Category Archives: Christian values

The Age-Old Question, Predestination

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Please read the passage yourself, the death of Ahab, the king of Israel in the Bible. You may want to start as early as First Kings 22:1, though this post speaks only of 22:31 to 22:37. It says, more or less that a Syrian soldier had but one arrow left and decided to just shoot it, at no one person or nothing in particular. That arrow found its mark in Ahab. Therefore, the prophecy was fulfilled that Ahab would die in battle.

I have heard that the arrow was the first guided missile ever in history. You see, Ahab had disguised himself as a plain soldier to keep the Serians from finding and killing him, as foretold in the prophesy. To a point, it worked. The Serians never found him, but, be sure, the prophesy was still fulfilled. Even though the arrow was not aimed, it found its mark and killed one of the worse kings Israel ever had.

I’ve read the story a number of times. Yet, I still have one question. Did God cause the arrow to strike the man or was it something he just foreknew. I mean, he does have the power to make it happen. On the other hand, he does have a perfect knowledge of what has, is and will happen. It simply may not have taken any intervention from anyone to cause it. It might not have been a supernatural thing at all.

In my opinion, this is one of the times God directly intervened in the history of man. Still, He could have caused the death of Ahab in many ways. Apparently, He put the thought in the soldier’s mind. I’d guess he caused him to point and draw the arrow just right to strike the king and kill him; my best guess. On the other hand. he did have the power to make the arrow make a complete 180 if He had wanted to do it that way.

Yet, the Bible, and our national history, and our personal history… we wonder, is it coincidence or did God somehow put His finger on the situation to get it to turn out the way He wanted.

There are some situations where God tells us, either before or after the fact. God told the people of Judah that he would raise up a king from the east that would overthrow the nation. The Jews refused to believe. Nonetheless, the Babylonians, after a little time, overtook the country. We know it wasn’t just foreknowledge because God said he would do it. He left no doubt. He didn’t just say it would happen but that He would make it happen.

Still, when you come right down to it, does it really matter?

In some cases, it does. God had the day of Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem planned right down to the day, likely to the minute, truth be told. We know that, to some degree because of what He told Daniel. It happened right on time; they were watching and waiting, and yet, still the Jews chose not to believe. And, by the way, it was foretold that they would not believe.

Where the question really becomes important is with man’s salvation. Are men determined ahead of time to be saved or not? Does God pick and chose who will be with him eternally. Be not confused when I say, from the time he formed the earth, God knew every person that would not be saved and every soul that would be saved. I mean; what does God not know? What thing will happen that He will be surprised at it.

However, that does not mean that it is the way he wants it to be. Indeed, even Judas was given every chance to repent. The last time Jesus saw Judas as a human, He treated him as friend. After about three years with Jesus, Judas rejected Jesus. Jesus knew he would. He predicted it. And still, Jesus made one more plea to him with the question, Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”. (Luke 22:48) He was not speaking to him as an enemy but a friend.

Had Judas at that time accepted Jesus as his savior, he would have been saved. If not, why would Jesus asked the question? Jesus wanted Judas to repent and accept Jesus as the Son of God and Judas, in his heart said no and hung himself. How odd. Judas knew what he did was wrong, and yet never repented. It was totally his decision. Yet, even as Jesus chose his as a disciple, He knew what he would do. And, after three years of individual teaching, the man chose to reject Jesus. It was his decision.

It is an important point. While God can force the decision for us, which we would benefit from, God still waits on us to decide.

And so it is, while God does have the power to decide for us, He doesn’t. We all decide on our own. We all go to heaven or spend an eternity in hell based on whether we accept or reject his offer of salvation. However, be ye sure, He will never be surprised by what you decide. Still, I would suspect he is frequently disappointed.

The Bible is full of situations where it might be somewhat difficult to determine if God actually intervenes or simply knows in advance. However, I think Jonah was going to go to Nineveh whether or not he wanted. God created a storm and then a special fish to make sure Jonah went on his mission. I think we can honestly say, Jonah had no choice. Those in Nineveh realized it. They saw what God did to Jonah to get him to their city and they decided to repent. In this case we might guess that Jonah’s rebellion actually increased how effective Jonah’s mission was.

One might try to say the fire and brimstones on Sodom and Gamora might be a simple coincidence. The problem with that logic, I don’t know of many cities so utterly destroyed with fire and brimstone so quickly and right on cue.

Then too, do you suppose that David just happened along to deal with that giant. Do you think that David had no assistance? Even before Sampson was born, it was foretold that he would begin to deliver his people from bondage. Sampson had a free will. He did as he wanted, and he got into a of trouble. But, in the end, he did do as foretold. Debra became one of the judges because the man God chose refused to do as God told him. Now we remember Debra’s name, but few remember the man’s name. Nonetheless, the man did do as he chose and God’s will was still performed. Debra lead them out of bondage.

Did God know the man would not accept his mission. To be sure he did. Yet, God still gave him the opportunity to accept the mission or not. He chose not and lost a blessing because of it.

So is it all predestined or is it free choice? The answer of course is… yes.

Defiance

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As I have said many times before, I have no college degree.  Most of what I have learned about God has come from church, listening to preachers on TV, and just simply reading the Bible. 

However, if there is one thing that is obvious, if there is one thing that most Bible scholars will likely agree with me on, the one thing God hates more than anything else, it is defiance.  It is what causes a man to say in his heart that, “I don’t care what You want.  I am going to do it my way and You’re not going to stop me.  I don’t care if it is sin, I don’t care if it is bad.  It’s my life and I’m going to live it the way I want and no one is going to stop me.”

Defiance manifests itself primarily in at least two ways, though I suspect it shows up in a few other ways as well.  The first is pride.  It is the sin of Satan, himself when he defied God and attempted to ascend to His throne.  Ever since, he has been trying to get man to follow his example.  And so it is that, at one time being, probably, the most powerful of the angels, he has dropped to being the most horrid.  Still with great power and authority, his time is limited and he knows it.

More than that, God hates pride because it acts as a shield between Him and the sinner.  It is impossible for a man who thinks he is perfect to be saved.  He must first admit his sin, an imperfection.  Anyone knows that it is impossible to admit sin when a person thinks so highly of himself.

Another way that defiance shows its ugly self is in homosexuality.  God hates that sin so much that he destroyed 5 cities because of it.  Actually, he annihilated them to the point that, after all these years of searching, no one can find any evidence that they ever existed.  The only way we knew for years was the written Word of God.  From what I understand, they have found texts from other civilizations recently of their existence.

I say it is a sin of defiance because, as with pride, they have said that I don’t care how God meant it to be.  They defiantly say that they will do as they want and no one is going to stop them.  At one time, they said, “What we do in our bedrooms is no one else’s business but our own.”  However, it is no longer, what they do in their bedrooms.  Defiantly, they march down Main Street with their banners and other things.

And now they have, defiantly, before God, man and children, created something they call gay pride… to the point they celebrate it during the entire month of June.  It has combined, homosexual acts and pride, the two things God dislikes most of men, combined and in His face.  They stand, defiantly shaking their fist at God and say, “I don’t care what you say.  I don’t care what you do to me.  I’m going to do what I want to do and when and where I want to do it.”

There is no doubt that what they do and what they have done is wrong.  All one needs to do is read the Bible to verify it.  They need not come to me and call me homophobic.  I was not around when God built this world.  I was not here when he laid down the laws and established them before men.  I did not make them nor can I change them.

If the homosexual has a complaint, don’t come to me.  He just might try complaining to God about it.  But then if he did that, he would admit there is a God and that they are trampling underfoot the sanctity marriage.  Then too, if they did complain to God, what would they do if He replied.  Now that is something they certainly don’t want.

And so it is, they go on their rampages, hating God and hating those who represent Him.  Indeed, they even hate those who try to help them, though many of them are beyond help.  They have become so full of their pride that they will NOT listen perhaps to God Himself.

Ironically, the God they hate most loves them and will forgive them in an instant.  All they need do is set their pride aside for a few minutes, long enough to hear the plan of salvation.  However, it would seem to be the one thing they fear the most.  If they were saved, then they think they will need to set the sin aside and worship the God they hate, even though many refuse to admit His existence.

God has given them a choice.  It is theirs.  No one will take it from them until they breath their last.  I don’t know.  Maybe even then, some of them might remain defiant, perhaps for a thousand years or so.  I can’t imagine it would be long after that when they realize that maybe they made a real mistake.  Just maybe, then they would really like another chance.

Dominion?

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During some of my studies, I decided to look at a word the vast majority of us somewhat ignore. In Genesis 1:28, God gives dominion over the fish, the birds and the animals of the land.

I must say, I wonder, just what does dominion mean in this passage. I just spent the last three hours looking to the internet for help.

Apparently, I’m not the first to be bothered by it. I mean, straight forward, a dominion is a kingdom or, shall we say domain. However, I don’t think it is so simple. Does it mean that we are to have a domain made of fish, birds and animals. Was it such that Adam said to the bear, “Go hither,” And it goes. He says, to the crocodile, “Swim this way,” and it does. It brings the question, could Adam converse with chimps or dolphins?

Maybe Adam communicated on a different level. Perhaps it was all done with brain waves.

At this point I can truly say that there is one thing of which I am certain. I don’t know. I invite anyone who would like to know, research it yourself.

This is my best guess. Adam was essentially given the post of governor. He oversaw the animals and he answered to God. Moreover, when he ate the fruit, apparently, the dominion, whatever it was, went to Satan. (Again a guess, shared with many others) he is called the prince of the air in ephesians 2:2

Now here is another one that I haven’t clue of an answer. When the serpent spoke to Eve, I get the impression she wasn’t in the least surprised. Was it all that common for her to hear the serpent? Maybe he spoke to her many times before. Then again, in reference to the point about dominion, maybe she and Adam spoke to the animals regularly. I simply have no idea.

I’m open to any reasonable suggestions. Perhaps others would like to read your responses too.

WITHOUTSPACESANDPUNCUATION

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LIFEMIGHTBEALITTLEDIFFICULTWITHOUTSPACESANDPUNCTUATION

You might find the above difficult to read as it has no spaces or punctuation.  For those unawares, ancient Hebrew and Greek had no spaces between words.  Moreover, there were no lowercase letters.  It sort of makes one wonder how they managed to translate from the original Hebrew and Greek, which are the primary two original languages of the Bible.

To be sure, there are likely a few points of disagreements.  Yet, the ancient Greeks and Hebrews had very little difficulty reading their language.  However, to actually perform a translation, it is not easy and one must be very good at reading the languages to understand them.

Fortunately, during the middle ages, the languages were updated.  Also, someone painstakingly updated the manuscripts too.  Everything can still be read in Greek and Hebrew.  However, we have some help.  Spaces and punctuation have been added.

As a side note, punctuation is not that new, even in English.  It seems to me as if the period came about around 1400.  The comma was a little later.  I’m not sure when the rest came about, but it was something of an evolution in the language.  For years, arguments were held as to where the punctuation should be or even if it should be used at all.  I have read of an author that wrote an entire book that had no commas, just for spite.  Don’t know.  I wasn’t there.

In addition, spelling didn’t become standard until centuries after the period.  Even then, Webster, for spite changed the spelling of many English words just for spite against the English.  So, color no longer has a u in it.

At any rate, before I so rudely interrupted myself, I was saying this.  Any time we read the Bible, we would do good to remember that it is an interpretation.  In order to read the original manuscripts of the New Testament, you must read ancient Greek, no spaces, no punctuation and totally in upper case.  Hebrew would be more difficult.  There were no vowels.  (Good luck with that one.)

I’ve listened to a number of preachers, quite a few on TV.  While I am sure their knowledge is far greater than mine, I have heard a number say, “You need to remember that comma there.”  This even though, the comma did not originally exist.  That comma was put there by the translator, based on his knowledge of the original language and how it fits with the rest of the Bible.  Even the periods didn’t originally exist.  And those little chapter and verse numbers, they were added for convenience.  It makes it much easier for us to reference passages.  As opposed to saying, it saying “It says in the scriptures….”  We are able to say, in John 3:16, it says….”

I guess we shouldn’t really complain too much if we disagree with the translators.  They had a rough job.  And even today, they study the original manuscripts to make sure they got it right.

Even so, I suspect there are some places they might have gotten it literally right, but missed a little on the spirit.  As I’ve said before, “Thou shalt not kill.” should be Thou shalt not murder.”  Most scholars admit to that error, which has caused untold complications.

There are religions that preach that we should not kill even in self-defense or the defense of our family.  I find it difficult to believe that Jesus would teach us to stand by while children are being killed.

I have also pointed out the miss-interpretation of good news to gospel.  First, the term is abused and twisted.  Secondly, it’s not just good news.  It is the greatest news ever presented to man.  It is the plan of salvation and without it, men, even the best men are doomed to an eternity in hell.  The word has been trivialized and glossed over as if it has little or no importance.  I wish the word would be completely done away with.

Also, maybe some of the words in modern translations need to be updated.  I was saved at 13.  I was about 18 when I found out what edify means, even though I tried many times.  The words saint and sanctify should be updated too.  The truth about saints is that anyone who is born again is a saint.  It is not something for a church to place on someone special.  We like to say, “Sanctuary,” instead of a special place set aside to worship God.  Well, I guess that is wordy, but you get the idea.  Either change the wording or make sure the meaning is properly understood.

Certainly, salvation and being saved is one of those words thrown around when, well, not everyone understands it.  In some cases, people who call themselves Christians don’t really know what it means.  Yet, understanding it is just about primary to being saved.  To be sure, we need to know what we are being saved from, who is saving us and the privileges and responsibilities of being saved.

Let’s not disallow people from heaven simply because they don’t understand the terminology, as once did I.  I went to church for almost a year before I knew what it meant to be saved.  I may as well have been reading ancient Greek.

A Challenge for Joe

Posted in Abuse of Power, Biden, Border wall, Build the Wall!, Christian values, Drug Abuse, law enforcement by

That’s right. Little me. Never held public office. Never been a reporter on any news media let alone such as The Pravda Times. In my little blog, I am issuing a chalenge. Most likely he will never hear it, let alone pay any attention to it.

However, numbers have power us little individuals don’t. Maybe, if others helped. Maybe if the right people hear and help. Just maybe someone who matters will hear my challenge and find it important and just, the challenge will be publicly and forcefully placed at the feet of Joe.

He needs to be asked why he has done nothing, said nothing, or has never even acknowledged the loss of 70,000 people a year to the drugs that he permits across the border. He needs to publicly answer the question, especially before those that have directly and indictly lost loved ones to drugs and the drug trade.

I have hope he will be challenged, but not much. It would appear there are few that care as much as me.

Not All Things Are Static

Posted in Abortions, Christian values by

Contrary to the concepts and beliefs of some folks, the world is far from static.  If something is changed here, then it will result in changes there and maybe there too.

The dems believe they can increase revenue by increasing taxes.  The fact is, it can actually have the reverse effect.  After all, who is going to work harder if their extra pay will go to Uncle Sam?  I’ve heard, though it was not confirmed, that Elvis Presley limited the movies he did each year because he was tired of so much of his income going to taxes.  Don’t know if it is true, but it seems believable.  On the other hand, he might not have wanted to do any more movies.  Then again, he might have run out of plots or leading ladies.

The truth is that the dems are well aware that raising taxes does not always increase revenue.  It’s just in their blood.  They take the podium and, by their nature, they just insist it has to be done usually for the children.  One thing we do know, large amounts of taxation does stifle production, especially internally.

If you doubt this, consider what might happen if taxation were 100%.  It would totally bring the economy to a grinding halt.  Nothing would get done.  Farmers wouldn’t farm, bakers wouldn’t bake and it would be impossible to hale a taxi.

Now, I’m going to apply the static concept to something else, perhaps a little more touchy.  If I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times.  Even conservatives say that exceptions should be made for rape or incest.  I don’t like the idea.  I find killing any innocent child unthinkable.  But it’s worse.

As I said, the world is not static.  The woman wants an abortion, no problem.  She says my uncle raped me.  Or she says she was raped but she has no idea who it was or it was the man down the street that she doesn’t like.

Immediately, this causes at least two problems.  Innocent people become accused, perhaps convicted.  Moreover, police and court resources are used where there was no crime.

I have heard the argument against this idea.  No woman would ever do anything like that.  Hogwash.  Even today, men are falsely accused of sexual assault and rape.  This is without the additional incentive of a woman ridding herself of an unwanted burden.

It would divert needed resources away from real rapes and assaults.  Worse, it would weaken the case of women who have actually been raped.  The question in court would always come up, “Are you accusing this man because he raped you or because you want an abortion?”

To be sure, there are also legal problems.  Just when and who decides there was a rape?  Does the woman immediately get the abortion or does she have to wait until the case is proven in court.  If she has to wait, the baby just might be carried to term before the trial is over.

Finally, it can devastate the already weakened families.  Men, fathers, uncles or even brothers will have to guard themselves from ever being alone with a young lady.  Do we really want to expose our family life to such things?  Is this what we really want?

Such things might only happen one out of a thousand times.  If you were the relative, if you were the friend of the family, would you ever want to be charged with such a thing, even if you managed to prove your innocence?

The fact is, when you make such laws, they need to be thought completely through.

Is rape and incest bad?  Of course it is.  Personally, I feel men convicted of such things ought to be hung by their toes till dead.  Just my own personal opinion.  But not all fixes are good.  Sometimes, they are worse than the problem.

Home of the Brave

Posted in Abuse of Power, Christian values, Controllers by

Most of us recognize the words. We hear them regularly, though some would prefer to hide in locker rooms. Some, figuratively, defiantly, put their fingers in their ears every time the words are sung.

On the other hand, there are those that would do all they can to effectively negate the words. They want to make sure none of us !!are!! brave.

If we protect ourselves, if we protect others, if we defy the greenies, be sure; we will pay. They will find things with which to prosecure us. Never mind if it’s right. Never mind if it is even legal.

In many situations, a mere threat is enough to cause most to take the fetal position and cower. Even should we successfully defend ourselves in court, they ruin our lives. Indeed, in some cases a simple accusation in the NY Times is all it takes. In a way, it’s worse than a court case. We never get a day in court. We never get a chance to confront and challenge the accusers or their evidence. That jury of public opinion can be very rough and frequently wrong.

So, if those in control – the government, the media, the social media etc, etc, and so forth – have their way, the US will not be the home of the brave. Nothing will be left but the disarmed cowards. The brave will be disarmed and behind bars.

Then the controllers walk in and take control. No one will be left to stop them. No one dare be brave enough. Even if there were, they’d have no weapons with which to fight. The guns will all be locked up while criminals will be roving the streets. None of us want a such a world but it is the one for which we are headed. And by the way, don’t dare stand in the way, that is unless you want to have your name printed in the Pravda Times.

Limited Time Only

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You and I have heard it a million times. Well, maybe a time or two more. Perhaps a few times less. If you make your purchase in the next three days, you will get a really, really, good discount. And, by the way, you’ll also get this wonderful free gift.

Actually, the limited time offer is not new. Around 2 thousand years ago, Jesus died on the cross, rose from the grave and paid for our sins. In essence He arranged a one time offer for us all. For us, the period, time of option, lasts one lifetime. Never more. On rare occasions less. (Some of us may spend days, weeks & even months unconscious before dying.)

If you never accept the option, you’ll spend forever paying for your own sins. Incidentally, forever is another word for infinitely. Neither word truly expresses the concept fully.

On the other hand, those who accept the offer will have all their sins totally paid for in full. He or she will spend their eternity in Heaven in the presence of God. It is nothing they will have to pay a penny for. Indeed, any attempt to make payment for it will be fully rejected. If you attemp payment, even in part, the gift will be withheld and rightfully so. I mean Jesus did make payment in full. Why should He permit any of us to claim that we helped. It would be dishonest for us to make any such claim.

More importantly, none of us has the power. It is a power, it is an authority that He alone possesses. If we say we earned or partially earned our salvation, we are saying that we have that power. We don’t. Bad idea to presume we do.

It is simple, yet difficult. We must admit our sin before man and God. We must accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Finally, we must believe that He, and He alone, possesses the power to do as He promised. Then too, be sure, that Jesus will do as He promised. He always speaks truth. Also, He is never wrong.

Jesus has made a one time offer. Many of the advertisers make second, third and umpteenth offers. However, there is one aspect that all those offers share with the one made by Jesus. Death terminates all offers.

Food Deserts

Posted in Being woke, Christian values, Communism, Crime, FOC by

I don’t know about where you live, but on the local news here, recently the news is carrying stories about “food deserts.” These are areas in Memphis where there is no food. No supermarkets exists in the desert. Those that want to shop for food must either go to a convenience store or go some distance to another part of the city.

I hope you won’t mind my borrowing a liberal term, but I suspect it is evolution. I suspect that the deserts just might be or have been high crime areas. Indeed, the areas without grocery stores are likely business deserts as well. I mean who wants to open a business in an unsafe area? It is not profitable. It is dangerous for employees, customers and vendors.

It does make me wander why they can find convenience stores. Well, they do charge more and they generally have less cash. Nonetheless, if they keep letting the criminals have their way, if they don’t start putting them behind those big walls, the convenience stores too, will disappear. They’ll fade away with all the past neighborhood markets

Evolution is not just survival of the fittest. Smartness, common sense and fiscal matters all figure into it too. It is likely why many come south of the stateline to do business, to eat, to go to school, and, in some cases, live. Northwest Mississippi is the fastest growing part of the state. My guess is that most of the new residents are from Memphis.

Just a shame that we have no way of filtering them. We have to let the libs settle here too. Notice I didn’t say dumb libs. That would be redundant. Hopefully, after a year or two, they will get smart. I mean, when we catch a criminal here, he goes to the hoosegow. Incidentally, no one here is calling for defunding of the police.

Some may find this strange but neither do we have food deserts. Oddly, you check the parking lots of the stores just south of the stateline, you will find many Shelby County car tags. Don’t mind that much. They are helping us pay for our law enforcement. They are helping us pay for our streets. Mostly, they are driving the value of my house up. Once or twice a week, I have an offer.

My guess is, not so many moving north. There won’t be until those “woke” people up there put the bad guys in jail and make it safe. Nothing brilliant about it. No need for a college degree. They have been doing it for centuries. Some are just stubborn. They insist on using the new unproven.

How Quickly They Fail

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I was 5 the first time I saw a Sears store. It was also the first time I saw an escalator. Wow. Both were very impressive. The store was huge and it had moving stairs. I would have had a blast just riding the things up and down. I was totally impressed how the stairs all flattened and disappeared under floor.

I knew they had to go somewhere, but, to me it didn’t make any sense.

The store was in San Diego but I have seen many since. Not sure but I think it was in Chicago that the company built a huge building, which oddly, they called Sears Tower, I think.

When I first moved to Memphis, Sears had a big presence. Besides many large retail stores, they also had one of the biggest buildings in town. It’s a shame that it’s sat vacant for I don’t know how many years.

Sears is a small shell of what it was. I hate that. I did a lot of shopping there. My wife loved to do a lot of looking. We had a Sears credit card we used a lot.

However, one day the stores just started closing down. At first, it was one by one, then in bunches. I think there are but 2 or 3 retail stores in Memphis. They were on the brink of completely disappearing.

They weren’t alone in this. I’m not sure, but I can’t find a Woolworth’s anywhere. I think Montgomery Wards have pretty much disappeared from the landscape.

Let me explain. These used to be huge retailers. If there are any left, you must search for them.

Now we have Disney. They have parks all over the world. Everyone is convinced that they are here to stay.

If God desides, they will be no more than a memory in a decade. Givem the attitudes they have toward God, Jesus, the Christians and themselves, it would not surprise me. It would be a shame to destroy the man Disney’s memory like that. However, I would certainly understand it.

I’m not a prophet. Evev so, I am so tempted…. It does make me wonder what would replace it all. Would Disney World return to swamp or would someone turn it into housing projects? What would become of Disneyland and the surrounding hotels and restaurants? Just who would buy up Disney studios? Perhaps, for IRONY, a Christian company would buy them and make truly family friendly movies again, as Disney did. Perhaps he could make Christian oriented movies. One can hope.