do a weekly podcast on John Milton’s Paradise Lost. The reason I chose John Milton is because he brilliantly analyzes the role of Satan and God. Milton’s stated theme is to justify the ways of God to man. Milton clearly explains the role of agency and freewill.

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Some Random Thoughts on Addiction Part III, Time

This is Part III in the series on Addiction. We leave it to the experts to treat addiction. Personal treatment is beyond the scope of these podcasts. We are grateful to all those who have dedicated their lives and services to helping addicts to overcome addictions. Everyone must choose for themselves the type of treatment they pursue. We make no suggestions or recommendations.

In these podcasts we address mental and spiritual preparation. Anyone who is seeking to overcome an addiction must first prepare themselves both mentally and spiritually for the challenging road ahead, whatever course they take. We merely offer suggestions as one prepares himself or herself spiritually.

In Part I we asserted that the three theological virtues—faith, hope, and charity—are the first place to start when trying to overcome an addiction. (Please listen to Podcast # 157) In Part II, we asserted that all creation is first spiritual and then temporal. In addition, we discussed how to overcome bad habits. (Please listen to Podcast # 170) In this Podcast we shall discuss Time and Addiction.

We live in a capsule of time we call past, present, and future. One cannot be addicted to behavior in the future for it hasn’t happened yet. All addictions are products of the past, a forbidden land which does not allow second chances. The present alone allows second chances. Only in the present do we have freewill. The past allows no revision; the future allows no action. All actions occur in the present. The future can only be changed by the present. The past is a memory only, frozen in the ice of antiquity. Lloyd Alexander, a children’s writer, said ‘we are a great perhaps.’ That is true only because of the fluid present. What you should have done in the past is only as valuable as what you can do in the present. The past, though it is dead to chance, is a living wellspring of wisdom that we must draw on to improve the future. Those who deny the past are dead to the future for their course is fixed in constant repetition. They become animals, one day like another in endless reiteration. In a real sense we can imagine a future where we are free of addiction and create a solution where that is possible, but for that to happen we must act in the living present drawing wisdom from the crystal ball of the past. The past is a fortune teller whose prophesies can only be changed if we act wisely in the present. Time is an erupting volcano in which the lava of the past immediately solidifies forming a tunnel so that the present can carry the liquid lava into the future. Only the present has power to channel what flows into our future. If we do not take charge of our present, we will repeat the past and condemn the future to incessant repetition. That is what addiction is. Addiction freezes time into constant repetition. Addiction stops progression. In spiritual terms repentance is the only thing that can break the cycle. That is what repentance is. It breaks the cycle of endless bondage. However, the only period where we have absolute control is the present. The past is past, the future hasn’t come. One cannot be addicted to behavior of the present for it is in the process of becoming. The present is a razor-sharp edge between the past and the future. We live on that edge. We may, and certainly should, use the present to decide what course we are going to take in the future. We may use the present to set up a plan of attack, create a schedule. But I repeat, it is only the present where we have freewill, where we can change our behavior, where we can reset our course that will affect the future.

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Some Random Thoughts on Addiction Part II

As a precursor to this podcast, let me refer you to Season 3 Podcast 157, ‘Some Random Thoughts on Addiction Pt I”. In Podcast 157, the Three Theological Virtues—Faith, Hope, & Charity—were presented as the spiritual foundation for anyone trying to overcome addictions. As you listen to this podcast, please remember that they are prefaced by the Three Theological Virtues.

Unlike its predecessor, Podcast 157, which suggests that overcoming addictions is first spiritual and then temporal, this podcast is more analytical than practical. It is an attempt to understand the driving forces behind the human mind. Science studies the brain with the same diligence that they study the oceans and outer space. Still the brain is unchartered territory. It does not give up its secrets easily.

Science is ingenious, a fact that is more evident every day. We have computers, the Hubble Telescope, space stations. We have put man on the moon and probed the surface of Mars. The search for knowledge drives science. Science is searching for a unified theory of the four forces of nature: strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, electromagnetic force, and gravity. They call it The Holy Grail of Physics. Science has unified the first three forces but the great problem that eludes science is how matter clumped together in large enough fields for gravity to form suns, moons, stars, and galaxies. I have no doubt that they will eventually find it as it relates to temporal law. That is the greatest genius of science and its greatest limitation.

It is extremely important that we as Christians appreciate the strength of science. We need science; however, it is equally important that we understand the limitations of science. Science may unify the four forces of nature, but science will never discover the unified theory of everything by confining themselves to the laws of nature. Only by accepting intelligent design can they find the unified theory of everything for it can only be explained through the power of God.

By denying the spiritual world, it is fruitless for science to try to discover the origins of life, the origins of man, or the meaning of existence. Theoretical science has turned the cosmos into Disney World, filled with fantasy. Their conclusions of an accidental universe, of chance, coincidence, accident, or serendipity of circumstances have created an Alice in Wonderland World. They are so caught up in the structure of their logic that they have blinded themselves to the fact that their foundation is built upon sand. Their fundamental premises are false, making their conclusions meaningless.

Their fundamental premises are that there is no God, no intelligent design, no purpose, no absolutes, no immortality and eternal life, and no soul. On the one hand science needs to stick to temporal law. They are not equipped to discover the secrets of spiritual law. The scientific method works beautifully in the temporal paradigm where accurate prediction is possible.

All things are governed by law. Law does not allow uncertainty, or it ceases to be law. That is why they can find a unified theory of the temporal forces of nature if they keep searching. Practical science stays on track with the scientific method by necessity. Failure quickly corrects their course.

Theoretical science has abandoned the scientific method. That is how they teach that something can come from nothing though laws doesn’t allow it; how they teach an accidental universe when law doesn’t allow it, how they teach that life begins by accident when law doesn’t allow it, how the Goldilocks Zone is created by accident when law doesn’t allow it. Theoretical science has effectively turned its back on the universal truth that something can never come from nothing. If even one law is broken, all laws are broken. Life is not a game of Jenga.

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Faith and Law

Paul gives us one of the clearest definitions of faith found in the Holy Bible.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

The Apostle Paul makes two assertions about faith

Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
Faith is the evidence of things not seen.

The key words are substance and evidence.

Substance is a strange word to use in a definition of faith. We think of faith as something opposite to substance. Substance refers to something tangible, something you can see, hear, touch, taste, and feel. It is corporeal. The synonyms for substance are

· Matter

· Body

· Element

· Essential nature

· Essence

· Material

· Corporality

· Physical nature

· Flesh and blood

· Reality

· Actuality

· Solid

· Species

· Genus

· Mass

· Chief part

If something is substantial, we think of it as material, corporeal, concrete, tangible, physical, actual, basic, weighty, or solid. We don’t connect faith with substance. We connect faith with

· Belief

· Trust

· Assurance

· Confidence

· Reliance

· Hope

· Expectation

· Optimism

· Truth without evidence

· Profession of religious truth

· Devotion

· Conviction

· Feeling

· Expectation

· confidence

Therefore, we must wrestle with Paul’s assertion that faith is the substance of things hoped for. First, of course, we must come to terms with the phrase, “things hoped for.” From that we know that faith deals with things not yet accomplished or performed but that are desired or hoped for or wanted. Faith is related to uncertainty because faith is not knowledge. Once one has knowledge, one no longer needs faith. Therefore, faith must confront doubt, darkness, uncertainty. Faith then is the bridge between uncertainty and knowledge, hope and achievement, trial and accomplishment. Peter refers to the trial of our faith:

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (1 Peter 1:7)

The apostle Peter puts an added twist to faith. He says that faith is “much more precious than gold.” We tend to overlook Peter’s phrase “gold that perisheth.” Peter is asserting that faith does not perish. In other words, faith is not just for this life. It is not only the first principle of the gospel. Faith is also an eternal principle. It never perishes, making faith spiritual, not temporal. It creates a paradox. Paul said Faith was a substance. Peter said that faith never perishes. The answer to the paradox leads to a great principle. That principle is that even our spirit is made of substance. In other words, even spirit is made of matter. There is reducible matter and there is irreducible matter. Gold is made of reducible matter, but faith is made of irreducible matter.

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The War in Heaven Pt I Introduction

Some critics are astonished that Milton, inspired by only a few verses from Genesis, was able to write Paradise Lost. Strictly speaking, that is too narrow a view of the scope of Paradise Lost. I want to continue to keep at the forefront Milton’s stated theme:

Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful seat,
Sing, Heavenly Muse, that, on the secret top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That shepherd who first taught the chosen seed
In the beginning how the heavens and earth
Rose out of Chaos: or, if Sion hill
Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flowed
Fast by the oracle of God, I thence
Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song,
That with no middle flight intends to soar
Above th’ Aonian mount, while it pursues
Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.
And chiefly thou, O Spirit, that dost prefer
Before all temples th’ upright heart and pure,
Instruct me, for thou know’st; thou from the first
Wast present, and, with mighty wings outspread,
Dove-like sat’st brooding on the vast Abyss,
And mad’st it pregnant: what in me is dark
Illumine, what is low raise and support;
That, to the height of this great argument,
I may assert Eternal Providence,
And justify the ways of God to men.

Look again at the words of Milton. His theme is clearly “to justify the ways of God to men.” However, in his introduction in just a few lines he makes the following assertions

· Man’s first disobedience

· The fruit of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste brought death into the world

· Loss of Eden

· Till one greater Man Restore us

· And regain the blissful seat.

The scope is far broader than the verses in Genesis. In Paradise Lost Milton covers the history of the Holy Bible, beginning with Genesis and ending with The Book of Revelation. Unquestionably Milton was a premier scholar, one of the most educated men of his time, and this is during the Renaissance. If I were dividing the book according to historical, literary, and Biblical allusions, I would guess that a quarter can be attributed to historical and literary allusions, half to Biblical allusions, and a quarter to Milton’s own genius and poetic inspiration. The Holy Bible dominates Paradise Lost in many and sometimes subtle ways. Biblical allusions are the fabric that holds everything together. It would be eye-opening to go through Paradise Lost and mark every Biblical allusion with a specific reference from the Holy Bible itself. Milton was blind when writing Paradise Lost. One can only assume Milton had virtually memorized the Bible. In return Milton assumes a broad understanding of the Bible from his readers.

Let me just give a brief example which is just one of the hundreds of assumptions Milton makes about his readers.

Book VI, for example, covers only three days. That is how long the War in Heaven Lasts in Paradise Lost. The problem, of course, is that from our perspective, we assume three twenty-four-hour periods when in fact in Milton’s war, three days measured in Biblical time which means the war in heaven lasted three thousand years.

In Bk IV Milton refers to the length of the war three times, speaking of days.

And if one day, why not eternal days?
Two days, as we compute the days of Heaven,

Two days are therefore past, the third is thine;
For thee I have ordained it; and thus far
Have suffered, that the glory may be thine
Of ending this great war, since none but Thou
Can end it.

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Gender

Any state that ignores the strict laws of science and nature as it relates to gender, as it relates to biology, as it relates to the inherent qualities of male and female to satisfy the whims of manufactured social discontent exploited for political purposes will become so entangled in strange laws, peculiar practices, unsolvable dilemmas, and irregular behaviors that society will simply crack while building on the thin ice of programmed delusion. Responsible people should not tolerate even the appearance of insanity in our laws and should not burden a nation with things that are silly by nature. Prefabricated sensibilities are no foundation for the laws of a responsible nation. Let the whiners enjoy what Twain calls their “dismal felicity,” but let wisdom, experience, judgment, common sense, pure science, natural law, and God-given intelligence overrule such an invasion of teary-eyed crocodiles.

The laws of nature and thousands of years of experience dictate that a man and a woman united in purpose under the obligation and bonds of the sacred marriage covenant and legally binding laws are the only ideal environment for the proper nurturing of children. A male cannot provide the role model of a female and a female cannot provide the role model of a male and both are necessary for the complete education of a child. Absolute laws do not bend to life’s liquefied exigencies. We know, however, that we do not live in an ideal world. We live in a fallen world where idealism is often modified by realism, compounded by life’s uncertainties and nature’s necessities, and charity dictates compassion and generous but wise assistance. Nonetheless that should not deter us from recognizing the ideal, for anything less will remain an imperfect substitute. We cannot allow false charity to drown us in a sea of sentimentality.

In addition, the laws of nature dictate that gender is determined by nature and not by the whirling winds of dizzying opinions or what Shakespeare calls ‘the whirligig of time.’ How strange it is that society can believe so absolutely in evolution and yet deny the laws of nature as they apply to gender. It is like those who hate fossil fuels and yet promote natural gas, unaware of any natural contradiction.

It is child abuse of a high order to teach children that gender is a choice. The very laws of nature dictate gender, define gender, and use the differences in gender for procreation and continuation of the species.

It is in the nature of man that those with a burning cause often use truth only when it is convenient to their contradictory opinions while they build their personal philosophy on a lie. They use words as weapons against any opposition to their invented morality to camouflage a hidden agenda. They bury conscience under an avalanche of sweet-sounding absurdities while they dress evil in robes of self-righteousness and twisted truths. We cannot allow fluctuating opinions wind tossed and shipwrecked to overrule our perceptions of gender. Natural law will always prevail while those who deny the laws of nature will eventually be swept from their sandy foundation by the hurricanes of angry nature. We cannot allow this or that popular movement to disrupt that which God has ordained, natural laws demand, common sense dictates, and vast experience validates. We must all bow to the absolute laws of nature and establish our laws within the boundaries established by God and nature.

A nation where the majority believe that public opinion can change natural laws is already lost. They will soon cast out all sane people, thinking they are abnormal and dangerous, while they live in an asylum of illusion where insanity is by definition anything other than themselves and where disorder and chaos are the only order. T

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Argumentum ad Baculum

Argumentum ad baculum, the Latin form, is a logical fallacy better known as appeal to the stick or appeal to fear or appeal to force. Slander and character assassination are forms of argumentum ad baculum. Any form of threat, coercion, pressure, constraint, duress, oppression, menace, abuse, jeopardy, or badgering as a form of persuasion is a form of argumentum ad baculum. It is entirely unrelated to fairness, justice, fair play, honesty, integrity, or truth.

As with all other Machiavellian rules, none consider morality, right and wrong, just and unjust, good and evil, fair and unfair, truth or lies, moral and immoral. They are all dominated by the central rule that the ends justify the means. Rule # 17 of Machiavellian Pragmatism encourages one to attack the individual’s character if necessary to achieve the desired end. rather than the issue at hand. In a practical sense, Machiavelli urges that you keep an undesirable person from a particular position.

Machiavelli said,

“If he could not have made Pope him whom he wished, at least the one whom he did not wish would not have been elected.” (Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince)

To update that to our time as related to the Judge Kavanaugh hearing, it would be,

Only appoint judges to the Supreme Court or other high positions who support your views.Use any means to prevent anyone from being appointed to positions of authority who do not agree with your opinions.

The entire nation witnessed a scurrilous example of argumentum ad baculum in the Senate hearing of the appointment of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. It was not an interview for a high office. It was a vicious, unprecedented attack on his character without proof, without evidence, without witnesses except the accusers. His outstanding credentials, his impeccable defense, and the numberless attestations to his high moral character meant nothing to the left. It was a Salem witch trial in which the witch was already convicted. One hundred percent of the democratic senators assumed his guilt and praised the brave witness who came forth to testify against him. She mysteriously came forth as a witness after all other attempts to discredit Judge Kavanaugh had failed.

It was on record that the democratic senator’s purpose was to destroy Kavanaugh’s chances for the Supreme Court at any cost.

First, we learned that there was an organized effort to disrupt the meeting. Senator Tillis revealed,

4 LINDA

Senator TILLIS. Mr. Chairman, I am confused because I heard earlier that this was a reaction to the document releases last night. But I am reviewing a tweet from NBC that said ‘‘Democrats plotted coordinated protest strategy over the holiday weekend. All agreed to disrupt and protest the hearing, sources tell me, and subsequent Dem Leader, Chuck Schumer, led a phone call and Committee Members are executing now.’’

The accusation was denied, yet the evidence proves to the contrary. Let me quote a small portion of an early attempt to sabotage the proceedings.,

Chairman GRASSLEY. I know this is an exciting day for all of you here——

Senator BLUMENTHAL. Mr. Chairman.

Chairman GRASSLEY [continuing]. And you are rightly proud of Judge——

Senator BLUMENTHAL. Mr. Chairman, if we cannot be recognized, I move to adjourn.

Chairman GRASSLEY. The American people——
Senator BLUMENTHAL. Mr. Chairman, I move to adjourn. [Disturbance in the hearing room.]
Chairman GRASSLEY [continuing]. Will hear directly from Judge

Kavanaugh later this afternoon.
Senator BLUMENTHAL. Mr. Chairman, I move to adjourn.

This went on and on and on. The obvious attempt was to stop the nomination so that it would be postponed until a change of administration could appoint a new Judge.

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Complacency

Complacency is like a fluttering butterfly balanced on a broken bell. Complacency is a state of being pleased with oneself, a state of agreeableness or compliance or self-satisfaction or conciliation.

Synonyms are

· Gratification

· Contentedness

· Quietism

· Tranquility

· Placid,

· Comfort

· Amelioration

· Easement

· Serene

· Tranquil

· At ease

· Smug

· Gratified

· Bland

· Affable

· Compliant

· Conciliatory

· deferential

Complacency sounds so serene and desirable, a kind of tropical paradise where all is well with the world, yet complacency is one of the greatest enemies to freedom. Edmund Burke is reputed as saying,

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

Though disputed, Thomas Jefferson is reputed as saying,

“Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.”

Those who live life in lazy contentment are like an old plow mule with blinders on plodding, plodding, plodding down the plowed rows of life looking neither forward nor backward, neither left nor right, swishing its tail at flies and learning nothing.

Complacency is a kind of sin. Though it does no evil, it does no good. It is a silent stupor caught in a sluggish and languid whirl of ignorant regression. The seer John said this of complacency in his letter to the Church of Sardis,

I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. (Revelation 3: 1-3)

To the church in Laodicea he wrote

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (Revelation 3:15-18)

Those who languish in lugubrious contentment are treading water in a slow-moving stream carried with the lazy current. Inaction allows the idle currents of the idle day to take them hither and thither downstream.

Complacency is the great evil of our day. Many, though they seek pleasures lively enough, seek truth sluggishly with eyes half closed; they follow the ebb and flow of the fickle tide of man filled with idle laughter, and though they may fuss a little at each new ripple that awakens some dying sensibility learned from their youth, they continue their course in the undercurrent to destruction only a little behind the rest.

Even fish know to swim against the current.

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Faith and Democracy.

The three levels of faith are

· Faith in Self

· Faith in Others

· Faith in God

In a democracy, for man’s liberty to flourish, the government must provide an environment for all three levels of faith to flourish. The reason is simple

· A democracy is built on self-reliance

· We are all God’s Children and God gives his gifts generously. One reason God distributes his gifts evenly throughout the world is so we can help each other. All good gifts are from God.

· All truth comes from God, and only the truth can make us free.

Democracy, like a three-legged stool, is rendered useless if even one leg of the three levels of faith is crippled, broken, diminished, or removed.

“13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13)

When one thinks of faith, one naturally thinks of faith in God. Christians think of faith in Christ as the greatest, most indispensable part of one’s life which in itself is an act of faith. But here is the great paradox of religion: When one asks which level of faith can one ignore in the temporal world and still get rich in the temporal world—ego-centric faith (self), ecto-centric faith (others), or theo-centric faith (God)—, it is paradoxically, by design, theo-centric faith. And therein lies the great difference among the three types of faith.

“3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)

Theocentric faith alone produces prophets. Ultimately Christianity will prevail, and everyone will have to bow to Christ. Only those who can look him in the eye will be happy about it.

Of the three levels of faith, egocentric, ectocentric, and theocentric, only theocentric encompasses all faith. The power of God is unlimited, and faith in God, the primary law of agency, gives us access to God’s power. Egocentric faith may bring about great riches, ectocentric faith may bring about astonishing results, but only theocentric faith can bring about miracles. As the cart must follow the horse, miracles must follow faith. Neither the cart nor the miracle is self-propelled.

The laws of God, however, are boundless, and faith gives us access to the power of God’s laws. That is when miracles occur.

The law of faith requires an invisible God. For faith to develop Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden of Eden. Even when Christ is cut out of the equation, ego-centric faith and ecto-centric faith are sufficient to thrive in a temporal world. If it were otherwise, we would all serve God for money. We would be good for the sake of profit as children threatened by Santa Claus. And Swe would not develop faith in God.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk V, Pt X, The First Temptation

Sir Arthur-Quiller Couch said, a writer to reach the high points resorts to poetry, to reach the low points resorts to prose. With Milton there are no low points. One cannot be distracted while reading Paradise Lost or one will get lost in Paradise Lost, and having a good dictionary nearby is useful. Book V of Paradise Lost opens with Adam and Eve waking up to a new day. What is different about this day, however, is that Eve was troubled during the night with nightmares of some strange being tempting her to eat the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam tries to comfort her. The arch angel Raphael, however, whose job it is to protect Adam and Eve comes to warn them of Satan’s approach. In the opening scene Eve expresses her fear to Adam.

Close at mine ear one called me forth to walk
With gentle voice; I thought it thine: It said,
“Why sleepest thou, Eve? now is the pleasant time,
The cool, the silent, save where silence yields
To the night-warbling bird, that now awake
Tunes sweetest his love-laboured song; now reigns
Full-orbed the moon, and with more pleasing light
Shadowy sets off the face of things; in vain,
If none regard; Heaven wakes with all his eyes,
Whom to behold but thee, Nature’s desire?
In whose sight all things joy, with ravishment
Attracted by thy beauty still to gaze.”
I rose as at thy call, but found thee not;
To find thee I directed then my walk;
And on, methought, alone I passed through ways
That brought me on a sudden to the tree
Of interdicted knowledge: fair it seemed,
Much fairer to my fancy than by day:

In her dream Eve sees Satan as an angel of light. He uses logic to persuade Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit.

And, as I wondering looked, beside it stood
One shaped and winged like one of those from Heaven
By us oft seen; his dewy locks distilled
Ambrosia; on that tree he also gazed;
And “O fair plant,” said he, “with fruit surcharged,
Deigns none to ease thy load, and taste thy sweet,
Nor God, nor Man? Is knowledge so despised?
Or envy, or what reserve forbids to taste?
Forbid who will, none shall from me withhold
Longer thy offered good; why else set here?”

This is the first time that Eve has experienced temptation, and it frightens her, but all she knows is that she is not supposed to eat the forbidden fruit for it will bring death into the world. Until now it had not occurred to her to question God. Her silence gives Satan more courage. He tries to make evil look good by persuading her that if she eats the forbidden fruit, she can serve God better.

This said, he paused not, but with venturous arm
He plucked, he tasted; me damp horrour chilled
At such bold words vouched with a deed so bold:
But he thus, overjoyed; “O fruit divine,
Sweet of thyself, but much more sweet thus cropt,
Forbidden here, it seems, as only fit
For Gods, yet able to make Gods of Men:
And why not Gods of Men; since good, the more
Communicated, more abundant grows,
The author not impaired, but honoured more?

Nothing happens when Satan eats the fruit. He offers the fruit to her promising her that she can become like the Gods. He appeals to her vanity and says she can ascend into heaven by her own merit, which, of course, is a lie. The only way she can ascend into heaven is by not eating the forbidden fruit because she would still be protected by the law of justice. If she eats of the forbidden fruit, she will have to rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ the Son of God whom Satan hates.

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The Road to El Toboso

In our previous podcasts Linda and I have talked much about the split between science and religion. Perhaps nothing divides science from religion more than the Christian belief in the supernatural. The scientific method is bound by temporal law. Without accurate predictability confirmed by repetition, science is nothing. Science flounders when it wanders into the supernatural and that is exactly where theoretical science is taking us. Theoretical science has become a religion presenting theory as fact and opinion as truth. They assume that every inference is valid because some credentialed scientist backed up with high position and scholarly degrees said it. Their false theories are turning into laws, thus violating the first amendment:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion”

The liberals, ignoring practical science, use the word science as a Billy club to bully us into submission to their progressive policies. We see it with Covid, we see it with shutting down the oil pipelines, we see it with the new green deal, we see it with global warming and electric cars, we see it with their strange ideas of gender. Personally I think that if our nation spent more time worrying about hell fire than global warming, we would make more progress in saving our planet. Scientific facts are ignored as theories take a life of their own, burying truth. There can never be a conflict between true science and truth religion. Truth is the only security. Theoretical science is somewhat like Don Quixote and Sancho Panza on the road to El Toboso. I love the following lines from Man of La Mancha, a musical based on Cervantes’s classic satire, Don Quixote.

Well, Sancho, likest thou adventuring?

It's marvelous, Your Grace, but it is peculiar.

This great road to glory...

looks exactly like the road to El Toboso...

where you can buy chickens cheap.

I suppose that in each of us is the realism of the gullible Sancho and the idealism of the mad Don Quixote. We all fight windmills of one sort or another. However, our journey is far more dangerous than those in Cervantes’s romantic imagination. The invisible or spiritual world is very real and has a strong influence on our world. The more we take the Holy Scriptures literally the closer we will come to the truth. As Paul said,

“12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6: 12)

He also said,

“37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerorsthrough him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)

Our battle against the spirits of darkness began when we were immortals in heaven, spirits looking directly at spirits, and it continues against the same foes, though now invisible, on earth where we are mortals. We are cautioned by Paul to

“Take upon you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13)

The armor of God is not the traditional weapons of war for the war we fight is against visible and invisible foes.

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Faith and Liberty

May we bring God back into our country so that we can bring liberty back into our hearts. Faith in self gives access to all our personal powers; faith in others gathers around us needed support to strengthen our weaknesses; faith in God brings down the powers of heaven and creates miracles.

A country that does not support self-reliance, free enterprise, and freedom of conscience is not free. The first responsibility of a republic is to create an environment where self-reliance is primary, and individualism is protected. We must rid ourselves of the idea that man is merely a biological machine and that freewill does not exist. The moment that government takes upon itself the responsibility of creating men as equal, it replaces God and becomes the devil’s own tyrant. A country that does not believe in freewill will treat everyone as slaves, make invalids of its people, and mold its citizens according to the whims of the moment and rule with the club of political correctness.

A government that does not believe that all men are created equal by God will slide into socialism. The casualties of socialism are freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, freedom of personal enterprise, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, and freedom of self-expression. We must recognize the difference between God creating man as equal and government creating man as equal. If God creates man as equal, then man has the freedom to create himself and become whatever he wants to become, to follow his dreams. Divinely inspired inequality will always be the fruit of true equality. If government creates man as equal, we become clones of one another, patterned after the lowest, and freedom is oppressed. Competition is at the core of democracy. Socialism takes away individual incentive. Freedom created by God helps us reach our potential; freedom created by government imposes restrictions, chains us to regulations, and pulls everyone down to the lowest level. Government creates clones. God releases freewill. To government we are fish in a bowl restricted by our environment; to God we are sons and daughters in a vast, unfathomable universe, made free forever by our faith.

Absolute boundaries are necessary for freedom. The boundaries established by God never change. Laws never change. Virtues never change. Right and wrong never change. In a fallen world such as ours, made of imperfect people, the fruits of absolute equality will always be the cornucopia of bountiful inequality. Only where people are allowed to perfect their gifts can faith flourish. Out of self-reliance will grow strength. Out of individuality will grow variety. Out of variety will grow prosperity. A democratic republic can only survive where all three levels of faith are in effect. Take even one away and democracy will fall, and totalitarianism will take its place.

Freedom requires courage. With freedom will come triumph and disappointment, success and failure, but only in opposition can we grow strong in faith. Faith is the foundation of freedom. A socialist government will degrade everyone to the lowest common denominator. A free government will lift everyone toward the level of their noblest desires. Those who rise to the top light the way for others. Under socialism, we become diminished creatures blown out of proportion by artificially created perceptions. Faith expands our expectations, causing us to reach beyond ourselves. Faith in self carries us to enormous peaks. Faith in others broadens our opportunities. Faith in God turns our sights to heaven.

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Season 3 Podcast 160 Tribalism in America

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary a tribe is “A social group comprising numerous families, clans, or generations 2. A group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest.” Tribalism, according to “Oxford Languages is, “the state or fact of being organized in a tribe or tribes. The behavior and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one’s own tribe or social group. “

We are all tribalistic. We have families, clubs, societies, associations, fraternities, sororities, cliques, circles, guilds, alliances, lodges, teams, social groups, organizations, cooperatives, unions, and so on. Any uniting force can form a tribe. A sewing circle is a tribe.

Tribes, of course, can be very positive or very negative. Even good tribes, such as sports fans can turn into a rioting mob and go ballistic when emotions overrule actions.

The inherent flaw in tribalism is one’s willingness to abandon freewill and turn his conscience over to the leaders of the tribe. On one extreme we see it in organized crime. We are now seeing it on a scale, unlike any in my lifetime, in the Democratic Party. Once upon a time, we had one man, one vote. Now we have one party one vote. The liberal party is no longer a political group of free people united by a cause. The liberal party is a tribe with one purpose and one ruler. It is much like communism. Any member of that tribe who breaks the rules or does not walk the line is burned at the stake.

The Liberal press has also become a tribe. They no longer report news. Like the Pravda, they repeat propaganda, and preach all things liberal.

The liberal universities have also become a tribe armed against critical thinking and conservatism and all things American.

Hollywood has also become a tribe that hates all things republican or conservative or democratic and worships everything green.

In addition, the liberal party has discovered that tribalism works to their advantage. If they can bring minority groups under their umbrella, they have guaranteed votes; therefore, they have effectively divided America into tribes. The tribes are the Blacks, the LGBTQ+ community, the poor, the Hispanics, the press, Hollywood, college students, women, rioters, criminals, the illegal immigrants, the unions, the welfare recipients, the homeless. Everything becomes a right or an entitlement. The homeless are even invited to take over public parks, to urinate on laws, and defecate in streets. Tribes who are excluded are the rich, the conservatives, the republicans, and the whites. They are the enemy.

Tribalism is a greater threat to democracy than terrorism.

One of the greatest enemies to our freedom that will arise in the near future is the existence of gangs in America. We are already moving toward tribalism. The organization, Crime-in-America.Net, reported that there are 27,900 active gangs in the United States with a total of 774,000 gang members. Some estimate the number of gang members to be 1.4 million. One cannot even imagine what would happen if catastrophe struck and law broke down. And when we saw the shameless way high government officials handled the Bengasi attacks and the equally shameless way social democrats supported the recent Wall Street rioters on the East Coast and on the West Coast, our confidence was shaken in its ability to handle a real threat where political ideology is at play.

Gangs are a lawless group, laying their cunning plans in secret and carrying them out openly in defiance of the law. They live above the law and wish to become a law unto themselves. They have already formed. The only thing that keeps gangs in check is the knowledge that our police force is more powerful.

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The Road to Power, Machiavellian Pragmatism, Rule # 16: Strengthen the Weak; Weaken the Strong

As with all other Machiavellian rules, none consider morality, right and wrong, just and unjust, good and evil, fair and unfair, or moral and immoral. They are all dominated by the central rule that the ends justify the means. Rule # 16 says, Defend the weak and weaken the powerful but keep all foreigners under subjugation. In Machiavelli’s own words

“Again, the prince who holds a country differing in the above respects ought to make himself the head and defender of his less powerful neighbours, and to weaken the more powerful among them, taking care that no foreigner as powerful as himself shall, by any accident, get a footing there.” (Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince)

Machiavelli, of course, is speaking of nations, but in a democratic republic such as ours, they apply to minorities in an effort to control the voting process. Predators capitalize on vulnerability and exploit it, separating the weak from the protective herd. That is the law of the jungle. Liberals exploit that weakness by separating the minority groups and offering them protection from an imaginary enemy, offering themselves as saviors; yet they feed on their misery. The quid pro quo is their vote.

The problem, however, in a democratic republic is transparent. In a government ruled by the majority, laws are passed to protect the individual. The laws are now on the books that protect all minorities. How does the left get around the fact that they don’t need a champion when they have the laws of the United States on their side?

They simply ignore the facts and play on emotions. They play on built in fears, prejudices, biases, and traditions of the past. They pretend slavery still exists when it doesn’t. They pretend that prejudice still exists when it doesn’t. They pretend that systemic racism exists when it doesn’t. Systemic racism is a new term, and a strange one at that.

Systemic comes from the word system which, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary means

a group of units so combined as to form a whole and to operate in unison
the body as a functioning whole: a group of bodily organs that together carry on some vital function
a definite scheme or method of procedure or classification
regular method or order

To systematize means to make into a system: arrange methodically. Systemic means of, relating to, or affecting the whole-body such as a disease. Related words are systematic and systematize

Systematic means to arrange in order systems, orderly, methodical, according to rule, regular.

Systematize means to arrange in a system, regulate methodize, make systematic, systemize, standardize, classify, categorize, organize, reduce to order, put into a systematic form control.

It is smoke and mirrors. Just the opposite has happened. Thanks to great men like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King and thousands of good-hearted people laws have been put in place that guarantee individual equality under the law. Any law that treats one group of people differently than any other group is racist and should be stricken from the books. You cannot favor minorities any more than you can favor majorities. Our laws, to be just, must be blind and apply to all citizens equally. You cannot use racist laws to cure racism.

Any thinking person would dismiss charges of systemic racism upon analysis. It self-destructs. If there is a system of laws in our country that are inherently racist, they should be stricken from the books, but wait, they have been. That is what the sixties were all about. That is what Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King died for.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Bk IV, Pt IX, The Wiles of Satan

Satan is about to enter the Garden of Eden. The following description by Milton brilliantly describes the devil in his duplicity.

Thus while he spake, each passion dimmed his face
Thrice changed with pale, ire, envy, and despair;
Which marred his borrowed visage, and betrayed
Him counterfeit, if any eye beheld.
For heavenly minds from such distempers foul
Are ever clear. Whereof he soon aware,
Each perturbation smoothed with outward calm,
Artificer of fraud; and was the first
That practiced falsehood under saintly show,
Deep malice to conceal, couched with revenge:
Yet not enough had practiced to deceive

Milton suggests that even Lucifer had to grow in cunning but not in evil. He represents all the vices, some listed above are ire, envy, despair, false, counterfeit, fraud, falsehood, and revenge. Satan is the opposite of Christ in every point. The Jews call him ‘the destroyer.’ A huge wall protects Eden. If you remember he had to get Sin to open the gates of hell because the walls were too high, but to get into Eden, he merely leaps over the wall.

One gate there only was, and that looked east
On the other side: which when the arch-felon saw,
Due entrance he disdained; and, in contempt,
At one flight bound high over-leaped all bound
Of hill or highest wall, and sheer within
Lights on his feet. As when a prowling wolf,
Whom hunger drives to seek new haunt for prey,
Watching where shepherds pen their flocks at eve
In hurdled cotes amid the field secure,
Leaps o’er the fence with ease into the fold:

Satan, ironically, perches like a vulture on the highest limb of the highest tree which is the tree of life.

Thence up he flew, and on the tree of life,
The middle tree and highest there that grew,
Sat like a cormorant; yet not true life
Thereby regained, but sat devising death
To them who lived; nor on the virtue thought
Of that life-giving plant, but only used
For prospect, what well used had been the pledge
Of immortality.

The tree of life was next to the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Milton describes the paradox.

Out of the fertile ground he caused to grow
All trees of noblest kind for sight, smell, taste;
And all amid them stood the tree of life,
High eminent, blooming ambrosial fruit
Of vegetable gold; and next to life,
Our death, the tree of knowledge, grew fast by,
Knowledge of good bought dear by knowing ill.

Satan, even amidst the Garden of Eden, is unable to appreciate the good. He only delights in the evil. He is his own hell, wants to destroy the happiness of others, converting good to evil and evil to good, unable to feel joy, only hate.

From this Assyrian garden, where the Fiend
Saw, undelighted, all delight, all kind
Of living creatures, new to sight, and strange

For the first time, Satan is confronted with Adam and Eve. He is astonished at their beauty. There is almost a regret that he must destroy their happiness.

O Hell! what do mine eyes with grief behold!
Into our room of bliss thus high advanced
Creatures of other mould, earth-born perhaps,
Not Spirits, yet to heavenly Spirits bright
Little inferiour; whom my thoughts pursue
With wonder, and could love, so lively shines
In them divine resemblance, and such grace
The hand that formed them on their shape hath poured.
Ah! gentle pair, ye little think how nigh
Your change approaches, when all these delights
Will vanish, and deliver ye to woe;

But Satan justifies his behavior because the ends justify the means. That is Lucifer’s greatest tool to convince man that he may perform any evil if it is for a greater good.

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Some Random Thoughts on Addiction Part I

If you have been following the podcasts, you realize by now that I believe everything, both of the temporal world and of the spiritual world is governed by law, by absolute, unalterable law. In addition, all laws governing our world have conditions and consequences, or according to the principle of causality, cause and effect. Conditions must be necessary and sufficient to bring about the effect. A condition is necessary if the effect cannot occur without it. Conditions are sufficient if all conditions necessary are met. We may govern the effect only by

Understanding the necessary and sufficient conditions.
Applying them to our lives; in other words, by obeying the conditions.

If we want anything of a temporal or spiritual nature, we must obey the laws that bring it about. We do not live in an accidental universe. That is one of the greatest fallacies of theoretical science. It is false. It violates the very fabric that holds the universe together. It violates all the laws of practical science. It violates logic. It violates all natural law. It denies observation. It reduces science to sorcery, creating a universe where anything can happen. In such a world of fantasy things can appear from nowhere out of nothing and disappear into nothingness. It is a world with only the illusion of order, filled with fantasy, where all things are rendered meaningless. It creates a serendipity of silliness.

Obedience to law is the key to temporal and spiritual blessings. The study of natural law begins with observation. The study of spiritual law begins with faith, but both will lead to law, to absolute law, to irrevocable law which is the road to truth. Any other route is a will of the wisp, a false light that leads into a dark forest of confusion. Consider truth and law as inseparable, as synonyms, as two sides of the same coin. One is not possible without the other.

Everything is made of matter. That should be a primary assumption for any search for truth. The primary difference between the temporal world and the spiritual world is the constitution of matter. In the spiritual world matter is irreducible and immortal and therefore must be governed by spiritual laws. It cannot be seen with mortal eyes or mortal instruments no matter how refined. It can only be discerned with spiritual eyes by the power of God. All mortal matter is reducible and thus subject to entropy. Temporal laws have no power over the spirit; however, spiritual laws, which are eternal, have power over both the temporal world and the spiritual world. That is why we can overcome all temptations of the flesh. That is why we have freewill. That is why we have agency. That is why we are not animals, and why we are not robots, why we are not machines, three of the great fallacies of theoretical science. They are the products of atheism, the denial of intelligent design.

Every problem has a solution, and we will discover that solution if we find the cause and meet the conditions. Some laws we must discover by faith; some laws we must discover by science. Everything is governed by opposites, order and chaos, good and evil, right and wrong, health and sickness, freedom and captivity.

Another principle of law that we must understand is that all laws are positive. That which is negative comes about by violation of law. All sin is disobedience to law. There is no law of chaos, no law of evil, no law of captivity. Chaos is caused by the absence of law, not the presence of law. Chaos is a natural state. Law alone brings order to chaos. Law alone perfects, protects, and preserves that order. There is a law of order, good, right, health, freedom, and so on. The opposite is the consequence of broken laws.

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The Invisible God PT II

The purpose of faith in this life is to lead to a perfect knowledge of Christ:

“2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (2 Peter 1:2-3)

Another purpose of exercising faith in Christ is that we might access the promises given to us through covenant.

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:4)

But faith doesn’t come alone. We must also take upon ourselves the virtues of Christ

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

Obedience to the commandments of God is the only way we can gain knowledge of Christ.

8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Unless we apply faith and virtue we will be blinded by the cunning of Satan and the devices of the world.

9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

To not be able to see “afar off” means that we will not be able to discern the consequences of our actions. The one thing that we overlook is the cunning of Satan. He turns things upside down, calling good evil and evil good. If we are doing evil when we think we are going good, Satan has us in his chains.

For example, we all draw our conclusions from the fundamental premises we believe. If we believe there is no God, then we will draw all of our conclusions about creation from temporal laws and not spiritual laws. All life is spiritual. Temporal laws give mortal flesh to the spirit, but temporal laws do not give life to the spirit. The spirit lived before the temporal body,b and the spirit will continue to live after the physical body turns back to dust. Therefore, we cannot draw any conclusions about the origins of life from temporal laws. But leaving the grand scheme of creation, we must consider how our belief in God affects how we govern ourselves. If we discount God, then we necessarily discount the existence of absolute virtue; therefore, we begin to create all of our laws based on the opinions and manufactured ethics of man which change with the tide.

That is the dilemma we find ourselves in today. By turning away from the Christian values, our nation is basing all of its laws on popular opinions. We look for temporal solutions of spiritual problems. For example, rather than the law of chastity we look for solutions to unwed mothers, fatherless homes, unwanted pregnancies, poverty, broken homes, diseases, poor education, gangs, increase in crime, etc. through sex education or social programs. We combat sexual promiscuity by teaching safe sex rather than teaching abstinence before marriage.

Society is where it is today because we can no longer see “afar off.” We put out fires with gasoline. The problem is compounded with a profound truth that we deny, and it is this. Absolute law has absolute consequences. We do not escape the consequences of law by redefining virtue. All sin, all sorrow, all calamity, all disruption of harmony is caused by broken laws. All sin is violation of the laws of Christ. We cannot be saved in ignorance.

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The Invisible God Pt I

We should not overlook the power of an invisible God. The imagination of man is far stronger than any idol made of wood, stone, or metal.

It requires no effort to go from ego-centric faith (faith in self) to ecto-centric faith (faith in others), but to move from ecto-centric faith to Theo-centric faith (faith in God) requires humility, both to achieve and to sustain. Only one of the ten lepers came back to give thanks. That is why it is seemingly more difficult for those who are shielded by temporal or worldly success to move from the first two levels of faith that provided their success into the unknown third level of faith. Sometimes tragedy or other misfortunes force one to be humble, but that is no guarantee. Only to the faithful does faith in an invisible God appear essential in this world. But the first step is humility:

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

All faith ultimately is Theo-centric; however, God may bless us through ecto-centric faith or the faith of others as with Naaman, captain of the host of the King of Syria. He was not a believer, but he was told that Elisha could cure him of his leprosy. However, when he was required to do a simple act such as bathe in the river Jordan seven times, he became angry. To bathe in the river Jordan was all that he was asked to do, but he refused. It was below his dignity. That teaches us a lot about the nature of faith. Sometimes it is filtered down so that all that is required of us is some small and simple act of humility which we refuse. Fortunately for Naaman his servant was wiser. His servant said,

“My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?” (2 Kings 5:13)

Naaman followed his servant's advice:

“14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” (2 Kings 5:14)

It is no coincidence that Naaman was required to act first before he could be cleansed. Had he not bathed seven times in the river Jordan, he would not have been cleansed from his leprosy. Nor is it an accident that bathing in the river Jordan, where hundreds of years later Christ was baptized by John, symbolizes baptism, a requirement for all Christians upon entering into the Kingdom of God. Baptism symbolizes spiritual cleansing, washing away of sins, or sanctification. Is not baptism considered by some too simple a thing to attend to, yet it is the gateway to the kingdom of God.

For most of us life is very ordinary, and the greatest of miracles appear in such ordinary ways that they go unnoticed. The Lord may bless us through ecto-centric faith by providing the necessary tools or by ego centric faith, brought about by our own special gifts, not recognizing that all gifts come from God.

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Natural Laws vs Spiritual Laws Pt II

In Part I of Natural Laws vs Spiritual Laws, we discussed the effects of ignoring the laws of God. In Part II, we continue our definition of the distinction between natural law and spiritual law. It is easy for us to see the effects of natural law. Our scientists are quick to point out the principle of causality. No nation can prosper that does not encourage the advancement of science. However, the fastest way to destroy democracy is to rely entirely upon natural law and ignore spiritual law. Natural law gives us freedom, but spiritual law alone gives us freewill, agency, and liberty.

“15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.” (Matthew 13:15-16)

It is not God who hardens their heart, stops up their ears, and closes their eyes. It is they themselves. It is willful blindness. The Lord blesses all those who see and hear. God protects agency even when it leads to our own destruction. Those who do not understand the importance of agency do not understand God. If God interfered with our agency, it would undo everything he stands for.

Natural law merely hands you from one law to another as you traverse or reverse your own course. Natural laws give you freedom based on knowledge and wisdom, but only spiritual laws give you agency. Freewill is spiritual, not temporal. The reason we have freewill is because we have an immortal spirit and immortal intelligence. Without conditions in natural law, we would be cogs in a machine without freedom. Those who use tobacco subject themselves to certain genetic propensities; those who quit using tobacco are often allowed to stop the future consequences of tobacco smoke, but they are not allowed to change the laws of nature or reverse damage already incurred unless the power preexists in the body. They are still subject to genetic propensities. But the same genetic propensities that were leading toward cancer or heart disease while they smoked, often lead toward restoring health, if they are fortunate, after they quit. The great contribution of science has been in discovering natural laws. The great contribution of prophets has been in revealing spiritual laws. Through faith God has power to heal the body that appears to supersede natural laws. Such acts are called miracles, and Christians believe in miracles. It must be understood, however, that God never violates law neither natural nor spiritual; however, as Isaiah tells us—

‘his ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts, for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are his thoughts higher than our thoughts and his ways higher than our ways.’ (See Isaiah 55:8-9)

God is omniscient and omnipotent. Perfect knowledge gives him perfect power.

Fortunate indeed is the individual who understands and respects the laws of nature, for they cannot be disobeyed, but more fortunate is he who understands and obeys the laws of God, for they should not be disobeyed. One is greatly blessed who understands and obeys natural law for the mortal earth is theirs. One is doubly blessed who understands and obeys spiritual law for heaven and immortality with God are theirs. But those who know, understand, and obey both natural law and spiritual law are heirs of earth and heaven and comprehend fully the law that the truth shall make you free. Education that makes us temporally knowledgeable but spiritually ignorant creates a false sense of security.

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Satan, Gates of The Garden of Eden

John Milton was criticized for making such a fuss over Lucifer, who is seen by some as the main character of Paradise Lost, as the God of this world. Except for the prophets Isaiah and John the Revelator, perhaps no one brings Satan more alive than John Milton.

The excerpt I have chosen is from Book IV of Paradise Lost. Satan has escaped hell by bargaining with his daughter, Sin, the keeper of the gates of hell, and death the first begotten son of Satan. Satan travels through chaos and night to reach Eden. This excerpt reveals the thoughts in Satan’s mind as he is about to enter Eden.

O For that warning voice, which he who saw
Th’ Apocalypse, heard cry in Heaven aloud,
Then when the Dragon, put to second rout,
Came furious down to be reveng’d on men,
Wo to the Inhabitants on Earth! that now,
While time was, our first Parents had been warned
The coming of their secret foe, and scap’d
Haply so scap’d his mortal snare; for now
Satan, now first inflam’d with rage, came down,
The Tempter ere th’ Accuser of man-kind,
To wreck on innocent frail man his loss
Of that first Battel, and his flight to Hell:

Milton quotes John the Revelator

12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

13 And I beheld, and heard an aangel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, bWoe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! (Revelation 8:12-13)

John is speaking of the time just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Milton is speaking of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden just prior to Satan’s tempting Eve. John is speaking of the final three angels that bring the final plagues upon mankind before the Millennium. Milton is speaking of the entire human race who is confronted by the temptations of Satan. Satan and his angels are not “inhabiters of the earth.” They are spirits living on borrowed time. John is clear that just prior to the coming of Christ Satan has but a short time and they will be incarcerated a thousand years while man is able to live in peace governed by Christ. The two time periods are ironic because it is already known that just as Satan lost the war in heaven, he will lose the war on earth. Milton clearly understood that Satan was not a free agent, that he had no more authority than God permitted him to have, and that the only reason God allowed Satan to tempt man was to give man agency. To have agency, mankind must be enticed both by Satan and by Christ. In Milton’s Paradise Lost, Satan thinks he is hidden, but Milton makes is clear that his every move and every thought is monitored.

Yet not rejoicing in his speed, though bold,
Far off and fearless, nor with cause to boast,
Begins his dire attempt, which nigh the birth
Now rowling, boils in his tumultuous breast,
And like a devilish Engine back recoiles
Upon himself; horror and doubt distract
His troubl’d thoughts, and from the bottom stir
The Hell within him, for within him Hell
He brings, and round about him, nor from Hell
One step no more than from himself can fly
By change of place:

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Natural Laws vs Spiritual Laws Pt I

The natural man blames God for calamity because he does not understand the natural consequences of law. Prophecy is not given to violate the law. The consequences of natural laws are deterministic. We live in a world of cause and effect as scientists so adeptly teach us. Spiritual laws are also governed by cause and effect because the law of justice is absolute. The miracle of spiritual law is that all consequences can be reversed through repentance and faith in in the atonement of Christ.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

Prophecy is prediction of what happens if one obeys law or disobeys law, whether they are laws of nature or laws of God. Prophecy is related to consequences of laws. In temporal law, we call it prediction; in spiritual law we call it prophecy. The scientific method is based on prediction; the Holy Scriptures are based on prophecy. All laws are absolute whether temporal or spiritual.

Manmade laws have no authority over temporal laws or spiritual laws. Man determines consequences of manmade laws which can change with the times. However, when manmade laws contradict temporal laws or spiritual laws, then regardless of the consequences defined by man, the true consequences fall under the authority of absolute law. The primary cause of the fall of governments is brought about by man’s disregard for the laws of God and nature.

That is exactly what is happening in the United States today and if unchecked it will bring about our destruction. Society today, so caught up in causes, is losing the ability to determine true cause and effect. It is common now to treat the effects of sin by encouraging people to promote the causes of sin.

· Rather than teach chastity to our youth, they teach sex education.

· Rather than teach fidelity in marriage, they teach the virtues of divorce and infidelity

· Rather than strengthen the family, which is the foundation of our democracy, they destroy the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman

· Rather than teach the sacredness of gender, they teach that gender is a choice and even encourage youth to change their gender as if that were possible

· Rather than teach the law of equality, they divide us into tribes, pitting one against another

· Rather than teach the virtues, they extol the vices

· Rather than teach the Ten Commandments, which is the law of liberty, they encourage the violation of the Ten Commandments in the name of freedom

· Rather than teach, ‘thou shalt not kill” they glorify abortion

· Rather than teach ‘thou shalt not steal’ they encourage looting by making it a misdemeanor

· Rather than teach honor thy Father and thy Mother, they attack marriage, promote children’s rights, and pit children against parents.

· Rather than teach, thou shalt not covet, they teach redistribution of wealth

· Rather than teach, thou shalt not bear false witness, they promote propaganda

· Rather than teach Love the Lord, they promote atheism

· Rather than teach thou shalt have no other Gods before me, they promote idol worship, particularly the idols of hedonism

The list, of course, doesn’t end; therefore, the consequences won’t end either and the consequences will be the destruction of liberty. It can end in nor other way.

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The Language of Abortion

The day before yesterday my fourth great grandbaby was born. Mindy, the expectant mother to be and I were left alone, while she timed her contractions. Her husband, my grandson, was at work; my wife was away in another city on an errand. Mindy was eating an ice-cream cone. Mindy continued to check the app on her phone, measuring the time between contractions.

Mindy had been having intermittent contractions all day. I told her I would leave the door open to my den and to call out if anything changed. I never heard from Mindy so after a few hours I found her in the basement, still timing her contractions. Immediately they moved from seven minutes apart to six. I panicked while Mindy remained very calm.

Linda had taken the car, and all I had to get her to the hospital was a 1929 Mercedes Benz kit car, scaled down to the size of an amusement park ride and an old GMC pickup with oversized tires filled with garbage. I am six-foot one inch and have to screw myself into the kit car. It was impossible for Mindy to fit. My 1985 GMC pickup was filled to overflowing with garbage bags from a recent family reunion and with tree limbs, and huge clumps of grass from a general yard clean up. It was filthy inside and out, but it had to do.

The oversized tires required a small ladder to get in, but it was our only option. I have pictures to prove my story. Mindy calmy managed to climb in, and I drove, impatiently blocked by unforgiving redlights and very slow traffic unconscious of our emergency. It turned out, however, that the emergency was more in my panicked mind than in the eminent birth of the baby. This was in the afternoon. Mindy’s husband was waiting at the emergency entrance in response of a text from both his wife and from me. The baby waited until fifteen minutes before midnight before it decided to make its entry from heaven into this beautiful blue planet. Theo is my fourth great grandchild, a handsome little boy born to parents who will delightfully spoil him.

Everyone is appalled by the death of a baby, including those who fervently believe in abortion; therefore, it is perhaps helpful to examine how partial birth abortion, abortion on the day of birth, can be justified. It begins with a cause and ends with language.

A mother does not announce that she is having a fetus. A mother proudly announces that she is having a baby, even from the first discovery that she is pregnant. Perhaps there is no greater moment in the pregnancy than the feel of that first kick. Luke, the physician, describes the joy of the once barren Elisabeth when she felt life in her body:

“41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.” (Luke 1:41)

For the liberal agenda, the cause of women’s rights is greater than the cause of a baby’s rights; therefore, the ends justify the means. They do not consider the evils of abortion of a viable baby; they consider only the virtue of a woman’s right to have an abortion.

However, they still must separate themselves from the act of abortion of a living human being; therefore, they resort to language. To a mother, a fetus carried in her womb is human life. It was heartwarming to see Mindy rub her stomach lovingly as if she were stroking the child itself. There was a joy in her face. To abortionists, it is still, even in the latest stage, medical tissue. In that way they divorce themselves from the reality of taking a human life.

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The Patterns of Captivity

To understand freedom, we must understand the nature of captivity.

Related words are captive and capture. The general meaning is bondage, restraint, slave, hostage, servitude, subjection, confinement, custody, incarceration, The verb form is to seize, to wrest, to catch, to entrap, to ensnare.

In the Bible forms of the word captivity are often used relating to Satan:

· 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. (2 Timothy 2:26)

· “Jesus answered them “Verily, verily, I say to you, Whosoever commiteth sin is the servant of sin.” (John 8:34)

· “For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.” (Acts 8:23)

· “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought into bondage.” (2 Peter 2: 19)

The above is speaking of the captivity of the devil. Notice the wording: snare of the devil, taken captive by him at his will, servant of sin, gall of bitterness, servants of corruption, brought into bondage.

When speaking of Christ, however, we are given the following verses of freedom:

· “1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;” (Isaiah 61:1)

· “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

· “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1)

· “And ye shall know the truth and the truth, shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

· “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)

The opposite of captivity is liberty. In the above Christ promises to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to open the prison to them that are bound, and to make you free indeed.

Think of captivity as a prison where every activity is orchestrated like gerbils in a cage. Think of captivity not as a single event, such as a policeman saying, ‘In the name of the law, I arrest you.’ Think of captivity as a pattern, an arrested state of mind, a maze, a broad net. Those in captivity exhibit similar behavioral patterns which are very predictable, thus they are slaves to their own repetition. Those caught in the net cannot free themselves by simply denying themselves a pleasure or struggling harder to be free.

Recently, while entering the Jacksonville Beach in Florida, at the foot of the bridge, I read a warning sign that said:

“If caught in a rip current, don’t fight the current. Swim out of the current, then to shore.”

The rip current is too powerful to fight and will exhaust one’s energy thus causing drowning. The only way to escape is to “swim out of the current.”

There are many ‘rip currents’ in life, such as addictions, bad habits, depression, despair, negativity, hate, revenge, sin, evil desires. We must find a way to escape, often without direct confrontation. The warning sign at the beach also advised that it may be necessary to simply float until one can escape the current. Often in life’s ‘rip currents,’ the more one struggles, the greater becomes one’s entanglement like an insect in a spider’s web. A fighting fish sets the hook.

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LAW

All laws are conditional. If laws were not conditional, we would have no freewill, agency, or liberty. We live in a wonderful world based on the principle of causality. For every cause there is an effect, and for every effect there is a cause. If we obey the conditions of law, we reap the consequences. As the scriptures so famously say, “If we sow the wind, we reap the whirlwind.” It is the law of the harvest. If we sow good seed, we will reap good fruit; if we sow bad seed, we will reap bad fruit.

The Laws of Man are limited by man and reflect his desires. If his desires are evil, then he will create laws that reflect evil. It is for that reason that the further we move away from the laws of God and the laws of nature, the closer we are to self-destruction. Here is the paradox of the laws of man. The laws of man can only define those things that are permitted or denied to men. Man may create temporal prisons, but man cannot create eternal laws.

The laws of God, which include the laws of the temporal world, or the laws of nature, and the laws of the spiritual world, or the laws of eternal life, in other words the laws of mortality and the laws of immortality are the only laws that are absolute and unchangeable and governed by the law of justice, with fixed consequences. All laws of God, both of a temporal nature and of a spiritual nature are designed to give us agency, freewill, and freedom. There are no exceptions. The laws of mortality have temporal consequences; the laws of immortality have spiritual consequences, all governed by the law of justice.

What really distinguishes the laws of man from the laws of God is that the laws of man are arbitrary and have no single governing power. They differ from one government to another, from one state to another, from one city to another. They are willy-nilly and often contradictory, sometimes influenced by corruption, greed, personal agenda, and drive for power. They are almost always punitive. The more they accumulate the more freedoms we lose. The very phrase “government regulations” suggest a restriction of freedom.

All regulations, of course, aren’t bad. That is why we should elect only good and wise judges to positions of authority. Our laws reflect the morality of the lawmakers. In a democracy if the desires of the majority are evil, then in a democratic republic such as ours, the laws become evil, and the loss of freedom is not far behind. When the laws of man are created to promote the agenda of one special interest group over another, democracy quickly diminishes, and we turn into a police state, one that rewards those of like mindedness and punishes those of unlike mindedness. We see it today with the shutdown of our oil pipelines, the green energy laws, the open borders, the defunding police, the insistence of electric cars, the corruption of our education system. We see it in laws governing the environment, governing the Bill of Rights, governing the Constitution, governing the flow of energy, determining what we should think, what we should feel, what we should believe. We see it in the increasing loss of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion. We see it in the censorship of conservative voices in the social media and on university campuses.

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Paradise Lost: Grace

This podcast entitled Grace is a continuation of Milton’s Epic Poem, Paradise Lost. Milton was an independent Christian thinker. He was not always in harmony with church or state. He preached divorce against the climate of his day and the only things that saved his life from the State were his blindness and his age. He fled London to escape the Black Plague and relied upon his vast memory of the Holy Bible in writing Paradise Lost. He was a literalist and influenced Christian thought in England for hundreds of years. In these Podcasts on Milton, I try to show Milton’s views of Christianity.

In the following we continue with the dialogue from Book III between the Father and the Son. As they watch Satan fly surreptitiously toward Eden to Tempt Adam and Eve, the Father and Son discuss the role of Grace.

Thus while God spake, ambrosial fragrance fill’d
All Heav’n, and in the blessed Spirits elect
Sense of new joy ineffable diffus’d:
Beyond compare the Son of God was seen
Most glorious, in him all his Father shone
Substantially express’d, and in his face
Divine compassion visibly appeared,
Love without end, and without measure Grace,
Which uttering thus he to his Father spake.

Let us keep in mind as we read Paradise Lost that Milton’s stated purpose is to “justify the ways of God to man.” Here, in Bk III, Milton is explaining why God allows Satan to tempt man. He also discusses the need of a Savior. The fall is essential to freewill, agency, and liberty. Therefore, the Father is providing a way for man to be redeemed from the fall even before the fall occurs. In the poem, Satan is unaware that he is being observed by the Father. After all he is flying through chaos and night. He thinks he is invisible. But to God, who is omniscient, nothing is invisible. The Son replies:

O Father, gracious was that word which clos’d
Thy sovran sentence, that Man should find grace;
For which both Heav’n and Earth shall high extoll
Thy praises, with th’ innumerable sound
Of Hymns and sacred Songs, wherewith thy Throne
Encompass’d shall resound thee ever blest.
For should Man finally be lost, should Man
Thy creature late so lov’d, thy youngest Son
Fall circumvented thus by fraud, though joined
With his own folly? that be from thee far,
That far be from thee, Father, who art Judge
Of all things made, and judgest only right.
Or shall the Adversary thus obtain
His end, and frustrate thine, shall he fulfill
His malice, and thy goodness bring to naught,
Or proud return though to his heavier doom,
Yet with revenge accomplish’t and to Hell
Draw after him the whole Race of mankind,
By him corrupted? or wilt thou thy self
Abolish thy Creation, and unmake,
For him, what for thy glory thou hast made?
So should thy goodness and thy greatness both
Be questioned and blaspheam’d without defense.

In the above, the Son raises some of the greatest paradoxes of Christianity. He raises the following issues:

Why Man needs grace
Without grace Man would finally be lost by his own folly
Without grace the Adversary would obtain his end and destroy Mankind
Without grace God himself would Abolish his Creation leaving the creation of man indefensible.

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Be in the World but not of the World

Paradox is typical in Christian doctrine because we are pulled between two worlds: The temporal world and the spiritual world, the world of the physical body and the world of the spiritual body, the world of God and the world of Satan, the law of justice and the law of mercy, the world of temporal laws and the world of spiritual laws, the world of Babylon and the world of the New Jerusalem. In the Intercessory Prayer, the Savior makes the following paradoxical statement

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (John 17: 11, 14-15)

Perhaps there is no greater description of the world as the image of Babylon given by John in the Book of Revelation.

“3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Revelation 17:3-5)

The saints were told to come out of Babylon:

“4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4)

Her economy shall fall:

“11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.” (Revelation 18:11-13)

Babylon will have a violent end:

“21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. 23 … for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” (Revelation 18:21, 23)

The question all Christians face is, “How can I be in Babylon but not of Babylon?” Christ recognized that we must live in the world. In the Intercessory Prayer quoted above he said, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world.” The only way we can be taken out of the world is in a casket. It was Christ who created the world. It was Christ who created us from the dust of the world. And it was Christ who sent us into the world that we may have a physical body. Obviously it is good for us to be here.

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Linda, The Road to Power, Machiavellian Pragmatism, Rule #10, Feign Morality

In Rule #10 Machiavelli urges the prince to feign morality and act above the law. He said,

“And it must be understood that a prince, and especially a new prince, cannot observe all those things which are considered good in men, being often obliged, in order to maintain the state, to act against faith, against charity, against humanity, and against religion.” (Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince)

In other words, Pretend morality but be amoral. Let me distinguish among morality, immorality, and amorality. Morality means a state of being moral. Webster’s dictionary defines moral as

“Of or relating to principles of right and wrong; conforming to a standard of right behavior; capable of right and wrong action;”

Some synonyms for morality are

· Virtuous

· Righteous

· Noble

· Ethical

· Good

· Upright

· Just

· Honorable

· Honest

· Chaste

We can learn more about the meaning of a word by studying its opposite. The opposite of morality is immorality. Synonyms for immorality are

· Unethical

· Wrong

· Vicious

· Wicked

· Evil

· Bad

· Unprincipled

· Corrupt

· Sinful

· Iniquitous

· Nefarious

· Pernicious

· Unlawful

· Illegal

· Unseemly

Notice that to be immoral one must be conscience of what is moral. They must know the difference between morality and immorality but choose immorality anyway because they are able to do whatever they want.

When America was founded, there was an assumption by our forefathers that we shared a common sense of morality. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson said,

“We hold these truths to be self-evident.” In other words, truth is absolute, not relative. Self-evident means that everyone understands them as absolute truths. Thomas Jefferson added, “All men are created equal.” He meant, of course, that all men were created equal by God.” In other words a belief in God as our creator was a self-evident truth according to our forefathers.

Our laws were based on the same moral code that governed the lives of Christians and Jews for thousands of years. That moral code was governed by the Ten Commandments. Machiavelli was a Sixteenth century Italian. Rome, then as now, was the seat of the Catholic Church. When Machiavelli speaks of morality, he is also speaking of the Ten Commandments.

But Machiavelli saw the Ten Commandments and Christian Morality as an impediment to gaining power and holding power. He felt a sense of morality would cloud the prince‘s judgment and weigh him down with the weaknesses of the masses. Therefore, he counselled the prince to be prepared to challenge faith, ignore charity, defy humanity, ignore God, and deny religion.

The same thing is happening to Christianity today in America. Hillary Clinton, once the leading democratic candidate for president, said:

“Deep seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed.”

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Pride vs Humility

In the Middle Ages, Pride was identified as one of the Seven Deadly Sins. In the following Linda shall read four definitions of sin from the New Testament:

‘All unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 3:8)
“Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4)
“To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17)
“By the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:29)

· First, we learn that sin is the opposite of righteousness. To know sin, one must know what is righteous.

· Second, we learn that sin is the transgression of law. If there is no law, there is no sin.

· Third, we learn that one must have knowledge of sin for one to be accountable for sin.

· Fourth, we learn that studying the law is the only way to understand sin.

The opposite of Pride is Humility. It is only through opposites that we can comprehend either. How can one understand pride unless one understands humility, or humility unless one understands pride? In this podcast I would like to briefly compare pride with humility.

Paul tells us

I suppose that pride is one of those sins “common to man.” Pride, of course, is a sword with two edges. We may take pride in our work or our family or our country and so on without committing sin. Healthy pride is a good thing.

I suppose one way to distinguish healthy pride from unhealthy pride is through consequences. Healthy pride leads to happiness. Unhealthy pride leads to destruction. We all know the dictum, ‘Pride goeth before the fall.”

Satan, once called Lucifer, an angel of light, a son of the morning, fell by pride, and it is through pride that he seeks our fall. Peter warns us:

“5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:5-6)

God resists the proud but exalts the humble. Those who exalt themselves will be made low. Those who humble themselves will be exalted. Let’s again turn for our example to Lucifer.

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; (Isaiah 14:12-16)

However, it isn’t always on such a grand scale. Often it is the small things that bring us down. On the one hand self-reliance is a noble endeavor. We should all strive to be self-reliant; sometimes, however, we must humble ourselves and accept help, even seek help from others.

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The Lord’s Prayer

Most Christian children are taught to memorize The Lord’s Prayer. It has become a model for prayer. Children, of course, simply repeat it word for word without considering its meaning. Though it is good to memorize scripture, The Lord’s Prayer, I think, was given as a model or type to teach us the things that are important to pray for. Sometimes memorized prayers distance us from God rather than draw us closer because we don’t consider what we are saying. God is our Father in heaven. He is a personal God and sincere prayer is very important to him. In Revelation we read,

8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. (Revelation 5:8)

It may help, for example, if we actually imagine ourselves talking to our Father in Heaven and pour out our souls to him. In this podcast I should like to look at the Lord’s Prayer as a type rather than a teletype, and consider each concept individually

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (Matthew 6)

First take the concept, “Our Father which art in heaven.” That phrase, of course, is a perfect wording for the beginning of any prayer. It tells us who we are praying to. Following his resurrection, Jesus said to Mary Magdalene, who had come early to the tomb.

17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17)

This is, of course, just prior to his ascension. But his words, “I am not yet ascended to my Father” tell us that Christ, Jehovah, is speaking of Elohim. He makes it clear that Elohim is his father as well as our father for he said, “I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” That clarifies the words of the Lord’s Prayer when Christ said, “Our Father which art in heaven.” Christ is teaching us whom to pray to. We pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. Christ also said,

“12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:12-14)

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In the Lord’s Prayer we are told how to begin our prayer. We pray directly to our Father in heaven. In the Book of John, Jesus tells us how to end our prayer, in Jesus’s name.

Let’s continue with the Lord’s prayer.

“Hallowed be thy name.”

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines hallowed as to consecrate or to revere. To consecrate means to make or declare sacred, to devote solemnly.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost: Book III, Pt VI, Freewill Pt II

This podcast entitle Freewill Pt II is a continuation of Freewill Pt I presented in Podcast 133. In this Podcast we complete the argument given by the Father to his Son Jesus Christ as he explains why we have freewill.

So will fall
He and his faithless Progeny: whose fault?
Whose but his own? ingrate, he had of me
All he could have; I made him just and right,
Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall.
Such I created all th’ Ethereal Powers
And Spirits, both them who stood & them who failed;

Milton said, “I made him just and right, Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall.” The scriptures tell us that we will not be tempted more than are able to resist. In Milton’s words, God created all the Ethereal Powers and Spirits, both those who stood and those who failed, meaning he created Satan and the third part who followed him. He refers to the as Ethereal Powers because they were cursed to never have a body. They will remain spirits forever. God also created us, and he rewarded us because we fought with Michael against Satan and thus earned the right to come to earth and gain a physical body.

Heavenly Father continues.

Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell.
Not free, what proof could they have given sincere
Of true allegiance, constant Faith or Love,
Where only what they needs must do, appeared,
Not what they would? what praise could they receive?

In other words, if we were not created free how could we prove our sincerely, our true allegiance, our constant faith, and our love for God. Only through opposition can we show faith in God. Only those who endure temptation and choose the path set by God show their love for God. Christ said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Heavenly Father also asked how they can be rewarded if they couldn’t’ show proof of their love? How could they be worthy of immortality and eternal life?

He continues

What pleasure I from such obedience paid,
When Will and Reason (Reason also is choice)
Useless and vain, of freedom both despoiled,
Made passive both, had served necessity,
Not me.

The Father asks, what pleasure could he have in forced obedience. He did not want his children to be slaves. Two things give us freedom. One is will. Will is inherent in intelligence. Freewill comes from obedience to law. God gave us law to free our will to follow our own desires. Another is reason. God also gave us reason or the powers of critical thinking or inductive and deductive logic. Milton states, “Reason also is choice.” In other words, we are supposed to use our mind not just our feelings to help form wise decisions.

The mind is its own place and gives us freewill. Using the powers of deduction, in other words what we call the scientific method, we can logically arrive at solutions to our problems.

In fact, the primary avenues of freewill are

· The mind, which gives us inductive and deductive powers

· The heart that we may feel the prompting of the Holy Ghost.

· The senses, sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell, that we may have physical contact with the world and with God. Through our ears we may hear the word of God. Through our eyes we may see the creations of God and partake of its beauty as well as through the other senses.

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Temporal Law Vs. Spiritual Law Pt II Theoretical Science vs Practical Science

In Part I of Temporal Law vs Spiritual Law, I focused on science. Because science rejects spiritual law and intelligent design and draws all of its conclusions from temporal law, they rely entirely upon the concept of an accidental universe.

Logic is a peculiar thing. We tend to think if we are logical, we are also right. Science prides itself upon logic. It puts the scientific method above all other forms of reasoning. The scientific method serves science well in practical science for temporal laws are based upon the principle of causality, thus making it possible to make predictions. Scientists are temporal prophets living exclusively in a temporal world. But logic has no more value than the truth of its major premise. If the major premise is wrong, then regardless of accuracy of the logical structure, the conclusions will be false, regardless of appearances. Practical science is perfectly safe in a temporal world and will continually correct itself. Practical science is great for creating useful gadgets.

Theoretical science, however, which wears the cloak of practicality, assuming authority where it has none, flounders in a world of uncertainty while claiming scientific evidence. It is theoretical science that is the cause of most confusion in our world. It is theoretical science that is frequently guilty of false analogy, comparing man to animals or comparing man to machine. From that they draw the false conclusion that we have no freewill even in the face of the appearance of freewill. False analogy inevitably invites people to deny facts in favor of theory, such as the existence of intelligent design.

Theoretical science is constantly having to apologize for the fact that we have the appearance of freewill, that we have the appearance of intelligent design, and that we have the appearance of miracles. It must explain away why so many millions of people believe in God, why so many have deeply spiritual experiences, why religion won’t go away, why so many have seen visions, have had revelations. Even if a very large group of people share a vision, science claims it is mass hysteria. When prayers are answered, science claims it is coincidence. They will come up with any excuse to avoid acknowledging the existence of God. They even use the laws of God to explain why God is unnecessary.

Practical science sees natural selection and evolution as a law of nature to guarantee the survival of a species. It also explains why we have such a variety within a species. Science is at its best when it stays within the confines of the scientific method. However, theoretical science, uses evolution to argue against the existence of God which is another classical nonsequitur. If God uses evolution for his wise purposes what is that to science.

The discovery of DNA, one of the greatest evidences of intelligent design, is also used by theoretical science to argue that God is not necessary. It is like the young man who fell over a cliff and cried out to God, “Help, me Lord. Please save me.” Suddenly he is caught on a limb and he says, “Never mind, Lord, I did it myself.”

The list is endless. Violating any laws of probability, theoretical science claims that the goldilocks zone, the necessary constants, the origin of life, and so on are the result of chance in a world of infinite improbabilities. Theoretical science must continually scramble with every new discovery of practical science to explain away common sense.

Theoretical science has filtered down into our government, our society, our universities, our elementary schools, and even our churches; and using pseudo-science and the theories of men rather than the truths of practical science, it is leading our nation further and further down the road to social, moral, and spiritual destruction.

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Temporal Law Vs. Spiritual Law Pt I: The Nihilism of Science vs the Optimism of Christianity

Is anything greater than law? In this Podcast we shall talk about Temporal Law versus Spiritual law. God is the author of all laws, temporal and spiritual, though everything to God is spiritual. When we speak of temporal law, we speak of the laws of nature, the laws of science, the laws of temporal creation. When we speak of spiritual law, we think of the laws of God, the law of justice, the law of mercy, the commandments of God, the Holy Scriptures, the laws of immortality.

There are some key assumptions we must understand about law.

God does everything through law.
All laws of God are absolute.
All blessings are based upon obedience to law.
All cursings are based upon disobedience to law.
No laws can contradict other laws: temporal laws cannot contradict spiritual laws and spiritual laws cannot contradict temporal laws.
All miracles are based upon law.
Only law brings order out of chaos. Where there is no law, there is chaos.
All laws are created or organized by God using the self-existing elements of the opposing forces of matter and energy.
All laws have conditions, and it is the conditions of law that give us freewill, agency, and liberty.
All laws are organized into groups to carry out the purposes of God and all groups are organized under one controlling law which is the law of justice.
All planets, solar systems, galaxies, clusters of galaxies, etc., are governed by law.
Spiritual laws govern irreducible matter; temporal laws govern reducible matter which is another way of saying that temporal laws govern temporal matter, spiritual laws govern spiritual matter.
All sin is violation of law. Without law there is no sin.

There are, of course a hundred more assumptions, and each assumption above leads to even more assumptions such as sin is not arbitrary, punishment is not arbitrary, if you want a blessing from God, obey the law that gives you that blessing. Miracles cannot violate law, and so on. If possible, we could follow the assumptions until everything is known. However, one must stop somewhere. In Part 1 I want to focus on why there is a split between science and religion.

One of my favorite scriptures deals with law. It is Psalm I.

PSALM 1

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

The laws referred to by King David are the spiritual laws. All spiritual laws have a moral component. They also have conditions. You may obey or disobey a spiritual law. Obedience brings a blessing; disobedience brings a cursing. Spiritual laws are the conditions imposed on the law of mercy by the law of justice. Through knowledge of spiritual laws, we determine good and evil. Obeying spiritual laws is moral; disobeying spiritual laws is immoral. Sin is disobedience to the laws of Christ.

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Machiavellian Pragmatism, Rule #13, The Common Defect in Man

From Machiavelli’s Book, The Prince, I have extracted 40 rules suggested by Machiavelli on how to gain power and how to hold power. In my series, the Road to Power, I show how the politicians today is using the rules of Machiavelli to take over our government destroying our democratic republic and replacing it with socialism and the New World Order.

I use the term pragmatism to mean do whatever works. Let me remind you that Rule Number 1 is

“In the actions of men, and especially of princes, from which there is no appeal, the end is everything.”

In other words, the ends justify the means regardless of truth, justice, morality, decency, fairness, law, courtesy, kindness, mercy, or truth. Though I consider Rule Number 1 to be the governing rule of Machiavellian Pragmatism, the other thirty-nine rules are merely chronological as they were suggested in the Book. The numbering is my own, not Machiavelli’s. It is my opinion that Machiavelli himself did not invent the rules. He was an astute observer of history; particularly political history and he simply described the methods the tyrants of his time used successfully. He pointed out those who succeeded and demonstrated why they succeeded. Machiavelli himself was ambitious and wrote the book to gain favor with the ruling prince

As with the other rules, Rule 13 is number 13 merely by chance. That is why I do not follow the chronological order. I also don’t follow the chronological order because it is not convenient. People do not break rules in order. I am not even suggesting that the guilty parties are familiar with Machiavelli’s book, the Prince. I think the Machiavellian rules come by predatory instinct and that Satan is the author. Satan is the father of lies and the Machiavellian rules are based on lies. Truth is not relevant in any ruthless climb to power. When someone believes that the ends justify the means, then anything that works is acceptable. Machiavellian pragmatism is behind all political ambitions that disregard truth. Machiavellian Pragmatism demonstrates that power is the primary goal of the left, though either party or any politician or other ambitious climber that uses Machiavellian Rules is guilty of putting power before anything. Machiavellian Pragmatism is ruthless in achieving its goals and has been practiced down through the centuries on many levels.

Though I assigned the number, in the words of Machiavelli, Rule number 13 is this:

“It is a common defect in man not to make any provision in the calm against the tempest.” (Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince)

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Many climb to power on the necessities of others. In the Mafia, loan sharking is a common example. They find a person who needs money badly but who cannot go through legitimate means; therefore, they go to a loan shark who charges exorbitant interest. The Mafia, noted for taking advantage of those who are desperate is notorious for collecting on the loans through threats of violence and even murder.

But outside organized crime we see examples of people taking advantage of those who are desperate. We see it in car sales, in real estate sales, we see it pawn shops, we see it in quick loans borrowed against forthcoming salaries at exorbitant interests. Las Vegas could not survive without gambling addicts; drug cartels could not survive without drug addicts; cigarette companies could not survive without smoking addicts, but the list is continuous. Many get rich on the misery of others. Does anyone even know the number and variety of scams operating daily to catch people unawares?

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Principle of Repentance

Christ satisfied the law of justice which is absolute and unconditional only because he remained at-one-with Justice. Christ, obeying all that the Father commanded, remained perfect, or we would be forever lost. Sometimes, perhaps, some of us Christians overlook the fact that the atonement would have meant nothing if Christ had violated the Law of Justice. Christ could not have atoned for his own sins. Nothing is greater than the fact that Christ came to mortality, suffering temptations of the flesh just as man suffers, but through it all remained perfect. His perfection qualified him to offer himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Christ, not our works, satisfied the demands of the Law of Justice.

The phrase “born in sin” is inaccurate. Christ was not born in sin, and neither are we. We are born in a sinful world perfect, sinless, and innocent before God. All babies born in this world are perfect; however, we soon succumb to the weaknesses of mortality. Paul said,

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

In a manner that is impossible for us to understand, Christ never succumbed. He never violated the law of Justice.

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that he might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

However, Christ was tempted in every point that we are tempted. This is symbolized, of course by the temptations in the wilderness. We must assume that Christ really was tempted in the wilderness by Satan. The difference, however, is that Christ never gave in.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

Because Christ never gave in to temptation, because he never violated the law of justice, the law of justice had no claim on him, and that qualified him to be the sacrificial lamb. He satisfied the demands of the law of justice in our behalf through his suffering. He did not have to pay for our sins to gain salvation and exaltation. He was saved no matter what. He was God when he came to earth and because he remained sinless, he would remain God when he left this earth. We should not overlook the fact that if Christ had fallen into temptation, he would have had no redeemer, and neither would we. Everything depended upon him remaining sinless. His sacrifice, which he made at the request of the Father, was entirely voluntarily. He did everything the Father asked him to do. This set him apart from the rest of us. In his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, he pleaded,

39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Matthew 26: 39)

The second time he prayed, he said the same thing.

“He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” (Matthew 26:42)

Christ made it clear that he came to earth to do the will of the Father.

“I can of mine own self do nothing; as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5:30)

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Bk III, Pt V, Milton’s Paradise Lost: Freewill Pt I

This is the Fifth in the series entitled Milton’s Paradise Lost. In Book I and II we have the War in Heaven. Satan and his angels are cast out of Heaven. In Book II Satan escapes from Hell and travels toward earth. Those scenes are covered in Previous Podcasts. Today’s Podcast is from Book III. As Satan flies through Chaos and Night, he is Observed by Elohim and Jehovah, the Father and the Son. Satan thinks he is free, but his every move is monitored. He travels to earth only by permission though he doesn’t know it. The Father allows Satan to tempt man only because opposition is necessary. Man cannot have agency unless he is enticed both by Satan to do evil and by Christ to do good. Elohim is speaking to his Son, and he explains why he allow Satan to come to earth. Milton introduces the Father and the Son:

Now had the Almighty Father from above,
From the pure Empyrean where he sits
High Thron’d above all highth, bent down his eye,
His own works and their works at once to view:
About him all the Sanctities of Heaven
Stood thick as Stars, and from his sight receiv’d
Beatitude past utterance; on his right
The radiant image of his Glory sat,
His only Son;

First, they observe Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

On Earth he first beheld
Our two first Parents, yet the only two
Of mankind, in the happy Garden plac’t,
Reaping immortal fruits of joy and love,
Uninterrupted joy, unrivald love
In blissful solitude;

Then he spies Satan flying toward earth.

He then survey’d
Hell and the Gulf between, and Satan there
Coasting the wall of Heav’n on this side Night
In the dun Air sublime, and ready now
To stoop with wearied wings, and willing feet
On the bare outside of this World, that seem’d
Firm land imbosom’d without Firmament,
Uncertain which, in Ocean or in Air.
Him God beholding from his prospect high,
Wherein past, present, future he beholds,

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The Father speaks about Satan.

Thus to his only Son foreseeing spake.

Only begotten Son, seest thou what rage
Transports our adversary, whom no bounds
Prescrib’d, no bars of Hell, nor all the chains
Heapt on him there, nor yet the main Abyss
Wide interrupt can hold;

Before Satan even acts, Heavenly Father explains that all the evil Satan does will double back on him and he becomes the victim of his own evil, bringing misery on top of misery upon himself. Sin is its own curse, and one brings upon himself the punishment of hell through the natural consequences of broken laws.

In Book II, Milton Describes how Sin was given birth when Satan conceived the idea of fighting against God. At first Sin was beautiful beyond description and seduced a third of the host of heaven. Lucifer was so enamored of his daughter Sin that he lay with her and conceived Death. Death, however, had an unnatural birth. He was ripped out of her bowels deforming her body into a hideous monster, and Death filed with Lust for his mother, raped her and begot an infinite brood of hellhounds that continued to gnaw at Sin’s entrails causing unimaginable pain.

Using those incestuous images of Satan, Sin, and Death, Milton describes the incestuous nature of sin, how it doubles back on itself and torments its victims.

On the one hand Milton describes the pains of hell in his own inimitable way but lays the blame on the sinner and not on God.

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A Call to Liberty

I call upon all Americans to return to the four laws of Freedom referred to in the previous Podcast:

The First Law is The Law of Liberty (The Ten Commandments)

The Second Law is The Perfect Law of Liberty (The Sermon on the Mount)

The Third Law is The Law of Equality (God is no Respecter of Persons)

The Fourth Law is The Royal Law (The Two Great Commandments)

If the majority of Americans do not follow those four laws of their own freewill, and if they do not choose leaders who, regardless of personal imperfections or religious beliefs, will staunchly defend freedom of religion, then American democracy cannot stand. It will fall, and in its place will be a tyranny as low as its freedoms have been high. It is not possible for America, with all of its privileges, to maintain a middle ground. It is according to the law of opposites. We may go through the various stages of verbal posturing, using the language of democracy to justify socialism, but once we go down the slippery slope of socialism, there is no turning back because the root of all those who want to destroy our republic, no matter how noble sounding their ideals, is the desire for power. Once power is gained all efforts are made to hold that power through Machiavellian Pragmatism. Nothing justifies sins more than a righteous cause.

True freedom is a consequence of virtue. Notice the following references to liberty in the Holy Bible:

17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)

36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)

21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:21)

29 Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience?(1 Corinthians 10:29)

4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: (Galatians 2:4)

45 And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts. (Psalm 119:45)

6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:6)

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (Luke 4:18)

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1)

That is the message of Christianity. Christ broke not only the bands of death, but also the bonds of slavery. Notice his formula for freedom:

· Having the spirit of the Lord

· Seeking truth

· Relying upon Christ

· Becoming Children of God

· Becoming free from the conscience of others

· Recognizing the enemies to freedom

· Knowing that sin puts people in bondage. Christ makes them free

· Knowing that liberty comes through Christ

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Four Laws of Liberty

In previous podcasts we have identified the four primary laws of freedom. These were given to us by James in the New Testament.

The Law of Liberty
The Perfect Law of Liberty
The Royal Law
The Law of Equality

The Law of Liberty, which I refer to as the First Law of Liberty, is the Ten Commandments. When the Children of Israel were led out of Egyptian Bondage by Moses, one of the first things the Lord did was to institute the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were prefaced with the following:

1 And God spake all these words, saying,

2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (Exodus 20:1-2)

Egypt was called “the house of bondage” because they were ruled by a dictator, the Pharoah, who had become a God. He told them what to worship and how to worship. He also became an object of worship. Idol worship is the highest form of dictatorship because it rules the body, the mind, and the soul, and when a dictator is perceived as a God, he has total power. The idols of Egypt became the source of enormous cruelty, including child sacrifice. The purpose of the Ten Commandments was to free the Children of Israel from idol worship and Egyptian bondage and to establish fair rules of conduct for everyone to live by. The Israelites were led by a prophet, but to avoid the tyranny of power, they were governed by judges chosen from among the people. The laws were based on the Law of Liberty called the Ten Commandments.

When Christ came, one of the first things he did was to establish the Perfect Law of Liberty as taught in the Sermon on the Mount. Rather than the sharp Mosaic Law which had become perverted, Christ instituted a higher law, called the Beatitudes, based on freewill and moral conscience:

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in hearth: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

The Perfect Law of Liberty is a matter more of conscience than of law and must be lived voluntarily. The same is true with the Royal Law, which if lived perfectly would be the only laws you need.

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The final law of liberty is The Law of Equality, which is summed up the Apostle Peter.

34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: (Acts 10:34)

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Addictions

There is no living creature on earth as complex, as gifted, or as intelligent as man. Our immortal spirits are eternal. God is the father of our spirits. We are eternal beings. We came from eternity, and we will return to eternity. We were born of divinity and divinity is our heritage. Peter says.

1 Simon Peter, a servant, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Let’s review the words of Peter, the chief apostle of our Lord. He said the following

· to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

The first step to overcoming addiction is faith. Faith in God, Faith in self, and faith in others are the three levels of faith, Faith in God being the first and greatest. The others in their turn. But all levels of faith are essential in overcome addictions or bad habits or undesirable behavior.

· Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of “God, and of Jesus our Lord

The second step is to acquire knowledge of God, speaking of the Father, and knowledge of Jesus our Lord, speaking of the Son. It was the Son who said.

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

That is one of the greatest insights on how to gain freedom. Truth is the only key to freedom. Truth is bound in law, temporal law and spiritual law. All laws are of God. We look to science to teach us temporal law. We look to our prophets and apostles to teach us spiritual law. As seen above, the second step is to acquire knowledge of spiritual law (or knowledge of God.”

The third step is to acquire knowledge of temporal law. Truth and law are synonymous. Let me repeat. All laws are of God and to him all things, even temporal law, are spiritual. Our spirit is subject to spiritual law. Our physical bodies are subject to temporal law. Therefore, in this life, to be free we must understand both spiritual law and temporal law.

Peter speaks of the “lusts of the flesh.” This could also apply to addictions of the flesh. Clearly one step we must take in freeing ourselves from addiction is knowledge. Knowledge of God. Knowledge of Law. That way we can combine faith and science. All truth comes from God, whether truth of temporal law or truth of spiritual law.

· His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness

Without the divine power given unto all things that pertain unto life and godliness, it is almost impossible to overcome strong addiction. That is why Steps 1 and 2 are so important from the onset. We need to know who we really are. What separates us from the flora and fauna or all other life forms. Science likes to compare us to animals, and, naturally, we share with animals a physical body, but we are not animals. We are children of God and were sent to earth to become more Christlike.

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Broken Covenants

I remember standing alone on a beach in Valdez, Alaska. Towering over me, propped up by long trembling timbers, was an old disintegrating derelict that was once a proud ocean vessel that had braved the icy northern seas. Now it was old and rotting and listing and would never float again. On the rotting planks of the splintered stern was emblazoned its once proud name—COVENANT.

A covenant is a binding agreement. It may be oral or written. It is formal and a key part of man’s relationship to God. All laws of God with a promise are covenants between God and man. If one fulfills the conditions of the covenant, God will deliver the promise. The primary purpose of the Holy Scriptures is to define God’s covenants with man.

In slang terms one speaks of ‘bargaining with the devil.’ The famous story of Doctor Faustus brilliantly told by the English dramatist Marlowe and the German poet Goethe, tells of a covenant with the devil. They give powerful credence to the term ‘sold his soul to the devil.’

It is hard to imagine anyone bargaining with the devil, but probably everyone in a crisis has bargained with the Lord. Though such wrangling is not strictly speaking a covenant, it is sacred, nevertheless, and should not be done lightly:

"Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay." (Ecclesiastes 5: 5)

I shall use the term covenant to represent only those binding agreements established by the Lord and set forth in his Holy Scriptures through his chosen prophets in which he sets forth his laws, conditions, and blessings. But all such covenants originated in the beginning in the presence of God where all agreements are covenants, for God is the temple

22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamb is the light thereof. (Revelations 21:22-23).

Christ spoke of his body as a temple

18 ¶ Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

21 But he spake of the temple of his body. (See John 2:18-21).

We are also told that our body is “the temple of the Holy Ghost.”

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

The temple is where covenants are made with God.

Dante reserved the lowest level of the Inferno, not for the “fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars" (Revelations 21:8), but for the covenant breakers. That old poet who invented hell knew something that the world has lost. Satan and the other Sons of Perdition, using their agency declared war in heaven against God, thus violating their sacred covenants and becoming a law unto themselves.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost: Satan, Sin, and Death

In Pt II of Paradise Lost we discussed the wiles of the devil. If you are new to Poet’s Corner, let me suggest that you go back to Season 3 Podcast 113 entitled Milton’s Paradise Lost Book I. It serves as an introduction to Paradise Lost. Following Podcast 113 is Podcast 118, Introduction to Hell, followed by Podcast 128, The Wiles of the Devil. In this Podcast Satan convinces death to open the high gates of hell and in return, she can appease her voracious appetite on earth. In the opening scene Satan presents his plan to the other devils. Rather than try another assault against heaven, Satan suggests that they come to earth and tempt man. Beelzebub, Satan’s first in command. outlines the plan

What if we find
Some easier enterprize? There is a place
(If ancient and prophetic fame in Heav’n
Err not) another World, the happy seat
Of some new Race call’d Man, about this time
To be created like to us, though less
In power and excellence, but favour’d more
Of him who rules above; so was his will
Pronounc’d among the Gods, and by an Oath,
That shook Heav’ns whole circumference, confirm’d.
Thither let us bend all our thoughts, to learn
What creatures there inhabit, of what mould,
Or substance, how endu’d, and what their Power,
And where their weakness, how attempted best,
By force or suttlety: … here perhaps
Some advantageous act may be achiev’d
By sudden onset, either with Hell fire
To waste his whole Creation, or possess
All as our own, and drive as we were driven,
The punie habitants, or if not drive,
Seduce them to our Party, that their God
May prove their foe, ….

Beelzebub, under the direction of Satan, outlines their plan.

· To access their power

· To define their weaknesses

· To find the best ways to destroy them by force or by craft

· To drive them to hell

· To seduce them to their party

· To make God appear to be their enemy

Beelzebub suggests that the best way to get revenge against God is to bring his children under God’s curse. Satan of course is standing in the shadows, waiting to present himself as their deliverer. Satan imitates God. He presents himself to the fallen angels as a Christ figure who will save them from eternal hell even though he is the one responsible for getting them thrust out of heaven. Satan speaks.

O Progeny of Heav’n, Empyreal Thrones,
With reason hath deep silence and demurr
Seis’d us, though undismayed: long is the way
And hard, that out of Hell leads up to Light;
Our prison strong, this huge convex of Fire,
Outrageous to devour, immures us round
Ninefold, and gates of burning Adamant
Barr’d over us prohibit all egress.
These past, if any pass, the void profound
Of unessential Night receives him next
Go therefore mighty powers,
Terror of Heav’n, though fall’n; intend at home,
While here shall be our home, what best may ease
The present misery, and render Hell
More tolerable; if there be cure or charm
To respite or deceive, or slack the pain
Of this ill Mansion: intermit no watch
Against a wakeful Foe, while I abroad
Through all the coasts of dark destruction seek
Deliverance for us all: this enterprise
None shall partake with me.

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Virtues and Vices Pt B

As listed in Virtues and Vices Pt A, the seven deadly sins are

lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride

The seven heavenly virtues are

chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility.

Everyone agrees that virtues are good and vices are bad. However, that is relatively meaningless unless everyone also agrees upon which behaviors are virtues and which behaviors are vices. Satan will be the first to tell you that virtues are good and vices are bad. Many assume that Satan never goes to church; whereas Satan sits in the first pew and preaches from the same pulpit. Evil cannot exist unless there is good; and good cannot exist unless there is evil. Without opposition, there is nothing, and everything would appear as lifeless. Satan’s job is not to change good to evil and evil to good. That is an impossible task that even God cannot do. Good is absolute and Evil is absolute. God is absolute good, and Satan is absolute evil. That can never change, else God is a changeable being. If God were changeable, he would cease to be God. For that matter if Satan were changeable, he would cease to be Satan. Satan is Satan because he is absolute evil and will never change. By his own will he is incapable of change.

For example, Paul tells us

“That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.” (Hebrews 6:18)

In the same way John tells us.

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44)

Lying is such a serious sin, John the Revelator informs us,

“But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 2:8)

All virtues are absolute and cannot be changed by man through common consent. Government may determine what is legal and what is illegal, but government cannot determine what is good and what is evil, what is moral and what is immoral, what is a virtue and what is a vice. That is one of the great misconception of our day, that by legalizing a behavior, an act, a substance, an operation, a performance, a custom, a practice or a principle, it makes it somehow right or acceptable to society or to God. Government may legalize sin, but government cannot alter the consequences of sin beyond the pitiful powers of the fluctuating courts. The laws of nature and the laws of God are absolute, governed as they are by the law of justice and are not affected by the courts of the land. The law may release a prisoner from jail or from a fine or from some legal judgment, but a court cannot release a prisoner from the law of justice or from the bonds of his own captivity which are far worse than the revolving doors of man’s puny prisons.

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Reflections on Love

Searching the internet, I found the following trivia.

“The word “love” appears 310 times in the King James Bible, 348 times in the New American Standard Bible, 551 times in the New International Version and 538 times in the New Revised Standard Version.”

Partial to the King James version, I have invited Linda to quote the following familiar verses.

John 13:34 “34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

1 Peter 1:22 “22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:”

1 John 4:7-8 “7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

As in everything Christ sets the ideal and the rest of us follow along as best we can, a stunted shrub in the shadow of a sequoia. I would like to share with you some reflections on love that I found tucked away in my endless endnotes. It is more like a stream of consciousness than an organized essay. As I read reflect upon your own views of love. The word is varied and never sits still because we may love a dog or a cat or a piece of art. We may love this song or that song. I love sitting on my balcony watching the fireflies sprinkle the night air with fairy dust. I love chocolate and I love blue grass. I love my family. I love my country. And I love God. One would never place them in the same category.

Therefore, just bear along with me and my rambling musings, perhaps reflecting upon your own thoughts of love as you look back over your life. Across the creek from our cabin is a small restaurant. Every Friday they used to play blue grass music. In the heat of the summer they kept the back door open and the music escaped to my ears. Just such music prompted my own “Reflections on Love.”

Oh, paltry man, swooning under the moon, do you think that by plucking on a string and whining endless rhymes through your nose, you understand love? You understand more about indigestion than love. Your stomach growls as many love songs as your tripping tongue. Love transcends everything. The blood may burn with lust, but like a match that bursts into flames when struck by a scratchy surface, lust dies. Love, however, lives forever and heals all wounds. Those whose whole natural being is to keep lust alive will never find love and will find that in the end they will be alone wondering how they could have been so deceived. Lust consumes with a brief burning passion, but love bears fruit forever. Wrinkled flesh holding hands and hobbling together toward that unseen world after years of trials and combined tears and selfless sacrifice knows more about love than is contained in all the ballads of star cross lovers whined through the nose of an aging artist in a smoke-filled bar.

Earth life is an analogy of heaven. Imagine heaven as a perfect earth, the total absence of evil, the comprehensive presence of all-consuming love! As children of our Father in Heaven, we are all brothers and sisters, equal in his eyes for God is “no respecter of persons.” Racism is of the devil to divide the family of God. We are all unique, and all racial discrimination is artificial and has no eternal value.

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The Road to Power, Machiavellian Pragmatism, Rule #09, Be a great feigner and dissembler.

In earlier podcasts I presented 40 of the rules given by Nicolo Machiavelli in his book “The Prince,” written in 1513, on how to gain power and how to hold power. The rules were not numbered by the author. I extracted them from The Little Book for conveniences in applying them to American politics. The rules assume that there is no conscience and no accountability to a higher power. There is only the present. The rules are ruthless and do not account for human suffering. In this, and future podcasts, I shall examine the rules individually as they apply to American Politics today. In this podcast I examine rule # 9

“But it is necessary to be able to disguise this character well, and to be a great feigner and dissembler; and men are so simple and so ready to obey present necessities, that one who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.” (Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince)

Machiavelli taught that people were simple and easily deceived if their immediate necessities are met. You may rob their future if you ease their present. Deceive, dissemble, evade, pretend, prevaricate, mislead, defraud, betray, hoodwink or dupe but ease their urgent necessities.

That is exactly what the left is doing today to gain votes

Machiavellian Pragmatism works only because it relies upon the weaknesses of human nature. The statement above is true. Machiavelli is describing what real tyrants have done to gain power and to hold power, and he identifies the weaknesses of man that allow them to control others. That again is the practicing philosophy of the left. They rely upon the weaknesses of voters, not their strengths or their capabilities or their potential. That is why liberals are crisis oriented. Not only does the left consider voters to be “vulgar,” they also consider voters to be “simple,” interested only in the “present necessities.”

When those seeking power collude with those seeking entitlements, then the demise of democracy is not far behind.

Conditions today are ripe for socialism to replace what the liberals consider the rotten fruits of decayed capitalism. I fear we will take the same course as Europe. It is to the liberal’s interest to increase the welfare rolls. Those in need are easier to manipulate than those who are self-reliant. Their biggest enemy is self-reliance. Remember Machiavellian Rule number 37.

Rule # 37: “Let him see that he cannot stand alone.”

That explains The Affordable Health Care Act. I lost all confidence in the Republican Party because of their lack of leadership in blocking The Affordable Health Care Act. That was a bigger step toward American socialism (oxymoron) than taken by Presidents Wilson, Roosevelt, and Johnson, the leaders of socialism in America. If it remains, we can say goodbye to our republican form of government.

The purpose of the Machiavellian rules is to teach the prince how to gain power and how to hold power. In our world of constant commotion, the Machiavellian Road to power is the only way. The alternative is majority rule. By turning their back on our democratic republic, the liberals have chosen their only alternative—take control of government the fastest, most efficient way they can.

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Origins

The Bible is noted for its tantalizing brevity. As we open Genesis, we read.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

What does, “In the beginning” mean? When did “In the beginning” occur? Where were we while the earth was being created? It is strange, but God asks Job the same question.

1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:1-7)

We must ask, who were the morning stars that sang together? And who were the sons of God who shouted for joy? The Lord tells the Psalmist David.

Psalm 82:6 “6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”

King David makes it clear that we are “children of God.” In other words, we are “all the sons of God who shouted for Joy.” which by divine inheritance would make us gods, being the offspring of God. We would have also been those “morning stars who sang together.” It is also clear, then that we were present when God laid the foundations of the earth.

Three very important principles were taught by the Lord to Job and to David.

Principle 1. We are immortal children of God.

Principle 2. We lived in heaven with God before the heaven and the earth were created. In fact, we rejoiced at its creation.

Principle 3. The earth and the havens, meaning our galaxy, have a beginning.

The question arises, “Why did we sing together and why did we shout for joy.” The question is rhetorical. The earth was created for us. At the time referred to “in the beginning” we were immortal spirits. The Lord created the earth for us so that we may live on earth and gain a physical body.

As Christians this is proof that we lived with God before the earth was created and rejoiced at its creation. Job asks God.

17 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?

18 And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?

19 How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

20 I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be. (Job 7:17-21)

Job is speaking of death when he said, “for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.” Clearly Job thinks death is imminent; therefore, he is calling upon the mercy of Christ. “why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity.” Job knows who his redeemer is. O thou preserver of men.” It was also Job who said,

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The Wiles of the Devil

In Paradise Lost John Milton analyzes the methods Satan uses to tempt man. Satan’s second in command is Beelzebub. Beelzebub is a flatterer, an extension of Satan, an alter ego and entirely gives up his agency to Satan. He is a mirror image of Satan.

In this podcast, we are introduced to the second tier of Satan’s leaders. They are Moloch, Belial, and Mammon.

These chief devils symbolize the primary temptations Satan uses against man. In this Podcast we shall analyze each one.

The first is Moloch, the God of war. He symbolizes wrath, rage, hate, anger, fury, ferocity, and fanaticism. He is for absolute victory or personal annihilation. He is ruled by passion and personal pride and will not compromise. He is a destroyer. These are all attributes of Satan himself.

First, Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood
Of human sacrifice, and parents’ tears;
Though, for the noise of drums and timbrels loud,
Their children’s cries unheard that passed through fire
To his grim idol.

The second is Belial. Belial represents subterfuge, lies, deception, machinations, conspiracies, sloth, laziness, idleness, indolence, inertia, inactivity, negligence, ease, complacency, indifference, lewdness, vice, grossness, insolence, lust. drunkenness, and violence.

Belial came last; than whom a Spirit more lewd
Fell not from Heaven, or more gross to love
Vice for itself. To him no temple stood
Or altar smoked; yet who more oft than he
In temples and at altars, when the priest
Turns atheist, as did Eli’s sons, who filled
With lust and violence the house of God?
In courts and palaces he also reigns,
And in luxurious cities, where the noise
Of riot ascends above their loftiest towers,
And injury and outrage; and, when night
Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons
Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.
Witness the streets of Sodom, and that night
In Gibeah, when the hospitable door
Exposed a matron, to avoid worse rape.

Though perhaps less in power, equal in fame was Mammon, the god of wealth, who even in hell, built a kingdom of gold, imitating heaven. Mammon is content to remain in hell surrounded by tormented luxury and “precious bane.”

Mammon led them on—
Mammon, the least erected Spirit that fell
From Heaven; for even in Heaven his looks and thoughts
Were always downward bent, admiring more
The riches of heaven’s pavement, trodden gold,
Than aught divine or holy else enjoyed
In vision beatific. By him first
Men also, and by his suggestion taught,
Ransacked the centre, and with impious hands
Rifled the bowels of their mother Earth
For treasures better hid. Soon had his crew
Opened into the hill a spacious wound,
And digged out ribs of gold. Let none admire
That riches grow in Hell; that soil may best
Deserve the precious bane.

As we move to Book II, Satan calls a council in hell which counterfeits the grand council held in heaven in which Satan rebelled against God, for Satan is determined to continue his fight with God. Milton describes Satan, during Satan’s private meditations, as he appeared to the myriad of evil spirits who fell with him.

They wait in silence as they “observed their dread commander.” Satan addresses the vast multitude of suffering spirits.

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Charity

Few words in our day are more corrupted than the word charity. Today we think of the word charity as socialism, welfare, free stuff, ignoble handouts, second-hand clothes, dole, or condescending gifts. Charity has nothing to do with redistribution of wealth. Charity is a virtue not a bank, a fund, or a commodities store. As Paul said,

“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

If charity does not dwell in our heart, then nothing that we do with our hands will matter when we give account to God for our actions. Charity contains the highest virtues—longsuffering, kind, unenvious, not boastful, not puffed up, patient, persevering, and unfailing. Charity includes faith and hope.

Charity is the love of Christ in its purest form, and the only charity is that which communicates that love to others regardless of the way that we use our wealth. Charity doesn’t just help people out; it also lifts people up. More people are killed with unkind charity than are saved with foolish dole. False charity is like pain medicines that relieve for a moment but addict for life.

We need to restore charity to its rightful place as well as all the other virtues taught so clearly by Christ and held fast for centuries by traditions. It was those virtues upon which this country was built. Misuse of charity can destroy a person, a family, or a nation.

Charity encompasses all virtues. Charity is Christ-like love. Man is driven by methods. Christ understood principles. We must remember that Christ used a whip to cleanse the temple. He was not confused by imitations. He measured charity by its consequences, not by its selfish returns. Little by little our nation is beginning to understand the dangers of enabling through misguided love. A charity that increases dependence is false love and hateful revenge.

Through his prophets the Lord said,

"6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left." (See 2 Corinthians 6:3-7)

“Love unfeigned” is a sterling definition of charity. When asked by the scribe which was the first commandment, the Savior summed up all the commandments under the word love which means charity:

“28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)

Perhaps the most powerful spiritual forces on earth are

FAITH: ("faith...worketh by love." (Galatians 5:6)

HOPE: (We are commanded to put "on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." (1 Thessalonians 5:8); and

CHARITY: (The greatest of all).

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Faith

Faith can be divided into three levels: ego-centric—faith in oneself; ecto-centric—faith in others (or faith in things outside oneself); and Theo-centric—faith in God. The first two are seen as temporal, the third as spiritual; the first two visible, the third invisible. However, all are spiritual, and each is necessary for the full development of agency. When any of the three are diminished, then agency is diminished. It is only in the full, wise, and overlapping exercise of each level that faith can be fully realized in this earthly sphere. Furthermore, it is only through the maximum exercise of faith that maximum agency can be achieved in this life.

America was founded on the three attributes of faith.

(1) Faith in self.

Self-reliance is the hallmark of a democratic republic. Socialism, communism, and totalitarianism are supported by the idea that the individual is incapable of governing himself, that authority should be in the hands of the one, the few, or the elite. It gives rise to tyrants, to a chosen few, to dictators, to a class system, to tribalism.

(2) Faith in others.

Again socialism, communism, and totalitarianism are supported by the pernicious idea that government should have total power, that government should dictate what people say, what people do, what jobs they hold, what they are capable of, what salaries they should receive, where they should live, and what they should think, etc. In a democratic republic it is assumed that individuals will always become equal to the occasion—that doctors, scientists, inventors, business leaders, teachers, nurses, technicians, organizers, discoverers, skilled laborers, farmers, ranchers, small business owners, pioneers, visionaries, dreamers, writers, etc. will fill every need, meet every crisis, advance every good cause, fill every gap. That solutions will come spontaneously from the people. It is inherent in a republic that we are all the children of God endowed with special gifts, and that genius rests in the breast of every living soul. A free government has faith in the people, not in a select few. In fact, inherent in democracy is the idea that government should be of the people, by the people, and for the people.

(3) Faith in God.

Our nation was founded on faith in the Christian God, in Christ Jesus. People came here to avoid religious persecution, that they might worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. Churches sprang up in every settlement and every back woods. People gathered on the sabbath day to worship and give thanks to God for their blessings. Thanksgiving Day became a national day of thanks to God for his blessings. Christmas was a national holiday acknowledging Christ as our redeemer. It was universally felt that it was God who inspired our forefathers to write our Constitution, and it was God who aided our patriots in winning our freedom against insurmountable odds. “In God we trust” became our national motto. In addition, only through faith can miracles occur. Can any Christian imagine the state of things if we lived in a nation without miracles? And finally, only God is the author of The Law of Liberty and The Perfect Law of Liberty. As a nation we once believed the words of the Savior:

“Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

Sometimes I wish I could live life over with a complete memory of my mistakes. I would make many changes and reduce my sins considerably along with a million other changes. And one thing that I would put at the top of my list is the acquirement of faith. There is no greater power in the universe than faith. God himself works by faith. Is there any word or thought in his head that is not fulfilled?

God all the credit?

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Truth

Pilate, before turning Christ over to the Jews to be crucified, asked our Lord,

“What is truth?” (John 18:38)

If only he had known to whom he spoke! Has a greater irony ever occurred in the history of the world? Pilate, representing the military might of Rome, the most commanding nation in the world, asks the Fountain of Truth, ‘What is truth?’ Like the world, Pilate, standing in the presence of truth, doesn’t recognize truth. Pontius Pilate, first a politician, burdened by holding high office, and wanting to please the people, didn’t wait for the answer, though he had before him the only one on earth who could tell him.

The world does not like truth. In ancient Athens, the Oracle of Delphi declared that Socrates was the wisest man in the world. Socrates was executed by the Greeks for attempting to teach the truth. Socrates was merely a philosopher. Christ is the Son of God, full of truth and light, yet over four hundred years later he was executed by the Romans, under the direction of the jealous hierarchy of the Jews, for teaching the truth. His apostles met a similar fate.

Pilot’s question, ‘What is truth? is one that we must all ask and answer for ourselves for surely the search for truth is the single greatest quest we can make in this uncertain, undulating world.

There are a lot of counterfeits that we confuse as truth. The three most prominent counterfeits of truth are fact, inference, and judgment.

One would naturally ask; how can we confuse fact with truth? One is prone to exclaim, ‘fact is truth.’

The question must be asked, ‘Are there untrue facts?’ One could just as easily ask, ‘Are there any such things as true facts.’ Facts are based on perception and perception is influenced by point of view. Our courts are burdened by the task of sorting through facts looking for truth.

Also, in relating to facts, in our melting world where everything slides toward entropy, what is a fact today is not a fact tomorrow. Facts are related to time, and entropy gives time its arrow. How can you have reliable facts in a world governed by entropy?

Facts need to be separate from truth. They are not the same thing. Facts are either accurate or inaccurate depending upon time. Truth is eternal. Truth is not subject to entropy. What is true today was also true yesterday and will still be true tomorrow and forever. Therefore, let’s not confuse truth with melting matter or changing events or earthly evolutions.

Inference is also often confused with truth. Inference is opinion drawn from facts. Inference depends not only upon the accuracy of facts but also upon the integrity of the observer. One cannot assign truth to inference. One can only assign accuracy according to specified conditions.

For example, the statement, “The sun always rises from the east and always sets in the west.” Is considered a true statement, but it is merely an inference based on past experience. It is true relative to what? Well, it is true relative to our solar system only.

Facts are relative, but Truth isn’t.

Let’s take the third term, judgment. How does judgment differ from fact and inference? We have determined that a fact is relative to time and space. Inference is relative to the observer. What is judgment. As a working definition, let’s say that judgment is a call to action based on fact and inference. A court judge may impose a penalty on a convicted criminal. A beauty contest judge may determine the crown goes to this or that contestant. An event’s judge may determine who won the contest and so on. Judgment places a value on the facts and inferences. Judgment is based on preestablished standards tailored for specific events or conditions or circumstances.

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Hope

Perhaps we are all enamored with the three heavenly, virtues: faith, hope, and charity. Once read, who can forget Paul’s words, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

What sets charity apart? I suppose because it embodies the virtues of Christ. In Paul’s words,

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Charity embodies the pure love of Christ, a higher love cannot exist. It is also Paul to whom we look for a definition of faith.

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

In the economy of Paul’s language, we learn the key attributes of faith. “Substance of things hoped for” refers to that which is tangible, that which we can see, hear, touch, taste, smell, or feel with our senses. It brings it from the abstract to the concrete. Without faith hope remains intangible and unreachable. It is mere wishfull thinking. Faith clarifies hope and brings it from want to expectation. Because of faith rather than wish for salvation we can hope for salvation, meaning faith puts it in our grasp. Faith, of course, must be centered in the atonement of Jesus Christ.

But Paul isn’t finished. He presents another clarifying definition of faith. It is “the evidence of things not seen.” Paul puts faith on a scientific basis. To the faithful it provides evidence or proof of the hand of God in our lives.

Let’s say we hope for a miracle. Faith is the link between the desire and the fulfillment. We know from experience that most miracles can be explained away through scientific reasoning. What can’t always be explained away is the coincidence. God often answers our prayers through divinely inspired coincidence and only those who have faith can recognize the hand of God in the miracle. God’s hand is invisible to all those who rely on chance, accident, coincidence, serendipity of circumstances and scientific explanations.

Hope, which is the second of the heavenly virtues is for me, one of the most beautiful words in the English language, more for its connotation than its denotation, more for its spirit that for its sound.

I love the couplet of Alexander Pope in his Essay on Man.

“Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest.
The soul, uneasy, and confin'd from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.”

Notice some of the scriptural references to hope.

Psalm 38:15 “For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.”

Romans 4:18 “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.”

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Courage

The Charge of the Light Brigade is a story about a famous battle by the British light calvary led by Lord Cardigan against Russian Forces in the Crimean War of 1854. It is controversial because 118 soldiers died needlessly from miscommunications from commanding officers.

Tennyson’s poem, though it alludes to the disastrous miscommunication, focuses on the incredible bravery of the soldiers who rode into almost certain death. The charge was a military failure and is still studied today as a cautionary tale. It is as controversial today as it was in 1854.

Perhaps one of the greatest contributions of the foolish battle was Tennyson’s poem celebrating the courage of ordinary men under extraordinary circumstances. I have read the poem, which was written by Tennyson in minutes only a few weeks after the bloody battle, more times than I am able to count but it remains fresh. Tennyson’s ability with words pulls you into the battle, making you feel the horrors of war. But I am always left with a feeling of the nobility of man when faced with conditions beyond his control.

There is a touching excerpt by Captain Godfrey Morgan, one of the officers who survived the battle,

We went on. When we got about two or three hundred yards the battery of the Russian Horse Artillery opened fire. I do not recollect hearing a word from anybody as we gradually broke from a trot to a canter, though the noise of the striking of men and horses by grape and round shot was deafening, while the dust and gravel struck up by the round shot that fell short was almost blinding, and irritated my horse so that I could scarcely hold him at all. But as we came nearer I could see plainly enough, especially when I was about a hundred yards from the guns. I appeared to be riding straight on to the muzzle of one of the guns, and I distinctly saw the gunner apply his fuse. I shut my eyes then, for I thought that settled the question as far as I was concerned. But the shot just missed me and struck the man on my right full in the chest.

Captain. Morgan accepted what he thought was certain death with such grace, “I shut my eyes then, for I thought that settled the question as far as I was concerned.” Tennyson’s poem is very brief.

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE.

Half a league, half a league,

Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!''

Charge for the guns!' he said:

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

II.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!'

Was there a man dismay'd?

Not tho' the soldier knew

Some one had blunder'd:

Their's not to make reply,

Their's not to reason why,

Their's but to do and die:

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

III.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them

Volley'd and thunder'd;

Storm'd at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of Hell

Rode the six hundred.

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Six Laws All Christians Should Know Pt II The Law of Justice C

As stated in Parts A & B, there are six laws that all Christians should know to understand the workings of the Almighty.

The Law of Creation
The Law of Justice
The Law of Mercy
The Law of Opposition
The Law of Agency
The Law of Eternal Progression.

This is the third podcast in the trilogy, The Law of Justice. If you have not listened to Podcast 120 Pt A and 121 Pt B, we recommend that you listen to those first before listening to Part C.

The purpose of law is first to create order out of chaos and finally to maintain that order. We see the pattern in natural law. Christians recognize the pattern in spiritual law, one a pattern of the other. There is no greater teaching tool than analogy.

Law is the tool God uses in creation. Man’s greatest achievement is to understand and obey the laws of God. On earth we are given limited powers of creation as our knowledge of temporal laws expand. In heaven we will be given unlimited powers of creation if we follow God’s plan. Unlimited power cannot be given to evil people. Justice won’t allow it. The reason evil people are damned is to prevent them from destroying the joys of eternity. Satan is neither omniscient nor omnipotent. He is nothing more than a puppet in God’s hands, discarded when he is of no further use, chained like the criminal he is. Justice will never allow injustice to enter the kingdom of God.

That is why the atonement of Christ is necessary. All who enter into God’s Kingdom must first be sanctified by the blood of Christ. Nothing unsanctified can dwell in God’s presence. The law of justice could never allow it because God would cease to be God.

The entire purpose of justice is self-preservation. Justice cannot compromise, not even for mercy, else everything would return to chaos. If we understood the law of justice, we would fall on our knees every day and thank God for being a just God. We love mercy for only mercy gives us hope, but mercy would be nothing without justice. Mercy bows to justice. Justice bows to nothing. The only way that Christ could atone for our sins was to first satisfy the law of justice. That is the only reason he gave his life for us. There was no Plan B. If Christ had not atoned for our sins, justice would send us straight to hell. We would not pass goal. We would not collect $200, and there would be no get out of jail free card.

All laws of God lead to one thing—perfection. Perfection can be achieved in no other way. Science knows that intuitively but deny it by stubborn policy. They deny the existence of God; therefore, they deny the existence of intelligent design; therefore, they deny purpose.

That is the great argument with science, isn’t it? If you pin science down, that is to say, if you look beyond the abracadabra of scientific reasoning, science believes that nothing self-exists and that everything self-exists because they believe in the appearance of intelligent design, but they don’t believe in intelligent design; they believe in the existence of law, but they also believe that chance is our creator. They believe that everything was created from the Big Bang, but they don’t believe there were laws designed that caused the Big Bang. They believe in an accidental universe that in some mysterious way generated laws that allowed the universe to govern itself.

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Six Laws All Christians Should Know Pt II The Law of Justice B

As stated in Part A, there are six laws that all Christians should know to understand the workings of the Almighty.

The Law of Creation
The Law of Justice
The Law of Mercy
The Law of Opposition
The Law of Agency
The Law of Eternal Progression.

This is the second podcast in the trilogy, The Law of Justice. If you have not listened to Podcast 120, we recommend that you listed to that first before listening to Part B.

Truth is eternal in nature. Satan is the prince of darkness.

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44)

There is no greater quest on earth than to search for truth. It follows that Satan will counterfeit truth. He is the great dissembler. Paul warns us

14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)

Earth was created by intelligent design and the intelligent designer is God. God is a God of law and order. Everything he does, he does with a purpose in mind. The purpose of earth is to increase our freewill, agency, liberty, and freedom. If you want to know the purpose of law, simply examine the effects of law. Laws are based on cause and effect. The effect is conditional upon the causes. It is only in the obedience to the conditions of law that we have freewill because once the conditions are met, the effect is deterministic. Some things once set in motion are irreversible as we have learned by sad experience. Once one has driven over the cliff it is too late to apply the brakes.

As brilliant as science is in determining physical laws, science is not qualified to look into the mind of God. We must distinguish between the discoveries of science and the theories of scientists. They often present theory as fact using false authority to push their agenda. Government is even more susceptible to using false theories of science to press their agenda. Even if evolution is governed by law, all theories of evolution are not correct. The same is true with the Big Bang, with relativity, with Black holes, with global warming, with the origins of the universe, and so on. It is one thing to be environmentally responsible. It is another to be bullied by those who have a burning agenda and present theory as truth and opinion as fact.

Science would better to be silent than to deny the very scientific method upon which it is founded. Theorical science is faced with two fantastic dilemmas, both of which are false.

Dilemma One: We live in an accidental universe.

From that statement they must conclude that the creation of galaxies, earth, life, and man were all accidental, though the probability of such a claim is impossible to defend. Ironically it is science that has taught us that if certain constants didn’t exist, nothing else would exist either, but that doesn’t appear to prevent them from making the untenable claim that the only divinity we should worship is chance.

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Six Laws All Christians Should Know Pt II The Law of Justice A

There are six laws that all Christians should know to understand the workings of the Almighty.

1. The Law of Creation

2. The Law of Justice

3. The Law of Mercy

4. The Law of Opposition

5. The Law of Agency

6. The Law of Eternal Progression.

In Podcast 108 we addressed The Law of Creation. In this podcast, named Pt A, and the podcast that follows, named Pt B we shall address The Law of Justice.

We have laws of God, laws of nature, and laws of man; therefore, what is law? There is a vast difference between the laws of God and the laws of man.

· God’s laws are absolute. Man’s laws are relative.

· God’s laws cannot be repealed, voted on, or changed. Man’s laws can.

· God’s laws are eternal; man’s laws are temporal.

· God’s laws deal with heavenly government; man’s laws deal with manmade government.

Though all laws of God are spiritual, they are conveniently divided into Laws of God and Laws of Nature or Spiritual Laws and Temporal laws. There are certain assumptions of laws of God and nature that we must understand.

1. Laws must be absolute.

2. Laws must be fixed.

3. Laws must have conditions.

4. Laws must be unique.

5. Laws must be predictable.

6. Laws must be irreducible.

7. Laws must deal with self-existing matter and energy.

8. Laws must have a purpose.

9. Laws must be incontrovertible.

10. Laws must be self-evident.

11. Laws must be independent.

12. Laws must be ubiquitous.

13. Laws must be organized into complete sets.

14. Laws cannot self-exist.

15. Laws cannot contradict each other.

The list, of course, is not complete but the above is a good start to understanding the laws of God or the nature of God. The above attributes apply to all laws of God, but in this podcast, I need to distinguish between The Law of Creation and the Law of Justice.

The law of Justice governs all other laws, including the law of creation and the law of mercy. The law of justice is the supreme law of the universe and can never be changed, altered, or compromised. The law of justice must be satisfied not modified. As much as we need mercy, we need justice more. Because chaos is absolute, the law of justice must be absolute. The law of justice is the only thing that keeps chaos in check. Think of chaos as the great nothingness, the quintessential disorder, what scientists call maximum equilibrium. In our world of entropy and death we well know how things move inexorably from order to disorder, from life to death. Chaos is the absence of law. The level of chaos reflects the level of law. Absolute chaos is absolute disorder.

That explains assumption number one.

1. Laws must be absolute

Without absolute laws, everything would return to chaos.

The law of justice is why we have a law of creation and why we need a law of mercy. Justice is not merciful as we understand mercy. Justice shows no compassion. It cannot show compassion and still be just. Chaos is not merciful; therefore, justice cannot be merciful. Because there is chaos, we need the law of justice.

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The Road to Power Machiavellian Pragmatism Rule # 07.

In earlier podcasts I presented 40 of the rules given by Nicolo Machiavelli in his book “The Prince” on how to gain power and how to hold power. The rules assume that there is no conscience and no accountability to a higher power. There is only the present. The rules are ruthless and do not account for human suffering. William Shakespeare studied The Prince, which was dedicated to Lorenzo de’Medici, governor of Florence. Machiavelli hoped to gain favors from the governor. “The Prince,” otherwise known as “The Little Book,” was written in 1513.

In one of his plays Shakespeare refers to Machiavelli as Mackeval and Shakespeare in his plays such as King Lear, Macbeth, Hamlet, Richard III and others including the history plays of Henry IV dramatically illustrate the tragedy for following Machiavellian rules. In the play King Lear, Lear said

“Through tatter'd clothes small vices do appear; Robes and furr'd gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold, And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks: Arm it in rags, a pigmy's straw does pierce it.” William Shakespeare’s King Lear.

Machiavellian Pragmatism disregards truth, liberty, justice, mercy, integrity, honesty, obligation, equity, fairness, rights, the laws of God, decency, courtesy, humanity, kindness, duty or any other virtue required in a peaceful society. The rise to power must be ruthless and unfettered by moral conscience.

Generally speaking, ‘pragmatism’ means to do whatever works. Machiavellian Pragmatism means that the ends justify the means which is Machiavellian Rule # 1.

Machiavellian Rule # 01: “In the actions of men, and especially of princes, from which there is no appeal, the end is everything.”

According to Machiavelli, any method, whether good or evil, kind or cruel, peaceful or violent, just or unjust is justified in gaining power and holding power. By devoting themselves to a cause, they simply follow their predatorial instincts, governed by ambition and opportunity. Collusion is necessary where large numbers are involved and all those who profit from the leader’s ambition must buy into the same values.

The visionary John saw this in our day as one of the first signs of the downfall of society.

15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 14)

John is describing the secret societies that will rise in our day and control the economy of the world. Notice that they will kill anyone who does not bow down to their system. It is told in metaphorical language, “that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” The mark, which could be a password, fingerprint, eye print or computer chip, they receive gives them special privileges over those who do not belong to the secret society. They are the only ones who will be able to buy or sell. Machiavellian Pragmatism has complete disregard for human rights, justice, human suffering.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost, (Bk I) Introduction to Hell

This is the second installment of Paradise Lost. Our purpose in analyzing Paradise Lost is to present John Milton’s poetic description of the fall of man. Lucifer, or Satan, is his main Character. In the last podcast Milton defined his purpose in writing Paradise Lost.

That, to the height of this great argument,
I may assert Eternal Providence,
And justify the ways of God to men.

It is a huge assignment to “justify the ways of God to men.” Through the centuries people have asked, “why is there a hell?” “Why does Satan exist?” “Why does God punish us for our sins?” John Milton seeks to answer those questions. We must keep in mind that Milton is a poet, not a prophet, and he writes from a poet’s point of view. However, Milton takes his cue from the Bible.

In the Holy Bible we read the following descriptions of Satan

(Revelation 12 3-4)

3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

(Revelation 12 7-8)

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

Revelation 12:9

“9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Milton, a poet, wants to outdo the prophets in their description of Satan. Milton still using the dragon image, creates a monster larger than the great blue whale.

Thus Satan, talking to his nearest mate,
With head uplift above the wave, and eyes
That sparkling blazed; his other parts besides
Prone on the flood, extended long and large,
Lay floating many a rood, in bulk as huge
As whom the fables name of monstrous size,
Titanian or Earth-born, that warred on Jove,
Briareos or Typhon, whom the den
By ancient Tarsus held, or that sea-beast
Leviathan, which God of all his works
Created hugest that swim th’ ocean-stream.
Him, haply slumbering on the Norway foam,
The pilot of some small night-foundered skiff,
Deeming some island, oft, as seamen tell,
With fixed anchor in his scaly rind,
Moors by his side under the lee, while night
Invests the sea, and wished morn delays.

Milton, however, is not trying to frighten us. He is trying to understand the character of Satan. How else but poetic terms can he personify evil. But Milton dives deeper into the relationship between good and evil or God and Satan. For me this is where Milton’s genius really shines through. He examines Satan from Satan’s point of view, or from Satan’s opinions of himself; he examines Satan from God’s point of view. As you will see Milton sees Satan as a mere puppet in God’s hand. He has no more power than God permits him to have. Satan is self-deceived. And Milton presents Satan from man’s point of view.

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The Disappearing Family.

Of the Ten Commandments, one is noted for “being a commandment with a promise.” It is commandment Six

“Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” (Exodus 20:12)

The easiest thing to find is data on marriage and divorce. The hardest thing to find is accurate data on marriage and divorce. I don’t mean that the surveys are fraudulent or manipulated. It is simply that there are so many variables it is virtually impossible to be 100 percent accurate. Fifty percent divorce rate is the number that always seems to emerge, but that may merely be a convenient opinion. In 2002 The National Center for Health Statistics released the following data.

By age 30, three-quarters of women in the U.S. have been married and about half have cohabited outside of marriage, according to a comprehensive new report on cohabitation, marriage, divorce, and remarriage released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

NCHS also found the following

Among the findings in the report: unmarried cohabitations overall are less stable than marriages. The probability of a first marriage ending in separation or divorce within 5 years is 20 percent, but the probability of a premarital cohabitation breaking up within 5 years is 49 percent. After 10 years, the probability of a first marriage ending is 33 percent, compared with 62 percent for cohabitations.

That should not come as a very big surprise. Neither should the following data. The Encyclopedia of Children’s Health listed the following trends of children from divorced families.

· Lower education

· Higher teen pregnancy

· More abuse of drugs and alcohol

· More high-risk sexual behavior

· More likely to join a gang

· Twice as likely to go to jail

· Four times as likely to need help for emotional and behavioral problems

· More likely to participate in violent crime

· More likely to commit suicide

· Twice as likely to get divorced in adulthood

Today we seem to honor rebellion, dissent, dysfunctional families, breaking family ties, destroying traditions, breaking off from family values, dishonoring parents, devaluing marriage, making the father unnecessary, and even making marriage unnecessary. If moving smoothly from Ozzie and Harriet and Father Knows Best to Meet the Bundys and Modern Family are not wakeup calls, what is?

What does the Lord mean when he said, “Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” It is an intriguing promise. Behind the chilling promise is its antithesis. “If you do not honor thy father and thy mother; then they days may be short upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” The message is clear. The longevity of nations depends on a strong family foundation. This may come as a surprise, but a nation does not have a foundation. Only a family has a foundation. It is in the family not in the nation where values are taught.

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The Eternal FamilyIt is difficult to understand what we mean to God until we understand what our children mean to us. All things are first created spiritually, even the human race, as described in Genesis, and then they are created naturally; the first creation is the image and model of the second. Our physical body is modeled after our spirit body. Our spirit body is modeled after God. Earth is modeled after heaven, and everything testifies of God and reminds us of our former home.

God meant for the family to last forever. The idea of marriage everlasting has been believed through the ages. In Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Theseus said,

Fair lovers, you are fortunately met:
Of this discourse we more will hear anon.
Egeus, I will overbear your will;
For in the temple by and by with us
These couples shall eternally be knit:
And, for the morning now is something worn,
Our purposed hunting shall be set aside.
Away with us to Athens; three and three,
We'll hold a feast in great solemnity.

The early Christians certainly believed in the eternal sealing power of the priesthood. Jesus said to Peter,

“15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:15-19)

It was Peter who taught

7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)

It was the Savior who taught,

8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. (Matthew 19:8)

Remember that it was God who married Adam and Eve.

8 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Can anything that God seals be broken by man? In Ecclesiastes we read

14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. (Ecclesiastes 3:14)

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An Analysis of President Joe Biden’s Inaugural Address Pt II.

This is a continuation of the previous Podcast which was entitled, “An Analysis of President Joe Biden’s Inaugural Address Pt I. If you have not listened to Pt I, let me recommend that you do so before listening to Pt II. When Mr. Biden said,

We can deliver racial justice.

He meant we can continue to condemn those who disagree with our policies and exonerate anyone who agrees with our ideology.

We need to understand that the left means to take away the rights of one group and grant special privileges to another. While building one class they have generated hatred for another, meaning the white middle class. They mean to defund the police and create chaos and disorder in our cities and towns and streets. California actually made it lucrative to steal by reducing all thefts under a thousand dollars as a misdemeanor, making it impractical for police to arrest looters. Some looters carried calculators with them as they emptied stores of their inventory. Of course, on the way out collectively they destroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment. They weren’t held accountable for their destruction, only for items that exceeded a thousand dollars.

When Mr. Biden, the spokesman for the liberal left, says

We will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility.

Much to repair.

Much to restore.

Much to heal.

Much to build.

And much to gain.

We need to understand that he means to tear down our democratic republic and replace it with socialism. When Mr. Biden says,

And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders – leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.

He means to create an Orwellian Ministry of truth in which only one truth, their truth is permitted. Of course, he doesn’t call it the Ministry of Truth, he calls it “Disinformation Governance Board to combat “misinformation.” It really means to promote the propaganda of the left and suppress the views of the right. Look at Twitter’a former ban on conservatives, look at the major news networks, how they have suppressed and distorted the news. Mr. Biden continues.

And, yes, the truth.

Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson.

There is truth and there are lies.

Lies told for power and for profit.

You can be certain that The Disinformation Governance Board to combat “misinformation” will come down hard on news sources such as Fox News and validate sources such as MSNBC or CNN or the other networks who are propagandists for the left.

When he said

A climate in crisis. A cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear.

He meant shutting down oil pipelines, regulating the oil industry out of business, stopping natural gas and all other fossil fuels. He meant spending trillions of dollars on the New Green Energy Deal where every American will have to purchase an expensive electric car, where gas prices will rise higher than ever in history, where food prices escalate, where two thirds of America are required to live very lean lives, existing from paycheck to paycheck, where inflation is at an all-time high, where shelves are empty in the stores, and where even baby food must be rationed.

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An Analysis of President Joe Biden’s Inaugural Address Pt I.

We shall begin this podcast by quoting from President Joe Biden’s First Inaugural Address delivered January 20, 2021.

A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.

To call for “a cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making” ignores the Declaration of Independence, ignores the Civil War, ignores the Emancipation Proclamation, Ignores the triumphs of Martin Luther King, and ignores the civil rights laws that have been in place now for decades guaranteeing racial equality under the law. It serves only one purpose to create racial division. A short time later, the President said,

I ask every American to join me in this cause.

Uniting to fight the common foes we face:

Anger, resentment, hatred.

Extremism, lawlessness, violence.

He means, of course, everyone but the democratic party and those engaged in Black Lives Matter and those who are actually leading the riots. The left approves of the riots and have made their views public. Even the press, while bullets are flying and buildings are flaming, call them peaceful demonstrations. Hypocrisy has no end of irony. It thrives on self-contradiction.

Anger, resentment, hatred, extremism, lawlessness, and violence are the direct results of the heated rhetoric of the left, abetted by President’s Bidens speech. The flaming rhetoric of the left gave rise to Black Lives Matter, riots in the streets, taking over buildings and city blocks, burning, looting, shooting, and mob control because that was the intent. It is as if the left, now led by Joe Biden want to resurrect the tension of the 60’s for political profit. And that is exactly what they have done.

But of course, the real intent is obscured by language. Mr. Biden said

In another January in Washington, on New Year’s Day 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

When he put pen to paper, the President said, “If my name ever goes down into history it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it.”

Mr. Biden wants to create the illusion that all civil rights leaders before him, including Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, failed and he is the new champion. That is what he means by “a cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making.” Mr. Biden wants to be perceived as another Abraham Lincoln, but to do so he must recreate the slave mentality of 1863. He must create the illusion that the blacks are still living under Jim Crow laws and that we live in pre-Civil War days. Otherwise, he has no one to emancipate. To create the illusion, Mr. Biden must generate hatred, riots, anger, civil discontent, feelings of repression. He must play on the past and make it appear that nothing has ever changed, that Abraham Lincoln failed, that Martin Luther King failed, that all other efforts have failed, but that he, Mr. Joe Biden, will succeed. Taking the words of Mr. Lincoln, applying them to himself, he said

Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this:

Bringing America together.

Uniting our people.

And uniting our nation.

Where past presidents have failed, Mr. Biden declares.

We can right wrongs. …

We can deliver racial justice.

Again Mr. Biden emphasizes our failures to achieve racial equality.

Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, and demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial.

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Milton’s Paradise Lost Book I Introduction to Satan

Milton’s genius is universally acknowledged, but that we even have Paradise Lost is a testament to what the creative mind is capable of. To ask would we have Paradise Lost without Milton, one would have to ask would we have Hamlet without Shakespeare or The Odyssey without Homer and so on and on and on? The answer is probably not. Some things are nonpareil. Some works are a measure of the writer; some are a measure of the reader. Such is Paradise Lost. We are not judging Milton. Milton is judging us.

In the Poet’s Corner series, I have decided to systematically work through the Twelve Books of Paradise Lost from a Christian point of view and, among other things, to see what Milton tells us about the ‘wiles of the devil.’ I reflect on Peter’s words.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Those familiar with Milton know of the richness of his imagery. He demands a lot from his reader for his literary allusions come from an encyclopedia of classical scholarship. I shall focus primarily on his Biblical allusions which comprise only a short portion of the Bible, the story of the fall of man. Milton was blind when he wrote Paradise Lost so, we can assume that he borrowed from his comprehensive memory.

Though over time I intend to finish Paradise Lost, I do not intend to exclude other great writers from Poet’s corner; therefore, Milton will weave in and out of the podcasts as a kind of dominating theme until somewhere down the road we reach the end.

So let us together take advantage of Milton’s analytical mind and see what we can learn from one of the greatest Christian thinkers of all time.

Let’s begin with his purpose statement. The story begins in the Garden of Eden though Milton immediately takes us back to the pre-physical creation, to the War in Heaven where Lucifer and his angels were cast out prompting Christ, who saw it all, to say, “I saw Satan like lightning fall from heaven.”

In five lines Milton establishes the fall of man and the mission of Christ who will “restore us” once again to that “blissful seat” where we once lived with God in heaven. That is a revolutionary idea and shows Milton to be an independent thinker for he goes against the orthodoxy of the Church of England of his day. Like all poets he invokes the muses to help him; however rather than calling upon the Greek muses, he calls upon the Holy Ghost. The following allusion is of Christ on Mount Sinai giving the Ten Commandments to Moses, who in the five books of Moses wrote the story of Creation delivered to him by God himself.

Sing, Heavenly Muse, that, on the secret top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That shepherd who first taught the chosen seed
In the beginning how the heavens and earth
Rose out of Chaos: or, if Sion hill
Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flowed
Fast by the oracle of God, I thence
Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song,

Milton then announces that he is going to put to poetry what no other author has done.

That with no middle flight intends to soar
Above th’ Aonian mount, while it pursues
Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.

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Endure to the End

In Hebrews 6:1-2, Paul teaches us the principles of the doctrine of Christ.

1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

Note that the doctrine of Christ is repentance, faith, baptism, laying on of hands. Paul clarifies what he means by the “laying on of hands.:

14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

Peter defines that the gift Paul refers to is the gift of the Holy Ghost.

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2: 38)

A gift is something given to us permanently, meaning if we are worthy, the Holy Ghost will always dwell in our hearts as a constant companion. In other words, the gift of the holy Ghost comes only after we have been sanctified through baptism, and then the gift comes only through the laying of hands of the presbytery. The presbytery refers to those officers who hold the priesthood.

Paul, however, is teaching us that the principles of the doctrine of Christ are the beginning and not the end. When Paul said, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ,” he doesn’t mean to ignore them. He is teaching us that those are the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, but we must go even further. We must “go on unto perfection.” Going on to perfection is a very heavy order. Christ doesn’t make it easier when he said,

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Everyone knows that in this life we can never be perfect. But nowhere does either Paul or the Savior teach that perfection is attainable in this life, Jesus himself being the only one who was perfect. Paul says, “Go on unto perfection.” In other words, continue to improve by repenting of our sins daily and continuing to strive. In the words of Tennyson, “to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Consider the word ‘yield’ to mean not to give up or quit or abandon the quest.

Following the doctrine of Christ, enduring to the end is the key to eternal happiness. No matter how long or hard the journey, enduring is greater than the failures and triumphs, the criticisms and applause, the whips and garlands, the hardships and luxuries of our whiplash life. The Preacher tells us

“8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof….” (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

Christ said,

“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” (John 8:31)

The key is “to continue.” “In my word” means to continue “in my commandments” or “in my laws.” God encourages us to continue because he knows that we cannot of ourselves reach perfection. Spotted repentance is a dangerous gamble, betting our souls that we will die on a spiritual high. Only those who endure, continually struggling, have certainty. The only way that we can become perfect is through Christ. It is Christ alone, not ourselves, and not our works, that makes us perfect. Perfection cannot come until after the resurrection

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Ode, Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood by William Wordsworth.

The poem addresses death. Speaking of the poem, Wordsworth said,

"But it was not so much from the source of animal vivacity that my difficulty came, as from a sense of the indomitableness of the spirit within me. I used to brood over the stories of Enoch and Elijah, and almost persuade myself that, whatever might become of others, I should be translated in something of the same way to heaven. With a feeling congenial to this, I was often unable to think of external things as having external existence, and I communed with all that I saw as something not apart from, but inherent in, my own immaterial nature.

As usual, Linda will be our reader. In the preface to the poem, Wordsworth said:

The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

The opening line, which is often quoted, dominates the theme of the poem. The father teaches the child about mortality, but the child teaches the father about immortality. The father teaches the child to prepare for mortal life; the child teaches the father to prepare for immortality and eternal life. Not only is there a temporal reality, but there is also a spiritual reality. “Natural piety” is a unique phrase. It suggests that our longing for God and heaven and our premortal life is natural, that reverence for God and for the infinite is natural, that the feelings of the Holy Ghost are natural and not artificial and self-imposed.

The poem is written in eleven stanzas.

Stanza I

There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream, The earth, and every common sight, To me did seem Apparelled in celestial light, The glory and the freshness of a dream. It is not now as it hath been of yore;—Turn wheresoe'er I may, By night or day, The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

One can only envy Wordsworth’s’ precocity and childhood memories. Before coming to earth, we lived with God, the father of our spirits in heaven. At birth a veil is drawn over our minds causing us to forget our former home. To Wordsworth those memories do not immediately disappear. They more or less are systematically taught out of him.

Stanza II.

The rainbow comes and goes, And lovely is the rose; The moon doth with delight Look round her when the heavens are bare; Waters on a starry night Are beautiful and fair; The sunshine is a glorious birth; But yet I know, where'er I go, That there hath passed away a glory from the earth.

There is beauty in nature, but the former light or former glory has gone. To Wordsworth, the earth too was created near the throne of God but with the fall it lost its former glory. In other words, the earth was moved out of its former celestial sphere and placed in a terrestrial sphere with borrowed light from the sun.

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The Family

Adam and Eve, our first parents, provide the model for the entire world. We are created in the express image of God.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

Men and women are superior to all the animals.

“and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

Even before we came to earth, we were male or female. It is an eternal identity for the spirit is eternal and cannot die.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

The family unit receive a special blessing and a commandment to bear children and to have dominion over the earth

We are a family of God, and the earthly family is patterned after the eternal family of God. We are the children of God, made in his image. Image refers to our spirit body. God is the Father of our spirit.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? (Hebrews 12:9)

We were all spirit children of God before we even came to earth. That means that we are all brothers and sisters equal in the eyes of God.

34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: (Acts 10:34)

In the War in Heaven, Satan rejected God. He rejected the family. He caused division among us,

4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven.

All of the spirit children of God divided into two camps.

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

Satan and his angels lost the battle.

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

They were cast out of heaven and were never able to have a physical body. They will remain spirits forever.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The battle was not one of swords and fists and guns and drums and cries of war. It was the same as with the battle against Satan on earth. It was by testimony and the word of God.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Satan and his angels have carried on that battle against man on earth ever since.

17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

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“The Road to Power.”

Because of the law of justice, we have a God of law; because of the law of mercy, we have a God of love; because of truth, we have a God of knowledge; and because of light, we have a God of power.

Only one who is perfect can be trusted with perfect power. When Christ comes during the millennium, the entire earth will turn into a theocracy, the head of government will be Christ.

15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

But until that time we must govern ourselves. Presently the earth has many forms of governments. They carry different names: democracy, communism, socialism, oligarchy, monarchy, theocracy, totalitarianism.

For our purposes, I shall divide governments according to liberty. The far left will represent minimum liberty. On the far right will represent maximum liberty.

Totalitarianism, communism, monarchy, theocracy, socialism, democracy, democratic republic.

From the beginning of its creation America has been the leader of the free world with its strong Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, sovereignty, equal voting rights, solvency, balance of power, division of powers of the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch, states’ rights, support of family, and shared values of virtue, morality, and self-reliance.

It is not the language of freedom that holds a nation together. Language can be a whited sepulchral full of dead men’s bones. It is the heart of the people that holds a nation together and the strict adherence to just laws. If any one of the above attributes of our democratic republic are tampered with or destroyed, then our nation grows weaker and gravitates to the left toward totalitarianism. It is a short distance from freedom to servitude, from a democratic republic to totalitarianism.

The attributes of freedom are dominoes aligned in a perfect circle, when one falls, they all fall, Our foundation is weak, and the eastern wind is growing stronger. Given the climate in Washington today, could they produce our Declaration of Independence? our Bill of Rights? our Constitution? Could they create a balance of power? Could they agree on shared values of virtue, morality, and self-reliance? Could they agree on States Rights.? Could they even agree with the following statement?

If you polled Congress individually, how many would swear to the following?

Do you believe in self-evident truth, that is do you believe that truth is absolute?
Do you believe that all truth comes from God?
Do you believe that God created all men equal?
Do you believe that God endowed all men with certain unalienable Rights.
Do you believe that life is an unalienable right? In other words would you vote against partial birth abortion? Would you vote against abortion during the third trimester?
Do you believe God gave us liberty as an unalienable right?
Do you believe that God gave us the unalienable right of the pursuit of happiness?

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Six Laws All Christians Should Know Pt I The Law of Creation

There are six laws that all Christians should know to understand the workings of the Almighty.

1. The Law of Creation

2. The Law of Justice

3. The Law of Mercy

4. The Law of Opposition

5. The Law of Agency

6. The Law of Eternal Progression.

In this podcast Linda and I shall address The Law of Creation.

The law of creation is simply this: Something can never come out of nothing. In other words, creation can never be ex nihilo, something from nothing. The late Stephen Hawking, in his book, The Grand Design, asked the following question,

“Do we have free will? If we have free will, where in the evolutionary tree did it develop?”

Notice Mr. Hawking’s assumptions. (1) Everything must have a beginning. And (2) Evolution accounts for the creation or origins of man.” Both assumptions are false for they violate the law of creation. I thoroughly accept evolution as a science as long as it stays within the boundaries of law, but I do not accept evolution as a law unto itself. Evolution is merely a law governed by a higher set of laws that serves a vital but limited purpose. It has boundaries. Science has extended those boundaries beyond scientific proof. They have taken a solid law and given it powers it cannot possibly have. They have given evolution the power to create something from nothing, meaning creation must come about by chance. The first rule of the law of creation is that something can never come from nothing. The second rule of the law of creation is that something can never come from chance. Laws that depend upon chance cannot be laws. That which can be created by chance can just as easily be destroyed by chance, making law a chimera, a will of the wisp, that appears and disappears on a cosmic whim. Mr. Hawking should know that is not possible. In fact, Mr. Hawking does know that it is not possible. It was Mr. Hawking who said,

“A scientific law is not a scientific law if it holds only when some supernatural being decides not to intervene.”

Some Christians may take issue with the implied atheism but the statement itself is true. Laws cannot be arbitrary, and God cannot be arbitrary. An arbitrary God is an oxymoron. If the universe were run by an arbitrary God, it would self-destruct. However, Mr. Hawking contradicts himself when he said,

“According to M-theory, ours is not the only universe. Instead, M-theory predicts that a great many universes were created out of nothing.”

The first assertion stated by Mr. Hawking is true. Since the Hubble telescope, it is impossible to believe that ours is the only universe. Common sense tells us that the number of universes is infinite. It follows that there are other planets that contain life just as earth does. They too are infinite in number. It is science that is under the superstition that everything began 14 billion years ago with the Big Bang. The Big Bang may or may not have occurred. The Big Bang may or may not be responsible for the universe that we inhabit, but the Big Bang is not the beginning of creation. In space-time 14 billion years is nothing. It is like spitting into a tsunami. There is no beginning to creation. We are products of infinity. Creation is a product of infinity. There is not and never can be ex-nihilo, something from nothing. It is not possible that any universe was created out of nothing.

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The Garden of Eden

The story of the Garden of Eden, regardless of the chronological timeline, begins hard on the creation of the earth. It introduces the beginning of man on earth.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

In reality, of course, the story of the Garden of Eden is one of the most complex stories in the Holy Bible, and there is nothing simple about it. It is a story about conflicting commandments, agency, opposition, consequences, the purpose of life, and freewill.

Our first parents were married by the Lord, ruling out the idea that sex was the original sin.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:21-24)

The first commandment was to multiply and replenish the earth.

8 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (Genesis 1:28)

The irony is that they could not multiply and replenish the earth because they could not have a sexual union until after the fall.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. (Genesis 3:6-7)

Before, they had walked freely with God when he came to visit. Now, recognizing they were naked, for the first time, they were ashamed.

8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? (Genesis 3:8-11)

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The Garden of Paradise by Hans Christian Anderson

Hans Christian Anderson (1805-1875), a prolific writer, is best known for his fairy tales. The Garden of Paradise, a fascinating allegory, raises the question, “What would you do if you were in the Garden of Eden rather than Adam and Eve? Would you have eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil or would you have remained in the garden of Eden forever? The Garden of Paradise is a story about the subtlety of temptation.

There was once a king's son; nobody had so many or such beautiful books as he had. He could read about everything which had ever happened in this world, and see it all represented in the most beautiful pictures. He could get information about every nation and every country; but as to where the Garden of Paradise was to be found, not a word could he discover, and this was the very thing he thought most about. … 'Oh, why did Eve take of the tree of knowledge? Why did Adam eat the forbidden fruit? If it had only been I it would not have happened! never would sin have entered the world!'

In Hans Christian Anderson’s story, The Garden of Paradise, he addresses the nature of sin in a brilliant allegory. In his search for the Garden of Paradise the Prince came upon a strange cave. In it lived a very old woman of great strength. Her four sons were the “four winds of the world.” One of the sons was the Eastwind. He announced that he was going to the Garden of Paradise and agreed to take the young prince with him.

'I say,' said the Prince, 'just tell me who is this Princess, and where is the Garden of Paradise?'

'Oh ho!' said the Eastwind, 'if that is where you want to go you must fly with me to-morrow. But I may as well tell you that no human being has been there since Adam and Eve's time. You know all about them I suppose from your Bible stories?'

'Of course,' said the Prince. The queen of the fairies lives there. The Island of Bliss, where death never enters, and where living is a delight, is there. Get on my back to-morrow and I will take you with me;

When the Prince woke up, he was sitting on the back of the Eastwind, being flown to the Garden of Paradise.

A river ran there as clear as the air itself, and the fish in it were like gold and silver. Purple eels, which gave out blue sparks with every curve, gambolled about in the water; and the broad leaves of the water-lilies were tinged with the hues of the rainbow, while the flower itself was like a fiery orange flame, nourished by the water, just as oil keeps a lamp constantly burning.

In the Garden of Paradise all the animals were friendly to each other just as they once again will be during the Millennium.

Lions and tigers sprang like agile cats among the green hedges, which were scented with the blossom of the olive, and the lion and the tiger were tame. The wild dove, glistening like a pearl, beat the lion's mane with his wings; and the antelope, otherwise so shy, stood by nodding, just as if he wanted to join the game.

They met the Fairy Queen, and the prince was shown the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It was formidable and a little scary.

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The Last Days Pt X, The Resurrection

Most Christians, I think it is safe to say, believe in a literal resurrection. The model is Christ himself. When Christ came forth from the tomb, he looked like his former self. He talked with the saints. He ate fish with the apostles.

6 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? 42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took it, and did eat before them. (Luke 24:36-43)

Christ was the first to be resurrected.

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. (1 Corinthians 15:23)

Immediately after the resurrection of Christ, many saints rose from the dead.

52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. (Matthew 27:52-53)

Everyone will be resurrected.

15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. (Acts 24:15)

28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:25-29)

There is a first resurrection and a second resurrection. The righteous shall be the first to be resurrected.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

Tremendous blessings shall be given to those who come forth in the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)

All resurrected bodies are perfect in every way. There will be no sickness, no disease, no deformities, no bald heads, no wrinkled flesh, no infirmities. The differences in the resurrection, however, will be demonstrated in light, knowledge, and power. We can actually improve the quality of our resurrection according to the laws of God we live on earth.

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The Last Days Pt IX The New Jerusalem

In the previous podcast we listed the six stages of the earth. In this podcast we shall focus on the sixth or final stage of the earth. It marks, of course, the end of the world as we know it. The New Jerusalem descends, and earth becomes celestialized. In other words, earth becomes heaven. In the Sermon on the Mount, the third Beatitude says,

“5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)

That has always been a bit of a paradox because in our world tyrants often inherit the earth. A meek tyrant is an oxymoron. We don’t generally think of world conquerors as meek: Caesar, Alexander the Great, Atilla the Hun, Napoleon, Hitler. However, I have discovered that it is safer to read the words of our Lord literally, and no scripture is more literal than the third beatitude. Many scriptures in the Bible reinforce the Savior’s words.

“29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.” (Psalm 37:29)

“9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” (1 Corinthians 6:9)

“5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” (James 2:5)

It is also clear that this earth was prepared to be not just our earthly home, but also our eternal home.

“34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” (Matthew 25:34)

We know that Christ is the creator of this world.

“2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;” (Hebrews 1:2)

And when Christ laid the foundation of this world, he was not only creating our earthly home, he was also creating our eternal kingdom. As he said above, “Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” It is a very literal statement then when Christ said that “the meek shall inherit the earth. The earth was founded upon that principle. The meek are those who overcome all things.

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“7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” (Revelation 21:7)

However, we are not the only ones who shall inherit the earth. Paul tells us that we are joint-heirs with Christ.

“17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:17)

John the Revelator tells us that the city New Jerusalem will come down from God and dwell on the earth and God himself shall be with his people

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:1-3)

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The Last Days Pt VIII The Six Stages of the Earth

Mother earth has gone through many stages. We have the fascinating scientific view of the earth. They estimate earth to be about 4.5 billion years old in a universe that is estimated to be about 14 billion years old. Its scientific history is mesmerizing, and science continues to study our terrestrial home.

Contrary to what some scientists think there is no conflict between the scientific view of earth and the Christian view of earth. Let science do what science does best, discover temporal laws. The conflict is in the opinion of who is the creator. However, opinion no matter how charged with the authority of numbers or academic credentials, does not create one truth. Science claims the universe and all life in it happened by accident. It is a claim that can never be proven. It is a default hypothesis based on the rejection of the existence of God. Their argument runs something like this. The earth exists; therefore, there must be a reason for its existence. God does not exist (or an intelligent designer does not exist); therefore, God did not create the earth. The only explanation is chance; therefore, chance created the earth.

It puts science in a terrible bind because without perfect order there would be no earth, no law, and no science. They are faced with the dilemma of explaining how accident creates order governed by an impeccable system of perfect laws. It is the equivalent of saying that something comes from nothing, making order an illusion which can disappear just as strangely as it appeared.

Christianity claims that it occurred by intelligent design, using as evidence the perfect order of the universe. Even scientists agree on the appearance of intelligent design, but they would have to acknowledge the existence of God to actually credit intelligent design; therefore, they defy all probability and adhere to the improbable theory of accident. Christians cannot prove the existence of God to people who categorically deny the proof while religiously adhering to its laws; therefore, it is a standoff.

Good Christians can make good scientists just as good scientists can make good Christians. The conflict is an illusion. Science focuses on how the earth was created; Christians focus on why the earth was created. One can do both at the same time. Here is a peculiar dilemma. Scientists can remain good scientists while denying God because laws were designed by God to act independently. Christians, however, cannot remain good Christians while denying the laws by which God operates. All laws, temporal or spiritual, depend upon the principle of causality. God is a God of law and order. God created both temporal laws and spiritual, and to understand God one must understand his laws.

From the Biblical perspective there is a temporal dimension and a spiritual dimension. As science contemplates the temporal dimension, Christianity contemplates the spiritual dimension. One must conclude, however, that anything that has life, including earth, must also have a spirit for the spirit alone has life in itself.

A basic assumption for Christians is that earth was created by God for man, that all men and women were given bodies created in heaven by God.

18 For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:18)

The Psalmist refers to us as ‘children of God.”

“6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” (Psalm 82:6)

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The Last Days Pt VII The Millennium

The Garden of Eden has long been considered the quintessential Utopia, or perfect place. The word Utopia is a term coined by Sir Thomas Moore for his novel entitled Utopia. It means the perfect society. Other names for Utopia are Shangri la, Happy Valley, El Dorado, Erewhon, and Paradise. Today paradise is generally equated with palm trees, white sand beaches, blue ocean, and a tropical climate where one lies about idly all day in a hammock sipping margaritas. The idea is silly. How long would it take for one to become an alcoholic or to die of boredom?

However, most utopias imagined by man are mere satires such as El Dorado by Voltaire, Happy Valley by Samuel Johnson, and Erewhon by Samuel Butler. In fact, “Erewhon” spelled backwards is “nowhere.” Even the Garden of Eden is not really a utopia because Adam and Eve have extremely limited awareness. They can’t be happy because they have never known sadness. They can’t love because they don’t even know they are naked. They can’t understand opposites because they do not have knowledge of Good and Evil. It was necessary for Adam and Eve to leave the Garden of Eden to have children and experience life. If they had remained in the Garden, there would have been no posterity. They would have lived forever in blissful ignorance, one day like the day before.

That is what makes the Millennium unique. The Millennium can be a true utopia only because it follows the days of tribulation. As calm is only in the eye of the hurricane, peace is only in the eye of war. Ironically all the events leading up to the Millennium are events of horror: plagues and famines and war and earthquakes. We are told

9 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Jesus adds

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)

We will be able to enjoy the eternal bliss of the millennium only because we have experienced the devastating effects of wickedness. Before the millennium can be established the wicked must all be destroyed, leaving only the righteous to inhabit the earth. As we examine the joys of the millennium, it is only notable because of the absence of sorrow. I suppose we all, in our idle moments could create a perfect society in our minds, particularly after a series of horrific tragedies, by simply writing down a wish list. In the following we have only the visions of ancient prophets who mostly lived in terrible circumstances. Throughout the ages the prophets we admire so much were in their lifetime persecuted and even killed.

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Remarks by President Biden on Uvalde, Texas, an Analysis

Welcome to season two of ‘A New Voice of Freedom.’ The Podcasts are based on the four volumes ‘In Defense of Christianity’ written by Ronald Keith Messer. This is from a series entitled Political Speeches. Podcast 101B is entitled “Remarks by President Biden on the Tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, an Analysis.”

President Biden has once again shown that those burning with a cause become completely insensitive to genuine feelings. Language can lie about everything but the truth. Mr. Biden’s tirade on the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, is not a compassionate speech. It is a buffalo stampede on the true feelings of the wounded. The speech is mercifully only 845 words long. There is only one sentence which is eleven words long that shows a hint of genuine compassion for the families. It is this,

“May God bless the loss of innocent life on this sad day.”

His speech would have been wonderful if he had said those eleven words and then sat down in reverent silence.

The rest of the speech is insensitive, even hurtful, and here are three reasons why.

1. He takes the Lord’s name in vain seven times, using the phrase “In God’s name” in a vulgar way four times and the phrase, “for God’s sake” in a vulgar way three times. The Lord’s name should not be an expletive. Then, after crudely addressing God, he calls on that same divinity in prayer,

“May God bless the loss,”

“May the Lord be near the brokenhearted,” and

“God love you.”

Does he the President of the United States of America, whose party wants to remove “In God we Trust” from all government related things not know the difference between taking the Lord’s name in vain and calling upon God for divine help.

2. His insensitivity to those who experienced the tragedy (the children, the schoolteachers and others connected, and especially to close family, friends, and community) is disgraceful. Out of the 845 words, he used 200 words to pour salt into the wounds. The language is deplorable given the context that the primary audience is those who are devastated with grief and did not need to be told how they should feel. Not one of those 200 words were necessary and every one was hurtful. I quote directly from the speech.

Another massacre. Uvalde, Texas. An elementary school. Beautiful, innocent second, third, fourth graders. And how many scores of little children who witnessed what happened see their friends die as if they’re on a battlefield, for God’s sake. They’ll live with it the rest of their lives.

Notice that his audience is not the people of Uvalde, Texas. He speaks in third person, “They’ll live with it the rest of their lives.” Mr. Biden is speaking to those who will help him push through his gun control agenda. The tragedy is a hook to hang his agenda on. He continues.

There are parents who will never see their child again, never have them jump in bed and cuddle with them. Parents who will never be the same.

To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away. There’s a hollowness in your chest, and you feel like you’re being sucked into it and never going to be able to get out. It’s suffocating. And it’s never quite the same.

Mr. Biden is drumming up sympathy for his cause. He certainly isn’t speaking words of comfort to the true victims.

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Pride

Webster’s dictionary defines virtue as a conformity to a standard of right, a particular moral excellence. A vice, of course, is just the opposite: a moral depravity or corruption, a moral fault or failing. We often pit the seven heavenly virtues (chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, kindness, patience, & humility) against the seven deadly sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, wrath, & pride). In Proverbs we read,

16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

(Proverbs 6:16-19)

It is universally acknowledged, I suppose, that Pride comes before the fall. In Proverbs we also read,

18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18)

There is no lack of scriptures condemning pride.

18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: (Isaiah 5:18)

31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence. (Job 15:31)

The opposite, of course, is praised in Holy Writ.

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. (Psalm 24:3-4)

Pride is part of the human condition, the natural man. King David said, “Every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” We can also look to our poets to address the virtues and vices of man. Some poets preach in unforgettable ways so that the virtue or vice sticks in one’s mind. The following verse by Emily Dickenson (1830-1886) is as effective as any sermon I know against vanity.

I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you – Nobody – too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise – you know!

How dreary – to be – Somebody!
How public – like a Frog –
To tell one's name – the livelong June –
To an admiring Bog!

Today Emily Dickinson is considered one of America’s favorite poets, yet she lived and died in relative obscurity. Another poet, one who enjoyed great fame in his life, Percy Bysshe Shelley, (1782-1822) a leader in the romantic movement in England, burns the fleeting nature of vanity in your mind by telling a simple tale without moralizing.

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."

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The Opening of the Seventh Seal

But the sixth seal is preliminary to the Second Coming of Christ. Christ does not make his appearance until after the opening of the seventh seal or somewhere during the beginning of the seven thousand years. The time immediately prior to the Second coming is filled with “voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.” The thunderings and lightnings are plural. The earthquake is singular. There have been thousands of earthquakes but apparently there is a last great earthquake unlike any the earth has experienced.

Seven Angels announce the Second Coming. Each angel portends a mighty disaster. These are found in the Book of Revelation Chapters 8, 9, 10 & 11.

6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

The first angel introduces incredible storms that will take many lives.

7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

John is noted for his figurative imagery. It cannot be missed that the plagues of the last days are parallel to the ten plagues of Egypt. Symbolism ties events together. The Ten plagues of Egypt were:

Blood
Frogs
Lice or gnats
Flies
Lifestock
Boils
Hail
Locust
Darkness
Death of firstborn

The first angel mentions “hail and fire mingled with blood.” The destruction is massive. John, however, is noted for his symbolism. What he is describing is not your average hail nor is he referring to a hailstorm of ice the size of golf balls. The hail he is describing weighs as much as a talent. In Revelation 16 we read

21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great. (Revelation 16:21)

“Exceeding great” is rather an understatement. A Hebrew Talent weighed more than 125 pounds. Imagine a hailstone that large. Obviously, it isn’t an ice storm, but perhaps metal shrapnel or other debris caused by bombs and missiles falling from the sky, hence the image “hail and fire mingled with blood.”

The second angel brings pollution to the seas.

8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

Again, it could be chemical or atomic warfare. The third angel brings pollution to the rivers and streams which also suggest tactics of war in which the enemy deliberately poisons the water sources and kills life in the water.

10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

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The Last Days Pt V: The Signs of the Times

Many events accompany the Second Coming of Christ. On the Mount of Olives, the disciples had a private conversation with the Savior about the end of the world.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (Matthew 24:3)

Christ gave a disturbing list. It is divided into four stages.

Stage One

1. many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

2. ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars:

3. nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

4. they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

5. then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

6. many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

7. because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Stage one is marked by false Christs, wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, persecution against Christians, betrayal, the love of man shall wax cold. We are seeing stage one unfold before our eyes daily.

Stage Two

Stage Two is unique.

8. this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

9. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place

The gospel of Christ must be spread throughout the earth. John the Revelator refers to the same event.

6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (Revelation 14:6-7)

At the end there will be a great dichotomy. There will be those who stand for Christ and those who stand against Christ. There will be those who follow the true teachings of Christ and those who follow their own philosophies and call it Christian. And most of all there will be good versus evil. Like never before there will be a great division. The good people of the earth will have to stand together against those who have the mark of the beast. As previous podcasts stated Babylon will fall prior to the coming of Christ. Babylon represents those who follow the natural man and satisfy the lusts of the flesh. Babylon is not to be confused, however, with the violence of war that will mark the last days.

Stage Three

The Third stage is the Great Tribulation.

10. then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

11. there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

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The Marriage Supper of the Lamb vs The Supper of the Great God

Let’s turn to the Book of Revelation, Chapter 19, to read of the two great suppers that will be held at the Second Coming of Christ and prior to the Millennium. As we read this, let’s remember that the Second Coming is a series of events, not a single spectacular appearing. Many things happen during the Second Coming both for the preparation for the coming of Christ and for the preparation of the ushering in of the Millennium. There will be no magic wand and poof, all is done.

Think of the Second Coming of Christ as the preparation for the Millennium and think of the Millennium as a thousand-year period of well-established government ruled by Christ and administered by his disciples. It is an extremely elaborate system of government, but before that can happen, the entire world must be overthrown, and all of its governments collapse and the wicked removed from the earth. That does not happen in an instant suddenly. In addition, elaborate preparations are made before Christ comes, many during unspecified periods of time.

In two previous podcasts we talked about the rise and fall of Babylon. In Chapter 14 of the Book of Revelation an angel announces the fall of Babylon.

8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. (Revelation 14:8)

But that was just the voice of the second angel. In Chapter 14, we hear seven voices though only six voices are identified as angels. Enormous preparation occurs even before Christ appears on the earth the Second Time.

But notice the preparation before that occurs:

The First Voice announces the following:

1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

Now we hear the voice of the first angel.

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The Last Days Pt III The Ancient Prophesies of the Second Coming of Christ

The story of Job remains dateless, but we can assume from the earliest days the people of God were looking forward to the Coming of Christ, and were aware of his birth, death, resurrection, and of his Second coming. Many prophesies refer to the first coming of Christ, or the date of his birth in Bethlehem of Judea. Many prophesies refer to his second coming referred to by modern Christians as The Last Days, just prior to his Millennial Reign. In Job we read,

25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: (Job 19:25)

Obviously, that refers to the Second Coming, or the Millennial Christ. The “latter days” always refers to what is conveniently called “end time” or “end of days.” Though the Second coming does occur at the end of the world as we know it, it is not literally the end of the World. The Second coming occurs at the beginning of the Millennium or Millennial reign in which earth will enjoy a period of peace lasting a thousand years. The earth will be elevated but not translated, glorified, but not celestialized, sanctified but not changed into its final state. It will be the abode of the Son, but not the Father. That is reserved for after the final Battle. After the Millennium, for example, Satan is loosed for an unspecified period. John the Revelator tells us:

3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (Revelation 20:3)

In the Old Testament no prophets spoke more of Christ than the Psalmist David and the futuristic prophet Isaiah.

7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. (Psalm 24:7)

16 When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. (Psalm 102:16)

The Prophet Isaiah echoes the same sentiments.

3 ¶ The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:3-5)

Christians are not timid about claiming that there is one Lord, one faith and one baptism, that Christ is the only creator, and that Christ is the only Lord, the only God, the only Savior and the only Redeemer and besides him there is none else.

22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. (Isaiah 45:22-23)

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Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson

As with all poetry, I do not pretend to tell anyone what a poem means. You may find scholars who will be thrilled to do that for you. But I do freely tell you what it means to me. I find great inspiration in poetry. As with all great writing I rely upon time to be my primary filter. If a poem endured through the ages, then it is more likely that it has a voice that speaks to the universal nature of mankind. It reflects a common experience regardless of the differences. I never grow tired of reading Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Maybe, however, this particular poem speaks to me because, like Ulysses, I am old and an taking my last voyage toward death. Ulysses appears to face the inevitable with the same courage he faced the trials of life. Let’s let Ulysses through the language of the renown poet Tennyson speak for himself.

It little profits that an idle king,

By this still hearth, among these barren crags,

Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole

Unequal laws unto a savage race,

That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.

I cannot rest from travel: I will drink

Life to the lees:

Obviously, Ulysses doesn’t like to sit idle. He doesn’t appear to like the mundane repetition involved in governing an established state. It is more in harmony with his nature to be fighting in Troy or sailing the seven seas at odds with the gods. To drink life to the lees is like drinking wine to the very last drop, down to the dregs. It is not enough to simply eat, drink and acquired wealth. He is a warrior king, a man of action. He is used to the journey, not to the destination. Therefore, with gusto he embarks on his final journey, into the realm of the unknown as Shakespeare says, “The undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveler returns”

All times I have enjoy'd

Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those

That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when

Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades

Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;

For always roaming with a hungry heart

Much have I seen and known; cities of men

And manners, climates, councils, governments,

Myself not least, but honour'd of them all;

And drunk delight of battle with my peers,

Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.

To Ulysses it is the journey that matters and not the destination. He roams with a hungry heart.

I am a part of all that I have met;

This famous line defines a trait that we all share. In our journey we are changed by our environment and in return we change others. We absorb life. We are not like lichen that sticks to one place. Another great poet, John Donne expresses the image this way.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

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The Last Days Pt II: The Fall of Babylon

Nothing is clearer in the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Revelation than the fact that in the last days we will witness the fall of Babylon, which represents the world. John the Revelator tells us,

2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. (Revelation 18:2-3)

Before the coming of the Lord, the earth is in darkness. And who is the cause of that darkness. John the Revelator tells us

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (Revelation 20:1-3)

It is caused by Satan who has such a strong hold just before the coming of the Messiah. The war with Satan began before the earth was even created. It began in the Elysium fields of heaven. Again, we look to John.

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God Day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Revelation 12:7-11)

Satan continues that war on earth. Satan is antichrist. He is the destroyer. He is the prince of darkness. He hates the light. Isaiah describes his defeat on earth.

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; (Isaiah 14: 12-16)

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The Last Days Pt I: The Rise of Babylon

To the ancient Israelites, the land of Egypt represented all that was evil. They were slaves to the Egyptians for 400 years. One of the great challenges to the Children of Israel was to shake the shackles of slavery imposed by the Egyptians.

To the ancient prophets, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah also became symbols of evil. The children of Israel were warned to avoid the sins of Egypt and the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The modern symbol of evil, however, the city that symbolizes evil in the latter days, is Babylon. Babylon was known for its power and for its opulence. The hanging gardens of Babylon have long been considered one of the seven wonders of the world.

Scripturally, however, In the prophesies of Isaiah and John the Revelator, the ancient city of Babylon represents the world as it will be just prior to the Second Coming of our Lord. It represents the triadic sins of Egypt, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Babylon. In other words, all the accumulated sins of the world are embodied in Babylon.

The parallels between Egypt and Babylon and Sodom and Gomorrah are curious. Lot, nephew to Abraham, was led out of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Through Joseph the children of Israel were led into Egypt to avoid the famine. There they lived for hundreds of years. In Joseph’s lifetime they had a privileged position; however, after 400 years of captivity, the Lord called the prophet Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Today we the followers of Christ are called to come out of Babylon.

About 600 years before the birth of Christ, the children of Israel were conquered and carried captive into Babylon. Once again, they were in exile in a foreign land. The famed Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon, made famous in Holy Writ by Daniel. Just as Joseph of Egypt interpreted the dreams of Pharoah, Daniel interpreted the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar.

Now in holy scriptures Babylon represents the world which will be destroyed at the Second Coming of the Messiah. In the Book of Revelation, we read:

1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. (Revelation 17:1-6)

As you can see Babylon symbolizes the sins of our modern world. Rather than following the spiritual man, the modern world follows the natural man, feeding on the lusts of the flesh. The color scarlet symbolizes both royalty, referring to worldly power, and sensuality, referring to physical lusts, hence the phrase, “abominations and filthiness of her fornication.”

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Millennium, The Third Estate

In the last podcast we talked about the four estates of man: The First Estate is our premortal life; our Second Estate is our mortal life; the Third Estate is our Millennial life; and the Fourth Estate is our Eternal Life with God.

The Kingdom of God established by Christ during his ministry is on earth and one of the charges to all Christians is to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ or his millennial reign. We are living in the last days, or the time before the millennium. We are experiencing the darkness just before the dawn.

In private conversation, Christ described the time immediately prior to his coming as recorded in Matthew 24:

3 ¶ And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:3-14)

This Podcast came about after watching the news last evening, the war in Ukraine, the deaths and violence in our streets, the calamity at our nation’s borders, the ambiguity of our leaders, and in my scripture reading this morning reading the words of Isaiah, coincidentally, about the Millennium. The contrast was so startling that I thought I would review the scriptures describing the last days.

Does any Christian doubt that we are living in the time described by the Savior. All one must do is to watch the news and every item on the list is mentioned regularly. And apparently just when we think it cannot be worse, it gets worse. The Savior continued

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. (Matthew 24:21-22)

And that is when things go from dark to darker.

29 ¶ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (Matthew 24:29)

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The Four Primary Estates of Man

We are an eternal family of God, and the earthly family is patterned after the eternal family of God. There are four primary estates of man. The First Estate was in heaven. As spirits we lived in the kingdom of heaven with God who is the Father of our spirits. In Jude we read.

6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. (Jude 1:6)

The Second Estate began when we left heaven as spirits and came to earth through mortal lineage to gain a physical body on earth. When we left heaven, a veil was drawn over our minds causing us to forget our former estate, thus faith was born which thrives in uncertainty. In Ecclesiastes we read:

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? (Ecclesiastes 3:1-9)

The purpose of earth, or the Second Estate is to gain a physical body, to seek the Kingdom of God on Earth and to strive to return to the Presence of God. The Preacher continues:

10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.…14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

The Preacher saw that a judgment would be made, dividing the righteous from the wicked.

16 ¶ And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. 17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

It was intended that on earth, even with the veil over our minds that we distinguish between the natural man and the spiritual man, that we should rise above the beast.

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Poetry, The Language of Worship

Even though there are 150 Psalms, probably most Christians can quote what is simply known as The Twenty Third Psalm or The Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. (Psalm 23)

Once David declares his subject, “The Lord is my shepherd,” he simply extends the analogy. David, himself a shepherd feeding his sheep metaphorically becomes a sheep led by Good Shepherd, the Savior Jesus Christ. In fact, upon reading the poem, as is David’s intent, we too become one with David. We too become sheep being led by Christ who is the Good shepherd. The image of the good shepherd dominates the Holy Bible as the following titles indicate. Christ is called by the following titles:

· The shepherd of Israel (Psalms 80:1

· The Good shepherd (John 10:11)

· One Shepherd (John 10:16)

· That great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20)

· Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4)

While in his ministry on earth, Christ declared.

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:11-16)

Simile, metaphor, and extended analogy are common tools of the poet. One thing takes on the attributes of another. Comparisons often provide a framework for the entire poem. The analogy is sometimes carried as far as it can go. Poetry is noted for its richness of metaphor and other imagery as well as its ambiguity and economy of language. Poetry provides many levels of meaning, giving the poem a life of its own that can be adapted to many cultures and many situations. Poetry is the preferred language of scriptures. What would happen to the Book of Revelation if the poetic imagery were removed?

Just look at the rich imagery of the 23rd Psalm

· Green pastures

· Still waters

· Valley of the shadow of death

· They rod and thy staff they comfort me

· Thou preparest a table before me

· Thou anointest my head with oil

· My cup runneth over

Let me draw your attention to the wonderful ending. It is a hidden analogy. If you submit yourself to Christ—in other words, if you follow Christ as a sheep follows its shepherd, then goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life.

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The Kingdom of God on Earth

We are tribal in nature. Our family is a tribe. Our country is a tribe. Our friends are a tribe. Our school is a tribe. Our religion is a tribe. Political parties are a tribe.

Tribes may be formed by blood, by ideology, by skin color, by sexual orientation, by special interests. All tribes have important elements in common, even if that element is a common enemy.

We are loyal to our tribes. Sometimes rival colleges are war zones. The battlefield is the football stadium, the basketball court, or the soccer field. The Olympics are held at a designated battlefield where athletes decide which nation is superior. It is human nature to divide into tribes.

One of the greatest tribal divisions of all is the God or Gods who are worshiped. Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Christians are world examples.

Those who worship the Lord Jesus Christ form a tribe called Christians. Of course, there are many divisions within the tribe, usually designated as denominations. Sometimes they even go to war against each other.

This podcast is about a particular tribe, The Kingdom of God on earth. I am not going to take sides of this denomination or that denomination. That is a choice every Christian must make for himself or herself. I am simply going to explore scriptures from the Old and New Testaments that teach us about the Kingdom of God on earth. Let me begin with the words of the Psalmist.

7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. (Psalm 24:7-10)

It follows that the Kingdom of God must be led by the King of glory? David asks, “Who is this King of glory.” Then he answers his own question as is typical of all prophets. The answer is “The Lord of Hosts. We know that “The Lord of Hosts” is one of the many names of Jesus Christ. Isaiah informs us:

4 As for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 47:4)

We are also told that The King of Glory will come to earth, taking upon himself a body of flesh and bones. Again it is Isaiah who informs us of his coming along with many other titles that he will wear.

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

When Christ came to earth, he called twelve apostles and established his kingdom on earth.

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:1-2)

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Ye That Follow After Righteousness

One thing that all Christians agree on is that we are living in the last days spoken of so eloquently by the prophets Isaiah and John the Revelator and, of course, other prophets such as Daniel and Ezekiel and the Savior himself as recorded in Matthew 24. I think that what most of us didn’t comprehend is that it is one thing to read about the future. It is another thing to live in it. There is a kind of insanity in the world today, an unanticipated madness that is full of surprises. Who, in their wildest imaginings could have anticipated a world where gender is denied, and the sex of a person can be decided by opinion rather than nature, where men can by word alone declare themselves to be women and compete in women’s sports or invade the privacy of their restrooms, a time where the sanctity of the family is being systematically destroyed as if it were some evil thing, where the existence of God is so universally denied, where kindergarten teachers are encouraged to corrupt the minds of five-year old’s, teaching gender confusion and sex change to infants, where common sense virtues are attacked, and where good is called evil and evil is called good, and where all the assumptions of decency we were taught as children are under attack.

Amos describes our day.

12 Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock: (Amos 6:12)

Isaiah also anticipated our day.

20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)

However, even in the darkest of times, the prophets of doom offer enormous hope. Hope is the message of the scriptures and not doom and gloom. With condemnation comes the call to repentance and redemption, with horror comes hope. Let’s again turn to the words of Isaiah. In the last podcast we considered Isaiah Chapter 50. In this podcast, we shall turn to Isaiah Chapter 51. Notice the light that comes from the darkness.

1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

Notice the phrase, “For the Lord shall comfort Zion.” Where then is Zion? Who lives there? What does it mean to be a Zion people? Zion, of course, is a place. Zion is also considered by Christians to be a future place.

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

(Revelation 21:1-7)

Lord said to Isaiah, “Say unto Zion, Thou art my people.”

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Let us Stand Together

This morning at 4 am (I am an early riser) I was reading Isaiah Chapter 50. One’s first impression of Isaiah is that he seems, upon a cursory reading, to be talking about a far-away-land that has no relevance to one’s own personal dilemma. But this time, reading Isaiah, I had an entirely different experience. I felt like Isaiah was talking directly to me. Bad news had made me feel low for several days and I couldn’t seem to shake it off.

When I was a little boy, my mother said to me that she was going to quit reading the newspaper and watching the news because it left her with such depression. I could not comprehend what she meant. Mother was an avid reader and always seemed to have a book in hand. Our black and white TV set had only three channels. In those days there was no late-night TV, and the test pattern didn’t end until 10:30 am at which time the Howdy Doody Show came on.

That would have been in the 1950’s. For some reason I was startled by her statement, so much so that it has come back to me hundreds of times over the years.

My mother passed away at the happy age of 90, her mind as strong as ever, but I remember her words every time I allow the news to weigh on me, which is often. My wife, Linda, is constantly telling me to quit watching the news because sometimes I fall into a kind of despair for days.

At this writing we have a thirty trillion-dollar debt, open borders, run-away-inflation, war between Ukraine and Russia, threats of nuclear weapons, climbing gas prices, unabated covid pandemic, increasing violence and crime, a break down of law and order, a breakdown of the family, tribalism, declining morals, an inability to discern simple laws of nature, serious charges of corruption in high places, dissembling reporters, corrupt judges, but the list appears endless and what is worse we have leaders who appear to have no comprehension of simple cause and effect. Their denial of any responsibility and shallow solutions increases the problems.

So what does that have to do with Isaiah 50. Let’s take a look. It is short, so let’s work through it concept by concept.\

Of course, the Lord is talking about someone else, right? Wrong! He could just as easily be talking to America today. Our forefathers did not doubt that our nation was built by faith. Listen to the words of George Washington at his First Inaugural Address.

“I dwell on this prospect with every satisfaction which an ardent love for my Country can inspire: since there is no truth more thoroughly established, than that there exists in the economy and course of nature, an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness, between duty and advantage, between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy, and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity: Since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained: And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”

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The Truth Shall Make You Free

We use the following terms interchangeably: Freewill, Freedom, Agency, and Liberty.

In this podcast I want to emphasize the differences. I want to establish the boundaries of each word for each is unique.

In a recent podcast entitled “False Analogy” I drew attention to the fact that in the scientific world, some scientists do not believe that man has freewill. The error derives from the fact that they draw all of their conclusions from the determinism of temporal law. They discount God. They discount spiritual law. They discount the immortality of the soul. They see only the world governed by entropy. In the previous podcast I quoted the following statement from Mr. Stephen Hawking who is speaking for a large segment of the scientific community. The quote is extracted from Mr. Hawking’s book, “The Grand Design.”

“It is hard to imagine how free will can operate if our behavior is determined by physical law, so it seems that we are no more than biological machines and that free will is just an illusion.”

As I pointed out in the podcast, many scientists are atheists who derive their view from the following false analogies:

1. Man is a machine.

2. Man is an animal.

3. Man is “an accidental collocation of atoms.”

The clause, “Man is an accidental collocation of atoms” came from the philosopher and mathematician and evangelical atheist Bertrand Russell. Science claims that we live in an accidental universe.

The argument that I present is that freewill, agency, and liberty are only incidentally related to the physical body. We really are biological machines, extremely fine tuned to live in what Shakespeare calls this “breathing world.”

What atheists overlook is that the flesh is not the source of life. It is the spirit, not the flesh, that has life. Every cell of the flesh is infused with the spirit and that is why the flesh appears to have life. When the spirit leaves, the flesh dies. Flesh is merely the physical manifestation of the spirit. The flesh cannot live independently of the spirit, but the spirit can live independently of the flesh. Physical death is the separation of the body and the spirit. The body goes to the grave. The spirits go to the place appointed by God.

The spirit existed before the flesh, and the spirit will continue to exist after the flesh dissolves into this melting world. All living things have a spirit, or they are no longer living things, whether flora or fauna, man, animal, insect, tree, flower, etc. Without the spirit the flesh dies and decays and dissolves back into this melting world. The spirit alone has life in itself. The spirit alone is immortal, not subject to entropy.

Freewill is a product of the spirit. Will self-exists. Intelligence cannot be created or destroyed. There is no first cause to the essence we call life. There may be a first cause to the immortal spirit body that houses our intelligence. There may be a first cause to the physical body that houses our spirit, but there can be no first cause to the spark of life that we call intelligence or consciousness or will or life force. If that is not true, the existence of that which we call life does not make sense. The primary law of the universe is that something can never come from nothing. If intelligence does not self-exist, where does God come from?

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The Lamb of and the Tiger

I have so many “favorite poets” that I may lose credibility by adding another; nonetheless William Blake (1757-1827) is one of my favorite poets. In his lifetime Blake did not achieve great fame. His genius had to wait to be discovered by later generations. Now he is considered one the preeminent Romantic Poets. He was a poet, a painter, and an engraver. In this podcast, I shall focus on two poems taken from Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience: The Lamb, from Songs of Innocence, and the Tiger from Songs of Experience.

I do not pretend to tell you how to interpret Blake or any other poet. The beauty of great poetry is its agelessness and its ambiguity. I am attracted to Blake’s simplicity of language and depth of thought. That is a wonderful combination. Mark Twain has that same effect on me. The beauty of language itself attracts me to poetry, but I often approach poetry as a mystery to be solved. I am also aware that poets can be tricky. I am conscious of Alexander’s Pope’s words. I paraphrase. ‘Good satire is when you cut off someone’s head and they don’t know it until they move.’

Blake contrasts his poems in Songs of Innocence with his poems in Songs of Experience. They are opposites. One must read both for full exposure.

A theme that fascinates me is the principle of opposition. Without opposing forces life could not exist even on the atomic level. Atoms have protons and neutrons and electrons. Without that energy, life would cease to exist. On a larger level we have cosmic opposites: good and evil, God and Satan, light and dark, order and disorder, one the opposite of the other.

No one likes misery; however, without misery, how can you know joy? William Blake addresses the principle of opposition in his contrasting poems The Lamb and the Tiger. In fact, he addresses the very nature of God.

Let’s begin with the poem, The Lamb.

Little lamb, who made thee?
Does thou know who made thee,
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed
By the stream and o’er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little lamb, who made thee?
Does thou know who made thee?

Little lamb, I’ll tell thee;
Little lamb, I’ll tell thee:
He is callèd by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild,
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are callèd by His name.
Little lamb, God bless thee!
Little lamb, God bless thee!

That seems like an innocent enough poem, doesn’t it? It could be read in any Christian Sunday School class. Just examine some of the titles of our Savior, Jesus Christ, found in the Poem:

· He is meek

· He is mild

· He became a little child

The scriptures offer similar titles of Christ

· Good Shepherd

· Lamb of God

· Meek and Lowly

· The door of the sheep

· The great shepherd of the sheep

· The shepherd and bishop of souls

· The Lamb

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False Analogy

There are forms of logic that affect our thinking. For example, critical thinkers use the following forms in analyzing concepts or problems: cause and effect, classification and division, comparison and contrast, example, and analogy. There are others of course, but the purpose of this podcast is to issue a warning about carrying concepts beyond the boundaries of logic.

The scientific method is brilliant and has led to amazing insights into nature. In this podcast, I want to focus on analogy.

Analogy is a comparison between two things that are generally unlike but have similar characteristics. Analogy is part of our everyday language and is expressed in comparison and contrast, simile, metaphor, classification, and division.

Analogy often expresses itself in humorous exaggeration. For example, if someone says,

“I am famished. I could eat a horse.”

They are comparing themselves to vultures who feed on the dead, suggesting there is no end to their hunger. It is false, of course, but it is not taken literally. It expresses a feeling, not a reality.

We wouldn’t call the speaker a liar nor would we expect them to eat a dead horse. Much of our language is lighthearted exaggeration that teaches a separate truth.

However, we are in tune with each other and do not hold people to the literal meaning of their words.

But in this podcast, I want to bring to your attention the inherent dangers in patterned thinking. I specifically want to talk about the pitfalls of false analogy.

There are two kinds of analogy. One is literal and the other is figurative.

A literal analogy would be something like this.

“Paul’s head is higher than the ceiling.”

One can test the analogy by taking a tape measure and measuring the room from floor to ceiling. Let’s say the ceiling is 6’ 5”. For the statement to be true, Paul must be taller than 6’5”.

A figurative analogy would be something like this.

“Paul, my four-year-old, is as tall as an adult giraffe and weighs as much as a great blue whale.”

Even Goliath was only about 9 feet. An adult male giraffe may reach 18 feet. But no one accuses the proud mother of lying. They just assume that Paul at age 4 is perhaps a little taller than other boys of his age and a little overweight.

The fallacy of false analogy occurs when one carries a literal analogy too far or when one mistakes figurative analogy for a literal analogy.

False analogy is at the core of our political problems today.

The following are the dangerous analogies that are destroying our democratic republic.

1. Man is an animal.

2. Man is a machine.

3. Man is a biological robot.

4. Man is an accidental collocation of atoms.

Compare the above scientific views of man with the Christian view of man. The following is the foundation of the Christian view of man.

The above was written by Moses. Later prophets give us further insight into our relationship with God. We are taught that God is the father of our spirits

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Who Runs the Universe?

We attribute the rise of Darwinism to the split between science and religion. There is no conflict on earth more unnecessary, more ridiculous, and more confusing that the conflict between science and religion. Here are two aphorisms that can never be contradicted.

1. Truth never contradicts truth.

2. Law never contradicts law.

We often erroneously assume that the laws of science and the laws of nature are the same thing. It is a catastrophic assumption. It gives science far too much power. It allows science to enter the social arena and affect public opinion, giving authority in matters where it has no authority.

Let me just burst the bubble by saying that not every scientific opinion is a law of nature. Evolution, for example, may in part be a fact of nature, but not every opinion about evolution is a law of nature. Critical thinkers know how loosely politicians and other opinion makers use the terms fact, inference, and judgment. Not all inferences based on science are fact and not all judgments attributed to science are valid. In our gullible age we completely ignore that. Vested interest is the cancer of science.

There are three classes of laws:

1. Spiritual laws, or laws of God

2. Temporal laws, or laws of nature.

3. Civil laws and other government laws or laws of man.

Only two of those are absolute, the laws of God and the laws of nature. Those laws do not change. The laws of man aren’t true laws for they are not absolute. They change with the tides of opinion. Laws of man that are not in harmony with the laws of God or the laws of nature are generally destructive, but that is the subject of another day. In this podcast, I only want to deal with absolute laws.

Let me introduce another aphorism that defines another absolute truth.

3. God is the author of all spiritual laws and all natural laws.

In the realm of God, all laws are spiritual because all laws are eternal. Natural laws are a convenient classification because they distinguish between that which is subject to entropy and that which is not subject to entropy.

Science only deals with that which is subject to entropy. Entropy is the natural law that things move from order to disorder. In the biological kingdom things move from life to death. In the physical world, or the world of inanimate matter (if there is such a thing) things move from an organized state to an unorganized state, or a state of maximum equilibrium.

That leads to an important fourth aphorism.

4. Law alone gives order to the universe.

In other words, without law there would be no order. Everything would be as dead. Without law all matter would float aimlessly in the universe. There would be no stars, no suns, no moons, no planets, no galaxies, no gravity, no black holes, no comets, no life as we know it, nothing.

That leads to a fifth aphorism.

5. All laws, temporal or spiritual, are organized to perform a specific function.

Since time immemorial science has invariably proven that every particle, no matter how small, every object, no matter how large, and every system, no matter how complex, is governed by a complete set of laws giving them independence. Without law there can be no creation. Without creation there can be no science and no religion.

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Desire

Probably when you read the title, Desire, you immediately thought of sexual desire. Though I suppose sexual desire is one of the strongest desires of the natural man, it is just one of innumerable other desires. In this podcast, I want to talk about desire itself.

On the one hand, desire is one of mankind’s greatest enemies; on the other hand, desire is one of mankind’s’ greatest gifts. Imagine living in a world without desire.

One of my favorite utopian novels is by Samuel Johnson entitled Ressalas, Prince of Abyssinia, written in 1759. The children of the emperor were imprisoned in Happy Valley, a paradise surrounded by high mountains. Ingress and Egress we suspiciously controlled, and the inhabitants of Happy Valley were given everything their hearts desired.

The valley, wide and fruitful, supplied its inhabitants with all the necessaries of life, and all delights and superfluities were added at the annual visit which the Emperor paid his children, when the iron gate was opened to the sound of music, and during eight days every one that resided in the valley was required to propose whatever might contribute to make seclusion pleasant, to fill up the vacancies of attention, and lessen the tediousness of time. Every desire was immediately granted. All the artificers of pleasure were called to gladden the festivity; the musicians exerted the power of harmony, and the dancers showed their activity before the princes, in hopes that they should pass their lives in blissful captivity, to which those only were admitted whose performance was thought able to add novelty to luxury. Such was the appearance of security and delight which this retirement afforded, that they to whom it was new always desired that it might be perpetual; and as those on whom the iron gate had once closed were never suffered to return, the effect of longer experience could not be known. Thus every year produced new scenes of delight, and new competitors for imprisonment.

Everything was furnished to the children of the Emperor who, with good intentions, had placed them there to escape the evils of the world.

Here the sons and daughters of Abyssinia lived only to know the soft vicissitudes of pleasure and repose, attended by all that were skilful to delight, and gratified with whatever the senses can enjoy. They wandered in gardens of fragrance, and slept in the fortresses of security. Every art was practised to make them pleased with their own condition. The sages who instructed them told them of nothing but the miseries of public life, and described all beyond the mountains as regions of calamity, where discord was always racing, and where man preyed upon man. To heighten their opinion of their own felicity, they were daily entertained with songs, the subject of which was the Happy Valley. Their appetites were excited by frequent enumerations of different enjoyments, and revelry and merriment were the business of every hour, from the dawn of morning to the close of the evening.

Those who came from the outside were not allowed to stay long. Only the children of the emperor were permanent residents. Therefore, those who came into Happy Valley from the outside world, saw Happy Valley as paradise and did not want to leave.

The only unhappy person in Happy Valley was Rassalas, the oldest son of the Emperor. He was unhappy, but having everything he wanted, he did not know why he was unhappy. He describes his dilemma.

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Repentance to Salvation

The feeling of true repentance is like listening to the rain on a tin roof, knowing that the earth is being baptized, that the dusty air is being cleansed, that flowers are being watered, that the leaves on the trees are being polished, and that all of nature is being refreshed. The mountain streams carry away the stagnant silt, the grass grows from brown to green, the thirsty earth turns its face to heaven to partake of the holy sacrament, and suddenly the heavy clouds unfold like a curtain and the bright sun shines through and smiles its benediction.

Saint Peter said,

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines repentance in the following way:

“To turn from sin and resolve to reform one’s life. To feel sorry for something done.”

Synonyms for repentance are

Regret, feel contrition for, lament, remorse, sorrow

Of course, there are different kinds of sorrow. Sorrow for getting caught, for example. Imposed sorrow that comes from consequences imposed by others. Many kinds of sorrow may lead us to change our behavior, and each, I suppose, must be measured by its own merits. If a doctor says to a heart patient, quit smoking or die. That is one kind of repentance that often gets immediate results. But there is a godly sorry. Paul said.

“9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2 Corinthians 7:9-10)

Repentance to salvation is the theme of this podcast. By repentance I mean the ability to change our direction through the power of faith made possible by the atonement of Christ. No one was designed to fail. No one was sent to this earth only to have to suffer in hell. Though unequal in faith and circumstances, no one is unequal in potential. That is why only God can be our judge. If we understood law, we would repent every day. If we understood judgment, we would thank God every day.

Repentance includes forgiveness. Forgiveness has been largely overlooked as a source of freedom. God forgives us to free us from the punishment of the law. We forgive ourselves to free us from a self-imposed prison. We forgive our enemies, not to ease their conscience, take away their sins, or free them from punishment; we forgive our enemies to free ourselves from their evil clutches. Only God has the power to forgive sins. If our enemies repent and seek God, then we are thrice blessed, but it is not relevant to our own freedom. After giving the Lord’s Prayer, Christ teaches us this great truth:

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Part IV, “The Ax of Justice.”

Part I is entitled “The Pledge,” in which Sir Gawain made a covenant with the Green Knight to come to his green chapel in a year’s time. Part II is entitled “The Quest,” in which Sir Gawain took the long and treacherous journey to find the Green Chapel. Part III, is entitled “The Three Temptations” in which Sir Gawain decided his final fate, not on the battle ground, but in his own bed in a beautiful castle that secretly housed his enemy. This is the final podcast in this short series. Part IV is entitled, “Justice,” in which Sir Gawain submits himself to the ax of the Green Knight. The journey into the unknown is a journey we all take. As with any Christian epic, the author strives to teach us how to prepare for that journey.

Now the New Year drew nigh, and the night passed, and the day chased the darkness, as is God's will; but wild weather wakened therewith. The clouds cast the cold to the earth, with enough of the north to slay them that lacked clothing. The snow drave smartly, and the whistling wind blew from the heights, and made great drifts in the valleys. The knight, lying in his bed, listened, for though his eyes were shut, he might sleep but little, and hearkened every cock that crew.

It is little wonder that Sir Gawain had a fitful sleep. On the morrow he meets the Green Knight who, by agreement, is going to chop off his head. A year previous Gawain chopped off the Green Knights head. Not knowing that the Green Knight was under the spell of Morgan Le Fay, Gawain assumed that the Green Knight would die when Gawain chopped off his head. Instead, the Green Knight picked up his head, and while holding his severed head in his hand, reminded Sir Gawain of his covenant to meet him in one year’s time to receive like measure.

He arose ere the day broke, by the light of a lamp that burned in his chamber, and called to his chamberlain, bidding him bring his armour and saddle his steed. The other gat him up, and fetched his garments, and robed Sir Gawain. And he left not the lace, the lady's gift, that Gawain forgot not, for his own good.

Sir Gawain put all of his hopes on the gold and green scarf which he thought would protect him by magic. Sir Gawain puts on his armor, but in his fear, he transferred his faith from his helmet, his shield, his sword, his mail, his breastplate, and his boots to faith in magic. He discounted the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and the shield of faith and put his hope in sorcery.

When he had girded on his sword he wrapped the gift twice about him, swathed around his waist. The girdle of green silk set gaily and well upon the royal red cloth, rich to behold, but the knight ware it not for pride of the pendants, polished though they were with fair gold that gleamed brightly on the ends, but to save himself from sword and knife, when it behoved him to abide his hurt without question.

Gawain follows his guide. The weather befits the gallant knight’s mood.

The two went by hedges where the boughs were bare, and climbed the cliffs where the cold clings. Naught fell from the heavens, but 'twas ill beneath them; mist brooded over the moor.

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The Resurrection

What better topic can we discuss during the Easter season than the resurrection. Even before[RM1] Christ, who is the “first fruits of them that slept, prophets, who saw the coming of the Lord, prophesied of the resurrection. In the Book of Job, we read.

“25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” (Job 19:25-27)

I suppose many are familiar with the poetic description of the valley of dry bons found in Ezekiel.

12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

13 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,

14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord. (Ezekiel 37:12-14)

As a child I loved the spiritual, based on the valley of dry bones, written by African-American author and composer, James Weldon Johnson. It is a comical song, if not a spooky one, but then so is Ezekiel’s account of the resurrection of the Children of Israel. It is not logical, of course, that we will inherit the same flesh and bones we had in mortality since everything in this earth is recyclable. Speaking of the resurrection, Paul said,

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. (1 Corinthians 15:44-50)

In the resurrection, we will have flesh and bones, but apparently not blood. Christ himself said,

39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. (Luke 24:39)

But, of course, it will be immortal flesh and bones and will never see corruption. Only through Christ can we be resurrected.

19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:19-22)

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Virtues and Vices Pt A

We equate virtue with goodness, righteousness, moral excellence, integrity, honesty, perfection, and purity. We equate vice with sinfulness, wickedness, baseness, immorality, evil, impurity, and licentiousness.

During the last podcasts we have tried to know Christ better through his titles. Another way to know Christ is through his virtues. In fact, it could be said that every virtue of Christ is a new title.

John said

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)

It is hard for us to imagine having “no darkness at all.” It gives us an appreciation for the atonement of Christ and the cleansing power of his blood because that is exactly what the atonement does. It removes all darkness. The ultimate goal of all good Christians is to be saved and live in the light of Christ forever. The Holy Scriptures define the conditions that we must follow for the blood of Christ to atone for our sins.

We equate light with knowledge, truth, law, purity, power, understanding, comprehension, and enlightenment. And, of course, we equate light with the absence of darkness. Satan is called the Prince of Darkness. In Christ there is no darkness at all; in Satan there is no light at all. It is impossible for us to imagine the two superlatives. What would it be like to have “no darkness at all” furthermore, what would it be like to have no light at all. Virtue leads us to the light. Vice leads us to the dark.

In the Holy Bible virtues are often contrasted with vices. We equate Christ with all the virtues and Satan with all the vices. From the Middle Ages we have the seven heavenly virtues:

Chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, gratitude, humility

They are contrasted with the Seven Deadly Sins.

Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.

In Proverbs we read,

16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

(Proverbs 6:16-19)

In James we read,

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:17-22)

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Titles of the Resurrected Christ Pt B

Christ is the perfect model. Known as “The Great I Am” because of his many titles, he holds the preeminent position in our lives. In the previous podcast we discussed the descriptions of the resurrected Christ given by John the Revelator. In this podcast we will discuss the titles given by John the Revelator that define the Resurrected Christ.

Think about the term, “the faithful witness.” As our courts know too well, witnesses often give contrasting stories of the same event. A faithful witness is one who is precise, who speaks the absolute truth without variation. In the Intercessory Prayer the Savior says to the Father, “Thy word is truth.” John is a witness of Christ. Christ is a witness of the father. We also learn from the above that Christ was the first to be resurrected. He is chief of the kings of the earth, and he washed us from our sins in his own blood. As if that weren’t enough, the titles continue.

8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. Omega is the last. In English we would say A and Z. He was the first born. How can that be when he came in the meridian of time? To find the answer we must go back before time, even back to the spirit world. We are all spirit children of our Father in heaven. Christ was the first born in the spirit world, making him the oldest of the children of God. Christ is the only begotten in the flesh, meaning that Heavenly Father, not Joseph, is the father of the Christ child, thus we say it was a virgin birth. In addition, he is eternal. He was, he is, and he is to come, the God of the past, present, and future, the God of the Old Testament, The God of the New Testament, and the God of the Second coming.

18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:18)

Christ lived on the earth in the flesh. He died on the cross, and he was resurrected; therefore, he is “alive for evermore.” Not less is the truth that he alone, not Satan, holds the keys to hell and death.

Why does he have the keys to hell? They are not used to lock people in. Hell does not consist of bars and doors. Hell is a condition of torment in which those who refused to repent on earth and call upon the redeeming blood of Christ must satisfy the law of justice by suffering for their own sins.

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Descriptions of the Resurrected Christ Pt A

In the Book of Revelation John who saw Christ in vision gives us many vivid descriptions of the glorified resurrected Lord. In this podcast we would like to present those descriptions followed by a brief discussion. Let’s begin with Chapter 1:

12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. Revelation 1:12-16

The above describes our risen Lord in his glory shortly after he was taken up from the earth. Many saints were priviledged to see the resurrected Lord, immediately after his resurrections, but he did not appear in his glory. At first they didn’t even recognize him, he looked so ordinary.

30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:27-32)

Later he eats fish with his disciples.

39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? 42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took it, and did eat before them. (Luke 24:36-43)

In John the Revelator’s description, however, we are shown Christ in all his glory. “His eyes were as a flame of fire”; “his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.” In all the four gospels, after his resurrection, Christ appears as an ordinary man. Many weren’t even sure who he was. All of his appearances described in the Book of Revelation, however, depict a God of unimaginable splendor.

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Part III, “The Three Temptations.”

Part I is entitled “The Pledge,” in which Sir Gawain made a covenant with the Green Gawain takes the long and treacherous journey to find the Green Chapel. Part III, entitled “The Three Temptations, represents Sir Gawain’s final trials before meeting the Green Knight.

The exquisite language, the parallelism, the knowledge of hunting, all recommend the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; however, for me, the pure genius of Sir Gawain’s tale lies in the story of the Three Temptations. Unknown to Sir Gawain his fate lies, not in the journey through the wild wilderness where he meets bears and boars and wild men of the wood, not even in the final battle where he exposes his neck to the sharp ax of the Green Knight at the Green Chapel. The fate of Sir Gawain lies in his secret behavior while luxuriating in Sir Bercelac’s castle where he is pampered, flattered, mollycoddled, catered to, and indulged. Sir Gawain thinks he is safe in a Christian castle surrounded by friends; whereas, he is actually under the powers of the sorceress Morgan Le Fey whose entire goal is to destroy him and all the knights of the Round Table, especially King Arthur. After traveling many days dead of winter through the wilderness, Gawain comes upon a glorious castle.

The bridge was drawn up and the gates close shut; the walls were strong and thick, so that they might fear no tempest. The knight on his charger abode on the bank of the deep double ditch that surrounded the castle. The walls were set deep in the water, and rose aloft to a wondrous height; they were of hard hewn stone up to the corbels, which were adorned beneath the battlements with fair carvings, and turrets set in between with many a loophole; a better barbican Sir Gawain had never looked upon.

Sir Gawain is welcomed into the castle as if he were a king. Thinking he is safe, the youthful knight makes his first deadly blunder.

When he raised his helmet there were many to take it from his hand, fain to serve him, and they took from him sword and shield.

In the wilderness faced with wild animals and wilder men, Gawain was safe because he wore the full armor of God. The first thing they do when he enters the castle is to disarm him. They take his “helmet of salvation, his sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and the shield of faith. Sir Gawain, in his youth, disregarded the words of Paul.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:10-13)

Why would Sir Gawain need to wear his helmet, his sword, and his shield in a Christian Castle, surrounded by faithful saints? Before this moment, his enemies were all “flesh and blood.” He did not understand “principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places.” For the first time he was confronted by the wiles of the devil.

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The Mission of the Mortal Messiah: Titles of the Mortal Messiah, Pt. B.

No writer was more gifted than John the Beloved. John gives us this amazing introduction of Christ.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:14-18)

What is the Word? I have pondered that so many times. It testifies of the premortal existence of Christ. John the Baptist, speaking of Christ, said, “He was before me.” But we know that John the Baptist was born before Christ. The Word, for me, refers to the Christ of the Old Testament. The God who gave us the Ten Commandments and the law. The Word is the law. John further describes The Word: “Full of grace and truth.” One of the roles of Christ, Or Jehovah as he was known in the Old Testament, is to bear witness to the existence of Elohim, the Father. Christ embodies all the attributes of his Father. The reason Christ was perfect was because he obeyed God, the Father of us all, perfectly. Christ understood his own divine heritage. He was the only begotten Son of God. Christ said,

30 I and my Father are one. (John 10:30)

Some understandably assert, because of that verse, that the Father and the Son are the exact same person. It creates all kinds of difficulty, however, when you try to reconcile all the other scriptures referring to the Father and the Son. Christ makes it clear that he was sent by the Father to do the will of the Father.

16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. 18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. (John 7:16-18)

Some of the titles of Christ make it clear that he born into mortality

4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (Galatians 4:4)

He came through the seed of Abraham, the covenant people

1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)

He was born of Mary. Though the only begotten son of God, the world saw him as the mortal son of Mary and Joseph with ordinary brothers and sisters. For that reason many rejected him.

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Jones, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. (Mark 6:3)

Some even called him sinner, fraud, and devil.

63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. (Matthew 27:63)

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Heirs of Salvation Titles of the Mortal Christ Pt A

Knowing Christ is the single most important thing we can learn on this earth. In John we read

20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)

Understanding the different titles of Christ helps us to understand who Christ is. There is one title of Christ that is a difficult concept for us mortals to relate to. We live in a melting world, a world subject to entropy where nothing remains the same. But the title of Christ is

8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Hebrews 13:8)

We can imagine it, but we can’t comprehend it, not really. We may fantasize about immortality, but we fantasize from a mortal perspective. We ever walk in “the valley of the shadow of death.”

Just yesterday, Linda and I were driving down River Road along the Pidgeon River, in East

One must begin somewhere, so I suppose beginning with Christ as creator is a pretty good place to start.

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (Hebrews 1:2)

It was Christ who created the worlds, meaning everything we see in the heavens, including the earth. It takes a while for that to sink in. We also learn from the above that Christ is the Son of God, the Father, and that the Father appointed Christ to be the heir of all things. We also learn that Christ created the worlds under the direction of the father. That should make the following statement by Paul especially important to all Christians.

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:17)

The Father made Christ heir of all things. Christ made us joint ’heirs with him in all things. In other words, the Father Gave the Son all he had, and the Son is willing to give us all that he has. But it is conditional upon our obedience to his commandments. “That we suffer with him” means that we must expect suffering. The idea that we must “suffer with him” shows that God knows that it is not going to be easy. We tend to think that good should be rewarded, but in the reality of our world, good is often punished. The scriptures use the phrase “he that overcomes” or he that “endures to the end” to describe those who become heirs of God. Sometimes life seems like an endurance. On the other hand, there are many references to our becoming joint heirs with Christ.

29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)

7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:7)

7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of

t they will not be “glorified together” with Christ, whose glory is like that of the sun.

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Titles of the Premortal Christ Pt B

The war against Lucifer continues on earth. Through our agency we determine whom we will follow, Christ or Satan. However, as in heaven, so on earth, there is only one way to win that battle.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Revelation 12:11)

Many of those who fought with Michael against Lucifer in heaven will forsake him on earth.

13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters. (Jeremiah 17:13)

Notice the title given to Christ by Jeremiah, “the fountain of living waters.” Isaiah refers to Christ as the “well of salvation.”

2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. 5 Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. 6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. (Isaiah 12:2-6)

The Apostle Peter uses the image of the well to contrast those who turn away from the redeemer after having accepted him. They become “Wells without water.”

17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (2 Peter 2:17-21)

However, one of the most poignant scenes in the New Testament relates to the woman at the well.

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. (John 4:6-15)

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Part II, “The Quest.”

Welcome to Season Three of ‘A New Voice of Freedom.’ The Podcasts are taken from the four volumes ‘In Defense of Christianity’ written by Ronald Keith Messer. Podcast 72 is from a series called Poet’s Corner. The title is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Part 2

Part I was entitled “The Pledge,” in which Sir Gawain makes a covenant with the Green Knight to come to his Green Chapel in a year’s time. Part II is entitled “The Quest,” in which Sir Gawain takes the long and treacherous journey through the wilderness to find the Green Chapel. Part III is entitled “The Three Temptations,” which forever determine the fate of Sir Gawain. Pt IV, the final podcast on the story of Sir Gawain, is entitled, “Justice,” in which Sir Gawain submits himself to the ax of the Green Knight.

The journey into the unknown is a journey we all take. As with any Christian epic, the author strives to teach us how to prepare for that journey.

It is Yuletide. It has been a year since Sir Gawain chopped off the Green Knight’s head with an ax. Now Sir Gawain must decide whether he will forfeit his part of the covenant or whether he will seek out the Green Knight in his dubious Green Chapel. Sir Gawain is under the Knight’s code. At the top of the code is personal honor. If Sir Gawain keeps his part of the bargain, it is certain death. If he doesn’t, he will forever live in shame and disgrace.

However, our valiant knight is honorable by nature and does not even consider forfeiting his commitment. This podcast covers the long and treacherous journey Sir Gawain must make just to find the Green Chapel.

When the Michaelmas moon was come in with warnings of winter, Sir Gawain bethought him full oft of his perilous journey. Yet till All Hallows Day he lingered with Arthur, and on that day they made a great feast for the hero's sake, with much revel and richness of the Round Table. Courteous knights and comely ladies, all were in sorrow for the love of that knight, and though they spake no word of it, many were joyless for his sake.

It did not occur to Sir Gawain to break his covenant. To Sir Gawain, the treachery of the Green Knight was irrelevant. It did not disannul the covenant he made. In other words, his honor would not be compromised because of the dishonor of the Green Knight.

In ancient times a covenant was more binding than the law. A person’s word was sacred. Today words are playthings for lawyers and judges to twist and turn and wrest into something other than their original intent. Nothing is settled by honor today. Everything is settled by the courts. Language, however, which by nature is ambiguous being based as it is on analogy and metaphor is slippery and can slide through a court like a slick octopus in slithering liquefaction pours his body through the smallest cracks. Well did the Savior, in the Sermon on the Mount, say,

37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. (Matthew 5:37)

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Letters of John to the Seven Churches Pt XI Laodicea

This is the Seventh, or final, letter of John the Revelator to the Seven churches in Asia. Since seven is considered to be a complete number, to understand the seven letters, we must read them as one letter. The letters are actually included in one long epic poem by John who was in prison on the Isle of Patmos. The entire purpose of the letters is to teach us about Christ. The Book of Revelation begins with the appearance of Christ:

4 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:14-18)

The Book of Revelation also ends with the appearance of Christ

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19:11-16)

In the first appearance, Christ comes in peace. His head is bare. He is “clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.” He appears as the newly resurrected Lord. He is called “Prince of the Kings of the earth.”

In his final appearance, Christ is riding a white horse. He comes to “judge and to make war. On his head are seven crown, representing power. He is “clothed with a vesture dipped in blood”. He is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”

The righteous, dressed in white linen, are called to the marriage supper of the lamb.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. (Revelation 19:6-9)

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Titles of the Premortal Christ Pt A

Linda and I are going to celebrate the Easter Season throughout the month of April by focusing primarily on the life of Christ. Today’s podcast will expand the theme introduced in Podcasts 45 and 46 entitled Titles of Christ. In those podcasts discussing the Letters of John to the Seven Churches in Asia, we introduced the titles of Christ given in the Book of Revelation. However, we did not have time to discuss the titles. We merely listed them. In this podcast we wish to list some of the titles found in the Old and New Testaments and discuss them in greater detail.

The titles in the Holy Scriptures cover three phases of the life of Christ: The Premortal Christ, or his life primarily discussed in the Old Testament, before Christ came to earth. The Mortal Christ, or the life of Christ primarily discussed in the New Testament that describes the life of Christ on Earth, and the Resurrected Christ as found in the Book of Revelation. Podcast 70 Will discuss the titles of the Premortal Christ Pt A. Podcast 73 will discuss the titles of the Premortal Christ Pt B.

I shall begin with one of the most famous scenes in the Old Testament: Moses and the Burning Bush.

Moses records the story as follows:

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. (Exodus 3:1-6)

Notice that the phrase, “I am” precedes the four titles:

1. I Am the Lord God of your fathers

2. I am the God of Abraham

3. I am the God of Isaac

4. I am the God of Jacob.

When Moses asks the Lord the name by which he should be called, the Lord gives a very peculiar answer:

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. (Exodus 3:13-15

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Testimony, An Easter Message

Yesterday Linda and I went to Dollywood to hear our favorite gospel singers, The Kingdom Heirs. It was cold and windy on the mountain, but the theater was warn and the Kingdom Heirs did not disappoint. After Dollywood we went to our favorite restaurant in Pidgeon Forge, The Mill.

After dinner we traveled the long way back to our cabin. I scanned the two FM stations on my car radio searching for Fox News. Unsuccessful I tried to find music. I listened for country and western or golden oldies but found nothing but screeching and caterwauling. It was painful. I wear hearing aids and screeching is intolerable, so I asked Linda to use Pandora to find my other favorite Gospel singing group, The Gaither Family. The music was so much better. The songs had real words that I could understand, and the voices blended beautifully. We listened to gospel music until the tall mountains near our cabin cut out the signal.

Linda and I watched an old western on Youtube staring Randolph Scott. It ended at nine, our bedtime. Linda, whom I call my little electron because she is never still, never in the same place, leaves my presence in the middle of a sentence, and never quits working until she is exhausted, falls asleep instantly. I am more like a sloth and view schedules and multitasking with abhorrence. However, I must also go to bed at nine if I want to get up at 4 a.m. My favorite hour of the day. It is then that I write these podcasts.

But at about 1:30 A.M. I sat up in bed wide awake. That is not unusual. I seldom sleep through the night unbroken. I usually play spider solitaire on my iPad until I fall back asleep. Tonight, I didn’t. My mind was racing. After spending hours during the day (not a daily habit) listening to gospel music, reminding me of Christ in many different voices, I asked myself what is a testimony? Those gospel singers bore their testimony of Christ in their own way through the talents that God gave them. But I wanted to know what a testimony was. I could not go back to sleep until I had worked it out in my mind. This podcast is from that experience.

I have always been preternaturally analytical. It is my nature. I carry on very long conversations with myself. I break things down and put them back together, especially concepts that interest me. I love words. I love dictionaries and thesauruses. Rodale’s Word Finder is my favorite reference book. But this time I had no reference book to direct my thoughts. As usual I had only my thoughts. But during those late hours five words immediately came to mind, all connected to testimony of Christ. Those words were:

Light
Truth
Law
Knowledge
Wisdom

My synonym finder gives the following synonyms for testify:

· Attest

· Witness

· Offer evidence

· Certify

· Confirm

· Bear out

· Validate

· Authenticate

· Sustain

· Uphold

· Vindicate

· endorse

· Vouch for

· stand behind

· Allege

Useful but they do not answer my question. What is a testimony. I want to talk about what a testimony is, what it is made of, and by that we may know how to obtain one.

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Commandments with a Promise

In logic, one form of argument or problem solving is called a hypothetical syllogism. It is an If…then … statement. It takes the forms of “If P, then Q ” where P is the antecedent and q is the consequent, or P is the cause and Q is he effect. The hypothetical syllogism is how science validates or tests a hypothesis or theory or prediction. If P occurs and Q does not occur, then the hypothesis is wrong.

Prediction is a common form of problem solving aided by a lot of experience. For example, if you start your car on a very cold morning and the tire pressure light comes on, you immediately assume that you have a flat tire. You check the tires but thy appear ok. You draw the following possible causes.

The light is faulty
The cold weather gave a false reading
You have a leaky valve.
You have a punctured tire causing a slow leak.

We can our convert our hypothesis into a formal argument.

· If the light is faulty then the light will cause the tire pressure light to come on.

· If the weather is cold, the light does not show an accurate reading.

· If the valve is leaking the tire pressure will decrease.

· If the tire is punctured the tire pressure will decrease.

We use hypothetical syllogism every day to solve a multitude of problems. Of course, we don’t think in scientific jargon. We call it common sense. Our brain is so wired that we use scientific methods without understanding science. For example, you may be driving at high speeds on the highway. The car in front of you is traveling 60 miles per hour as clocked on your speedometer. You want to pass him, but there is a curve ahead and a car appears over the hill. You don’t know precisely how far away the curve is nor precisely how fast the oncoming car is moving, but you are confident that you can compute the distance and the speed and pass the car safely. If you were a robot, you would have to work out a very complicated mathematical formula to pass the car, but you are not a robot. You are an experienced driver, and your brain is very sophisticated. Without understanding concomitant variation, you press on the gas pedal just enough to accelerate and pass the car safely. As an experienced driver you do it thousands of times.

Most accidents occur not from miscalculation but from distractions.

We live in a hypothetical world. Our brain functions in a series of if…then propositions. Our uncanny ability to make predictions under high pressures keeps us and others safe.

But we live both in a temporal world and in a spiritual world.

In the temporal world we are bound by the laws of nature. Nature is unforgiving. It is bound by temporal law. Temporal laws are absolute. For example, we cannot cheat the law of gravity or the laws of centrifugal force or the laws of thermodynamics. To survive we must live safely inside the established laws of nature.

But even without a formal knowledge of science, we still survive because even if we cannot put a name to it, we have a good working knowledge of cause and effect. Most of us never dive into a shallow pond. We are all temporal prophets. Science formulates those prophesies into mathematical equations, and they look very smart doing it, receiving Nobel prizes. But we use the same rules they use in navigating our beautiful blue planet.

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Part I “The Pledge”

Welcome again to a selection from Poet’s Corner. The subject of this podcast is from one of my all-time favorite stories from the King Arthur tales of the Knights of the Round Table. It tells the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The tale is from 14th Century England. Originally written in Middle English, the translation I use is by Jessie Weston, dated 1898.

The author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is that ubiquitous writer, the invisible Anonymous, sometime referred to as the Pearl Poet. I know that I cannot do justice to the poem. It is for all people in all ages, recognized for its genius in every age, and the fabric never wears thin. I shall divide the epic poem into four parts, each presented in a separate podcast. Part I is entitled “The Pledge,” in which Sir Gawain makes a covenant with the Green Knight to come to his green chapel in a year’s time to have his head cut off. Part II is entitled “The Quest,” in which Sir Gawain takes the long and treacherous journey to find the Green Chapel. Part III is entitled “The Three Temptations,” which forever determine the fate of Sir Gawain. And Part IV is entitled, “Justice,” in which Sir Gawain submits himself to the ax of the Green Knight and justice is served.

The journey into the unknown is a journey we all take. As with any Christian epic, the author strives to teach us how to prepare for that journey.

The story could by titled “The Anatomy of Temptation.” Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, is the youngest Knight in King Arthur’s Court. He is the son or son-in-law every Christian mother would like to have. In that lawless time, the only safety people had was the knight’s code. It was a strong mixture of chivalry and Christian virtues. In Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, King Arthur is almost a Christ figure who represents all the virtues. The Knights of the Round Table are extensions of those virtues.

The story begins at Christmas Tide, from Christmas Eve till after New Year’s Day. Linda, as always will read from Mr. Weston’s translation.

King Arthur lay at Camelot upon a Christmas-tide, with many a gallant lord and lovely lady, and all the noble brotherhood of the Round Table. There they held rich revels with gay talk and jest; one while they would ride forth to joust and tourney, and again back to the court to make carols; for there was the feast holden fifteen days with all the mirth that men could devise, song and glee, glorious to hear, in the daytime, and dancing at night. Halls and chambers were crowded with noble guests, the bravest of knights and the loveliest of ladies, and Arthur himself was the comeliest king that ever held a court. For all this fair folk were in their youth, the fairest and most fortunate under heaven, and the king himself of such fame that it were hard now to name so valiant a hero.

While the noble knights were sitting around the round table telling tall tales, a very strange monster appears dressed all in green. Even his horse is dressed in green.

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Philadelphia

The letter to the Church of Philadelphia is the sixth letter of John. In the preface to each letter, Christ gives another title. To the Philadelphians he writes

“7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.

The primary purpose of the Book of Revelation is to bring us to Christ. It shows Christ’s role in the history of the world. It tells the attributes of Christ. In the letter to Philadelphia, we learn that Christ is holy and true. He came to earth through the seed of Abraham, of the lineage of David, and his power is endless. “He that openeth and no man shuteth” refers to the fact that Christ has the keys of death and hell, not Satan. Unlike the Church of Sardis whose vices are listed but not their virtues, in the Church of Philadelphia, their virtues are listed and not their vices. In fact, we can learn a great deal by comparing the Seven Churches.

Only two churches have no vices listed: Smyrna, which is the shortest letter, and Philadelphia. The churches of Ephesus, Pergamos, and Thyatira have both virtues and vices listed. The churches of Sardis and Laodicea have only vices listed and no virtues.

Each of the letters has a dominant theme:

1. The dominant theme of Ephesus is Patience

2. The dominant theme of Smyrna is Long Suffering

3. The dominant theme of Pergamos is idol worship

4. The dominant theme of Thyatira is adultery

5. The dominant theme of Sardis is hypocrisy

6. The dominant theme of Philadelphia is obedience

7. The dominant theme of Laodicea is the evils of being lukewarm

The letters have much in common. All seven letters define attributes of Christ. All seven letters offer salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of God with Christ if they overcome the natural man. In the letter to Thyatira, which is the longest letter, the phrase “he that overcometh” is accompanied by the defining phrase “and keepeth my words unto the end.” All seven letters are letters of hope. Implicit in all seven letters is that we will be judged by our works, whether good or evil. Also implicit is the fact that God is aware at all times of our actions, and he is using the letters to the churches to help us avoid major pitfalls, but he always holds up to us the great reward at the end if we overcome the natural man. We will be invited into the city of the New Jerusalem to dwell with him forever. That is what the Book of Revelation is all about. On the one hand it is a warning; on the other hand, it is a vision of what those who repent can expect if they endure to the end. In the seven letters we are also taught that Satan is real, and he is the source of all evil. He is behind all vices. A definition of agency is the choice between good and evil.

Also, along with the phrase, “he that overcometh,” another phrase that ends every letter is “

“17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;”

We all have ears, but he is talking about a special kind of hearing. It is the Spirit that is speaking to the churches; therefore, we must hear by the spirit.

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Government versus Christianity

Welcome to Season Three of ‘A New Voice of Freedom.’ The Podcasts are taken from the four volumes ‘In Defense of Christianity’ written by Ronald Keith Messer. Podcast 65 is entitled “Christianity and Government.”

On the one hand, Christians are called hypocrites if they do not live the laws of Christ perfectly, making all Christians hypocrites because no one is perfect; on the other hand, Christians are called bigots, sexists, homophobic, misogynists, and are accused of living in the Middle Ages if they don’t live the laws of our liberal world perfectly.

Christians have the Sermon on the Mount. Liberals have the Sermon on Mount Vernon. The former is called the Beatitudes, the latter Political Correctness. To see where hypocrisy lies, ask yourself, ‘Which religion is more tolerant?’

We are fighting an ideological war between those who want to live the old-world order and those who want to change to a new world order. My call to Christians is to let the world hurl their heavy spears with weights like weaver’s beams. In time the pebbles of truth will bring down the blistering lies of any boastful Goliath.

Our freedom was founded on Christian principles. Liberals today wish to destroy our liberty that they may create their own version of utopia. It is an ideological war, one religion against another. The state religion is Political Correctness and it has targeted Christianity as the enemy.

Beware those driven by a burning cause. Conscience grows fierce in an evil breast as it devours another’s freedom. Do not be deceived; being slaves to their own ideology, they seek freedom in slavery and in that freedom, they will enslave us all. The love of power drives their ambition, and the lust for power drives their strategy. In seeking redemption through our sacrifice, they genuinely want to save us from ourselves even if it means enslaving us to their God. The liberals are so set on socialism that they cannot accept that the majority voice of America supports capitalism; therefore, they are seceding, like the South, from the union and declaring civil war against our republican form of government. They are opening our borders, defunding the police, supporting riots, releasing criminals willy nilly, even murderers, before their time, shutting down our energy supply, drowning us in a 30 trillion dollar debt, creating tribalism, ignoring rule of law, encouraging racism, ignoring the Bill of Rights and Constitution, abusing power, blocking freedom of speech, corrupting the voting process, redistributing wealth, encouraging government dependency, corrupting our justice system, converting news agencies into propaganda machines, socializing America, creating a state religion, bribing people for votes with taxpayer dollars, strangling business with onerous regulations, increasing taxes, ignoring inflation, punishing the middle class, attacking the nuclear family, destroying self-reliance, disrupting law and order, favoring all minorities who support their agenda, waging war against whites, and systematically tearing down traditions, but the list goes on and on, all with the intention of destroying our democratic republic and replacing it with socialism.

They inherently understand that the transition from capitalism to socialism cannot be a reformation. It must be a reconstruction. They must first deconstruct that which exists and, on its ruins, build their new world order. Such a movement must be stopped, or we will lose our freedom. We are fighting an ideological war, and the first casualty is truth.

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The Law of Liberty

If we want liberty, we must return to the law of liberty. The law of liberty is defined by James in the Holy Bible:

10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. (James 2:10-12)

Where do we find the commandments, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” and “thou shalt not kill”? In the Ten Commandments of course. They are part of the last five commandments. Listen to the last five commandments as Linda reads them and try to imagine how America would change If all government officials, all members of the press, all captains of industry, and indeed all of us applied them in our lives. Thousands of laws could be stricken from the books and we would be a free nation once again. Prices would plummet, jails would empty, no more passwords, no more locks and keys. Our cities and towns and communities and streets would be safe. The list is endless.

Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

The five laws above are summed up in what James calls The Royal Law

2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?

7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. (James 2:2-9)

It can also be called “The Law of Equality” for it says “If ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.” If we lived the royal law perfectly all laws could be stricken from the books. But, of course, the Millennium is not here, and we must live in our present-day reality. However, freedom will not be reestablished in this land until our laws are in harmony with the law of liberty.

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Racism

Whoopi Goldberg, a very accomplished actress, now a successful talk show host, recently made the statement on television that the Holocaust was not about race. Her statement astonished many and public outcry forced her to retract her statement, but it did not force her to retract her opinion. It merely silenced it. Her error was that she narrowly defined racism as prejudice only against black people. Jews are white, and in Ms. Goldberg’s definition, no act against whites can be racist.

Until we understand the true nature of racism, racism will increase.

Have you ever wondered why racism wasn’t eradicated by the Emancipation Proclamation? Perhaps a better question would be, have you ever wondered why racism wasn’t eradicated when in response to the Civil Rights movement of the 60’s, the laws of the land protecting equality were finally enforced, and for the first time our practices were compatible with our Constitution.

The answer is simple. Laws can be passed to enforce equality, but laws cannot be passed to enforce love for one another. But we must dig deeper for an answer.

First, any discussion on racism must begin with a discussion on equality. Our forefathers got it right when they said,

Government cannot create equality because equality already exists. Equality is a free gift of God, not government. It self-exists. All government can do is to secure equal rights. In our democratic republic we have a strong Constitution, an accompanying Bill of Rights, and a government that derives its power from the consent of the governed. Enforcing those laws should be the extent of government’s powers.

There are three classes of laws. The laws of God, or spiritual laws; the laws of nature, or natural laws, and the laws of man, or government laws. The first two classes of laws are absolute, the third is relative. The first two never change, the third changes like the weather with the seasons. God created us all equal under the law. He is no respecter of persons. It is God who established both the laws of the spiritual world and the laws of the natural world. God organized all laws to advance freewill, agency, and liberty, but he gave us a choice whether to obey those laws are not. He also gave us the choice of whether or not we wanted to be free. Manmade laws create freedom. The purpose of government is not to interfere with equality and certainly not to create equality, but to protect our freedom. Equality self exists through the absolute laws of God. The purpose of government is twofold: One, to create an environment where men and women can reach their own potential and fulfill their own desires. Two, to guarantee that all citizens are treated equal under the law. And three, to prevent others from doing harm, from encroaching on the rights of others, and from enforcing their will unlawfully on others. Government, though it must govern some actions, should not govern opinions or conscience or religion.

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Excelsior

Welcome again to Poet’s Corner. Today’s podcast is a brief analysis of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem “Excelsior.” Perhaps we owe the meaning of the word “excelsior” to Longfellow for his poem fixed the word forever in our minds. It suggests onward and upward against all odds, ever ascending, aspiring, climbing.

The shades of night were falling fast,

As through an Alpine village passed

A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice,

A banner with the strange device,

Excelsior!

However, even against our will, Longfellow sweeps us up and sends us on the journey with the young lad.

The journey epic is a common theme in poetry, particularly a youthful journey into the unknown. The young man is driven but unprepared. In addition, he foolishly starts his journey too late. Wiser heads would say, wait until morning. Start the journey while it is still light. There is a foreboding and loneliness with the boy, as if he knows it will end in disaster but is driven anyway, almost against his will.

His brow was sad; his eye beneath,

Flashed like a falchion from its sheath,

And like a silver clarion rung

The accents of that unknown tongue,

Excelsior!

But impulsiveness goes with youth. An experienced climber would have prepared everything beforehand. He would have interrogated the locals about the conditions of the mountain. He would have chosen the best weather conditions, mapped out the journey, and carefully marked his time. Many journey epics are about untried youth gaining experience through adversity. Youth are often foolhardy and recklessly plunge into danger. Many journey epics, however, end with the youth, though battered, gaining experience that better prepares him or her for life. The purpose of the journey epic is to teach us vicariously how to avoid pitfalls through the hard experiences of others. Most of us live vicariously. The Holy Bible is a journey epic, the difference being that the characters were real, and the adversary is Satan. We are all already on the journey of life. The authors of the Bible, who profoundly understand freewill and agency, illustrate the rewards of virtue and the pitfalls of sin, thus giving us the choice. In Longfellow’s poem, the youth ignores all warnings and, therefore, the poem ends in predictable tragedy, otherwise it would melt into dishonest sentimentality.

In happy homes he saw the light

Of household fires gleam warm and bright;

Above, the spectral glaciers shone,

And from his lips escaped a groan,

Excelsior!

"Try not the Pass!" the old man said;

"Dark lowers the tempest overhead,

The roaring torrent is deep and wide!"

And loud that clarion voice replied,

Excelsior!

"Oh stay," the maiden said, "and rest

Thy weary head upon this breast! "

A tear stood in his bright blue eye,

But still he answered, with a sigh,

Excelsior!

"Beware the pine-tree's withered branch!

Beware the awful avalanche!"

This was the peasant's last Good-night,

A voice replied, far up the height,

Excelsior!

In the next stanza, we have the sharp contrast between Christian asceticism and youthful recklessness. As isolated monks live a life of self-imposed poverty and protected piety, the youth, after climbing all night, is now climbing the peaks above the monastery shrieking to the heartless air.

At break of day, as heavenward

The pious monks of Saint Bernard

Uttered the oft-repeated prayer,

A voice cried through the startled air,

Excelsior!

The anonymous and unhappy youth dedicated to an unspecif

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Sardis

The letter to the Church at Sardis is the fifth letter of John. The Saints of Sardis appear to be a very hard lot. The introduction is rather gloomy:

1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. (Revelation 3:1)

Unlike the first four churches, no virtues are even listed, and the admonitions is as bleak as the introduction. It moves from those who are dead to those who are dying.

“2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” (Revelation 3:2)

Considering what was said before, the above appears to be an understatement. But what we are tempted to overlook is the primary message. The primary message is not condemnation. It is a merciful warning. The primary message is repentance.

“3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.” (Revelation 3:3)

They are not beyond redemption. Christ issues a second warning to the Saints of Sardis.

“If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” (Revelation 3:3)

As with all the letters, the letter to the saints of Sardis is written to the saints in all ages. It applies to Christians today because the Second Coming is imminent, two thousand years closer than it was to the Saints of Sardis. It applies to the early saints of Sardis because, as we know historically, the persecution intensifies, and a major political upheaval is soon to take place. However, as bleak as it sounds, there are still Saints in Sardis who have, regardless of the pressures, remained faithful.

“4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.” (Revelation 3:4)

What at first appeared to be a letter of absolute condemnation turns out to be a letter of tremendous hope. On the one hand, the majority of the saints of Sardis think that they are alive in Christ but are spiritually dead and unless they speedily repent, they will have their names removed from the book of life and will lose their place in the celestial kingdom with the other saints. When they think they are alive, they are dead. That is the greatest deceit of all, to think one is worthy of salvation but suddenly finds that he isn’t, to discover that he has been operating under false pretentions. It brings to mind Christ’s words,

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23)

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Blind Faith

The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As a word faith has swollen over the centuries till it fills our consciousness. The very mention of the word faith in some inspires reverence for God, in others contempt.

Linda will list a few synonyms from Rodale’s Synonym finder for faith or faithful. They all have a religious connotation:

Belief, reliance, dependence, confidence, assuredness, expectation, aspiration, feeling, devotedness, dedication, consecration, allegiance, allegiant, loyal, true-hearted, steadfast, scrupulous, trusted,

Not everyone has faith in God, but everyone has faith in something. In that sense, we are all religious. Faith is the catalyst for all action. Some have faith in God. Some have faith in a rabbit’s foot or other good luck charm; some have faith in their own genius; some have faith in money, idols, witchcraft, fetishes, science, charismatic leaders, nature, law, traditions, government,

I classify faith into three categories:

Faith in Self.
Faith in others or other things
Faith in God.

In other podcasts I have talked about the necessity of wise exercise of faith in all three categories, for they are all gifts of God. For example, we must have faith in ourselves or we wouldn’t even get out of bed. Faith, like any principle, has extreme opposites. Some see themselves as superman who need no outside help. Some are so beaten by despair that they have no confidence in themselves at all. One is as destructive as the other.

We must have faith in others, or we would exclude doctors, nurses, parents, teachers, mentors, ecclesiastics, hospitals, scientists, and so on and on and on.

We must have faith in science, in natural law, in technology and so on or we would be crippled.

Ironically the greatest clash is between science and religion. We have divided into two camps, atheists and theists, and have gone at each other’s throats. Today faith in science seems to be increasing and faith in God appears to be decreasing. It is as if science were on a crusade to eradicate faith in God. Many who believe in the natural world deny the supernatural world and feel it their duty to covert others to their belief. Both camps are under a religious necessity to win converts. It should come as no surprise that both are religions. They just worship different Gods.

There is a trend that appears to elude some. Faith in America is not declining. It is stronger than ever. Faith as a principle never dies, but the object of faith is changing. We are turning away from theism to humanism. We are turning away from the virtues of Christ to the ethics of man. Enthusiasm hasn’t waned. It is the object of our enthusiasm that has shifted. In our nation we are converting our laws away from the Ten Commandments and toward the ethics of an evolving religion based on humanism.

Another phenomenon that eludes man is that you can separate church and state, but you cannot separate religion and state. In other words, you can pass a law against having a state religion, but you cannot pass a law against a state becoming religious. Moral laws must be based on something. Some behaviors must be governed by society under penalty of law or life would be a horror. Like it or not, laws are based on our sense of good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, morality and immorality. What difference does it make what language we use. “Thou shalt not kill” is part of the Ten Commandments of all Judeo-Christian religions, but it is also the law of the land

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An Easter Message

I suppose everyone’s family is unique. Most of us, perhaps, see our own family as a soap opera. and often view them as a divine embarrassment, mortified to show them to others yet proud as a peacock at all their foibles and wouldn’t want them to change. As a child I lived in quiet certitude and rebellious conformity. My parents were stable, predictable, embraced by an anonymous nobility, and they were uncritical. My father was quiet, to the extreme, I think. My mother never stopped talking. But I never remember any nonsense coming from her mouth, if you define nonsense as silliness. She was ready to laugh but never even told a joke, yet she said some of the funniest things I have ever heard. I remember once we got into a discussion on the subject of art. We were in the car driving through Charlotte, North Carolina. There was much ado about a copy of a Greek statue of very ancient origin being erected somewhere in the city, but it had no head. Mother said, with the same finality she said everything, “What good is a statue without a head. If they are going to have a statue, they ort to at least put a head on it.” And that ended our discussion on art, though she added a few more choice words about the stupidity of the city fathers, and she had a very hard time letting the subject rest.

When I was a little boy, I wanted to run away from home but had nothing to run away from. As likely as not mother would have packed me a lunch to take with me and told me to be home before dark. My parents had a ubiquitous presence, giving us the assurance that the world was a safe place. I do not remember them quarrelling, and though they both worked nights in the cotton mill, the house was never empty, one never felt abandoned, yet from my upstairs bedroom a thousand times I watched the taillight of our Pontiac leave the driveway near midnight. The taillights would stop at the end of the lane to pick up Miss Mabrey and then disappear. Everyone in our little mill village lived on the same schedule. What is odd about that?

My mother never preached a sermon. She was not religious. I never saw her read the Bible. I never saw or heard her pray, though she reverently bowed her head and closed her eyes when others prayed. She never folded her arms. It was as if she were waiting for the prayer to end, as if it were an interruption, rather than actually participating, yet she accepted God and Christ as she accepted the sun rise and the sun set. Her believe in God was imbedded, irreproachable, and above argument. It was an assumption upon which she unconsciously based her life. She lived inside of God’s kingdom. Where was there room for doubt.

A moment that my mother couldn't possibly remember was the time she taught me about Christ. I knew His name, of course, but until that moment He wasn't real to me. It was in her same absolute manner that I knew so well. She invited me into her definite world of innocent assumptions. She did not qualify her beliefs. They preexisted. E.E. Cummings said that Boston Ladies lived in “furnished souls.” I like that phrase; When mother came to earth she brought the furniture of faith with her and, even under the assault of the fiery darts of the adversary, it never wore out, was never debated, examined, or modified. Her faith was matter of fact. It was as comfortable to wear as her skin.

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No Respecter of Persons

Only absolutes can be truly opposite. Everything else is subject to manipulation, interpretation, and squirming definitions. Our liberal leaders assume that if they can legislate morality, they can control the conscience of a nation and thus rule the very details of our lives.

In our modern world we create the gods that reflect our standards and clothe them in the royal robes of rebellion, condemning everything that is traditional. Our nation was founded on the united belief by our forefathers that the true God set the standards. It was our Forefathers who said,

“We Hold these truths to be self-evident.”

Self-evident truths mean they are absolute, undeviating, and unalterable. Self-evident truths cannot be changed or modified. Among the self-evident truths upon which this nation is founded is the absolute truth that God created us all equal.

James, in the New Testament, makes a profound and intriguing statement:

11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. (James 4:11)

What does James mean when he says, “if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.”?

James is not talking about manmade laws for those are subject to debate, He can only be talking about the absolute laws of God. One of the self-evident truths spoken of by our forefathers in our Declaration of Independence is that “All men are created equal.” It is irreproachably clear that the full phrase is “All men are created equal by God.” Our nation is founded on that self-evident truth. That means it is unalterable. In James words, “if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.” In other words, if we judge the law or alter it in any way, we are “not a doer of the law, but a judge.” To be a judge is to be a critic of the law. A judge has the power to interpret the law according to the dictates of his own conscience or opinions. That means the law is not a self-evident truth. It is debatable, relative, subject to different interpretations and that is what we are doing to self-evident truths upon which our nation was founded.

I speak particularly on the subject of equality. In the Holy Bible, the concept of equality is stated in a profound and unambiguous way. It is described by the phrase “no respecter of persons.” The Holy Scriptures make it clear that God is no respecter of persons and therefore, we should be no respecter of persons.

The Apostle Peter said,

34 ¶ Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (Acts 10:34-35)

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We are Seven

Welcome to another podcast from Poet’s corner. The Romantic Poet, William Wordsworth, captures the simple faith of a child in his moving poem, “We Are Seven.” A little girl of eight is confronted by a cynical adult about the issue of death. The little girl lost her brother and sister. She visits the cemetery regularly. She, of course, knows they are buried in the church yard but does not accept the fact that they no longer exist. The stranger tries to explain to her about the finality of death, but neither can comprehend the others. Linda will read the poem followed by my commentary. The poem is first person point of view told by the philosophical stranger who interviews the little girl.

———A simple Child,

That lightly draws its breath,

And feels its life in every limb,

What should it know of death?

Two worlds collide. The adult, though perhaps not without a nebulous faith in God, is distracted by books. He represents those who look to science for answers about death, but the little girl, who knows nothing of science, looks to her heart. She is full of life and innocently assumes that her two siblings who have passed still have life in them. She visits the gravesite as if they are alive, and finds joy in their company. To the stranger the little girls is much like a creature of nature, innocent and charming, but, clueless about reality.

I met a little cottage Girl:

She was eight years old, she said;

Her hair was thick with many a curl

That clustered round her head.

She had a rustic, woodland air,

And she was wildly clad:

Her eyes were fair, and very fair;

—Her beauty made me glad.

On the one hand, the adult is taken by the beauty of innocence as if she perhaps reminds him of his own youth; on the other hand, the adult, of course, is too sophisticated to accept the idea that family life continues after death. He sees the little girl as superstitious, unschooled and, therefore, unintelligent. He is like the nurse in one of the most famous of Wordsworth’s poems, “Ode, Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.” In the poem the nurse sees it as her duty to destroy the simple faith of her protégé. In Wordsworth’s words, “The homely Nurse doth all she can To make her Foster-child, her Inmate Man, Forget the glories he hath known, and that imperial palace whence he came.”

“Sisters and brothers, little Maid,

How many may you be?”

“How many? Seven in all,” she said,

And wondering looked at me.

“And where are they? I pray you tell.”

She answered, “Seven are we;

And two of us at Conway dwell,

And two are gone to sea.

“Two of us in the church-yard lie,

My sister and my brother;

And, in the church-yard cottage, I

Dwell near them with my mother.”

The calloused cynic does the math.

“You say that two at Conway dwell,

And two are gone to sea,

Yet ye are seven! I pray you tell,

Sweet Maid, how this may be.”

Rather than mocking the little girl, he is confused at her answer. In fairness to the adult, he is not an atheist. He accepts heaven, but he denies the eternal bonds of family. He denies any communication between the two worlds. Heaven is for him an abstraction, something that exists only after this life. He does not see it as a celestialized version of life on earth. He wants to teach the little girl his version of reality, for he thinks hers is flawed.

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Letters of John to the Seven Churches, Pt VIII: Thyatira

One way to read the Book of Revelation is to treat it as a chiasm. Chiasm is a form of Hebrew poetry in which the end is a repetition of the beginning. In other words, the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation are repeated in the last three or four chapters of the Book of Revelation. It takes the form of ABCCBA. It isn’t an exact repetition. That would be meaningless. The information is in the differences.

However, you will find similar phrases, but more importantly, you will find that the images of the end of the Book of Revelation are the key to understanding the images of the beginning of the Book of Revelation. They are mutually dependent. One is incomplete without the other. I am going to use chiasm to analyze the letter of John to the church of Thyatira.

First, we are working with two time periods. The first three chapters relate to the seven churches in the first century AD. They are actual churches in actual cities that have been proven to exist during the first century AD. The letters, though addressed to real people, speak of a future time.

The last four chapters of the Book of Revelation occur in that future time. It is two thousand years later, at the beginning of the Millennium, during the Second Coming of Christ. Among other things, we know that because the description of Christ in Chapter One describes Christ as he appeared to John shortly after his resurrection, and the description of Christ in Chapter Nineteen is clearly the Christ of the Second Coming. The images tell everything.

The two time periods are very clear. The first time period, or the period in which the seven letters were written to the churches, occurred sometime during the first century AD. Christ has been crucified and resurrected. John, one of the first apostles, is a prisoner on the isle of Patmos, so we know that the vision occurred between 35 AD and 100 AD, probably toward the latter end of the century. The church is rapidly growing among the gentiles and clashes with Roman idolatry and idolatrous practices.

The vision of John, however, is not limited to the first century AD. It covers the entire history of the world. Therefore, the first part of Revelation refers to the Christian church of the first century. The latter part of Revelation refers to the Second Coming of Christ, two thousand years later, at the beginning of the Millennial reign prophesied by Isaiah and John and carries us to the end.

The only way we can understand the imagery of the letters is to keep in mind both time periods.

In Revelation 2 & 3, Christ is talking about what will come. In Revelation 19-22, Christ is talking as if the future has already come. It is a truly brilliant transition, and the blessings are even greater than the church had imagined for Christ gives more details.

I shall refer to the first three chapters of Revelation as The First Century AD and the last chapters of Revelation as the Millennium. I shall connect the two time periods through the use of parallelism. In other words, with Linda’s help, I shall quote directly from the letter to the church of Thyatira in the period during the first century AD. And through the use of parallelism, meaning the repetition of images, I shall select those passages of scripture from the end of Revelation that point directly back to the letter written to the church of Thyatira.

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The Straight and Narrow Way

By sheer coincidence of the English language, there are two straight and narrow ways. The first is spelled S-T-R-A-I-G-H-T the second is spelled S-T-R-A-I-T.

S-T-R-A-I-G-H-T suggests an undeviating path: honesty, integrity, fidelity, strict obedience, etc. The Savior said,

cvv“But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: or whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” (Matthew 5:37)

He is talking about the undeviating course. S-T-R-A-I-T is used in the Bible when speaking of the doctrines of Christ. A (S-T-R-A-I-T) is a narrow waterway that connects two large bodies of water.

Traditionally Christians have equated the “strait and narrow way ” to baptism:

“5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)

To be born of the spirit is to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Baptism is the ‘S-T-R-A-I-T and narrow gate’ into the kingdom of God.

“13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

Baptism is a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. One must be baptized to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

4-B 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)

Baptism, preceded by faith and repentance, is the gate at the beginning of the journey that leads into the S-T-R-A-I-G-H-T and narrow way.

There is an extremely coincidental story in the New Testament that vividly illustrates the dual uses of the term “straight and narrow” way. It is the story of the conversion of Paul.

1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.

9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. (Acts 9:1-9)

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Take my Yoke upon You and Learn of Me

The road to freedom is generally rockier than the road to prison. It is often the opposite of what we expect. For example, in an adversarial confrontation we want to attack, to secure the high ground, and to lord it over our enemy. The Savior seldom tells us what we want to hear.

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Matthew 5:38-44)

We often seek revenge, but the Savior teaches reconciliation:

“25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.” (Matthew 5:25)

I suppose the above could be interpreted in a number of ways. For our purposes let’s examine how it contributes to our freedom. Notice that it begins with a personal and private confrontation. Two people are on opposite sides of the issue. Let’s assume that you have been wronged and in anger you confront your adversary. However, in your anger, no matter how justified, you violate a manmade law, and your adversary takes you to the judge. The judge delivers you to the officer and the officer locks you in prison. Justice is not the real issue. The law is the real issue. Your adversary, because he has better lawyers, uses the law against you. We see it every day. The villain goes free, and the victim pays the penalty. You pay “the uttermost farthing.”

That is exactly the position the Jews found themselves in under Roman law. A Roman citizen had advantages that were denied the Jews. The law favored the Romans. Those who heard The Sermon on the Mount would have understood perfectly the Savior’s words: “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.” Under Roman law, a Roman soldier could compel a Jew to carry his backpack for a mile. Imagine how difficult it would be to obey the Savior’s words and carry it two miles. The Jews were virtual slaves to the Romans and how they must have hated being compelled to work like a slave. Why did the Savior say, “Go with him two miles”? The second mile was of their own freewill. There is a kind of freedom in that, and one can imagine the effect it had on descent Roman soldiers who would have gained greater respect for those whom they had conquered.

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The Law of LibertyIf you have been following these podcasts, you know that I have often spoken of the Law of Liberty. The phrase comes from the Book of James in the New Testament:

What set of laws do we know that has the commandments, “Thou shalt not commit adultery?’ and Thou Shalt not kill?” Immediately our minds turn to the Ten Commandments given to Moses by the finger of the Lord on Mount Sinai.

The question is, Why are the Ten Commandments the Law of Liberty when half contain the words “Thou shalt not?”

Though familiar to almost everyone, let’s review the Ten Commandments:

I. Thou Shalt Have no Other Gods before me

II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images

III. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain

IV. Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it Holy

V. Honor thy father and thy mother

VI. Thou shalt not kill

VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery

VIII. Thou shalt not steal

IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor

X. Thou shalt not Covet

Simply ask yourself what would our country be like, our states, our cities, our towns, our communities, and our neighborhoods if everyone obeyed all of the Ten Commandments. How would that make you free?

· Free of fear

· Free of locks, bars, chains, security systems, passcodes

· Free of theft, crime, murder, infidelity

· Free of lying, cheating, stealing, deception, dissembling

· Free even of people coveting your property.

Even if we just lived that last five commandments:

I. Thou shalt not kill

II. Thou shalt not commit adultery

III. Thou shalt not steal

IV. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor

V. Thou shalt not Covet

It would be a kind of heaven on earth. If you translated the Ten Commandments into just the retail market, imagine what that would do to the economy? prices in our stores? Well, it would be a utopia unlike anything we can even imagine.

In this podcast I just want to briefly discuss two commandments. They imply the words “Thou Shalt” rather than “Thou Shalt Not.” For the specific wording, I shall go to the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. (Exodus 20:8-12)

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The Ministers Black Veil

Welcome to Poet’s Corner. Periodically in the podcasts I like to turn to literature. Our greatest poets are some of our greatest preachers. I spent my professional career wandering in the wilderness of the world’s greatest literature. But they are not preaching from a pulpit. They can be very subtle. Many of Shakespeare’s most quotable lines come from the black hearts of his greatest villains. For example, the following memorable lines that could be quoted from any pulpit, are from Iago, In Shakespeare’s Othello, who has ice for blood:

The short story I have chosen today is from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales, entitled “The Minister’s Black Veil.” Linda will read directly from the text.

Unless you are a hardcore Hawthorne fan, you have perhaps passed over this peculiar tale. The full title is “The Minister’s Black Veil, A Parable. According to a footnote by the author, it is strangely based on a true story.

The Reverend Mr. Hooper was naturally melancholy, but not excessive, and everyone loved him. He was a good preacher, more intellectual than emotional. He was engaged to a young woman who could only be called a saint. Then a very strange thing happened. No one in the village was prepared for the sudden transformation in their minister. When he showed up to preach at a young woman’s funeral, he was wearing a black veil. Some thought he was hiding some great sin. Such an inference was hinted at by the funeral sermon:

“The sermon …was tinged rather more darkly than usual with the gentle gloom of Mr. Hooper's temperament. The subject had reference to secret sin and those sad mysteries which we hide from our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal from our own consciousness, even forgetting that the Omniscient can detect them.”

However, the sermon had a powerful effect on the mourners, all brought on because of the Minister’s Black Veil.

“A subtle power was breathed into his words. Each member of the congregation, the most innocent girl and the man of hardened breast, felt as if the preacher had crept upon them behind his awful veil and discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought. Many spread their clasped hands on their bosoms. There was nothing terrible in what Mr. Hooper said—at least, no violence; and yet with every tremor of his melancholy voice the hearers quaked.”

It was their perceptions of the minister and not the minister himself that caused them to quake. They didn’t know that the man behind the mask was the same. It was the mystery, the uncertainty, the black veil that they feared. He appeared more sinister than he was.

The villagers were drawn to the minister, yet repulsed by him at the same time.

“The clergyman stepped into the room where the corpse was laid, and bent over the coffin to take a last farewell of his deceased parishioner. As he stooped the veil hung straight down from his forehead, so that, if her eye-lids had not been closed for ever, the dead maiden might have seen his face. Could Mr. Hooper be fearful of her glance, that he so hastily caught back the black veil?”

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Letters of John to the Seven Churches Pt VII: Introduction

Is there any book in Holy Scriptures more talked about than the Book of Revelation? Is there any book that has more disturbing images than the Book of Revelation? And is there any book more puzzling than the Book of Revelation?

The Book of Revelation is unique in many ways. For one thing, the scope of the book is amazing. It speaks of the premortal existence of mankind and of the war in heaven. It speaks of the seven thousand years of the earth’s existence. It speaks of the Second Coming of Christ, of Armageddon, of the Millennium, of Gog and Magog and end time, of the final judgement and of the New Jerusalem. It speaks of death and of hell and of the resurrection. In addition, the imagery of the Book of Revelation is stunning, leaving Christians to ponder endlessly on the number 666 and the images of the beasts and the angels, the seven seals, and the plagues, and so on.

But those are not the most important parts of the book. Any complete work has three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end. The most emphatic position is always the end, the next the beginning, and the least emphatic is the middle. The most important parts of the Book of Revelation are found in Chapters 1-3 and Chapters 19-22 as I hope to prove. As we know from all the writings of John, he was a master at his craft. Of course, being an apostle of Jesus Christ and a prophet, seer, and revelator receiving direct revelation from God comes in handy. In writing about the letters to the seven churches, I want to prove that the key to the Book of Revelation is found in the seven letters which are recorded in the first three chapters and repeated in the last four chapters.

First of all, there can be no question about the central focus of the Book of Revelation. The first chapter begins with Christ, and the last chapter ends with a call to come unto Christ.

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)

The Book of Revelation is addressed to Seven Churches, the number seven being of great importance to the Hebrews, meaning whole or complete or holiness.

4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

It is Christ himself who dictates the letters.

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. (Revelation 1:10-11)

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Manmade Law

This is the third and final podcast in the trilogy on law. The first podcast is entitled temporal law. The second podcast is entitled spiritual law. The third and final podcast is entitled manmade law. Let me encourage you to listed to all three.

Four of the greatest words in the English language are freewill, freedom, agency, and liberty. Because they are sometimes used interchangeably, I shall give them specific Definitions.

Will is that which is an inherent part of our consciousness, our life force, our intelligence, that which makes us unique, that which distinguishes us from all other forms of life, that which we call self, that which has always existed, and which always will exist, that which we are, that which drives us to become better. Will is the driving force of our spirit. Our spirit body was created by God to house our self-existing intelligence. Consciousness cannot be created or there is no freewill. It has always existed. That explains why God exists and why life exists. In short, there is a part of you that has existed throughout all eternity and will continue to exist throughout all eternity. The self-existence of intelligence is the only reason freewill is possible.

The will is set free only by obedience to law for it is only law that gives order to the universe. God organized temporal laws and spiritual laws. God created our immortal spirit body in his image to house our everlasting intelligence. God created our physical body to house our immortal spirit body. He is the father of our spirit.

Temporal laws govern our physical body. Spiritual laws govern our spirit body. All laws of God, whether temporal laws or spiritual laws, were designed to give us freewill. Freewill is protected by God through law. It is sacred. Those who claim that we do not have freewill do so because they are misled by the deterministic nature of temporal law. They base all of their conclusions on temporal law and do not account for the immortal spirit. The determinism of temporal law is irrelevant to freewill because freewill is spiritual not temporal, immortal not mortal.

Freedom is a product of temporal law. We have freedom because we have choices. Temporal law is governed by conditions, and it is through knowledge of those conditions that we have freedom. The conditions of temporal or mortal laws allows us to use laws similar to the way that God uses laws, as a means of creation. Through temporal law God has given us some of his power, thus giving us freedom. When Christ said,

“And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

He was speaking of all the laws of God. Truth is law and law is truth. They cannot be separated. It is the consequences of temporal law that are deterministic. Conditions determine consequences. Where we have control over conditions, we have freedom to use law for our own purposes. Where those conditions are beyond our powers, then we are subject to the deterministic nature of temporal law. The greater our knowledge of temporal law the greater our freedom.

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Spiritual Law

In our mortal experience, we must deal with three sets of laws: Temporal Laws, Spiritual Laws, and Manmade laws.

Temporal laws govern the mortal or physical body. Spiritual laws govern the spirit or immortal body, and manmade laws govern the body politic. We must keep them well balanced.

In the United States we are incredibly fortunate because we have a Declaration of Independence, a Constitution, and a Bill of Rights that give us the liberty to follow our own conscience.

The golden words of our Declaration of Independence guarantee our liberty:

The intent of those wonderful phrases is translated into law by our Bill of Rights.

In the previous podcast I discussed Temporal law. In this podcast I would like to discuss Spiritual Law.

But first let me demonstrate what happens when Government tries to play God by controlling our conscience and recreating us according to their version of equality because, apparently, they think God doesn’t do a good enough job of it.

It is clear from the Declaration of Independence that our forefathers believed in self-evident truths. A self-evident truth is not a manmade truth. It is a universal truth that is nonnegotiable. It cannot be repealed, altered, or modified in any way. Self-evident truths are spiritual truths and should be obeyed not tampered with.

The Declaration of Independence identifies the following five self-evident truths:

All men are created equal by God
All men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights
All men are endowed by their Creator with the right to life.
All men are endowed by their Creator with the right to liberty
All men are endowed by their Creator with the right to the pursuit of happiness.

The purpose of government is to protect those rights given to us by God not government. However, when the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, made the following statement in the Second Inaugural Address, no one seemed to notice that it was a denial of our Declaration of Independence:

“For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they’ve never been self-executing. That while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by his people here on earth.”

The phrase appears innocuous until you realize its real intent. Mr. Obama, who represents the far left social agenda intends to create a liberal version of equality, not to protect unalienable rights. The socialist view of equality is not a democratic republic. It is socialism as evidenced by Obamacare. His statement denies the very foundation of American Democracy which is a belief in self-reliance. President Biden, who was Vice President under Obama, is now, as President, carrying out the Obama agenda.

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Temporal Law

Temporal laws have neither uncertainty nor surprise. It is only our own ignorance that has uncertainty and surprise. We often learn the effects after the fact. Experience is a very harsh teacher, and temporal laws do not discriminate.

Temporal laws do not require faith. They require knowledge. The greater our knowledge of temporal law, the greater our freedom.

Temporal laws deal with right or wrong. Get it wrong and you die, depending upon the severity of the law you ignored. The physical body, for example, is governed by laws of health. If we ignore those laws, we may suffer a lingering illness, a sudden death, a permanent disability, or a multitude of nagging consequences. Temporal law has a long and perfect memory, and it always wins.

Contrary to appearances, temporal law never postpones consequences. We may have the illusion of cheating death, but temporal law is under no illusion. It claims its due with absolute certainty and the clock is ticking. Temporal laws establish the boundaries of our freedom in a mortal world. Temporal laws give us freedom to the extent that we know, understand, and apply the conditions of temporal law. It is power over the conditions of temporal law that gives us freedom because the use of temporal law expands our choices. Temporal law has its limitations and cannot extend its power beyond the boundaries set by God. All temporal laws can be discovered by man. Though impractical, it is potentially possible to learn every law of the universe without believing in God or without acknowledging the existence of God.

Temporal law does not have the power to create life or to grant immortal life. That exceeds its boundaries. All life is in the spirit, not in the physical body. Life is immortal. The body dies. The spirit doesn’t. Temporal law deals with temporal things or things that run on a clock. In other words, they govern the life of temporal matter. The spirit gives life to the body. When the spirit leaves, the body dies. Temporal law may extend physical life, but it cannot extend physical life beyond its boundaries. The boundaries of temporal law are fixed, and they are irreversible in the context of temporal law. No temporal law can violate another temporal law. Flight, for example, does not violate the law of gravity. Temporal laws are deterministic. If we were governed only by temporal laws, such as the moon circling the earth, we would not have agency or freewill or freedom. Temporal laws are never arbitrary. Temporal laws never sleep. They never relinquish their power.

Temporal law does not pass moral judgment. Temporal law cares nothing about good or evil, God or Satan, saint or sinner, guilt or innocence. It was designed that way by God that man may have freedom. If it were designed any other way, man would be ruled by fear not faith, and that is not God’s intent. The misunderstanding of temporal law has been the basis for most religious superstition. Though it requires faith to believe in intelligent design, it does not require faith to believe in temporal law. It simply requires knowledge which can be discovered by using the scientific method. To worship anything governed by temporal law is idol worship.

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Intelligent Design

From a Christian perspective, the ultimate answer will have to be intelligent design. For intelligent design to exist, there must be an intelligent designer. The designer must have the following attributes:

· Omniscience

· Omnipotence

· Omnipresence

All Christians generally accept intelligent design because fundamental to Christianity is the idea that Jesus Christ is the creator of man and earth. That God created all men equal is a fundamental tenant of a democratic republic and of Christianity. Upon no other foundation can freedom be based. Christians are passionate about liberty because they want to maintain the gift of freewill. The world today denies the existence of God, the absolute nature of law and reality, the equality of man, and the existence of freewill. If we lose sight of the fact that God exists, that God, not man, created equality, that agency is only possible because of moral absolutes, that freedom is only possible through obedience to the laws of God, temporal and spiritual, that freewill is inherent in every soul who comes to this earth, and that liberty can only last in a nation where the laws of man are in harmony with the laws of God. If we lose that vision, then our freedom is forfeit and all social and political programs, no matter how well meaning, will lead to captivity, slavery, and misery.

Let me offer one Christian’s view of the principle of Intelligent Design. Fundamental to Intelligent Design is the absolute nature of the Law of Justice. Consider the law of justice as having the following attributes:

The power of God
The perfection of God
The holiness of God
The knowledge of God
The unconditional law of God
The governing law of all laws

Justice does not exist outside of God and God does not exist outside of justice. God organized both temporal laws and spiritual laws, all governed by perfect justice. We ordinarily think of justice as fairness. Fairness is a manmade term suggesting arbitration. Justice must be perfect and absolute and unchangeable. Everything must adhere to the law of justice. That applies to all temporal laws and to all spiritual laws.

One does not think of fairness when speaking of gravity. One thinks of absolute law. Gravity cannot be cheated. There must be a supreme law that governs all laws, including gravity, and that supreme law is justice. Even the law of mercy must obey the law of justice else justice would be arbitrary, meaning God would be arbitrary. God cannot be arbitrary and remain God.

Mercy satisfied justice. That is why we have moral commandments. The law of justice was violated when Adam ate the forbidden fruit. Christ satisfied the law of justice by atoning for our sins. He suffered so that we don’t have to if we obey his commandments whose boundaries are set by the law of justice.

We live in a fallen world; therefore, our laws temporal and spiritual are conditional. Where God lives, there is no entropy. To preserve freedom, all temporal laws organized by God for this earth are based on the principle of causality, meaning they have both a cause and an effect. By obeying the conditions of law, we may benefit from the consequences of law. That is what gives us our freedom. A nation that does not account for the physical laws of nature is not free.

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Titles of Christ Pt II

As discussed in Podcast 45 Letters of John to the Seven Churches Pt V Titles of Christ Pt I, In the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation Christ is called by at least 35 titles, some strengthened by repetition. The reason is simple. The central figure in the Book of Revelation is Christ. If you take your eyes off the Savior, you will lose the meaning of the Book. The Book of Revelation begins with Christ and ends with Christ. In this Podcast we shall look at the rest of the chapters of the Book of Revelation, comprising chapters 4 – 22, which takes us to a different level. Some titles are repeated by John. Repetition is often accompanied by rich variation. The new information is always in the variation or differences, be they ever so slight.

Also, in the last podcast I mentioned that the most emphatic positions were the beginning and the end. For example, you will find the titles of Christ concentrated in Chapters 1 -3 and 19 -22. We are given the following titles of Christ in the middle chapters comprising Chapters 5 -18:

Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Revelation 4:8)
him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever (Revelation 4:9)
him that sat on the throne (Revelation 5:1)
the Lamb (Revelation 5:8)
the living God (Revelation 7:2)
the God of the earth (Revelation 11:4)
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8)
Lord God Almighty, (Revelation 16:7)
the God of heaven (Revelation 16:11)
Lord of lords, and King of kings: (Revelation 17:14)
the Lord God (Revelation 18:8)

All titles but three above are repeated in the beginning and ending chapters. The three unique titles are “The living God,” (Revelation 7:2); “The God of the earth,” (Revelation 11:4) and “The God of Heaven.” (Revelation 18:8), all of which are strongly implied in the opening and closing chapters. Among other things, the titles of Christ teach us the scope of his power. He is God of both heaven and of earth, the temporal and the spiritual. And above all he is “the living God.” which is inherent not only in the vivid description of the resurrected Lord, but also in his return as depicted so amazingly in the following verse:

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Such a scripture illustrates what the titles mean about being a living God, the God of the earth, and the God of heaven. It is fun to listen or, of course, read the titles and contemplate their meaning. Each title allows us to see the Savior in a new light. It was Isaiah who said,

“10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” (Isaiah 28:10)

It is our lot to learn here a little and there a little. The Great John fainted when he saw Christ in his glory. John described his experience this way:

eep God’s commandments.

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Titles of Christ Pt I

As stated in a previous podcast the seven letters to the seven churches hold the key to understanding the Book of Revelation. That is why they are first.

And the first thing all Christians must understand is who Christ is. The Book of Revelation is dedicated to describing Christ and defining his attributes. Ancient Hebrew Poetry is distinguished by parallelism.

The most emphatic positions of any poem are the beginning and the ending; therefore, the most important information will be given there. It is no accident that the heaviest concentration of the titles of Christ is given at the beginning of the Book of Revelation and the ones he wanted to emphasize are listed at the ending of the book of Revelation. That is by design. The middle will be an explanation or expansion of the concepts introduced at the beginning and expanded and emphasized at the ending.

In this Podcast Linda and will focus on the titles of Christ given in chapters 1, 2, & 3 of the Book of Revelation. Chapter one introduces Christ. Chapters 2 & 3 contain the seven letters to the seven churches.

It is no Accident, for example, that the following Title is found both in the first chapter and the last chapter of the Book of Revelation:

8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)

13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (Revelation 22:13)

The titles listed above describe the eternal nature of Christ. The other titles of Christ in the Book of Revelation expand that definition. The purpose of the titles is to describe attributes, powers, authorities, and callings of the Risen Lord. I don’t think another book in Holy Scriptures contains as many titles of Christ as does the Book of Revelation.

5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 1:5-8

The above verses contain 13 different titles of Jesus, each descriptive of Christ:

1. Jesus Christ,

the faithful witness,
the first begotten of the dead,
the prince of the kings of the earth.

5. him that loved us,

6. him that washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Alpha and Omega,

8. the beginning and the ending,

the Lord,
which is,
which was,
which is to come,
the Almighty.

The Book of Revelation was revealed to John while he was held prisoner on the Isle of Patmos.

9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

(Revelation 1:9-10)

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“What is Idol Worship?”

The Children of Israel were not to worship Pharaoh. They were not to worship Moses or Aaron. And they were not to worship iconic images. They were to worship an invisible God. God forbade the Israelites from allowing anything, even religious icons, to come between them and Jehovah, hence the clause, “I am a jealous god.” Remember the story of the brass serpent Moses held up when the children of Israel were being killed by the fiery serpents?

“8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” (Numbers 21:8-9)

It was intended that the object remind the children of Israel of Christ being lifted up upon the cross:

“13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:13-16

However, when they turned to idol worship, rather than the brass serpent reminding them of Christ being lifted up upon the cross, they began to worship the image of the brass serpent. It was no different than any other idol made of wood or stone or metal. Rather than reminding them of God. It replaced God. They worshiped the thing created rather than the creator. King Hezekiah was blessed when he destroyed the brass serpent:

“3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did. 4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. 5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. 6 For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses.” (2 Kings 18:3-6)

To the minds of Western Christians, idol worship seems foreign, something they would never do, but the story above illustrates the subtle attraction of idols. It isn’t always easy to worship an invisible God. We, after all, are tangible beings, weighted down by gravity and stalked by red toothed entropy. We live in the valley of the shadow of death. We like personification.

How many of us carried a rabbit’s foot in our pocket as a child or wore a lucky charm or developed odd habits to ward off superstitions. Do you knock on wood? Pour salt over your right shoulder? Religious observance and superstition wear the same clothes.

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Law of Liberty

The purpose of a free government is to allow freewill to be expressed as much as possible and still secure the safety of the citizens. Though we all must practice good judgment and be held personally accountable for unwise decisions, it is the purpose of government to protect its citizens against fraud, terrorism, intimidation, thieves, murderers, liars, cheats, predators, bullies, threats from foreign powers, mountebanks, charlatans, cheats, criminals, crooked and unscrupulous predators and unprincipled business practices and such like. It is not the purpose of government to guarantee success or to bail out our mistakes. It is not the purpose of government to guarantee a home, car, food, retirement, healthcare, or even other necessities. A democratic republic is based upon self-reliance. A good government creates an environment for success by prosecuting criminals, but a good government does not create success or guarantee success.

The potential for failure is necessary in a free society. The purpose of government is to protect our liberty, protect our borders, protect our streets, protect our citizens, and enforce laws against criminals.

A free government must have faith in its citizens, faith in free enterprise, faith in self-reliance, and faith in the people to govern themselves. In a free society, charity will spontaneously emerge that will more wisely meet the needs of the poor, the hungry, and the disadvantaged. No society can ignore the poor and continue to expect the blessings of heaven. In a free society, business based on necessities will emerge and all services will be provided in a competitive atmosphere. When government controls prices, power is centralized, and entitlements are unevenly distributed through bribes. When power and money become the primary goal of our governors, then freedom is soon lost. When the people sell their freedom to those in power to satisfy their physical needs, then power falls into the hands of a few and the end of liberty is near.

Liberty has three parts: (1) the freedom of temporal law, (2) the agency of spiritual law, and (3) the liberty of manmade law. Freedom gives us choices. Agency gives us the wisdom to make those choices. Liberty provides a government that allows us freedom, agency, and liberty. Without all three, though we may have government, we cannot have liberty. We must have a perfect balance among the three.

Our forefathers instituted a balance of power into our democratic republic: The Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch. As citizens we must balance that power with our own personal code: The Laws of Nature, The Laws of God, and The Laws of Man. True science will teach us the laws of nature. True religionwill teach us the laws of God. By true religion, I refer to absolute truth. Each may worship his own God, be allied with his own chosen religion, set of beliefs, denomination, etc. but truth may be found everywhere. Truth trumps orthodoxy. It is my opinion that the search for truth is the greatest quest man can make. I am happy to tell people what I think, but I will never tell someone what they should think. And wise people will teach us the laws of man. We have the wisdom of the ages to validate all three. All are necessary, but none are sufficient to have a true democratic republic.

The purpose of a free government is to create an environment where the will of the majority rules. If the majority desire evil, freedom will fall under the avalanche of heavy laws that rain down on the heads of a corrupt people. The spirit of God withdraws where evil prevails, and liberty goes with it.

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Paradise Lost Hell’s Gate

A poet, especially a genius such as John Milton, has a gift of language that can make the most abstract concepts concrete through figurative imagery. In our religious jargon we speak of Satan, of sin, of death, and of hell sometime with very abstract language. They are a kind of vague abstraction that takes on different meanings under different circumstances.

For example, in the scriptures sin exists only as a violation of the laws of God. If there were no laws, there would be no sin. As Paul said,

“Because the law worketh wrath: for where no laws is, there is no transgression.” (Romans 4:15

We do not fully understand sin except through experience of the consequences, either ours or the experience of someone else. Recently Linda and I did a Podcast using Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner in which the Mariner spends his life relating his sad tale so that other don’t have to go through what he went through. His experience was truly frightening, and he didn’t want anyone else to suffer the way he suffered.

Of course, as Christians, we know that is exactly what Christ did for us. Unlike the Ancient Mariner, however, Christ was innocent. Nevertheless, he suffered for our sins in Gethsemane. It was so horrible that he sweat great drops of blood. In effect he suffered so that we don’t have to if we accept his atonement.

John Milton, however, is not defining sin by listing the commandments of God. Milton is personifying sin so we can see in our mind’s eye how hideously ugly she is. He does the same with death.

Paradise Lost begins as Lucifer and his Angels are cast out of heaven for rebelling against Christ. In Hell Mammon builds a kingdom patterned after the kingdom of heaven. It is made of gold and precious stones. Lucifer calls a council of War on how to take revenge on Christ for being cast out of heaven. It is then that they decide to continue the war against man on earth. However, the demons are locked in hell and only Sin has the Key. Satan volunteers to open the gates of hell and lead his angels to earth in their war against man. The others remain idle in hell as Lucifer travels alone to Hell’s Gate.

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Facts vs Truth

We confuse information for truth. Information today, like ash from an exploding volcano, proliferates until it pollutes the air and blocks out the sun, but information is not truth. Information is made of fleeting facts that change with time that may or may not be accurate.

On the one hand, information may lead to knowledge; knowledge and experience may lead to truth; and truth may lead to wisdom and greater truth. On the other hand, information may increase like kudzu until its entangling vines choke out knowledge and its broad leaves shut out the light of truth. Kudzu does not kill by sucking out the energy of its victims. It is not a parasite. Kudzu canopies a trailer or covers a car as easily as it conceals a tree.

Kudzu kills by blocking out the light.So, it is with Satan. Satan is filled with darkness, and if he can get us to confuse darkness for light, he can capture us in his net. From Mount Sinai, the Lord gave the children of Israel the law of liberty known as the Ten Commandments; however, they turned away from God. Isaiah, lamenting the loss of liberty, said,

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” (Isaiah 9:2)

Isaiah could be describing our day. This nation was also built upon the Ten Commandments. One by one we are removing them from our laws and banning the symbols from our nation. We are straying from the freedom that our founding fathers sacrificed their lives to leave us. The people of Israel turned away from the light, and darkness overshadowed them. What happened to the children of Israel will also happen to us if we turn away from the light.

The great curse of our day is a gluttony of facts and a famine of truth, an increase in knowledge and a decrease in wisdom, an increase in choices, and a decrease in restraint, an increase in licentiousness and a decrease in virtue, an increase in freedom and a decrease in agency, an increase in advice and a decrease in service, an increase in charities and a decrease in charity, an increase in medicine and a decrease in healing, an increase in information and a decrease in truth.

We deny the effects of law even in the face of facts. We seek elsewhere for a solution to the ills of our day, thus compounding the problem for we weave sin with sin until we are caught in our own net. Even a spider knows not to tread on the stick threads. She leaves that for her victims. If we continue that downward spiral, we will lose all freedom because we will lose all truth. Earth is a proving ground. We came to earth to learn how to increase in light, truth, law, freedom, agency, liberty, power, knowledge, wisdom, and joy. The key is obedience to law, and as the Psalmist says,

“Thy Law is the Truth.” (Psalm 119:142)

When we search for law, we search for truth. When we obey truth, we become free from Captivity. It was Christ who said,

31 If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:31-32)

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Letter of John to the Seven Churches Pt IV Uses of Parallelism

The Book of Revelation is unique above all other scriptures, and if scriptures were evaluated by their impact, I suppose the Book of Revelation would be the apex which is coincidentally positioned as the last book of the Holy Bible. Perhaps that is fitting. Though perhaps the Book of Revelation was not chronologically the last book written, the end is the most emphatic position and what greater book than the Book of Revelation could have that honored spot.

Where else in all of Holy Scripture do you get a summary history of the entire world from the beginning to the end? It also includes the premortal existence of our spirits before coming to earth to gain a body, the War in Heaven, and the final judgment. The scope alone sets it apart. If the Book of Revelation is not true, then all of Christianity is false. It is a mere fable of no more consequence than Grimm’s Fairy Tales. It is very important that we understand the Book of Revelation.

In this Podcast, however, I want to deal with the poetry of the Book of Revelation for it gives us an added tool in our analysis of that magnificent book. The Book of Revelation is a single poem written in Hebrew style which means it is distinguished by the use of multiple forms of parallelism, the dominating style of the Old Testament.

For the sake of economy, I shall deal only with the first three chapters and the last four chapters of the Book of Revelation. Even then I must be very selective, or the length of this podcast would exceed your patience.

In analyzing the Book of Revelation, let me establish three simple rules of logic which I shall use throughout.

Rule One. As with all good poetry every image must be accounted for.

Poetry is often made up of literal and figurative images. What makes the Book of Revelation difficult (As well as the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Daniel, and much of the other poetry of the Old Testament) are the rich figurative images.

Rule Two: We should not read any of the Seven Letters in isolation of the other letters.

The number seven means wholeness or complete. The Church of Christ is not represented by just one letter but by all seven combined; therefore, in analyzing the images, we must look at the whole set of letters. In translation all saints are entitled to all the blessings or promises contained in the seven letters.

Rule Three. We must consider in our analysis the structure of the entire Book of Revelation for it is one long epic poem. In fact it isn’t just the seven letters listed in Chapters 2 & 3 that are sent to the Seven Churches. The letters are just the cover letters to the churches for the entire Book of Revelation. In Chapter 1 We read:

“10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

Of course it is the Savior who is speaking and when he says, “What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches.” In other words, John was instructed to record the entire vision in a book and send it to the seven churches.

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Rewriting the Ten Commandments

One example of how Social Democrats are taking away freedom of religion and making government our new God is in the way they are systematically destroying the Bill of Rights.

The left is using fear to try and take away our right to bear arms. They are using the same tactics to take away our freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Political correctness, for example, is nothing more than the conscience of a few imposed on the many. It is replacing Christian virtues with government approved new world order ethics. It has become the state religion. What is the difference, for example, in the wording of the Ten Commandments?

· Thou shalt not commit adultery.

· Thou shalt not take the name of God in vain.

And the wording of Political Correctness?

1. Thou shalt not speak evil of political correctness.

2. Thou shalt not use the terms illegal aliens, handicapped, terrorist, etc.

3. Thou shalt not use natural law to determine gender

4. Thou shalt not pray to God in public schools or use the name of God in public places.

5. Thou shalt not put crosses or any other Christian icons on government lands.

6. Thou shalt not display “In God we Trust” in the halls of Congress.

7. Thou shalt not wear fur or burn fossil fuels or eat meat.

8. Thou shalt not pledge allegiance to the flag.

9. Thou shalt not let a good crisis go to waste.

10. Thou shalt not display the Ten Commandments on government property.

It is astonishing how outraged the social democrats become if Christians try to impose their virtues on them, and how outraged they become when they cannot impose their virtues on us. Hypocrisy is a necessary byproduct of socialism and totalitarianism because it cannot stand up under logic. Millions have died to preserve freedom to bear arms, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press, yet when those rights are taken away in the name of government approved virtue, there is silence. For example, traditionally the press has fought valiantly for freedom of speech when they perceived a threat, but like the frog in the boiling water, they do not even whimper when it is forfeited to satisfy political correctness.

They consider it a virtue to give up freedom of speech by filtering the news and slanting it to fit their ideology, by bowing to political correctness, by giving opinion not fact, by using inference not logic, by passing judgment not advancing truth, by advancing the liberal agenda, or by having opposing views censored.

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Virtue and Freedom

If the majority of the people become evil, then liberty will naturally fall and all hopes of equality with it. Speaking through Isaiah, the Lord said,

“To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.” (Isaiah 50:1)

Satan entices men to enslave others in a variety of evil ways too numerous to list, but true slavery comes when both body and spirit are enslaved. Man can only enslave the body. Isaiah warns us that through sin we may also enslave our soul.

It is God who wants us to have life, liberty, and happiness on earth and eternal life, eternal liberty, and eternal joy in heaven. All his laws give new life to freewill and expand freedom, agency, liberty, and equality.

I love the Preacher’s words:

“11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

Only in an environment where “time and chance happeneth to them all” can freedom flourish. Earth is a proving ground preparing us for eternal things. Earth is a mere shadow of heaven. What we do here has eternal consequences. America is no accident. It was instituted by God so that his children could expand their knowledge and intelligence, demonstration their obedience to the teachings of Christ, reach their potential, and exercise their freewill. America was established to give us freedom of religion, freedom, of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of conscience. America was intended to be a light to the world, a beacon of hope, a champion that would hold His Banner of Freedom to the world which is Christ, our Savior.

Washington clearly understood the true source of freedom. In his First Inaugural Address he said,

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Why I believe in Intelligent Design

Who can possibly deny the genius of science? Perhaps no other age has enjoyed the knowledge that we enjoy of the discoveries of science. Science has allowed us to harness the energy of the universe. Science has helped us to understand the forces of nature. Science has invented telescopes that penetrate the fathomless cosmos, revealing its unending patterns. Science has invented microscopes that fathom the infinitesimally small universe that makes up matter. Science has unveiled the genetic code.

We are beneficiaries of their genius and dedication to discovering the truths of the natural world.

However, the genius of their knowledge of the natural world does not give them the authority to tell us what to think about the supernatural or spiritual world.

We are composed of two separate entities: a spirit body and a physical body. Our spirits are immortal. Our physical bodies are mortal. There are two complete sets of laws. Spiritual laws and temporal laws. Our spirits are subject only to spiritual laws. Our mortal bodies are subject to temporal laws. All life is spiritual. The spirit can live without the mortal body, but our mortal body cannot live without our spirit. The spirit governs the physical body. Freewill and intelligence reside in the spirit. They are eternal. They are influenced but not governed by mortal laws. That is why we have freewill. The spirit governs life. The brain governs the physical body aided by the spirit.

Science draws all of its conclusions about the origins of life, about freewill, and about creation and God from temporal laws. On the one hand, science is remarkably competent in understanding temporal laws; on the other hand science is completely inept in drawing conclusions about metaphysical laws such as the existence of God, the existence of freewill, the existence of intelligent design, the origins of life, and so forth. Science has no authority and cannot be trusted in anything related to the supernatural. One of the worst fallacies humans make is the false appeal to authority. Because science is so adept at understanding the natural world, we are prone to accept their views of the supernatural world as fact. Authority has too many disguises, making it one of the single most incompetent sources, if not the most incompetent source, of truth.

There is a best-selling fiction called The God Delusion by Mr. Richard Dawkins.

It is filled with logical fallacies couched in scientific terms that any student of Logic 101 could unveil; however, the biggest fallacy of all is the assumption that science has the power to explain the origins of man or more broadly speaking the origins of life. In effect science attempts to use the creations of God to prove there is no God. It is a fool’s errand, as the old comic adage states, “You can’t get there from here.”

It would be far wiser for scientists, regardless of their opinions about God, to simply admit that they can’t get there from the sole study of temporal law. Temporal law is exquisite evidence of intelligent design, but not sufficient proof of the existence of God. Because God is spiritual he can only be revealed by the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a spirit, and his job is to communicate to our spirit the truth about God.

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The Spirit of Freewill

Our mortal physical body houses our immortal spirit. Our immortal spirit houses our intelligence or our consciousness. Freewill resides in the spirit, not in the physical body. Life is in the spirit, not in the physical body. At death the spirit leaves the body, carrying a memory of all our experiences. At death we leave all things made of clay behind to be dissolved back into what King David calls “the dust of death.” The wealth, the things, the accolades, the certificates, the prizes, the trophies, the toys, all those things remain behind. Things of mortal value that we treasured so much on earth are distributed among family, friends, or strangers to be disposed of at will. Some will be given away, some will be thrown away, some will be sold, but all will eventually go the way of the earth.

The goods of this life are like leaves caught in a whirlwind and distributed hither and yon. Only that which remains with our immortal spirit goes with us. Our experiences, our memories, our good deeds, our intelligence, our knowledge, our wisdom, our desires, our character, our prejudices, our unrepented sins, our loves, our hatreds, our personality. There will be no great transformation at death. That which we have become, that which we are will go with us. We will be the same person on the other side as we are here. The companions we seek for here who have passed on we will seek out there. The primary difference will be that we will not have our physical body, but our spirits have the shape and form of our body, and those who recognized us here will recognize us there. Those who loved us here will love us there. Those who hated us here will hate us there.

There is a time between death and the resurrection. For those who come forth in the first resurrection, it will be a short time. For those who come forth in the second resurrection, it will be a very long time. For those who go to paradise it will be like heaven. For those who don’t, they will experience different degrees of confusion. Some will suffer in hell for sins they did not repent of on earth.

Those who do not believe in God here will not instantly believe in God there’ Some, who did not learn of Christ on earth, will be taught of Christ there if they choose to listen.

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Hidden Manna

Welcome to season three of ‘A New Voice of Freedom.’ The Podcasts are taken from the four volumes ‘In Defense of Christianity’ written by Ronald Keith Messer. Podcast 35 is entitled “Letters of John to the Seven Churches Pt III Pergamos 1 Hidden Manna”

In the Book of Revelation, John writes seven letters to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. The letter to Pergamos is the third letter. The letters follow a similar format. Four things are listed related to the churches: virtues, vices, warning, and conditional blessing. It is the Savior who dictates the letters to John. Each introduction defines an attribute of Christ

“12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges.”

Notice that the sword has two attributes. It is sharp and it has two edges. The sword obviously refers to ‘The Word of God” rather than an actual sword for it is introduced with the phrase “These things saith he which hath the sharp sword.” The image brings to mind the adage, ‘the pen is mightier than the sword.’ In this case it could be that the Word of God is sharper that the two edged sword. It is a familiar image in the Bible.

King David wrote:

6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand;

7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;

8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord. (Psalm 149:6-9)

Isaiah said,

“2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword” (Isaiah 49:2)

Paul said,

“17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” (Ephesians 6:17)

“12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

At the time of writing the letters, John is a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos. Persecution is increasing. The seven churches are located in Asia Minor, what is now modern-day Turkey. The Churches are in the middle of idol worshiping cities which worship the many gods of Rome, the main ones being Apollo and Caesar himself. The Christians in Asia Minor are relatively new coverts. Since the strange vision of the Apostle Peter, the gospel is rapidly being spread among the gentiles, and circumstances are very challenging. The first thing the letter does is to praise the saints of the church of Pergamos for their many virtues. We learn that Pergamos is a very wicked city.

“13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.”

Obviously, the saints of Pergamos have very powerful faith, equal to the opposition. However, they are far from perfect and are subject to the temptations that come from idol worship.

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The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Pts 5, 6 & 7

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is about sin and redemption and the steps of repentance necessary to receive redemption. In Podcast One of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the mariner leaves the harbor among cheers. However, they travel on strange seas and are lost and the mariner commits a terrible sin. He shoots an innocent albatross which brings bad luck to the ship. The other mariners hang the albatross around the mariner’s neck for punishment. In Podcast Two of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, they see the death ship. The mariner survives but all other members of the crew die of thirst. The mariner is not only cursed by the other crew members as they die, he is also cursed for his sin by being plunged into a kind of living hell. Finally, redemption begins to come to the Mariner, and angels help him drive the ship toward his own country. The stanzas bring to mind the time the Savior calmed the seas.

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? (Mark 4:37-41)

The mariner falls into a trance, and the Mariner hears two voices, one critical of the Mariner’s behavior, the other sympathetic. The voice critical of the mariner asks the softer voice what is driving the ship. While still in the trance, the mariner overhears the conversation and is led to understand that the ship is driven by supernatural means The voices are discussing the fate of the Ancient Mariner. This, the final podcast on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, opens as the two heavenly voices continue speaking.

FIRST VOICE.

But tell me, tell me! speak again,

Thy soft response renewing--

What makes that ship drive on so fast?

What is the OCEAN doing?

SECOND VOICE.

Still as a slave before his lord,

The OCEAN hath no blast;

His great bright eye most silently

Up to the Moon is cast--

If he may know which way to go;

For she guides him smooth or grim

See, brother, see! how graciously

She looketh down on him.

FIRST VOICE.

But why drives on that ship so fast,

Without or wave or wind?

SECOND VOICE.

The air is cut away before,

And closes from behind.

Fly, brother, fly! more high, more high

Or we shall be belated:

For slow and slow that ship will go,

When the Mariner's trance is abated.

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The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Pts 3 & 4

In the previous Podcast, the Ancient Mariner shot the Albatross wantonly, violating the law of hospitality for they had invited the bird aboard their ship, fed him, and played with him. Because of his great sin, the entire ship is cursed. Without fresh water to drink they are all near death. They hang the albatross around the Mariner’s neck for punishment. One must keep in mind that the albatross is the largest bird on earth that can fly, with a possible wingspan of eleven feet. Its weight and rotting flesh would be a horrendous burden. It symbolizes the heavy weight and grossness of unrepented sins. But the road to redemption has only just begun. In Part 3 the sea grows from strange to stranger till they see the death ship itself coming toward them. On the ship, death is playing dice for their souls. It brings to mind the words of Paul. “The sting of death is sin.”

PART THE THIRD.

There passed a weary time. Each throat

Was parched, and glazed each eye.

A weary time! a weary time!

How glazed each weary eye,

When looking westward, I beheld

A something in the sky.

At first it seemed a little speck,

And then it seemed a mist:

It moved and moved, and took at last

A certain shape, I wist.

A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist!

And still it neared and neared:

As if it dodged a water-sprite,

It plunged and tacked and veered.

With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,

We could not laugh nor wail;

Through utter drought all dumb we stood!

I bit my arm, I sucked the blood,

And cried, A sail! a sail!

The mariners in their giddiness, not knowing that it is the death ship, begin to rejoice. They think the ship is bringing good fortune.

With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,

Agape they heard me call:

Gramercy! they for joy did grin,

And all at once their breath drew in,

As they were drinking all.

See! see! (I cried) she tacks no more!

Hither to work us weal;

Without a breeze, without a tide,

She steadies with upright keel!

The western wave was all a-flame

The day was well nigh done!

Almost upon the western wave

Rested the broad bright Sun;

When that strange shape drove suddenly

Betwixt us and the Sun.

They begin to fear because the ship sails without breeze or tide on a steady course. For mariners they fear the unnatural and see it as a very bad omen. The sails are more like spider webs than canvas.

And straight the Sun was flecked with bars,

(Heaven's Mother send us grace!)

As if through a dungeon-grate he peered,

With broad and burning face.

Alas! (thought I, and my heart beat loud)

How fast she nears and nears!

Are those her sails that glance in the Sun,

Like restless gossameres!

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The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Pts I & 2

This podcast is from a new volume entitled Poet’s Corner in which I call upon the works of writers from bygone years. In earlier times, perhaps more than today, many writers drew their art from the images of the Bible. Milton wrote Paradise Lost, Spenser wrote Faery Queen, John Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress, all considered classics of religious thought. There are many others. The King Arthur Stories, for example, lean heavily upon the Bible for their imagery.

In past podcasts I borrowed from the works of Nathanial Hawthorne, using his short Celestial Railroad as well as the short story, Young Goodman Brown whose journey into the forest represents the journey we all take as we confront evil for the first time. Also, I used the Medieval play Everyman, a story about a pilgrim who, called by death, had to take his journey into death and hell and final redemption.

In this podcast, I draw upon the works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his epic poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. We are all on a journey, an epic journey that begins in immortality and travels through mortality and back into immortality and continues forever. Each of our lives is a story told in epic form. The Old Testament is a classic example of Epic poetry. The epic story is marked by the supernatural, by the wildness of nature, by Gods and demons, storms and strife.

We all, in some ways as Christians can identify both with the Ancient Mariner and with the Wedding Guest, the two primary characters in the epic journey. The Ancient Mariner’s journey is told in seven parts. Because of the length of the poem, it will take three podcasts to work through the entire journey. In this podcast Linda and I present parts I and II.

Everyone reads poetry in their own way, drawing their own meaning and conclusions. Like all great literature this epic poem speaks to all ages. I do not wish to impose my interpretation of Coleridge’s poem nor remotely suggest this is the definitive explication.

In this podcast Linda and I shall follow the epic journey of the Ancient Mariner as he falls from grace and finally receives his redemption after wading through horrendous tribulation. It is the journey that I love and the things the mariner learns on the journey. I hope you stay with us as we attempt to present Coleridge’s analyses of the nature of redemption.

As the earth travels around the sun, returning to its original coordinates, the Ancient Mariner travels around the world only to return to his own country. It was the journey that mattered. It is the mariner that changed. The destination was the same when he returned, but the mariner wasn’t He will never the same again nor will the wedding guest whom he held hostage by his “glittering eye.”

PART THE FIRST.

It is an ancient Mariner,

And he stoppeth one of three.

"By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,

Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?

"The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide,

And I am next of kin;

The guests are met, the feast is set:

May'st hear the merry din."

He holds him with his skinny hand,

"There was a ship," quoth he.

"Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!"

Eftsoons his hand dropt he.

He holds him with his glittering eye--

The Wedding-Guest stood still,

And listens like a three years child:

The Mariner hath his will.

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First Amendment and Political Correctness

The First Amendment states:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religibon, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The First Amendment contains six assertions or six laws. Fully written out they would read:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.
Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion.
Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech.
Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of the press.
Congress shall make no law abridging the right of the people peaceably to assemble.
Congress shall make no law abridging the right of the people to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

We have three branches of Government. The Executive Branch, the Judicial Branch, and the Legislative Branch.

It is assumed in the amendment that the Executive Branch and the Judicial Branch do not have the power to make laws; therefore, they are not mentioned. That does mean, however, that they cannot enforce any rules that violate the six laws of the First Amendment. Negligence 0f enforcement of the Bill of Rights is a violation of their oath of office which is to protect the Constitution. Both branches are forgetting that and like a tsunami are over leaping their boundaries to carry out their own agenda. The First Amendment specifically targets the Legislative Branch because it is in the power of Congress to make laws.

However, it is not in the power of Congress to make laws that violate the First Amendment. They too, like the other branches of government are egregiously ignoring the boundaries established by our forefathers. They violate the laws of the First Amendment without penalty.

Regarding the important issues of religion, speech, press, assemblies, and petitions, the First Amendment is clear: Congress shall make no law that violates those freedoms. No law means no law. It does not leave room for dissembling. It not only limits Congress in making laws, it also limits the President in what Executive orders he can make and it limits the Supreme Court in how they can interpret the Constitution regarding the issues listed in the First Amendment.

Any action on the part of any of the three branches of government that violates the First Amendment is unconstitutional and should be condemned as such. Congress is the business of making laws and they are bound in perpetuity to abide by the Bill of Rights. This raises some serious questions. Just a few are:

Why is Christianity targeted? How was Congress able to make Christianity the enemy of the people. How is it that governments can make laws against saying prayers in schools, wearing crosses, placing crosses on government property, building the Christmas crèche? How can they censor sermons that go against political correctness?
How is that government can censor language under the guise of political correctness?
How is it that social media can censor conservatives, mute a president, and censor religion but give full unfettered voice to the left.
How can Congress make laws for the people but exempt themselves and their favorites from those same laws?
How can Congress define riots committed by the left, where murder, burning, occupying buildings and other violent acts are rampant as peaceable assemblies and have zero tolerance for assemblies of the right.

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Democracy and the Need for God

Democracy depends upon a universal belief in the existence of absolute law. When the laws of man become relative to majority opinion rather than to divine revelation, then the democratic republic will fall, and in its place will be a rusty form of totalitarianism.

In a dictatorship, where power is the primary goal, religion must either be embodied in the ruler and used as a weapon of fear, or it must be suppressed. As the Tzars of Russia learned, you cannot have two eagles.

In a republic, religion must be protected by the state but never recruited by the state as a weapon of war. Religion must be a matter of personal conscience not a force of tyranny. Belief in the true and living God must be voluntarily practiced by the majority of the people, not dictated by law. Government must protect the freedom of conscience of the people without ever becoming the conscience of the people. It is a delicate balance. When the majority of people quit living the golden rule voluntarily, they will quickly fall under the iron rule of unjust laws dictated by the conscience of a few and unequally distributed by those in power.

Political Correctness, a form of religious conscience, is just such a threat to American Democracy.

Another threat to our republic is unequal distribution of laws. Those in power will change laws to remain in power and soon laws begin to favor one group over another, and all freedom is lost. The greatest danger sign that a country is falling into totalitarianism is when the law makers exclude themselves from the laws they create and grant special privileges to others. They rule by tribalism and bribery. That is the beginning of the end of majority rule and liberty as we know it.

A third threat to our republic is the rise of aristocracy. Any aristocracy is anathema to a democratic republic. The aristocracy of old Europe froze people into permanent classes and suppressed individualism, but at least it was governed by traditions which imposed certain obligations on the ruling class and provided some safety for the ruled. Aristocracy built on pride as bad as it is, is nothing to the evil of an aristocracy built on hatred as we saw in the horrors of the French revolution. Just such an aristocracy is gaining power in America today. In their drive for power the liberal left feed the fires of hatred. Two things must occur for them to succeed. First, they must divide the people into tribes, convincing each tribe that they have always been oppressed and the liberal left will be their saviors. Second, to control the tribes, they must have a common enemy. That is why they created the term white supremacy, particularly white male supremacy to satisfy both women and all people of color. A common enemy unites the tribes and focuses their hatred away from their real oppressors, themselves. The threat must be painted to be so evil that the tribes are willing to give up their vote, give up their sovereignty, give up their freedom, give up their liberty to their saviors in exchange for security. The left promises to socialize everything: medicine, housing, education, food, transportation. They promise to create equality. It is quid pro quo. I will guarantee your success if you give up your soul to the state. Beneath the royal raiment, all totalitarianism is alike. The more beautiful the vestment the more poisonous the viper.

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Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:16-17),

What does it mean to be a child of God? If we take it literally, we must be the offspring of God. The Savior himself taught us how to pray. We begin with “Our Father which art in heaven…” In that phrase we are taught who we pray to and where he is. Earthly families are a microcosm of heavenly families. Let’s go back to the story of the creation of man stated in Genesis:

“26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:

Image and likeness are synonyms. There is overlap, making the terms interchangeable; therefore, for information we must examine the differences.,

Synonyms for image are resemblance, conception, appearance, shape, frame, cast, mold, copy, facsimile, correspondent, complement, materialization.

Synonyms for likeness are representation, portrait, portrayal, sculpture, statue, clay model, replica, duplicate, reproduction, identical twin, living or very image, look-alike, clone, exact match, perfect likeness, spitting image, outward form, double, shape, figure, features, similitude.

The differences suggest that when God said, “let us make man in our image” he is referring to a spiritual image. In other words, he is the Father of our spirits which are after the image of his spirit. “Let us make man” suggest two parents not one. It presents an argument for a heavenly mother. Paul’s statement then becomes literal, “We are the children of God.”

“Let us make man after out likeness” is referring to a physical image. In other words, he made it possible for us to have physical bodies. “Our likeness” suggests that God also has a physical body.” And for us to be “in our image and likeness” we must have both a spiritual body and a physical body. Look again at the synonyms for likeness. They suggest a corporeal image: outward form, spitting image, perfect likeness, clay model, sculpture, figure, similitude.

If all the host of heaven were created, why wasn’t there a man to till the ground. The answer is simple. We were spirits. It is now that the Lord finishes the story of creation.

What does it mean to be heirs of God?

To inherit means to acquire or to receive or to be bequeathed. It generally refers to possessions handed down from our fathers or mothers to their children. God is our Father; therefore, we are his heirs. What then does it mean to be a “joint heir with Christ.” Jesus Christ is the oldest son; therefore, by rights of ancient inheritance laws, all properties of the father go to him. Paul teaches, “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” (Hebrews 1: 2) By being “joint heirs with Christ” means that Christ is willing to give us an equal share. Paul said, “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Galatians 4:7) What is it that we inherit. In Hebrews 1:14 he declares that we “shall be heirs of salvation.” Paul further stated, “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:7) Peter teaches that husband and wife shall be “heirs together of the grace of life.” James teaches that we shall be “heirs of the kingdom.”

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Letter of John to the Church of Smyrna

As recorded in Revelation 2: 8-11, John’s second letter is addressed to The Church of Smyrna. As mentioned in the podcast on the Letter to the Church of Ephesus, the number 7 represents completeness, holiness, or perfection. Each letter follows a similar pattern. John addresses their virtues; he addresses their vices; he issues a warning if they do not keep the commandments. He promises a specific blessing if they do keep the commandments.

Though the letters are intentionally written to represent the church, which is very new and under great persecution, both from the Jews and from the Romans, as a whole, the letters are also meant to be read by all Christians as if they were written to each individually. All the promises give to the church as a whole apply to Christians individually.

Though John is writing the letters, the true author is Christ. In the introduction each letter reveals important information about who Christ is. The church is new. All the saints are relatively recent converts. They are being taught about the God whom they worship.

“8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write, These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;”

We are given the titles of Christ. “These things saith the first and the last.” It brings to mind other pairs of words that teach the same principle often attributed to Christ: Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

“Alpha” and “Omega” are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet’ Isaiah tells us

6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6)

Isaiah lists five of the familiar titles of Christ: Lord, King of Israel. Redeemer, Lord of Hosts, First and last. One could also add, “The Only God” because of Isaiah’s addendum: “beside me there is no God.”

It refers to the eternal nature of God. This particularly refers to Christ’s specific role as redeemer. In other words, “beside me there is no redeemer.” Throughout his teachings, Christ makes it clear that he and the Father are two separate beings, and that Christ came to earth solely to do the will of the father.

37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:37-40)

The final phrase in John’s introduction is the description, “which was dead, and is alive.” That, of course, refers to Christ’s death and resurrection. Though no one was inside the tomb at the time of Jesus’s resurrection, after his resurrection he appeared to many of his followers. In addition to the six recorded women, including Mary Magdalene and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the apostles, there was one group of at least 500 who were privileged to see the resurrected Lord. The truth of the resurrection is extremely important to understanding the scope of the atonement of Christ.

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The War on Earth Pt II

Christ is God. His power is immense, but he always limited himself to the faith of the believers. As James said,

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:14-20)

Those who teach that we can be saved regardless of our works would do well to heed the words of James. If freewill and agency mean nothing, if works don’t matter, if there is no sin, then why did Christ go to all that trouble? why the Sermon on the Mount? why the four gospels? why the teachings of all the apostles and prophets? Where my salvation is concerned, I would put my bet on the white horse spoken of by John the Revelator:

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19:11-16)

Satan is Satan because he lives outside the law. It is the law of justice that holds back chaos. There can be no chinks in the law of justice. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they transgressed the law of justice which brought about the fall. And justice to be whole condemned them forever or God would cease to be God. God can never be divided from himself. He cannot be both perfect and imperfect. He is either one or the other.

Here is the second paradox. Satan became perdition because he willfully rebelled against God and fell outside the protection of the law of justice. He looked only to himself. He wanted to conquer God. As Isaiah said, “He wanted to be like the most high.” In other words he wanted to replace Christ. Remember what he said,

I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

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The War on Earth Pt I

There is a misconception that God created evil. It isn’t possible for God to create evil. He would negate himself. We all remember the Savior’s parable:

23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? (Matthew 12:23-26)

Therefore, we need to understand what evil is. Evil is not a thing of itself, just as it is not possible for God to create Satan. Evil is the negation of that which is good.

God created Lucifer which literally means the Shining One or Lightbringer. Isaiah calls him “Lucifer, son of the morning.” Lucifer is our brother just as Christ is our brother. We are all spirit children of God. Christ was the oldest. He was equal to God before he ever came to earth. He was Jehovah. He was the Chosen One. From Lucifer’s description, we can only assume that he also was great in the kingdom of God, though certainly not equal to Christ.

God created Lucifer. Lucifer created Satan. Lucifer became Satan because he led a rebellion against Christ, wanting to overthrow his kingdom and usurp his power:

Because of his rebellion Lucifer was cast out of heaven

18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (Luke 10:18)

After he was cast out of heaven, he became known as Satan:

Satan also became known by other names: “chief of demons,” “prince of devils,” Beelzebub.” Lucifer was only mentioned once and that was in the Old Testament. On earth his more familiar names are Satan or Devil. Satan is referred to as the father of lies, but Satan did not create evil. Satan is evil because he violated absolute law. Evil is nothing more than the violation of the laws of God. To understand evil, we must understand law.

All things, temporal and spiritual are governed by law. Chaos self-exists. It is law that brings order out of chaos. The two great opposites are law and lawlessness, order and chaos, creation and destruction. By obeying the laws of God, we have law, order, and creation. By disobeying the laws of God, we return to lawlessness, chaos, and destruction. Sin is violation of law and always leads to destruction, disorder, misery, and captivity. The Jews called Satan, “The Spoiler.” Satan is incapable of creation. He can only destroy that which others have created. He wanted to overthrow Christ and the Kingdom of God.

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Man Made Law and Liberty

No free society can rise above the collective moral behavior of the majority of its citizens. In a dictatorship, when the majority defy the state, it is in the power of the tyrant to order his forces to execute the law and impose a punishment on the lot. Only civil war can overthrow a tyrant. In a democratic republic, however, it is in the power of the people to change the law. Therefore, in a democracy, when the majority choose evil, the laws will change to accommodate their desires. It is peculiar to freedom that freedom is not based on permissiveness. That is mere licentiousness, and licentiousness is such that though one is free to sin, he is not free from the consequences of sin. Through liberty one may drink to excess, but he cannot avoid the consequences of drunkenness. In the same way if a society is free to lie, to cheat, to steal, to defraud, to commit adultery, to murder, to gamble, to sell drugs, to make alcohol, to promote prostitution, etc. though members of society may be free to commit heinous acts against their neighbor, society is not free from the consequences which will inevitably result such as fear, civil unrest, riot, vigilantism, collusion, lawlessness, chaos, murder, rape, robbery, tribalism, insurrections, revenge, etc. Therein lies the dilemma of democracy. Excessive freedom always leads to captivity. And that is what is happening in America today. The voice of the people wanted alcohol, so we lifted prohibition. The voice of the people wanted gambling, so we lifted the laws against gambling. The voice of the people wanted marijuana, so many states lifted the laws against marijuana. The voice of the people wanted abortion, so we lifted the laws against abortion. The voice of the people wanted to remove Christianity from our land; therefore, prayers, crosses, Christmas celebrations, Bibles, and other icons and ceremonies became prohibited in schools, government property, etc.

One by one the old virtues are falling to the will of the people. The Ten Commandments are being removed from our courthouses. The Christians virtues are being replaced with political correctness. The values that have protected this nation for over two hundred years are being replaced with the values of the new world order.

In society, we must obey three sets of laws: temporal laws, spiritual laws, and manmade laws. Liberty requires a perfect balance between freedom and agency. That creates a paradox. On the one hand, unlimited freedom unchecked by absolute values will ultimately consume itself. On the other hand, liberty cannot exist where manmade laws govern everything. A simple truth is this: All laws of God increase freedom; all laws of man restrict freedom. Judge for yourself by examining the consequences. Imagine living in a world where everyone obeyed the laws of God. You would never have anything to fear. The laws of man are arbitrary and proliferate, generally after a crime has been committed.

Manmade laws are unevenly distributed. A free government or a government that wants to guarantee liberty, though it must guarantee the safety of its citizens, must not only align itself with the temporal laws of nature, but it must also have the wisdom of discerning between good and evil. It must allow freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, freedom of the press, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom of belief, and the freedom to preach, teach, and practice one’s own principles. The majority must be allowed to rule what behavior is acceptable and what is unacceptable, but those decisions must be based on tolerance.

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Grace and Works

Because of grace, all mankind will be resurrected, receive a perfect immortal body, and stand before the judgment bar of God. However, because of the conditions imposed upon the law of mercy by the law of justice, eternal life with God must be a choice; therefore, another paradox exists—works vs. grace.

The answer to the paradox lies in Paul’s immortal statement:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Paul’s statement lies at the heart of Christianity. If that is false, then Christianity is false for, without the grace of Christ, what would Christianity have to offer but suggestions for a good life? However, that raises the question: If works cannot save us, what is the value of works?

First, we must understand the difference between the law of justice and the law of mercy. Justice, is necessary or the world could not endure. Justice is the absolute law upon which all other laws are governed. The law of justice governs both temporal laws and spiritual laws. All laws satisfy the demands of the law of justice.

The two great opposites are order and chaos. Chaos is a natural state. Without law, chaos would reign. That is why the law of justice is necessary. Chaos is absolute; therefore, the law of justice must be absolute. Without law, everything would turn to chaos.

If there were no God, there would be no justice. If there were no law of justice, there would be no order. Therefore, if there were no God, there would be no order. We owe all creation to the justice of God.

On the other hand, if there were no mercy, then no one could be saved.

We think of God as creator for obvious reasons. However, because matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, it would be more accurate to think of God as organizer. From self-existing matter and energy, God organized laws and from laws God organized matter and energy. It is called the law of creation. Everything is governed by law. That is the supreme law of the universe. Without law there can be no order or creation.

Above all else the law of justice must be satisfied or there could be no God, no creation, and no universe. It is because of the law of Justice that the atonement of Christ was necessary. When Adam fell, the law of justice was transgressed which brought temporal and spiritual death into the world The law of justice deals with immortality. Mortality is the result of a broken law. Had Jesus Christ not satisfied the law of justice, we would be in a permanent state of mortality which would eventual lead to the giant heat death so touted by science.

It is Christ alone who brought about the resurrection. It is Christ alone who will reverse the effects of the broken law. Without Christ everything would eventually revert to chaos and there would be no way back.

The law of justice had to be satisfied or the fall of man would have been permanent. An essential element of grace, however, is freewill. That presented a conundrum. How do you apply grace and preserve freewill

The purpose of Christ, from the beginning, was to protect our freewill. He offered himself as a sacrifice to satisfy the law of justice, but we had to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. We will not be forced to heaven. Christ will never violate freewill. How, then, can he provide free grace and preserve freewill? The answer explains the strange relationship between grace and works.

There must be grace, or justice would condemn us all to hell; however, there must be standards or judgment is arbitrary. Those standards were established by Christ. We call them commandments. Our works prove to Christ that we are willing to accept him as our Savior, thus preserving freewill.

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John’s Letter to the Church of Ephesus

In the Book of Revelation, John writes seven letters to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Of course, they are real letters to real churches in real places in real time; however, as all other images in Revelation, they are universal and need to be read collectively because they transcend time and place. They apply to Christians today as much as they applied to the early Christians.

The letters are written to the church collectively but to the saints individually. Though we may preach the gospel to others, we should never impose our will upon others. We may only impose our will upon ourselves. We may not be able to change others, but we may always change ourselves.

The letters have four parts: virtues, vices, warning, and promise (Or promised blessings) In the Holy Scriptures, language is very precise. In this Podcast Linda and I will discuss John’s Letter to the Church of Ephesus found in Revelation 2: 1-7.

“1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;”

In the Holy Scriptures, the number 7 appears often. It is used for a number of reasons. Among those are to express completeness, perfection, and holiness. For example, this is symbolized by the creation of the earth. God rested on the seventh day following the six days of creation. The seventh day is considered a holy day, a sabbath of the Lords, a day of rest, a day of sanctification and worship.

It is Christ who is speaking to John, and he holds “seven stars in his right hand” and he walks in the “midst of the seven golden candlesticks.” Both are symbols of light and truth. Christ, though unseen, walks among the saints of God.

By holding The seven stars in his right hand, Christ is holding the church in his right hand. In Exodus we read

6 Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. (Exodus 15:6)

In John we read

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:27-29)

The seven golden candlesticks are a temple image. The temple is a house of holiness. The candlesticks are part of the temple imagery. In the Book of Numbers, we learn

2 Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.

3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the Lord commanded Moses.

4 And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the Lord had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.

5 ¶ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.

7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. (Numbers 8:2-7)

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What is Man?

If you follow these podcasts, you will discover that there is one subject I return to again and again, and the subject is, What is man? The title is inspired by King David.

3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:3-9)

The Apostle Paul also loved the words of David as he explains the above scripture

6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:6-9)

The inimitable Paul expands the meaning of the scripture, giving us greater insight both into the nature of the mission of Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and the nature of mankind.

10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. (Hebrews 2:10-18)

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The Spirit of America

We are losing our freedom in America today because we are turning away from the spirit and following the natural man. It is the natural man that gives in to pride, that gives is to the lust for power and money and unjust control.

It is in the nature of natural man that power, once achieved, will never be relinquished except by force. Six thousand years of history have proven it. How many movements in America began with noble goals but ended in ignoble power? Power is a force greater than any human will, greater than any noble ideal. As fire must be fought with fire, power must be controlled by power. We can remain free in this nation only as long as we maintain a balance of power so that the voice of the majority can be heard.

The politicians today are trying to destroy the balance of power by reckless use of executive privilege, abominable misuse of impeachment, stacking the supreme court, viciously attacking any opposing leader or party or individual, intimidation of party members who oppose their views, slander, misrepresentation of facts, distortion of justice, selective anger, using the IRS, FBI, CIA, and other government offices for intimidation of citizens and opposing candidates, ignoring the crimes of their own party members and exaggerating the crimes of opposing party members, and by removing God and Christianity from our nation.

No emergency, no crisis, no world circumstance is so important that we should relinquish our freedom to the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, or the Judicial Branch. What is gained in time of war or crisis will be increased in time of peace and prosperity.

It is very common for those in power, during a crisis, to use that crisis as an excuse to violate civil rights and trample on the basic principles of freedom. The bullying of America during the COVID-19 pandemic by left-leaning governors is an example of self-serving leadership. No crisis, even at the excuse of preserving life, is so great that it justifies taking away the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Regardless of the consequences, authorities must limit their power to that which is granted by the Constitution, or they must take no action at all. Power, like taxes, once given is never forfeited until eventually all the good it proposed to do turns to the destruction of our liberty. Liberty is not lost in one battle. As the bank of a stream unsupported by roots and rocks and other stable forces erodes away with every flood so it is with freedom. Without the stabilizing support of our Constitution, crisis by crisis our liberty is lost, the walls cave in, the balance of power eroded away, and down falls our republic. That which is excused by crisis often becomes a greater tragedy that which is supported by tyranny.

If we do not learn that lesson from the past, we will learn it from the future at the cost of our freedom.

The French Analyst Alexis de Toqueville observed, “America is great because she is good. If American ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

I shall take a liberty. “America is free because she is good. If American ceases to be good, America will cease to be free.”

If the spirit of America is not free, then the body of America will not be free.

This is the spirit our forefathers had, and this is the spirit that many have today. It is the only spirit that will make America Free, for freedom is spiritual not temporal.

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Tyranny of the MajorityDemocracy is a delicate balance because the voice of one must be heard regardless of the popular opinions. Socrates was executed because he was accused of “corrupting the youth” by teaching them to think independently. The majority, of course, are a powerful force in a democracy because each vote counts, but to assume that the majority is right is to assume that the political party in power is right. John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, warns against “the tyranny of the majority.”

“The will of the people, moreover, practically means, the will of the most numerous or the most active part of the people; the majority, or those who succeed in making themselves accepted as the majority: the people, consequently, may desire to oppress a part of their number; and precautions are as much needed against this, as against any other abuse of power. The limitation, therefore, of the power of government over individuals, loses none of its importance when the holders of power are regularly accountable to the community, that is, to the strongest party therein. This view of things, recommending itself equally to the intelligence of thinkers and to the inclination of those important classes in European society to whose real or supposed interests democracy is adverse, has had no difficulty in establishing itself; and in political speculations "the tyranny of the majority" is now generally included among the evils against which society requires to be on its guard.”

Our Founding Fathers addressed this problem with a strong constitution and balance of power. A balance of power must be preserved. One of the grave dangers we face in America today is the desire of the liberals to alter the Constitution to echo their own ideology and to remove the balance of power. Never in the history of our nation has the balance of power been so threatened.

Mill warned:

“There is a limit to the legitimate interference of collective opinion with individual independence: and to find that limit, and maintain it against encroachment, is as indispensable to a good condition of human affairs, as protection against political despotism.”

We must guard against “political despotism.” Allowing a president who supports the ruling party unlimited license but impeaching a president simply because he opposes their policies, as was demonstrated by the attempted impeachment of President Trump by the left, driven by hatred not reason, unsupported accusations not truth, is a blatant example of “political despotism” by unscrupulous politicians in a drive to power. The same dishonesty was shown in the reprehensible mistreatment of Judge Cavanaugh as he was pilloried by the left because they did not want another conservative and anti-abortionist on the Supreme Court. He was subjected to a witch trial not a hearing.

All parties in a democratic Republic have the right of freedom of speech, all voices must be heard.

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Progression

Where did consciousness come from? Where did life come from? Where did matter and energy come from? Where did God come from?

Perhaps the best that can be said is that they are here, they have always been here, and they are here to stay because they cannot be created or destroyed. Look into the mirror. Ignore the wrinkles and blemishes that haunt us all and look into your crystal clear and beautiful eyes and ask yourself, “Am I real.”

Now think of the famous words of the French philosopher, Rene Descartes. “ I think; therefore I am.”

Your very consciousness is all the evidence you need of your eternal existence. Within your aging body is an immortal spirit made after the image of God, the model by which your body was formed, only your spirit is eternally young. It cannot grow old and die. Time means nothing to your spirit. It is beyond the incarnadine teeth of that flesh eater entropy that devours us all. That immortal spirit is what makes you a child of God. He is your father. You were born into heaven of heavenly parents just as you born into earth of heavenly parents.

Within that immortal spirit is an intelligence that has always existed for it can be neither created nor destroyed. Consciousness either exists or it doesn’t. There is that in you that will never die. You are unique. There is nothing quite like you. There is no doppelganger. There are people who have similar characteristics. You share the genetic code of your parents, and they share the genetic code of their parents all the way back to Adam.

But the genetic code governs our mortal body, not our spiritual body. There are no two leaves alike just as there are no two snowflakes alike, there are no two physical bodies that are alike in every detail, not even identical twins; however, it is your spirit not your body that gives you your uniqueness. For me one of the greatest arguments of intelligent design is the genetic code. The earth has the Goldilocks Zone which is overwhelming evidence of intelligent design. Our bodies have the genetic code.

Accident or evolution could never design either. Evolution plays a huge part in our survival, but evolution cannot create us. Evolution is a mortal law only and can never affect immortality. It cannot be responsible for consciousness. How could it? What mechanism could it possibly have? Evolution feeds on death, like all carrion creatures, a temporal thing only.

Consciousness can have no beginning and consciousness can have no end else how can you account for the existence of God? Anytime you estimate men or women, you underestimate them. Remember that when you put yourself down, you are putting down a child of God, an immortal being, as ageless as the stars that brighten the night sky. Regardless of distinctive gifts, no being on earth, not even the great Einstein, has more potential than you. How could they seeing that you are an eternal being, an immortal spirit, an everlasting intelligence?

Mortality is a temporary state eaten by entropy. The spirit is immortal, and your resurrection will be immortal. The purpose of the resurrection is to clothe your immortal spirit with an immortal body, and both will live forever. Mortal limitations have no bearing on immortal possibilities. All physical and mental handicaps will be erased in the resurrection, and all the ghosts of the past will be gone like the cobwebs of an old barn swept away by fire.

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EVERYMAN

HERE BEGINNETH A TREATISE HOW THE HIGH FATHER OF HEAVEN SENDETH DEATH TO SUMMON EVERY CREATURE TO COME AND GIVE ACCOUNT OF THEIR LIVES IN THIS WORLD AND IS IN MANNER OF A MORAL PLAY.

Messenger. I pray you all give your audience,
And hear this matter with reverence,
By figure a moral play--
The Summoning of Everyman called it is,
That of our lives and ending shows
How transitory we be all day.
This matter is wondrous precious,
But the intent of it is more gracious,
And sweet to bear away.
The story saith,--Man, in the beginning,
Look well, and take good heed to the ending,
Be you never so gay!
Ye think sin in the beginning full sweet,
Which in the end causeth thy soul to weep,
When the body lieth in clay.
Here shall you see how Fellowship and Jollity,
Both Strength, Pleasure, and Beauty,
Will fade from thee as flower in May.
For ye shall hear, how our heaven king
Calleth Everyman to a general reckoning:
Give audience, and hear what he doth say.

God. I perceive here in my majesty,
How that all creatures be to me unkind,
Living without dread in worldly prosperity:
Of ghostly sight the people be so blind,
Drowned in sin, they know me not for their God;
In worldly riches is all their mind,
They fear not my rightwiseness, the sharp rod;
My law that I shewed, when I for them died,
They forget clean, and shedding of my blood red;
I hanged between two, it cannot be denied;
To get them life I suffered to be dead;
I healed their feet, with thorns hurt was my head:
I could do no more than I did truly,
And now I see the people do clean forsake me.
They use the seven deadly sins damnable;
As pride, covetise, wrath, and lechery,
Now in the world be made commendable;
And thus they leave of angels the heavenly company;
Everyman liveth so after his own pleasure,
And yet of their life they be nothing sure:
I see the more that I them forbear
The worse they be from year to year;
All that liveth appaireth7 fast,
Therefore I will in all the haste
Have a reckoning of Everyman's person
For and I leave the people thus alone
In their life and wicked tempests,
Verily they will become much worse than beasts;
For now one would by envy another up eat;
Charity they all do clean forget.
I hoped well that Everyman
In my glory should make his mansion,
And thereto I had them all elect;
But now I see, like traitors deject,
They thank me not for the pleasure that I to them meant,
Nor yet for their being that I them have lent;
I proffered the people great multitude of mercy,
And few there be that asketh it heartily;
They be so cumbered with worldly riches,
That needs on them I must do justice,
On Everyman living without fear.
Where art thou, Death, thou mighty messenger?

Death. Almighty God, I am here at your will,
Your commandment to fulfil.

God. Go thou to Everyman,
And show him in my name
A pilgrimage he must on him take,
Which he in no wise may escape;
And that he bring with him a sure reckoning
Without delay or any tarrying.

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The JourneyThe fall was necessary, or all progression would have stopped. Living forever in the Garden of Eden may, in our tempestuous world, sound like a paradise, but it was a kind of prison.

Adam and Eve wanted freedom. They wanted knowledge of good and evil so that they could have agency. Furthermore, they wanted children.

They knew that we, as spirits, were waiting to come to this world through their lineage; therefore, they chose to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They made an informed decision. They knew that unless they left the Garden of Eden, there would be no progression, no mortal family, no knowledge of good and evil, no joy, no misery, and no purpose to life. The journey was necessary.

Have you ever wondered what you would have done if you had been Adam or Eve?

I know what we all would have done because, in effect, by leaving paradise and coming to the earth, we made the same decision. Everyone born on this earth came to this earth by choice. Furthermore, we chose to leave heaven and come to earth through the lineage of Adam and Eve. In Job, it is recorded:

“4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7)

We were those “morning stars,” and we were “all the sons of God.” We sang together because, like Adam and Eve, we wanted to leave paradise and come to earth. We rejoiced when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In fact, we “shouted for joy.” We knew then that we would also get a chance to come to the earth and gain a body through their lineage. They did it not only for themselves but for all their posterity.

They chose to leave the Garden of Eden and suffer opposition, knowing that they and all their children could be saved. No one was sent to earth who did not want to come and who, in the spirit world, did not accept Christ as their Savior.

Living in paradise forever was a dead end. Imagine the same thing forever and forever, not knowing joy because one didn’t understand misery. But there was an even greater reason for leaving heaven and coming to earth. Paul compares the least degree of heaven with the light of the stars.

It would be better to live in glory, shining as bright as a star, than to live forever in paradise, without glory, without agency, without joy, and without a whole lot to do but tend the garden.

By eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they knew that they would fall, but through the fall, they would have freedom; however, they also knew that through death they would leave the mortal body behind, be resurrected, and live with their Savior again. Only by embarking on the journey into mortality could Adam and Eve and their posterity become perfect even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect. Like Adam and Eve, we also left heaven because we wanted to be like the Father.

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The Principle of Opposition

There is a principle that could even be stated as a law. I call it the law of opposition. Try to imagine a world without opposing forces. On a stormy day, we want the wind to quit. On a cold day we want the sun to come out. On a hot day we want a breeze to blow or a cloud to cover the sun. We like a perfect environment where nothing distracts us—no flies, no mosquitoes, no gnats, no ticks, no wasps, no thorns, no thistles, no storms, no strife, no opposition. Well, we all have our own utopia.

Try to imagine what it was like to live in the Garden of Eden before the fall. The Garden of Eden was considered the first Utopia.

If you think the Garden of Eden was Utopia before the fall, think again. Before the fall there was no opposition. They did not know good from evil. They couldn’t have children. They didn’t even know they were naked. You cannot know joy unless you know sorrow. God knew that the fall had to occur for Adam and Eve to “multiply and replenish the earth,” but it had to be Adam and Eve’s choice. God cannot force some one or even advise someone to transgress a law. He knew it would bring death into the world, both a temporal death for temporal opposition and spiritual death for spiritual opposition.

In our mortal world, scientists have brilliantly defined at least four forces of nature. The strong nuclear force. The weak nuclear force. Gravity, and electromagnetism. Laws depend upon the principle of opposition. Remove opposition and you remove those four forces. Remove those four forces and everything you see would disappear.

I keep on my shelf in clear sight Newton’s Cradle. You know the frame with steel balls dangling from a string. Lift one steel ball and drop it, the steel ball on the other end flies as high as the first one was lifted, demonstrating the existence of equal and opposite forces. So much depends upon Newton’s cradle.

Now again, imagine a world with no opposition. Regardless of what you imagine, I can tell you what you will get—absolute nothingness. You would have maximum equilibrium, what scientists refer to as the giant heat death. There would be no atoms. What forces would hold them together? There would be no strong nuclear force, no weak nuclear force, no electromagnetism, no gravity. Without atoms, there could be no creation; therefore, no creator and no life. There would be eternal silence, eternal nothingness.

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The War in Heaven Pt II

In this podcast we shall address the questions:

Where was the battle fought?
Why was the battle fought?
How was the battle fought?
How was the battle won?

We are taught in the Book of Revelation:

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

We learn that Satan lead the offense and Michael led the defense. We know that Satan and his angels lost, and Michael and his angels won. We also learn that Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven. In a previous verse, we are given a few more facts.

4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: (Revelation 12:4)

The “stars o heaven” refers to the sons and daughters of God. Since we are all his children, we were those morning stars. We were all brothers and sisters in heaven. A third part followed Lucifer which leaves two-thirds part to follow Michael. Lucifer and his third part were cast out.

That raises a question. If Michael led the battle against Lucifer, where was Christ? Why didn’t he lead the battle? The answer to that question is extremely important. But before answering the question, let’s examine the nature of Lucifer.

Lucifer was also a child of God, once in high favor. Isaiah tells us,

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.

19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet.

20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. (Isaiah 14:12-20)

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The War in Heaven Pt I

The poet John Milton in his epic story of the fall of man, describes the war in heaven. In the following brief stanza, he describes Lucifer being cast out of heaven.

Th’ infernal Serpent; he it was whose guile,
Stirred up with envy and revenge, deceived
The mother of mankind, what time his pride
Had cast him out from Heaven, with all his host
Of rebel Angels, by whose aid, aspiring
To set himself in glory above his peers,
He trusted to have equalled the Most High,
If he opposed, and with ambitious aim
Against the throne and monarchy of God,
Raised impious war in Heaven and battle proud,
With vain attempt. Him the Almighty Power
Hurled headlong flaming from th’ ethereal sky,
With hideous ruin and combustion, down
To bottomless perdition, there to dwell
In adamantine chains and penal fire,
Who durst defy th’ Omnipotent to arms.

John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book I

What Handle did For Christ in the music of The Messiah, Milton did for Lucifer in the poetry of Paradise Lost. Milton put wings to his words and sent them flying into immortality. Of course, both drew their inspiration from the prophets of the Holy Bible. Without the Holy Bible, there would be no Messiah and no Paradise Lost.

Few verses of scripture are more enigmatic than Revelation 12: 7-9:

“7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9)

Many questions are raised:

Why was there war in heaven?
How was it fought?
Where was it fought?
Who is Michael?
Who were the angels who followed Michael?
Who is Lucifer?
Who were the angels that followed Lucifer?
Why does it matter?
Where was Christ during the war in heaven?
Why didn’t he lead the fight in the battle?
How does that impact life on earth?
Why does the war in heaven matter to us?

It is critical that we understand the answers to all three questions because when we do come to an understanding of the war in heaven, many things begin to fall into place.

Let’s tackle the third question first: Where is Christ? Why didn’t Christ lead the battle?

If we simply consider who Christ was before he came to earth, we can easily discern that Christ was not visible at the forefront of the battle against Lucifer. Even before coming to earth, Christ was the Son of God, the Almighty creator of earth and man, the Great I Am. He was given all the power of the Father by the Father. He was omnipotent and omniscient and had no equal but the Father. If Lucifer had confronted Christ directly, there would have been no war in heaven. Lucifer would have been swatted like an irritating gnat. Lucifer would have simply been thrown out of heaven at the instant of the rebellion, and the idiots who followed him would have been thrown out with him. He would have been the mouse that roared. It would be a guppy confronting a great white shark.

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Freedom and NatureIt is ironic that science, by expanding our understanding of natural laws, actually increases our freedom, yet it is science that denies the existence of freewill. It is part of their Flatland mentality. Even a cursory study of nature shows how all life forms are designed for their maximum freedom. Study the hawk and see how it spreads its confident wings in the azure sky and soars on the wild winds. With its broad back to the bright sun, its telescopic eyes scan the spinning world below looking for prey.

Now study the slow myopic turtle that crawls creepily over the earth, carrying his heavy home on his back.

The turtle does not need the eye of a hawk, and the hawk does not need the shell of a turtle. All of God’s creatures are designed for maximum freedom to ensure their survival and to expand their potential in their own environment. Each of itself experiences its own joy and freedom. If evolution furnished those things, it is through law not luck or accident. The hawk and turtle were designed in the evening before their morning of creation. Laws were appointed to carry out those designs.

Science understands the power of instinct. The higher the order the greater capacity for instinct. Instinct is most pronounced in humans. We have different names for instinct among humans: inspiration, intuition, inclination, prompting, impulse, proclivity, presentiment, percipience, flair, gift, feel, talent, propensity, penchant, intuitive, discernment, perspicacity, clairvoyance, extrasensory perception, imagination,

In addition to instinct, all conscious creatures have some intelligence or they wouldn’t have consciousness. Anyone who watches animals solve problems instinctively know that more than instinct is involved.

I once watched a documentary in which scientists were testing the problem-solving capacity of a bear. They put a large hunk of raw meat on a rope to lure the bear. The meat however was attached to a battery that gave a strong electrical charge. The first time the bear came, the shock sent him scuttling into the forest. The same bear returned hours later. Again, the shock sent him skedaddling. The third time he came however, he was extremely cautious. He ignored the meat. Suddenly and inexplicably, he destroyed the electrical apparatus with a viciousness. The apparatus had no visible connection to the meat. To discern the connection between the black box and the meat required more than intuition or inherited knowledge for his tribe. The bear then took the meat with confidence and safely disappeared happily into the forest with his quarry and didn’t return.

Those of you like me who have had long battles with squirrels stealing bird seed know how ingenious squirrels are at solving problems. With me it became a game of wits and I lost time and time again. By all perceptions squirrels appear to study the problem and they will try a multitude of solutions until they find one that works.

Anything that has intelligence also has the capacity for joy. Dogs, chimpanzees, dolphins, and thousands of other animals can be trained to high degrees, even understanding language. The elephant, for example, is sometimes human-like in its behavior.

However, only men and women, as children of God, with high intelligence, have freewill like the gods to know good from evil, to organize laws, to study the stars, to fly to the moon, to classify the elements, the flora and fauna of the earth, to keep a genealogy, to build libraries, to learn multiple languages, to contemplate death, to dive to the bottom of the sea, to rule the earth, or to contemplate God.

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Patriotism

We wish you a happy new year and hope this new year brings you joy and happiness, and in your prayers, please include America. You know, the Holy Bible loves to talk about the promised land for the Jews, and I am happy for them. The Jews gave us the Bible. The Jews gave us Jesus Christ. The Holy Bible is true. It is the word of God, and it is the guide for liberty. The Holy Bible is the foundation of freedom in America.

Patriotism does not begin on the battlefield. Patriotism begins in the home. Patriotism does not reside in Washington. Patriotism resides in the heart. A patriot is not one who shouts slogans. A parrot can do that. A patriot is not one who holds high office. A clown can do that. A patriot is one who has integrity, who is honest, who serves others invisibly, whose word is as strong as his signature. A patriot is not one who runs for office, but one who stands for truth.

We will not be free until we restore integrity to this nation. A lie is a lie is a lie regardless of its source or its intent, and those who use lies to manipulate our votes and pervert our emotions are traitors to freedom and their treason should be unmasked. Those who use lies to promote good intentions are self-deceived. A false heart will clothe lies in colorful robes of grandiose words to hide the ugliness of their hideous intent.

The promised land is where the heart is. For me, America is the only promised land that I know and the only promised land that I desire. People came to America seeking religious freedom, freedom from oppression, freedom from totalitarianism. For those of you who live anywhere in America, God Bless you for keeping the Ten Commandments or the Law of Liberty.

I am a child of the south and will always be a child of the south, but for all of us, regardless of your politics, your religion, or your philosophy, I say this coming new year, God bless you for your patriotism and your goodness and God bless America. Together and only together can we save this nation from those who would like to destroy it.

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Lady Justice

Lady Justice is of very ancient origin, dating back to the Egyptians. She was originally associated with the gods and symbolized the justice of God. Though images vary, it is a universal symbol found throughout the world.

Lady Justice traditionally has three significant attributes: (1) She is blindfolded; (2) She has balanced scales, the most prominent image, held high in her right hand; (3) She has the sword of justice in the left hand.

The blindfold suggests that there should be no respect of persons, that all are treated alike under the law, black and white, male and female, rich and poor, high and low, educated and uneducated, great and small, titled and untitled.

The balances are in the right hand, held high, suggesting that equality, not power is primary. The balances in her hand symbolize equal justice for all. They also suggest that the punishment should equal the crime, taken from the ancient law: ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”

The unsheathed sword is in the left hand, the arm relaxed, the point of the sword resting on the ground, suggesting power. The lowered hand has a firm grip on the hilt suggesting readiness, but the relaxed arm and the lowered sword also suggest that the sword should only be raised in defense of liberty and equality and not be used as an imminent threat. However, it does suggest that force may be necessary and is justifiable in defending our freedoms. It suggests defense, not aggression, protection, not intimidation.

The other images are of equal importance.

The figure of a woman, for example, represents mercy and compassion, intelligence and patience, aggression and submission. In the natural world it is the female that will risk her life to protect her cubs. A female grizzly will attack a male grizzly twice her weight and win through sheer courage if her cubs are threatened. It also suggests fertility and stability, beauty and courage, as well as longevity and caution. Most of all she represents family, the continuation of the species, and stability in the home.

The large book under her right foot represents truth and knowledge. It represents higher education in arts, science, math, history, language, literature, government, and world cultures. It also represents truth, reminding one of the words of the Savior,

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The snake, whose head is pressed under Lady Justice’s bare foot, represents the suppression of evil, a Biblical reference to the Garden of Eden where Lucifer is cursed; and though the serpent may bruise the heel, the posterity of Adam and Eve shall bruise the serpent’s head. It symbolizes the limitations placed by God upon the power of Satan.

The snake, which symbolizes our constant battle between good and evil, is rendered harmless. It suggests, however, that unless we win the battle over evil, freedom cannot survive. The snake is alive, and if the naked heel of justice is raised or relaxed, the snake will indeed bruise her heel.

The long tail of the snake is wrapped over the book suggesting knowledge of good and evil. It is coiled around it suggesting that Satan, who is the father of lies, is an enemy to truth and, therefore, an enemy to freedom. Liberty depends, not on the sword, but on the virtues of its people held under common consent. The Apostle Paul also said, which has become the theme of all four volumes:

“17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

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A Few Notes on Faith & Prayer

As Christians we know that we are not, as Bertrand Russel said, “an accidental collocation of atoms.” We are not created by accident, chance, coincidence, or serendipity of circumstances. We are children of God, having a divine nature. Before coming to earth we lived with our Father in heaven as his spirit children. He sent us to earth through our mortal parents to gain a physical body in the hopes that we would return to him when our mortal probation is over. That is a good thing to keep at the forefront of our mind.

If someone asks, who are you, surprise them and say “I am a child of God, of royal birth, having a divine nature. My spirit is immortal. My body is a temple of God and his Holy Spirit dwells in me.” And then when they close their mouth give them your earthly name because that is probably all they wanted to know anyway.

Faith in self is necessary for self-reliance. Faith drives us to action and proves the power for that action. God has given all of us enormous gifts tailored for the challenges of mortal life. As with the Parable of the Talents, those gifts double as we wisely develop them. The more we understand about law, the greater we can develop our own skills and talents.

Faith in others is necessary in a world as complex and varied as ours. We cannot possibly be a master of all trades.

Faith in God is necessary in a world where things are both temporal and spiritual. We have a spirit body and a temporal body. Let us keep in mind that we are all children of God, of royal birth, and to every child God has given special gifts to bless mankind. God distributes his gifts throughout the world for the betterment of man. The reason God generously distributes his gifts is so that we can help not only ourselves but his other children. All good gifts come from God. How we use them depends on us for God has given us our agency. We may use those gifts for good or evil, to serve others or just to serve ourselves. In the Sermon on the Mount Christ gave us the golden rule as a guideline: Do unto others as ye would have them do unto you.

Faith and prayer go together. Faith strengthens prayer and prayer brings down the powers of heaven. God will not intrude in our lives uninvited because of the law of agency, but he wants to hear our prayers. He wants us to invite him into our lives. Faith in God is one of the greatest resources on earth, and prayer give us direct access to the throne of God. What other King gives you unlimited access? John said, “

“8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.” (Revelation 5:8)

Daily prayers go a long way. It is a lifelong study to learn how God answers prayers. We are his Children. His goal is to bring us back to his presence. To do that he must sanctify us. No prayer goes unheard, but we must allow God to answer in his own way.

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Another Glory of the Stars

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Besides the fact that the glory of the stars is a lesser kingdom of glory, there is another unique feature about the lowest kingdom. Unlike the celestial kingdom and the terrestrial kingdom, it contains innumerable divisions:

“For one star differeth from another star in glory.”

In the book of Job we learn that as spirits in heaven before coming to earth, we were referred to as stars:

In fact, even the fallen angels were once referred to as stars. John the Revelator tells us.

4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. (Revelation 12:4)

It is apparent that there are many divisions of the lowest kingdom of heaven for they are as innumerable as stars with different variations of glory or light. I love the image of the star because even in the lowest degrees of heaven, those who inherit that kingdom will shine as bright as the stars, some more brilliant than others.

It is a brilliant way to describe the different degrees of glory in heaven as well as the vastness of heaven and the vastness of rewards.

For me, the concept of the many heavens described by Paul only makes sense when you consider the following verse from the Book of Revelation, “

“12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” (Revelation 22:12)

We are so varied in our behavior, how is it possible to “give every man according as his work shall be” if there are not many degrees of reward. The same holds true for hell. Does a pickpocket have to pay a murder’s penalty? Can God reward every man alike or punish every man alike and still be just?

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Another Glory of the Moon

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:40-44

In the previous podcast we talked about celestial bodies as described by Paul in first Corinthians. In this podcast we shall take about terrestrial bodies:

Paul referred to the celestial kingdom as the third heaven. He refers to the second kingdom as the Terrestrial Kingdom. The celestial kingdom is compared to the brightness of the sun. The terrestrial kingdom is compared to the brightness of the moon, which is less than the brightness of the sun, but greater than the brightness of the stars. That, of course, is no small thing. At night, the moon is the brightest object in the sky and at its brightest its incredibly beautiful, but in the face of the sun, the light of the moon is absorbed making the light of the moon of no consequence. Still at its best, the moon is very bright and beautiful, but since it is reflected light, we can look at the moon with the naked eye, but we cannot (or should not) look straight into the sun with the naked eye for fear of damaging out eyes.

Paul calls the second heaven the terrestrial kingdom: “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial.” Comparing the celestial kingdom to the brightness of the sun and the terrestrial kingdom to the brightness of the moon is a figurative image, of course, but Paul tells us that those who inherit the terrestrial kingdom will have a glory that shines like the moon. Though the terrestrial kingdom is not as bright as the celestial kingdom, still it is a kingdom of glory, obviously of unimaginable splendor.

It is also clear, however. that God and Christ have ‘bodies celestial’ and, therefore, live with those who are also resurrected with ‘celestial bodies.’ They do not live with those who have ‘bodies terrestrial.’ In the last podcast we described the conditions necessary to live in the celestial kingdom. In this podcast we describe the conditions necessary to live in the terrestrial kingdom, or to describe the ‘bodies terrestrial.’

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One Glory of the Sun excerpt

Let’s start the Podcast with Paul’s description of the Third Heaven.

1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)

4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (2 Corinthians 12:1-4)

I suppose it would be understandable if us lesser mortals were envious of Paul’s experience. Certainly, a vision of heaven would make us all strive to go there. But we are left to ponder his words and glory in the description of light rather than in the light itself.

We can assume, I suppose, that the third heaven experience by Paul is the same as the heaven envisioned by John as recorded in Revelation.

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

(Revelation 21:1-7)

We learn from John, in Revelation Chapters 2 & 3 the conditions that must be met in order to inherit the third heaven, To him that overcometh will I give

to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
thee a crown of life.
to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
the morning star.
white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
to sit with me in my throne

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What is Your Portion? Pt II

To understand portion, we must understand law.

To survive in a temporal world, we must understand the conditions of temporal law. Those who don’t die young.

To advance in the spiritual world, we must understand the conditions of spiritual law. The entire purpose of the Holy Scriptures is to teach us the conditions of spiritual law.

There are two sets of spiritual laws. The Law of Justice, which is the governing law of everything, and the Law of Mercy, which is the governing law of salvation. We live in a fallen world; therefore, we cannot live the Law of Justice. Only the law of mercy can justify us, preserve us, perfect us, and sanctify us. The portion we are required to live is made up of the conditions of the law of mercy. Those conditions are defined in the Holy Scriptures.

Perhaps my favorite parable is the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:1-13)

All Ten Virgins believe in Christ because all ten “took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.” What, then separates the five foolish virgins from the five wise virgins. One of the conditions to meeting the Savior when he comes is to endure to the end. All ten virgins “slumbered and slept.” However, the five wise virgins had extra oil. They were prepared in case the Lord delayed his coming. The others put a limit on what they were willing to do. They procrastinated repentance until it was too late. The Savior came when they least expected him. The five wise virgins couldn’t give them more oil because they couldn’t atone for sins of the five foolish virgins. We must understand that the conditions placed on the law of mercy are placed there by the law of justice which cannot be cheated. The law of mercy satisfies the law of justice. It doesn’t rob the law of justice. All conditions on the law of mercy are placed there by the law of justice. The law of mercy saves us. The law of justice condemns us. The law of justice, however, cannot condemn us if we meet the conditions placed on the law of mercy as with the five wise virgins.

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What is Your Portion?

I have gazed into my crystal ball many times, but no images appeared so my future as a fortune teller dissolved. But it serves quite well as a metaphor for my theme, which is “What is Your Portion?” so I am satisfied.

I would like to begin with a quote from the late Mr. Stephen Hawking, noted physicist, and author of The Grand Design.

“Because there is a law like gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing…. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.”

The argument assumes that spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing. The problem is in the “if.” Mr. Hawking simply bypasses the hypothetical nature of his assumption and declares that spontaneous creation exits.

However, it is merely opinion. It cannot be proven. In the absence of any other explanation, theorists default to accident or coincidence or spontaneous creation. It is like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. You may as well believe in my crystal ball.

You must realize that such a statement can never be proven. What if I tried to sell you my crystal ball and you asked me, “Does it really work?” I answer, “Yes, if you are a true fortune teller.” You see the problem? The fault is not in the crystal but in you. You are not a true fortune teller. Putting aside common sense, as many scientific theorists do, the issue can never be resolved.

Did gravity suddenly occur because of spontaneous creation? Did the singularity that created the Big Bang suddenly occur because of spontaneous creation? Did law suddenly occur because of spontaneous creation?

Really what Mr. Hawking is saying is that because we don’t know how things were created, they must have been created by spontaneous creation. The statement is absurd. One could just as easily say that because we don’t know how things were created, they must have been created by magic. It is the same thing.

Everything I say in this podcast is based on the principle that something can never come from nothing. It has both a temporal component and spiritual component. Even God cannot create something from nothing. If he could, then everything would be a product of his imagination which means nothing would be real.

If you don’t have a crystal ball, look into a pool of water or a mirror. The magic is not in the crystal ball. The magic is in your ability to see your own reflection. That is all the proof of your existence that you need. But if you will not settle for a looking-glass image, then peer deep into your eyes until you penetrate your own soul. You know deep inside that you exist. It is not just the living, breathing body that gives you life. You are unique. There is no doppelganger, there is no other you. There is no multiverse where you, like a schizophrenic, split into multiple personalities chasing a chimera of possibilities throughout a multitude of empty eternities.

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Road to Totalitarianism

The road to totalitarianism is sometimes subtle and begins in seemingly innocuous ways. The Pharaohs were first called kings. From kings they moved to Pharaohs and from Pharaohs as absolute rulers to Pharaohs as gods. When they were perceived as gods, that gave them total power over the people, and they ruled by fear and superstition. In England, Henry VIII was the supreme head of the Church of England and people were taught the ‘divine right of kings.’ A monarch who wants absolute rule must be both God and king or he must do away with God all together.

A king, of course, is not necessarily evil. Lord Acton said, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” One may have a king and still be free if the king is equitable. Freedom depends upon just laws applied equally to everyone. Total freedom depends upon obedience to the laws of God, referred to as the Ten Commandments. When the laws of man are in harmony with the laws of God, regardless of the ruler, man can be free.

The problem lies in man’s lust for power. Unchecked power always leads to totalitarianism. One king, for example, may be just; however, history has shown that somewhere in the line of kings will rise a king who is unjust and just one unjust ruler can destroy freedom. Under a king, the threat of slavery is always only one generation away.

The United States is unique because of the balance of power. Under our Constitution no President can become king. Our leaders are not based on birth but upon the voice of the people. If we lose our balance of power, we will lose our freedom. It will be inevitable.

All heads of government rule by power. What sets America apart is free elections. Remove free elections and democracy will fall. Any corruption of the election process will be the death of democracy.

One of tyranny’s first efforts will be to destroy the election process, next the balance of power, next the Constitution and Bill of Rights. In our electronic age it is quite possible to have the illusion of a free election when in fact our votes are secretly stolen from us. Stealing an election is an act of treason and should be punished as such.

Socialism and communism cannot build their empire on the foundation of a democratic republic. The only way they can gain power is to destroy the foundation of our freedom and from its ashes build a new empire. They cannot, as the scriptures say, put new wine into old bottles.

The social democrats today are not trying to patch up our democracy or improve our Constitution. That will not work. They must destroy our Constitution and Bill of Rights, destroy our balance of power, destroy the election process, and destroy term limits. Only that way can they have power.

Their first step must be to remove the Ten Commandments and Christianity. That is their greatest barrier. They have already won the battle with the press. The press is merely an extension of the democratic socialists.

In the liberal party, there are no dissenting voices. Like sheep they vote the way they are told. If the Liberal party gains power in the executive branch, in the legislative branch, and in the judicial branch, and in the press then it will be the same as a king or Tzar, or Monarch or communist ruler. The power, regardless of the number of people holding it, will be ruled by one voice.

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Temporal Law and Freedom

It hardly comes as a surprise to learn that we are mortal beings tethered to mortal earth by mortal laws. For example, we are subject to gravity and the laws of gravity. We are subject to entropy and the laws of entropy, which means that things move from order to disorder which brings death into the world. We are subject to time. Time is perhaps the most curious factor of all. Without death, time, as we know it, would be meaningless.

We live inside a celestial clock. The spinning earth gives us our day. We divide our day into hours, our hours into minutes, our minutes into seconds, and our seconds into nanoseconds and so on. The circling moon gives us our month, and the circling earth around the sun gives us our year. Time has no inherent meaning for our celestial clock has been ticking for billions of years in endless repetition and will continue to tick for billions of years more in endless repetition unless interrupted by some cosmic cataclysm. In our mortal world, only death gives time its meaning. Science tells us that entropy gives time its arrow. That is because death cannot be reversed by mortal laws.

If science were not so blinded by paradigms, they would see that the above is why neither the Big Bang, nor evolution, nor accident could have created life. Mortal law manages death. That is its entire purpose. Evolution is a product of mortal laws only.

As Christians we believe in two kingdoms. The mortal kingdom and the immortal kingdom. The mortal kingdom is governed by mortal laws. The immortal kingdom is governed by spiritual laws. Life is related to spiritual laws. Mortal laws provide a mortal body for our spirits. Mortal laws and mortal bodies only exist for the duration of our mortal existence. After that they have no power or authority over the spirit.

In this podcast I am only talking about our mortal kingdom and our mortal laws. My thesis is how temporal laws relate to freedom. In other podcasts I have asserted that freewill and agency are spiritual matters only. The spirit has freewill, not the body. However, freedom is tied to our mortal experience, and therefore, freedom is governed by mortal laws.

As stated above, unless some cataclysmic event occurs first, our celestial clock will eventually run down and be destroyed by entropy, and all life will cease. In the same way unless some tragic event occurs, our physical bodies will eventually be destroyed by our biological clock. All mortal things suffer a heat death. As Gertrude said to her son Hamlet:

“Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off,

And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.

Do not forever with thy vailèd lids

Seek for thy noble father in the dust.

Thou know’st ’tis common. All that lives must die,

Passing through nature to eternity.”

We accept the laws of nature. We bow to them. We have no choice. I have been to Saint Augustine, Florida. I have drunk from Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth many times, but it turned out to be just water, and not very good tasting water at that. Despite drinking from the fountain of Youth, I shed my youth like a snake that sheds its skin and grew inexorably and undeniably old, and my aching joints and brittle bones are rattling toward death. Because of entropy mortal laws cannot give us immortality. That leads to the ultimate law of our mortal world:

No sphere can rise above the complete set of laws by which it is governed.

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Creationism and the Theory of EvolutionUnderstanding the theory of evolution is one of the great scientific achievements of man. There is no real moral reason that evolution cannot be used by God to create the physical body of man. What matters if God uses this or that method to create the body of man, so it is created? The only moral issue is that Satan uses the theories of man to convince many that there is no God.

All arguments against the theory of evolution being responsible for our creation are practical. Evolution is simply the most inefficient way possible to create a new species. Nothing but extinction could be certain. For those who do not accept the complexity of species, the extraordinary improbability of the earth being created by accident, the even greater challenge of life on earth being created by accident, the miraculous ecology of life on earth, the miraculous survival and complex life of even the most insignificant species, the inexplicable variety and beauty of flora and fauna, the inexplicable accident of our solar system coming together with everything the proper size, shape, distance, etc.—where does accident end and intelligent design begin?—Though I unequivocally accept evolution as a science, I present five arguments against the theories of evolution promoted by atheists which, for me, make it unacceptable as a theory of creation:

Something cannot come from nothing.
All things are created by law.
All things are preserved, protected, and governed by law.
No laws rely upon chance, accident, or coincidence.
All life is spiritual. Spiritual matter is irreducible and cannot be subject to entropy; yet, evolution depends upon entropy. The physical body is but the dwelling place of the spirit. The physical body is not life. The physical body decays at death, yet the immortal spirit lives on uninfluenced by entropy. Though temporal law governs our physical body. Spiritual law, not temporal law, governs the source of life.

One difference between intelligent design and the theory of evolution is that intelligent design would create the seed first. The theory of evolution would create the tree first. If the tree were created first, how many trillion species went extinct before one came along that produced seeds? Because evolution relies upon chance, no two trees, insects, animals, birds, plants, etc. would be alike until after the seed is created. That means that before the seed everything, flora or fauna, had to be created by accident over and over and over, an infinite number of times, until some happy accident ‘got it right.’ The contradiction lies within the scientific explanation. Science claims that evolution is a “one-way-street to improvement”; however, at the same time they claim that we live in an “accidental universe.” The two theories are incompatible. Chance cannot be a one-way-street to improvement unless governed by law, and if chance is governed by law, it is not chance.

But science uses the same theory for the creation of every species, not just one, making all life improbable. It is too incomprehensible. Science tries to explain the improbability by proposing that all life came from the same single prokaryotic cell, even though science cannot possibly explain how the prokaryotic cell evolved into the eukaryotic cell which is necessary to life. The entire idea of the atheistic interpretation of the science of evolution defies all probability.

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Equal Under the Law

Will is inherent in our everlasting intelligence. There has never been a point when our life force has not existed. In other words, we have always existed as intelligences just as God has always existed as an intelligence. otherwise, we have the problem of first cause.

God is the highest intelligence of all. There can be no higher intelligence than God for he is omniscient. There can be no higher power than God for he is omnipotent. Some things must self-exist such as the life force, intelligences, and matter and energy. God, our Father, the almighty creator, is an organizer. He organizes intelligences. He organizes laws. He organizes matter and energy into worlds. Only an omniscient and omnipotent being can do that.

There is no first cause to intelligence any more than there is a first cause to matter. Will is inherent in all intelligences. In other words, will self exists. Will is who we are. Will cannot be created, and will cannot be destroyed. Will is associated with desire, power, and action but can only be set free through the laws of God; therefore, because of the laws of God we have free will. Freewill can be manifested in three ways: freedom, agency, and liberty.

· Freedom depends upon natural law.

· Agency depends upon spiritual law.

· Liberty depends upon manmade law.

Natural law (science) and spiritual law (the commandments of God) are both laws of God. They are absolute and inviolate.

Manmade laws are the product of governments and creations of man. For manmade laws to create liberty, they must be in harmony with the natural and the spiritual laws of God.

Therefore, freewill can only be possible under three conditions.

1. Condition one. Man must live in harmony with temporal or natural laws; therefore, he must have a knowledge of science.

2. Condition two. Man must live in harmony with spiritual laws; therefore, he must have a knowledge of the true and everlasting God.

3. Condition three. Man must organize laws of government that are in harmony with both the temporal and the spiritual laws of God, or they will lead to captivity.

All attempts by man to defy the laws of nature or to defy the laws of God will fail and bring man into bondage. All attempts by man to create laws that defy the virtues of God and that encourage disobedience to the laws of God will lead to captivity and will ultimately bring about misery.

The first duty of manmade government should be to guarantee the rights of its citizens to have maximum freewill, freedom, agency, and liberty. Man should have the right to fail as well as the right to succeed.

It is necessary for government to create laws against those who try to restrict the rights of others. Citizens must be protected against all tyranny, even if that tyranny is the government itself. Government should not pass laws that impose one person’s conscience over another even if it is supposedly ‘for the good of the people.’ People must be able to decide upon their own good. Government should protect rights, but not determine conscience. No one should be allowed to impose their conscience on another.

Life must be protected. Property must be protected. And rights must be protected. Citizens must have the right to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness according to the dictates of their own conscience as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others.

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A New Year’s Resolution

It is time to think of making New Year’s resolutions. I have a suggestion. Rather than a simple resolution, think of Restoration. There is a kind of nostalgia in all of us. We like the restoration of old cars, old homes, old buildings, historical sites, old farms, old towns, old toys, old furniture. Well, the list doesn’t end.

Let’s take a closer look at the meaning of the word restoration. One definition of restoration by Merriam-Webster is “the replacing of missing teeth or crowns.” A week ago, I went to the dentist with an excruciating toothache. I told my dentist that I wanted my teeth to outlive me. He said they would, and he proceeded to give me a root canal. After three visits and hours of grinding I now have a temporary new crown. I am 79 years old so the temporary crown will likely outlive me. Actually, I have many caps and crowns in my mouth, but most of my teeth are my own, I think, at least the discolored ones.

Merriam Webster continues its definition:

· A bringing back to a former position or condition: reinstatement

· Restitution

· A restoring to an unimpaired or improved condition

Those definitions are a good place to start, I suppose. J.R, Rodale, my favorite synonym finder, gives the following synonyms of restoration:

1. Make restitution of

2. Return

3. Render up

4. Repay

5. Remit

Each of us must decide for ourselves what we want to restore. In the podcast Linda and I shall be bold enough to give a few guidelines. We won’t ask you how you are doing if you don’t ask us how we are doing. Let’s pretend that we are all doing the best we can with what we have.

What better time than now to reassess our lives and consider what in this new year needs restored. Everything comes in classes, and we must prioritize those classes.

For example, we may have material things that need restored. Those are the easy ones, though people with great skills do fair better. I love old car shows. I live near Pidgeon Forge, Tennessee, where they have annual car shows with some amazing examples of old car restorations. I have a ’79 MG midget and a replica of a 1929 Mercedes Benz.

For the sake of economy, Linda and I shall dwell on the spiritual. If we are considering the spiritual, the first thing we must do is to connect the law of restoration with faith. There are three levels of faith that we must consider.

1. Faith in self. Which I call egocentric faith.

2. Faith in others which I call ectocentric faith.

3. And faith in God which I call theocentric faith.

All restoration requires tools and without all the tools we cannot do a full restoration.

Faith in self draws upon all our personal resources. Our experiences, our strengths, our judgment, our skills, etc. Sometimes we must dig deeply. Knowing who you are will help. Above the portal of the temple of Delphi was the phrase, “Know Thyself.” Those Greeks knew something very important.

Faith in others could refer to family, friends, professionals, and other available resources.

Faith in God requires a higher level of faith. Faith in the unseen and invisible requires spiritual faith, faith in the supreme creator of the universe. Just as to have faith in self and faith in others, requires knowledge of self and others, so to have faith in God requires knowledge of God and our relationship to Him.

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A New Voice of Freedom

Our government has lost its way. When the highest officer in the land proclaims—“This is the source of our confidence—the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.”—then we know our leaders have lost their way and led us down the wrong road.Governmenthas become too intrusive in our lives. It reaches too deep into our pockets. Some of our leaders have taken it upon themselves to tell us how we should feel, what we should think, what we should feel guilty about, how we should run our lives, what is good and what is bad. Some would even dictate how much soda we may drink. California is outlawing the sale of fur clothes.

They run us into debt too astronomically high to imagine, and yet preach economy. They waste our resources funding governments whose entire desire is to destroy democracy, yet they curtail how we light our homes or fuel our cars. They have made charity loathsome, sacrifice an obligation, and beggars out of us all.

Let me here raise my voice for a new kind of call. Let me raise a new voice of freedom. Now is not the time for revolution. The time for revolution is over. I am sick to death of revolution. For half a century all I have seen in this country is demonstrations against traditions and a call for change. It has become a social obligation to demonstrate against everything. We suffer from a national sickness. Our youth have been taught that all change is noble until finally we have elected officials whose entire slogan was change. The word change has become so ingrained that we do not require politicians to define what they mean. It is automatically assumed that change means a better life. We have become so accustomed to thinking that old traditions are evil, we vote agents of change into the highest office in the land without even knowing their politics, heritage, ideology, or character. We have been unaware that change meant the destruction of democracy in exchange for socialism. Our reward? —we are now drowning in 23 trillion dollars of debt, we are being overrun by illegal immigrants, we are funding terrorists, we are tearing down democracy, we are attacking religion, we are creating drones and breeding invalids, we are redistributing wealth, we are guaranteeing entitlements, we are empowering the few against the many, we are promoting racism, we are trampling on the law, we are changing the Constitution, we are eroding rights, we are succumbing to tribalism, we are endangering the sanctity and integrity of the voting process; therefore, this country is in worse shape than it has ever been in its history.

The time for change is over. Now is the time for restoration. Neither party today represents Old America. It is no longer democrats versus republicans. Those words have lost their meaning. Everything has so subtlety shifted that we missed what has really happened. Today it is liberal versus extremism. Presidential candidates on the extreme left are self-declared socialists. The so-called conservatives are giving us socialism as pabulum is given to babies, sweetened with the saccharin of euphemism and cloyed with the sugar of deceit. Liberalism is nothing but socialism on a sliding scale. The greater liberal party, composed of both democrats and republicans, is simply giving us a choice between socialism and communism or totalitarianism. They stand only for security in office and an increase in personal power. They have no clue what democracy or a republican form of government means. Self-reliance has become an ugly word and personal wealth has become evil. The lessor liberal party, euphemistically called conservatives, is simply giving us a choice between democracy and socialism. Republicanism is dead.

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Slippery Slope to Totalitarianism excerpt

In an earlier podcast, we introduced a term called Machiavellian Pragmatism. Machiavelli in his little book “The Prince” has become the guidebook to all those seeking power without regard to freedom or liberty or moral values. They do what works regardless of what rights they trample on, whose life they destroy, whose liberties they demolish, whose happiness they ruin, or whose fortunes they steal. Totalitarianism is the goal of all those who ruthlessly seek power at the expense of the freedom of others. Steps such as socialism, communism, Fascism, are mere steps on the ladder to totalitarianism. Big government is big government regardless of what it is called.

Consider freedom or liberty on a spectrum. On the far right is democracy, or a democratic republic, in which the voice of the people rule, strengthened by a strong constitution. Now consider the other end, or the far left, as a totalitarian state where all power is centered upon one person. It doesn’t matter what name that person is called. He may be called a king, queen, emperor, sovereign, ruler, monarch, prophet, governor, Tzar, comrade, Fuhrer, dictator, despot, autocrat, president, or chairman. Those who centralize power into one person are dictators.

Regardless of the names, what distinguishes a democracy from a dictatorship is the distribution of power and the strength of the constitution. The moment government begins moving toward the left, the power of the people begins to diminish.

Socialism is a form of dictatorship because power is concentrated in the hands of a few. Socialism is often ruled by those who think they know what is best for everyone. They do not believe that individuals are capable of ruling themselves or making good decisions. They believe the ends justify the means which guarantees that some will be made to suffer for the good of the whole. It implies redistribution of wealth and guarantees that the self-reliant will be forced to support the non-self-reliant.

America is rapidly moving toward totalitarianism beginning with advanced degrees of socialism. We have already changed from a democratic republic to a democratic socialist state. Democracy will be the next to be removed from the title, and we will be a full socialist state. That by necessity will be replaced with a stronger form of totalitarianism because to maintain control, government must not only grow bigger, it must also centralize power. The so-called liberal democrats are farther to the left than the so-called conservative republicans. That is the only difference. Every bill passed in Congress is now a socialist bill. The two parties merely quibble over the amount. Each party wants the other party to fail, not to save our republic but so that the opposing party will lose favor with the voters and they will be swept into power. Both carry out the same liberal socialist policies, just on a different scale. Gaining office and staying in office is the primary goal of lifetime politicians. Notice that both parties immunized themselves against Obamacare, but have no problem forcing all other American citizens to fund it. Not holding themselves to the same laws they force on the voters is the mark of totalitarianism. It is a high form of treason that goes almost unnoticed. Has anyone questioned why socialized medicine was not repealed even when the Republicans had control of the Senate? They didn’t want it repealed. Why should they? They aren’t personally affected by it and they risked becoming unpopular if it was repealed. Besides they would have to come up with a better plan and that too is risky. It requires accountability.

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Technology

By our understanding of temporal law, technology advances, thus providing a seemingly infinite number and variety of choices. As technology advances, freedom increases because choices increase.

We motorize everything, even toothbrushes. Whatever we invent, we improve. How far we have come since the earliest sewing machines or the earliest airplanes. Imagine if, like the Wright brothers, you had to ride on the wing of an airplane from N.Y. to L.A. rather than sit in the air-controlled comfort of a super jet. Most would decline the honor.

Technology has advanced our temporal freedom exponentially. To increase in freedom, we must increase in science and technology. Laws can be organized to advance technology and thus advance freedom of choice.

Before technology, man had to rely upon himself or his animals to move him from point A to point B. We even use horsepower as a unit of measurement to measure the rate at which work is done such as an automobile engine. With modern technology, we may drive a car, board a train, or fly in an airplane. Rockets take us to outer space. Think of the computer and how communication has expanded.

As technology expands, our choices expand. Technology, which must obey scientific laws, is one way that freedom has increased. Man uses science to advance technology which brings seemingly infinite variety to our choices in almost every area of our life. One reason America is considered one of the freest nations in the world is because it is the most technologically advanced country in the world. A nation that does not advance in science will soon fall behind. Wise education is critical to freedom.

Those who argue that we do not have freewill because we are bound by natural laws appear to ignore the fact that all temporal laws have conditions, and in an infinite number of cases we have the power and knowledge to organize those conditions thus predicting the outcome.

When Christ said, “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” He was speaking of both temporal law and spiritual law. Both laws have conditions. Science teaches us the conditions of the temporal world; religion teaches us the conditions of the spiritual world.

Consider knowledge of the conditions of temporal laws as advancing our freedom; consider knowledge of spiritual laws as advancing our agency. All laws of God, whether temporal or spiritual were organized by God to make freewill possible.

We do not yet know how God created laws. That is why we cannot create laws. But we do know why God created laws. It is to help us advance in intelligence by exercising freewill, freedom, and agency.

Law is the key to freedom, Truth and law are synonyms. When Christ said, “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free,” he could have as easily said, “And she shall know the law and the law shall make you free.”

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Anatomy of Temptation

In Nathanial Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown,” Hawthorne analyzes the subtle deceits that Satan uses to entice us to abandon our faith. We know from the title that Brown is young, meaning he is unschooled in the ways of the world and the wiles of Satan. “Good Man” Brown suggests that he has been good his entire life and has not yet been tempted. His wife is named faith, which, of course, represents the faith of Young Goodman Brown. But his faith is not perfect, amidst her white garments she wears a pink ribbon. In fact, he has only been married three months meaning his faith is only three months old for his marriage represents the marriage of Christ which suggests that he embraced Christ and his faith only three months previous.

Brown leaves faith behind which foreshadows the tragedy that follows. But before he goes into the forest, which represents evil, his newfound faith warns:

Dearest heart," whispered she, softly and rather sadly, when her lips were close to his ear, "pray thee, put off your journey until sunrise, and sleep in your own bed to-night. A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts, that she's afeard of herself, sometimes. Pray, tarry with me this night, dear husband, of all nights in the year!"

The youth disregards the warning of his new bride, Faith, and journeys into the dark woods alone to meet temptation. He justifies himself:

"My love and my Faith," replied young Goodman Brown, "of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee. My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs be done 'twixt now and sunrise. What, my sweet, pretty wife, dost thou doubt me already, and we but three months married!"

Faith allows her new husband to go into the forest alone:

"Then God bless you!" said Faith, with the pink ribbons, "and may you find all well, when you come back."

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Luke Chapter 2

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

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The Many Names of Christ

When Moses was in the desert keeping his father in law’s sheep, he experienced one of the most dramatic events in the Bible. He saw the burning bush. The Lord introduces himself to Moses:

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

(Exodus 3:2-6)

Moses asks the Lord’s name:

3 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.

15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

Exodus 3:13-15

From that time on Christ has been known as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, and the Great I Am.

Through the ages, speaking to his Prophets God revealed his nature through his many names. He is defined by his names. We must remember that Moses was raised in the palace of Pharoah by the Pharoah’s daughter. He knew every idol of Egypt. In a moment Moses is taught that there is only one God, The Great I AM, and monotheism is born, or I should say reborn for the Children of Israel had fallen into apostasy.

By studying the names of Christ revealed through His prophets we can get to know him better. As you hear the following names, preface it with the phrase I Am. Consider all the names of Christ as a definition of I Am. Who can hear the following lines of Isaiah without thinking of Handel’s Messiah?

Now preface it with “I Am called Wonderful.” “I am called Counsellor.” “I am The Mighty God.” “I Am The Everlasting Father.” “I Am the Prince of Peace.” Do that with all the names that follow.

Isaiah also refers to Christ as the God of Jacob, the Lord of Hosts, the Holy One of Israel, the root of Jesse, and Jehovah. Jesus revealed to Isaiah, “I am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.”. Again Isaiah says, “For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”

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The Sermon on the Mount Pt III

In the Sermon on the Mount Christ teaches us how to live what later becomes known as The Two Great Commandments and what James calls the Royal Law. He teaches us how to love the Lord with all our heart and how to love our neighbor as ourselves. For economy of time, I won’t list all the requirements but surely it could be summed up in what has become known as The Golden Rule: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” This is strongly reinforced in the following: “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” And “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”

Immediately following that, Christ reinforces his theme: “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” Which is also a recurring theme of the Beatitudes: “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, “inherit the earth,” “shall see God,” “Shall be called the children of God”

Christ teaches us how to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

3 ¶ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

As strait, spelled s-t-r-a-i-t is a narrow water way that connects two larger bodies of water. The strait gate is generally equated with baptism.

Matthew records the baptism of Jesus in the following way:

13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: (Matthew 3:13-16)

John, referred to as John the Baptist, is the forerunner of Christ. John held the priesthood through his father. Christ traveled from Galilee to Jordan. Scholars estimate that to be about a 60 mile walk. John recognizing his own sinful state says the obvious, “I have need to be baptized of thee.” That question is understandable when you consider that the purpose of baptism is to cleanse us from sin, and John the Baptist knew that Christ was sinless. In fact John taught his disciples:

11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: (Matthew 3:11)

Christ’s answer is very revealing, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” That is when John understood why. Christ set the standard. If Christ must be baptized to fulfill all righteousness, then how much more should we being unholy be baptized to fulfill all righteousness. Matthew adds, “Then he suffered him.”

We are baptized that we might have our sins washed away through the blood of Christ. Christ was baptized that he might be filled with the Holy Ghost and be prepared against all temptation.

Paul tells us

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

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The Sermon on the Mount Pt II

The Sermon on the Mount is talking about members of Christ’s church. To even build the house one must first accept Christ as their personal Savior. The Sermon on the Mount is an echo of the Parable of the Ten Virgins and of the Parable of the Talents, and the Parable of the good Samaritan. In fact, it embodies all the parables of Christ. All of Christ’s teachings point back to the Sermon on the Mount. In fact, a close analysis will show that everything else in the Holy Scriptures are subordinate to the Sermon the Mount. They teach you how to become perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. God lives in the third heaven spoken of by Paul. That is the end goal of everything. God wants you to have all that he has to give. To do that you too must go to the third heaven where God and Christ are, or as the Savior put it, you must inherit the kingdom of God.

What are the rains? The floods? And the winds? They are the fiery darts of the wicked; they are the mortal distractions; they are the wiles of the Devil.

What are the Beatitudes? They are the full armor of God. They are all the teachings of Christ.

What is the end goal? The end goal is to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and to become perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.

That image occurs through the Sermon on the Mount: “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” “Seek first the kingdom of heaven,” In Revelation we read, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” (Revelation 22: 14) Notice that it is written as a Beatitude, a commandment with a promise. Only those who do his commandments have right to the tree of life and the tree of life is the Kingdom of God. The city is the New Jerusalem.

What is the End product? You will be made perfect by Christ even as your Father in Heaven is Perfect? Christ is willing to give you all he has just as his Father gave him all that he had. It is the same.

Now we know what to expect with the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. They will expand and explain the Beatitudes in greater detail. It is the same for all the other teachings of the prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Since it is impractical for me to discuss all of them, you are of course encouraged to study not only the Sermon on the Mount, but all the teachings of Christ as contained in the Holy Scriptures because every one of them reverts back to the Sermon on the Mount and helps you become perfect even as your Father in Heaven is Perfect.

As we think of the birth of Christ, may we all make Christ the center of our lives as Christ made the Father the center of his life. We owe a debt to the Father and the Son that we can never repay.

John 3:16 is a Christmas message to all of us:

“6 ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

Though we must meet the conditions of the atonement by striving to keep the commandments of God, we consider the grace of Christ as a free gift because we can never repay. Though he required perfection of himself, he doesn’t require perfection of us. He requires only that we strive with all our hearts to obey his will and keep his commandments and endure to the end.

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The Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

Perfection cannot come from the law of Moses, but perfection can come if we fully obey the Sermon on the Mount which assumes the Ten Commandments. I believe that the Sermon on the Mount explains what Christ means by Matthew 5:48; furthermore, I believe that of all doctrines in Christendom, there is no verse more important to understand than Matthew 5:48.

God is perfect or he is nothing. He is the quintessential model of perfection, and there can be no greater model. The purpose of the Sermon on the Mount is to lead us on the pathway to perfection. Assuming that is the end goal, let’s examine the Sermon on the Mount with that in mind.

Any attempt at understanding the Sermon on the Mount must begin with the Beatitudes. Each beatitude is a promise with a blessing and holds the key to becoming like God.

The Beatitudes teach us a very important principle, that all blessings are attached to laws. In logic it could be presented in hypothetical statements. “If you obey this law, then you shall receive this blessing.” I invite you as you read the scriptures to mark the law and mark the blessing. Every law has a blessing, the blessing of obedience, but most laws do not explicitly state the blessing as you find in the Beatitudes. That is one thing that makes the Beatitudes so special. However, all laws have an assumed blessing and it is rewarding to identify what that blessing is. Let me add my own opinion. Among many blessings, implicit in all laws of God are freewill, freedom, agency, and liberty. Christ frees us. Satan wants to hold us in captivity.

Every law of God has a blessing attached dependent upon obedience to that law, and contrariwise every law has a curse attached dependent upon disobedience to that law. Let me refer you here to John the Revelator’s letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation 2 & 3 for John follows the same pattern. He identifies both a blessing and a cursing. You may see the pattern throughout the Old and New Testaments. The theme of the Sermon on the Mount is to become perfect like God. The Beatitudes contain 9 conditions to becoming like God:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:3-12)

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The Temptations of Christ

Christ was only on the earth a short time. We have only slight information about his youth. His ministry lasted only about three years, yet he changed the world forever. He is the epic hero of all heroes. He was larger than life, whose every word counted, every action recorded and imitated. What event would you pick as the most important? His Birth? His Baptism? His Parables? His Miracles? The cleansing of the temple? The Garden of Gethsemane? The Cross of Calvary? The Garden Tomb?

A better question would be, ‘Which one could you do without?’ The answer is none. He was in charge of every moment of his life.

There is one moment, however, that some of us are too prone to bypass or overlook as insignificant; however, for us, if it had not occurred, the atonement could not have been possible. That event occurred just before his ministry began, but immediately after his baptism by John in the river Jordan. It was his experience alone in the wilderness where he endured the temptations of Satan.

Had he not passed that test, he could not have saved us. He would have been in need of a savior himself. There was no Plan B. Had Christ failed, not only would he have fallen under the power of Satan but the entire world would have remained in a fallen state forever, without hope, without redemption, without a resurrection, and without mercy.

In this Podcast, our third countdown to Christmas, we would like to examine the temptations of Christ in the wilderness and their significance to us.

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Christ as Our Center

We all need a center. In my childhood I was fortunate. My father and mother were the earthly center of our home, though mother was the axis upon which we turned, and Jesus Christ was the heavenly center. Following their model, my wife and I regularly gathered our six daughters around the piano and sang hymns. Now, grown up and having families of their own, our children are scattered to the four winds; however, due to the miracles of our day we have facetime and zoom in which we gather together monthly and share the gospel, seeing and hearing each other in real time though thousands of miles apart. But even in the most ideal of circumstances almost no one escapes tragedy. It lurks like a leaping tiger pouncing when the prey is least ready.

To all those who are caught up in the deadly D’s, for all those who are in the city of confusion, to all those who are in the valley of decision, this Christmas season, I invite you to heed the words of Christ. To set your compass on the “bright and morning star” who is the Star of Jacob. Let Christ be your center, your fixed point. Trials may continue but your backs will be strengthened until Christ in his wisdom and mercy lifts your burden. And he will in his time lift them. Repeatedly Holy Scriptures admonish us to “wait on the Lord.” We do not always know how long we must wait, but in the meantime, he will strengthen our backs that we may bear our burdens, and we in our despair, if we endure, will witness miracles. I know from personal experience that what I just said is true.

Christ said,

28 ¶ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

I would like to end this podcast with one of my favorite scriptures,

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

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The Great Ten Laws of Creation

The following ten laws of creation must be held absolute and inviolate by all rational beings:

Law One: That which is subject to entropy does not have freewill. Freewill resides only in the immortal spirit. When the spirit leaves, the body dies and goes back to the dust. The spirit goes back to God who created it.

Law Two: Everything whether temporal or spiritual is made of matter. Spirit matter cannot be seen with mortal eyes or mortal instruments, but it is made of matter, nevertheless. Some matter is reducible. Reducible matter cannot have freewill. The spirit is made of irreducible matter. Only the spirit has freewill.

Law Three: Something can never come from nothing. As science tells us matter cannot be created or destroyed. If matter did not self-exist, there would be nothing.

Law Four: Just as matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, intelligence or life force cannot be created or destroyed. There is no beginning or end to consciousness or intelligent life.

Law Five: All order is the product of an organized set of laws. Law precedes all creation. There can be no accidental universe.

Law Six: Just as there can be no accidental universe, there can be no accidental laws. Laws must be organized. That means that laws cannot self-exist. Matter and energy self-exist. One purpose of laws is to organize matter and energy using their own self-existing properties. Intelligent design is necessary to organize laws. Laws are necessary to organize universes.

Law Seven: All laws must be in harmony with all other laws and that all laws are governed by a single law or set of laws. All laws operate under one great whole. If that were not true the universe could not exist.

Law Eight. Will self exists in self-existing intelligence or self-existing consciousness. Freewill, however, can only be released by organized sets of laws. The purpose of all laws is to set us free.

Law Nine. The greatest achievement man can accomplish is to increase in intelligence to the point of omniscience. There is nothing higher, and it is the purpose of life. God himself is omniscient, and he wants all of his children to become omniscient. His entire purpose for being is to give us what he has. Consequently, that is the entire purpose of all laws of God, because without omniscience one can never be entirely free. Only in omniscience can one have a fullness of knowledge, a fullness of wisdom, a fullness of understanding, a fullness of glory, a fullness of power, a fullness of freedom, and a fullness of joy.

Law Ten: The purpose of all laws, all creation, all efforts of God is to expand our consciousness, increase our freewill, freedom, and agency, and to help us to become like God. Anything short of that for us is a kind of damnation. There are degrees of heaven, degrees of laws, degrees of glory, degrees of light, degrees of truth, degrees of power, and degrees of joy, but there is only one fullness. God has a fullness. The entire purpose of the atonement of Christ was to make it possible for every child of God to receive a fullness, to give us all that the Father gave him.

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The Celestial Railroad

Most everyone is familiar with John Bunyan’s classic, The Pilgrim’s Progress. David Hawkes, literary critic, in his introduction to The Pilgrim’s Progress, reminds us that Bunyan, who wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress while imprisoned for his religious beliefs, compares the world to a prison. In his allegory Bunyan shows us how to escape our prison and reach Beulah Land and thus inherit the Celestial City or New Jerusalem. The Pilgrim’s Progress shows Christian’s journey through life as he struggles against the wiles of Satan to reach the Celestial City.

He teaches us that we must put on the full armor of God describe in Ephesians 6 by the Apostle Paul:

1. Having your Loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness

2. Having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace

3. Taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be abler to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked

4. Taking the helmet of salvation,

5. Taking the sword of the Spirit, which is he word of God

6. Praying always with prayer and supplication in the Spirit

7. Persevering to the end

It is a brilliant allegory as Christian embarks on an incredibly arduous journey which symbolize the trials every Christian must face in his journey through life on his way back to heaven.

Bunyan writes:

I am indeed, in prison now

In body, but my mind

Is free to study Christ, and how

Unto me he is kind.

For though men keep my outward man

Within their locks and bars,

Yet by the faith of Christ I can

Mount higher than the stars.

An American author of equal genius, Nathaniel Hawthorne, in tribute to the genius of Bunyan, wrote The Celestial Railroad. Hawthorne’s short story is a satire, not against Bunyan, whom he obviously admires, but against America, which is abandoning the virtues taught by Bunyan, and in our prosperity, we are bypassing all the difficult trials Bunyan had to face. Christian, for example, had to put on the full armor of God and walk by faith, and he was tried to the extremity at every turn. Only by overcoming the “trial of his faith” did Christian make it to the Celestial City.

In Bunyan’s allegory, Christian had to walk, often alone, and face each trial individually as it arose. In Hawthorn’s satire, Christian takes a train and is guide by Mr. Smooth-it-Away who helps Christian avoid all the difficulties faced by Bunyan’s Characters.

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Road to Liberty

I am afraid that as a nation we are also moving away from our democratic republic and toward a bigger and bigger government. Our President is taking on more power than our forefathers intended.

Democracy is high risk, heavy maintenance, ruthless competition, dangerous uncertainty, and hard work. It requires self-reliance. Those who struggle with life are often easily exploited and easily bribed, trading their votes for security, while those who succeed are easily blamed for the failures of the poor. With agency comes uncertainty. The desire for certainty and security is a trait that has led our own unscrupulous politicians to go to poverty-stricken areas and troll for votes with taxpayer money, promising salvation while blaming the rich for their ills. They promise welfare without work and prosperity without sacrifice, an irresistible temptation.

Such actions are not brought about by charity. They are brought about by a calculated attempt to centralize power into the hands of those who want socialism. If it is charity, why is it that those in power use our money and not their own? While we struggle to pay for health insurance and to earn a living for our family, how is it that they become millionaires in public offices that have fixed salaries? How is it that they exempt themselves from Obamacare? How is it that they grow more in power and less in service? How is it that our voice is muted and theirs grow louder, stealing our vote but ignoring our wishes while preaching their propaganda over and over and over?

If we want liberty, we must live the laws of liberty. We are not a theocracy. We are a democratic republic. We welcome with open arms all religions, but we have an inspired Constitution and Bill of Rights. Our laws are based on the Ten Commandments, which are being ignored in large cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles where theft is no longer recognized as a major crime and looters are invited to rob stores unimpeded by law. Our laws are no longer equal. Special interest groups receive special privileges. Lawlessness, riots, theft, violence, crime, murder and general mahem are increasing because we are ignoring the laws of the land, defunding the police, tearing down our borders, redistributing wealth, overtaxing the self-reliant, and defrauding the public. If we do not reinstate law and order, if we do not close our borders, empower our police, enforce our laws, protect our citizens, defend our Constitution and Bill of Rights, become energy independent, and require people to be self-reliant then we will go the way of other great nations of the past who fell because they ignored the basic principles of liberty.

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The Tyranny of the Majority

The left is employing every trick possible to guarantee a continuous majority:

1. They are empowering illegal immigrants, in some instances giving them the right to vote

2. They are tearing down our borders

3. They are bribing people to cross our borders illegally by promising free healthcare and free money

4. They are blocking voter ID which inevitably leads to corruption of the voting process

5. They are creating dissention by cries of racism on every front

6. They are demonizing whites, calling them white supremacists

7. They are entertaining the idea of stacking the supreme court to guarantee a continuous majority of liberal judges

8. They are defunding police and destroying law and order, releasing convicted murderers and other felons willy-nilly, making our streets unsafe while crime escalates and the number of murders increase in large cities.

9. They are bribing people for votes promising free stuff, using taxpayer funds

10. They are bribing special interest groups and punishing conservatives.

11. They pass laws that favor blue states

12. They cater to all minorities, giving them special privileges, that will collectively guarantee them a majority

13. They produce a solid vote, guaranteeing that no member of the party votes against the will of the party leaders. The conservative party is highly divided. The liberal party has only one voice, regardless of personal opinion. One can only ask what power they have over their members that they are afraid to demonstrate any independence.

14. They have somehow influenced the press to be an extension of their propaganda. The press, once the stalwart of freedom, are now like sheep that bleat in harmony. They suppress news that is harmful to the left, exaggerate news that is harmful to the right, slant facts, parrot predetermined opinions, and speak with only one voice, the voice of the left.

15. They are creating a bigger and bigger government that is more intrusive in peoples lives.

16. They demonize anyone who disagrees with their policies. They lionize and favor anyone who agrees with the policies.

17. The voice of the people no longer has relevance. The voice of the party, like Big Brother is the only acknowledged voice.

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MinisteringThink of earth as a mirror of heaven. Only think of heaven as spiritual, earth as temporal, much like our body which has a spiritual component and a physical component, both creating a single soul. Earth is an extension of heaven, and if you can imagine the earth in its glorified state, you can imagine what heaven is like.

John the Revelator saw the earth in its glorified state:

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

...

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away....

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:1-7)

The prophet Daniel also saw those who live in the Holy City:

2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:2-3)

Everything we do on earth is recorded in heaven. As spirits in heaven, before coming to earth, we did not have the chances of service that we have on earth; therefore, earth life was necessary. Everything we do here is recorded:

2 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

(Revelation 20:12-13)

Those who live only for themselves on earth negate the purpose of coming to earth. Daniel said that they “shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. But notice that those who “turn many to righteousness” shall shine as the brightness of the firmament. And those whom they save shall be “as the stars for ever and ever.” Imagine their gratitude in heaven toward those who brought the gospel to them. Now consider yourself as a servant of God, an angel, if you will, sent from heaven into the Lord’s vineyard. What you do in that vineyard matters because it determines your judgment.

Paul said,

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Corinthians 13:12-13)

James said, “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” (James 5:20)

When asked by the lawyer “which is the great commandment in the law?’ the Savior responded:

37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)

If God notices those who need to be nurtured, is it not reasonable to assume that he will be with those who nurture for they are his angels? He will bless his servants.

What better time than the season when we celebrate the birth of Christ is there to serve our fellowman. Christ spent his entire life serving others, and it was only for us that he suffered for our sins in Gethsemane and died on the cross of Calvary. We serve God by serving others.

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The Face of Tyranny

The rise of fear is another sign that liberty is being lost. The Social Democrats in Washington are creating an atmosphere of fear. “You can’t do it alone,” Obama said. Students should not have to work and go to college too. Government should take care of the poor, guarantee equal lifestyles, guarantee homes, guarantee health care, guarantee material equality. To the Social Democrats self-reliance is evil. They take from the rich and give to the poor.

There must also be civil unrest. They turn the blacks against the whites, the rich against the poor, the women against the men, the minorities against the majorities, etc.

In addition, law and order must break down. That is what is behind defunding the police, destroying our borders, bribing illegals to cross our borders, encouraging looting, not enforcing laws, making our streets unsafe, releasing murderers from prison in a wholesale manner, taking away the right of peaceful citizens to bear arms. Calling honest people who defend themselves terrorists or racists, even calling concerned parents speaking out in school board meetings terrorists, but allowing true rioters and terrorists to go free, playing down all real terrorist threats, and encouraging riots by calling them peaceful demonstrations.

Also the economy must fall. That is what is behind the nearly 30 trillion-dollar debt, stopping the pipeline, destroying small businesses, runaway inflation, open bribery to gain votes, wasteful spending, oppressing the self-reliant, rewarding those who don’t work.

Only in an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty can a socialist state arise. Notice how the warming climate is used as a threat behind the massive spending bills. “Never let a good crisis go to waste” repeated Hillary Clinton. Look how the left has used covid, racial tension, and climate change to their advantage. If one policeman oversteps his authority, then all policemen are condemned as evil. If one person is a racist, then all white people are called racists. The word today is “white supremacists.” That is what is behind the slanders homophobia, xenophobia, gynophobia, Islamophobia, transphobia, biphobia. The disruption of the democratic process is behind refusing to allow voter ID, not prosecuting voter violations.

Before a new-world order can be established, the old-world order must be demonized and destroyed. In other words, for true power, there must be a one world economy “That no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” That is total power. And that is where this nation is heading if we don’t reverse it now. Once the spending bills are passed it is impossible to take them off the books. Mr. F.L.Lucas reminds us, “Well did the Chinese say that when a piece of paper blows into a law-court, it may take a yoke of oxen to drag it out again.”

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Consciousness

In this podcast I want to explain why we are more than biological machines and thus why we have freewill.

It is only the spirit that is conscious. Man has consciousness, not machines. The body of man, however, is a biological machine. The brain is part of that machine. The body of man does not have consciousness; hence the body does not have freewill. Only the spirit or soul of man has consciousness. Therefore, only the spirit has freewill. The purpose of the body is to help the spirit expand its consciousness.

First let me present a paradox. Scientists are not nearly as perceptive as they think they are. Rather than denying God, they could use God to prove man does not have free will. Blasphemy, you say! Not at all. The problem is in first cause. Assuming that God exists, if God is first cause of everything else, then he is the puppet master of everything he creates. No matter what the appearance, we would still be entirely governed by a super intelligence, no matter how benign that super intelligence. Three things cannot be created or freewill cannot exist: 1. Will itself, or consciousness, or whatever you want to call it must self-exist. 2. Potential must self-exist for the one who sets the potential also sets the boundaries. 3. Intelligence must self-exist for the one who controls intelligence also controls free will. There is a fourth one. 4. Opposition must self-exist or there can be no life but that is beyond the scope of this podcast.

If we have a first cause then God must have a first cause, which leads into the inevitable paradox. What is the first cause? There can be none. Self-existence is the only explanation for life to exist. Form is the product of law, but essence isn’t. It follows that intelligence self-exists and God is the greatest intelligence. Put it on the same level as matter and energy. That too must self-exist all because something cannot come from nothing. Mortal things are made of mortal matter.

The intelligence of man, or that which is conscious, must self-exist or freewill makes no sense. A will that is created can never really be free. The creator would set the boundaries. God has always existed as an intelligence or how can the existence of God be accounted for. God is the highest form of intelligence. There can be no higher. That is why we call him omniscient. That means that he is conscious of everything all the time. The exercise of that super consciousness gives him all power. That is why we call him omnipotent. His laws fill all organized space. That is why we call him omnipresent. Those superlatives define God.

We are in the image and likeness of God. He created our spirits, and he created our physical body. Immortal things are made of immortal matter, but our self-existing consciousness or our intelligence is the seat of will. Will self-exists; however, will cannot be free unless liberated by law. God gave us laws to liberate our will. Law may be obeyed or disobeyed; therefore, we have freewill. We may choose to obey the laws of God or not to obey the laws of God; therefore, we choose how much freewill we shall have. It is the laws of God that set our self-existing will free. God did not create our consciousness or our will, which is also made of self-existing matter; however, God did create our spirit bodies in his image and our physical bodies after his likeness to expand our consciousness and our freewill.

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Nature and Freedom

It is ironic that science, by expanding our understanding of natural laws, actually increases our freedom, yet it is science that denies the existence of freewill. It is part of their Flatland mentality. Even a cursory study of nature shows how all life forms are designed for their maximum freedom. Study the hawk and see how it spreads its confident wings in the azure sky and soars on the wild winds. With its broad back to the bright sun, its telescopic eyes scan the spinning world below looking for prey.

Now study the slow myopic turtle that crawls creepily over the earth, carrying his heavy home on his back.

We have all seen young animals frisk and frolic like children and birds soar on the winds. Also, all animals have different degrees of intelligence. The elephant, for example, is sometimes human-like in its behavior. If anyone has observed a squirrel solving a problem, one would be certain that intelligence, not mere instinct was involved.

I saw a squirrel once drop to his belly and crawl to the rim of the Grand Canyon and for a full 20 minutes stare into the vast vacuity as if wondering where the world had gone.

However, only man, as a child of God, with high intelligence, has freewill like the gods to know good from evil, to organize laws, to study the stars, to fly to the moon, to classify the elements, to comprehend the flora and fauna of the earth, to explore the seas, to have dominion over the earth, to collect genealogy, to search for truth, or to contemplate the mind of God.

But there is a price. Only man can sour to the heights of joy and praise God or sink to the depts of despair and contemplate suicide.

I suppose at times when the trial of our faith is at its height we have all felt like Job, and at other times when our blessings seem to be the most abundant we have felt like King David.

But that is what it is like being human. Only higher man can reach the heights of joy and the depths of despair and know that God hears both cries.

Animals do not contemplate death, but neither do they contemplate the resurrection. Animals live life to the limit of their consciousness, but only man looks forward to eternal life with God. The price of being human is high, but the rewards of being the children of God are immortality and eternal life with God if we will only but keep his commandments.

We are living in the last days. No man knows when Christ comes again, but every Christian knows that he is coming. Through John the Revelator, Christ said, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” In another place he said, “Hold fast till I come…And I will give him the morning star.”

At Christ’s birth, the stable was not decorated for Christmas. The stable became the ornament. Without the Christ child it was just a stable. As we prepare for Christmas, let me invite you to put Christ first. Everything else is mere decoration.

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Sanctification

We cannot sanctify ourselves because we cannot live the law of justice. Christ must sanctify us through the law of mercy and his grace. Law is an extension of God’s perfection, and those who obey his laws draw closer to God because they become more like God.

That is what John meant when he said:

“2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3)

Mark the major propositions in the scripture above They divide us into two states, the sanctified and the unsanctified, in other words the saved and the unsaved:

The following are those who are sanctified or saved:

· We are the sons of God

· We shall be like him

· We shall see him as he is

· Those who are saved are sanctified

· Christ is pure

· Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself

· Christ takes away our sins

· In Christ is no sin

· Those who abide in him obey his laws become sanctified

· Those who keep the laws are righteous as Christ is righteous

The following are the unsanctified or unsaved:

· Everyone who sins transgresses the law

· Sin is the transgression of the law

· Those who do not obey his laws have not seen him

· Those who do not obey his laws have not known him

· Those who disobey law are of the devil

The purpose of Christ is to destroy the works of the devil. In other words, to sanctify the world.

16 ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)

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Totalitarianism

I am speaking primarily of the elements of totalitarianism and progressivism. Totalitarianism includes socialism, liberalism, Marxism, communism, fascism, racism, tribalism, and political correctness. The elements of progressivism are humanism, Darwinism, hedonism, secularism, cynicism, libertarianism, atheism, and naturalism. Both totalitarianism and progressivism encourage our people to turn away from God who is the source of our liberty.

Totalitarianism, socialism, and progressivism are taking over our nation and threatening to destroy freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of assembly, freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, democratic republicanism, self-reliance, and true equality.

We must respect the rights of all people. That is what a democratic republic is all about; however, the only way we can have liberty is if we live the law of liberty.

When we take God out of our nation, liberty and freedom will go with it. Why do you think that those seeking power are so adamant about removing Christianity from our government? It is because Christianity is standing in the way of socialism.

Love of flag, love of country, love of traditions, love of the Constitution, love of the Bill of Rights, love of the Declaration of Independence, love of the Star-Spangled Banner, love of freedom, love of God, love of self-reliance is what made this country great.

All of our traditions are being destroyed. The removal of Christianity, the destruction of statues, the burning of the flag, the disrespect for our flag and our Pledge of Allegiance, the break down of our borders and destruction of our sovereignty, the corruption of our voting process, the defunding of the police, the assigning of sanctuary cities, the rise of socialism, the destruction of our economy, the rise of atheism, the disrespect for our religious beliefs, the corruption of language, the loss of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to bear arms—all this and more have one goal and that is to destroy our democracy and replace it with socialism and a one world government. Don’t be distracted by dissembling language. Look at the consequences. Focus on the reality.

Is our economy improving? Are our streets safer? Is our liberty secure? Are our borders secure? Are our cities safe? Is our future secure? Is hope growing? Is unity increasing? Is our trust in Washington increasing? Do you feel that our social security benefits are guaranteed? Are our jobs more secure? Is our retirement secure?

Don’t be distracted by the empty promises. Focus on the reality. What has opening our borders and defunding our police done for our safety? Where do our taxes go? Is America improving? Is hope in the future increasing?

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VIRTUES AND VICES

In 1st Peter the following virtues are listed:

sanctification, obedience, mercy, hope, faith, trial of our faith, sober, hope to the end, grace, holiness, no respect of persons, purification, love, pure heart, born again, laying aside malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, evil speakings; desire the sincere milk of the word, chosen generation, royal priesthood, holy nation, peculiar people; abstain from fleshly lusts; honesty, good works, submission, Bishop of our souls, chaste conversation, meek and quiet spirit, of one mind, compassionate, love as Brethren, full of pity, courteous; not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, But contrariwise blessing; refrain tongue from evil, refrain lips from speaking guile, eschew evil, do good, seek peace, and ensue it; sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, meek, having a good conscience, sober, watchful unto prayer, fervent charity, use hospitality without grudging, rejoice, not a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or busybody, feed the flock of God, sober, vigilant, steadfast, giving all diligence, faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity

In 2nd Peter the following vices are listed:

false prophets, false teachers, heresies, denying the Lord, pernicious, truth evil spoken of, covetousness, feigned words, filthy conversation, walk after the flesh, in the lust of uncleanness, despise government, presumptuous, self-willed, speak evil of dignities, natural brute beasts, speak evil of things that they don’t understand, count it pleasure to riot in the day time, spots, blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings, having eyes full of adultery, cannot cease from sin, beguiling, unstable souls, covetous, forsaken the right way, gone astray, follow the way of Balaam who loved the wages of unrighteousness, wells without water, clouds carried with a tempest, speak great swelling words of vanity, allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, servants of corruption,

However, speaking of those who obey the laws of God by following the virtues, the Apostle Peter exclaims:

“4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.” (2 Peter 1:4)

Peter divides those “exceeding great and precious promise into three classes:

1. Promise 1: “That by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world. (2nd Peter 1:4)

In other words, by acquiring the virtues of Christ, we take upon ourselves the divine nature of Christ. That can only be done by escaping the vices, what Peter calls “the corruption that is in the world.” He also said, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.”

2. Promise 2: “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that he shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2nd Peter 1: 8)

In other words, if we take upon us the virtues of Christ, we will increase in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Having the divine nature is the only way we can know Christ.

3. Promise 3: “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” (2nd Peter 1:10)

Salvation comes with a price—obedience. Peter tells us to “give diligence to make our calling and election sure.” It is conditional. Peter said, “If ye do these things.” Obviously if we do not do those things our calling and election will not be made sure.

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Why the Fall of Adam was Necessary

Agency is at the core of everything God does. It explains the paradox of the Garden of Eden. Without the fall the spirits in heaven could not have the earthly experience. Without the earthly experience, mankind could not comprehend God, mankind could not have agency, and mankind could not become like God. However, it must be his choice. Satan is necessary for the law of agency. We must be enticed by Christ for good and enticed by Satan for evil; otherwise, there is no agency. God set agency in motion by planting both the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. God forbade them to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He had no choice. The law of justice demanded it. He explained to them the consequences but, because of the law of agency, he allowed them to make the choice. It may come as a surprise but just as with Adam and Eve, everyone of us who are the posterity of Adam and Eve chose to leave paradise and come to earth. That is why we sang together and shouted for joy. We had progressed as far as we could as spirits. We wanted to experience what it was like to have flesh and blood. We knew the dangers. All the children of God who come to earth to gain a body fought on the side of Michael against Lucifer, and the reason we fought against Lucifer, is because we wanted to keep our agency. We knew that battle would continue on earth; however, we wanted to make our own decisions, and God made that possible by planting both trees rather than only one. There is a thread that runs through every aspect of our lives and that thread is agency. God protects it even though he knew some would make very bad choices. Agency is part of the divine nature of God. Everything that God does is to help us acquire all the divine attributes that he himself possesses.

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A Call to Christians

As I have said repeatedly in these Podcasts, there is only one law of liberty, and that law of liberty is The Ten Commandments. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

1. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.

2. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.

3. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

4. Honour thy father and thy mother.

Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness.

10. Thou shalt not covet.

Regarding the first five commandments, the most Christians can do is to live the law themselves and choose their leaders among those who, regardless of religious preferences, whether theists or atheists, are wise, who respect freedom of religion, who respect the family, who are people of integrity, and who protect our right to worship God as we please.

What we must understand is that the conflict over religion is not about separation of church and state. In fact, it is not about religion at all. It is about separation of Christianity from state because Christianity stands in the way of the new world order. Our democratic republic is founded on the Ten Commandments and the principles of Christianity. The Declaration of Independence, says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” In other words, God created us equal, not government. They want to destroy that doctrine and have government create us as equal. Christianity is the only threat the left has that it cannot overcome. Atheism is a religion and so is science and so is political correctness and so is socialism and Marxism and communism. They just worship different Gods: Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, socialism, one world order, environment, science, atheism, etc. No other religion in America is strong enough to block the agenda of the left.

We must ask ourselves, what is behind, closing our oil pipelines, opening our borders to anyone, not allowing ships to unload their cargo, blocking voter ID, selling entitlements for votes, promoting racism, defunding police, destroying small business, encouraging riots, promoting division, promoting hatred, promoting the idea that white people are all racists, distorting history, destroying statues, taking away freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and the right to bear arms, rewriting the constitution, purposefully creation inflation, giving trillions of dollars of tax payer money to advance personal agendas, hiding their real purpose in thousands of pages of obscure laws, misrepresenting bills, impeaching a president on false pretenses to disrupt the democratic process, making false accusations against conservatives who are appointed to the supreme court, spreading hate and lies and dissension, using the justice department, the IRS, and other government agencies to punish those of opposing views, bribing people not to work, insisting on wages business cannot afford, turning us away from fossil fuels without any reasonable alternative, redistributing wealth, and creating a debt that cannot be paid off. Regardless of the rhetoric, the answer lies in the consequences. Collectively they lead to the destruction of our democratic form of government so that it can be replaced with socialism and big government. Let the Christian voice be heard wherever decisions are made affecting our religious freedom. Rather than complain against Washington, Christians must get out and vote as well as nominate candidates who best reflect their values.

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DNA and Freewill

One of the great scientific breakthroughs of our day is the discovery of the genetic code. However, rather than seeing the exquisite information system as evidence of intelligent design, evolutionists delight in using DNA as evidence that God is unnecessary. There is a parallel. All the arguments against the existence of God follow the same pattern:

· Laws exist; therefore, we don’t need God.

· Earth exists by necessity therefore we don’t need God

· Evolution exists, therefore we don’t need God

· The Goldilocks zone exists; therefore, we don’t need God.

It depends entirely upon the anthropic principle which is a low point in scientific logic. The subtext is this: God does not exist. Intelligent design does not exist. However, creation exists, intelligent life exists, man exists, therefore, they had to come from somewhere. I know, say the theorists. They must exist by necessity. That is effectively what the anthropic principle is saying.

No matter how many times I study the anthropic principle, trying to understand it, I come up with the same conclusion. ‘Life exists; therefore, it must exist by necessity.” It is a tautology, a circular argument, begging the question, and explains nothing. We already know that life exists. We are that life. We observe the universe, and we know that for life to exist certain conditions are necessary. We learn that because we understand the conditions of temporal law, but how can that be touted as an explanation of anything. Temporal laws exist; therefore, temporal laws exist by necessity. Try that argument on any creation by man and see how far it goes. The automobile, airplane, computer, etc. exist; therefore, they exist by necessity. No. They exist because they were created using known laws of physics.

It is tied in with the Goldilocks zone, the idea that everything is perfect for life; therefore, life exists. Life could not exist if there were the least variation. That, of course, is also tied in with the cosmological constants that are essential for life such as the gravitational constant, the speed of light, and so on. All arguments against God take the same pattern.

Ultimately science still must revert to origins. Science reasons, the universe has an end via the expanding universe; therefore, it must have a beginning via the big bang.

That leaves the question, what occurred before the big bang? How was all the matter of the universe organized into a singularity small as an atom? Where does life come from? Where do laws come from? Where do the four forces of nature come from? What closed the gap between the weak nuclear the strong nuclear force, the electromagnetic force and gravity? Science will say chance! accident! coincidence! serendipity of circumstances! That is not a scientific answer. That is accepting paradox as the answer rather than as the problem. You cannot have probability without absolute numbers. There must be a track record and there must be predictability. Nothing can be falsified. You cannot have something from nothing.

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Thanksgiving with the Family

Everything on earth is a type of things in heaven. Heaven casts its long shadow on earth. Earth is meant to be an imitation of heaven. The teachings of Christ were given to us to make earth a paradise. It is Satan who, living in misery himself, wants to make it a hell. Paul teaches us,

“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:5-6)

Is it any wonder that Satan targets the family? Through family, we can better understand our Father’s love for us and the order of heaven. A mother and father who love their children can understand the love our Father in Heaven has for us. A brother can understand the love of a brother, a sister the love of a sister, a husband for a wife, a wife for a husband, and a child for a parent. The family is the microcosm of the universe. Only in the family unit can Christ-like love be comprehended. The family is why the earth was created. The family is why heaven was created. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ for we are all children of God with a divine birthright, and God is no respecter of persons. Contention is a tool of Satan. Through the family is how we are to be created. The family is a microcosm of heaven for we are all one great family. When Christ said, ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself,’ he was really saying ‘love thy brother and thy sister as thyself.’

I wish I had seen in my youth what I see so clearly now as I crawl towards death, that we are all created equal, that we are all brothers and sisters sharing a divine bond, that God is no respecter of persons, that mortal earth is an illusion that camouflages our true identity, that how we live with each other is what matters, how we love each other, how we care for each other, how we live in harmony with each other.

Surely then we could “sit together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.”

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Gratitude

When I want a synonym, I always turn to J.I. Rodale’s The Synonym Finder. The book offers the following synonyms for gratitude: gratefulness, thankfulness, sense of obligation, feeling of obligedness, beholdenness, recognition, acknowledgment, thanksgiving, giving thanks, praise, benediction, thank-offering, requital, grace, a lively sense of favors to come.

But of course words branch out from there: For example grateful has the following synonyms: deeply appreciative of benefits received, thankful, indebted to, obliged, obligated, beholden, under obligation, mindful, impressed, pleasant to the mind or sense, gladsome, agreeable, gratifying, genial, acceptable, satisfactory, satisfying, welcome, delightful, charming, restful, comfortable, interesting, lovely, heartfelt, rapturous, thrilling, felicitous, ecstatic, heavenly, delicious, sweet, luscious, delectable, savory, palatable, toothsome, nice, refreshing, invigorating.

When defining a concept such as gratitude, a word or synonym may identify one attribute; however, to understand the concept fully, you must first identify all the attributes. Each attribute will have its own list of synonyms.

A prayer at dinner I often heard as a child contained the following words, “For what we are about to receive make us truly thankful.” What does it mean to be truly thankful?

To fully understand the concept, one must know all the attributes and all the synonyms. Of course, if you really want to know the concept, then explore the antonyms of each attribute as well.

A concept like thanksgiving, for example, can only be understood if we understand ourselves. For example, we cannot be truly thankful for something unless we know what that something is; therefore, we must explain how we connect with the object of our gratitude. Consider the following connections we may have to things we are thankful for. I shall list only four. Perhaps you can list more:

the five senses,
the mind,
the heart, and
the spirit.

The five senses, of course, contain the eyes, ears, fingers, mouth, and nose which represent sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

The mind contains logic, inductive and deductive reason, the scientific method, pure reason and so on.

The heart contains feelings, desires, and passions.

And the spirit contains the supernatural, the eternal, the metaphysical, the other worldly.

Imbalance occurs when one connection dominates at the expense of the others. For example, the seven deadly sins—pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth focus entirely on the natural man. True gratitude cannot exist in such a poisonous environment. Christians have traditionally taught they must be offset by the seven heavenly virtues: humility, kindness, abstinence, chastity, patience, liberality, and diligence.

In modern times we see other imbalances. Today reliance upon the temporal without considering the spiritual has moved us toward atheism, pessimism, and nihilism.

Reliance upon the heart without the mind has moved us toward socialism.

Reliance upon the spirit without the mind has moved us toward fanaticism.

God has so created us that by using all the sensory perceptions—the physical senses, the mind, the heart, and the spirit—we can maintain a balance, what the Greeks called the Golden Mean.

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Virtues and Vices

The Apostle Paul understood the war between virtue and vice. Please read Ephesians 6 beginning with verse 10:

“10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put onthe whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Paul sees the conflict against Satan as an epic battle. He understands the wide scope of the enemy— ‘principalities’ and ‘powers.’ Paul also understands that behind all evil, all collusions, and all secret societies, the real ruler is Satan—‘rulers of the darkness of this world.’ In addition, he understands the cunning of Satan— ‘wiles of the devil.’ However, the conflict is not only against Satan and his demons, it also against those in mortality who serve Satan even though they may think they are serving a higher cause—‘spiritual wickedness in high places.’ The whole armor of God must protect us against “all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

So, what is “the whole armour of God”? How can we “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might”?

He uses the armor of a knight as his analogy: girdle, breastplate, boots, shield, helmet, and sword, but notice the four requirements to have ‘the whole armour of God’:

(1) Personal preparation: ‘loins girt about with truth,’ ‘having on the breastplate of righteousness,’ ‘feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace,’ ‘above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.’

(2) Daily scripture study: “the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” We cannot take off our helmet or put up our sword.

(3) Constant personal prayer: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit’

(4) United in the faith: ‘Watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’

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The Innocence of Perfection

Christ did not cheat justice by atoning for our sins. He satisfied justice by sacrificing his own perfect life for our sins, the pure for the impure, the righteous for the unrighteous, the innocent for the guilty, the perfect for the imperfect, and the just for the unjust. He bought us with his blood.

Christ did not die because of Roman law or because of the deceit of the Sanhedrin. He died because he loved us. He died willingly for our sins to satisfy the law of justice. He could have stepped down from the cross at any time. The Romans did not kill Christ. Their mortal weapons did not have the power to take the life of an immortal God.

“17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:17)

We are told in the Gospels that when they came to arrest Jesus in the Garden, impetuous Peter drew a sword and cut off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant. Jesus said to Peter, “Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11) Jesus added, “Thinkest thou that I cannot pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Mathew 26:53) A Roman legion consisted of from 3000 to 6000 soldiers, meaning, of course, that the power Jesus had was greater than the power of the entire Roman Empire. Instead, however, Jesus touched Malchus’s ear and healed him. (Luke 22:51).

He is the perfect model of his own teachings: On the Sermon on the Mount, he taught:

“44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

While hanging from the cross, Christ said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Once the requirements of the atonement were met, Christ, being half mortal through his mother Mary, willingly forfeited his life with the final words— “It is finished,” which, along with “God is love,” “Lazarus, come forth,” and “He is risen” and the Holy Trinity itself is the great triadic message of Christianity.

Even justice must bow to the innocence and perfection. That is why the atonement works. It is justice that brought about the fall. It is mercy that brought about the atonement. It is justice that condemns the sinner. It is mercy that forgives the repentant, makes us responsible only for our own sins, has the keys of death and hell, and makes a merciful judgment possible. Justice satisfied law. Mercy satisfies justice. Justice condemns us. Mercy ransoms us. Justice which governs all laws, temporal and spiritual, makes life on earth possible. Mercy makes life on earth bearable by bringing hope and joy. Justice brought temporal death into the world. Mercy brought about the resurrection. Justice brought about spiritual death. Mercy brought about spiritual redemption. Because of justice, we are all imperfect; because of mercy, Christ can sanctify, perfect, and purify us and bring us back into the presence of the Father. Justice separated us from God and the glories of heaven. Mercy brought about the resurrection and immortality with God on conditions of repentance. Because there is justice there is life; because there is mercy there is the possibility for each one of us to receive the blessings of exaltation and eternal life with God.

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Season 2 Podcast 65 Tyranny of Conscience

If it surprises you that atheism is a religion think back on their tactics. Atheism has apostles every bit as committed as Paul. Before Damascus, Paul, who sought the death of Christians, followed the traditions of his fathers. After Damascus, Paul followed the revelations of Christ and sought to win souls for Christ. In both cases Paul followed his conscience. Even terrorists are ruled by conscience.

That begs the question: What is conscience? We assume that the purpose of conscience is to teach us right from wrong. That is a fallacy. The Spirit of God alone teaches us right from wrong. The spirit of God is the spirit of truth. If we do not have the spirit of God in us, then we have no light. If we have no light, then truth is darkness. Conscience is not a light unto itself. It follows us tenaciously whether we walk in the light or stumble in the darkness.

Freewill is the ability to follow our wants and desires. Whereas will is inherent in our intelligence, freewill is dependent upon the laws of God, whether natural laws or spiritual laws. Freewill is a free gift of God to all of his children. Because of agency, God allows us to choose what laws we will obey and what laws we will reject.

Freedom is the ability to choose among many choices. Knowledge is at the core of freedom. Some choices have a moral component. Some choices do not. Freedom is relative. Some freedoms rely upon availability or resources. Some freedoms rely upon skills, age, knowledge, or abilities. Some freedoms rely upon knowledge of manmade laws. Some freedoms rely upon knowledge of the laws of God. Some freedoms rely upon knowledge of the laws of nature.

Agency is the ability to choose good or evil, right or wrong, moral or immoral based upon knowledge of the laws of God. The more we understand the laws of God as taught in the Holy Scriptures, the greater is our agency. Good and evil are absolutes. They never change regardless of the changing philosophies, opinions, or perceptions of man. The perceptions of man are as the sands of the sea. They ebb and flow with the tides of time. Truth is absolute. Truth is equivalent to light and remains the same. As with freedom, agency requires knowledge, particularly knowledge of the laws of God. Agency also requires wisdom, which comes from experience. Agency also requires the Holy Ghost and the Spirit of Christ. Agency, which deals entirely with absolutes, requires knowledge, wisdom, light, and truth,

What is conscience? Where does conscience come from? Whose conscience do we follow?

Recently the governor of one state asked the people to boycott a fast-food chain called Chick-fil-A because the governor disagreed with the Christian philosophy of its founder. The conscience of the governor wanted to rule the conscience of an entire state. He wanted to control the conscience of millions of people and to not only punish the offending business, but also to punish those who could have received new jobs, punish those who agreed with the Christian philosophy, and punish those who simply liked the food. Well did Paul say, “Why should my liberty be judged of another man’s conscience?”

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Truth and Light

Truth is found wherever there is the light of Christ and the laws of God. We are all children of God. God is called the Father of Lights. To inherit the kingdom of God, we must become children of light. Wherever truth is found, God is found. Wherever God’s hand is found, truth is found in greater abundance. We must gather truth until we have a fullness. All who are born on this earth bring with them the spirit of truth. We lose truth when we sin against the light. All children are born innocent. It is the corruptions of this world that destroy the light within.

Our primary goal in this life should be to seek truth and through truth obey law and become sanctified through the Holy Ghost. It is a never-ending quest. To endure to the end is the final virtue.

If we think of the law of mercy as infinite truth, perhaps we can begin to understand truth and understand God, who is both just and merciful. God is just by necessity, merciful by nature; just by infinite power, merciful by infinite knowledge and love; just by the exercise of pure intelligence, merciful by the exercise of freewill; just by the law of justice, merciful by the law of mercy.

Speaking of the coming of Christ, Isaiah said,

“7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:7)

Justice comes from the law of justice. Judgment comes from the law of mercy. John tells us that “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)

Who can comprehend God? Who can comprehend man who is made in the image of God? David sings:

“4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: 7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; 8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:4-9)

For me, one of the beauties of this Psalm is how it explains the mission of Christ yet also glorifies man and assures us that God is mindful of us. Christ, the creator of this world, descended below the angels, yet was crowned with glory and honor. As spirits in heaven, angels of God ourselves, we also gave up the glory that we once had while living in the presence of God. When we came to earth, a veil was drawn over our minds. Man was given dominion over the creations of Christ. The Father entrusted the Son with his power; The Son of God entrusted man with his power. ‘Dominion’ is the key word. Christ created the earth and all things in it. David sings, “Thou madest him [man] to have dominion over the works of thy [Christ’s] hands.”

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Classification of Law

Only that which is spiritual will endure. Paul said,

“17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Everything that is subject to temporal law will ultimately pass away, such as the earth:

“2 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:12-13)

“Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner. But my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.” (Isaiah 51: 6)

All things have a spiritual base, even law. Temporal laws comprise one complete set of laws established by God to govern mortality. Spiritual laws comprise another complete set of laws established by God to govern immortality. All laws, however, are governed by the law of justice. Spiritual law governs temporal law, and it is through spiritual law that God governs all his kingdoms. It is through spiritual law that things are sanctified, preserved, protected, and perfected, else everything would, as scientists claim, end in a giant heat death.

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The Search for Truth

The press was once upon a time America’s watchdog, and freedom of the press was as important as the army. A press which once defended its rights to free speech with loud voices and heroic acts has now given up those rights without a whimper. Rather than remain the watchdog over Washington, there is collusion between the press and the liberal left they support. Truth is distorted in favor of the new ideology. Lies form the foundation of the press. The press has become a marketing machine for the left, reporting only government approved propaganda. In addition, the lying, the cheating, the peccadillos of the liberal candidates are overlooked; whereas, the least flaws of the conservative candidates are shouted from the house tops. The justice system exonerates the liberal candidates from crimes that once would have been called treasonous and punishes those who are conservative with maximum penalty. Secret e-mails show the contempt the left has for Christianity and for the rule of law in America.

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The Tragic Flaw

Most tragedies, like a Greek drama, are staged in advance, one tragic event inevitably following the other due to the main character’s central weakness. A tragic flaw is an inherent weakness, such as excessive pride in the hero or protagonist that leads to inevitable ruin. The primary question is freewill versus determinism. Does the protagonist have freewill, and could the tragedy have been averted?

Christianity says yes. That is why Christ died for our sins. The world that has adopted atheism says no. Though the world acknowledges evil, the world denies the existence of sin for sin is a judgment of God. Regardless of the rhetoric, the world actually believes in the existence of Satan in an abstract way. The world only denies the existence God.

Often in tragedy not only the protagonist dies but many of the people around him. In drama, critics call it the ‘tragic flaw.’ In ancient drama tragic heroes were kings or queens or persons of greatness. In modern tragedy it may be a person of no social importance such as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman.

Being human, we all have a tragic flaw, or more realistically many tragic flaws because we are all imperfect. In our sinful world those tragic flaws are continually displayed causing unspeakable suffering. In Christian terms the tragic flaws are called temptations, the root cause being Satan. The remedy is repentance which helps us to overcome tragic flaws. In our progression toward sanctification, we are constantly making adjustments.

It could also be said that every environment, even a republic devoted to liberty, has a tragic flaw.

Satan’s entire desire is to bring us into captivity. The reason I fear for the freedom of our nation today is that, unlike our forefathers, we are no longer aware of the tragic flaws that are inherent in our system. We are living in denial. Our nation began because we had taxation without representation. Today our nation is crumbling because we have taxation without responsible representation. Both lead to the same end, exorbitant taxes without anything to show for it as power becomes more and more centralized.

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Humanism and the New World Order

By denying that truths are self-evident, we, as a nation, are denying the absolute nature of truth, thus giving the government the liberty to redefine morality. Modern society, however, has entirely moved away from self-evident truth. They no longer acknowledge gender as a self-evident truth. Liberals are now proposing with government support that schools as early as kindergarten hold classes that teach children that gender is a choice. There is a kind of madness in the world.

By denying that all men were created by God, we are denying the power of God, the existence of God, our dependence on God, and our obligation to God. We are denying the equality of all and the existence of freewill. We are transferring our allegiance away from God and the individual and toward the government. Faith in God is replaced with faith in our politicians. The omniscience and omnipotence of God are replaced by the omniscience and omnipotence of the government. Those in government take upon themselves the responsibility to tell us what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil, and even what is best for us on every level, down to the size of our soft drink. As our Savior said, ‘they strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.’We are reduced to the absurd.

In a recent proposal, a Congresswoman, to the applause of the left, said that we should ban flatulent cows, airplanes, and all fossil fuels as harmful to the environment, that the government should support all those who cannot work and those who choose not to work, that everything should be free. She even said that all existing buildings should be destroyed and rebuilt, by the government, of course, according to green standards. There is a kind of insanity in liberal hysteria and disregard for common sense and how far they are willing to go. The lines are clearly drawn. They no longer hide their socialism. For a long time the liberals shied away from the word socialism, denying that socialism was their intent, and kept the language of our republic. Now they flaunt it.

By denying that we are all created equal by God gives the government the right to create equality by taking from the rich and giving to the poor, by suppressing the strong and elevating the weak, by manipulating education, social inequities, and personal differences, by redistributing wealth, by elevating one group over another, by creating class division, by encouraging tribalism, by controlling welfare, and by overtaxing the self-reliant.

By denying that we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights gives the government the right to define rights, to manipulate rights, and to redistribute rights as largess, favoring one group over another. Rights are no longer a divine gift, but a bribe from officials who want to remain in office. Rights are no longer inherent but are artificial creations of the state manipulated by unequal laws that serve the personal interests of those in power. Rather than all being treated equal under the law, special rights are created to elevate some above the law: women’s rights, civil rights, gay rights, children’s rights, illegal immigrant rights, and LGBT rights. Special rights favoring one group over another proliferate through hate crime laws, parity, social manipulation, same sex marriage, affirmative action, and other laws that hide behind coded words.

Furthermore, it allows the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to be rewritten for they stand in the way of The New World Order.

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Essential Attributes of God

The six primary attributes of God are omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, justice, mercy, and perfection. They can be translated to truth, light, law, power, grace, and virtue

1. Omniscience includes all knowledge and wisdom, which is truth

2. Omnipotence includes all power, which is light.

3. Omnipresence includes light and laws that emanate from God and sustain all creations throughout the vast expanse of the kingdom of God, which is law.

4. Justice includes the single governing power of all laws, which is power.

5. Mercy includes all laws and conditions, including grace, charity, and the love of God, which is grace.

6. Perfection includes all good things, which is virtue.

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Knowledge

Knowledge of man gives us pause; however, knowledge of God gives us purpose. Knowledge of science gives us access to unlimited choices; knowledge of good and evil gives us wisdom to make those choices. Knowledge of man allows us to make balanced laws to govern those choices that we may retain our liberty, yet live together in harmony, not in discord; knowledge of God allows us to combine the laws of God (spiritual or eternal laws) and the laws of science (temporal or natural laws) and the laws of man (human law or laws of rights)[1] to increase in agency, freedom, and liberty.

Let us call the knowledge of science, the path to FREEDOM; the knowledge of good and evil, the path to AGENCY; and the perfect blending of the laws of God and man, the path to LIBERTY. We can never be a free nation unless we adhere to all three. And all three must be in harmony.

Knowledge of science and of man is necessary to our freedom as we wander in a wilderness delicately balanced between order and chaos. Knowledge of science helps us to navigate the ever-looming perils of a shaking earth, an angry sea, and a thundering sky. Knowledge of medicine helps us to fight the ravages of disease. Knowledge of the mind helps us to understand the scintillating differences in wonderous man, thus giving us compassion. Knowledge of man helps us to negotiate the awful perils of power.

Whether launched by reason or unleashed by emotion, power, like a hurricane at sea, increases in fury as, unopposed, it forgets its origin, becomes a life unto itself, and turns to land against man.

However, only knowledge of God gives meaning to the sorrows of quarrelling opposites. Only faith in God empowers man over the fighting elements of mortal earth and carnal man and gives hope to the soul in its struggle for life, liberty, and happiness.

[1]Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica: “Human Law”; G.W.F. Hegel: “Laws of Right”

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From Precious Bane by Mary Webb

It was a waving of many threads, with one maister-thread of clear gold, a very comfortable thing to hear. I thought maybe love was like that -a lot of coloured threads, and one maister-thread of pure gold. …

So, it being very still there, with the fair shadows of the apple trees peopling the orchard outside, that was void, as were the near meadows, Gideon being in the far field making hay-cocks, which I also should have been doing, there came to me, I cannot tell whence, a most powerful sweetness that had never come to me afore. It was not religious, like the goodness of a text heard at a preaching. It was beyond that. It was as if some creature made all of light had come on a sudden from a great way off and nestled in my bosom. On all things there came a fair, lovely look, as if a different air stood over them. It is a look that seems ready to come sometimes on those gleamy mornings after rain, when they say, ‘So fair the day, the cuckoo is going to heaven.’

Only this was not of the day, but of something beyond it. I cared not to ask what it was. … And even now, when Parson says, ‘It was the power of the Lord working in you,’ I’m not sure in my own mind. For naught in it of churches nor of folks, praying nor praising, sinning nor repenting. It had to do with such things as bird-song and daffadowndillies rustling, knocking their heads together in the wind. And it was as willful in its coming and going as a breeze over the standing corn. It was a queer thing, too, that a woman who spent her days in sacking, cleaning sties and beast-housing, living hard, considering over pennies, should come of a sudden into such a marvel as this. For though it was so quiet, it was a great miracle, and it changed my life; for when I was lost for something to turn to, I’d run to the attic, and it was a core of sweetness in much bitter.

Though the visitation came but seldom, the taste of it was in the attic all the while. I had but to creep in there, and hear the bees making their murmur, and smell the woody o’er-sweet scent of kept apples, and hear the leaves rasping softly on the window-frame, and watch the twisted grey twigs on the sky, and I’d remember it and forget all else. …

The roof came down to the floor all round, and all the beams and rafters were oak, and the floor went up and down like stormy water. …One evening in October I was sitting there, with a rush- light, practicing my writing. The moon blocked the little window, as if you took a serving tray and held it there. All round the walls the apples crowded, like people at a fair waiting to see a marvel. I thought to myself that they ought to be saying one to another, ‘Be still now! Hush your noise! Give over jostling!’

I fell to thinking how all this blessedness of the attic came through me being curst. For if I hadna had a hare-lip to frighten me away into my own lonesome soul, this would never have come to me. The apples would have crowded all in vain to see a marvel, for I should never have known the glory that came from the other side of silence.

Even while I was thinking this, out of nowhere suddenly came that lovely thing, and nestled in my heart, like a seed from the core of love.

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Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

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This Melting World

The highest achievement of man is the invention of poetry not the invention of math. Math reveals the order of law, but poetry gives meaning to abstraction. Poetry is built on analogy, illustrating the likeness of things. The Holy Scriptures are written in poetic form. That is why the Holy Bible is filled with literal and figurative images. It compares the temporal with the spiritual and shows that everything is one great whole. By creating the earth, God gave us a mirror of reality and not reality itself. It is not what things are but what they mean that matters. Satan tries to persuade us to shatter that mirror and fragment our lives. In our shattered world we live in shards.

Math, with all of its elegance, is an abstruse teacher. Science gave us the tick-tac-toe of tedious math. The muses gave us the mellifluous alliteration of liquid poetry. Law and creation can begin without language, but science cannot. Ever since Adam, man has been classifying and dividing the flora, fauna, and elements of the earth and stars. Because we are placed in this world in medias res (in the middle of things), the inductive process is the only way we can make sense of our surroundings. We came last, after all other forms of life had been created. To understand our orderly world, we not only must gather all the facts, we also must understand the principles of classification and division and standards of judgment. To understand the what and how, we must understand the who and why. Science looks for more facts; Christians look for more meaning. Science seeks temporal law to understand creation. Christians seek temporal and spiritual law to understand God. Science collects data that leads them to elegant mathematical formulas which are abstractions explaining abstractions. Science divides the laws. Religion puts them back together. Science is looking for a unified theory by studying fragments of a fragment. They only know temporal law. Christians are looking for a unified theory by merging temporal law with spiritual law and finding a God, who is not fragmented. It is not what things are in our melting world that matters. It is what things mean.

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Common Sense

When as a nation we accepted God as a given, the Holy Bible governed common sense. Common sense refers to that collective wisdom which we all have in common which may come from experience, the Holy Scriptures, law, literature, philosophy, traditions. The Ten Commandments, for example, upon which our laws are founded. Our nation is in trouble today because we are replacing the common sense of the past with political correctness.

Theoretical science abandoned common sense when it became enamored with paradigms rather than truth. When they sacrificed even the scientific method for personal causes and political issues, and replaced fact with opinion. Politics abandoned common sense when it became enamored with money and power and divorced itself from truth, law, freewill, freedom, agency, and liberty. The world abandoned common sense when it liberated itself from spiritual law.

In fact, there is an effort in government to do away with the values of the past, once held by the majority of people, and impose the ethics of the new world order upon our laws and upon the American people.

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The Five Greatest Gifts of God

The five greatest gifts of God are

1. The gift of our spirit body, created in the image of God, that houses our eternal intelligence.

2. The gift of our physical body, created after the likeness of God, that houses our immortal spirit.

3. The gift of the atonement brought about by the sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son.

4. The gift of the resurrection in which our immortal spirit is united with our immortal physical body.

5. The gift of the final judgment in which Christ, our advocate with the father, rewards us for our works and assigns us a kingdom of glory compatible with the laws we lived.

All gifts we given to us to increase our freewill, our agency, our freedom, and our liberty with the intent of giving us eternal freewill, eternal agency, eternal freedom, and eternal liberty in the Kingdom of God.

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Conditions of the Law of Mercy

This earth is governed by the laws of nature. It is a product of the fall of man.

This earth is also governed by the law of mercy. The law of mercy is the most unique law of the universe. It is also the strangest law of the universe. Except for the sacrifice of one man, the law of mercy could never have happened. All other laws are laws of creation and destruction. The law of mercy is the only law of salvation, exaltation, immortality, and eternal life. The entire purpose of the law of mercy is to satisfy the conditions of the law of justice so that we are not condemned forever by the law of justice. There is no part of the law of mercy that condemns you. It is justice alone that condemns you. We are condemned simply by living in a fallen world.

The law of mercy also creates one of the greatest paradoxes of creation. Only because of the law of mercy is justice able to allow us back into the presence of God and still remain just. Here is another paradox. If there were no law of justice, there would be no conditions to the law of mercy. Without justice, the law of mercy would save you no matter what you did. No one is more misunderstood than Christ, unless, of course, it is God the Father. Justice is a requirement for the existence of God, but mercy isn’t. Mercy is a gift. Only mankind, not God, needs mercy. If there were no law of justice, God would not exist but neither would you and neither would creation. Without justice there would be nothing for without justice there would be no law and it is by law that all things are created, governed, protected, preserved, sanctified, and perfected. To me the greatest paradox in the universe is how God is able to be both just and merciful. It is the law of justice that places conditions on the law of mercy. We call those conditions commandments. Perhaps we could understand them better if we saw them for what they are. They are absolute laws necessary for our salvation. God cannot repeal the law of justice, but he can withdraw the law of mercy. Mercy is a free gift of God, a debt we can never repay. Even God cannot rescind justice, but God can rescind mercy. God has to be just, or he would cease to be God, but he does not have to be merciful. That is a gift of God to man explained so eloquently by John:

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)

Notice the phrase, “might be saved.” That means salvation is conditional based on our obedience to law; otherwise, agency could not be preserved, and justice could not be maintained. God will not rob justice and he will not take away our agency. But, of course, a phrase that we should not overlook is the one just prior, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world.” The world was already condemned. Two things were products of the fall: temporal death and spiritual death. Because of justice there was no way back. Only the law of mercy made it possible.

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The Second Coming — W. B. Yeats

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all convictions, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;

Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out

When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi

Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert

A shape with lion body and the head of a man,

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,

Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it

Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again; but now I know

That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born

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The Great RiddlePerhaps all of us have thought that it would have been nice if we could be old and wise before we were young and foolish so that we wouldn’t waste our youth. But that is not in God’s plan. We came to this earth to gain experience. With study comes knowledge; with knowledge comes understanding; with understanding comes wisdom through experience.

An increase in education does not necessarily lead to an increase in truth, Paul wrote to Timothy, speaking of our day, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7-8) Just as an increase in knowledge does not necessarily lead to an increase in truth. An increase in truth does not necessarily lead to an increase in wisdom. To gain wisdom, we must experience opposition.

You classic scholars will know the tragedy of Oedipus and the Riddle of the Sphinx. In Sophocles Play, Oedipus kills a fellow traveler who refuses to get out of his way. He travels on to Thebes. Unknown to Oedipus, the traveler was his real father, king of Thebes. Before entering Thebes, the wise Oedipus had to answer the riddle of the Sphinx which is given in the form of a paradox. The riddle was this:

“What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, and three feet in the evening?”

Those entering Thebes who could not answer the riddle were eaten by the sphinx. Oedipus correctly answered the riddle and saved the city of Thebes. The answer was man. He was a baby in the morning of his life crawling on hands and knees; an adult at noon, walking on two feet; and an old man in the evening of his life, walking with a cane. Oedipus was able to enter Thebes where he married the queen, his mother, and was crowned king in the stead of his father, not a very cheerful tale which inevitably led from one tragedy to another so brilliantly portrayed by the genius Sophocles.

Let me give you another riddle in the form of a paradox. If you answer it correctly, you may enter the City of the New Jerusalem. Shades of Sophocles, rather than the sphinx asking you the question, it is death. Just as Oedipus conquered the sphinx by answering the riddle correctly, you conquer death by answering the riddle correctly.

What goes from old in the evening to young in the morning, from young in the morning to old in the evening, and from old in the evening back to young in the morning?

As intelligences we are ageless. As spirit children of God, we lived with our Father in heaven for countless eons of time, before the earth was even created. At the appointed time we came to earth as a newborn baby, a veil drawn over our minds, having forgotten the spirit world, not knowing who our real Father is. From our youth in the morning, we grow old as we move toward the evening of our lives till finally death overtakes us. If on earth we discovered our divine heritage and accepted Christ as our Savior, we come forth on the morning of the first resurrection, born again, to be forever young.

Contemplation turns facts to knowledge; understanding law turns knowledge to truth. Experience alone turns truth to wisdom.

In the large scheme of things, it was God’s plan to make us old before he made us young. Earth is the gate upon which eternity swings. On earth, only, do we grow old for death alone can release us from our mortal labor; and in heaven we will be eternally young; and with the wisdom we gain on earth through our gray hairs and brutal experience, we will forever enjoy our eternal youth. God in his wisdom first created the earth for man before he allowed us to inherit our mansions in heaven. He allowed us to experience opposition here, happiness turned to joy through misery, so that we could have infinite joy with him. By obeying his laws here, we will there be free forever.

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1 Corinthians Chapter 12

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.

15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?

20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:

25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?

30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

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1 Corinthians 15:45-58

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

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Hebrews Chapter 11

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.

3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;

25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

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Revelation Chapter 12

1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

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Ephesians Chapter 4

1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

20 But ye have not so learned Christ;

21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

27 Neither give place to the devil.

28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

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God and Science

Ask yourself what the following statements have in common:

1. There is no God

2. There is no freewill

3. There is no intelligent design

4. We are robots

5. We are biological machines

6. We are slaves of genetic determinism

7. We are slaves to environmental determinism

8. The universe will end in a giant heat death, a big explosion, a massive deep freeze, or in maximum equilibrium

9. We descended from apes

10. We are a mere stage in the evolutionary process

11. The universe was created by accident

12. We are an accidental collocation of atoms

13. We will evolve into other creatures

I could continue but those thirteen are sufficient.

The soundness of an argument depends upon two things. (1) that the major premise is true and (2) that the conclusions logically follow from the premises. If for example you believe our behavior is entirely governed by temporal laws, it logically follows that we do not have freewill.

In fact, that is precisely the argument set forth by Mr. Stephen Hawking in his book “The Grand Design.” He said, “It is hard to imagine how free will can operate if our behavior is determined by physical law, so it seems that we are no more than biological machines and that free will is just an illusion.”

The other twelve conclusions above are derived from the same argument. The truth of the conclusion depends entirely upon the hypothetical statement, “If our behavior is determined by physical law.”

All thirteen arguments above put forth by modern science are based on the same false assumption that everything moves from order to disorder. In a world based entirely upon temporal law everything has a beginning and everything has and end. In other words everything dies. If you accept that premise, then one can see how all thirteen conclusions above might be assumed.

It is ironic that Mr. Hawking’s book is entitled “The Grand Design” because science rejects intelligent design and believes in an accidental universe.

Practical science functions beautifully by relying entirely upon temporal laws. In the temporal world, all laws have conditions, meaning there is always a cause and always an effect. Existing knowledge of law allows science the liberty to make confident predictions based on inductive and deductive reasoning. The scientific method is ingenious in practical science. Without practical science life on earth would be miserable for all of us.

Theoretical science however, when it is related to the thirteen logical fallacies above, cuts itself loose from practical science and bases its conclusions on false assumptions.

First, “I believe there is no God; therefore, God does not exist is a logical fallacy.” All of the thirteen statements above are statements of belief and have no soundness in argument. Therefore, they are all logical fallacies. Science cannot prove or disprove the existence or nonexistence of God or the existence or nonexistence of intelligent design or the existence or nonexistence of freewill, etc. That which science cannot prove, science does not believe. The great fallacy of science is that it is unwilling to accept its limitations. They are a known authority in one thing; therefore, they want to be known authorities in everything, which is the second biggest logical fallacy of science.

When truth is not the primary quest then whether it is religion or science or politics, they will wind up as slaves to orthodoxy.

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Ecclesiastes Chapter 3