Do Not Be Lulled By The Fragrance Of The Lilacs

Preface: The following was first posted in May of last year.  How long can we go....by 'we' I mean those of us who are Christians.....but particularly those in the pulpits.....how much violence can we read about on a daily basis....how much horror.....and how much pure delusion.....before the reality of this world begins to show in our outward appearance?  Will this be the Lord's Day where pastors refuse to put on their masks? (I'm not referring to Covid masks folks) What will it take to sober us? When will we once again....as at the beginning of our faith....look in the mirror and see someone that is not very lovable....and then open God's Word....and 'marvel' once again....how God had mercy upon us? I've given this thought a number of times....and I'll give it here again.....we like to boast of how we have to trust in God....that seems to be our standard comment on many issues of the day....so why do we not trust in His warnings....to be vigilant....and to examine ourselves....to make sure that we are in the faith?            

                  I have to attempt a post like this again. I've attempted it in the past and was never satisfied.....and I probably won't be satisfied today. It was a sad day....as it began I put my nose right up to the lilac blossoms in our yard....to enjoy the fragrance to the fullest....this before going to a funeral for a loved one....and at times during the day I just contemplated the comfortable weather....and the busy small town we were in....and its people. Setting aside the sadness of the day....and just looking around....and observing the people gathering for the town's market days.....and taking in the occasional springtime floral scents....and feeling the refreshing breeze that mitigates the hot sun....I can almost be tempted to join the world again.....as if nothing is wrong....and look forward to the summer as if the Lord's protection is upon it....but I know something as sure as I know my own name....and that is this....

                 Please consider this....for the sake of argument.....argument in the best sense of the word....this scene that I described....has absolutely no bearing at all....on the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ....in power....and in glory....and in judgment....and for His people. Whether His holy angels are already mounted....their swords unsheathed or not....this much must be realized at all times....when that time comes.....whenever it is....now....right now....or later....that same scene.....those same soothing breezes.....that same perfect setting....all of it....will be there....just as it was today. People will be...."marrying and giving in marriage." This sublime setting is no indicator whatsoever. We must not let it sway us. We cannot let it blind us to an entire world in utter rebellion to God.....where violence is the norm....and children are essentially sacrificed to some horrid pagan god that fooled so many of us....a world with tears and crying and pain and fear in more quantity then ever before in the history of the world.
                 It appears that Jesus was telling us just this in His Olivet Discourse.....warning us....letting us know in advance....so that we do not fall asleep....either in the lap of Delilah....or the lap of luxury and idleness. Those who had showed no interest in the God of this creation....will be in for a very great and terrible disappointment....just as were the people of Noah's day.....when the floods came.
                 So the issue in this post is not the nearness of the Lord's return.....not even the glory and majesty of the coming of the Son of Man who will appear as "lightning flashing from east to west"....but rather that the beauty of the Lord's creation.....manifested in settings like the above....will be present....even as that terrible sword of judgment raises....whenever that is....to break the serenity.       

Olivet Discourse....Mathew 24 & 25....Mark 13....Luke 21          

A Prayer For Tomorrow's Lord's Day

Preface:The following was first posted in April of 2022.  

             Lord if it by Thy will may this be the day that Thy Holy Spirit awakens our pulpits. May this day before see Thy servants....our shepherds.....toss and turn this night....trying to deal with what Thy Spirit is calling them to do. Lord take thy church back to the old paths from which Thy servant Jeremiah instructed us to go. We are besot upon Lord from every direction. We are drowning Lord in a sea of unbelief. We are confused Lord.....in chaos even....so much so that a false prophet has bewitched us....and we followed him.....and he changed us......and took our eyes off of Thee. Thy glory has departed Lord. We meet and offer praises but our attention span is determined by the plans that we had already made for the day....acceptable and honorable plans in themselves Lord....but not acceptable on the day that Thou has given us to renew our strength. Thus Lord Thy glory and Thy power has departed from us. Restore us Lord. Thou has set boundaries on the sea....where it may go no further.....set boundaries Lord on the deceptions of this world....that they no longer overwhelm us. Do this Lord for Thy name sake.....for Thy glory alone. Bring a new day upon us Lord.....where we are once again a peculiar people....where we once again look with great hope and expectation for Thy return. Do all this Lord to Thy glory....may every breath we take be to Thy glory....every plan we make....every thought....every act of repentance....every offering of praise! Bring others into Thy kingdom Lord....use us Lord....fill the banquet hall! May we never lose astonishment Lord on how Thou has had mercy upon us....never forget our past state....our deadness to Thy Word....our hopelessness....and thus always be in remembrance of Thy grace and mercy....and may we therefore never stop praising Thee. Even when our minds are enmeshed in difficult and complicated tasks of the day....may Thy voice be as clear as in total silence....and Thy presence as overpowering as when we first believed!

The Pandemic......In Retrospect

                There are two ways to go about looking at the Covid-19 pandemic....and the lockdowns....and the vaccinations....and everything else associated with the last three years. I'll describe both. The first is what actually happened.
                The most important election ever.....(or so we were told....that's what we have been told for every election in the past thirty years....the coming 2024 election is now the most important election)....the most important election ever for America.....Trump vs Biden....was just beginning the primary season. Trump was riding high....so high! The February 4, 2020 State of the Union Address was to be more of a coronation. The election would obviously be a blowout with the economic statistics. The Republican side of the aisle was having a party....the only down side was that Rush was ill....but he was there and awarded his Presidential Medal of Freedom. Surely he was deserving of such an honor....after decades of holding the line....even though he missed it entirely with Donald Trump.
                Amidst all the fanfare there was a concern. A virus had been detected in China....could it be the pandemic that so many virologists had warned of for so long. No....we weren't going to let anything get in the way of Trump's reelection.....nothing was as important as that. Even John MacArthur had stood before his congregation and boldly stated...."There is no Pandemic." Trump blundered his way for months....Fauci and others doing their best to listen to him in the briefings....before giving the real information.
               We all were waiting for good news on a vaccine....then that news came....and we were thankful....this was before the narrative changed and we were told how evil vaccinations were. There were difficult lockdowns....and the economy was surely going to be hurt. The new republican elites began to panic.... for this was going to affect the November election. All the great economic figures.....(forget the $26 trillion dollar debt)....were going to disappear. Trump might lose because voters always voted their wallets. 
               Something had to be done. The reality of the election had to take precedence over the pandemic. Lockdowns were now evil. Vaccinations were now evil. The experts were now evil. All of a sudden....churches that never preach the gospel of Jesus Christ....were great bastions of the faith.....as they were being closed temporarily....but plenty of wonderful and faithful churches closed their doors....and waited patiently for the Lord. We are still doing all of this today....as we somehow have to appear as the heroes of the pandemic....the pandemic in which we fought all the way those with lifetimes of experience preparing for and dealing with viruses. We have to go after Dr. Fauci....anything we can possibly get on him....to cover up what we had done.
                What we should have done is come together as a people and focus on the coronavirus. In order to do that we needed to come to grips with the fact that there was indeed a real pandemic. We never really did that. We attacked anything that the now....'other side'....tried to do. Vaccinations became evil. Masks were persecution. Lockdowns were concentration camps. Dr. Fauci....who had given his life to the study of viruses....and who also was awarded the same Presidential Medal of Freedom....by a republican president....became to us another Dr. Mengele. We destroyed his reputation....evangelicals tagged along with the lynching. We will destroy anyone who gets in our way....because that is what we do in our new incarnation as MAGA evangelicals.
                These pandemics happen occasionally. We are not special....exempt from world wars and pandemics....as we think that we are. We now need to see how it started....but not in a Stalinesque fashion....with show trials.
                We can and should examine what was done during the height of the pandemic.  Were mistakes made....other than Trump's? What if mistakes were made? Do we treat them as crimes? It was a pandemic....the very nature of responding to emergencies is problematic. What are we going to do when the nation goes to war? Do we threaten congressional hearings to throw generals in jail?
                What are we going to do if there is another pandemic? Well we already made that decision. We're not going to do anything. We have become experts at raw data....analysis not being necessary....and scientific literacy only for wonks and eggheads. How long until we ban the scientific method....along with civics and truth and fairness and debate?

Addendum: How much empathy have we shown lately for the children in the Ukraine…..or over the past few decades….the children in Syria….or any one of a number of other trouble spots….but have our children wear a mask and we are as heartbroken for their suffering….and their psyche might be damaged? We have used the word….’snowflakes’….for decades….but is that what we are now? Give us five minutes and we will find an article supporting our alarm....for there is always an article somewhere....that we will copy and display for others to see! We used to be frustrated by the Left for doing this...but we have become no better than they are.

Introspection Is Needed In Who We Are

               John Piper's Sermon of the Day is a challenge to us as evangelicals if we will accept it. The topic is racial harmony. It is not a pretty picture that Piper paints....one in which he is painted right in the middle of it. It is a problem. We need introspection here....and we need to understand the outside forces that drag us down into various forms of racism.
                   During the 2020 presidential election campaign President Trump through Tweets and rallies....promised white suburban voters that he would keep low-income housing out of their neighborhoods. They would not have the problems associated with it nor the financial loss from property devaluation. How did we miss this back then? This isn't even subtle racism. It was no coincidence that golf cart parades in gated communities....and pleasure craft flotillas made news during the campaign.
                 We attempt to assuage our guilt by promoting republican minorities who are elected to government or who are celebrities of one sort or another. We highlight the economic statistics during the Trump administration to prove that we are anything but racist....but we confuse the sound conservative economic theories that we have fought for since Reagan....which does help everyone....with the overall MAGA strategy of American First. Ultimately we only want what is better for us. We will take credit for others being helped but altruism is not our objective.
                 All of this though is only the surface of the problem....for our only true hope is in the gospel of Jesus Christ....and the preached word is the main conduit for spreading the gospel....but our pulpits have been infected as much as any of us. Thus as serious as it is....racism showing itself in our political actions....the most serious effect....is that it neuters our pulpits. Oh they speak words against racism....but it is what they do not do that hurts the most....for they do not warn the sheep.
                We can claim to be pro-life all we want as it pertains to abortion....but in many other areas....the pandemic being one....we were not pro-life. We can proclaim liberty and freedom to all....except those whose liberty works against our pursuit of happiness. So also we can claim not to be racist....but at the same time accept the political benefits derived from racist political campaigns.
                 We ourselves are at the heart of all of our problems....because God is looking at us first. We want Him to destroy our enemies....but He may have our enemies destroy us....so that we might return to Him. Habakkuk had these same questions that many of us have. Why was God sitting by with all the plundering and lawlessness and violence everywhere? God told him that He was raising up the Chaldeans for works that even he....Habakkuk would not believe. The prophet still wondered why....but God told him to write it down....the wicked will have their day....but then God will have His. Habakkuk then prayed...and/or sang the words given to him....of judgment and even plague. This short book of prophecy contains the words....repeated in Romans....words that transformed Luther....

"The righteous shall live by faith."

                 Habakkuk....after the vision of judgment....ends with this....

"Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
 I will joy in the God of my salvation.
 The LORD God is my strength;
 He will make my feet like deer's feet,
 And He will make me walk on my high hills."
                
                 We too wonder why God is letting all of this happen. This is where the introspection comes in....and if we should come to see where we have culpability in all of our afflictions....we might also humble ourselves....and take comfort....and rejoice as did Habakkuk earlier in these words....

"For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
As the waters cover the sea."

Note: John Piper's Sermon can be Googled at....John Piper....Racial Harmony And Interracial Marriage. As I mention many times....I have been following/involved in politics now for over a half century. I don't post that much on Biden and the Progressives because....quite frankly....unless we are blithering idiots....we already know who these people are....and who funds them. Conservative news doesn't saturate us with this stuff to inform us....they do it to keep us rabid....malleable....gullible and easy to lead. I was anti-RINO before being anti-RINO was cool....but this new group meeting under the Conservative banner is a darker shade of red. Our pulpits failed to warn us of a false prophet in our midst...."Our best is yet to come".....and failed to warn us of the dark side of politics.

"So Maybe God Knew What He Was Doing?"

                There was a motto for Pittsburgh back....starting in the late 1960s....Someplace Special. Everyone near my age would remember it....and Pittsburgh was indeed someplace special. It just seemed to be the right mixture of people and ethnicities as we struggled with a dying steel industry. Our on-air personalities were almost likely family back then. Talk radio was a big part of our day. Mr. Rogers settled into the middle of the city....and even with our sports....how could you get more family than Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente and Joe Greene and Arnold Palmer? It was truly a special city....it took decades but the glacier of cold ice eventually made its way over the Alleghenies.
                 All over America today....on both sides of the ideological equation....we are told who our friends are to be....and we obey. On our side John and Robert Kennedy are our enemies. I can remember conservative talk radio at times over the past six years literally tearing limb from limb these two men....cancelling them....but in over a half century of following politics I know of no politician more caring for the poor than Bobby Kennedy....and none of us that I know of today....and who would not want JFK's wisdom over what we have in Washington today? Jimmy Carter was given no quarter. We are not debating....we are dismantling and razing the evidence of historic figures. Ironically....we now do what we have long accused the other side of doing....we have taken up their strategies!
                 So today we have Martin Luther King Jr, Day. I turned on conservative radio earlier....6 am....something I haven't done in maybe six months....which in itself is astonishing to me since I had been a talk radio person since the those late 1960s....and the show today is a special presentation...not on Martin Luther King Jr.....not even a mention of his name....or the day....but a compilation of about nine or ten interviews from a recent Turning Point USA conference....a group targeting conservative youth....not educating them on the very difficult issues of the day....but indoctrinating them....to go out and be soldiers.
                 I did notice that the host still begins his show with the date....along with...."in the year of our Lord"....this is what we have become on the 'right'....an icon set up in a corner of the room....as hate and greed and laughter fills that room. In the last interview of the show....the one interviewed....twice said that he...."hates"....the elites on the other side....emphasizing the word....'hate.' Folks....it was striking to even someone like me who has for years dealt with this....turning point in our affections....to use that term....where we left the high ground of integrity....to just as someone on that show today said....do politics the same way that they do politics!
                 That same interviewee....ending the show....made this comment....and if you give it some time to meditate upon....you might weep at what we have become....and where we are encouraging our youth to go....for he admitted that he had predicted that it was going to be a Republican wipeout in the 2020 election....but upon reflection on what did happen said...."So maybe God knew what he is doing"....in other words....God is on our side....most of the stuff in his word about love and forgiveness is useless in politics....but he might just be on to something here....lose the election to get us fired up?

Addendum: Would that you could experience what I just did. After listening to most of the morning talk radio show that I referenced above....I listened to John Piper's Sermon of the Day. The contrast in my spirit was sobering....the constant....fast-talking....nerve wracking incitement to anger....to the peace and hope-filled gospel of Jesus Christ. These are the two lives available to the Christian....the one led by the spirit of this world....and the other by God's Spirit. I guess that you could duplicate this by turning on talk radio for an hour....or maybe Tucker Carlson or Hannity in the evening....and then follow that up by Googling John Piper....Open My Eyes That I May See. There would be helpful truth in some of what they say....for so many of us for decades have tried to bring sanity into our government....but they distort the narrative....cherry-pick and isolate....purposely ignore and obfuscate that which would give us a balance in that we have all failed miserably....all need the wisdom that only God can give...and all need our eyes open to whom is our only hope....to whom only we can trust and follow in this storm that is upon us.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

It was a week that should be remembered....the last week of August 2011....as a 5.8 earthquake violently shook our nation's capitol....damaging the Washington Monument.....and the Washington National Cathedral....our nation's supposed House of Prayer. I posted these words a few years later in 2018:

            Three of the four grand pinnacles of the cathedral...each weighing 50 tons....collapsed. Gargoyles were damaged with one decapitated by falling debris. Today....seven years later....they are only half way finished with the repairs. That earthquake was a message to us from God. 
            Just as those gargoyles were shaking....a hurricane formed in the Caribbean....that would in the next few days bounce a couple of times off our east coast....from the Outer Banks....To New Jersey....To Brooklyn....and even into Vermont....and this as the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument in our capitol had to be postponed.
           I posted this also in 2018....concerning those memorials of which we have visited often over the years....along with my father's grave across the river in Arlington National Cemetery...."I love America and that sentiment is written throughout these posts....but I love it as the gift that has been given to Americans and to the world. It is the Gift-Giver [alone] that deserves our adoration! God will either save America for His purposes or He will let us fall in our own delusion. He will not be mocked....nor will He meet us halfway....nor can we convince Him to see it our way. We will either prostrate ourselves before Him or He will prostrate us before our enemies."
           The enormity of the April of 1912 news coverage over the sinking of the....'unsinkable'....Titanic seemed as an omen to Great Britain....and America actually as the ship was British operated but American owned.....as World War I....the Depression....and World War II followed in short order. I have likewise thought that those images of the Challenger exploding in 1986 were a warning to us in America....and as I once wrote in these posts...."Laugh this off or shrug it off if you wish but you might want to direct the laughter at me....and not God....for He will not be mocked."
            One last thought from the past....on those whose accomplishments have been memorialized in stone...."Martin Luther King's legacy is one of peace and reconciliation. His death was as destructive to this nation as John Kennedy's, or Robert's. His sacrifice and efforts (positively and profoundly) effected the relationships of our races. We were a better people because of his life"....but MLK and others...."were men and women of great accomplishments....but [also] fallible, sinful, rebellious men and women....(as we all are)....who were in need of a Savior....who have since stood before the Creator of everything that exists....many of whom would gladly trade a granite memorial....(or a day in their name....or a building or a bridge or an aircraft carrier....or their face carved in the side of a mountain)....for a robe of Christ's righteousness to cover their unrighteousness."

A Doctrine Called Ottoism

                What an inglorious waste of time it would be if in these posts I just mimicked others ....by that I mean that I would have nothing to say that hasn't already been said ad nauseum. That does not mean that I come up with new doctrines....for it is the opposite of that.....in that I am constantly trying to send people back to....as Jeremiah described them....the old paths...."Thus saith the LORD, Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls." (Jeremiah 6:16 NKJV)
                So this afternoon my wife and I went to see the new Tom Hanks film....A Man Named Otto.  My wife had been eagerly waiting for it since she enjoyed so much the 2013....worldwide bestseller....A Man Called Ove....by Swedish writer  Fredrik Backman. I have no desire to just give film reviews....and I have posted quite a few in fourteen years....but there has to be a message....and usually the message is not the one that the film gives....and such is the case this time. 
                I am not being critical of the film itself. It was terrific....as far as going out to see a good movie goes. It's a lump in the throat kind of film....genuinely humorous a number of times....but there is that message that a film can give....that the director and all involved in it have no idea of....nor are a conscious part of.
                I think that we have all known an Otto at some time in our lives....a man who is just extraordinarily irascible. What comes to my mind is an Andy Griffith Show episode....where this mean old man tries to destroy everyone's Christmas....but then in the end he tries to get arrested by Andy so that he can be in the jail....in Andy's office....and at least be around that which he claimed to hate. I wouldn't be surprised if most light-hearted drama television series....like Little House On The Prairie...didn't have a similar episode somewhere along the line. It would be perfect for Gomer Pyle...USMC....look it up for yourself....I bet there is one there.
                All of this good stuff about the film so that you don't think that I'm criticizing it....for I am not....I am though criticizing our culture and our society....and the non-response of the church. There is one scene that I guess that I have to relate....without giving up too much. Otto and a neighbor and a doctor are in the scene. It's dramatic as it relates to the plot....but the doctor tells the good neighbor that the medical problem with Otto is that his heart....his actual heart....is too big. The neighbor is super-nice....the whole film....and genuinely concerned for Otto's health....but his health problem being that his heart.....Mr. Irascible of all Mr. Irascibles' heart....is too big....is too much for her to take with a straight face. The look on her face alone was worth the price of the movie.....not the price of the popcorn....but the ticket.
                I really don't have to go into any more of the film....it makes It's A Wonderful Life look like film noir....as it's a feel good movie as effective as a feel good movie can get....but the message is that....get ready....you're not going to like this....no one needs God....all they need is to be....nice. No more can be asked of a human being other than he/she be nice....and if that's not good enough for God....well that's his/her problem.
                In just one movie this makes no difference....and that's all this is....one movie....here today....gone tomorrow....(although there will be Academy Award nominations)....but when you have a hundred years of movies with this man-made doctrine of salvation....and seventy years of television shows with the same gospel....and fifty years of book bestsellers....then you have....well you have America....circa oh 1870....to present....for we are as the people that Jeremiah warned....as the above verse from 6:16 ends with this.....which is our response also....."We will not walk in it."

Note:  I gave this advice in a post last year....and it might apply here....the book of Jeremiah was not compiled in chronological order....you might consider this....."To get a taste of Jeremiah....spend time on chapters 4-9....and concentrate on every verse....and try to discern how the warnings might apply to us today."

Note: The theater was filled. We sat in the front row...far right seats. At first it was like walking by a drive-in movie and looking up to see what was playing....but it may have been an advantage in that it made us concentrate more.

White Privilege

Preface: We don't even like to think about it. People were kidnapped from their homes....shipped like lobsters across the ocean....and forced into slavery....so that a part of our society could become rich....and the nation as a whole could prosper. OK....we put an end to that....but paid little attention to the same people....now 'freed'....with few skills and fewer educational opportunities. We can't understand it. Why didn't they develop like us....they don't even seem to enjoy walking around at a good car cruise? The answers are not easy folks....and there are a plethora of bad answers and fake answers out there....only Christ can heal....but we freed ourselves from His diagnosis and treatment long ago.

               There is a white privilege of sorts in America....I am testimony to it. My mother and I moved to Pittsburgh in 1963. She looked around for a place for us to live....and found a modest apartment on a middle class street....maybe the only apartment on that street....with a number of young boys that would become friends for life. Three of those young friends went on to be PHDs....all were successful. I went on to the attend a distinguished parochial high school....probably because they dragged me along with them. Had my mother found an apartment a mile in either direction....I would not have had anyone to drag me along. Had I been an exceptionally bright and determined young man....this would not have been the case....but I wasn't. I needed help. I needed to be lifted up by the community that I lived in. 
                A young black man today is most likely not going to be dragged along by future PHDs all around him. Yes some will have an advantage possibly in getting into a good college....but they still need that determination....and as few societal and cultural obstacles as possible. If there are shots fired in your neighborhood often....it would be hard to remain focused on goals. If putting food on the table and keeping the house warm are the chief time consuming goals....it would be hard to concentrate on studying. I know this from experience. Without the G. I. Bill I would not have attended college.
               The answers to these cultural problems are not easy to find....and white privilege is often taken to a grossly distorted extreme....for political purposes only....and not compassion....but the Christian should not be deterred by this....for God is very sensitive in how the 'haves' treat the 'have-nots.' We should keep in mind that Peter told the household of the centurion Cornelius....a household of the 'have-nots'....in that they were not Jews...

"In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him." Acts 10:34,35 

                  And we should not forget that we ourselves were once....'have-nots'...."enemies of God"....Romans 5:10....until mercy and grace were extended towards us!

We Are Not Special....But These Are Special Times

                You have to really work at this. It does not come natural....in fact the natural would tend to lead to the opposite conclusion....but if you....as I said....work at it....I think you might agree with me.
                This day and age that we live in.....is set apart all by itself.....much like it was for the generations two-thousand years ago....when Jesus walked among the people....and the apostles gave their lives in establishing churches far and wide.
                Special isn't the word to describe us....for we are not special....nor were the believers in the first century....but something special was required of them....and something special is required of us today.
                The demonic must have been in full swing back then. You can see this as so many were having demons cast out of them by Jesus and the apostles. You can see the demonic in how at one moment the people shouted...."Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"....as Jesus entered Jerusalem....but almost before you could blink....shouted.....Crucify him! You could see it in Judas...who Satan entered into. And you could see it in the actions of the rulers of Jerusalem as they were..."enraged" at Jesus...."and ground their teeth at him."
                 The demonic seems to be everywhere today. How else could you have what happened in Idaho...and then so many multiple murder/suicides in the last week....or the seemingly constant mass murders? You can see it today in how so many people literally shake in anger when talking about Christianity. The delusion that evangelicalism is part of today....is demonic in nature. You can see it in the false teachers that are all over the place....in how we are trusting in our own powers....having forgotten God's multiple warnings to trust only in Him....and you can see it in love having grown so cold that even we in evangelicalism have fallen under a spell.
                  All of this above....of our generations living right now....and how we have been allotted the task of living during the time of Christ's coming again in power and glory....all of this we are unaware of.....most of us that is. Aware or not....we are going through it....but here is the point that I want to attempt to make....
                  Yes....this that is somewhere just ahead is the Tribulation. If meditating from God's Word upon what happens during that period does not sober the reader....then I do not know what would sober them. So many prophecy teachers use the word....excited....when talking about the return of our Lord....but that is a very poor choice of words. Most think that they are going to be raptured just prior to all the commotion....but they will be in for a surprise....for we may not know day and hour....but we should be able to discern that we are not immediately taken out of this time of terror.....which finally leads to my point....
                   It is hard to put in words....and I do not want it to be misinterpreted....but we must....count it a blessing....that we will be tried as we will be. It is very much like a soldier who has trained for many years....but never seen the battle. An odd anecdote here.....as that time-honored film from 1955 comes to mind.....Mr. Roberts....with Henry Fonda and Jack Lemmon and James Cagney and William Powell. Maybe you have never seen it....my age lets me down often when commenting like this.....but Henry Fonda's character....Mr. Roberts.....for the whole movie.....wanted to do his part.....and see battle.....before the war ended. Well.....he eventually did.
                   The battle scenes in Hollywood films in general that come most often to my mind....are of the landing craft....that just departed the troop transport and is headed to the beach. The marines....usually the same ones that we followed all through their training....are in that boat.....and it is quiet.....as the camera moves from face to face. There is nothing there that can be called excitement. Prayers are said....they were now being called upon. Well that is us....and believe it or not I am quiet....I just....in these posts....in as much as pull out my notebook....to record my thoughts.
                   I have given this opinion over and over again....as recently as a few days ago. Rich or poor....young or old....clergy or laity...professor or student....if you do not see the world in the actual stage of collapse that it is in....it is because your attention is somewhere else....your goals are somewhere else....and therefore you do not particularly want to see Jesus return soon....nor do you search the Scriptures for wisdom in all of this....but for those who live in the Bible as an elderly person might always wear their nose tubes for oxygen....whose every other thought seems to be a prayer of some sort....they are going to hear His voice....saying...."And behold, I am coming soon"....along with multiple other commands and encouragements to prepare and to be sober and to be vigilant and to rejoice...."And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh." (this from that which is known as the Olivet Discourse....from Matthew 24 and Mark 13 and Luke 21....the pages of which in your bibles....by now should be well worn and marked up!)

"So......"

              So....is there going to be a monetary collapse....or a stocks collapse.....or a combination of both.....or a mixture of other financial claymores....any or all of this....in the near future? It's not unusual or unwise for a person to want to find answers to a question like this....especially if one is heavily invested or if their retirement plans hinge on what might happen,
              So what do we tend to do? Well....we look for....expert opinion....good start. Let me hone in on one example....on what they call a yield curve on bonds and interest rates. There are 'experts out there who will say that the 'inverted yield curve' that we are in right now....is an indicator that catastrophe of some sort is ahead....but....at the same time....there are 'experts' out there right now who will say that the inverted yield curve does not.....does not....indicate an imminent collapse of some sort.
              So which expert do we believe? Neither expert knows the answer with an absolute certainty....for that cannot be known. The common sense thing to do would be to examine the opinions of the various experts out there....and then....just do our best.....for the Christian.....pray....and do our best....but this is not what we do....not in economics nor government nor even in our Christian Faith.
              What we do is we invert....to use that word again....our thinking process. We know what we want to hear....so we go out only to find the 'experts' that tell us what we want to hear.....and we naturally believe them.....not because it is the best that our intellect can come up with....for we did not use the intellect at all....rather we let our biases choose the expert that gives us what we want to hear.
              Unfortunately it even gets worse. Not only do we not think things through on our own....we simply become sheep.....followers....letting others do the thinking for us. Some examples on this....we did not make rational decisions on fighting the wearing of masks....or vaccinations.....or on keeping church doors open in a pandemic. We are ranting on the FBI because we are being told to rant on the FBI. Fauci is an evil man because he needs to be an evil man....to fit all our other 'decisions'....and to bolster our already determined political agenda.
              Let me expound a little bit on the FBI. They had a man before them who had been trying to make a deal in Russia for decades. This was a man who had textbook potential for kompromat....vulnerable to flattery. Upon returning from one trip to Russia he took out a full-page advert in three major American newspapers....the intent of which was to move us away from NATO and anyone else who did not pay us for protection. And...lo and behold....this man eventually takes the lead for a nomination to run as....the leader of the free world! I would be upset if our intelligence agencies were not on top of this....but once again....we have to find something rotten in the FBI....to assuage our guilt on how that man turned out...and to sustain the momentum on that political agenda.....truth and fairness and holding the high ground be damned.  Evangelicals generally would not believe what I just wrote....because we do not read anything that is not put directly before us....by those who we have turned our intellects over to.
              So....on our Christian Faith....our biases rule our decisions once again. We don't want to hear how this is a weak preaching age. We certainly do not want to hear anything about doing away with our entertainments on Sunday. We don't even like using the term....the Lord's Day. We do no want warnings of any kind on Jesus about to return in judgment right now.....and that we have our share of culpability in what we have become. That's off the table. And the 'born again' stuff has been taken too far....for it is judgmental....and it hinders our strength in numbers. Megachurches are where it is at....the proof being in the elegant sanctuaries...huge parking lots....music on a professional level....ministries for everyone....and youth programs for the children. Television ministries....talk radio....conservative cable news....and podcasters have all replaced the pulpit....which abdicated because they would rather have people sent to them....already fully indoctrinated....then have to rely on winning souls....with a gospel of redemption from sin....through a bloody cross....and a regeneration that will come with a cost of discipleship that interferes with our plan of strength through majorities in a constitutional republic.
               "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me"....(John 10:27)....has been delegated out to the most persuasive and loudest voice....the fear of the other side....replacing the fear of the LORD. As lay people we have a plethora of ministries with which to fill our time....but as for gleaning from God's Word....we leave that to those who have been trained to lead us. The result has been that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been reduced....to make it more palatable....as we no longer plead for wisdom....but political victories.
                We need guidance....and we need teachers. Thank God for ministries such as ligonier.org and gty.org and desiringgod.org and whitehorseinn.org...and so many more. And thank God for faithful pastors and elders....but ultimately we have a responsibility to search the Scriptures for ourselves....and examine everything....but we no longer have the desire or the tools to do so. 

Addendum: Fox and other news outlets have labelled it a...."Mega-church tour"....this being part of Mike Pence's book tour....The book being....So Help Me God. On Saturday the 14th....four days from now....the former Vice President is scheduled to speak at Robert Jeffress' church in Dallas. From what I read on their website....if you buy a ticket to hear Mike Pence on Saturday....then you get one free book....but can purchase more.
                  Here is what the website announces for the Lord's Day...."Then, Vice President Mike Pence will be joining us for worship in our services at 9:15 and 11 am on Sunday, January 15 for a special interview with Dr. Jeffress. Books will be on the concourse for purchase and to be signed that morning following the services." The former Vice President is scheduled to speak on the following Lord's Day at John Hagee's church in San Antonio. 

              

In A Way....The Touchdown Was....Spiritual

                The young Buffalo Bills football player who suffered cardiac arrest on the football field graduated from the same high school that I had graduated from.....over a half-century ago. The Buffalo Bills were my football team as a youth....for I was born in Buffalo. Jack Kemp and Cookie Gilchrist were just some of my heroes. I may not be sure where I put my keys a few minutes ago....but I could still name you most of both the Bills offense and defense in the mid-60s. One day my father brought home punter/linebacker Paul Maquire's practice jersey....and I wore that until it was nothing but shreds.
                Earlier in my life....as a baby....the Pittsburgh Steelers were my father's and my uncles football team. Steeler fullback Frannie Rogel....a Pro Bowl selection in 1956....was a friend of my father....for they were from the same high school. Most of the family....just before I was born....were transferred through their jobs from Pittsburgh to Buffalo.
                What transpired on that football field in Cincinnati....and I only saw it in the news....was extremely emotional. The reactions of players on the field was heartwarming....and the news of the progress of that young football player surely is an answer to the prayers of so many.
                Buffalo played their first game at home since the life-threatening episode on the field in Cincinnati....and apparently a Bills player ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen is quoted in this morning's news...."You want the truth....it was spiritual. I can't remember a play that touched me like that, I don't think in my life, so it's probably No.1. I was going around with my teammates and saying, 'God's real'."
               Now I'm a little emotional typing this....but not because a football player ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. I'm emotional because that football quarterback....who I'm sure is also a fine young man....and maybe even a believer in Jesus Christ for all I know....somehow thinks that on this the Lord's Day....in front of 69,000 screaming fans....and millions on television....while the nation is in the midst of collapse with violence and unbelief everywhere....and a watered-down gospel with most of those who do believe....Christians who presumably were in church a little over an hour earlier....'worshiping God'....that the touchdown was in some way....proof of God's existence.
               That young man who all of this has revolved around....who from what I have read is an exceptional young man....still has very serious health concerns....and prayers will be offered continuously for him and his family. All of what happened is surely spiritual....as Josh Allen described....but not in the way that he envisions it. So we are at halftime with this....but we should go out on the field with the Apostle Paul's words...."I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ."

Addendum: Do you have eleven minutes to spare. Right now on John Piper's website....he has a podcast titled....Getting The Tone Right On Sunday Morning. It's relevant to the above post.....and where our minds are at when we go to church. Just go to....desiringgod.org....and the message is right there.

"Alexis.....Did You Really Say That....?"

Preface: The following was posted as the House of Representatives were in the midst of multiple votes for Speaker:

                It was January 6, of 2021....early afternoon....and I texted our son with these words...."Are you watching this?" I texted him this evening....an hour ago....with the same simple question....no identification as to what would he be watching was necessary. He was watching both times.
                I have noticed this for years....no....decades....when these very serious and solemn politicians....(our representatives voting)....when they don't think that the camera is on them....they are seen laughing and joking and giggling....sometimes even with their ideological opponents!  As for tonight....who knows what one side promised the smaller rebel side? They most likely won't keep the promises anyway....and the rebel side....maybe with the exception of a very few....probably doesn't really care. These are the leaders that God has given us....for they are what we deserve.

                "Alexis....Did you say this or not.....'America is great because America is good...if America ceases to be good....America will cease to be great'." 

                A Democrat Congressman during one of yesterday's nominating speeches quoted only the last sentence of a greatly disputed and longer Alexis de Tocqueville quote....(the Democrat did mention this dispute)....the full quote being....

"I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers....it was not there....in her fertile fields and boundless forests....and it was not there....in her rich mines and her vast world commerce....and it was not there....in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution....and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."      

               Quoting Alexis de Tocqueville might not be accurate....but quoting Eisenhower or Kennedy....quoting de Tocqueville.....would be accurate. We know this also...Alexis de Tocqueville would have visited America in the middle of what is known as....The Second Great Awakening. So much for possible spurious quotes....the following is a quote that we not only know is legitimate....but we know that it is truth....because Isaiah wrote it....in the very Word of God.

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter. Woe to those who are wise, and shrewd in their own sight!"....the passage ending with this...."For they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel."

              The first....'woe'....in my estimation....describes the one side of America today....seeing good as being evil....and evil as being good. The second....'woe'....could describe us....for we have always believed ourselves to be the wise ones....so wise in fact....that we do not need the actual Word of God to guide us....but it is a good banner to f

The 'Crown'.....And The 'Bow'

                It was October 18, 1924....famed sportswriter Grantland Rice....reporting on Notre Dame's upset 13-7 victory over Army....penned this lead-in to his article in the New York Herald Tribune....

"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. The real names are Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden."

              The overall church....as it ponders John's description of the four horses....and their riders...from Revelation 6.....is divided as to whether the first horse....the white horse.....is the Antichrist.....or if it is Jesus Christ? Of those who are 'sure' that it is the Antichrist....the division continues as to if the rider is European or Islamic or something else?
              We know that war follows....and then famine....and then death....but we do not know the time span between these riders on their horses. So....does the King of Kings begin by moving mightily in the world to conquer....or is the white horse and its rider something else?
               I put forth this possibility in a post a while back. Even to a graybeard like myself...the single most catastrophic event in my lifetime of 72 years....has been the Covid-19 pandemic....not only in the enormous number of deaths....but in our response to those deaths. Corona comes from the crown-like spikes of the virus.  The rider on the white horse was given a crown....and had a bow.
              The ancient Greek fighters would put poison on their arrows. They called this....toxikon pharmakon....the archery drug. The evolution of this whole thing has given us the word....toxic. 
              So....coronavirus revolves around the word....crown....and the word....bow....basically means poison. I do not think it is a stretch to at least put these type of speculations somewhere in the back of the mind. God will reveal these meanings to us in His perfect time. The speculation I give here is probably not the correct interpretation....but He wants our minds active....and inquiring....looking for and desiring His return....yet vigilant....vigilant both on deception from the outside....and deception that our own minds can produce.

Note: Oxford's Word of the Year for 2018....before the pandemic....was....toxic. According to the Oxford website...."the Latin word itself....(toxicus)....came from the Greek term....toxon....meaning....bow."
         

To Send......Or Not To Send?

           

            The scene is a very modest meeting room with a long twelve or maybe fifteen foot wooden table....with simple and plain wooden chairs all around it. There's nothing else in the room....no coffee maker or wall hangings or anything. It was hot and there was no air conditioning in the room. The men sitting straight in those chairs seemed to be choosing their words carefully.....should they send missionaries out to this specific country or not?
             They parsed over the 'pros' and 'cons' of sending missionaries. As for the 'pros'....'they speak the same language......and it's a very big country that surely does need to hear the gospel.' Then as for the 'cons'....'this country has never really had missionaries sent to it.....not for a few hundred years anyway. How would the people react to a missionary coming in and telling them that they wanted to teach them about the gospel of Jesus Christ......and then teaching them how to proclaim this gospel from pulpits'.
            This was to be the last of a number of meetings on this......the final decision had to be made this night. The men took turns praying in the sweltering heat. They determined an odd way to cast their final vote. Flowers were in a basket on one end of the table.....bright yellow flowers.....and rich red flowers.....all with long stems. The basket was passed around the table. If a man's decision was to send missionaries to this country he would take a yellow flower and place it in a wooden jar at the center of the table. If he thought that the Lord was not directing them to do this then would take a red flower and put it in the container.
           The basket was passed around and returned to the man moderating the meeting. Bright white teeth on gleaming smiles shown on all the faces as the wooden vase in the center of the table was now holding a beautiful bouquet of yellow flowers. They would send their missionaries to the United States of America....to evangelize....yes....to preach the gospel but also to teach others by example how to preach the majesty of Jesus Christ....and the cross that paid for our sins....and the empty tomb that secured our mercies....and also by example....how one not only assents to the return of our Lord and Savior.....but desires that over His tarrying further.

I often add an addendum to a post such as this. There are wonderful missionary organizations here in America that do extraordinary work throughout the world....but on the whole we have let our own nation crumble....with our own congregations malnourished....and it is past time to turn some of our attention to our own condition. The above post is not without evidence as I have on a number of occasions over a few decades either talked to or read about missionaries who made similar comments....with one pastor in an African country....after seeing disastrous results from our exporting our faddish theologies over to them....actually expressing the exact thoughts in the above post.

The above was first posted in June of 2019. John Piper in today's sermon of the day....mentioned these facts....and I pass them on to you.

               
                  "It took seven years before Carey baptized his first convert in India."
                 "It was seven years before Judson won his first disciple in Burma."
                 "Morrison toiled seven years before the first Chinaman was brought to Christ."
                  Moffat declared that he waited seven years....to see the Holy Spirit move.
                  Henry Richards worked seven years on the Congo before seeing the first convert.

                 CBN....Pat Robertson's network....has an article up right now....on a ministry targeting youth through digital communications that the youth use today. The reason for the article at this time is that the ministry reports that it has reached the one-millionth young person led to Christ. This type of claim is almost normal in evangelicalism....and has been for decades. We do not know what the gospel of Jesus Christ is anymore....or what happens in salvation. It would be wonderful....but it would also be surprising....if 10% of Americans were redeemed Christians....this is spite of the many and continuous polls and surveys over decades that indicate figures even above 50%. No....few are saved....that's what God's Word tells us. You might want to Google sometime....J. C. Ryle....Few Are Saved.

"Women, Children....And The Unsaved Into The Lifeboats!"

Preface: The following paragraph was just an addendum in a recent post....a post highlighting a seminar talk that can be Googled at....The Power Of God In George Whitefield's Life.....Steve Lawson. I'm not making friends by being so forward in these warnings....in fact I'm probably losing them.....but I'm reminded of a previous post with this anecdote....John Harper was a British Baptist pastor and passenger on the Titanic. He was headed to America as a guest preacher with the possibility of accepting a call at a famous American church. He was travelling with his six year old daughter for he was a widower. After he placed his daughter in a lifeboat it is reported that he shouted "women, children, and the unsaved into the lifeboats." At first the crew of the Titanic tried to keep the passengers calm....but it eventually became obvious that the ship was going down. John Harper wound up in the water....and it was recorded that before going to his Lord and Savior....he was swimming up to people....asking them...."Are you saved?" The following was posted after a trip to a couple of Christian college campuses....so it is addressed to students....

               "Are you familiar with Oxford's....Holy Club....a pejorative much like how the Puritans got their name....where John And Charles Wesley and George Whitefield....and a few others....met as students at Oxford....to improve upon their dedication to God? Well Steven Lawson mentions in his talk how at the time none of these students had truly even been converted! This would come shortly afterwards. I bring this up in this post primarily to college students on Christian campuses. You don't even address this question. Surely you are converted. You picked a Christian college for Pete's sake! You go to church....to bible study....and offer opinions all the time on God and the culture that we live in. Not only you....but especially you....and all of us....have to continually examine ourselves....for there is 'faith'....even a 'holy club'....'see you at the pole'....'pro-life' faith....that does not save....the difference demonstrated so very clearly in the lives and testimonies of John Wesley and George Whitefield....who were used by God only after their conversion became real....and they were born again from above....humbled....prostrate in their failures....and then sent out....separated from the world....to win souls for Christ!

'The Church Reformed, Always Reforming'

                 William Tyndale was one man....one of many....who gave their lives that the common man....men like me....and maybe you....could read God's Word for themselves....in their own language. I wonder at times what Tyndale would say today....with bibles everywhere. If he were able to look at our society.....and evangelicalism....and the world....would he think that giving his life was worth it? Would he do it again? He might not....unless he was able to also see the 500 years of world history since then....and what transpired in those five centuries....but he would still weep....to see how little even the church values the written Word of God.

                Oh for those Christian bookstores that were everywhere in the 1980s and 1990s! One could walk in....and walk out not only with a bible....or a book....but with a Christian album....or movie. I did that often....and one such film was God's Outlaw....The Story of William Tyndale....this about 1987. I walked into one such Christian bookstore in 1982.....while my wife shopped at Penney's....I was basically just browsing....where I had never been in a Christian bookstore before. I walked out with Josh McDowell's classic apologetic.....Evidence That Demands A Verdict....and was really never the same after that. Later in life my wife and I owned a Christian bookstore. We didn't sell enough books to stay in business....but we sold enough....even to unbelievers.....even Josh McDowell's book....to make those two years a great blessing!
                I watched that hour and a half film on William Tyndale again this afternoon....on ROKU....and I wondered about the actor who played Tyndale....British actor Roger Rees. He passed away a few years ago. I wondered as I do at times after watching a powerful film like this....was he converted by playing William Tyndale. You might recognize Roger Rees....as he played Kirstie Alley's love interest in Cheers....and also was a regular on The West Wing. Was Ian Charleson converted after playing Eric Liddell? How about Charlton Heston after his famous religious films? All too often the answer is either....probably not....or definitely not.
                I remember very well a Christmas present under the tree in....probably 1959....called The National League. Baseball....there were 8 teams in the National League back then....16 overall. There were 12 NFL teams. There are 30 MLB teams today and 32 NFL teams. There were only 6 National Hockey League teams....there are 32 today....8 NBA teams....30 today.We had 3 major television networks....there are probably a couple hundred somewhere on my television today. We are ruled today by cell phones....selfies....and the Internet.
                Quite frankly....we would not have time for the Bible today....even if we were interested. As for William Tyndale....if he were here today....he might once again work....(paraphrasing his famous words here)....to cause one who drives a truck....to know more of the Scriptures....than those in the pulpits....too many of whom have given up on learning.

"We do not wish to abolish teaching and to make every man his own master, but if the curates will not teach the gospel, the layman must have the Scripture, and read it for himself, taking God for his teacher." Tyndale

Note: The full phrase in the title of this post....which became a motto....is in Latin....ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda. From what I have learned in studying the history of the phrase....it was not meant to imply that new truths are always being found. No...we have the foundations of the gospel....and they were restored in the Reformation....but what about our hearts and minds....that need renewed every day? I'm going to take this opportunity to give but one example. I am a layman....a 'plowboy' in Tyndale's terminology....and I listen to a sermon every day of my life...sometimes two and three sermons....from....men of the past....like Spurgeon....and men of today who preach like men of the past....like Piper. OK...I am retired....and have the time....and made the resolution three years ago....but when I bring up to pastors today....that they should be listening to these sermons also....to learn from them....to be stirred up from what God had given these men....they do not seem particularly interested. This is the....'always reforming'....part of the phrase or motto....and this is where we need humility....fearful of the warning that Jesus gave the church in Ephesus in the book of Revelation....that it might not ever describe us...."[you] have not become weary....but....you have left your first love." Rev 2:2-4 NKJV

We Are At No Loss Of People To Pray For

                 A friend of mine commented to me about a week ago that he had not heard about the college student murders in Idaho. Often....other friends might tell me that they do not read the news....or they even might advise me not to read the news....or not as much of it as I do....which is bare minimum....twenty times a day. I'm sure there is wisdom in their thoughts....although the advice might not be exactly right.

               I read only a few minutes ago how there was an automobile accident in the far west of Australia....where the parents were killed....and the three children....ages 5 and 2 and 1....survived 55 hours in 86 degree heat.
               Just about every time that I check the news....there is something or someone there to pray for. We are not at a loss of things to pray for....even outside our own families....in fact...we should be overwhelmed by the amount of people who need prayer....in this rapidly expanding information age.
               I pray for every visitor that I see came to these posts. I pray for the person....and for wisdom in my words....and mercies if I do not have that wisdom.
               John Piper....in his desiringgod.org....sermons of the day....is spending....it appears....about a week on prayer....something that his ministry apparently does at the beginning of every new year. You can easily Google many wonderful sermons on prayer at....Charles Spurgeon sermons on prayer....and Martyn Lloyd-Jones sermons are also out there.
               Prayer seems to come to us when all else fails....or seems to fail. That's not the way that it should be....but at least it brings us to praying. So...in advance....I pray for you....in your needs....for wisdom and discernment to navigate these increasingly treacherous times in which we live. I hope that you might also pray for me...for that is what we Christians do....pray for each other....is it not?

'The Case Of This Spurgeon Chap......South Of The Thames'

Preface: This post is from December 28:                 

                 Elementary my dear Watson....sheer deduction....if the evangelicals are correct in their definition of who God is....and what He is like....then why do they not act like it...or this God.....really cannot be much of a God at all. It is all logic Watson. This just does not make sense. The words are there in their Holy Scriptures....and they describe in great detail a powerful and sovereign God....infinite in wisdom....who no man could stand before and live....yet the evangelicals....who enjoy a good game of Cricket as much as anyone....or a night at the theater....seem to think Him no more than....the master of the house.....who everyone avoids.....and when he does enter their living quarters.....they listen attentively....until He returns to His own dwelling.....and they give a sigh of relief....that no new responsibilities were assigned.
                 You see Watson....if there is a literal hell....as the evangelicals always describe when turning in their composition book....and if they literally believed in that literal hell....they could not possibly act as nonchalantly as they are known for! For goodness sakes Watson....their own children could be going to this literal hell....and they do not even seem concerned!
                 You see this do you not Watson? What if....what if you were told that little Archibald was outside....skating on the ice....that you know is too thin for children to be skating on? Would you not immediately drop everything and run out to safely pull him off the ice? Why don't they run out to pull their children off of the train to hell? Tell me why that is Watson?
                 No....we must get to the bottom of this! Either their Holy Scriptures are wrong.....or they are wrong! Pass me the Times Watson.....look here....this Spurgeon chap....on the other side of the Thames....in that church....what is the name....Tabernacle....Metropolitan Tabernacle. He's involved in this big scrum...the Downgrade they call it. He's taking the same position Watson....either this is God....or this is a god their own making! Poor Chap....I hear his health is declining over this.
                Make a note of this Watson. As soon as we return from Switzerland...to do away with this dastardly Moriarty....I shall go and listen to this Spurgeon chap....and maybe see what makes him tick.
                Sherlock Holmes and Charles Spurgeon would both die within the year.....1892....Holmes and Moriarty at the bottom of a chasm on the mountains in Switzerland....Charles Spurgeon resting in the south of France….Holmes to meet the benefactor of his deductive intellect….Spurgeon….the Sovereign giver of grace.

Catch-22

                 This post....which I am going to try to make very short....is a commentary on the post just above this. We in evangelicalism have....through negligence....forgotten what salvation is. We do not have to be born again today. Our pulpits obviously no longer emphasize regeneration.  The closest that they get to it is...."say this prayer....and you are a Christian." Everybody says it....why not? You cannot even bring it up because people will think that you are judging them. So....they have children...(this alluding to the post above)....teen to adult....but since they do not know what being born again is....they cannot place their children on that grid....or their older parents for that matter. The children (or older parents) are nice people....and the parent or adult child will not embarrass the child or older parent by broaching the subject....even if they believed it to begin with....and I (we) certainly cannot bring it up.....because if we do the answer will be....'who am I to judge'....the implication being....'who are you to judge?' You probably are not familiar with the 1970 film....Catch-22....or maybe you are since apparently there was a recent remake of it. This is a catch-22 situation....one cannot be saved....because we would have to tell them they are lost in order to save them.            

                     

We Cannot Be Certain......But We Can And Should Continue To Meditate Upon....

                 A couple of quick thoughts here on Bible prophecy.....in doing this I'm comparing two future events. We know....100%.....that Jesus Christ is returning in power and glory and judgment. There is no gray area here. There are other such future events that we know....in absolute certainty.....that they will happen. There are other events in which we do not....by any means....have that certainty. I'll mention a major one....one that many believe that they do know with certainty what will will happen....but they do not.....for none of us do.

               Picking something at random.....we do not know if there is a literal millennial age on earth....or not. This is a random pick folks....it is not a soap box on what happens next. It is the principle. There is no way that we can know for sure on this.....because God's Word does not put this in the.....'for sure'....category.
               Now common sense will say that it will turn out that many.....on one side or the other.....will have proven to be correct....but that does not prove that they knew in certainty at the time...it proves only that they picked the right straw! On future events such as the timing of a rapture....or what 666 means....or what Mystery Babylon turns out to be.....we cannot absolutely know....but we can speculate....indeed we should meditate upon....and study....and even speculate. Men can teach....seminaries can put forth their belief system....and books can be written. That is expected....and there is nothing inherently wrong in that....but it can be very problematic if we do not humble ourselves before the Word of God....living for defense of some truths....but making no place for pride to enter in on others that can be no more than speculation.
               I want so say this also....and I know that I've mentioned this in past posts....one can study Bible prophesy for a lifetime.....reading and meditating and praying every day....even in humility....but it does not guarantee that they will even be close to the truth. There is no guarantee there. On the other hand....if one does not study God's Word on the warnings on what will happen in the future....if this is not part of that Christian's life.....it will guarantee one thing. If one had no interest....or no care to be warned from God's Word....it guarantees that God will give them little to no discernment. Once again....they may....in their lethargy and lack of interest....make declarative statements that turn out to be correct....but that only shows that their impious and disinterested mind....fell into the right answer.
              So....I believe with all of my heart....that Jesus is returning soon.....Webster's definition of 'soon'....and I believe that Israel's return in 1948 was a sign and a warning for us to prepare....but I cannot know these things in absolute certainty. I do know that Jesus wants us to look for His return....I do know that in absolute certainty....for His Word makes that clear.  If I were a teacher in some capacity....which I am not....I would put these thoughts to students.....and we would talk them out. That's all that I am doing here. You and I cannot talk these things over....but you can bring them up with Christian friends.
               One last thing....the Bible makes clear that a time will indeed come when we will know in absolute certainty that Jesus is at the very door. All these things are becoming a little more clear as time goes on. Speculate....search the Scriptures....hope and desire....encourage and even warn....all these things we must do....for God will bless them....but let's do them in the knowledge that God is sovereign....an we are a work in progress.
              

A Sermon Such As You Have Never Heard

                 I really have never done a good job of this....over the past thirty years....although I tried many times....so many times....and this continues today....most recently as only three or four days ago in a conversation with a Christian friend. Here is the setting as it has always played out. I will be in a conversation with....a Christian friend. I will know the church that he goes to....and the typical sermons that he has heard his entire Christian life....because after forty years....I know evangelicalism....and I have something with which to compare it. I see the signs of malnourishment in my friend....lack of zeal and an unction for the salvation of souls....and a fascination for the baubles of this world....sports....wasted lives over who gets a championship trophy. So I tell them of a Charles Spurgeon sermon I heard....or a Martyn Lloyd-Jones or John Piper sermon....or a sermon of any one of many others who still preach in spirit and in truth. I try to describe the strengthening from hearing the majesties of Christ preached....and the glories of this our salvation. My hope is that they will believe me....and they will be excited....and want to know how they can hear something like this for themselves. It never happens.

                 I was in a conversation two days ago....with an unbeliever. He is new to the area....a humble man....a seemingly very decent man....and he was thinking about trying to find a church. He has no idea what the gospel of Jesus Christ is....he lives with his girlfriend. I been there....so I know conviction of rebellion to God....but I also know that God's mercy abounds even to sinners like us. So he needs to hear about judgment....and of the cross of Calvary....and the empty tomb....but he offers up that he desires to hear lively music in the church....and there are churches that will offer him that....and only that....but no salvation. I don't have a lot of time with him....only enough to comment that the most important thing is to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached....by men who know what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. I recommend a church....but tell him in advance that it will not be the lively music that he wants. God is in charge of these things. We can only pray....but we must not compromise in any way.

                I added these paragraphs to lead into this....a sermon I heard just this morning....a sermon that you the reader probably have never heard the likes of. I've never heard the likes of something like this. Today it was John Piper....not Spurgeon or Lloyd-Jones or any of the other pastors that I mention so often in these posts. It was preached quite a while ago I presume....on a Christmas Eve.....that being why it was broadcast today. I'm not even going to try to describe it. If your heart is being touched....and your interest piqued....and maybe your conscience pricked....you will take the time to listen to it....if not....the Steelers are on tonight.
               I will say this. The pastor in the pulpit should not be bound by anything other than God's Word....not any session or church board....not concern over his future....not any preaching schedule....and not the faces in the pews. His eyes should be heavenward....for that is from where the power comes. Everything has to revolve around an unction to care for the spiritual lives of the sheep in the pews....and offerings of mercy through the gospel of Jesus Christ to the goats that wandered in.
               The above mentioned sermon can be heard by Googling....John Piper, Jesus Christ In The Book Of Romans. John Piper never ceases to amaze me. He has an unction like so very few today....Spurgeon comes to mind....as does Bunyan....as does Jonathan Edwards....as does George Whitefield.

"He'll Labor Night And Day......To Be A Pilgrim"

                 To paraphrase a familiar introduction....My name is Special Dog....(though it was once Graceless)....and I am a pilgrim. I wasn't always a pilgrim....for I lived in Vanity Fair....but the day came many years ago....maybe a couple of decades....this after over thirty years of living in the City of Destruction....the day came when I saw that you cannot stay in Vanity Fair if you ever hope to reach the Celestial City. I'm of course using John Bunyan allegory here from his monumentally wonderful book Pilgrim's Progress.

                We need to examine the age that we live in....and compare it to other ages....in order to see how far we have fallen....for otherwise we can swim in the polluted waters forever....without ever knowing the extent of the pollution. Our habits eventually adjust to what is all around us....for it is all we know or have ever known.
                 So for the Christian....the day is either going to come or it isn't. We either in effect go into denial....or we pack up and leave Vanity Fair....trusting in God to guide us safely over territory where the Christian is despised. As for the family....we either say as did Joshua...."And if it be evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell, But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." To phrase that as we would understand it today....If you think that these 'born again' Christians are way too fanatical....the Bible this....and Jesus that....and....life, life, eternal life....then ignore them. Go ahead and spend your time on the things that everyone else does....but as for me....even if I’m the only one….i’m not goin' there.
                 There is more than one way to look at this....as the cost of discipleship would be another. After so many years....I do not see how one can...."Come out of her"....as both Jeremiah 51:45 and Revelation 18:4  commands and warn us....and not experience the rejection....at bare minimum....from the world around us....but you must know this in advance also....even Christians will make it hard for you....for even being around you unsettles them.....for you are either too fanatical for them....your words of devotion are too syrupy....or your beliefs and practices will sting them. The Lord's Day is one example.....for they've got it good right now....put a couple of hours into the church on Sunday morning....and run home to watch NFL games the rest of the day. You are thus a threat to them.....and they do not like it.
                Friends....brothers and sisters in Christ....if the trials are not there....if you are not looked down upon by the crowd...there is something wrong! Now it is easy to ignore my words here....or anyone else's words that might place this difficult challenge right before you....but if you are having a tough time ignoring it....you might want to meditate upon the words of Jesus to Peter....and Peter's response....in not that dissimilar of a situation. Jesus asked Peter....after many disciples turned back...."Do you want to go away as well?" I need to repeat this here....most will have no problem ignoring this....but some....maybe only a few....won't....and if you are part of that few....will you respond to Jesus as did Peter...."Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
                I'll leave you with these words from Bunyan...."What God says is best, is best, though all the men in the world are against it." And this the last stanza of a song within Pilgrim’s Progress which reads:

Hobgoblin, nor foul fiend,
Can daunt his spirit;
He knows, he at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away,
He'll fear not what men say,
He'll labour night and day
To be a pilgrim.
                

'Nahum'....Sounds Like....'Graham'

                We don't know that much about the prophet Nahum. We're not even sure what being an 'Elkoshite' means. We do know this....100 to 150 years previous to Nahum prophesying destruction on the Assyrian capital of Nineveh....Jonah wrote about the same city. We know this also....Jonah gave a warning....a forty day warning....but Nahum wasn't giving a warning....for he was simply telling Nineveh to get ready for the destruction which was to come....for the LORD had declared it!

               In that time period between Jonah and Nahum.....Nineveh's violence and atrocities to the peoples they conquered were beyond even what other armies might do to nations that they defeated. Assyria had already attacked the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom....and inhumanely marched them back to Assyria....where they were never to be heard from again. We know that shortly after that Assyria came against the fortified cities of Judah and Jerusalem. That was where King Hezekiah prayed....and as the Assyrian army was assembled outside the gates of Jerusalem....an Angel of the Lord came at night.....and by whatever means....possibly plague.....killed 185,000 of that army! Nineveh then packed up an left.
                So is that the end of the story....Jonah's warning....Nineveh's short-lived repentance....Nahum's proclamation....and Nineveh's eventual destruction....so complete that when Alexander the Great later passed through....there were no longer any signs that a great civilization existed in the area? I don't think so.
                The message is definately to us also today. Nahum writes about red shields and scarlet uniforms. Is there a clue there? Probably not....but that is how we are to read all of these prophets....showing a desire to know these things....looking for traits in us....that rebellious Israel and unfaithful Judah had....along with entities like Nineveh and Edom and Moab....that brought about God's extreme wrath.
                 Nineveh seemed at the time....impregnable....with towers everywhere...and tall and wide walls. They were supremely confident....and drunk on their successes. Nahum was so sure of what would happen to Nineveh that he wrote as if it had already happened...and it did....as later the city is looted....the soldiers scatter....chaos and terror reigned everywhere in the city....just as Nahum had prophesied.
                 Assyria had constantly made trouble for Israel....as far back as Jehu. God told them through Nahum that that was it....and they were going to feel God's wrath. This is the message that is as alive today as it was to nations like Assyria....and Nineveh its capital. God will use other nations to judge Israel...or us...or anyone....and then He will judge those nations. Israel is as rebellious towards God today as we are....but they are still Israel. We are not to exalt them....but to recognize what God is doing right now....and we had better treat them fairly....and honestly....and if we make promises to them....which we have....we had better keep those promises....and if God does judge them severely....we had better not rejoice in that or take advantage of it....for God will gloriously have mercy upon them as their Messiah returns....the King of Kings....and upon their conversion they will be brothers and sisters in Christ! 
                 If America is in any way connected to ancient Nineveh....then we had our warnings previous to and during our Civil War....and there were substantial genuine revivals in northeastern cities beginning in 1857....and again in both armies....particularly the southern armies....during the war....but that fervor soon died off during reconstruction in the South and the advent of land-grant universities in the North.
                We also like Nineveh went a hundred or so years....and along came many preachers....Billy Graham being just one....telling us that God was going to judge us. Once again....along the lines of the prophet Nahum....decades have passed....and those judgements are coming....increasingly....as birth pangs. You would have to be a graybeard like me to have observed this....but those decades when preachers like Billy Graham were warning us....seem like Shangri La compare to today. It is a paradox....and an enigma....in that evangelicals today want to....make America great again. In this they are pointing back to the days of Reagan....the same days in which the Billy Grahams of the church were warning us of impending judgment!

Note: Why not take the time to listen to a 'Christmas sermon'....probably unlike the 'Christmas sermons' that you have heard so far this year. Just Google....John Piper, You Have The Words Of Eternal Life.

Today's....December 21....Sermon of the Day....from the book of Micah....is powerful in the true meaning of Christmas! You can easily Google it at....John Piper, From Little Bethlehem Will Come a Ruler in Israel.

OK....For The Sake Of Argument....Jesus Is Not Coming Soon....Now It's Your Turn

                 It is something that I've speculated upon.....but never really took that speculation to heart....because I already knew it was bad! In other words....I considered the question before....but only as it relates to a debate.....not actually imagining as if it was actually happening....until last evening....on my bed at night....using that bed not primarily as a place to sleep.....but a dark comfortable place to meditate....and I became unnerved!

                The question is this.....for arguments sake I will allow that Jesus will not return for many years....twenty or thirty years bare minimum....which is about what most of evangelicalism admits to. I lay there and looked at the immediate and further future....five....ten.....fifteen or more years. I simply looked at America and the world and the wars that are surely ahead....world wars....and the economic collapse somewhere just ahead because of the absolutely unsustainable debt and the bubbles brought on by greed. I saw how the world despises even the thought of God....except the gods of the earth and water and so on. I saw the trends everywhere....particularly in artificial intelligence and drone technology....that are out of control....and all headed down to hell in a handbasket....and how we took a serious pandemic....which was God's judgment....on us....and turned it into a political ploy. I saw how we on our side do not care one bit about how the virus came about or how it was handled....that's all for the TV....for we only care how we can turn this into a political goldmine. And I saw how the church itself is fast becoming the chief enemy of Christians....and how our pulpits are vacant as to any discernment on what is happening....and how the demonic is being unleashed everywhere. All this came flooding in in an instant....for I already knew it! 
               Here's the kicker. This that I described is what evangelicals think will be all taken care of if only they get the Congress and White House back! They can describe tyranny....but cannot envision dystopia. They can lament socialism....but failed to spot deception....and thus fell into great delusion. The only vision they care to have is of Tucker Carlson blathering away night after night. I don't know if I said this to myself upon that bed or not.....but the feeling was there....."Come Lord Jesus!"
               Evangelicals in general are unaware of the totality of the problem....which is judgment....for God has blinded them....this because they showed no interest in knowing anything except how to make America great again...and this as false prophets are everywhere in the church....false signs and false wonders. Come Lord Jesus!
               So....for the sake of argument....Jesus is not coming soon....He is not at the very door....now your turn.....for the sake of argument....politics cannot stop what is coming. Look ahead....view the panorama of this storm....let it sink in without someone shouting in your ear about some election. See if you also do not find yourself saying....'Come Lord Jesus!'