Category Archives: Christian values

The Dark

Posted in Christian values, Communism, Controllers, News media, Religion, Salvation by

One day, I was walking through our offices at work and someone turned the lights out. A woman, joking, said, “Don’t do that. I’m afraid of the dark.”

I quipped back, “No need to fear the dark. It won’t hurt you. It’s all those terrible monsters that lurk in the dark that should concern you.”

Indignantly, she called back, “Same thing.”

Maybe she had a point. Nonetheless, in the days before electricity man had to spend a lot of time in the dark. Before fire, of course, it was even worse. Can you imagine spending roughly half of each day in the dark? It sort of makes a person appreciate a full moon.

It is no wonder that the Bible uses the dark many times in metaphors. In Psalms 119:105, it says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” KJV The psalmist is saying that God’s Word allows us to see things that the dark hides from us.

The world would like to keep us in the dark. God would like to bring light to us, which allows us to make our decisions in, so to speak, a better light. God wants us to be aware of the monsters that lurk in the dark. Moreover, he wants to guide our footsteps so that we don’t stumble. Then, of course, when we do stumble, he picks us up and puts us back on our feet.

Whenever I read the verse, I wonder just why a person would reject the light of the living God and prefer to stumble through the darkness. It boggles my mind. Yet, guess what, I do it daily. Every time I sin it is because I ignore the light and prefer the darkness. I don’t understand that.

However, the scriptures speak of another Light. In the first chapter of John, the Bible calls the Light the “Word.” If you take the time to read the fist two chapters of John, you will see that he is speaking of Jesus, both as the Word and as the Light. To be sure, He is both. He allows us to see things that the dark (Satan, the evil one) would like to hide from us.

Since my early 20’s, I have learned to totally enjoy the first three chapters of John. First, I learned to like the first chapter. Later, I learned that all three of the first chapters are very important to know Jesus, Who He is, and what He did for us. I have read the whole Bible at least 8 times but I have read these chapters more times than I can count. Yet, it seems that each time I learn a little more.

You see, one of the really important things the Bible does for us is to give us light. Without it, we would all be in the dark. We all know what that means, but not nearly as well as those who had to rely on fire for their light. Next time you want to understand dark, go in a room and pull all the curtains. Then, turn out the lights. You see, dark is what happens when there is no light. Evil is what happens without the Word of God.

In the past 5 or 6 decades, people have been trying to remove God from our society. So. It is basic logic. Remove the Light and only the dark remains. And, one thing I have learned over the years from experience, evil loves the dark.

Communism hates the light. Communists hate Jesus… and the Bible.

The Three C’s

Posted in Biden, Christian values, Important things, Politcal Opinion, Religion, Truth by

Just Heard about Gov. Huckabee’s new book: “The Three C’s That Made America Great: Christianity, Capitalism, and The Constitution.”

Love the name. The only thing that angers me is that I didn’t think of it first. I have not yet read the book. It is not yet in my budget. However, the truth of the matter is… the title speaks volumes.

Way to go Mr. Huckabee. I hope it is a big success. I hope it really makes the liberals angry. Well, it would be nice if it converts a few too.

Blind, Sort of

Posted in Christian values, experience, Religion, Salvation, Uncategorized by

My wife and I went to dinner with my son and his wife.  I took out my glasses, which were the expensive type.  The lenses were progressive.  The more I tilted my head back, the greater was the magnification.  Today, I’ve given up on them.  My eyes have degraded to the point they don’t help much.

At any rate, I took one look at the menu and got quite a fright.  I said aloud that there must be something wrong with my eyes.  I couldn’t read the menu.

My son laughed and said, “You’re missing one of your lenses.”

Okay.  That was a relief.  Sure enough, when I removed my glasses and inspected them, it was easy to see that one of the lenses was missing.  Fortunately, it had fallen out while the glasses were in my glasses case.  When I shook it a few times, the lens fell out.  With a little effort, I persuaded the lens to take its place and I was able to easily read the menu.

In the third chapter of John, Jesus said, “Unless a man be born again, he shall not see the Kingdom of God.”

Today, we don’t give the statement its proper respect.  We hear a person is a born again Christian and we pay it little attention.  However, we should realize the situation for Nicodemus, the man to whom Jesus was talking.  He had never heard the expression before and he was genuinely confused.

With the one statement, Jesus had managed to accomplish three things, that is besides the confusion.  First, he stated a fact, one that is just as true today as it was then.  It is just as true for us as it was for Nicodemus.  Unless a man is born of the Holy Spirit, he will not see the Kingdom of God.

Second, he got Nicodemus’s attention.  Sometimes, a little confusion is good.  It piques the curiosity and causes us to pay attention.  To be sure; Jesus had Nicodemus’s undivided attention.

Third, it challenged Nicodemus’s pride.  Pride is a bad thing.  God hates it especially because it can and frequently does get in the way of our salvation.  Because of pride, we don’t believe we need salvation.  Because of pride we think we can provide for our own salvation.  Because of pride, some people believe they have no need of God.  Jesus was dealing with the pride that separated Nicodemus from salvation, both here and in the following verses.

If I may, I would like to return to Jesus’s first accomplishment, the statement of fact.  With the one statement, Jesus excluded many from The Kingdom of God.  To be sure, most are far too proud to be born again.  Many don’t believe it is needed.  Far too many think of it as optional.  Some even think it is dumb.

Jesus said it is mandatory.  Like it or not, that is the way it is.  God makes the rules.  Jesus, the Son of God made it clear for one and all.  You have choice.  Accept his word and be born of the Spirit or don’t believe, which will result in an eternity Hell.  If you let your pride get in the way, it is not of God’s doings.  It is your own choice.

Finally, as a side note, I would like to relate one more observation.  I have had arguments with people who were not born again, that is people who did not accept Jesus as their Savior.  I could never understand why they could not understand something I could see so clearly.

…and then it hit me.  People who are not born again cannot see anything wrong with abortion because they cannot see the Kingdom of God.  They do not see the unborn child as a life.  As with my loss of a lens, they cannot see God’s Kingdom because God had not given them spiritual vision.  All they see is the worldly view.

Now, you ask, do I see the Kingdom of God?  Well, yes.  However, my spiritual vision is far from 20/20.  To me it is still blurry.  There are still many things in this world I don’t understand.  I can actually make you a list of them.  However, one day I will see them all clearly.  God will give me perfect spiritual vision and I will understand it all.

As for those who aren’t born again, they will understand it all too, but from a different perspective.  At that point, they will have a different attitude of pride.  Unfortunately, it will be too late.  If you have heard this all before, then you are already getting a second chance, or maybe a third.  You haven’t a reason to ask for another chance.  You’ve already had a dozen or so.

One more thing.  Unfortunately, we who are born again must live under laws that are made by people lacking spiritual vision.  It is, of course why millions of children have been slaughtered in the womb.  It is, of course, why none of us is able to get through to those making the laws.  To this, there are two solutions.  Vote Christians into office.  Bring others to Jesus.  Help them see the importance of being born again.  It is not just for them, but for all of us.  It is especially good for those who cannot speak for themselves.

The Inoculations

Posted in Christian values, Religion, Uncategorized by

In these days when we speak of getting a vaccine for the China virus, I am reminded of a time when we had the opportunity to see one of Rev. Billy Graham’s crusades hear in Memphis.  It was during that crusade that my older son gave his life to Christ at 8 years old.

It was at the Liberty Bowl and it was pretty full, despite the threat of bad weather.  Actually, it worked out for the best.  Because of the threat of bad weather, they decided to move it all inside to the nearby sports arena.  Then, the bad weather cleared and it was very pleasant.

So, Rev Graham spoke to a full sports arena.  Then, when done, he came over to the Liberty Bowl.  It was sort of a two for one.  I cannot speak of what the results were in the sports arena, but there were thousands that went forward to the platform they placed out on that football field.

When my son told me he wanted to go, I thought it was just because everyone else was.  After a short talk, I accompanied him down to the field and there, on that day, he was born again.  … and all I thought we were going to do was to see a great man speak.

Now what does that have to do with vaccines?  That night, Rev. Graham compared a vaccine with false religions.  When a person is given a vaccine, he becomes immune to the real thing.  When a person starts believing in a false religion, it will, to some degree, make him immune to the real thing.

In the case of vaccines, of course, that is a good thing.  In the case of false religion, it is a bad thing.  To be sure, it is far easier to lead a person to Christ when he knows nothing about religion.

Hence, one of the Devil’s favorite tricks is to get a person to believe in the false religion – the lie – knowing that it will make it more difficult to get him to believe truth.  That was, more or less what his message was that night.  I guess I can properly add that, once a person believes the truth, it also makes him immune to the lies.

My point is this.  If you have a religion you believe in, you might want to make sure it is the truth.  If it is not the truth, you need to find the truth and soon.

Now the question is, how do you know if you believe in a false religion.  There are three ways.

  1.  Make sure that what you believe can be validated by God’s Word, the Bible.  Many religions will show you the Bible and then set it on the shelf while they teach you from another book.  Moreover, some religions teach from one passage of the Bible and ignore the rest.  If someone tells you something, ask him to show it to you in the Bible.
  2. Fruit inspection.  Matthew 7:16 says that by their fruits you shall know them.  If the religion produces bad fruit, then the religion must be bad.  If the person speaking to you is corrupt, then, very likely what he is teaching is also likely corrupt.
  3. Finally, a person who teaches the truth will point to Jesus Christ, certainly not to himself.  Be suspicious of people who have large followings who don’t teach Christ and the cross.  It is what Paul taught.  It was what Peter taught the day of Pentecost (Acts, the second chapter).  Also, be suspicious when he teaches any of the following:
    a.  baptism or the Lord’s supper is mandatory for salvation.  May I remind you, the thief on the cross had no part in either.  Yet, by Jesus’ own words, we know that he went to heaven.  How much more assurance can a man have this side of death.
    b.  The infallibility of the leader(s).  Not one of us is perfect, not even the Pope.  Moreover, Jesus is the only person who took human form and is worthy of worship.  He is worthy because He is God.
    c.  Beware of those who put a lot of importance on ritual.  Jesus gave us two ordinances, the Lord’s supper and baptism.  They are followed in obedience, not as a requirement.  Yet we are warned to take part in them solemnly.  Baptism is a picture of our death and resurrection after we are saved.  The Lords supper is a picture of Christ dying and giving his life for our salvation.  There are no other rituals for Christians.
    d.  The requirement to give, in some cases, everything to an organizaton is not a biblical command.  Those who gave in the early church gave willingly, not by demand.
    e.  Think twice, or maybe three or four times when a religion teaches that theirs is the only true church.  Jesus is the only way.  He said as much.  However, in Revelation, he had something to say to seven churches, not one.
    f.  Finally, run from any religion that practices polygamy, self-destruction, or killing.

Believe it or not, God did give us a certain amount of common sense.  Real Christianity is common sense.  We sinned, so we earned death.  Jesus died for us so we don’t have to die.  It is a matter of choice.

If you never read another word in the Bible, read John 3:16-18

 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

You might notice that Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus (a pharisee), but his words are far more inclusive.  Instead of using the word, “you” he use the word “whosoever.”  That even includes you.  It even means me.

All other religions are based on actions.  Christianity is based on faith… faith in Jesus as the Son of God.  You cannot earn salvation.  You cannot even help to earn your salvation.  That would require actions.  What Jesus said in the above verses had nothing to do with anything but faith.

Option(s)

Posted in Christian values, Religion, Uncategorized by

When I go to a doctor and he finds a problem with me, he frequently gives me a list of options for me.  Occasionally, a doctor gives his patient only one option.  Sometimes there is but one treatment for a ailment and there is no alternative, other than to let the illness take its course.

When Jesus prayed in the garden to “…let this cup pass from me.”, He probably already knew the answer.  Yet, for us, He still voiced the prayer.  Also, there was likely a last minute hope.  Let’s face it.  He was facing a terrible ordeal, and that is a gross understatement.

So it was that He went to the cross to pay for our sins.  Don’t you know that if there was another way, God would have answered His prayer and provided another way.  The fact that He went to the cross is proof that there was no other way.

Therefore, if anyone tells you that there are other ways into heaven, you might remind them of this.  Our sickness is sin and the only cure was and is his blood.  There is no other option.  There is no other way.  If there was, it would make His death pointless and it would mean He did it all for nothing.

Moreover, nothing can be added to it.  Nothing can be taken away from it.  Any attempt to add to it, is to imply his death is not enough.  Any attempt to add to it, is to imply that it is possible to add anything to it.

Many say that it is pride to say that I am going to heaven and I know it.  I say that it is a lack of faith for me to say less.  Jesus’s provided my healing and nothing else.  Nothing else will.

[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.  (Ephesians 2:8-9)

A side note:  It is impossible to earn a gift.  If it is earned, then it is no longer a gift.  Therefore, it is impossible to earn the gift of salvation.  It must be received as a gift through faith.  Any other teaching is deceit.

Remember.  You might not like the rules, but neither do you make them.  There is no way any of us will ever change them.

Gravity Works Again

Posted in Christian values, Religion, Salvation by

I am now 72 years of age and have been for a while now.  So, among my daily rituals is taking my daily doses of meds, a bunch of them.  By the way, did I mention I hate having to take drugs.

If it were just death I were avoiding, I might just stop taking them.  The problem is that if my blood pressure goes too high, it can lead to a stroke or kidney problems.  If my sugar goes too high, any one of a half dozen things can happen, beside death.  I certainly do not want to spend what is left of my life bedridden or worse.

At any rate, the purpose for this is to complain about gravity.  It seems that at least once a week, I drop one of the pills.  Then of course, it provokes the mandatory search.  I certainly don’t want the dog to find it and eat it.

To me, that does seem a bit ironic.  I can never get the dog to swallow the ones the vet tells me to give her.

…and so it is, gravity works every time.  It never fails, even when I would prefer it not.  Because of gravity, I broke my arm when I was 12, in the middle of little league.  Afterward, I learned to do many things left-handed.  Gravity also contributed to my broken ankle and my broken right ring-finger.  It is a fact of life, when a person falls, thanks to gravity, we people break things.

No one invented gravity, although there have been a number of people who have studied it.  It is God’s invention.  It is the way He made the world and only He can suspend its operation.  By the way, he did this at least once when he made an ax head float.

Today we look at gravity as part of physics, which among other things include a number of laws: light, magnetism, inertia, etc.  Again, we never invented any of these phenomenon.  We simply observed them and wrote rules regarding them.  Again, no human can change them.  Though airplanes fly, they do not truly defy gravity.  They stay airborne only because of other laws of physics.

Most of us are well aware of the above by the time we reach high school.  What people fail to realize is that the laws that God set forth are not limited to physics.  The first 5 books of the Holy Bible are filled with the laws of God.  We humans think we don’t have to follow them.

Guess what.  We are just as subject to those laws as the laws of physics.  Fortunately, God has seen fit, in a way, suspend the damage we do when we disobey them.  Some assume they are getting away with it, sort of like the shoplifter.  Be sure.  Nothing escapes His eye.  He sees it all and there will be a day reckoning.  There will be no exceptions.  There will be a penalty for every single time any of us does something wrong.

Again, all sins will be paid for, either by the sinner or by Jesus.  If you accept Him as your savior, He pays for them.  If you don’t, then you will pay for them.  Every one you do not pay for in this life, you will pay for in hell.  The law is just as sure as gravity.  You can’t change it.

It sounds to me like a good reason to accept Jesus as your savior.  Yet most people defiantly refuse.  The reasons are varied.  However, it is a fact, God will not accept any of them.  You cannot defy gravity and just as sure, you cannot defy God’s laws as he has set forth in his Holy Bible.

Some people say there are many ways to heaven besides Jesus.  That is just not true.  If there was, Jesus would have had no reason to go to the cross.  Because there was only one way, he bore all our sins on the cross.  It is the fulfillment of the law.  Because He paid the price, the penalty was paid.  Because we accept Him and His payment, we do not have to pay the price.

Because He said on the cross that “It is finished,” we do not need to add anything to his work.  If we try, then we do not trust Him at his word.  Anyone who thinks they can help in their own salvation is just as doomed as he who doesn’t believe at all.

First, we cannot add to what Jesus did.  Second, if we try, we are saying what what he said on the cross isn’t true.  In essence, we say he lied.

…and so it causes something of a paradox.  When I say that I am going to heaven, it somewhat sounds as if I am boasting of my works.  Actually, the opposite is true.  I am admitting my failure and I am relying totally on Jesus’ promise and power.  If I say that he might save me, I am admitting my lack of faith in Him.  If I say that I just might be able to earn my way into heaven, it sounds like I am admitting my humility.  Actually, a person who thinks they might earn their way to heaven, or even contribute, has not admitted their inability to pay the price of their sin.  In some cases, they aren’t even admitting their sin at all.

Make no mistake.  God’s rules apply to you.  If you have any complaints about them, individually or collectively, don’t complain to me.  I didn’t make them.  Complain to God.  He is the one Who made them.  You might consider the statement flippant.  However, regardless of the reason, God just might want to hear from you, even if it is an honest complaint.

Side note: do not rely on any church or religion to save you.  It simply will not happen.  No church can save you or can it or its clergy.  The only help they can provide is to help you understand it.  The decision is yours and only yours.  No one can make it for you.  Though God does have the power to make it for you, He won’t.  No one makes your decision of His mercy or His law but you.

Love of Money

Posted in Christian values, Communism, Deceit, Elections, Lawyers and Representation, Pelosi, Politcal Opinion, Religion, Respect by

Some say the Bible says that money is the root of all evil.  Actually, that is not true.  First Timothy 6:10 says that it is the love of money that is the a root of evil.  (seems to me, older versions say the root, nonetheless, it is one of those almost quotes that serves the devil’s purpose.  You see, money is not root of evil.  Indeed, it serves a purpose for God.  It permits people to trade in an organized way.

On the other hand, when people take money through robbery or deceit, it defeats the purpose of money.  Normally, money represents something you contributed to society.  For instance, a doctor saves lives.  For this, he receives money.  With the money, he purchases other things: food that represents the work of farmers; cars that represent the work of factories and miners; and a home which was built by a whole bunch of folks.

It might seem to you that I am changing subjects; but please bear with me.

I was speaking to a Vietnam vet one day.  He asked me if I put in for some kind of Agent Orange compensation.  I told him that I was never near the stuff and I never suffered from it.  He told me to apply for it anyway.  He said we are all entitled to it.

Quite frankly, I could use the money.  However, to me, that is dishonest.  I did nothing to earn that money.  Therefore, if I received that money I would consider it thievery, even though it might be legal.

If I had taken the money, I would still been a thief.  So it is that the world is full of people who have no guilt in taking money that is not theirs.

…and so it was, when President Trump tried to distribute money to people who really need it.  those who had conscience lined up and took the money, even though they knew it was not intended for them.  Naturally, the dummycrats made their attempts to distribute the money to their contributors.  This, of course they did, knowing that the people who really needed it were being denied while they tried to incorporate many of their political ideas.

Businesses, colleges, and who knows who all, applied for the money and received it.  This, of course, meant that the ones who needed it didn’t get it.  That, however, is beside the point.  Though they knew it was wrong, they applied for it.  It was legal theft.

Fortunately, much of the ill gotten gain was returned; but only because they were shamed into it.

You see, apparently, they had a love of money that provoked them to do evil.

It is sort of the problem with government distributing money.  Much of it goes to legal thieves, those who are provoked to evil by their lust for an easy buck.  They have no respect for those from whom they steal.

As a side note:

It seems every time New York suffers a crisis, the rest of the country pays the bill for their lack of preparation.  If it weren’t for the loss of life, I would suggest we should have just let the state sink or swim on their own.  I had a storage shed in my back yard.  When it got wiped out during a storm, no one from New York offered to help me out.  When they get hit by a storm, we pour tons of money into the rebuilding of New York.  Just maybe, if we let them sink or swim on their own, they just might start preparing better instead of crying for ventilators on TV hour after hour… after the fact.

Let’s face it; a little prepping is a good thing.

Free Kindle Books

Posted in Christian values, Free E-books, My Author's Page, Religion by

The three volumes of the Kip Series will be free Friday, Jan 24.  The second in the series did get a recent rating of four stars so you might like to read all three of them.  Each volume is rather short so it won’t take long to read all three.

To order, you can log onto Amazon and search for the books Kip – The Optimist, Kip -The Realist or Kip – The Pessimist.  It might be easier to search for “Ben Rhodes”, though you just might find a bunch of books by other authors in which you’d have no interest.  Finally, you can just enter this in the search box:

http://www.amazon.com/author/story_teller

It will take you right to my Author’s page.  The advantage of this method is that you just might find another book or two that you might like to read.

In the series Kip is a detective working for San Diego.  Because of what all he has seen he has a difficult time believing in God.  His disbelief is somewhat increased as the result of some of the events in volume one.  It turns him from an optimist to a realist.  Then, of course, things really get bad in the second volume.  He has decided that if there is a God, that he hates Him for permitting such things.  In the third volume… well I’ll let you find out on your own.

If you enjoy the books, be sure and tell your friends and neighbors.  If not, never mind.  Either way, please tell me at Kaay@att.net.  Please keep your comments brief and reasonable.  If you spot any glaring errors, please let me know.

Thank you for reading the books and thank you for your comments.

King James Version

Posted in Christian values, Impeachment, Pelosi, Politcal Opinion, Religion, Truth, Uncategorized by

I had a short small chuckle when I saw a bumper sticker that said something to the affect… if it’s not King James, then it’s not the Bible.

To be sure, it is a serious subject.  Nonetheless, the foolishness of such a statement is easy to see.  Even so, in a way, I can kind identify with it.

Now that might sound like a bunch of mambo-jumbo, to be sure a conflict in ideas.  First, for those few who don’t realize the error, let me explain.

  1. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek. Certainly the Israelites studied what we call the Old Testament for centuries and it was completely valid.  Then, for a few centuries, the Christian Church studied the scriptures in both Greek and Hebrew.  That was, and is today valid.  In fact, for those able to read and understand the original language, it is likely an advantage.  I certainly wished I could read the original.
  2. The King James was written in a dialogue that most of us would have a difficult time understanding. Since it made its way on the scene, many of the words have changed meaning.  Many of the words are simply archaic.  It would be far better to read a translation that is more current, provided it is accurate.
  3. The original King James is not completely accurate. For instance, it translates the  commandant, as “Thou shalt not kill.”  It is almost unanimous among the experts that it should have been “Thou shalt not murder.”  Granted it is a small difference, but it has misled uncounted millions to use the commandant as a reason for not going to war.  Indeed, the scriptures speak of killing many times, but never does it justify murder.

Now that I have so badly ridiculed the translation, let me explain how the person with the bumper sticker had his heart in the right place.  Nowadays, there are many translations, some not so good.  Some suggest or outright say that God is female.  I do not want to consider stepping into eternity with that concept.

Too be sure, it is the modern concept of religion to accept beliefs a-la-carte.  They accept this belief while rejecting others.  Take for instance, Pelosi, as well as most democrats.  She said, as a Catholic, she learned not to hate.  Then, she allows, even encourages abortion.  Moreover, what she said was a lie and most of us know it.  She hates the president so much that she has permitted her time as Speaker to be an abject failure.  Mostly, her only accomplishment has been to impeach POTUS.

The scriptures were never intended as something to select from as on a holy buffet line.  It is akin to creating one’s own religion.  Of course, when a person makes up their own religion, it does have advantages.  However, all those advantages have an end.

In such situations, I am reminded of the passage, an illustration of a man who cuts down a tree.  Half of it he uses in a fire to keep warm.  The other half, he carves into an idol.  Then the man bows down to the idol and prays to it.  Have you ever heard of anything so ludicrous.

Of course, modern man does not make idols like that.  Well that’s not true.  A short trip through Asia will verify that there are still people in this world that expect help from things that cannot help them.  They are just a ridiculous as the idol the man carved from the tree.  Yet, I risk the anger of those who read this.  To them, I am committing a horrible sacrilege.  To them, I am being inconsiderate.

I ask.  Which is more horrible, to present the truth or allow people to continue to believe the lies?  Of course, if there is no God, it makes no difference.  There is no reason for me to rain on their parade.  It all rides on the one question.  Is there a God and who is he.  The question is important enough that we all should consider it.

When Pelosi’s heart beats its last, when she takes last breath and she comes face-to-face with her maker, she just might have some explaining to do.  To be sure, I will have to cough up a few explanations too.  However, she is going to have to explain the death, the outright murder of millions of babies under her watch.  Somehow, I think that will more than singe the locks on her head.

By the way, I prefer the New King James translation.  However, I am sure there are two or three other translations that are good.  Most of all, let’s not practice our religion a-la-carte.  That is even worse than not believing in God at all.  It gives Christianity a bad rap.

How Many Magi?

Posted in Christian values, Deceit, Important things, Mistakes, Salvation by

If you said 3, you just might be right.  On the other hand, you might be wrong.

Most people say that there were three, likely because they never read the passage in the Bible.  The fact is that Matthew never said how many.  That means, indeed, there might have been anywhere from two to who knows… maybe there were thirty.  For that matter, Matthew might not have known.  He was not an eye witness and might simply have been repeating the story as he was told.  If he was told, for some reason, he never passed it along.  If it was important, the Holy Spirit would have seen fit that it was reported by someone.

The fact is that he reported the event in the second chapter of Matthew.  No one else mentions it all.  Also, by the way, he said they visited him at his home, not a stable or manger.  The best guess is that they visited Jesus after He was at least six months and He must have been less than two years.  Matthew does not refer to him as a baby and Herod, after questioning his advisors, had all boys less than two years old killed in the town of Bethlehem.  On the other hand, the travel time for the Magi (sometimes referred to as kings or wise men) would have likely been at least 2 to 6 months.

Yet, every Christmas, we hear stories how the 3 magi worshiped the Baby Jesus in the manger.  The problem is that they never read Matthew chapter 2.  The problem is that they confused the story with the story of the shepherds.  The shepherds, indeed visited Jesus on the night of his birth as recorded in Luke, chapter two.  By the way, we also have no idea how many shepherds there were, either.

It does seem ironic that the King of Kings was welcomed into the world by shepherds, certainly not royalty.  Moreover, they didn’t represent any royalty.  On the other hand, who on earth would be royal enough to welcome Him?

I would suggest that anyone quoting the Bible read it first.  It just might keep you from looking stupid.  In this particular case, it likely causes no problems.  In other cases, it can mean leading people into hell.  That is bad and God will not hold you guiltless for preaching a false gospel.

Many say that the way to heaven is by being good.  That is to say, it is a reward for good works.  It doesn’t work that way.  If you don’t believe me, read Isaiah 45:21.

If you don’t believe me, read it yourself.  Please read it for yourself, especially before you spread false doctrine.  Then, maybe, it would be a good idea to figure out the real plan of salvation.  Everyone will know it after dying.  Then, it is too late.  The idea is to know it before dying and accept Jesus as your Savior.  (John 3, specifically John 3:2 and John 3:16 and 3:17)

Most of all, if you don’t read it for yourself, please don’t drag others into hell after you.