Scott's Blog - 3/30/07

Today's Sign of the Apocalypse

TIME Magazine -- U.S. Edition -- April 2, 2007 Vol. 169 No. 14

Time Magazine has published an article in favor..that's right..in favor of teaching the Bible in the public schools.

I'm pretty sure that event was not mentioned in Matthew 24 as a sign of the Last Days, but it certainly is something I never thought I would see.

The argument  put forth by writer David van Biema is that whether one believes the message or not, it is virtually impossible to understand United States history, classical and modern literature, and even the debates that rage in our culture without a basic understanding of the Bible.

SIMPLY PUT, THE BIBLE IS THE MOST influential book ever written. Not only is the Bible the best-selling book of all time, it is the best-selling book of the year every year. In a 1992 survey of English teachers to determine the top-10 required "book-length works" in high school English classes, plays by Shakespeare occupied three spots and the Bible none. And yet, let's compare the two: Beauty of language: Shakespeare, by a nose. Depth of subject matter: toss-up. Breadth of subject matter: the Bible. Numbers published, translated etc: Bible. Number of people martyred for: Bible. Number of wars attributed to: Bible. Solace and hope provided to billions: you guessed it. And Shakespeare would almost surely have agreed. According to one estimate, he alludes to Scripture some 1,300 times. As for the rest of literature, when your seventh-grader reads The Old Man and the Sea, a teacher could tick off the references to Christ's Passion--the bleeding of the old man's palms, his stumbles while carrying his mast over his shoulder, his hat cutting his head--but wouldn't the thrill of recognition have been more satisfying on their/own?

If literature doesn't interest you, you also need the Bible to make sense of the ideas and rhetoric that have helped drive U.S. history. "The shining city on the hill"? That's Puritan leader John Winthrop quoting Matthew to describe his settlement's convenantal standing with God. In his Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln noted sadly that both sides in the Civil War "read the same Bible" to bolster their opposing claims. When Martin Luther King Jr. talked of "Justice rolling down like waters" in his "I Have a Dream" speech, he was consciously enlisting the Old Testament prophet Amos, who first spoke those words. The Bible provided the argot--and theological underpinnings--of women's suffrage and prison-reform movements.

And then there is today's political rhetoric. For a while, secular liberals complained that when George W. Bush went all biblical, he was speaking in code. Recently, the Democratic Party seems to have come around to the realization that a lot of grass-roots Democrats welcome such use. Without the Bible and a few imposing secular sources, we face a numbing horizontality in our culture--blogs, political announcements, ads.

The Case for Teaching The Bible TIME

The responses are somewhat predictable. The secularists are dithering about the perceived sense of preference the Bible would receive if taught in schools. 

Secular challengers opposed to the textbook feel that it is still “written as if I am a Protestant Christian teaching Protestant Christians," according to Jennifer Kendrick, one of the first Bible-literacy teachers in the nation, in the Time article. Outside sources have to be brought in to balance the content. Also, secular opponents argue that even if the book is impartial, the person that teaches it may not be.Christians Pleasantly Surprised by Time's Pro-Bible Article Christianpost.com

But a  number of Christian leaders have already signed on as being wholeheartedly in favor. Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson gives this positive review to the proposal.

This is good news, and no one can claim to be truly educated without knowing the contents of the Bible. Students will become familiar with the Bible’s great themes and stories. They will read, with greater understanding, works by Herman Melville, John Locke, and Martin Luther King, whose writings are filled with biblical allusions.

And having once dipped into the Bible, I believe, they will be more inspired to read on their own. They may even consider joining a Bible study to learn more—that is, if somebody invites them. And they just might remember the Bible’s stories and teachings when making decisions about whether to engage in casual sex or follow the crowd into crime.

Teaching the Bible in Public Schools Christianpost.com

What to make of this biblically?

There is room for concern. Much like having a unit in a biology class devoted to a biblical view of creation taught by a die hard evolutionist, a teacher devoted to disparaging  the message of the Word could use the class as a one sided opportunity for mockery. Much like Jesus' assessment of the Sadducees, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God." (Matthew 22:29), a secularly minded individual would be hard pressed to provide an objective overview of the Bible.

But in my experience in public education, the Bible is already bashed on a regular basis in classes that have nothing to do with its content. If the Bible is allowed to speak, at least these antagonists will have to deal with the facts on the ground, not some reinvented straw man of their fantasies. And whether one tries to treat the Word as just another piece of literature or not, the Bible will always make an impact on human hearts.

“ For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
      And do not return there,
      But water the earth,
      And make it bring forth and bud,
      That it may give seed to the sower
      And bread to the eater,
       So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
      It shall not return to Me void,
      But it shall accomplish what I please,
      And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:10-11)

Who knows? Maybe random acts of righteousness will start breaking out in our public schools?

Scott's Blog 3/29/07

UFOs - A Last Days Deception

Is this your Daddy?

As never before we are a culture that is "looking up".

 Unfortunately, we are not looking  for God, but for our place in the universe. Even a casual channel surf across the cable reveals movies, series, documentaries, cartoons and even commercials that seem to be driving home a common theme. We are part of a galactic community. It will only be a matter of time and technological development before a representative from a federation of planets will make "First Contact". When this happens, mankind will be unified as never before. War, poverty, disease will be a thing of the past. Humanity will take an evolutionary leap forward and a golden age will begin.

Or so we are told.

Can you imagine how the average person would react if such an intergalactic emissary came on the scene?  

What if this person could provide a "seeing is believing" level of proof that their claims were true? What if they could give life to inanimate objects? What if they could summon fire from the sky? What if this representative from a federation of planets even appeared to rise from the dead?

The Bible prophetically tells us what this reaction will be.

“Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:4)

"Whoa, Scott! Are you saying the Anti-Christ is going to be a space alien?"

No. The Anti-Christ is going to be a liar and a deceiver of the first order. The Bible tells us he will say and do anything necessary to get the world not only to follow him, but even to worship him. 

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (II Thessalonians 2:9-12)

As we have seen, the UFO phenomena is a spiritual one. It is geared to send out an unsubtle  and unbiblical message. We are not special. Evolution is true. Humanity needs to unify in order to take our true place in the universe. 

But there is another common theme in the doctrine taught by the modern UFO experience - ET is really our creator. 

The theory is called "Directed Panspermia" and suggests the amazing complexity of life is no accident. But instead of acknowledging the God of the Bible as our Creator, extra terrestrials get the credit.

Nobel prize winner Professor Francis Crick, OM FRS, who along with Leslie Orgel proposed the theory of directed panspermia in 1973. This suggests that the seeds of life may have been purposely spread by an advanced extraterrestrial civilization. Crick argues that small grains containing DNA, or the building blocks of life, fired randomly in all directions is the best, most cost effective strategy for seeding life on a compatible planet at some time in the future. The strategy might have been pursued by a civilization facing catastrophic annihilation, or hoping to terraform planets for later colonization.Panspermia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey aliens are given the credit for guiding the evolution of man "from ape to angel". In the recently released Tim Robbins film, Mission to Mars, we are introduced to our creators - an alien civilization.

In this light it is significant that the Anti-Christ will deceive with a message that will transcend any and every religious belief in the world. And his crowning achievement will be to proclaim himself God and demand to be worshipped. 

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,  who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (II Thessalonians 2:3-4)

What better way to unify all religions of mankind, including the religion of naturalism that holds sway among the scientific community, than to have a person come on the scene as a representative of a federation of planets, provide proof through signs and wonders, and then claim to be our creator?

Speculation? Absolutely. Please take this with a large grain of salt and a healthy dose of Acts 17:11.

But remember this. Following the Rapture, our panic stricken world will be looking for answers. Some will turn to the Bible and find the true and living God. Some will continue to reject God's Word, and Satan will provide an alternative. Those who know their Bibles won't be taken in. Those who preferred Star Trek to Scripture may find a custom fitted lie they have been completely pre-conditioned to receive. 

It all comes down to whether we decide to embrace "the love of the truth".

Scott's Blog 3/28/07

UFO's - What On Earth is Happening?

There is no doubt that the subject of UFOs and Extra terrestrial visitors is one of intense interest in our culture.

While nearly three-quarters of the 1,024 adults questioned for the poll said they had never seen or known anyone who saw a UFO, 54 percent believe intelligent life exists outside Earth.

Sixty-four percent of the respondents said that aliens have contacted humans, half said they've abducted humans, and 37 percent said they have contacted the U.S. government. 

So what is a biblical response to this issue? A key principle that can bring solid perspective is found in I John 4:1.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Testing spirits? What in the world do spirits have to do with UFOs and extra terrestrials?

More than most of us would like to think.

UFOs consistently behave in ways at odds with the laws of physics. They will appear on radar and be invisible to the eye. They have reportedly pulled off maneuvers like a 90 degree turn at speeds of 4,000 miles per hour.

These kinds of reports have lead even secular researchers to rethink the idea that UFOs are best explained in physical terms.

Consider the conclusions reached by French researcher Dr. Jaques Vallee.

In his recent autobiographical book, Forbidden Science, Vallee summed up his views about the provenance of UFOs, a viewpoint that he's developed through decades of research: "The UFO Phenomenon exists. It has been with us throughout history. It is physical in nature and it remains unexplained in terms of contemporary science. It represents a level of consciousness that we have not yet recognized, and which is able to manipulate dimensions beyond time and space as we understand them." So much for anti-gravity-powered starships ferrying Big Brothers from outer space. Vallee thinks UFOs are likely "windows" to other dimensions manipulated by intelligent, often mischievous, always enigmatic beings we have yet to understand. (60 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time covers Vallee's theories in detail.)Heretic Among Heretics Jacques Vallee Interview - UFO Evidence

"Windows to other dimensions manipulated by intelligent, often mischievous, always enigmatic beings we have yet to understand"?  Although Vallee would undoubtedly disagree with this paraphrase, UFOs seem to be a manifestation driven by intelligent spiritual beings. The Bible tells us there are intelligent beings in this universe that are not human - they are called angels. 

And of the angels He says:


      “ Who makes His angels spirits
      And His ministers a flame of fire." (Hebrews 1:7)

Angels come in two basic categories according to the Bible - elect (those who serve God) and evil (those who fell in Satan's rebellion). It is my belief that those who observe the essentially spiritual phenomenon of a UFO, or even come in contact with a being from a UFO are in contact with angels. The big question is, are these angels elect or evil?

The answer is to be found in the message they bring and its impact on those who receive it.

It is fascinating how quickly people make the jump from seeing some unexplained phenomenon in the sky to the conclusion they are dealing with an emissary from an extra terrestrial civilization.

UFOs flew over Phoenix in '97, Symington says

UFOs flew over Phoenix in '97, Symington says www.azstarnet.com ® 

The funny thing is, that along with this gut feeling, comes an almost concurrent belief in life arising by accidental evolution. This is a spiritual message. It is not in harmony with the truth of God's Word. 

The deception gets more pronounced when we begin to examine the so called "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Those who claim to have had actual contact with extra terrestrials consistently report either being terrorized by these creatures, or being given a distinct message to share. Inevitably they claim that they are our creators, or that Jesus was simply one of them. There is a great stress laid on eastern  mysticism and reincarnation.

Matt Slick of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry offers this interesting take on the spiritual side of "contactee" phenomena.

Research of UFO abductees has led to some interesting discoveries. According to those abducted, the aliens are teaching theology. The curious thing is that the theology is New Age theology; namely, that we are all divine, all evolving to higher levels of consciousness, that reality is what you perceive it to be, etc. These are anti-Christian teachings. In some cases, comments about Jesus himself have been made that directly contradict biblical revelation. I've studied the New Age for quite some time, and a great many people in the New Age not only accept Aliens and UFO's, but teach that they are more highly evolved than we are and that we need to learn from them.
     In addition, an inordinately high percentage of the abductees have had previous experience with the occult. I remember when I was younger and into séances, necromancy, psycho kinesis, and astral projection. One night I looked into the sky and saw a very bright light that moved at an extremely high rate of speed and made sudden and sever changes in direction during its flight. It moved extremely fast and accelerated out of sight as it moved high into the night sky and disappeared. I saw this with my own eyes. But it doesn't stop there. During my occult days, I also saw many other unusual manifestations, heard voices, and saw things move. I could go on. But suffice it to say, that I confirm the findings that those who experience UFO phenomena are very often involved in the occult. This is alarming and a major warning.
     My conclusion is that the UFO phenomena is occultic in origin and demonically based. I do not believe there is life on other planets and I suspect that what has manifested is nothing more than a great deception that is slowing enveloping mankind.

 Is there life on other planets

I have no doubt that people who have UFO oriented experiences may have actually seen or experienced something. The big question is, what have they encountered?

If it is in fact spiritual, promotes a doctrine that distorts or opposes the clear teaching of Scripture, and leaves the people involved emotionally and spiritually devastated, I can only conclude that the source is demonic. It is the same old lie dressed up for the Star Wars/Star Trek generation.

Scott's Blog 3/27/07

A Waste of Space?

Appearances can be deceiving. Especially if what appears defies the normal, physical reality we are so accustomed to and beckons us into the spiritual realm.

No words could be more useful in evaluating what has come to be known as the UFO phenomenon. If you caught yesterday's entry on Scott's Blog, you know that we evaluated the idea that we are being visited by emissaries from alien civilizations from a Scriptural point of view. There is a compelling case to be made that the Earth is unique in God's creation as the only place where the miracle of intelligent life can be found.

Some might respond by calling that an arrogant or closed minded point of view. In the book and movie "Contact" by Carl Sagan, the lead character Ellie Arroway was famously quoted, "I'll tell you one thing about the universe, though. The universe is a pretty big place. It's bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before. So if it's just us... seems like an awful waste of space. Right?" Contact (1997) - Memorable quotes

Contact (1997) - Photo gallery

Maybe not. 

Could it be the purpose of the cosmos isn't to be some accidental, self driven hatchery of life, but to have a higher calling. Is it possible that the universe as we see it exists to teach the purposeful pinnacle of God's creation, humanity, a thing or two about our Creator?

The Bible tells us this is the case.

The heavens can tell us that God is glorious.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
         And the firmament shows His handiwork.
  Day unto day utters speech,
         And night unto night reveals knowledge.
 There is no speech nor language
         Where their voice is not heard.
  Their line has gone out through all the earth,
         And their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)

When David looked up at the stars on a dark night in Israel, he saw enough to realize the creation was a reflection of the glory of the Creator. But David didn't know the half of it.

The Heart of the Whirlpool Galaxy

HubbleSite - Image The Heart of the Whirlpool Galaxy

HubbleSite - Image Hubble's Sharpest View of the Orion Nebula

HubbleSite - Image Detail of Saturn's Rings, Disk and Shadow

When we see the universe in all its grandeur it is easy to feel small and insignificant. How could a God that great and awesome care about tiny people on a tiny planet in a tiny galaxy compared to the vastness of space?

The heavens are also there to remind us of God's great compassion and care for us.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
What is man that You are mindful of him,

And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
         And You have crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:3-5)

I have talked with people who have no problem conceiving that God is great enough to create the wonders of the universe. They seem to have doubts that God could have time to care for insignificant creatures like us. But if God is powerful enough to do the big things like hold the universe together, what makes us think He couldn't do something as small as love little people like us?

The heavens are also there to answer the biggest question of all - are we alone in the universe?

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

The Bible tells us that a look at the creation tells us that we are not alone - God is with us.

So if the universe exists to teach us a few vital lessons about its Creator -

That He is glorious.

That He is awesome.

That He is involved in the lives of His people.

That is anything but a "waste of space".

So what are we to make of supposed contacts with beings who claim to be from other worlds? Are we a visited planet? 

Check this space tomorrow for a perspective you will never encounter in a Steven Spielberg flick!

Scott's Blog 3/26/07

The Truth Is Out There?

Do you remember the first time you read the Bible?

I must admit my first look at the Scriptures came after I read a book by Erich von Daniken.

Chariots of the Gods - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Von Daniken claimed that the Bible contained accounts of encounters with UFOs. So, my non Christian curiosity sufficiently aroused, I pulled out a Gideon Bible and started to read the book of Ezekiel. 

(Nice place for a complete rookie to begin in depth Bible study, don't you think?)

There is no doubt that the subject of UFOs is an instant attention getter. Consider the technological crisis the French national Space Agency faced last weekend when it decided to make it's official UFO files public.

French UFO fever crashes website

By Emma Jane Kirby BBC News, Paris In the US and the UK, information is released on a case-by-case basis France's national space agency has opened its UFO files to the public by launching a website which documents reported sightings over five decades. So many people have already tried to look at the files that it has become impossible to access the site. France is the first country to open up fully its UFO files to the public. Although other countries including the UK collect data on UFOs, files can be requested only on a case-by-case basis under the Freedom of Information Act. Now, thanks to a small team of space agency researchers who call themselves the Office for the Study of Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena, the French will be able to access some 10,000 documents about UFOs, including photographs, police reports and videos sent in by witnesses. The team offers explanations for some of the sightings - for example when 1,000 people reported seeing flashing lights in the sky one November night 17 years ago, the researchers were able to prove it had been a rocket fragment falling back into the earth's atmosphere. But only about 9% of France's UFO cases have ever been fully explained, the group says. And of the 1,600 cases registered since 1954, nearly a quarter are known as Category D - meaning that in spite of good data and witnesses, the mysterious sightings remain inexplicable.

BBC NEWS World Europe French UFO fever crashes website

Perhaps it's a result of years of exposure to sci-fi epics that have confidently asserted "We Are Not Alone!" Maybe it is our natural sense of distrust toward government agencies that lead us to believe there is a high level cover up and that "The Truth Is Out There". But raise the subject of new info on UFOs and get ready to watch your server crash. 

So what is the truth about UFOs? Are they piloted by extra terrestrial creatures from advanced civilizations? (And if so are they getting ready to help us, or feature us as a new entree for intergalactic Business Class customers?)

Does the Bible provide any insight into this mystery?

The answer is "Yes". But not in the way Erich von Daniken imagined.

To be sure, we can't turn to a page of Scripture and find a verse that directly confirms or denies the possibility of intelligent life on other planets. But the Bible does give us an overview of cosmic reality that can shed significant light on the issue. 

An Insight From Creation

It doesn't take an advanced biblical scholar to come to the conclusion that the account of the Creation is undeniably Earth centered.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)

So Earth centered is this account that the other parts of the universe don't come on the scene until Day Four of the creation week.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (Genesis 1:14-19)

Some may object, saying, "Well, since the readers of Genesis were to be people here on Earth, no wonder where we live gets first priority. But it doesn't mean there can't be life elsewhere." 

True, but the notion of a Star Trek style universe gets more difficult to support Biblically when we see the summary statement God gives to His creation work.

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.  And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.  Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (Genesis 2:1-3)

The account of the Creation strongly suggests that intelligent life (if not all life) is limited to Earth. To try to counter this by saying, "Well, it doesn't say there couldn't be intelligent life on other planets as well." is an argument from silence. There is nothing in the historical account of God's creative work that even hints in the other direction.

The Bible also tells us that the events that took place in the Garden of Eden (the fall of man) had an impact on the entire Creation, not just Earth.

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (Romans 8:19-22)

If there were "little green men" on another planet, in another corner of the galaxy, why would what Adam and Eve chose to do here, effect the life experience of a different species over there? And yet the whole creation has been effected by man's fall. Genesis strongly indicates that this Earth is the uniquely created place of intelligent life in the universe.

An Insight From Revelation

The other Scriptural insight that leads me to conclude that extra terrestrials are mythical is the central role events on Earth play in the Last Days. When God entered into this physical reality He came to Earth, as a man.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3,14)

Some Christian thinkers (i.e.- CS Lewis) have speculated that if Jesus came to Earth and became a man to redeem us, He would also go to other planets, become one of their local life forms and redeem them as well. But again this is an argument from silence. 

The plot thickens further when we see what will happen when Jesus returns again to this Earth.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. (Revelation 20:11)

Peter makes the universal impact of God's dealings on Earth shockingly vivid.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (II Peter 3:10-13)

To paraphrase the popular tourist slogan, "What happens on Earth, doesn't stay on Earth." When God finishes His dealings here, the entire universe is effected. Just as in the beginning Earth, and only Earth is God's focus, so in the end events on Earth, and only Earth determine the destiny of the entire creation. 

God doesn't seem to provide room for the possibility of extra terrestrial civilizations in His Word.  

So if UFO's are not emissaries from other civilizations on other planets, what are they? Are there intelligences at work in our universe we have never seen represented on Star Trek?

Check back tomorrow as we discover an eye opening answer.

Scott's Blog 3/23/07

Provocation and Prophecy

One of the most important pieces of prophetic perspective believers in Christ need to keep handy is Jesus' prediction concerning the time of His return in Matthew 24:4-8.

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Jesus said we could anticipate a pattern of stress that would become more and more prominent as the End Times draws near. The word translated "sorrows" carries the idea of the birth pains of a woman in labor. Crisis moments will build both in frequency and intensity.

The last 24 hours presented the latest labor pain. As reported by the Times of London:

Hostage fears over troops seized by Iran

Britain’s crisis with Iran deepened last night after Tehran justified seizing 15 British servicemen by claiming that they had strayed into Iranian territorial waters “illegally”.

The incident occurred mid-morning when a boarding party left HMS Cornwall, the flagship of the multinational task force in the northern Gulf, in two small craft to inspect an Iranian merchant ship.

When the inspection was completed the British were surrounded by six larger vessels from a Revolutionary Guards naval unit.

The Iranian ships are normally armed with heavy mounted machineguns while the British had only side arms to protect themselves. The British personnel were then escorted at gunpoint into Iranian territorial waters, where they have now disappeared.

Commodore Nick Lambert, the commander of HMS Cornwall, said that a helicopter monitored the boats being moved up the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which demarcates the Iran-Iraq border, towards an Iranian base.

There were hopes that the situation could be resolved as it was in 2004 when eight Royal Marines and sailors were abducted in similar circumstances by the Iranians. The men were paraded on television and made to “apologise” but were eventually freed.

Hostage fears over troops seized by Iran-News-World-Middle East-TimesOnline

It appears no such easy solution is in the offing. Iran seems bent on ratcheting up its confrontation with the West.

Relations with Britain have since become much more strained. British commanders in southern Iraq have openly accused Iran of arming, training and funding Shia militias responsible for attacks on British forces.

The Iranians are also angered by a build-up of US forces in the region and the arrest and detention of five of their officials in northern Iraq by the US military in January.

There are also fresh tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme. Britain is the co-author of a United Nations Security Council Resolution, due to be voted on today, that would impose sanctions on Tehran.

President Ahmadinejad, the Iranian leader who was due in New York today to debate the motion, abruptly cancelled his visit last night, citing delays in obtaining US visas for his entourage.

Hostage fears over troops seized by Iran-News-World-Middle East-TimesOnline

There are two other factors that are certainly coming into play. The first is strictly political. It is significant to note that this brash action took place almost concurrently with the vote in the United States House of Representatives to pass a desperately needed military appropriations bill that includes a date certain clause for withdrawal of American forces from Iraq. Although the bill has been promised a swift veto by President Bush, it sends an encouraging signal that possibly as early as March 2008, Iran will be given clear passage to accomplish its long desired goal of dominating Iraq. The message won't be missed by other Gulf states that the Ahmadinejhad regime is going to be the big boy on the block. If they are willing to have their Al Quds forces directly involved in fighting the Americans, and their navy humiliating the British, who will nations like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar be able to look to for help? 

The other factor is spiritual. As we have documented in this space, Ahmadinejhad and the Mullahs who run Iran believe fervently in the hope of a coming Moslem messiah, the Imam Mahdi. He will come during a time of world wide conflict (with Jesus as his supportive side kick) to bring in an era of peace. There is a good possibility that the Iranians' recklessness isn't craziness, but a calculated attempt to force this prophecy to come to pass. 

This may be why even Iran's most staunch ally in the UN Security Council, Russia, has sent signals that even they have had enough. Vladimir Putin has gone so far as to halt shipments of enriched uranium, and to recall over 2,000 Russian experts that were working on the Iranian nuclear facility at Bushehr. As Bible prophecy expert Joel Rosenberg comments:

It is certainly an interesting development, and one that's had me curious for the last week or so....but honestly, I'm not so sure it's as dramatic as some -- including Drudge and the Times -- seem to believe....all indications thus far have demonstrated that Putin believes Russia's strategic interests lie in developing a military and economic alliance with Iran....but Putin also wants it to be clear to Ahmadinejad -- and to the West -- who is really in charge of this relationship....thus, while this could eventually prove to be a strategic change of direction for Russia, it is more likely a power play by the Kremlin to remind Iran, the junior partner in this emerging alliance, just who's the boss....we'll likely have a somewhat better sense of the relationship between Putin and Ahmadinejad in the next few days....JOEL C. ROSENBERG

Ezekiel 38:1-8 indicates that Russia, not Persia, will lead the Last Days confederation of nations that will invade Israel. Israel is also predicted to be in a guard down position when this strike occurs. Because of these two factors, it is likely that Iran will bluster, successfully give the West another black eye in the realm of world opinion (remember 1979 at the US Embassy, anyone?), but ultimately back down. The Ahmadinejhad regime needs time to complete it's nuclear WMD program, as well as to continue its war against the will of the West to oppose their plans. This birth pain is certainly an attention-getter, but it too will pass.

It is also significant that the 15 British sailors were taken by Iranian gun boats while a vastly more powerful frigate watched and did nothing. Ahmadinejhad may have gambled on this operation as an object lesson for his neighbors. So what if the US sends two carrier groups to the Gulf? All the weaponry in the world is window dressing unless you have the will to use it.

Some have wondered why the United States isn't mentioned in prophecy. Perhaps we are seeing the beginning of an answer.

Scott's Blog 3/22/07

A Believer Among The Idols?

There are many questions that are running through the minds of American Idol Fans this season. Has the program become more mean spirited? Do Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell really despise each other, or is it all just an act? How does that guy who acts like Michael Jackson (without the talent) keep coming back?

But to these burning questions, I would like to add another 

(and no, it's not "Who cares?") -

Is American Idol any place for a believer in Jesus?

Believe it or not, one contestant who has made the final 10 is facing that very same issue.

`Idol' contestant's faith questioned

By MEG KINNARD, Associated Press Writer March 20, 2007 at 6:30 pm

Chris Sligh, the "American Idol" contestant who has won fans thanks to his curly mop of hair and soulful voice, has a few people concerned with his departure from strictly Christian music.

American Idol Season 6 Top 12 Contestants

But for most others in this city of 56,000 about 100 miles southwest of Charlotte, N.C., Sligh has become a hometown hero.

Jonathan Pait, a spokesman for fundamentalist Bob Jones University where Sligh attended for several years, said: "We really are somewhat disappointed with the direction he has gone musically."

He nonetheless tunes in each week to monitor Sligh's progress.

Local fans _ some wearing fake glasses and curly wigs and calling themselves the "Fro Patro" _ gather each week at restaurants and bars to cheer Sligh on. The local newspaper has been tracking his progress on its Web site.

Sligh, a 28-year-old son of missionaries who spent much of his childhood overseas, kept his spot among the 11 remaining finalists last week with a rendition of "Endless Love." He'll try to improve on that performance, deemed "unemotional" and "uninspiring" by judge Simon Cowell, this week. The show will announce results Wednesday evening.

People who know Sligh well say that he may be singing rock 'n' roll on television, but he's always clear about the faith that motivates his music.

"He's not going to back away from the fact that he's a Christian," said Chris Surratt, pastor of Seacoast Church, where Sligh has been music leader for more than two years. "He's going to let that shine through in what he does."

Hundreds of people gather each week to hear Sligh's music at Seacoast, where his electric guitar and vocals have become an integral part of services, Surratt said.

Support for Sligh also is strong at North Greenville University, the small Baptist school he attended for several years after leaving Bob Jones in the late 1990s.

Cheryl Greene, the professor who helped Sligh hone his vocal talents, said just because Sligh may not be singing strictly Christian-themed songs shouldn't reflect on the depth of his faith.

"It would be like me being in a jazz band," Greene said. "You can be a Christian or non-Christian. It's a style of music."

But Greene said she still has worries over Sligh's long-term spiritual journey.

"Is he going to stand strong by his true Christian morals?" Greene said. "Christianity is a lifestyle ... and there are things in your life that you do need to stand for."

John Jeter, the owner of a Greenville nightclub where Sligh has performed with his band, said Sligh's wholesome attitude and his faith come through in his music.

"It speaks well to the fact that it's not all blood, guts and trash," said Jeter. "Music doesn't have to be filthy. You can have a good time in a good environment, and Chris is proof of that."

The controversy here reminds me of a conversation I had with a very talented Christian friend who is in the music business. She told me that one of the most important questions believing artists face is how to define Christian music. "Is it music about our faith, or is it music done by people who share our faith?"

Chris Sligh seems to have forced the issue. There is no doubt that he has taken some risks to be true to his convictions. Choosing to sing DC Talk's"Wanna be Loved" was considered a potentially contest ending move, but he remains in the top 10. 

There is little chance we will be singing "Endless Love" in church this Sunday, either. Chris Sligh evidently believes that a Christian singer is a believer in Christ who sings both spiritual and secular songs.

So can a Christian be a part of something like American Idol?

When facing this issue there appears to be two equal and opposite errors we can make. One is to assume that the number one priority of the Christian life is to avoid as much contact with non believers as possible. This "duck and cover" school of Christianity will guarantee you may never hear a discouraging word about your faith, but it will also effectively insulate you from any chance to be salt and light in this world. 

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)

From Daniel serving in the governments of Babylon and Persia, to Paul's greetings from the believers who served in Caesar's palace (Philippians 4:22), there is no doubt that believers have found themselves in some thoroughly secular places down through time. 

With common sense limitations, it seems that the real issue isn't so much where Christians find themselves, but who they are in the circumstances. 

But in this commendable call to impact the world for Christ there is also a danger.

Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. (I Peter 2:12)

Notice that Peter says we have to keep our spiritual guard up when we find ourselves in secular situations. I can think of no avenue more fraught with peril than that chosen by Chris Sligh. 

It doesn't take much digging to find case study after case study of people who wanted to be shining lights for Christ who didn't change the world but instead were changed by it.

The bottom line is God can use us virtually anywhere as long as it doesn't require shelving Scriptural standards to be there. 

God has opened the door for Chris Sligh to be in an incredibly prominent, and now controversial position. His conduct and character will be scrutinized on a level few of us will ever experience. Let's pray that this moonlighting worship leader will stand strong in the love and truth of Christ in these extraordinary circumstances.

Scott's Blog 3/21/07

Thanks For the Memories?

It sounds like a premise for an episode of the Twilight Zone. 

Presented for your approval - a scientific breakthrough. A simple blue pill that will erase every trace of the most painful and traumatic memories of our lives. All our regrets and fears wiped clean from our consciousness.

Rod Serling might ask us, "If you could take this pill, would you take this pill?"

Rod Serling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Believe it or not, this choice may not be one waiting on the other side of the door we "open with the key of imagination". It may be waiting for us in a doctor's office soon.

Erasing The Pain of the Past

 

March 20, 2007 — 

"I'd take it in a second," said Sgt. Michael Walcott, an Iraq War veteran, referring to an experimental drug with the potential to target and erase traumatic memories.

Walcott, who served in a Balad-based transportation unit that regularly took mortar fire, now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Since returning to the United States two years ago, he has been on antidepressants and in group therapy as he tries to put his life back together and heal from the psychological scars of war. "There are moments," he said, "when you just want be alone and don't want to deal with everyone telling you that you've changed."

There are many others like Walcott. The Army estimates that one in eight soldiers returning home from Iraq suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Symptoms of the disorder, once known as shell shock, include flashbacks, nightmares, feelings of detachment, irritability, trouble concentrating and sleeplessness.

Much about why painful memories come back to haunt soldiers and those who live through other traumatic experiences remains unknown. Scientists say that is because little is known about how the brain stores and recalls memories.

But in their early efforts to understand the way in which short-term memories become long-term memories, researchers have discovered that certain drugs can interrupt that process. Those same drugs, they believe, can also be applied not just in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event — like a mortar attack, rape or car accident — but years later, when an individual is still haunted by memories of event.

The hope is that a post-traumatic stress disorder patient can work with a psychiatrist and focus a traumatic event, take one of these drugs and then slowly forget that event. With that hope, however, comes a series of ethical concerns. What makes up our personalities — the essence of who we are as individuals — if not the collected memories of our experiences?

There is no doubt we all have experiences that we would just as soon forget. And this doesn't just apply to traumatic events where we happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. We also carry the baggage of our own bad decisions and their oftentimes unanticipated consequences. It has been said that the person who looks at their life and says, "No regrets!" is either a sociopath, suffers from amnesia, or is just not paying attention.   

But even in Christian circles the idea of dealing with painful memories is a tricky one. There are those who encourage believers to imagine Jesus entering into their most painful moments to take the trauma away. Others tell us to ignore the past in the name of "forgetting what is behind". 

So how does God want us to deal with our memories? Do we reinvent our past, or ignore it? 

The problem with inviting Jesus into our memories in some exercise of guided imagery is one of honesty and reality. When through a sanctified exercise in wishful thinking we change how our past went down, we run the risk of putting words into Jesus' mouth. How do we know the soothing words of the therapist are really what the Lord would say in the circumstance? 

Secondly, just because we imagine our past in a different way doesn't change the objective reality of what actually occurred. The so called "healing of the memories" movement has run into real trouble with problems like False Memory Syndrome, where a guided trip into the imagination makes people more angry, hurt and even delusional about their past.

There are those who react to such excesses by boldly stating that a real Christian has no business looking into their past. They quote the Apostle Paul, 

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

The problem with this view? The things Paul wanted to forget weren't areas of pain, but pride. 

For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,  though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ  and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,  if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:3-11)

The context here isn't about denying personal pain ever existed. Rather Paul was forgetting all the spiritual resume items he used as a basis of righteousness before God. 

So if we aren't to reject our past, or reinvent  it, what are we to do with it?

How about redeem it?

A classic example of this is found in one of the most painful memories Paul carried with him from his days before Christ.

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. (I Timothy 1:12-17)

If there was ever any man who would have given anything to change or simply ignore his past it was Paul. As a believer there were undoubtedly times when he met other Christians who had suffered by his hand when he was Saul of Tarsus, a man who lived and breathed to destroy the faith.

If we were in Paul's sandals we could easily imagine living each day trying to keep such guilt producing flash backs at bay. But instead with a remarkable sense of honesty, Paul brought his past before the Lord and essentially said, "Please use it."

There are episodes of life that we carry with us that are almost crushing in their weight on our souls. But when I encounter another believer who is struggling in the same way, and am able to say, "You know what? I've gone through the same thing. Here is what God has taught me. Here is how Jesus has helped me."- there is power in those words.

There have been times in my life where I have tasted despair. There are times when I am genuinely afraid I may have to visit similar circumstances again. But when I remember how the Lord has been faithful to me, and how He gave me greater compassion for the hurting while I was there, I thank God I haven't forgot those times. 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. (II Corinthians 1:3-5)

If you could take a pill and forget the pain of your life, would you do it?

And in the process forget the faithfulness of God?

And in the process forget how to empathize with others who hurt?

And in the process forget the insights into the Word you can only find in the Valley of Tears? (see Psalm 84)

Would you take that pill?

Scott's Blog 3/20/07

Zeal Behind the Wheel 

Have you ever found yourself thinking, "If only people would drive like me, then we'd really be getting some place!"?

Me too.

I've got to admit it, more than once I have questioned where the people I share the roads with got their drivers licenses. 

Especially people who drive under the speed limit in the left lane. Or feel the perfect place for multi tasking (executing the trifecta of shaving, rapping on the cell phone and reading the newspaper) is when they are piloting a three ton metallic projectile at 80 miles per hour. Or the unique Tucson phenomenon of feeling a need to come to a complete stop in the highway before facing the ultimate challenge of making a right turn.

Aaaargh!!!

After a tough day it's easy to let someone else's driving habits become the straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back. Annoyance turns to frustration. Frustration turns to anger. Anger makes us forget we have that Christian fish on the rear bumper.

So we flick the lights. Honk the horn. Pull up along side and give that person (who had the nerve to be driving on public streets when I have somewhere to be five minutes ago) a double barrel of concentrated stink eye.

Let's face it, nothing can cause us to lose our sanctification more than a good old fashioned traffic jam.

But before you decide to see if some well timed tail gating can motivate that slow poke to travel faster than the speed of mule, consider this story from the Detroit Free Press.

Fear blamed in I-94 rage

The Dodge Ram weaved closely behind her, following her from lane to lane.

Bernadette Houghton Headd -- who was enduring stress from caring for sick loved ones -- was convinced she would be run off the highway.

And she snapped.

Police say that Headd pulled her 1993 Chevrolet Cavalier alongside the pickup as the two vehicles traveled down I-94 in Harrison Township last month.

She then grabbed the 9mm pistol she's been licensed to carry for nine years, pointed it out of the window and fired at the tires of the truck driven by a New Baltimore man, police say.

The 39-year-old Macomb Township woman is due in Macomb County Circuit Court at 1:30 p.m. today before Judge Diane Druzinski on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm from a motor vehicle and using a firearm during a felony.

She was arraigned on those charges Feb. 22 in 41-B District Court in Clinton Township, stemming from the road-rage incident the previous morning. Her case was bound over to the county court for a pretrial hearing and arraignment. If convicted, she faces up to six years in prison.

When she was arrested, she told police, "I'm tired of people tailgating me."

The thing that hits me most in this story of inappropriate anger management was my first reaction. 

"Yeah. I could see that happening."

Couldn't you?

And in a society where we have added the term "road rage" to our vocabulary, maybe God is trying to speak to us. And perhaps the message may hit closer to home than we'd like to think.

As in, "Does the work of the Holy Spirit in my heart get put on 'pause' when I get behind the wheel?"

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Could you imagine how different our morning commute would be if we took a moment and prayed, "Lord, please take the way I drive today as an opportunity to demonstrate Your power to change the way I live."?

Maybe I'd be less concerned with getting my way, and getting others out of my way. 

Maybe I'd take a moment to look at how life circumstances can make something as simple as a right turn a real challenge for people. 

Maybe I'd realize that person who is slowing me down didn't wake up this morning thinking, "Gee! How can I really bug Scott Richards today?"

Maybe I'd leave five minutes early so I wouldn't fall into the trap of thinking my car can be a time machine to get me back on schedule.

Maybe I'd be more concerned about showing people I love them by giving them a break, rather than showing them my brake lights.

Perhaps tomorrow's trip on the mean streets can be a chance not only to grow spiritually, but also just to grow up.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4)

I wonder if James might have written that while stuck in a Chariot-jam?

Scott's Blog 3/19/07

The Saint Patrick's Day Story You Won't Hear in a Bar

Truth, they say, is stranger than fiction. It is also much more powerful and compelling than myth. Consider the story you may have never heard concerning the man known as the patron saint of Ireland - Saint Patrick.

Apostle to the Irish

The Real Saint Patrick

By

Chuck Colson

If you ask people who Saint Patrick was, you're likely to hear that he was an Irishman who chased the snakes out of Ireland.

Enlarge this Image

It may surprise you to learn that the real Saint Patrick was not actually Irish—yet his robust faith changed the Emerald Isle forever.

Patrick was born in Roman Britain to a middle-class family in about A.D. 390. When Patrick was a teenager, marauding Irish raiders attacked his home. Patrick was captured, taken to Ireland, and sold to an Irish king, who put him to work as a shepherd.

In his excellent book, How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill describes the life Patrick lived. Cahill writes, "The work of such slave-shepherds was bitterly isolated, months at a time spent alone in the hills."

Patrick had been raised in a Christian home, but he didn't really believe in God. But now—hungry, lonely, frightened, and bitterly cold—Patrick began seeking out a relationship with his heavenly Father. As he wrote in his Confession, "I would pray constantly during the daylight hours" and "the love of God . . . surrounded me more and more."

Six years after his capture, God spoke to Patrick in a dream, saying, "Your hungers are rewarded. You are going home. Look—your ship is ready."

What a startling command! If he obeyed, Patrick would become a fugitive slave, constantly in danger of capture and punishment. But he did obey—and God protected him. The young slave walked nearly two hundred miles to the Irish coast. There he boarded a waiting ship and traveled back to Britain and his family.

But, as you might expect, Patrick was a different person now, and the restless young man could not settle back into his old life. Eventually, Patrick recognized that God was calling him to enter a monastery. In time, he was ordained as a priest, then as a bishop.

Finally—thirty years after God had led Patrick away from Ireland—He called him back to the Emerald Isle as a missionary.

The Irish of the fifth century were a pagan, violent, and barbaric people. Human sacrifice was commonplace. Patrick understood the danger and wrote: "I am ready to be murdered, betrayed, enslaved—whatever may come my way."

Cahill notes that Patrick's love for the Irish "shines through his writings . . . He [worried] constantly for his people, not just for their spiritual but for their physical welfare."

Through Patrick, God converted thousands. Cahill writes, "Only this former slave had the right instincts to impart to the Irish a New Story, one that made sense of all their old stories and brought them a peace they had never known before." Because of Patrick, a warrior people "lay down the swords of battle, flung away the knives of sacrifice, and cast away the chains of slavery."

As it is with many Christian holidays, Saint Patrick's Day has lost much of its original meaning. Instead of settling for parades, cardboard leprechauns, and "the wearing of the green," we ought to recover our Christian heritage, celebrate the great evangelist, and teach our kids about this Christian hero.

Saint Patrick didn't chase the snakes out of Ireland, as many believe. Instead, the Lord used him to bring into Ireland a sturdy faith in the one true God—and to forever transform the Irish people.

Have you noticed that we have a funny tendency to shroud the most spiritually compelling stories of history in myth and traditions that have little or nothing to do with the greater truths the tell?

Truth - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Myth - Ho! Ho! Ho!

Truth - "So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” (Luke 24:33)

Myth - Here comes Peter Cotton Tail!

I am convinced that one of the most effective forms of evangelism is telling people the straight story of what God has done in history. When tradition, myth and commercialism is stripped away, and we simply let God's Word speak for itself there is incredible impact.

We discover that we don't need to make God's Word "more relevant to our culture", we simply need to make the message plain and accessible in those situations where God allows us to share.

Like Patrick, we need to share the one story that makes sense of all the other old stories we hear in our day.

Scott's Blog 3/16/07

Lord of All, or Not at All?

Have you ever noticed that certain statements sound good in a sermon, but have a tougher time when exposed to the light of real life? 

One such slogan, often shared with the best of intentions, goes something like this - "If Jesus isn't Lord of all, he's not Lord at all!" This call to absolute and total commitment to Christ is pretty familiar stuff for most of us. It is a message that has been shared by people with impeccable spiritual credentials.

TORONTO – American evangelist Franklin Graham boldly preached about the cost of calling oneself a follower of Jesus Christ and the absolute obedience God expects from His people on the closing night of MissionFest Toronto.

(Photo: The Christian Post)

 

 

The son of Billy Graham – renowned preacher and one of the most admired people of the 20th century – began his message proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the only way to God and that God loves man and sent Jesus to die on the cross for the salvation of humanity.

However, the message was not focused on love, grace and the pleasant aspects of Christianity, but on the cost and sacrifices that everyone who calls himself a follower of Jesus Christ must be willing to accept.

Using the acronym C.E.O. – standing for cost, excuse, and obedience – Graham presented the requirements for a mature Christian life.

Graham’s message centered around several passages in Luke beginning with chapter 14 where Jesus said to His followers that they must hate their father, mother, wife, children and life to be called His disciple

“Now this does not mean hate your mother,” explained Graham, “But you have to be willing to put Christ before your mother, over your children and your wife.

“There is a cost in following the Lord Jesus Christ,” the evangelist emphasized. “You see, you have to be willing to give it all up. You got to be willing to turn your back on everything to follow Him. He has to be Lord of your whole life – every bit of it … He has to come in first – not second place, not third place but He has to come in first.”

Graham pointed to characters in the Bible that said they wanted to follow Jesus but failed because they were not willing to give up everything. Examples included the young rich man who was not willing to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor and the man who turned away when Jesus said the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.

The president of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association next spoke on “E” or the excuses that people make why they cannot follow Jesus.

“Is Jesus being insensitive when He said to a man follow me and let the dead bury the dead?” questioned Graham.

“This is not what this is all about,” explained Graham, recalling that the man said he will follow Jesus after his father dies and he has fulfilled his responsibilities.

“I need to stay at home and run the farm. I need to pick the olives or take care of the fig trees … but you can count on me as soon as my father dies,” said Graham.

“It was an excuse … Jesus doesn’t want an excuse, OK?” said the preacher with a straight-forward attitude. “He wants you to follow Him. And when He calls you, He wants you now, not later.”

Graham’s last point was on absolute obedience and the blessings that result when one obeys the Word of God. To illustrate obedience, Graham used the story of Peter letting down his nets where Jesus told him and catching so many fishes that the nets broke and the boats began to sink.

“A life of obedience leads to blessing and when you obey you realize that it is not about you but it is all about God,” said Graham. “Peter recognized this and fell to the ground.”

The evangelist also highlighted that Jesus did not want the “smelly fish” or the money they could earn by selling the fishes. Instead, Jesus wanted Peter to follow Him and to turn their backs on their life of catching fish to learn how to be fishers of men.

“There is a cost and what is that cost? It is everything,” concluded Graham. “Are you willing to pay that price to follow Him and be used by Him?”

There is no doubt that commitment is a vital component of every Christian's walk with the Lord. But let's take a moment to ask a crucial question - Is total surrender of life - "every bit of it" - necessary before we can be saved in the first place? Is this level of commitment a prerequisite or a product of a genuine saving relationship with God?

Consider the experience of Simon Peter. If we had the chance to ask Peter if Jesus was "Lord of all" in his life the evening of the Last Supper there is no doubt what he would say. Yet Jesus knew that Peter was in danger of writing checks with his mouth that his life couldn't cash.

And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”
Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me." (Luke 22:31-34)

The rest is, as they say, history. Peter's commitment to Christ crumbled in crisis.

But in Jesus' warning, we also find a word of encouragement - "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail."

Now denying the Lord three times is hardly indicative of an "every bit of it" level of commitment. 

But notice the commitment of Jesus to his emotion driven disciple. The Lord was going to continue to pray and work with the heart of Peter until he would become all God intended him to be. It wasn't Peter's commitment to Christ that made the difference. It was Christ's commitment to Peter that eventually would transform his life.

Sometimes exasperated pastoral types, tired of seeing people failing to walk their talk, take a good whack at spiritual apathy by trying to raise the bar of admission to the Christian life. But while the call to total commitment sounds dramatic, it fails to take into account that other Biblical truth so often heard at Billy Graham Crusades -

Just as I am, without one plea

But that Thy blood was shed for me

And that Thou biddest me come to Thee

O Lamb of God I come. I come.

Once we are saved, God begins a work of transforming us into the image and likeness of His Son. If we are honest, it can be a three steps forward, two steps back experience. But what God starts, He always finishes.

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6)

We need to be careful that the truth of Scripture isn't eclipsed by a nice sounding slogan. If becoming a Christian requires total surrender of our hearts, we are all in trouble. None of us can honestly say that we have made Jesus Lord over every bit of our lives. But the more we experience His love, the more we will love Him. The more we see how committed He is to us, the greater our level of commitment will grow. 

We can rejoice that God Who knows the heart, Who knows how to work on even tough cases like Simon Peter (and you and me), invites us to the process of becoming like Jesus. 

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. (I Thessalonians 5:23-24)

Scott's Blog 3/15/07

The Bumble Bee Church

If you want to get a Christian leader's attention these days use two simple words.

Not "Second Coming".

Not "Holy Spirit".

Not even "Jesus Christ"

The two magical words? "Church Growth".

Let's face it, it is always more exciting to be a part of a thriving fellowship than one that is on the wane. And when ministries start seeing more and more attenders showing up disguised as empty seats, it's only natural to start seeking ways to reverse the trend.

And believe me, there is no shortage of experts out there ready to help with "time tested techniques".

Study: 10 Factors for Church Plant Success

A new study measured what characteristics vibrant, growing church plants share and listed 10 factors contributing to high attendance.

The study was conducted on over 1,000 churches from 12 denominations and networks by the Center for Missional Research, a division of the North American Mission Board. The following 10 common factors, based on the combined four-year mean attendance of church plants, proved to be the best predictors for higher worship attendance.

Location is one significant factor. Church plants that start in school facilities show a distinct advantage in term of visibility, parking and low costs. In the longer term, churches that meet in movie theaters also exhibit higher attendance.

Second, the ministry factor. Reaching children is one effective way to reach families, according to the report. Special children's events along with outreaches around holidays and other opportunities attract crowds and help churches sustain attendance.

A third way to build attendance is to promote the church. Church plants with high attendance have mail invitations to services, programs and events and keep community awareness high.

Training new members is also key. Successful church plants not only provide training but also communicated clearly that the new members participate and find a place to serve.

On top of training, new members are also required to sign a church covenant. The covenant is a sign that new members take their commitment to the church seriously.

Church plants with vibrant attendance are also very intentional about financial stewardship. They receive financial compensation as well as health insurance, allowing them to focus on the church's growth and not their own basic needs.

Seventh, the staff factor. Church plants that have assessed staff for their suitability and have multiple staff from the start. The most successful church plants do not start out under-staffed, the study reported. And their planters are full-time.

Successful church plants do not just focus on their own church needs. Instead, they start at least one church within three years of their own plant. The study indicated that those who are sent out to start a new church are replaced and more are even added.

In addition to focusing on missions, building leadership is crucial to church plant growth. Church plants with higher attendance conduct leadership training, build their leadership base and delegate leadership roles to church members on an ongoing basis.

Tenth, the achievement factor. Church planters have a vision of what God wants to do and remain focused on accomplishing that. Thus, they achieve greater results and find greater satisfaction, according to the study.

The Center for Missional Research noted that these 10 factors would most likely lead to both numerical and spiritual growth.

The latest study is part three in a four-part series of studies on church plants. Other studies revealed a 68 percent survivability rate among church plants after four years and an increasing number of baptisms to 14 by the fourth year.

As I read through this article I wasn't struck so much by what it had to say, as much as what it didn't.

The words "prayer", "love" and "God's Word" were conspicuous by their absence. In fact, with a few minor adjustments, the same approaches could be used to develop membership at the local Kiwanis Club. 

I have always wondered if those who follow the "time tested techniques", and see their churches grow ever wake up in the middle of the night wondering if this was a work of God, or just the hand of man?

I will never forget an encounter I had while serving on staff at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, California. Two Japanese sociologists studying American churches wanted to know why this "little country church on the edge of town" had over 40,000 people who called it home. Was it small groups? Was it marketing techniques? Was it the emphasis on media? Was it well oiled machine organization?

Nope.

I told them this was a "Bumble Bee Church"

One of the sociologists translated this to the other. They both stared at me blankly. The English speaker then said, "What do you mean, 'Bumble Bee Church'?"

I smiled and replied, "When I took biology, my teacher gave a lecture on the bumble bee. It's body is too big for it's wings. By all accounts, it shouldn't be able to fly. But nobody told the bumble bee. In the same way, I can't tell you why this church has grown so phenomenally. Pastor Chuck teaches the Bible verse by verse. We pray. We are encouraged to love one another. But there is no real explanation for this apart from a work of God. We are a Bumble Bee Church."

"Ahhh!", the nodded, " Bumble Bee church!"

Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with applying common sense approaches in the work of the Lord. But let's never forget that what we are about is His work. My "five year plan" for our fellowship is that five years from now people will look at us and say "That church is a miracle."

A Bumble Bee Church.

We wouldn't be the first.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

Scott's Blog 3/14/07

Where Is The Promise of His Coming?

"The rapture is a racket!"

Now where would we expect to hear such a harsh and intolerant statement?

A) The annual conference of the ACLU?

B) The annual conference of the American Atheists?

C) The annual conference of a mainstream Christian denomination?

If you chose "C", congratulations! You have sadly hit the nail on the head.

Moderate Christians fight rapture with Sunday school

Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:06pm ET

By Andrea Hopkins

CINCINNATI (Reuters) - Real estate agent Dave Eschenbach is an active member of his church, but he feels uncomfortable around a sizable portion of U.S. Christians -- those who believe they could be transported to heaven at any moment.

Several years ago, Eschenbach had a boss who scheduled meetings around the rapture, the term for an event that around 20 percent of U.S. Christians believe is imminent.

"One day he announced to the employees that they probably wouldn't be there next week because of the rapture," Eschenbach said of his former boss. "His church had decided that the rapture would happen that week."

The belief has been fueled by the bestselling "Left Behind" novels, which tell how Christian believers will soon be whisked to heaven -- leaving clothes, dental fillings and eye-glasses behind -- while others are left behind to fight the anti-Christ in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ.

Eschenbach is a member of Cincinnati's Episcopal Christ Church Cathedral, a mainstream Protestant church. When it hosted a Webcast of a New York conference on rapture theology, he and about 50 others signed up to participate.

Speakers at the conference, organized by the Episcopal Church's Trinity Institute, minced no words in their attempt to turn a tide that has swept much of middle America.

"The rapture is a racket," said Barbara Rossing, whose 2004 book, "The Rapture Exposed," criticizes rapture theology as unbiblical. 

Rossing, a Lutheran minister and teacher at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, said fiction that focuses on Armageddon -- the ultimate battle between good and evil that follows rapture -- is popular in the United States because it plays into American fear.

"The (Iraq) war isn't going well, there is great anxiety about oil, the economy, the sense that jobs are going overseas," Rossing said in an interview. "The specter of more events like Hurricane Katrina ... is terrifying."

'LIBERAL BRAINWASHING'

In Cincinnati, Rev. Canon Joanna Leiserson said members of her Episcopal congregation started asking about the rapture when "Left Behind" books, movies and games flooded onto the market.

Before the books, Leiserson said, mainstream Christians paid little attention to the Book of Revelation, the part of the Bible that mentions Armageddon.

"The mainstream churches haven't avoided (Revelation) as much as we just didn't think it was that big of a thing, until the fundamentalist churches started making a big production out of it," she said.

For Leiserson, Revelation is a story about Jesus confronting the evils of the Roman Empire. To help counter the rapture tide, she is developing a Sunday school curriculum to teach kids that Jesus loves everyone and would not leave anyone behind.

"We were asleep at the switch for too long, and fundamentalists rushed in to speak to this vacuum. Now we've got to reclaim it," said Rossing, the Lutheran minister.

Rossing called on fellow moderates to write their own novels about God's love -- though she admits that story might not sell as well as the violent plot of the "Left Behind" books, which have sold more than 43 million copies.

Tim LaHaye, co-author of the "Left Behind" series, said Americans like his books not because of the violence, but because they believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible.

"Surprisingly enough with all the liberal brainwashing they've got in public education, most people that claim to be Christians have a tendency to believe the Bible," LaHaye said in an interview.

Moderate Christians will never come up with a story that can compare, he said.

"They are just liberal, socialists, really, and they don't believe the Bible," LaHaye said. "What they probably will come up with is a plausible explanation from their liberal standpoint to satisfy their adherents that are reading our series and liked it. But it will be inferior because the story will be inferior."

The success of the graphic novels is just one indication of the strength of belief in rapture, Armageddon, and the subsequent second coming of Jesus Christ. A 2006 survey for the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found 79 percent of American Christians believe in the second coming, with 20 percent believing it will happen in their lifetime.

Skeptical Christians at the Cincinnati conference said they don't always know how to respond when confronted by those who swear the rapture is imminent.

"Because one of our goals is to be very tolerant, it is sometimes hard to go to the public. There is limited means to get the message out," said Shirley Wang.

Christian moderates also tend to view their fundamentalist cousins with an indulgent wink, more comfortable joking about the rapture than trying to change their minds.

Rossing said her students once left piles of clothes on their chairs to make her think they'd been raptured.

A popular bumper sticker reads "In case of Rapture, this car will be unmanned." Skeptics counter with an irreverent "Come the Rapture, can I have your car?"

What to make of this apparent backlash to the success of The Left Behind Series? A few thoughts.

In the headline, those who are antagonistic to the teaching of the imminent coming of Jesus for His people are called "moderates". When we see this term used in secular descriptions of Christianity, it invariably describes those who deny that the Bible is the Word of God. They may say that the Bible is "inspired", but certainly not in the way the word is used in II Timothy 3:16-17.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The word "all" (Greek - "pasa"), means "each and every one". Some who call themselves "moderates" will say the Bible contains God's Word, but is mixed together with human thoughts and ideas not to be taken seriously in our day. This point of view allows the "moderate" to pick and chose which verses of Scripture they like, and toss out those they might find offensive or convicting. 

The term "given by inspiration" (Greek "theopnuestos") means "God breathed". That is, each verse we find in our Bibles is just as much God's Word as if we were standing close enough to Him to not only hear Him speak, but to feel his breath as he pronounced the words.

If we have a "pick and chose" approach to the Bible, we may very well be able to edit out any troublesome passages that refer to the event that has come to be called the Rapture. As in:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (I Thessalonians 4:16-18)

What about our uncomfortable real estate agent whose boss schedules meetings around a projected date for the Rapture?

Quite frankly, I would be just as uncomfortable over this kind of teaching. Jesus clearly told us that the Rapture will be an event that no one will be able to anticipate.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." (Matthew 24:36)

In the original language the words "no one", literally mean "NO ONE"! When believers get caught up in bad teaching that ignores the obvious and sets up an incredibly elaborate scheme that determines a date for this event they inevitably walk away with egg on their faces and the well earned scorn of the world. (Remember "88 Reasons Why Jesus Must Return in 1988"?)

How about our seminary professor who considers the Rapture a response to the fears of people living in troubling times? I would think that a decent scholar would be objective enough to ask, "Could there be more to this teaching than a wave of emotionalism?"

You see whether I like the idea of Jesus returning suddenly to rescue His people from coming wrath, or whether that scares the living daylights out of me doesn't change a single verse of Scripture. The question that should be asked isn't,  "Does this doctrine cause authors to sell more books than I do?" Instead, a fair minded Christian scholar should ask, "Did Jesus in fact present this as something His people should look for?"

But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:37-44)

Finally, it is always amusing to see those who profess that their most important goal is to be tolerant break into fits of mockery laden sarcasm concerning the sincerely held beliefs of others.

Christian moderates also tend to view their fundamentalist cousins with an indulgent wink, more comfortable joking about the rapture than trying to change their minds.

Rossing said her students once left piles of clothes on their chairs to make her think they'd been raptured.

A popular bumper sticker reads "In case of Rapture, this car will be unmanned." Skeptics counter with an irreverent "Come the Rapture, can I have your car?"

Such spiritual snarkiness is uncomfortably reminiscent of another significant End Times prophecy.

Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." (II Peter 3:3-4)

Those who deny the authority and inerrancy of God's Word may very well find themselves "left behind". 

But at least they will be able to have their pick of nice used cars.

Scott's Blog 3/13/07

I've Got A Secret?

Let's face it, we all love a little "insider info". 

You know, the piece of information about a can't miss investment, that a friend's cousin's son's fraternity brother passed along as a favor. And since he has more money than he knows what to do with, well, here is your ticket to easy street.

I have found two undeniable truths about "insider info". It's usually not true, in which case everybody gets a crash course in Proverbs 10:2:

Ill-gotten gains do not profit, But righteousness delivers from death.

And if the insider info is true, someone ends up with a visit from the FBI and an all expenses paid vacation at the Gray Bar Hotel.

Take it to the bank, secret short cuts to getting what I want in life are an invitation to disappointment and despair. And this is never more true than in our spiritual lives.

Consider the latest slickly packaged version of "insider info" for the spiritually confused called "The Secret". Written by a former television producer from Australia named Rhonda Byrne, "The Secret" has sold 1.75 million copies in three months. The companion DVD has moved over 1.5 million units in the same time. 

What is "The Secret"?

The "secret" is the law of attraction, which holds that you create your own reality through your thoughts. You can, if you wish, take this figuratively, to mean that by changing your thoughts you can feel better about your situation in life. Or you can view it as a source of inspiration—that by believing you will succeed, you will perform better in the race or the test or your relationships.

But that's not what "The Secret" is saying. Its explicit claim is that you can manipulate objective physical reality—the numbers in a lottery drawing, the actions of other people who may not even know you exist—through your thoughts and feelings. In the words of "author and personal empowerment advocate" Lisa Nichols: "When you think of the things you want, and you focus on them with all of your intention, then the law of attraction will give you exactly what you want, every time." Every time! Byrne emphasizes that this is a law inherent in "the universe," an inexhaustible storehouse of goodies from which you can command whatever you desire from the comfort of your own living room by following three simple steps: Ask, Believe, Receive.

 

Upbeat Fan: Oprah has featured Byrne's project twice

In a dramatized interlude in the film, a young woman ogles a necklace in a window, and the next thing you know, it's around her neck. A child imagines himself with a new bike, and it appears outside his door. No need to do a lot of boring chores or get a newspaper route: the universe provides. Contrariwise, a worrywart who obsessively checks the locks on his bicycle returns to find it stolen; the law of attraction has called down on him just the predicament he hoped to avoid. A financial consultant reliably finds parking, just by visualizing an empty spot—which implies, by another law of the universe, the one about two objects occupying the same space, that he believes his thoughts can induce someone else to leave. Is this someone you'd trust with your investments?

It doesn't take long to see the moral and philosophical problems with "The Secret". Consider the age old question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" If you buy into Byrnes' world view,  you'd have to conclude the Tsunami victims in Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka were guilty of sending out the wrong vibrations. 

But where "The Secret" really gets dangerous is in its basic theology. Why ask God for things in prayer when by learning how to work the Universe on a quantum level, it will give you everything you want? As "The Secret" guest sage Dr. Joe Vitale sums it up:

"This is really fun. It's like having the Universe as your catalogue. You flip through it and say, `I'd like to have this experience and I'd like to have that product and I'd like to have a person like that.' It is You placing your order with the Universe. It's really that easy."

For all intents and purposes God is reduced to a cosmic vending machine Maker in the sky. The wisest among us have simply learned how to fit the right quarter in the slot.

And what of that God Who might have a different idea about what is really good for us in life? "The Secret" tells us we don't have to worry about Him any more.

"There is no blackboard in the sky on which God as written your purpose, your mission in life...your purpose is what you say it is. Your mission is the mission you give yourself. Your life will be what you create it as, and no will stand in judgment of it, now or ever." - Neale Donald Walsch

Somehow I get the feeling God disagrees with that assessment.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Although "The Secret" tries to lump Jesus in with the supposed wise possessors of this ultimate insider info on the Universe, it is clear that the Lord had a radically different view of dealing with His challenges in life.

Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:39-44)

There is no sign, not the slightest suggestion of Jesus asking for another look at the Celestial Sears Catalogue of Self Centered Satisfactions at that moment. Life wasn't about finding the closest parking spot. It was about laying down His life for His friends.

What to make of "The Secret"? 

Believe it or not "The Secret" may be mentioned in the Bible. But not in the place Rhonda Byrne might imagine.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;  and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (II Timothy 4:3-4)

Scott's Blog 3/12/07

Not Subtle But (Unfortunately) Effective

If someone asked you would you invest your spiritual future in the hands of a man who:

Teaches that there is really no such thing as sin.

Calls his youth group "the super race".

Claims to be Jesus Christ

And ..(here's a novel twist).. Boasts that he is the Antichrist (complete with a 666 tattoo)

would you take them up on the offer?

Most of us would respond, "Are you kidding?" 

But for the estimated hundreds of thousands of followers of Jose de Jesus, the answer is a resounding "Yes!"

Jesus Might Be Alive and Well In Houston

By JIM AVILA

March 6, 2007— A few weeks ago, in a tattoo parlor in the hip art deco district of Miami Beach, people were lining up to get "666" tattooed on their bodies, and then smiling through their pain. But these are not devil worshipers. They see themselves as devout followers of Jesus Christ. But the major difference that separates them from other Christians around the world is that the Jesus Christ they worship is alive and well — and living in the suburbs of Houston.

These people belong to a new movement devoted to a man who calls himself the Second Coming of Jesus, and also claims the title of Antichrist, which to him is the next incarnation of Jesus on earth, not an evil being. To show their devotion, some followers ink themselves with "666." One follower said, "I just want to make sure it's visible, that everyone knows my life belongs to the man." Another said, "I want everyone to know I'm one of the antichrists."

They and others like them are fervently devoted, some say fanatically, to a 60-year-old Puerto Rican whose legal name, to his pleasure, is Jose de Jesus, or "Jose of Jesus." He counts followers in more than 30 countries; some say they total more than a million. But where does this man, who claims to be God, live? Not where you might expect: He resides with his wife in a suburban community just outside Houston.

The Birth of 'Jesus'

When asked to explain who he is, de Jesus responds: "Jesus Christ, man, the second manifestation, the Second Coming of Christ." He acknowledges that "it bothers a lot of people" that he calls himself Jesus.

De Jesus' beginning was anything but grand. Born in Puerto Rico, de Jesus grew up poor, living in government housing. He stole for a living to pay for his teenage heroin addiction and admits to eight felony charges that put him behind bars for nine months.

Like many, de Jesus says he was born again in prison. From there he moved to the United States, where he became involved in church youth groups, and eventually a minister in Boston. But it was a vision, de Jesus says, that turned him from man of God to being God.

"The same spirit that was in Jesus of Nazareth, and the same spirit is in me. He came to me. He [integrated] with my person in 1973." de Jesus says this happened when two angels came to him in a vision, and while he admits there's no real way for him to prove that he's Christ, he says his followers aren't asking for proof.

"So you tell the millions of followers I have that … this guy is a liar. You know what are they going to say? Is that I prefer his lies than what religion gave me. I prefer, see because when they believe in what I teach, they activate angels in their life."

• Daniel Alvarez Doubts 'Second Coming'

'Jesus Drank Wine Because He Didn't Have Dewar's'

His followers do seem happy. They greet him with mariachi bands at airports and often collapse in tears when they see him preach. But when he speaks to them, it is without theatrics. No holy rolling, no healing — it's a pretty straightforward lesson in the fundamentals of what he believes. And it's an upbeat, no-fault, sin-free message. This self-proclaimed Jesus does not believe in sin, hell, the devil or damnation of any kind.

"Before the presence of God, there's no more sin," he says. And with no sin, de Jesus teaches his followers, there's no devil and no need for prayer, because after Jesus of Nazareth died and was resurrected, one can literally do no wrong in God's eyes.

De Jesus says things like murder and theft are crimes, but not sins, and that people are punished for these crimes on earth. "Heaven doesn't have anything to do with your behavior," he says.

And de Jesus practices what he preaches: He loves women and has been married twice. He smokes cigarettes and while enjoying a glass of scotch, he says, "Jesus drank wine because he didn't have Dewar's."

De Jesus doesn't mind that his ministry often gathers in the corner tavern. "Like my former, Jesus of Nazareth, he used to go to places like this and the religious people, they used to criticize him. … I'm just doing the same kind of thing."

But he does draw the line: no drugs, and he says no getting drunk.

'The Super Raza'

De Jesus has come a long way from Puerto Rico, and those rough times. Today his believers give money freely. And where does all the money go? Joane de Jesus, the daughter of the man called Jesus, is the official accountant for the ministry. She says, "What you see as luxuries are gifts that members have given him. They're just very grateful, and they want to give him gifts."

There are no rules in de Jesus' church. Anything goes when you follow "Jesus of Suburbia." But he is serious about being the Second Coming of Christ. And along with his followers, he also has many detractors. Some who think he's the devil incarnate and others who think he's just a charlatan and a con man. One of the things that makes him so hated, so controversial, is that he preaches the Catholic Church is evil, and his followers burn pictures of the pope and hold protests outside churches.

And what about the children who grow up in his movement believing that Jesus is alive and well? He calls them the "super raza" or the super race, because they are being brought up pure and with no stain of false religion on them.

The de Jesus ministry is growing, with big followings in Venezuela, Columbia, even Cuba, and the man who believes he is the Second Coming of Christ is now turning his attention to America.

"Miami is the bridge for all nations," he said. "That's where Hispanics are, and then eventually I'm going to find a lot of beautiful English-speaking people who will want to believe in me and I'm going to have millions of them."

I have to hand it to de Jesus - he  certainly doesn't go half way. If you are going to be a false prophet, you might as well shoot the moon.

But the most fascinating detail about this outrageous example of spiritual deception is how enthusiastically people buy into what this man is selling. In fact, de Jesus himself gives us a chillingly insightful reason for his success. 

"So you tell the millions of followers I have that … this guy is a liar. You know what are they going to say? Is that I prefer his lies than what religion gave me. I prefer, see because when they believe in what I teach, they activate angels in their life."

This is one of the most vivid illustrations of a prophetic reality that has always puzzled me. When the real Anti-Christ comes on the scene, how will he get people to follow him? Especially after all the best selling novels and movies that have given the world at least a basic understanding of what this ultimate manifestation of evil is all about? Who in their right mind would willingly take the mark of the Beast?

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.  The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,  and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (II Thessalonians 2:7-12)

CS Lewis once said that when a man ceases to believe in God, he doesn't believe in nothing, he believes in anything. When we turn from the truth of God's Word we set ourselves up for deception. The key to spiritual protection is to test every truth claim, every movement, every miracle according to the standard of the Bible.

Even the Anti-Christ himself will seem to get results when he comes on the scene. The love of the truth, not a man, a ministry or a seeming manifestation of the supernatural, is going to become more and more essential as the time of the Lord's return draws near.

Scott's Blog 3/9/07

The Kiss of Death

Question: How do you know when a coach is going to be fired?

Answer: When the general manager says, "We support our coach 100%!"

I am told that in the culture of organized crime there is a ceremony called "The Kiss of Death". Right before some unfortunate is going to get whacked, the mob boss will plant a big smack on the victim's cheek. Perhaps the tradition started with Judas Iscariot and his friendly way of throwing Jesus to the wolves.

If you have been a regular visitor to Scott's Blog, you know we have been covering the dust up concerning the James Cameron documentary, "The Tomb of Christ." In spite of the media hype surrounding this project, the scholarly world was less than impressed. 

Now it seems even The Discovery Channel is taking a not so subtle step away from this work that has, shall we say, run into a few problems.

March 8, 2007

Is Discovery Burying 'Lost Tomb'?

Net Pulls Repeat, Declines to Tout Ratings

By James Hibberd

Discovery Channel's controversial James Cameron-produced documentary "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" drew the largest audience for the network in more than a year on Sunday night, but the network has taken several recent steps to downplay the project.

Departing from normal procedures, the cable network didn't tout its big ratings win. The network also scheduled a last-minute special that harshly criticized its own documentary, and has yanked a planned repeat of "Tomb."

"This is not one where you necessarily beat the drum, from a business perspective," said David Leavy, executive VP of corporate communications at Discovery. "It's not necessarily about making money, or making ratings, or shouting from the highest office building. Sometimes having some maturity and perspective is more important than getting picked up in all the ratings highlights."

The documentary, executive produced by Oscar-winning "Titanic" director Mr. Cameron, claims to have found the family tomb of Jesus Christ, unearthed in Jerusalem. The findings include circumstantial evidence suggesting Christ and Mary Magdalene were a couple, and that they had a son named Judah.

Discovery formally announced the special last month and quickly incited a worldwide media frenzy, including stories in Time and Newsweek and links on the Drudge Report. But much of the coverage was highly skeptical of the documentary's findings. Prominent archaeologists disputed the program, while Christian groups criticized it for conflicting with the New Testament.

Although Mr. Leavy said the network stands by the documentary "100 percent," the company took several unusual steps in the wake of the controversy that could be seen as distancing itself from the content.

Last week, Discovery abruptly scheduled a panel debate to air after the documentary, moderated by Discovery newsman Ted Koppel. Discovery's announcement of the panel emphasized that Mr. Koppel "has no connection to the production of 'The Lost Tomb of Jesus'" and that "the panel will explore the filmmakers' profound assertions and challenge their assumptions and suggested conclusions."

When the panel discussion aired, guests criticized the documentary as "archaeo-porn" that played fast and loose with the facts.

The day after the March 4 airing, Discovery yanked a planned repeat of "Tomb" from its more hard-news-branded Discovery Times Channel.

When the Nielsen ratings revealed that "Tomb" averaged 4.1 million viewers - Discovery's largest audience since September 2005 - the network declined to put out a press release touting the numbers, as would be standard practice for a highly successful premiere. The second-season premiere of Discovery Channel's "Future Weapons," for instance, earned a media announcement for its audience of 2.5 million. A network representative, however, insisted Discovery was not trying to bury "Tomb."

No press release on the ratings was sent out, Mr. Leavy said, because of the show's subject matter. As for the yanked Discovery Times repeat, Mr. Leavy said that outlet wasn't the best venue to repeat the special.

The last record-setting Discovery Channel project also was about a sensitive subject, the9/11-themed "The Flight That Fought Back," yet Discovery issued a press release about its ratings.

The network still plans to air a previously scheduled "Tomb" repeat on its Spanish network on March 18, as well as an HD version on Discovery HD Theater on March 28.

"We are very proud of the program - we stand by it 100 percent," Mr. Leavy said.

Mr. Leavy said the network should be credited for airing a critical post-show panel.

"We added the Koppel panel once it was clear there was worldwide interest," he said. "Our responsibility is to give viewers all the information and let them decide. There is no way to ever prove this beyond a reasonable doubt."

Apparently even in the face of boffo ratings, The Discovery Channel has given James Cameron the classic "We stand by you 100%" send off.

Why?

I'm sure that on the one hand they don't want to slam the door on being an outlet for another Cameron production that can cause viewers to click on their channel. But on the other, I'm sure they don't want to be seen in the scholarly community as the number one purveyor of "archeo-porn".

Give it another repeat or two and hope it goes away.

But don't worry. In a world where people like Dan Brown and Ron Howard can make mega-bucks assaulting the character of Jesus and the trustworthiness of His Word with half baked pot boilers like The DaVinci Code, we can assume the next attack is already in production.

In days like these the advice of Simon Peter has never been more relevant.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. (I Peter 3:15)

Scott's Blog 3/8/07

When All Else Fails...

I will never forget my first flying lesson. 

A friend who grew up on a tributary of the Amazon in Peru invited me out to lunch. He told me to meet him at Tucson International Airport. When I arrived, he lead me over to a small Cessna airplane he had rented for the day. He told me we would be having lunch at a restaurant over at a small airfield outside of the city.

We took off and as we flew my friend told me about all the workings of the airplane. I nodded as he pointed out all the knobs and buttons and gauges and pedals, but I must confess I was more interested in the view than the lecture.

Then my friend turned to me and said, "Got all that?"

I politely responded, "Yeah, I think so."

He then smiled and said the most terrifying words I could ever imagine in that set of circumstances.

"Great! Take the wheel!"

And so my first flying lesson began.

After getting a handle on minor duties like keeping the plane level, my friend upped the ante.

"Ready to land this thing?"

I have to tell you, from that moment on, my friend had my undivided attention. Every detail about approach, air speed, and wind factors I treated as a matter of life and death - only because it was.

Since I am here writing this article, you may have guessed that we survived. My landing was as graceful as a "three bump" could possibly be, but as they say, "Any landing you walk away from is a good one."

I will never forget the adrenalin rush I experienced as I approached the runway at Ryan Field. But I also will never forget an important insight I gained that day - There is nothing like having your life on the line to get you to pay real attention to instructions!

The spiritual application is hard to miss. The Bible has been called God's Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. It is only by paying serious attention to the instructions our Pilot gives us that will ensure a soft landing in Heaven.

But do we really treat God's Word in that way?

New Book Claims that America is 'Religiously Illiterate'

America is one of the most religious countries in the world, but shamefully one of the most religiously illiterate places, a Boston University professor claims.

(Photo: Amazon.com)

'Religious Literacy,' by Stephen Prothero, tries to give America a basic knowledge in religion.

Stephen Prothero, writer of the new book Religious Literacy and chair of the Department of Religion at BU, notes that most Americans know little to nothing about religion, but states the importance of a basic knowledge in it.

He feels that it is so essential that he even promotes the teaching of religion in school, a controversial statement against the separation of church and state.

"We have a major civic problem on our hands,” explains the author on the Harper Collins website, the main company of the publisher of the book, HarperSanFrancisco.

Just as schools teach reading, writing, and arithmetic, Prothero thinks that religion ought to become the "fourth R" of American education.

According to the book, although 90 percent of people in the United States claim they are Christian, only a few know anything about religion.

Only 10 percent of American teenagers can name all five major world religions while 15 percent cannot name even one.

Prothero also notes that about two-thirds of Americans believe that the Bible holds the answers to all or most of life’s basic questions. Yet, only half of the adults in the country can name one of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and most Americans do not know the first book in the Bible (Genesis).

The professor told Newsweek that when he gave a “religious literacy” test to his college classes, almost everybody failed.

"Given a political environment where religion is increasingly important, it's increasingly important to know something about religion," he said in Newsweek.

To fix this problem, Prothero supports the teaching of religion in school. He shared with the magazine that if there is a requirement for science, why can’t there be a requirement for religion?

In his childhood, Prothero grew up as a Christian, but he noted in Newsweek that he is unsure of where his faith is, describing himself as a “confused Christian.”

I think there are two important points of application here. 

First, if we are going to make it home safely in the eternal sense, we must be getting our instructions from a reliable and tested source. Prothero describes himself as "a confused Christian", yet seems to indicate the cure for spiritual illiteracy is to have equally confused individuals teach our children about ultimate reality.

I seem to recall Jesus having something to say about this approach.

"And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." (Matthew 15:14)

Second, we must come to grips with how serious our situation is, and how important it is to follow God's instructions.

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life (I John 5:11-13)

Why did I trust my friend to lead me to a safe landing at Ryan Field? I figured anyone who learned to fly planes in and out of the Amazon River had to know what he was talking about.

In the same way, I figure the only One to be born of a virgin, live a perfect life, die, rise again in a verifiable moment of history and ascend bodily into Heaven has earned my confidence.

Have you read God's instructions for a safe Heavenly landing? Have you put your faith in the Pilot Who can lead you home? Do you understand just how serious an issue life, death and the afterlife really is?

Then read the instructions.

Seriously.

Scott's Blog 3/7/07

Whatever Happened To "The Tomb of Christ"?

When I was growing up near the beach in Southern California, one of my favorite diversions was a good day of body surfing. The secret of body surfing is being able to position yourself in just the right spot to catch the wave. Over time I learned to look on the outside of the break to spot a large swell, then swim like mad to the place where I anticipated it would crest. Sometimes the swell would build, peak, and provide a great "over the falls" experience. Sometimes the swell would just peter out.

If you asked me to describe the recent history of the James Cameron "documentary" film "The Tomb of Christ", I would have to use the metaphor of a failed wave to sum it up. 

On the outside, it looked like this was going to be a real shocker. DNA evidence that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene? Even Dan Brown's pot boiler novel The DaVinci Code couldn't produce that! Conclusive proof that Jesus didn't rise from the dead? That sort of claim might just upset a few spiritual apple carts!

The usual suspects in the mainstream media approached "The Tomb of Christ" with characteristic restraint. Meredith Viera of The Today Show calling it a "Wow! Story". For days we were breathlessly told that this film would change the way the world looks at Jesus. 

The swell seemed to be building.

But interestingly, this is where the internet began to kick in. Within hours of the announcement of this spiritual hit piece, both blog writers and on line versions of magazines were calling the so called "conclusive proof" into question.

Secular Scholars Back Christian 'Jesus Tomb' Arguments

WASHINGTON – Prominent non-Christian experts, using many of the same arguments as Christian scholars, have dismissed recent claims of the discovery of Jesus’ family tomb as a publicity stunt without scientific backing.

(Photo: AP / Kevin Frayer)

Israeli Antiquities Authority curator Debora Benami stands amongst dozens of ossuaries found over the years in the Holy Land,and that are featured in a film by Oscar-award winning director James Cameron, at a storage warehouse in Bet Shemesh, Israel, Tuesday, Feb 27, 2007.

Related
• Christian Theologians Reject Jesus Family Tomb Claims
• James Cameron, Jewish Archaeologist Claim Discovery of Remains of Jesus, Jesus' 'Son'
• Panel Defends Discovery of Alleged Jesus Family Tomb

In the new documentary, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” award-winning film makers James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici provide a seemingly compelling argument that ossuaries (boxes used to contain human bones) with inscriptions of “Jesus son of Joseph,” “Judah son of Jesus,” Mary Magdalene, and Matthew are part of the family tomb of Jesus Christ.

The film’s claims, if true, could challenge some Christians’ belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Yet leading secular archaeologists, without a religious motivation, are giving the same arguments as Christian scholars why the film’s claims are false.

One of the first heard arguments from the Christian arena was that the names etched on the ossuaries are extremely common place.

For example, the name Mary was the most popular female name during that time and place, while the name “Jesus” was popular in the first century and appeared in 98 other tombs and on 21 other ossuaries, according to Dr. Ben Witherington, New Testament professor at Asbury Theological Seminary.

A retired archaeology professor at the University of Arizona has also emphasized the commonness of the names found on the ossuaries as reason not to take the purported new discovery serious.

“I’ve know about these ossuaries for many years and so have many other archaeologists, and none of us thought it was much of a story,” said William G. Dever to The Washington Post, “and none of us thought it was much of a story, because these are rather common Jewish names from that period,” he said.

Dever has worked on ancient sites in Israel for 50 years and is regarded by many as the leader of biblical archaeology among U.S. scholars.

“It’s a publicity stunt, and it will make these guys very rich,” he added, “and it will upset millions of innocent people because they don’t know enough to separate fact from fiction.”

Another archaeologist – Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – questioned why Jesus, who is known to come from a poor family, would be found in a tomb for middle class and wealthy families.

Moreover, she noted that if for some reason his family could afford the tomb, his bones should be found in Nazareth not Jerusalem, according to the Washington Post.

What Magness found illogical about the Jesus tomb claim echoes what Dr. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said on CNN’s Larry King Live Monday night.

“You’re talking about a poor, peasant family from Nazareth with an ancestral heritage in Bethlehem,’ said Mohler. “There’s no logical reason why their bones should end up in a middle class tomb in Jerusalem.”

Magness also said the vast majority of archaeological scholars specializing in the time period have “flatly rejected” the idea that the tomb found in Talipot, Israel, could be Jesus’ family tomb.

“This whole case [for the tomb of Jesus] is flawed from beginning to end.”

Other arguments given by leading biblical scholars opposed to the film’s claims include that the earliest followers of Jesus did not call him “Jesus, son of Joseph” and the body of James, the brother of Jesus, was buried alone near the temple mount - making it highly unlikely that the tomb in the film is Jesus’ “family tomb.”

So the Discovery channel went ahead and aired the film on Sunday night. The response? 

Insert your own cricket chirping sound effect here.

The anticipated spiritual Tsunami had "swelled out".

What can we learn from this?

There is an old saying that goes like this, "The Word of God is an anvil that has worn out many hammers." 

James Cameron took his swing and came away with a predictable result. The evidence for the trustworthiness of the New Testament eye witness accounts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus have been substantiated. Despite having state of the art film making effects and taking dramatic license with "re-enacting" the alleged romance between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, the film was a dud. It promised much and delivered nothing remotely persuasive, let alone conclusive.

In fact, "The Tomb of Christ" may very well have ended up with the opposite effect its creators intended.

“In light of all the incredible number of problems with the recent claim that Jesus' grave has been found, the time-honored, multi-faceted evidence for the bodily resurrection of Jesus is more convincing than ever," said Dr. Gary Habermas, an expert on the resurrection of Jesus at Liberty University and author of The Case for the Resurrection, in a statement.

"Even the early opponents of the Christian message acknowledged that Jesus' tomb was empty. And the evidence for Jesus' bodily resurrection appearances has never been refuted."

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,  by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,  and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.  After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.  After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.  Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time." (I Corinthians 15:1-8)

Scott's Blog 3/6/07

The Puzzle of Progressive Revelation

One of the most confusing issues we face as we cruise through the Word is the seeming difference between the exacting demands of the Old Testament Law and the freedom of a grace based relationship with God we see in the New Testament. A question we recently received at Studio@Scottrichardslive.com provides not only an excellent example of this issue, but a real insight into how we can clear up the confusion!

Scott,

 I've had the opportunity to listen to your show a couple of nights a
 week for the last two months as I drive to a night class.  I think you
 have a lot of common sense insights that resonate as true from my
 understanding of scripture.

 Here's my question for you.  In Exodus 31, the commandment is given to
 honor the sabbath under penalty of death.  I am having a difficult time
 reconciling Jesus loose interpretation of the sabbath law with that law.
 Knowing what Exodus says about how serious keeping the sabbath is, I
 would probably take the side of the Pharisees if I were alive in Jesus'
 day.  Did the law change upon Jesus arrival in the flesh?  Please help
 me understand this.

 If possible, would you please reply by e-mail in case I miss your
 response on the air?

 Thanks,
 Jon
 

Thanks for the question. I appreciate you joining us as you head for your night class.

As to your question, it is crucial to understand that Jesus' teaching on the Sabbath (or any issue, for that matter) was and is authoratative. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount we are told
 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching;
for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes (Matthew 7:28-29)

The term "authority" is insightful in that when Jesus spoke concerning God's Word, He spoke as it's Author. We see this in the bold way He explained the true meaning of the Law in Matthew 5, with the seemingly audacious phrase, "You have heard that it was said...But I tell you."

Therefore Jesus' teaching on the Sabbath was not loose, but accurate. He never denied God's Law or contradicted it. But He did call into question the hard hearted interpretations of the Law that prevailed in the days of His ministry.

Yes, we do see some pretty hard core instructions and consequences concerning the keeping of the Sabbath in the Law of Moses. But we also see that mercy, honesty and compassion also had to come into the equation as these Laws were implemented.

For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
     And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6)

The bottom line is that Jesus taught on the Sabbath in light of not one or two favorite texts, but in harmony with the whole counsel of God's Word. A great example of this comprehensive, rather than selective approach is found in Mark chapter 2.

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”
And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:23-28)

Jesus never denied there was a place for the Sabbath (among the Jews of His day), They had simply lost sight of the purpose behind the commandment. Jesus forcefully and uncompromisingly demonstrated the proper practice as He, the Lord of the Sabbath, designed it to be.

Because of what Jesus has done, the Old Testament picture of the Sabbath, foreshadowing the spiritual rest we enter into as New Covenant believers, has been fulfilled. We are no longer under obligation to keep this command in an external and superficial way.

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. (Hebrews 4:9-10)

When we see how God revealed the purpose of the Sabbath in a progressive way, confusion clears up. It began as a strict practice among the Jewish people, but now has been revealed as a picture of the grace based relationship we now enjoy with the Lord.

Scott's Blog 3/5/07

Gog-like Behavior?

Last Monday we had the priviledge of hosting NY times Best selling author Joel Rosenberg on the SRL broadcast. Called "a modern day Nostradamus" for his uncanny knack for writing fictional novels that have an amazing way of presaging current events, Joel bases his work on the prophecies of the Last Days found in Scripture. In his latest book Epicenter one of the future headlines Joel details is the rise of a restored form of the Russian empire, driven by a powerful and ruthless new czar. 

Events that have taken place since our interview indicate that Joel's streak of staying one step ahead of history is in no danger of being broken.

Consider a sinister set of events that took place in Maryland last week. Foreign affairs expert Frank Gaffney reports.

Putin's back to the future By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. Monday, March 5, 2007

It is becoming increasingly dangerous to be a critic of Vladimir Putin, the elected dictator of Russia. That is, as KGB thugs like Putin used to say during the Soviet era, “no accident, comrade.”

The most recent authority on the subject of Putin’s increasingly ominous behavior at home and abroad to have met an unpleasant fate is Paul Joyal. He is an internationally renowned expert on the former Soviet Union who had the temerity last week to accuse the Russian government on the NBC TV program “Dateline” of murdering Alexander Litvinenko.

President Vladimir Putin speaks to servicemen and veterans during a meeting to mark the upcoming national holiday, the Defenders of Fatherland Day, in the Moscow Kremlin, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007. The U.S. national security adviser sought Thursday to ease Russian concerns about American intentions, saying he did not consider a fiery speech by Putin to have been a sign of confrontation, and reiterating reassurances about U.S. missile defense plans. At a security conference this month in Germany, Putin said the United States "has overstepped its national borders in every way" and is fostering a global arms race _ an unusually clear, comprehensive account of Kremlin complaints about U.S. conduct. (AP Photo/Sergei Chirikov, Pool)

Litvinenko was himself a former Soviet intelligence agent who worked with and then turned against Putin. He had blamed the Putin regime for killing another Putin critic, the courageous Russian journalist, Anna Politkovskaya, in Moscow last year. Litvinenko wound up dead in London from poisoning with an exotic, highly radioactive element called Polonium 210 widely believed to have come from Russia.

Of the Litvinenko murder, Joyal told “Dateline”: “A message has been communicated to anyone who wants to speak out against the Kremlin: ‘If you do, no matter who you are, where you are, we will find you, and we will silence you – in the most horrible way possible.’” His words appear to have been eerily prophetic.

On Thursday, two unidentified men attacked Joyal in the driveway of his home, in a way seemingly meant to send its own message: By shooting him once in the groin. Thanks to quick action by his wife, a nurse, he did not bleed to death on the spot and is recovering from his wound.

Joyal did not live in Moscow, or even some other foreign capital. His home is in Adelphi, Maryland, a quiet suburban community roughly 12 miles outside Washington, D.C.

The Kremlin’s apparent willingness brazenly now to strike at its foes wherever they may be is all too reminiscent of past, ruthless measures taken by Russian and Soviet rulers to crush internal and external dissent. Unfortunately, it is but one piece of the reprise Vladimir Putin seems to have in mind for his country.

For example, as he systematically consolidates absolute power in Russia, Putin is increasingly putting the squeeze on his country’s neighbors in what the Kremlin refers to as “the near abroad.” Also in his cross-hairs are nations as far away as Western Europe. Notably, he is using threats of disruptions in Russian energy supplies and, in some cases, actual cut-offs for strategic ends.

In addition, Putin is feverishly arming America’s actual or potential foes. Recent transactions have included: selling anti-aircraft weapons to Iran to defend its nuclear sites against U.S. or Israeli bombers; state-of-the-art missiles, planes, ships and other offensive hardware to China that are greatly enhancing its power-projection capabilities; and over 100,000 AK-47s to Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, the weapon of choice for his anti-American program of subversion throughout the hemisphere.

Revived Russia will play a key role in the last days. In fact God has some pointed words to say to a future 

Czar like leader of this nation called "Gog".

Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet;  Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.
 “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them.  After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely.  You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you." (Ezekiel 38:1-9)

Is Vlad Putin this prophecied leader of this Last Days coalition that will invade Israel? It is too soon to say with certainty. 

But the ruthlessness of this former KGB head, along with his strategic moves to shore up the very coalition predicted 2,500 years ago in Ezekiel certainly bears watching. 

Scott's Blog  3/2/07

And Now A Word from Our Creator..

The heavens declare the glory of God;
         And the firmament shows His handiwork.
  Day unto day utters speech,
         And night unto night reveals knowledge.
 There is no speech nor language
         Where their voice is not heard.
 Their line has gone out through all the earth,
         And their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)

If you want a whole new experience of the depth of these words, see the Cassini Photo Essay.

Thus says the LORD:


      “ Heaven is My throne,
      And earth is My footstool.
      Where is the house that you will build Me?
      And where is the place of My rest?
       For all those things My hand has made,
      And all those things exist,”
      Says the LORD.

      “ But on this one will I look:
      On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
      And who trembles at My word." (Isaiah 66:1-2)

Just think - We know the One Who made all this! Wow!

Scott's Blog  3/1/07

The Stage Is Being Set

One of the questions I am often asked on SRL concerns the signs of the times. People want to know what Biblical prediction is next on God's agenda. 

The simple answer is we are living in the time Jesus describes in Matthew 24:4-8

Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Jesus said  the kinds of spiritual, natural and political disasters He describes are "the beginning of sorrows". The word used by Jesus here can be translated "birth pains".  As birth pains increase in frequency and intensity as the big event draws near, so we can anticipate the same conditions in the world as the time of Christ's return draws near. 

Beyond this prediction, it is crucial to understand that there is no prophecy of Scripture that has to be fulfilled prior to Jesus' return to catch His people up in the clouds to be with Him forever.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Matthew 24:36-44)

The wise believer is the one who lives each day as if Jesus could come for us before the sun goes down. 

But it is also important to understand that God has given us a specific picture of events that will take place during the End Times. One of the most exciting and encouraging blessings God can give to us is an understanding of these major events. Although we can't be certain of the timing, Jesus told us, "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." (Luke 21:28)

One of the land mark predictions that believers need to watch for pertains to the re-establishment of the Jewish Temple on its historical site.

Our Monday interview guest, best selling author Joel Rosenberg has provided a head's up on this issue in the latest installment of his outstanding blog "Flash Traffic"

PRESENT DAY SANHEDRIN SEEKS TO REVIVE ANCIENT TEMPLE RITUALS

 

UPDATED: It's been nearly 2,000 years since Jews celebrated Passover at the Temple in Jerusalem, but that will change soon if a growing Orthodox Jewish movement in Israel has its way....."The present-day Sanhedrin Court decided Tuesday to purchase a herd of sheep for ritual sacrifice at the site of the Temple on the eve of Passover, conditions on the Temple Mount permitting," the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports this morning. "The modern Sanhedrin was established several years ago and is headed by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. It claims to be renewing the ancient Jewish high court, which existed until roughly 1600 years ago, and meets once a week. Professor Hillel Weiss, a member of the Sanhedrin, told Haaretz on Tuesday that the action, even if merely symbolic, is designed to demonstrate in a way that is obvious to all that the expectation of Temple rituals will resume is real, and not just talk.Several years ago, a number of members of the various Temple movements performed a symbolic sacrifice on Givat Hananya, which overlooks the Temple Mount from Jerusalem's Abu Tur neighborhood. During the ceremony, participants sacrificed a young goat that was donated by a resident of Tekoa. The participants also built a special two-meter tall oven, in accordance with halakha (Jewish law).The Passover sacrifice is considered a simple ceremony, relative to other works performed in the Temple."....numerous Biblical prophecies in the Old and New Testaments indicate a new Temple will be built in the "last days," suggesting such headlines have been foretold for centuries....several Orthodox Jewish groups in Israel are currently making preparations to build and outfit the Third Temple....some are developing detailed architectural plans for the structure, while others are creating the religious implements and clothing that would be used by Levitical priests to carry out sacrifices once the Temple is in place.....tensions over control of the Temple Mount are running high at the moment, with Palestinians rioting several weeks ago to keep Israelis from building a ramp so visitors can safely access the ancient holy site....for more information on similar recent preparations in Israel, see Chapter 13 of Epicenter -- "Future Headline: JEWS BUILD THIRD TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM."

UPDATE:

* 'Renew animal sacrifices on Mount' says radical rabbi

When we combine this passion for a restored Temple with recent archeological findings that pin point its ancient location (See Scott's Blog 2/20/07), we see another key piece of the End Times puzzle beginning to come together. It is an exciting time to be a believer in Christ! Let's allow that excitement to motivate us to share the Good News of Jesus with those in our lives who need to know Him.

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