I Did Not Listen to Obama's Address and Here's Why...!

Obama gave an address, March 28th, in which he attempted to spell out the issue of our involvement in Libya. And remember, this is the man who gave speeches and adamantly opposed G. W. Bush's policy of going into Iraq for the purpose of removing S. Hussein from power. --- documentation on both these matters readily available on the Internet

President Obama gave an address on Monday evening, March 28, 2011, that was devoted to the issue of our involvement in the conflict presently taking place in Libya.

In the first place, I do not believe anything he says these days -- the one exception would be if he told me that the newspaper he is holding in his hand is white with black print -- that I would believe, but only after a close look with my own eyes to make sure he hadn't had it changed to black paper with white print!

In the second place, here is a man totally inexperienced to deal with the vast and critical responsibilities of the United States presidency.

What has he really done by way of preparation? There is absolutely no experience in the real work place by way of serious employment -- that is, holding down a job for a period of time in which one really has to work to make a living and to know how it is with the majority of U. S. citizens who sweat and labor to earn their bread, take care of their families, and provide a roof over their heads.

He has had absolutely no military experience whatsoever and has never known the discipline which starts with day one of basic training, nor really how the chain of command operates when one is in the military. Actually, I would pay money to see him go through Marine Corps boot camp, and if I had the choice, it would be conditions in boot camp at Parris Island when I went through during what was known as the Korean "Police Action" with drill instructors, such as ones I had, who were in the 1st Marine Division when they were surrounded by the Chinese in Korea and fought their way out!

Obama has had no real business experience and as some have observed, not even a slight taste of managing a McDonald's hamburger place! So much for understanding what business is about in a free market society -- or what used to be a free market society in light of growing government intrusion and control under the "leadership" (term used very loosely) of his administration.

What has he done? Well, he has a Harvard law degree and with the proliferation of trial lawyers and the deluge of their advertising to pressure us to sue someone, even if we can only come up with an ingrown toenail for which to blame someone and sue for "money that the law says is rightfully yours!" So the law degree thing is not all that impressive. And there are serious questions raised as to where he got all the money to get that Harvard education as well as attending college before he got that far -- one of many mysteries that surround this person.

And there were the "community organizing" stint and the sitting under the radical and anti-Biblical preaching of Jeremiah Wright for years that took place. And eventually the involvement in Chicago and Illinois politics with election to the legislature and later a seat in the U.S. senate. Politics in that part of our republic makes the traditional Philadelphia PA brand seem like pure honey by comparison!

There are at least 2 solid reasons why this man cannot be successful in his role as president. First, he is a staunch supporter of the practice of destroying unborn children by the thousands every week of the year. His record on past legislation and his statements bear solid witness of that fact. Second, he pressed for and eventually signed legislation lifting the ban on sodomites serving openly in the U.S. military. He is in obvious disagreement with God's view in these areas -- the sacredness of human life and the practice of sodomy being an abomination as God defines it!

Therefore, he is laboring without the blessing of God and such "leadership" results in a dark cloud hanging over our nation, which grows darker with the passing of each day. Barack Obama's counterpart lived centuries ago - a king by the name of Manasseh in the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah -- note this observation of the man: "Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD." (2 Kings 21:16).

Is there hope in such a dismal circumstance? Yes, but it remains to be seen just how God will work this out -- at this point the preponderance of evidence is pointing to a judgment taking place. If there should be full repentance on the part of all (citizens and leaders, political and church) then the nation would be healed and become stable and secure for the future.

The ultimate hope of course is in the return of Jesus Christ to this planet, taking control of all nations, and ruling in righteousness and truth, thus establishing peace all over the world. In part that hope involves the assurance that all the leaders of the nations of this world will be removed from their positions -- something great to look forward to, is it not? I liken it to a child on Christmas Eve looking forward with a sense of deep excitement and intense expectation -- at least, that is how I view this prospect!

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" --- Revelation 11:15

Is Hypocrisy a Possible in the White House Oval Office in Washington DC?

With American military forces poised for action, President Barack Obama said Saturday that the United States and its allies are prepared to act with urgency to end violence against civilians in Libya......"Our consensus was strong, and our resolve is clear. The people of Libya must be protected, and in the absence of an immediate end to the violence against civilians our coalition is prepared to act, and to act with urgency," Obama said in Brasilia, Brazil, on the first day of a three-country Latin American tour. --- AP news information on the internet

Barack Obama (D-Ill.) came out in opposition to the Iraq War at least as early as October 2, 2002, when he gave a speech against the war at an anti-war rally in Chicago. --- SourceWatch and Congresspedia

You have to go back a few years when the Iraq issue came to the forefront and President G. W. Bush was attempting to sell the idea that we just had to go in and take out Saddam Hussein. Details were given as to the reasons why this had to be done as soon as possible. I, for one, still wonder to this day whether or not Daddy Bush wasn't also urging his son to take such action in light of the fact that Daddy B. failed to do this when he had the opportunity to do so in an event known as Desert Storm! Maybe a conversation something like this took place -- "Son, I really fumbled the ball in Desert Storm by negotiating with Saddam's people under a tent out in the desert -- why don't you nail his hide to the wall?"

Anyway, we got involved in a conflict that has cost a lot of lives of our young folks and a lot of big bucks, with the end not yet. A runny-nosed, wet-behind-the-ears member of the Illinois legislature by the name of Barack Obama went on a crusade against the war in high profile fashion. In one of his speeches he asked questions of George Bush and his willingness to fight. One question asked was whether G.W. was willing to fight against our dependence upon foreign oil, which was one factor involved in the Iraq circumstance.

Now that he has been president for over two years it seems that President Obama hasn't done anything significant to set us free from our dependence upon foreign oil has he? If anything, we are in worse shape now in regard to the oil issue than ever, though we have access to great amounts of petroleum -- but what some call the "environmental wackos" have blocked that possibility rather effectively!

So now the Libyan crisis has erupted with the attempt by rebels to topple Gadhafi from power. But the man is waging war against the rebel forces. In the eyes of Barack Obama this man is evil and he treats his people badly and so he needs to go. Hmmmm -- wasn't that kind of thing also said about Saddam Hussein and the quality of his leadership in Iraq, but B.O. felt it was none of our business to interfere in the nation of Iraq and its affairs? He also made a big issue about the loss of American lives in the Iraq conflict. Doesn't seem to matter now if it should come to the point of losing any Americans as long as we get that bad man out of office and it doesn't matter about the cost -- what's a few more billions of dollars since we are up over our eyeballs in excess of 14 trillion dollars in debt?

So now, suddenly, we need to get Gadhafi removed from power! Do you sense anything here that is more than a tad hypocritical? But then with U.S. politicians at most any level, is that really anything new? And can this be simply another matter where the REAL reason is that Libya is sitting on a sizable puddle of oil? Just sort of thinking out loud on this!

Little do the leaders of the nations (including the United States) of the world realize they are walking down the very path which the Bible says they would -- wars, rumors of wars, accompanied by chaos of every conceivable kind. When you hear presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens, or two-bit dictators speak and act, just remember that they are demonstrating how to fail due to an unwillingness to submit to Almighty God's sovereign authority!

But there is good news for the future so far as the followers of Jesus Christ are concerned -- many statements in the Scriptures make reference to the future, but one which summarizes it so well is found in the book of the Revelation -- "Then the seventh angel sounded: and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'"

Sleep on that one tonight -- a bright future that will provide pleasant dreams!

Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us." He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion." --- Psalm 2:1-6

The Japan Quake a Big Thing? No, Just a Drop in The Bucket Compared to What's Coming!

They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. --- Isaiah 2:19

A big shake-up is coming and this one will make the Japanese 8.9 quake and subsequent tsunami seem like a minor bump in the road by comparison. And just Who is responsible for this shaking of the entire world at some time in the future? None other than the One Who created this world in the first place -- Almighty God!

There likely have been questions raised about the Japanese quake and where God fits into this picture, if at all. For a number, a hasty conclusion has likely been reached that there is no God existing, for if there were why did such a disaster as this take place, not to mention other similar disasters in the past resulting in incomprehensible loss of human lives and extensive property damage.

For a few, out of this world's 6 billion inhabitants, there is the reality that God does exist but also that this world is presently under a curse because of the initial rebellion of our original parents of long ago, Adam and Eve.

The curse allows for all manner of calamities to happen on a small personal scale as well as on a massive collective level wherein thousands if not millions are affected in a very negative way.

But also the earth is described as "aging" -- that is, it is growing old and God has revealed that a time will come when it will be totally renovated and made new according to His perfect plan.

And: "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail."--- Hebrews 1:10-12

Calamities, including earthquakes, are predicted to increase in frequency and in various places as the human race enters the final stages of history as it is now being played out.

The earth has a crust that is but a few miles in thickness -- some have likened it to a bowl of jelly being shaken and somewhere at any given time there is quivering taking place. It is not always a major catastrophic thing, but there is that quivering going on somewhere even as I write these words and later you read them!

As the human race has expanded in population through time so has the degree of wickedness increased greatly as well. The vast majority of the population is not Christian -- some want nothing to do with any religion of any kind -- millions upon millions have taken up with some false religion which refuses to acknowledge the central place of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who is Savior and Lord -- the One Who became human and sacrificed His life for the sins of every human being ever born into this world so that all could be forgiven and reconciled to God!

That massive shaking of the world slated for the future is the result of accumulated sin -- an "overload" that the world cannot bear nor survive!

God summarizes it in a simple statement:

The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away; the haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. --- Isaiah 24:4-6

Note the three things mentioned as contributing to all this chaos: transgression of the laws, the changing of the ordinance, and the breaking of the everlasting covenant. It amounts to total rejection of all that God was revealed and intentional defiance of His sovereign authority!

So since He made the earth originally, He is going to do a shake-up of the first magnitude and then some with the total earth affected in every corner!

Always, we humans are faced with choices -- the most critical choice any human will ever make is the one which determines whether he or she will come to God through His Son, Jesus, in a repentant spirit, or be defiant and refuse the offer of mercy and forgiveness. The evidence is growing each day with graphic demonstrations that the vast majority of this world's population is in the latter category and headed for a shake-up such as this world has never before experienced in its entire history!

Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants..... Fear and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall be that he who flees from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit, and he who comes up from the midst of the pit shall be caught in the snare; for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut; its transgression shall be heavy upon it, and it will fall, and not rise again. It shall come to pass in that day that the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth. --- Isaiah 24:1, 18-21

President Obama: An Expert on Majoring on the Minors!

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama waded into the politically treacherous gun control debate on Sunday, calling for reform of rules to prevent attacks like the one that wounded an Arizona congresswoman two months ago.

Obama, in an opinion piece published in the Arizona Daily Star, said some 2,000 people had perished from gun violence in the short time since a gunman in Tucson killed six people and shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in the head.

"Every single day, America is robbed of more futures. It has awful consequences for our society. And as a society, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to put a stop to it," he wrote. --- News release on the internet on March 13, 2011

It is nothing short of a tragedy that 2,000 people have been the victims of gun violence since the shooting spree which took place in Arizona a few weeks ago. The president is exploiting the incident and is pressing for controls to reduce the number of circumstances involving use of guns and loss of human life. Obama claims he supports the right of citizens to possess weapons as based on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. But does he really?

Anyway, his priority on the issue of guns can be legitimately questioned as well as his attempt to establish his case by quoting a statistic of the loss of 2,000 lives by shootings since the Arizona incident.

Let's begin with loss of lives due to alcohol usage -- drinking and driving causes over 25,000 deaths on the highways each year, but one figure released by the NHTSA was 43,443 for the year 2005. Total alcohol related deaths in a year's time is in the range of 100,000, which would include highway fatalities! If you do the math you are talking over 8,000 in a month or over 16,000 in the same amount of time that President Obama harps about 2,000 gun related deaths! Now is he doing anything to curb the use of alcohol so that this carnage will be reduced -- is he showing the same zeal as he is about the gun related deaths around the country? Maybe he is a little slack because he does like his beer as has been well documented! So don't hold your breath until he shows equal enthusiasm for alcohol "control" as he does for gun control.

Then let's consider the real "biggie" when it comes to violence and loss of human life which makes lives lost by gun violence fade quickly into a far away background. On average about 25,000 human lives are violently snuffed out each week in this country -- they are the unborn children whose "mothers" (term used very loosely) have chosen to have them murdered before they are born! The president wholeheartedly sanctions this United States' version of "holocaust" and vehemently opposes any effort to try to restrict the practice of destroying unborn children at any age.

No, in his vision (which struggles to even get to the end of his nose) the 2,000 lives lost as a result of gun usage is the priority thing -- loss of life as previously mentioned which totals a huge number in a year's time does not matter at all -- in fact, the total of unborn children destroyed comes to over a million in a year's time!

"Every single day, America is robbed of more futures. It has awful consequences for our society. And as a society, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to put a stop to it," says President Barack Obama. OK, how about we start with alcohol "control" and the ending of violent mutilation and murder of thousands of unborn children every week of the year? We all know the answer to that one, do we not?

As great as this tragedy is, the greater tragedy lies in the fact that this president and his supporters in the U. S. Congress are so blind and so ignorant that they fail to realize that Almighty God is going to make His response to this massive shedding of innocent blood -- certain things that have been happening may well indicate that the preliminaries have already begun!

"Lord God, raise up a leader for us who will be as dedicated and determined to do Your will as was Joshua in times long, long ago." (See Joshua 1 in the Old Testament of the Bible for a portrait as to what a leader of a nation should be).

Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD. --- 2 Kings 21:16

Killing the Goose That Lays the Golden Eggs 2011 Style!

A man and his wife had the good fortune to possess a goose which laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough, and, imagining the bird must be made of gold inside, they decided to kill it. Then, they thought, they could obtain the whole store of precious metal at once; however, upon cutting the goose open, they found its innards to be like that of any other goose. --- This story is attributed to the 6th century B.C. Greek, Aesop.

If ever a fable has come true in human experience, the goose that laid the golden eggs has done so in 2011 in the republic of the United States.

Almighty God in His sovereign grace raised up our republic over 234 years ago. The nation was blessed with growth and prosperity. But there were times of painful conflicts within as well against foreign enemies. By God's grace the nation survived and was victorious over external enemies through the years. The last decisive military victory for the United States was at the end of WW II. The sole condition for the enemies was unconditional surrender. It's never been the same since 1945 in spite of being involved in conflicts even at the present time. Unfortunately as politicians have meddled more and more in military affairs we now have "rules of engagement" and we have to make sure we greatly reduce "collateral damage." The day will probably come when our military people won't be allowed to load their weapons until bullets are whizzing over their heads and/or penetrating their bodies!

Alas, I digressed a bit -- now to continue -- other things were happening as the republic grew more prosperous and powerful. Conflicts broke out at times in the work place. There were grave injustices taking place and certain industries had a strangle hold on workers. The coal industry at one point became notorious for its "company stores" and payment to miners in script instead of real money -- in effect this economic strategy held the miners and their families hostage to the company for which they worked -- a unique brand of enslavement.

The organized union movement changed the landscape and leveled the playing field over decades of time. This was very good for a while as certain abuses by companies were addressed and corrected, BUT the pendulum has moved to the very opposite position of that in which companies and their owners had all the power and full control.

We have now come to the point of outrageous union abuse which is impacting the entire nation in a most horrendous way. Powerful unions with very short-sighted leadership not only believe they can dictate and receive unreasonable wages, benefits, and retirement wealth, but they also reserve the right to determine who should hold elective office -- somehow these people feel they are superior (maybe infected with the Obama spirit) and know what is best in each election. What they really want are not public servants in office but puppets who will move according the will of the unions as they pull and manipulate the strings! It's good to have your own personal slave in the U.S. Congress, is it not -- it will mean more money in your pocket!

The root of the problem in this is that most unholy combination existing in unregenerate human nature known as selfishness and greed. This is why professional lobbying and political action committees are proving to be such a malignant curse to our nation.

The dominant attitude is "I'm first and I want the biggest slice of the pie before anyone else gets their fingers into it."

When you get a number of powerful unions and various special interest groups operating full speed with that self-centered and greedy attitude, then you have a guarantee for unprecedented disaster taking place in the future. To put it simply -- the goose that lays the golden egg daily has been executed!

For decades the idea has been that there is an endless supply of money held by companies, school districts, local and state governments, and of course, the great "Sugar Daddy" of them all -- the federal government itself! And with that view in mind a myriad of groups were unrelenting in trying to get the most of that money for their respective members and as far as each was concerned, "Let the rest of the country go to that very hot place where snowballs cannot survive!"

The goose is dead -- give it the last rites - no more golden eggs! Or to make reference to a more authoritative Source -- God has revealed that from time to time He will bring judgment on the gods that a nation has forged for itself. He gave a very dramatic demonstration of this when He brought the ancient Israelites out of Egypt at around 1400 BC. Specifically the Scripture mentions that the "gods" of Egypt were judged by the true and living God of the Israelites -- quite a calamity at that time to say the least!

The LORD will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; people shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores of the nations. --- Zephaniah 2:11

And since money is a very influential and high profile "god" in the United States, it is simply a matter of time until the Creator of this mighty universe takes action and makes clear the fact that if money is your "god" you are in for a bitter disappointment of the first magnitude!

Stop and ponder a bit -- the federal government is trillions of dollars in debt -- state and local governments are for the most part deeply in debt and struggling with budgets that indicate the financial "well has run dry!" School districts which have had to contend with powerful teachers' unions and unreasonable demands also are in intense struggles over finances. The answer? Get more money! How? Raise the taxes! Ah, is that not what has been going on for years and years on a regular basis so that now the average worker has to labor for nearly 6 months of the year to pay all taxes at all levels, including those "hidden" taxes we hear nothing about?

Did you ever hear a song that was written some years ago titled, Yesterday When I Was Young and made popular by Roy Clark? Perhaps the powerful unions, lobbying groups, and special interest organizations should adopt that as their theme song -- we have now moved into the area where the final phrase of the song is becoming reality -- "The time has come for me to pay for yesterday when I was young!"

The goose is dead -- no more golden eggs!

They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; it shall never produce meal. If it should produce, aliens would swallow it up. --- Hosea 8:7

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. --- Galatians 6:7,8

Ready for Charlie Anonymous?

There are 12 Step programs for persons who are addicted to something -- we have Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, etc. Is it now time that a Charlie Anonymous be established for those who are addicted to Charlie Sheen and all his antics?

Charlie Sheen has dominated the news of late to the point of crowding out that guy in Libya -- whose name is Quadaffi, or Khadafi, or Khadafy, or Gadaffi or Quaddafi or (insert your favorite spelling). Such heavy weights as NBC's Today show and Fox News gave extensive amounts of time to this person whose life is in a very tragic unraveling stage! It is crystal clear that media people are mesmerized by this guy Charlie Sheen for some unexplained reason.

His antics get top billing in the world of mass media communications. He is reported to be the highest paid actor in television. But that is not enough for Charlie. He is demanding a 50 per cent pay hike for his work in "Two and a Half Men." Maybe the poor guy just can't make ends meet with a salary of 2 million dollars PER EPISODE -- he wants it upped to 3 million dollars for each episode!

Among other things he is a prime example of the truth that very few persons can handle wealth and power in a responsible way. You see this massively demonstrated in Washington DC and state capitols throughout our entire republic on a daily basis.

But what is really wrong here? It is the fact that Charlie is demonstrating that when you become self-centered and try to run your own life apart from the grace of God, you are going to foul up in many different ways. Every human is born into this world with an inclination to ignore God and live a life that focuses on the self.

Long ago a man, whom God called to warn his generation of impending judgment and destruction if there was not massive repentance on the part of the citizens and their leaders (political and religious), made a most accurate observation about the human race -- "O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps." (Jeremiah 10:23).

Charlie Sheen, because he is very high profile, is showing millions of people what a disaster your life can become when you ignore the calling and claims of Almighty God through Jesus Christ that is extended to every human being on the face of this planet.

There will be those who may come to his defense and in light of statements just made cry out, "Who are you to judge?" The fact is that I am not making a judgment as such but simply conveying what Jesus Christ, the absolute Authority on all matters pertaining to human behavior and relationships, has to say.

First, He said we would really know who people are by the kind of "fruit" they manifest in their lives -- see Matthew 7:17-20. Their speech, conduct, and relationships will clearly reveal as to whether their primary motive in life is to seek and do the will of God or whether it's the person who stares back at them in the bathroom mirror each morning that is calling all the shots day by day until one is buried in a cemetery!

Second, He said we are to be "light" and "salt" in this world if we faithfully follow Him. That simply means we convey the light of God's truth, the reality of salvation from sin through Jesus Christ, and as salt, resist all evil in whatever form it appears. Charlie has provided no evidence in either speech or in conduct that he desires to be "light" or "salt" in the advancement of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ! (See Matthew 5 about the salt and light responsibility).

Third, Jesus said that those who are faithfully following Him would experience hostility time after time in the world -- that is, hatred and violent acts under various circumstances, depending on where one is located. In some parts of the world there are places where Christians are violently attacked and even killed; others are beaten, tortured, and imprisoned. Here in the United States it hasn't reached that stage yet, but the hostility is growing in verbal attacks, court decisions, and certain negative reactions to the witness of Christianity. Charlie has provided no evidence that he has been on the receiving end of hostility because he is a follower of Jesus Christ.

Is there hope for Charlie? So long as he draws a breath and his heart continues to beat, there is that possibility that his eyes will be opened and by the grace of God he will see that his greatest need is to seek mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ, Who sacrificed His life on a Roman cross 2,000 years ago so that Charlie and all the members of the human race, including you and me, could be forgiven of all sin and be a part of Jesus' Kingdom forever and forever where there is no pain, no grief, and no trouble of any kind.

But in the meantime as the media prattles on about Charlie is it time to establish a Charlie Anonymous? Maybe you can be the one to start a chapter in your community!

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. --- Galatians 6:7,8

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. --- Romans 6:23