Benjamin Netanyahu a “chicken****” Prime Minister?

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. [Genesis 12:1-3 (KJV)].

A few days ago it was reported that a top official (no identification) in the Obama administration referred to Benjamin Netanyahu as a “chicken**** prime minister!” NOTE: the “****” are used in place of the vulgar term that was actually used!

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu became aware of this and did respond. However at this point in time there has been nothing to indicate any kind of an attempt to apologize and this character’s boss who happens to be the present resident of the White House in Washington DC has not done anything by way of dismissal, suspension, or even so much as a mild reprimand!

For the present administration as it moves further and further towards a hostile anti-Israeli position and a very cozy relationship with many Arab nations, it is going to be “Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!” one of these days as Almighty God steps in and interrupts human history by the implementation and completion of His plan for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!

Consider just a few of the dramatic changes which will take place concerning Israel and its world famous city, Jerusalem:

1. God’s intervention – conflict and then His rule established over all the earth --- Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. The remnant shall turn to the Lord. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. [Zechariah 14:1-17 (KJV)].

2. God’s personal return and establishing Jerusalem as a “city of truth” --- Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain. [Zechariah 8:1-3 (KJV)].

3. Peace, because now the Lord Jesus Christ is in charge and implements of war are recycled into implements for peaceful purposes --- The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. [Isaiah 2:1-4 (KJV)].

4. Radical change in attitude toward the Israelite people! --- Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time. [Isaiah 60:1-22 (KJV)].

At the present time hatred against Israel is increasing with very negative remarks made about the country, its people and its leaders. Ignorant people in the federal government of the United States have demonstrated this most recently!

The covenant which God established with Abraham is still in place though even within the ranks of professing Christianity one can find persons who deny this. I would rather be in the group that is blessed because I take the position of being in agreement with our Creator and His special plan for a people identified as Israelites than to be in disagreement and in that group which will be cursed – read again what God said and promised to Abraham!

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good. [Psalms 122:6-9 (KJV)].

How to Be Effectively Involved in Middle East Affairs!

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establishes, and till he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. [Isaiah 62:6-7 (KJV)].

We hear something every day about things happening in that part of the world known as the Middle East. The present resident of the White House in Washington DC makes his comments on a regular basis about what our republic is doing and how it will be involved as conflicts seem to be ever expanding in different locations. Other nations are getting involved also in one way or another now that ISIS has moved to the forefront and is considered to be a threat to world stability!

As noted in comments in another place, world leaders have yet to realize they are dealing with the most dedicated Muslims you will find anywhere in the entire world! The United States and Israel are certainly priority targets as ISIS seeks to purge the world of infidels and usher in a “purified” world where Islam is in full control of all nations. That means complete eradication of all infidels—all who are not Muslim by way of a practicing religious faith or who refuse to convert and become Muslim when given the choice! The holy book of Islam, the Quran, specifically directs that Muslims not take Christians and Jews for friends. The reason is simple – Christians and Jews along with all other non-Muslims are identified to be infidels and pose a corrupting influence to the Muslim who wants to be faithful to Allah!

However, in spite of what ISIS and other groups of dedicated Muslims are doing, a dedicated Christian can exert influence on Middle East events that will have greater and longer lasting results than all the Muslims together will be able to accomplish!

God has revealed a lot of things about the future of Israel. The nation and its prominent city, Jerusalem, are in for dramatic changes. The original covenant God made with Abraham was far reaching in its scope and the end is not yet. The Old Testament prophets gave explicit details as to miraculous changes that would take place according to God’s time table for the Israelite people. Here are just a couple or so to show what a different world it will be at some point in the future:

The word which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw about Judah and Jerusalem. And it will come about in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord will be placed on the top of the mountains, and be lifted up over the hills; and all nations will come to it. And the peoples will say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob: and he will give us knowledge of his ways, and we will be guided by his word; for out of Zion the law will go out, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will be the judge between the nations, and the peoples will be ruled by His decisions: and their swords will be turned into plough-blades, and their spears into vine-knives: no longer will the nations be turning their swords against one another, and the knowledge of war will be gone forever. [Isaiah 2:1-4 (Bible in Basic English)].

Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain. [Zechariah 8:1-3 (KJV)].

And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. Zech 14:8-11 (KJV)

These are but a few statements of the great changes in store for the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. They are more than enough to stir the emotions of those who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and who believe that God will fulfill all His promises regarding the Israelite people.

But there is a way by which we can be directly involved in the affairs taking place in the Middle East rather than sort of sit on the side lines, witness what takes place from day to day and shake our heads in dismay and say, “Something ought to be done about that situation!”

Consider this:

We are clearly instructed to pray for the peace of Jerusalem – how else can you interpret such a command as found in Psalm 122:6-9: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.” [Psalms 122:6-9 (KJV)].

Second, we are to be persistent in “bothering” God about this matter until He takes the action necessary: “I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. They will never be silent day or night. Whoever calls on the Lord, do not give yourselves any rest, and do not give him any rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it an object of praise throughout the earth.” [Isaiah 62:6-7 (God’s Word)].

What is your response to God’s challenge to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and to keep insisting that He will make Jerusalem to be an object of praise all over the world? Yes, it is your golden opportunity to be directly involved in the affairs of the Middle East and not simply a frustrated observer!

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. [1 John 5:14-15 (KJV)].

Only One Nation Has a Bright Future Absolutely Guaranteed!

Thus says the LORD of hosts: "In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'" --- Zechariah 8:23

A large number of U. S. citizens along with their leaders, political and church, hold to the United States having a great future in spite of some aggravating issues in which the republic presently finds itself. The grand deception lies in the fact that a majority sincerely believe we as a nation can successfully work through all the issues, solve the problems, and usher in a time of great economic prosperity. This in spite of God's revelation showing us with crystal clarity that without God's grace, mercy and guidance we cannot possibly succeed in our efforts.

But there is a time coming when one nation will achieve all that others have failed to gain through centuries of time. And among the nations who have failed is one known as the United States of America! Israel is that nation which is destined to have that very bright future, standing all alone in the glory which God has reserved for it.

Isaiah 60 is but one of a number of chapters in Scripture that speak of Israel's future and that of its prominent city, Jerusalem. God is going to bring about some very shocking changes at some point in the future regarding the Israelite people and their nation.

First, there will be a time of paramount prosperity for Israel and that coming about in a most unusual way:

Arise, shine; For your light has come! and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. "Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me; and the ships of Tarshish will come first, to bring your sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, to the name of the LORD your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because He has glorified you. The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in My wrath I struck you, but in My favor I have had mercy on you. Therefore your gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day or night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles, and their kings in procession." --- Isaiah 60:1-5, 9-11

Second, there will be a time of prominent prestige with foreign nations being in servitude to Israel -- seems impossible that it will ever happen, but when God has said it will be, then when the time is right it will happen exactly as God has planned:

"For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the pine, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious. Also the sons of those who afflicted you shall come bowing to you, and all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet; and they shall call you The City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no one went through you, I will make you an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations. You shall drink dry the milk of the Gentiles, and shall milk the breast of kings; you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." --- Isaiah 60:12-16

Third, it will be a time of stable and solid security for a people described as being "righteous:"

"Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended. Also your people shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time." --- Isaiah 60:18-22

Israel will continue to go through very difficult and trying times for a while. For the most part the nation is in a state of unbelief in regard to Jesus Christ being the Messiah, the Savior and Hope in regard to the future. But the time will come when eyes will be opened and hearts will earnestly seek Him in a spirit of repentance. A nation much despised and hated to the extent that some wanted to totally destroy it will be the only one to arrive eventually at world prominence and to be dominant over all other nations!

For Christians, the responsibility remains as always -- to be involved in every way possible in carrying out the command of Jesus to take the Gospel into all the world, bearing witness to the fact that He is exclusively the only way of forgiveness, and reconciliation to God the Father. If one is going to experience salvation, it will only be through Jesus Christ and no other!

But there is another thing Christians can also be doing -- praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6, 7) and giving God no rest until He makes Jerusalem a praise throughout all the earth:

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, who shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. --- Isaiah 62:6, 7

I am fully aware that there are various interpretations regarding reference to Israel in the Scriptures and the church having in a sense "replaced" Israel so far as future events are concerned. Personally, I prefer to take it the way God has spelled it out and that under the terms of the covenant made originally with Abraham, Israel is the only nation to have a very bright future! And why is this? The answer is very simple -- because God has promised it will be so!

Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."..............On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates; the Kenites, the Kenezzites, and the Kadmonites; the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Rephaim; the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites." --- Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21

As God Withdraws, What Will We Do Now?

With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the LORD, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. They have dealt treacherously with the LORD, for they have begotten pagan children. Now a New Moon shall devour them and their heritage. --- Hosea 5:6, 7

It happened to a nation a long time ago. They had become very powerful and they had prospered immensely. In the earlier years the people of that nation had appreciated God, consistently worshipped Him, took His commandments very seriously and sought to obey Him fully. The leaders (political and religious) and the citizens shared in the conviction that God and His intended purpose for them were to be given top priority on a daily basis.

But then something happened. As time passed God began to be treated as though He were a meddlesome nuisance. His commands were ignored, spiritual adultery was adopted as a desirable way of life and the nation sank so low that the sacrificing of their small children alive to heathen deities became a common practice!

At a certain point God said He would withdraw from them. Now then – guess Whom they came running to and calling on when calamities really set in? But there was no response – God had withdrawn from a nation of people who made the hypocritical claim that God was their God!

Since we are duplicating the same pattern as did those people many centuries ago and since there is overwhelming evidence that God is withdrawing from the United States, what will be the response of Obama, the U. S. Congress, the “religious” leaders, and the citizens to that withdrawal?

Will there be a spirit of genuine repentance as expressed by Daniel in his prayer (see Daniel 9)?

Or will there be bitterness and accusations that God has no right to do things that disrupt us in our idolatrous and immoral ways of life?

Or will the president and the Congress actually make a concentrated effort to ram through legislation in the vain attempt to offset all the negatives that take place because God has withdrawn from this republic?

Will church leaders attempt to stage some extra church activities – maybe even suggest that perhaps some extra praying should be done, as God in the process of withdrawing does something else – the “famishing” of the numerous idols that have been set up in a republic known as the United States of America?

What say YOU?

"It shall be in that day," says the LORD of hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land.” --- Zechariah 13:2

The LORD will frighten them, because he will destroy all the gods of the earth. Then everyone in faraway places will worship him wherever they are. --- Zephaniah 2:11 (New Century Version).

Trespassing on God’s Domain and Touching the Apple of His Eye!

A 56 day old human being!

For thus says the LORD of hosts: "He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.” --- Zechariah 2:8

In a film set in WW II the Nazi program of extermination of selected groups was getting underway. A Jewish man became aware of what was happening to the Jewish people under German domination and made the remark, “They don’t realize what they are doing – they are touching the apple of God’s eye!” It was an obvious reference to a statement made by an Old Testament prophet. Ultimately Nazi Germany paid an extremely high price for the deadly mistake of believing that they could select certain groups and exterminate them. In the process they were convinced that they would be that much closer to fulfilling the dream of a “Master Race” coming to reality and the establishment of a thousand-year Reich!

Consider the statement in yet another context – when you deal with unborn humans, in no uncertain terms, you are entering God’s special domain. Without doing violence to that statement of long ago, can it not be said that these unborn individuals are the “apple of His eye?”

How could that be? Actually the debate as to when human life begins should never have to be – even common sense and a non-scientific background will be enough to let a person know as to when that moment takes place. When the male sperm cell penetrates the female egg the formation of a human being is now underway – a person who will end up being a male or a female.

What God has made clear is the fact that He is involved – “before I formed you in the womb” are words which reminded Jeremiah that he was the result of God’s action – his life and existence were the result of what God had done. “I knew you,” also informed the prophet that God knew him and identified him before that process of formation in the womb of a female took place!

Further revelation shows that God has a purpose for each conceived human life – there may be fools in this world that would attempt to say that it isn’t so – usually that may come from those who take the position that we can dispose of unborn persons at will for whatever reason we may conjure up in our unregenerate minds. There is virtually no limit as to the “reasons” as to why we can eliminate the unborn, whether in later stages through the mutilation and murder process known as abortion, or in the very early stages in which the stem cells of an embryo are used for experimental purposes.

It matters not the timing – the hard reality is that whether the victim is an embryo only a few days old, or that victim is a few weeks old, or but a few hours away from being born, when that life has been snuffed out, it is yet another instance of “touching the apple of His eye!” In the strictest sense, we have trespassed into God’s domain!

Those who take a low view of human life – that is, that we can dispose of selected individuals for whatever reason, fit into that category as mentioned by a Jewish man way back in WW II – “They don’t realize what they are doing – they are touching the apple of God’s eye!”

Lots of deceptive “logic” and “reasoning” are being employed as to why embryos should be used for stem cell research with predictions that diseases can be cured through use of those cells – on and on the argument goes, with President Obama beating the drum and leading the pack following the lifting of the ban on embryonic stem cell research which had been put in place by the Bush administration. So it amounts to this – we’ll kill off a bunch of humans on the pretense that we are going to save some others! Is this a new twist to the old Canaanite practice of offering small children in sacrifice to a heathen deity so that the deity wouldn’t get mad and wipe out a bunch of the adults? You know, sacrifice the kid in order to preserve the adults alive!

The hard fact is this – each embryo, no matter the circumstances of his/her conception, is a human being in the sight of God and one for whom He has a purpose. Remember, He knows each human even before conception and has a plan for each one.

It is most appropriate to repeat the statement time after time in view of how our leadership in this republic views human life -- “They don’t realize what they are doing – they are touching the apple of God’s eye!”

Closing question – if you have the misfortune of being among the crowd which has shouted “Amen!” to embryonic stem cell research, what are you going to tell God as to your reason for putting your stamp of approval on the intentional destruction of those who were regarded as the “apple of His eye?”

If you don’t settle this issue now, you won’t be dead 2 seconds until you’ll face it then!

For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord." And again, "The LORD will judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. --- Hebrews 10:30, 31

I Am a Bible Literalist? No, Not Always!

It's a bit of a risk to go on public record that you actually believe the Bible! Through the years there has been a well organized response directed to those who say they do believe the Bible. It varies a bit in the way the reactions are worded -- for instance:

• the Bible believer may be accused of worshipping the Bible -- that it is an object which consitutes idolatry simply because he or she has expressed a positive acceptance of all that the Bible reveals!
  
  
• the Bible believer is considered quite "low-brow" if he or she claims to believe all that is contained in the record from the first chapter of the book of Genesis to the last chapter of the book of The Revelation. That is, one is lacking in intellectual accomplishment if one believes the Bible "as is!"
  
  
• the Bible believer is considered to be a "literalist" if a statement is made, "I believe the entire Bible." Somehow the critic of the Bible believer wants to convey the idea that such a person takes everything in the Bible "literally" without question, and this constitutes a lot of ignorance on the part of the Bible believer.
  

Over the years I have had to deal with this issue from time to time. I have gone on record numerous times that I believe the Bible to be divinely inspired (by God the Holy Spirit) and the absolute authority on all matters pertaining to the Christian faith and how that faith is to be expressed in a fallen world.

One incident early on involved my appearance before the Board of Ordained Ministry of the W. PA Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. I made reference to Adam and Eve in responding to a question. Immediately one of the board members asked me if Adam and Eve were real people. I responded, "Yes." He then said, "You mean they lived in an actual historical time period?" I said, "Yes." He then said, "Don't you have a problem with that?" I replied, "Not me!" I tried to put a tone to it that said, "If you have a problem with it, that's your problem, not mine!"

To be accused of being a Bible believer is usually the same as being accused of taking the Bible literally in all that is recorded within its pages. I don't take everything in the Bible literally. For instance,

• in Psalm 91 it mentions about abiding under the shadow of the Almighty and a bit later it says, "He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler." If I took this literally, then God at this point is a Canada goose or a great horned owl or maybe a Rhode Island Red chicken, but I must confess I don't view God that way in this portion of Scripture!
  
  
• in Zechariah 2:5 it is recorded, "For I," says the LORD, "will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst." Now I don't take this to mean that God is in reality a wall of flames leaping hundreds of feet in the air such as we saw on news reports of the fires burning thousands of acres in southern California during fall of 2007!
  
  
• in John 8:12 Jesus says He is the light of the world. I don't literally believe that means that Jesus is a flashlight powered by Energizer batteries!
  
  
• in John 10:9 Jesus said that He is the door. Really, folks, I don't picture Him as a piece of paneled wood swinging on a couple of hinges with a brass door knob attached about 3 1/2 feet off the floor! No, I really don't -- if I were a strict 100 per cent "literalist" as implied by critics because I say I believe the Bible, then that is indeed how I would picture Jesus!
  

HOWEVER, there are many portions of Scripture which I do take literally and for which I do not apologize.

Some of these have been denied by those who pride themselves on being "liberal" and at times disagreement has become quite heated over whether such events and/or persons are historical fact or myth, legend, etc.

I've already mentioned Adam and Eve. Other recorded information which has been denied or highly questioned involves the world wide flood judgment at the time of Noah, the opening of the Red Sea when the Israelites left Egypt, the opening of the Jordan River at flood stage, and the great fish swallowing Jonah in the Old Testament. In the New Testament areas of dispute involve the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, His sinless life, the many miracles which He performed, His atonement for the sins of every member of the human race, His bodily resurrection from the dead following the crucifixion, His command to confront the entire world with His claims and call as Savior and Lord, and His promised return to this earth to rule it from Jerusalem at some point in the future!

While reading and in some cases, having done research papers on "theologians" who denied or seriously questioned many of those things mentioned above, I personally have never had a problem with what has been recorded in the Bible. I struggle at times to try to understand and grasp things at points, but I have never doubted that God did the things which are attributed to Him. In the Jonah incident -- the God I have known and been in fellowship with for 50 years could have kept Jonah alive in the belly of that fish for a year or longer if He had wanted to!

My God can do anything He wants to and when He wants to with no obligation to explain in detail to me how He did it or why He did it. The main expectation He has from me is that I approach Him in the spirit of a child and BELIEVE! In fact Jesus made it a demand that we become as children in our faith and relationship to Him -- part of that invovles our willingness to accept as a small child the truth of what God has done in the past, is doing now, and plans to do in the future!

"Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." --- Matthew 18:3

By the way, how great is the God in Whom you claim to believe? Can He do things such as bring world wide judgment, open up a great body of water and dry the ground on which that water rested for centuries, keep a man alive in the belly of a great fish which He has prepared, make it possible for a young virgin to have a baby without a human male being in any way involved, raise the dead to life, etc? And can He touch the heart of a sinner in such a way that the sinner is brought to totally forsake his sins, seek forgiveness, and live a transformed life in obedience to the Savior Who was crucified for those sins?

As mentioned earlier there is one apology I have never made in the past and never will in the future -- that I believe the Bible, God's holy Word! Much of it I do take literally, but there are some exceptions as previously noted -- remember, God is not a Rhode Island Red chicken, though He covers me with His feathers and I take refuge under His wings! (Psalm 91).

I am Your servant; give me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies. It is time for You to act, O LORD, for they have regarded Your law as void. Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold! Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way. Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. --- Psalm 119:125-130

Good News! The Business of War Is Scheduled To Be Shut Down!

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. --- Isaiah 9:6, 7

Peace – a subject so often discussed and the professed “goal” of many a gathering of powerful and very influential people in the world time after time. However, it is also a most elusive item as well. It seems that so often even as peace discussions take place, the parties involved make sure they have a finger on the trigger, just in case!

War continues to be a very big business operation -- note the hard reality of how it is in today's world:

• billions of dollars (or other monetary units) to maintain military services in terms of personnel and locations where they live and work.
  
  
• staggering outlays for hardware in its many forms of existence ranging all the way from mass destruction weaponry, planes, ships, submarines, and tanks to the small arms used by individuals in combat scenarios.
  
  
• a tad more than a $1.98 is needed by companies in their R & D departments as more sophisticated weaponry and means of delivery proceed from the drawing board to actual deployment in times of conflict.
  
  
• companies also pull down astronomical profits in selling war making equipment to other smaller nations and this is done not only by those within the boundaries of the United States but by a number of other larger nations outside the USA boundaries as well!
  
  
• and there are those companies which have good “connections” in Washington DC which are now in places such as Iraq making gigantic sums of money in “reconstruction” work, whatever that is supposed to mean. Already millions of dollars are unaccounted for in Iraq. It doesn’t take many brain cells to see why there is a crowd that delights in war and wants more of it – the “fix it” guys who have personal and company bank accounts that are bulging at the seams!
  

BUT, one of these days the profitable war bubble is going to burst – all businesses related to production of materials for war will be shut down!

All military services will be disbanded – no more men or women wearing military uniforms and doing duty somewhere in the world.

Read closely how it is told by one prophet:

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. --- Isaiah 2:2-4

Quite a dramatic change, is it not, when implements of war are made into implements which help to promote peace and prosperity?

Remember that this wonderful event will not take place upon the initiative of the leaders of world governments. These characters will continue to mistrust each other and those of the more powerful nations will attempt to dictate to the smaller and weaker nations how to conduct their affairs, including, “We have nuclear weapons, but don’t you produce any!”

Jesus Christ, the foremost Authority on human behavior, declared how the latter stages of human history will play out:

"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." --- Matthew 24:6-8

The Scriptures explicitly state that a military coalition will foolishly try to oppose Jesus upon the occasion of His return to take complete control of planet earth:

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great." And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. --- Revelation 19:11-21

Once Jesus eliminates all the ungodly (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10) and takes charge, then peace will be the order of the day all over the world. Wars and all implements for waging war will no longer exist.

Finally it will come to pass as many Christians have prayed through the centuries of human history, “…Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven…”

And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be; "the LORD is one," and His name one. --- Zechariah 14:9

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. --- Habakkuk 2:14

Even so, come, Lord Jesus. --- Revelation 22:20b

Obsessed with Fouled Up Celebrities in a Culture with a Fouled Up Justice System!

O LORD, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? even cry out to You, "Violence!" And You will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds. --- Habakkuk 1:2-4

One has to wonder -- that is, if you have the stomach to view it all for a few minutes -- news media people are drawn to those fouled up celebrities more so than flies are to a rotting carcass on a hot summer day -- you know, those flies that lay eggs which hatch into maggots by the thousands and they eagerly gnaw away on that rotting carcass!

In the waning days of July 2007 a "celebrity" actress grabs the headlines with a second D.U.I. plus having cocaine in her possession. Instantly there is an assembly of "experts" to dissect this drama as to what this means in terms of possible jail time, etc. As the discussion is pursued the viewer is plagued with constant exposure to the actress in question as photos are splashed across the screen.

At the same time news breaks forth concerning a star NFL football player and his direct involvement in illegal dog fighting activities. Again, the "experts" are called upon to comment -- what will happen to this guy who has a multimillion dollar contract to toss around a piece of pig skin filled with air?

With the ongoing corruption of the judicial system and the favoritism that is always shown in regard to the rich and the famous, not a whole lot will come of these latest debacles. The maximum will be a slight slap on the hand with an admonishment in so many words, "You naughty little girl (or boy) -- you shouldn't do that -- now promise you'll try not to do it anymore!" We also need to remember that the number of lawyers without any real deep convictions between right and wrong keeps increasing -- with dollar signs in place of eye balls this bunch is willing to do whatever necessary to get a rich client off the hook, in spite of the client being clearly proven guilty -- ah, money -- that green stuff that we will do anything to get, even by questionable means!

The greatest tragedy of all is the powerful influence such warped personalities as mentioned above have on our young folk -- there is no conscience and no sense of responsibility in setting a high moral and ethical standard by way of example for those young and tender in age to follow.

Equally tragic is the fact that those in the news media so obsessed with the antics of those fouled up celebrities do not give any significant emphasis to the need of being a high quality moral example to the young who look up to those celebrities!

And we continue to wonder why our culture is unraveling at the seams. Has anyone made a connection that it is due to abandonment of those Judeo/Christian values which are absolutely necessary to the ongoing sober, sane, sensible, serene, and spiritual existence of a culture?

"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.' "But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. "Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. "Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen," says the LORD of hosts. --- Zechariah 7:9-13