Peeking into the Future!

Ah, what fascination -- what adventure -- unparalleled excitement as one seeks to probe the future and what lies in store for us!

Many are the gimmicks and methods employed to see what the future holds for us. There are efforts to contact the dead -- maybe we can touch base with aunt Susie or uncle Sylvester and they can give us a clue as to what's going to happen next month on the 23rd! Then there are the crystal ball people and the others who lay out cards with weird pictures on them. Still others say it's all in the stars and planet alignment -- the zodiac and your astrological sign -- all this stuff as it interacts somehow shows us what is yet to be. And it is a given -- there are those who read the daily Horoscope (should it really be spelled "Horrorscope?") religiously and act accordingly -- it is their "bible" for shaky times such as these!

OK -- do you want information that is 100 per cent accurate and comes from the most reliable source you will ever consult in a lifetime? Really -- are you sure about that?

Then be sure you hold to that desire, because it is possible to know some things for sure when it comes to future happenings. Now this is not the kind of information where you will be tipped off as to what you will eat for breakfast next Friday morning or what you will be wearing when you leave the house. On the other hand, this is information that gives you basic facts as to what is going to happen so that you are challenged to make the proper preparation for the events taking place.

Our Authority is none other than Jesus Christ Himself! Only He is qualified to reveal the basic facts as to what the future of this world holds in regard to its human inhabitants. Statements He made on future events are found mainly in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17 and Luke 21 in the New Testament Scriptures.

In consulting them do not let anyone, pastor or teacher or layperson, try to foul you up about "interpretation" -- just imagine Jesus speaking these words to you and take them at face value -- you'll come out alright!

The world and nations within it will become increasingly corrupted spiritually, morally and ethically. Jesus summarized this trend by saying it will be like it was in the generation in which Noah lived before the judgment of the flood and as it was in Lot's time when he lived in the city of Sodom before it was destroyed by a judgment of fire!

There will be all manner of earthly calamities and cosmic phenomena happening. Note some the specific things to which Jesus made reference:

• massive deception and delusion will take place -- Jesus repeats Himself on this warning to be alert and not allow yourself to be deceived by false teachers
  
• wars and rumors of wars with nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom -- there will be no peace in spite of efforts to achieve it
  
• there will be famines in many places -- people starve to death every day in some nations of this world
  
• pestilences (devastating diseases) will be found throughout the world -- e.g. Africa is being ravaged by Aids in spite of massive amounts of money being poured into that continent in an effort to bring it under control -- sexually transmitted diseases are on the increase!
  
• earthquakes are increasing in frequency -- sensitive instruments record the crust of the earth is quivering constantly like a bowl of jello being shaken -- and then a tragic by-product of an earthquake sometimes happens -- it's called a tsunami -- ever hear of it?
  
• lawlessness abounding with the tragic result that some will simply give up, considering that the price to be paid for resisting evil is simply too high!
  
• increased hatred and persecution of Christians as the home stretch of human history runs its course!
  
• a time labeled as "great tribulation" -- trouble so intense that nothing like it has ever happened before nor ever shall again!
  

The New Testament writers added to this information in different ways such as 2 Timothy 3 and 4; 2 Peter 2 and 3; and Jude. The biggie in all this is the book of The Revelation with lots of detail -- enough to make the thinking person say, "I want to be sure I'm right with God and I'm on the way to heaven when my life on earth if over."

The responsibility of the Christian is first and foremost that of being a witness in word and deed to the salvation which is exclusively offered through Jesus Christ, Who is Savior and Lord over all. Here are some things to bear in mind:

• daily disciplines of Bible reading/study and prayer -- every day, no exceptions!
  
• involvement in the fellowship of believers, giving public expression to one's faith
  
• personally pursue holiness by the grace of God as the minimal standard for one's lifestyle -- this means saying "No!" to a wide ranging acceptance of indulgences and practices by a majority of persons in today's world, including what is sometimes advocated even in professing Christian circles -- and sometimes by church leaders themselves who profess to be "Christian!" The Holy Spirit is faithful to guide us in these matters and in the making of our choices -- that is, if we permit Him to guide us.
  
• sound the warning trumpet of impending judgement by Almighty God and the reasons why God has every right to bring judgment without delay!
  
• keep reminded each day that Jesus' return could be at any time -- but also, be reminded that here in the "comfortable" United States things could become very difficult for Christians before Jesus does return -- some object to this possibility and suggest that before it gets too tough He will come and take the Christians out of here. But why should we be favored in such a manner when right now in other places in this world our Christian brothers and sisters are being put to death for their faith, or beaten, tortured and put in prison for no other reason than the fact that they are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ! We are a spoiled and pampered lot, are we not?
  
• apply the prayer as mentioned in Psalm 141:5 diligently -- pray specifically against the deeds of the wicked -- there are a lot of them around, you know, doing a lot of things which God condemns. They sit behind desks in high places as well as lurking about in dark alleys!
  

Be concerned about the future -- ask God to help you understand those things He has revealed about the future, and to prepare you to speak about it. Be bold in stressing the fact that there is absolutely no hope in the future outside of Jesus Christ. We are urged to comfort one another from time to time with the reality that Jesus is going to come back to earth again as King of kings and Lord of lords. Amen!

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. --- Titus 2:11-14

Keeping Pace with Morality & Apologies!

“I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts.........I do not believe that the armed forces of the United States are well served by a saying through our policies that it’s OK to be immoral in any way.” --- Marine General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Pentagon - March 12, 2007

He's a jewel -- one of a kind -- a breath of fresh air in a very stagnant room -- a magnificent keystone in the social arch of our republic -- a bright light shining in a very dark and dismal place -- he's Marine General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the U. S. of A!

He is also under very intense fire for the statements quoted above in which he stated that homosexual acts are immoral.


Also -- another tragedy -- here is a man in a very high profile position who has chosen to align himself 100 per cent with the moral position as outlined by Almighty God our Creator and he gets shot down for it.

It is added proof as to the fact that this nation is now dominated by a spirit of defiance regarding God's established boundaries for sexual expression and experience!

Voices of protest against General Pace for his remarks are coming from elected officials and other "high profile" persons who have intentionally chosen to exhibit their ignorance on sexual morality by running the mouth without engaging the brain.

Great example -- Senator John Warner who said, "I respectfully but strongly disagree with the chairman's view that homosexuality is immoral." John speaks for a huge number of other people as well, who likely add an "Amen!" to his statement.

General Pace has said he will not apologize for such remarks -- that is good, because he does not have to. The reason? God has never in the past nor ever will in the future apologize for declaring the following to be an abomination or a sin (an abomination is sin intensified many times over):

• homosexuality (sexual activity between 2 persons of the same gender)
  
• fornication (sexual activity between a male and female who are unmarried)
  
• adultery (sexual activity between a male and a female, at least one of which is married to another person)
  
• incest (sexual activity between immediate members of a family)
  
• rape (sexual activity in which a person is forced to engage in such activity against his/her will - victim can be of any age from that of a small child to an adult)
  
• bestiality (sexual activity with animals)
  

By the way at the top of the listing is sexual activity which spawns a very large number of STD's (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) -- some of which are incurable and a few others that are fatal! And if all of the aforementioned "activity" is so good and not immoral as so many claim, why all those ravaging diseases? And why, for instance, is there a push on to vaccinate very young teen-aged girls with a drug that is supposed to prevent a certain virus from bringing on cancer of the uterus in later years due to sexual activity while still in the young stages of life?

Go ahead, search the holy Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation and see for yourself how many of the above mentioned sexual activities are presented in a positive manner and given sanction by Almighty God. What's the matter -- disappointed?

Certainly there are any number of efforts made to declare sexually immoral acts as "good" because we are committed and "love" one another very much -- therefore it just can't be wrong for us, and people such as General Peter Pace are narrow-minded and bigoted -- homophobes who have not seen the "light" in the 21st Century in which we are now a diverse and tolerant culture!

And so, as a culture that is dominated and controlled by that spirit of defiance mentioned earlier, we give God an obscene gesture, jump on our toboggan, and slide toward inevitable disaster! For a few of us, this is no surprise due to a solemn prediction made by Jesus Christ Himself! (see Luke 17:26-30).

An Email Which Really Made My Day!

I receive a lot of emails. The volume has increased over the years since the establishment of my web site, Circuit Rider's Range, back in 1998.

Due to the content of the Range, there are some very negative emails which come my way from time to time -- the kind which I cannot and will not quote to you due to language used. Sometimes I almost feel bad that I have caused some people's blood pressure to reach the mortal danger level -- note that I said, "almost!"

But there have been the supportive and encouraging kind as well. With Bob's permission, I am printing his email here as I received it:

Hey Clayton----Just a note to say, because I have so much idle time on my hands, I have been exploring your web site everyday and sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. Have read many of the articles and find them very interesting. There is one place in there where you ask the question, Will you meet me in Heaven? I can, with absolute
certainty say, that I will meet you in Heaven someday. Because of a very precious Mother who led me to the Cross of Calvary, I was able to settle that account with the Lord many years ago. Mother told me many times, beware, because Satan is still active upon this earth and will constantly be reminding you of your past. She always told me to be like that old mule dad had. We didn't need a line on him, but he had to have blinders on to keep him from being tempted from going to the right or left when we plowed corn. He could only see straight ahead. We have to be the same way, and keep our eyes and mind focused straight ahead on Jesus. She said, being a christian will not be easy, but knowing that the Precious Blood of Jesus has washed away your sins and they will be remembered no more. Never look back and let Satan tempt you. And believe me, he tries very hard. Past and present !!! I have been through many trials in my life, as you already know, but God has always sustained me. And for that, I give Him all the Praise and Glory. And thank Him every day. I just wanted to share this with you. Sometimes these winter days get pretty long. And yes, I will meet you in Heaven some day. As a matter I'm looking forward to it. And if for some reason I would leave this old earth before you, just remember, I'll be watching and waiting for you, and hope you will do the same for me. We have been good friends for nearly 35 years and been through more things than you could shake a stick at. Sometimes when I'm just setting here thinking, I start to laugh. If someone seen me they would think I was loosing my marbles. Well, keep up the good work and the faith. God's speed to you.

Take care, old friend,
Bob

The question to which my friend refers about meeting in heaven is discussed in detail at Meet Me in Heaven!

Another related subject is discussed at Reminders When Mansion Shopping! This one is important from the stand point of getting distracted (and maybe a bit envious) when we see the elaborate mansions people of wealth and influence have accumulated and lavished upon themselves over time.

Strange, is it not, that a majority of persons in our republic when making plans for the future limit those plans in terms of a few days, weeks, months, years, or to the point of retirement, but do not make any serious plans for that moment of crossing the great divide from time into eternity! The average rate of death is still one per person!

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." --- Spoken by Jesus Christ in John 14:1-3

Mother Lets Son's Teeth Rot and Is Given Jail Time, But Certain Murderers Are Never, Ever Charged!

Here's another one for the books! A mother in eastern Pennsylvania was recently sentenced to spend a period of 30 days to 23 months in the Northampton County Prison. And what was her crime? She left her 5-year-old son's teeth rot and 12 of the teeth had to be extracted because they were beyond repair!

The charge was child endangerment to which she pleaded guilty. In addition to the jail time, the mother was sentenced to 3 years probation, do 50 hours of community service, pay a $500 fine, continue mental health treatment and take parenting classes.

A dentist said the boy's teeth had to have been decaying for a period of 2 to 3 years to have reached such an advanced stage which required the dozen teeth to be extracted.

Ah -- a question or two here -- my, aren't we diligent to pick up on those cases which are considered "child endangerment" and the wrath of the law comes down on offenders -- this mother needed to be punished, and maybe that will send a message to others in society -- don't do anything that will endanger our youngsters, right?

Now then, let's drop the other shoe -- how is it that a guy wearing a white coat with his name followed by the initials "M.D." stitched over a pocket can deliberately invade the womb of an expectant mother, and dismember and murder that child within her whom God is forming for a wonderful purpose (see if you can pick up on this in Jeremiah 1:5) and no charges whatsoever are ever brought against that character and others such as he -- you know, these guys in the legalized "butcher shops" where thousands of very young children become victims every week of the year!

Never a charge of "child endangerment" much less premeditated murder is leveled against these people, and yet a mother who lets her son's teeth rot does jail time while "Dr." Somebody (term used loosely) drives his luxury car down the street on his way to do some mutilating and murdering for a few hundred dollars for each victim, adding to his fat bank account!

If you aren't afraid to do so, take a look at some numbers which speak loud and clear about this republic's morally bankrupt condition of the first magnitude -- go to:

A Quick Look at the United States' Massacre Tally!


Information Source on the mother & son: March 12, 2007 edition of the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat

My Favorite Anecdote :-)

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:.....a time to weep, and a time to laugh........ -- Ecclesiastes 3:1,4a

Within the many acres of material on my web site, Circuit Rider's Range, there is a parcel named, "Circuit Rider's Humor Hut," or something akin to that. It's a collection of items to tickle the rib cage. Yes, strange as it may seem, I can smile occasionally and even come out with a chuckle or two!

One of my favorites ranking high on the list of good stuff is this one which circulated quite a while back in one form or another. It goes like this:

Jacob was in an excavation project on his farm in Israel. Suddenly he came across something most unusual -- it was a mummified body! So he took an amount of time to examine this object.

After the examination, he called the curator of a museum in Jerusalem. Very excited, he told the man, "I've found the mummified body of a man on my farm. He's about 3,000 years old and he died of a heart attack!"

The response was quite negative -- "There's no way you could know how long ago the man lived or how he died -- the body has to be checked with high tech equipment and analyzed to determine how long ago the individual lived and what really caused his death. So we'll come out, pick up the body and then check it out. We'll get back to you and give you the facts. Give us some time on this because it will take a while in making our determination."

A few days passed by and one day Jacob's phone rang. On the other end was an excited curator of the museum in Jerusalem. First words were, "Jacob, you were right -- the man lived about 3,000 years ago and he did die of a massive heart attack -- death was instantaneous! But how did you know that?"

Jacob simply replied, "I found a betting slip in his hand which said, '100 shekels on Goliath!'"

OK, a PS -- to help in the setting of this thing for some who may wonder what that has to do with anything -- David, the young lad who knocked off a heavily armed 9 foot giant named Goliath with a rock dead center to the forehead with a sling, lived about 3,000 years ago. This confrontation took place in view of two armies -- the Israelites headed up by King Saul and the Philistines whose champion, Goliath, carried sword, shield and spear. Head of the spear weighed about 15 pounds or so. And the coat of mail on his upper torso weighed about 250 pounds! So, if any betting did take place, the Vegas gang of those days would have said it's in the bag for Goliath -- David isn't even given a long shot when it comes to the odds. Some of us get real excited about that incident, because it reminds us that a committed Christian and God make up the majority in any situation, with God obviously being the senior Partner! If you want to say "Amen!" it's permissable -- the walls won't crack and the ceiling won't collapse!

Blessing or Cursing...Which? It's Our Choice!

"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:..........But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country......." -- Deuteronomy 28:1,2,15,16

The United States is unique in a number of ways, one of which is its origin.

From the beginning when a few settlers migrated here from England and Europe the nation has always had access to God's miraculous revelation, the holy Bible.

Woven into our nation's early historical documents were statements which openly acknowledged God and the need to obey and trust Him. In time this was later confirmed by placing the inscription, "In God We Trust," on the currency and coins of our republic. Leaders in the earlier decades of the republic were not hesitant in speaking out of the need to not only acknowledge God, but to be obedient to Him for the ongoing well being and future survival of the nation.

Deuteronomy 28 in the Bible explicitly defines the conditions for experiencing an abundance of blessings (the full and rewarding life) or an abundance of cursings (the fearful and chaotic life) depending on the choice to obey or disobey God on the collective level.

However, there are objections that Deuteronomy 28 has nothing to do with us -- that it only applies to the Israelite people in a very ancient historical time frame. Really? Then are we to conclude that it doesn't matter whether we listen to God or not on a collective basis as a nation? And are there no consequences whatsoever no matter what our choices may be as it pertains to spiritual, moral and ethical responsibility?

There seems to be a kind of revival of the view of deism from out of times past. That approach may say that there is a God but He doesn't really interact with any facet of His creation! In fact, He resembles a little boy who winds up a toy and then sits back and watches it run down without touching it in the process of the activity. So it makes no difference what we do -- God is just a kind of spectator as to what goes on in this world, in each nation, and in the life of every single human being wherever he or she may live! Yea, sure!

If you dare -- take a slow look at Deuteronomy 28 in which God takes about 4 times as much space to detail the calamities that will come upon the nation for disobedience as He does in describing the blessings for obedience -- in which category is our republic best described -- the blessing side or the cursed side at the present time? And if you were to place a picture of our nation with its leaders and its citizens over one side or the other, which one of those two categories most accurately reflects this nation's present relationship with Almighty God and would be the one most qualified to display such a picture -- the blessing side or the cursed side?

Statistical evidence suggests that the majority of our 300 million citizens couldn't care less one way or another. Obedience to God is definitely not a priority issue!

How about you?

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. -- Psalm 2:1-4

Keystone Kops Resurrected!

We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covers us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God. -- Jeremiah 3:25

Today’s local newspaper -- front page center – large bold headlines reading, “Iraq pullout push” – big picture of Rep. John P. Murtha (rep of the district in which I live) and Nancy Pelosi (3rd in line for the presidency of the United States – if that isn’t a nightmare possibility, then tell me what is!)!

All kinds of frantic scampering about on Capitol Hill in D.C. – if they just had on those old fashioned blue uniforms of another era, we’d most definitely have the 21st Century version of the famed Keystone Kops!

Now this thing has more convolutions than a 20 foot anaconda in the Amazon with Nancy P. & Co. initiating a “plan” to have our troops out of Iraq by a deadline of September 1, 2008.

As always, there are those "renegades" who are saying we ought to have the troops home by Christmas of this year, 2007.

And Democrats in the Senate want to set a target date of March 31, 2008 for withdrawal of combat troops but with no deadline attached to that date.

Now here’s the twist – Nancy P. says the war-related provisions would be added to George’s request for nearly $100 billion more in funds (this on top of billions already spent) to pay for fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan!

This thing is getting both messy and expensive, is it not? How long do you think it will be before someone says, “Due to ‘cost overruns’ in our war projects we need to raise taxes – but please understand, it’s all for a very worthy cause and to insure the security of our nation!” That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Washington DC-ese that comes spewing forth when tax issues come up!

Observe carefully the Kops running about like chickens with heads just chopped off and jockeying for prominent positions behind cameras and microphones in order to send a message to you and me that says, “Look at me and how important I am – I’m here to save you from yourself!” Is it not right on target to conclude that these people have long ago abandoned the principle of having the best interest and well being of our republic at heart?

As an aside – have you checked lately what the national debt numbers are? Be assured they haven’t been reduced the last few months – or the last number of decades for that matter! Further, what do you observe those elected to office in the Executive and Legislative branches of the federal government doing to eliminate that top heavy national debt? And as always, they decisively make sure their wallets and purses are full and over flowing -- check salaries and perks on that as they gorge at the public trough! Ah, I now rest my case!

The greatest tragedy of all, however, in the modern Keystone Kops caper is this – Almighty God has a much higher, nobler, and fulfilling purpose for thousands of our young people than being pawns of political hanky panky that drags out month after month after month…….. (add as many months as you wish!).

"....O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day; to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such never has been done as what has been done to Jerusalem...." -- Daniel 9:7-12

NOTE: the above is a portion of a prayer which Daniel the prophet prayed some years after the kingdom in which he had been a citizen was totally destroyed and he ended up a captive in Babylon. Do some of the issues he mentions in that prayer sound at all a bit familiar?