
Although I can lay no claim to being a prophet in this matter, it’s been clear to me since the 1980’s precisely how the prophecy found in Revelation 13:16-17 will be fulfilled. So to start, let’s look at exactly what that prophecy actually says;
“He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, … ”
The “He” referred to at the start of the verse is the 2nd Beast, often also referred to as the False Prophet. Well, it says that this False Prophet will require that everyone must have a mark on their right hand or forehead, and without that mark, you will be unable to buy or sell anything at all. How do I see this prophecy being implemented today? Through what’s known as biometric identification. Common methods in use today utilize fingerprint scanning, such as on your mobile phone. But there are problems with fingerprints, not the least being that they can be copied and reproduced by people intent on stealing what is rightfully your property.
So, those involved in biometrics have also been looking at more secure methods of identification, not so easily stolen and copied. One of these is called palm-vein scanning. It works by placing your hand on an infrared reading device and digitally recording the actual pattern of the veins in your palm (hand). Here’s a video that shows how the process is accomplished in a health care setting;
This method of biometric identification has already been introduced into about 7.5% of US hospitals and healthcare centers. It’s actually been in use at the Carolinas Healthcare System since 2007.
Let me assure you that there is nothing wrong in having your hand scanned in this manner. Why? Because there’s no mark involved. We will clearly know when the infamous mark is introduced because it will be mandatory, and both the False Prophet and the Antichrist himself will be known and on the scene. Personally, I see absolutely no reason not to go ahead and participate in this system when it arrives at your local hospital or health care center. Palm-vein scanning is taking off in a big way in medical settings and I’d be surprised if you aren’t confronted by one by 2020 at the latest.
In addition to hospitals, this method of biometric identification is beginning to show its face in commercial areas, such as in your local coffee shop. Here’s an example of a new start up company in Chicago called Keyo; http://www.builtinchicago.org/company/keyo
And there are many more companies pushing this technology forward. To give you an idea of how they picture the world of the future, here’s another brief video;
Facial identification is also prospering and advancing rapidly as another successful form of identification. In fact, I see the world we live in quickly moving forward to making both of these biometrics ubiquitous.
In the title of this piece, I called this progress towards universal biometric identification a step towards the Last Days. The Bible has a fearsome warning to anyone who accepts the mark that will ultimately be forced upon us once these systems are fully installed and accepted;
“Anyone… who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they … have accepted the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:9-11
My wife was born after WWII and grew attending the Roman Catholic Church every Sunday. But when it came to Vatican II, she couldn’t understand why the changes were being made. I’ve spoken to several Catholics who have expressed the same sentiments.
She tells me that the final straw was the ” no eating meat on Fridays” change. She was brought up eating fish on Fridays and when the change was made, she thought that if they could just change all these seemingly fixed principles of the religion, then nothing else about it was necessarily sacred or true. So she ate her first Friday hamburger and quit attending completely. Nobody seemed to miss her, nobody called to check on her well-being. Pastoral care seems like it was completely missing to me.
But that isn’t the end of the story! After she and I married in the mid-70’s (I was a Zen-Buddhist at the time), we attended a Marriage Encounter weekend. An amazing experience on its own, we both learned much about ourselves and how to truly communicate in a loving way. But for my wife, this was a truly special weekend – she had a vision of the Lord Jesus, in all His glory. Needless to say, it changed her forever.
She was instantly filled with a love for Him, and she thought where to go to learn more about Jesus? To the Roman Catholic Church, of course! So she fully returned to the church, attending Mass daily at some points. This lasted for about 3 years, but the longer she went to Mass, the more she felt the vision of Jesus fading from her. Even daily attendance at Mass didn’t help.
Then one day, a friend of hers suggested that she come with her to a meeting of “Jewish Christians” out on Long Island, east of NY city. Jewish Christians she asked herself? How could Jews be Christians? Well, she went nonetheless. It was a Messianic Fellowship of Jews and Gentiles who were born again. She heard the teaching of the Bible in a new and living way. And when she heard another person speaking in tongues, she knew that she had found her new church home. The sound of tongues being spoken reminded her of her experience during her vision of the Lord where she had been baptized in the Holy Spirit.
At last, someone explained to her that during her vision the Holy Spirit had entered her and taken up residence within her. She learned that she was born again, just as Jesus had spoken of in John 3. About a year later, after much intercessory prayer, I too heard the voice of God literally speaking to me as I attended a Zen Buddhist retreat, and my life has never been the same since.
It seems that the Roman Catholic Church has lost the keys to the kingdom. Peter heard them in his mind as he spoke in answer to Jesus’ question;
“Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
We must all hear the living Word of God spoken to us by Him. If God has not reached down and touched you, then I’m sorry to say that you are following the broad path that leads to destruction. I am a person of no reputation, I am a sinner saved by God’s grace. He reached down and spoke to me because I was searching to find Him. You can too. Seek with all of your heart and He will answer you, just as He did my wife and myself.
Dave
The title to this article is the words that God spoke into my mind on the day that I was saved, born-again, and first heard God’s voice.
My personal search to find God involved many years in the practice of various spiritual doctrines and disciplines. I deliberately say “practice”, rather than “study”. Why? Well, I certainly spent some time reading and acquainting myself before jumping into each new fire. However, for me, I was searching for a REAL experience that would demonstrate that I had indeed met the true God.
In my early teenage years, I already sensed that I was imperfect and not in communion with God. A sinner, I would have called it had I been brought up in a Christian environment, instead of having a mother and father who were both atheists. How then to reach that God, and experience the undoubted joy, light, purpose, blessing, etc., that I knew I would feel when the true God became a real entity to me?
I started with left wing politics – not a religious pursuit you might say? Not so, since the underpinning of socialism is that man is fundamentally good, and that it is the competitive nature of the capitalist system that causes all our flaws. In a socialist system there is no God, so it is within man’s ability to build a non-competitive paradise here on earth. And so, I marched, and organized, and attempted to convince my fellow oppressed friends and co-workers. But after a few years of this activity, it occurred to me that;
So this was when I met Hatha (physical exercise) Yoga, and subsequently Raja (meditational) Yoga, two Hindu practices that promise to provide a path to meet the true God. Both gave me a short but pleasant feeling of peace, and for me this was a lot closer to my goal. After all, if I found God, wouldn’t He be in utter peace? If this was a game of hide and seek, I was surely at least a little hotter. The only problems with these two disciplines were as follows;
So it occurred to me that perhaps if I tried much harder at the more serious Raja Yoga, perhaps I would see more success in controlling my desires for earthly pleasures. Consequently, through being introduced by a close friend to a book written about a Hindu guru named Ramana Maharshi, I unknowingly found my way into Zen Buddhism, perhaps the most intense and determined form of meditational practice in the world. Although Ramana Maharshi would have told you that he was a Hindu, at its core, there’s very little difference between the Hindu religion and Zen Buddhism. Some of their practices, such as their belief that meditation will lead you to God, are identical.
And something even more important that I should mention before continuing is that Yoga, Hinduism, and Buddhism, all agree with socialism on one critically fundamental factor – that man is basically good at his core. Except that the former believe that man’s mind (a.k.a. his ego) stands in the way of his realizing this goodness, and that what one needs to do to meet the true God (reach Nirvana) is eradicate the mind/ego, or realize that it doesn’t really exist, and then one reaches Enlightenment – their version of meeting and living with the true God.
So, off I went into a 12 year practice of Zen Buddhism. However, at the end of the 12 years, I found myself no nearer to enlightenment (or Nirvana) than I was at the start of my efforts. It seemed that the harder I worked to obtain my own salvation through meditation, the more my frustration with the lack of hard results increased. That is, until I reached a permanently, life changing experience on a Zen retreat. During this 3-day intensive session, I started to realize that even the best of my efforts might not result in my breaking the cycle of birth and rebirth, at least during this current lifetime. And after all, even though we may say it doesn’t matter when enlightenment is achieved, we all want to get there now, or at least before we die.
I began to seriously consider that when the Bible says, “it is appointed to man once to die, and after that the judgement”, perhaps it might be correct. And where would that leave me in God’s eyes? Still a sinner, separate from Him. And as I began to give this idea serious consideration, God reached down in His unlimited grace and favoured me by revealing that His Son, Jesus, had already paid the price for my salvation (enlightenment) with His sacrificial death, and through His resurrection had shown me the way to the salvation I was so desperately, and unsuccessfully, seeking through my own efforts and works. This was supernaturally revealed to me through the Roshi who led the Zen Buddhist temple that I was attending in Manhattan, NY. God caused him to stand up, during an encouragement talk or sermon, that he was delivering on the Sunday morning of a retreat. During the talk, the Roshi stood and lifted his arms up, as if he were Jesus on the cross, and said these words, “If you have faith in Jesus Christ, you can be saved”.
At that moment, God, Himself, spoke to me for the first time in my 30 year old life! I’d never heard a voice speak to me in my mind before. This absolutely wasn’t part of the daily stream of conscious thoughts that runs through all of our minds. He clearly said the following to me;
“My Son, Jesus, has already done it all (for you). “
And that was all that He said. It resonated in my mind, quite obviously, since I can still repeat the words to you today, 32 years later. I can only describe the experience I had as follows; the Holy Spirit entered into me, and told me that Jesus had already done what I was forlornly seeking to achieve myself. The Buddha is only a guide, he doesn’t offer to do the work for you – and I only had to follow Jesus since the work had been done for me. What a relief! Peace, finally! And although I left the retreat thinking to myself that I was still a Zen Buddhist, I soon discovered, within days, that God had changed me from within – I was “born-again”, as it says in the Bible.
If you are seeking like I was, look to accept and follow Jesus. He has done everything necessary for you, and all you need to do is give your life to Him, and He will do the remainder.
As Jesus said, “All you who are heavy laden, come to me, and I will give you rest”.
If you have any questions about my story, please consider contacting me at djrandmpr@gmail.com. I’d be pleased to try to answer your question(s).
Dave
Dear Friends and Readers,
I write this with quite some trepidation. I’m a glass half-full type of guy. Consequently I naturally and instinctively look and see the positive in the future. I’ve never been the type of person who dwells on the bad experiences and influences from my past. In fact, one of my all-time favourite songs is this one;
I hope that Johnny Nash oldie boosted your spirit because I’m afraid that what I have to say about the possible future of the USA is not for the squeamish or for those who have a tendency to worry about events that are; a) out of your control, and b) in the future. It might be better if you just skipped this entry and went on to read about a more pleasant topic. I mean this 100% seriously – please skip the remainder of this entry if bad news about violence upsets you!
Now, from this point onwards, I trust that I’m addressing those of us with the stronger constitutions.
I don’t consider myself as an enemy of President Obama, even though I voted for John McCain in 2008 and for Mitt Romney in 2012. Many folks have literally mocked me when I’ve stated my true feelings about why Barack Obama was elected with a strong majority on both occasions, with a 53-47% margin in 2008, and 51-47% in 2012.
President Obama is a judgement from God on the USA.
I rather fear that the USA, and I mean specifically the citizens of our country, will have to pay in blood for the calculated inaction of our President. If you have been closely following the wars in Syria and Iraq and the growth of ISIS, you will have seen some of their tactics in action. And unfortunately, when it is to their advantage, they will not hesitate to use the same terror in Houston, in Detroit, in Washington DC., and in New York. Not to leave out London, Paris, and Madrid. Any country that does not have secure control of its borders and/or substantial domestic Muslim populations, will be subject to the terrifying results of extremist Islamic theology.
ISIS’ weapon of choice when they want to soften up a future target? SVBIEDs and VBIEDs. Are you unsure what those letters stand for? I’m sorry to say that I fear that before long (6 mos, 12 mos, 15 mos?), those letters will strike the same fear in the hearts of Americans that they currently do in the minds of innocent and law-abiding civilians in Syria and Iraq. For the happily uninitiated, here’s a full translation;
VBIED – Vehicle Bomb, Improvised Explosive Device, and its brother or sister,
SVBIED – Suicide Vehicle Bomb, Improvised Explosive Device.
And here is a chilling example, no blood or gore pictured in the video, but chilling nonetheless. By the way, Green is the colour of Islam, and a prominent colour in biblical end times (the Green Horse);
When, at first, I heard the first few, forward thinkers proposing that it might be possible that we had a Sunni Muslim residing in our White House, I thought, nah! … it can’t be. But the more ridiculous our Foreign Policy becomes, the more it makes sense. What else could be the source of the following strange confluence of US foreign policy and inaction? How else to explain his quite obvious dislike of Israel? His opposition to an anti-Muslim Brotherhood military government in Egypt? His fatal support of the Arab Spring revolts that have led to the rise of Muslim terrorism in every Arab country? And, most recently, his refusal to help the democratically elected Shia government in Iraq?
Compare the US President to his opposite number in Russia, Vladimir Putin; a leader who would look perfectly at home sitting in a New York mob hangout, an old-fashioned brutal, non-democratic dictator, who is following in the steps of Stalin and Mao. Putin stood solidly by the side of Assad (a non-Sunni) – and had President Obama joined Russia in condemning the revolution, there would probably be no ISIS today. Make no mistake; Assad is utterly brutal. He would have destroyed ISIS in the only way that it is possible to end their reign of deliberate, practiced and calculated terror.
Assad would have exterminated every one of them. Sooner or later, someone will have to do just that. That is unless you think that we will be able to negotiate them out of existence? We have now joined in a coalition with the supposedly moderate Islamic states with the announced goal of “neutralizing the ISIS threat”. Let us hope and pray that we are successful in that goal.
But, very unhappily, I have to warn everyone reading this article, we too will soon experience the results of our President’s inaction in securing our southern borders and his mistaken belief that we could sit on the sidelines of the Syrian Civil War without experiencing some of the horrifying effects of war with extremist Islam.
In Jesus’ precious name,
Dave
2 – Steadily increasing Muslim investment in Britain by such as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Sheikdoms.
3 – The London financial markets partial dependence on Islamic financial investments and trade. London was the first center to create a specifically Muslim type of investment bond that satisfies Islamic requirements.
5 – The large pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London by Islamic and left-wing forces.
“It’s the moral equivalence which is so devastating. When Egypt this week proposed its ceasefire in Gaza, a BBC presenter asked whether both sides would now conclude that there was no point carrying on with the war. From the start, restraint has been urged on both sides — as if more than 1,100 rocket attacks on Israel in three weeks had the same weight as trying to stop this onslaught once and for all.
Israel has been bombing Gaza solely to stop Hamas and its associates from trying to kill Israeli citizens. But for many in the West, the driving necessity is not to stop Hamas but to stop Israel.
Moral equivalence morphs instantly into moral bankruptcy. People have looked at the casualty count — around 200 Palestinians killed at the time of writing, while only a handful of Israelis have been injured or killed — and decided that this proves Israel is a monstrous aggressor.
No concern at all for the Israelis who have only a few seconds to rush to a shelter when the sirens start to wail, car drivers flinging themselves to the ground at the side of the road. No concern for the elderly or dis-abled Israelis who can’t get to a shelter, the hospital patients left helpless while the rockets slam into the ground nearby.”
The above taken from a report on BBC media bias by The Spectator.
I was reading an article from Reuters on the new US involvement in Iraq – imo it’s a very positive development. The world won’t run itself without our interference, especially when we are facing problems that can be at least partially influenced by our military force. Anyway, the following quote caught my eye – it’s from an ISIS leader who is commenting on the first couple of US airstrikes;
“The planes attack positions they think are strategic, but this is not how we operate. We are trained for guerrilla street war,” he said. “God is with us and our promise is heaven. When we are promised heaven, do you think death will stop us?”
Unfortunately this is a typical extremist Islamic position, and when I say extremist, that doesn’t mean that there are only a few of them. Many Muslims are “good” people, to the degree that any of us are good. They are as good as you and me, or better in regard to morality. They don’t steal, lie, rob or kill people. But there’s a large number of believers in Allah who look at Islam from the “I must be a martyr to see God” viewpoint. It’s a culture of death, very weird from a Western ideology, but it exists.
Their worldview is so diametrically opposed to ours (a Western worldview) that there can be no discussions that will resolve the differences. It’s just like the Islamic invasion of Spain in 711 AD that conquered most of Spain and France that wasn’t finally repulsed until 975 AD. Islamic believers are instructed to conquer the world, and that includes us.
If anyone still needs to be convinced of the danger of extremist Islamic thought, here’s a thought provoking interview with an unsuccessful suicide bomber;
Dave
We are fast approaching the end of the allotted time for our existence – the end is near. That is a hackneyed saying, yet the closer that we come to the deadline that will signal the Lord Jesus’ return, the fewer are the people that seem to notice its approach! Our society seems to be cascading into a whirlpool of sin, and yet the justifications pour forward so that we may stray from and excuse what we all know to be right and true and just.
The most recent set of political machinations that promise to fulfill Biblical prophecy is the news that the Vatican is involved in negotiations with Israel. At this time, the discussions supposedly center on a piece of real estate that may be not only the Tomb of King David, but also the site of The Last Supper (aka The Cenacle). Although no-one is totally sure archeologically speaking of the authenticity of either location, the Vatican would like to obtain formal control over and the right to use the site. Nothing to be alarmed of about these discussions, whether or not they are successful. At least not if they are limited to the control of a single piece of property in Jerusalem.
The cause for concern is rather the larger issues may lay behind such a deal. Apparently it has been suggested, mostly behind the scenes, for several years now that the Vatican might help along the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations by taking control of the entire city of Jerusalem. The idea being that they would then declare the following;
This news should set alarm bells ringing in the minds of students of biblical prophecy. All the way back in 539 BC, Daniel was shown just such a situation where a “prince who was to come” would sign a treaty between Israel and “many nations” for a period of 7 years. His prophecy also specifies that this prince would be a later representative of the empire that would destroy Jerusalem and its Temple in 70 AD. Who was it that crushed Israel and murdered hundreds of thousands of Jews almost 2,000 years ago? It was the Roman Empire. And the Roman Catholic church is still the living representative of that empire today.
If the Vatican was to engineer such an arrangement with Israel to take control of Jerusalem, and simultaneously announce a 7 year peace treaty between Israel and the U.N., the Pope would then have fulfilled the requirements of be the prince mentioned in Daniel. Now, who could complain about such a set of developments – peace in the Middle East and Jerusalem as an open city for all to worship in? No-one is his or her right mind, surely.
Yet this is the very scenario that the Bible warns us of quite specifically. In other places in the Bible, this prince who is to come is described with many other more unflattering names. He’s also called the “man of sin”, “the son of perdition”, “the beast” and “the AntiChrist”. He’s a person that we should all steer well clear of, and especially of his famous mark – the one that will be required by all in order to buy or sell in the end days. How could it be that a man as highly esteemed in the world as Pope Francis will wind up fulfilling the role of a universal dictator and the most evil man ever to exist? I can’t claim to know. In fact, I wish that the whole set of events that I’ve described above would never happen.
The final 7 years of mankind’s existence as described in the Book of Revelation are terrible to consider and even worse to think that they might be about become reality. I have read and studied the Bible’s description of the great tribulation many times. No-one in their right mind would ever hope or wish that those times might be near us under any circumstances.
And yet, for a born-again Christian like myself, the idea that those times might be near us, contain a wonderful promise. That promise is that the final 7 years called The Great Tribulation will be preceded by the return of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah of Israel and the Saviour of the World, to take His bride from this Earth into heaven. In a way, it doesn’t seem fair that a person like myself who can lay no claim to being any better than any other human being, will be taken out of the world into paradise, while all the poor remaining souls suffer here in tormentous times.
I am less worthy to avoid those times than many others, perhaps even than most. But for one critical, vital fact, I should face those 7 years myself. And that fact is this; I have accepted in my heart that the Lord Jesus stood in my place when He went to the cross at Calvary 2,000 years ago, that He shed His blood to save me, a sinner, by far an imperfect person. He still holds His heart open today to you. He stands at the door to your heart and knocks. If you invite Him in, He will enter and dine and stay within you forever.
Dave
The current (Dec 2013) round of Israeli/Palestinian peace talks are covered with the fingerprints and shadows of the end-time dictator described in the Bible as the antichrist. Just look at the following map of Defensible Borders as defined by the US Joint Chief of Staffs (USJCoS) – the highest military authority in the USA;
The above red coloured territory on the map should be included within Israel’s borders as per the USJCoS. But under the current Kerry/Obama peace plan, all of that land is assigned to the new Palestinian state!
Are Kerry and Obama serious about this division of land and expecting Israel to sign on the dotted line? There is no security for Israel within these borders. The central part of the country which contains the most populous city, Tel Aviv, is squeezed into a ludicrously narrow strip of land. And don’t forget, as if anyone could, that they are surrounded by enemies who continuously announce their ongoing intention to “wipe Israel off the map”. With these indefensible borders no doubt they will attempt to do just that as soon as the ink on the peace treaty is dry.
How does this bring the end-times and the Bible to mind? Let’s read the following quote from the Book of Daniel written in 539 BC;
“He (the antichrist) will confirm a covenant (a treaty) with many (nations, especially Israel) for one (period of ) seven (years). In the middle of the seven (after 3 1/2 years) he will put an end to sacrifice and offering (the ceremonies in the Jewish Temple). And at the temple (which has been rebuilt – the 3rd Temple) he will set up an abomination (he will declare himself to be god) that causes desolation, until the end (after 7 years) that is decreed is poured out on him (destruction and punishment).” Daniel 9:27. (1)
Current events in the negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian representatives, which are being forced upon both parties by the US and BDS activities (2), eerily echo Daniel’s prophecy. On Monday December 30th, 2013, the Israeli Minister of Justice, Tzipi Livni, one of Israel’s negotiators, made the following statement regarding a possible collapse of the talks;
“The question is not whether or not there is a partner [for peace]. We need to set a goal and act, and if there is no Palestinian partner – we must sign an agreement with the world,” she said.” (my emphasis) (3).
Sign an agreement with the world! And such a situation could indeed occur, but only if there is a leader who is charismatic and persuasive enough to convince both sides that he has the authority and power to make stand such an agreement. Or perhaps covenant would be a better word for it? Just as Daniel prophecied over 2,500 years ago … “he will confirm a covenant … for 7 years”.
Normally one would be inclined to say, what’s wrong with a powerful, convincing and influential leader coming forward, at just this point perhaps, and convincing everyone involved; Israel, the Palestinians, the USA, Russia, the EU and the Arab League to sign a peace treaty (a covenant) that will guarantee everyone’s security in the Middle East for the next 7 years? It’s great, except for the catch – this leader has more than one name. I can’t tell you what name he (and it will be a he) will use initially. I can only tell you the names that the Bible uses for him, and they aren’t what you would exactly call complimentary. Here are a few of them;
– The man of sin.
– The antichrist.
– The son of perdition (spiritual ruin).
Although he will convince these enemy countries to sign a peace treaty for 7 years, it will only last for the first 3 1/2 years. He will allow Israel to rebuild it’s Temple in Jerusalem, and permit them to re-initiate their religious ceremonies and sacrifices in it, but after the first half of the treaty is complete, all hell will literally break loose on Earth. The Bible describes this last 3 1/2 year period as the Great Tribulation, a period of such horrific disturbance that if it were not cut short by God himself, not one person would be left alive.
The Bible warns us to watch out for this man of sin – he will arise quickly, using and leading a 10 nation confederacy as his base of power. Tzipi Livni unknowingly lined herself up with both Hebrew Bible and New Testament prophecy by suggesting that it may be necessary to sign an agreement with a leader who will seek to control the world.
Dave
Sir Fred Hoyle | |
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Born | (1915-06-24)24 June 1915 Gilstead, Bingley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
Died | 20 August 2001(2001-08-20) (aged 86) Bournemouth, England |
God is real. He’s the same God that the Bible describes, and naturally we can find and see Him in his creation, the Universe, the World, everything around us shouts out to His existence. How can I make those statements logically, without requiring a leap of faith into the unknown? Well the God that I’m talking about also created logic, the step upon step process by which we’re able to perceive and know anything, including the world around us. Therefore it only makes sense that we should be able to use that same tool to establish the truth about His substance and being.
Nothing Plus Nothing Equals Nothing
This would seem to be an obvious assertion of fact, but you’d be surprised at how many seemingly intelligent people trip themselves up on this one. This principle underlies all rational thought and is undisputed by every scientist – in Mathematics, it’s 0 + 0 = 0. So when we look at the creation of the universe, any theory attempting to explain its origin must be based on, or at least include, this basic concept. Let’s examine the current and most popular contender, the Big Bang Theory. Unfortunately most people have the idea that this concept is a compete explanation of how the universe and the planet we live on came into existence. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here’s how a Wikipedia entry on the subject covers the issue;
“There is little evidence regarding the absolute earliest instant of the expansion. Thus, the Big Bang theory cannot and does not provide any explanation for such an initial condition; rather, it describes and explains the general evolution of the universe going forward from that point on.” (1)
The reason why scientists shy away from attempting to explain the “absolute earliest instant” is that they know, all too well, that Nothing plus Nothing equals Nothing. The Big Bang assumes that the primary elements that were involved were all in existence prior to the initial explosion. Obviously they had to be – you can’t have an interaction between elements if they weren’t there in the first place.
Consequently, even if one accepts the Big Bang Theory as fact, we are still left to ponder the following; what force was around prior to the Bang to create those vital first components? There had to be one, and of logical consequence that force needed to be greater in power and outside of the universe which it created. Just as you and I are greater than anything we build and cause to come into being, such as shoes, or windscreen wipers, and such, that same principle applies to the creator of the elements required for the Big Bang. It must have been greater than the matter it brought into being.
In fact, it’s logical to assume a whole boatload of facts about this creator, one of which is that there’s absolutely no reason to expect that this entity isn’t still in existence. And wouldn’t it have had a purpose in initiating this whole chain of events that wound up in our presence here on earth? Wouldn’t it also make sense for that originator of everything we see and know to have made itself known to its creation, to you and me? It has, you know, and that legacy and history of how and why we were brought into being is contained in a book still in existence – it’s called The Bible.
It tells a remarkable story of how we were made after the image of the Creator Himself, how we made a fateful decision to rebel against His initial instructions, and how we have as a result subsequently suffered illness, sorrow and ultimately Death itself. But there is some good news and a potential for a joyful ending to this woeful story of disobedience; the Creator foresaw all these events and their consequences and decided to send His one and only son to pay a ransom for our failings. His son’s name was Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, and the Bible tells us that we can return into fellowship with our Creator by opening our heart to His son;
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (2)
I did this over 32 years ago and it has been a never-ending source of joy and happiness to me ever since. I can only hope and pray that you do too.
In Jesus’ name,
Dave
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang
(2) Romans 10:9-10 http://biblehub.com/niv/romans/10.htm
I think that we have all heard or read the text from Genesis 19 where the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is attributed to it’s sexual sin. But as Paul Harvey would have said – here’s the rest of the story;
The sins of those two towns doesn’t begin and end with Genesis 19. For a glimpse at the remainder of the tale, we need to look at Ezek 16:49. It reads as follows;
“‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”
I think that it’s easy for us to condemn homosexuals – their sin is so obvious on the outside and they are an easy mark for us to focus on. We also sin similarly, but on the inside, where nobody except God can see. Jesus said that whenever we look at a woman with lust in our heart, we commit adultery. Think of pornography, have you looked at pornography in the last month or two? Have you looked at a woman in the supermarket, or in the street, and entertained lust in your heart? Then don’t criticize homosexuals, it is hypocrisy. Jesus condemned the Pharisees most severely for doing just this.
If this (pornography) isn’t America’s worst sin, then it’s the next one; “arrogant, overfed and unconcerned – they didn’t help the poor and needy”. Gluttony (being overfed) is listed as one of the worst of sins, as in Phil 3:18-19;
“For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears,many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.”
You haven’t heard these verses preached on in your church lately, have you? It might upset some of the paying customers in their seats. We, as the church, have to repent of our own sins – pull first the plank from our own eye, then after we have fixed that, concern ourselves with the splinter in our homosexual brother’s eye. And not by condemning him or her, but by praying for them!
Dave
prophecy102.com
I came across this description of “The Maitreya’s” (aka the anti-christ?) Emergence in a book written by Benjamin Creme, his front man, or perhaps more correctly, his John the Baptist.
(II Thess 2:1-12).
None of us can be certain that The Maitreya is the man of lawlessness that Paul speaks of. But if it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, …..
Love In Jesus’ Name
Jesus warned us to watch only for Him, and that many will come in an attempt to deceive mankind by using His Name (John 10:1-18). Is such a deceiver waiting in the wings at this very moment, and is his name Maitreya, the supposed “World Teacher”?
Let’s examine some of the attributes and names that Maitreya claims;
And on, and on, and on. All the above quoted from Share International, an on-line and printed magazine that “covers news, events, and comments bearing on the priorities of Maitreya, the World Teacher”.
The leading light of Share International is a gentleman by the name of Benjamin Creme. He is the Maitreya’s front man and he talks much like a clone of John the Baptist, minus the locust, wild honey and camel’s hair.
All the above should be enough to; 1 – make your hair stand on end, or 2 – question this man’s grasp on reality. As Jesus said in Matthew 24;
Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Messiah. And – if anyone tells you, “Look, here is the Messiah,” or “There he is,” don’t believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders …. See, I have warned you about this ahead of time. v4-5, v23-25.
Despite the above, the Maitreya and Share International actually have an excellent, sounding platform for world change and reorganization. In my next post, I will start to get into the details of their plan, and show how this all has been predicted in the Bible.
In Jesus’ Name,
Dave
On more than one occasion, I’ve been visited at home by Latter Day Saints (aka Morman) missionaries. From what I understand, through chatting with friends about these happenings, I’m an unusual duck, because I actually enjoy these rendezvous. That, in itself, doesn’t surprise me. I’ve been aware from about the age of six that I’m not a “normal” person, to the extent that anyone is normal.
Anyway, here are some of the thoughts that have occurred to me as a result of my discussions with these theological door to door salesmen;
The LDS “scriptures” are Joseph Smith’s attempts to copy parts of the KJV Bible that fitted his misunderstanding of the Old and New Testaments. Let me give you a simple example from the Book of Mormon; Smith repeatedly makes Jesus, in His supposed appearance in the Americas, say that He is the Christ, that He is the Messiah. He announces Himself as such when He first appears to the imaginary inhabitants of America, the descendants of the 10 lost tribes.
But Jesus deliberately NEVER makes any such claim in the real Bible. He mostly calls Himself “the son of man”, never Jesus the Christ (Messiah), or the Son of God. Why? Because He always wanted believers to come to that conclusion themselves. Witness Peter’s famous confession of faith … Jesus asks him “who do you think I am?”. Peter’s statement is his alone, never prompted in any way by Jesus. In fact, Jesus tells Peter that his confession of faith came directly from God Himself. Not so in Smith’s invention because he himself never knew Jesus as the true Messiah.
The only way to know Jesus as the Messiah is to have a personal revelation from God, just as Peter did. Parroting lessons taught by others never gets you there, just as being born in a bakery doesn’t make you a bagel. You must want to know God as the foremost pursuit in your life, and then He will in His grace reveal Himself to you, just as He did to me, and to every other true Christian. That’s the essence of being born-again as described by Jesus in John chapter 3;
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
“Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
Dave
Where are we in the Bible’s prophetic time-line to the End Of Days? And how much longer do we have to go until The Rapture (for born-again Christians) or Armageddon (for everyone else)? In this blog my goal is to answer those questions as accurately as possible and to keep us all up-to-date as the human race careens down the road to self destruction.
Normally, when I try to explain to all and sundry how near we are to The End, it seems that everyone except for my long suffering wife looks at me as if I’m nuts. And they ordinarily might be right, except that all of my projections are fundamentally based on prophetic statements pulled directly from the Bible – which is, up until now, an infallible source. For example, the Bible successfully foretold the following;
As can be seen from the above 3 examples, Bible prophecies have been and are very specific in their realization. In all, the Bible holds a total of 2,500 prophecies, of which 2,000 have been fulfilled exactly as foretold.
Therefore you won’t be wasting your time merely reading the prognostications of yet another way out and wacky Christian since I’ll be sticking to the hard stuff. In my next post I intend to move onto a few of the incredible current day consummations of those 500 predictions that have remained open until the present time.
Until then, God bless you!
Dave