tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33200946109936828982024-03-21T10:53:00.305-05:00ISAIAH 45:7"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things."nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-52322410699679982722012-01-17T10:57:00.004-06:002012-01-17T11:00:23.979-06:00THE UNREALISTIC AND UNBIBLICAL VIEW OF PELAGIANISMPelagianism – The doctrines of the British monk, Pelagious, that deny original sin, assert the doctrine of free will and the merit of good works.<br /><br />Click to read <a href="http://tinyurl.com/743djx6">The Unrealistic and Unbiblical View of Pelagianism</a>nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-22467257802989839122011-12-06T12:19:00.003-06:002011-12-06T12:24:18.043-06:00WHAT IS THE CHOICE OF JOSHUA?No rational person will deny that men make choices. A theological problem arises when someone uses Joshua 24:15 to teach that men have a “free will” with which they make their choices. So then, what does the verse teach? Click the link below to read an essay and find out.<br /><br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/82v2umh">WHAT IS THE CHOICE OF JOSHUA?</a>nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-33519934545382389332011-11-23T09:04:00.001-06:002011-11-23T09:05:45.376-06:00OVERRULEDParents tell their own true stories of government intrusion into their families in Overruled: Government Invasion of Your Parental Rights, a production of ParentalRights.Org. See this new 37-minute docudrama free online and pass it on to everyone you know. <br /><br /><a href="http://overruledmovie.com/">OVERRULED: GOVERNMENT INVASION OF YOUR PARENTAL RIGHTS</a>nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-43007776780277066872011-11-02T11:54:00.004-05:002011-11-23T08:48:48.934-06:00DID GOD CAUSE JUDAS TO BETRAY JESUS?<div>Did Judas have a free will with which he chose to betray Christ? Does God truly cause all things? Is God the immediate cause of sin? These are difficult questions that have been a part of the great conversation of Christianity through the ages. Here's a link to another indirect look at the problem of evil as seen in the actions of Judas Iscariot.<br /></div><div><a href="http://tinyurl.com/696gs2s">DID GOD CAUSE JUDAS TO BETRAY JESUS?</a></div>nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-79429991857794939972011-06-16T10:49:00.003-05:002011-06-16T11:06:06.496-05:00DOES JOHN TEACH UNIVERSAL PROPITIATION?John did not write a letter to argue for the universal extent of Christ’s death and propitiation. And John does not argue that the sense of the word “world” as used in one place must be the rule for the interpretation of the word everywhere else it appears. But the Bible does argue that Christ is the propitiation for all believers and only believers throughout the world.<br /><br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/66l94b5">DOES JOHN TEACH UNIVERSAL PROPITIATION?</a><br />Click to read the entire essay.nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-71012405218261760792011-02-23T13:51:00.002-06:002011-02-23T13:53:37.580-06:00FEAR THOU NOT“<em>Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness</em>” (Isa 41:10).<br /><br />Could it be that this will be our common test or trial of our faith? Nations in the Middle East are falling apart like dominoes. As crude oil production gets threatened, crude prices go up as do gas prices at the pump. If our own nation cannot pay its debt and the dollar loses its status as the world reserve currency, is it not too wrong to think that the dollar will soon fail? If the dollar fails and becomes worthless, what will we use to buy and sell goods? There might even be plenty of food still on grocery store shelves, but citizens will have no money, or not enough money, to buy anything. If state governments go bankrupt or fail to meet their budgets, what will happen to millions of people dependent upon government services? The scenarios can be multiplied with speculation after speculation, but one thing for sure is that things are never going to be the same.<br /><br />To simply tell one another to just “Keep trusting the Lord” or “Keep looking to God” or even to say “God is in control” can become phony churchianity and religious fluff. “Fear thou not” is an imperative; that is, it is a command. Our fear is disobedience. The hard thing for us to do is to look calamity in the face and courageously say the just and Holy God of Heaven above has ordained this evil for His own glory. This evil developing around the world is not happening by chance. The same God who ordained every detail of the crucifixion of His only begotten Son has also ordained every detail of the events we see unfolding before us.<br /><br />When the evil begins to attack us personally, will we be able to agree with Abraham and say, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” God’s prophet Jeremiah had to endure the captivity with the people of Israel. Speaking through Jeremiah, God commanded Israel to “<em>Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the Lord: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished</em>” (Jer 46:28) We know in the New Covenant our substitute, Jesus Christ, took our punishment, which is death. But we also know that “…<em>all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution</em>” (2 Tim 3:12).<br /><br />To know all this is one thing. To live courageously for Christ is another. The entire history of the world was predestined by God; it could not have happened any other way. The same must be said about current events. The riots, the protests, the wars, the deaths, the failing economies have all been predestined by God. God is carrying out His just and Holy will according to His eternal plan. God truly is in control, and He will not be mocked by men. We are not to be fearful, because God is at work. Instead, let us pray that God will give us the grace to boldly proclaim the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ and His Sovereignty over all the earth, and that men will see that the puny will of man is not free but rather in bondage to sin and therefore not able to thwart the Sovereign will of God in both the salvation and the damnation of men.nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-77371385230696770322010-04-22T15:41:00.003-05:002010-04-22T15:54:08.679-05:00PERSIAN GULF REALITIESThe plans for a New World Order <strong>(NWO)</strong> appear to be moving along as scheduled. That is, perhaps there is no day-to-day calendar <em>per se</em>, but an unwritten yet generally agreed upon schedule of events has been ordering global events for decades. For example, take a 1997 <em>Foreign Affairs </em>article entitled “Persian Gulf Myths,” by Graham E. Fuller and Ian O. Lesser (May/June 1997, vol 76, no 3, p.42-52). In 1997 Fuller was “a senior political analyst at <strong>RAND</strong> and a former Vice Chair of the National Intelligence Council at the <strong>CIA</strong>.” Lesser, in 1997, was “a former member of the Policy Planning Staff at the State Department” and “a senior political analyst at RAND.” Current Persian Gulf realities are the results of much of the thinking, strategies and policies of these and other Council on Foreign Relations (<strong>CFR</strong>) members.<br /><br /> In the late 90s Fuller and Lesser were confident that “No military power today has the capability to deny the West access to oil…” They reminded their readers that “No anti-American dictator in the Middle East…has attempted to hinder oil sales to the West.” Remember when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990? Fuller and Lesser believe that oil did not play a major role in the U.S. intervention that followed. They say “the real stakes were larger: U.S. leadership and global order.” Once again we read of U.S. forces being used to maintain the global order. Remember too, that was the time when President George H. W. Bush uttered the famous confession or revelation of plans for a <strong>NWO</strong>.<br /><br /> During the 90s the Pentagon was paying out “between $30 billion and $60 billion a year for defense of the Gulf.” Was this defense of the Gulf for oil? It’s doubtful since during the same period the U.S. was importing only about $30 billion worth of oil. Fuller and Lesser comment that this amounted to a “hidden gasoline tax” on Americans, because other nations were not contributing to that same defense. Why would the U.S. do this? Fuller and Lesser suggest “In the eyes of some, the U.S. military presence in the Gulf is part of a broader strategy of access and pre-positioning for potential U.S. intervention worldwide consistent with their vision of America’s role as global security arbiter.” Global security arbiter? Where in the U.S. Constitution is our government authorized to secure the world? The government is to provide for our nation’s common defense, yes, but global security?<br /> <br /> So what has the U.S. government been doing in the Gulf over the years? The U.S. has been pursuing goals of regional stability and “political maturity and responsible government” for the Gulf. This means, as Fuller and Lesser suggest, that “liberalization is a prerequisite.” This is a polite way of saying the U.S. is making the region ready for a Western style democracy with leaders sympathetic to the West that will be ripe for <strong>NWO</strong> control. Don’t forget that many of the younger generation of Persian Gulf leaders have been educated in the West and therefore also influenced by Western democracies. Over a decade ago the U.S. had identified Iran as “one of the chief threats to global security.” Again, the concern over global security. The bottom line goal would appear to be to have the entire region integrated into the <strong>NWO</strong>, with the consent of the people of the region. Fuller and Lesser go on to say that “if Washington and Europe are ever to reach consensus on global strategic partnership and sharing of responsibility, the Gulf is arguably the best place to start because the stakes are recognizably high.” Especially high stakes for Americans since Europe consumes more Gulf oil than the U.S.<br /><br /> How long will it take the Persian Gulf region to join the club? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, American lives will continue to be lost, American tax dollars will continue to be spent, all for the purpose of bringing the Gulf region into “the club of like-minded states with shared values—the only sound basis for long-term security worldwide.” Again, global security—not liberty—is the goal of the <strong>NWO</strong> for the Gulf states, and the plan continues to move along as scheduled.nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-47551234080193542122009-12-07T09:56:00.004-06:002009-12-07T10:12:31.945-06:00IS PEACE DESIRABLE?<div align="left">Jason Brewer<br /><br /> Think of a world with no fighting, no wars, not even armies or the means to fight wars. Imagine what it would be like to have complete and total world peace. Peace is more than just the absence of war. It is the absence of war, threats of war, or even the possibility of war. So not only must all the militaries in the world disband, all weapons must be destroyed as well. Consider the world at a state of peace that is maintained because war is no longer possible. At first glance this may seem like an ideal world, one in which all could be happy; however, it is more likely that the world would collapse very quickly. </div><div align="left"><br /> On 6 August 1945, American forces detonated a twenty kiloton atomic bomb approximately five hundred and fifty meters above Hiroshima. It is estimated that 78,000 were killed and 84,000 more were injured from the explosion (Basic Problems of Disarmament 81). Three days later, 9 August 1945, America dropped another twenty kiloton bomb on Nagasaki, killing 27,000 and injuring 41,000 (Basic Problems of Disarmament 81). These bombs, while incredibly deadly, pale in comparison to the arsenal today’s countries have at their disposal. According to the nuclear weapons archive, countries like Russia and the U.S. have up to 50 megaton bombs (Big Ivan). 50 megatons is the equivalent of 50 million tons of T.N.T. These bombs are capable of killing millions at a time (Big Ivan). </div><div align="left"><br /> War has been a base for society ever since the beginning of mankind. It is the most basic social system we know (Iron Mountain 29). One group of people joins together against another group of people. Ancient Greece first organized itself into city states which provided protection for their citizens. The ancient empires of Persia and Rome were also empires built by wars. These empires which were based on war have been the basis of Western civilization. In other words, our culture is based on a war society. Even now nations still organize by military means. Countries achieve superpower status based on the strength and capability of their respective militaries. </div><div align="left"><br /> So to bring about an absolute peace would require us to completely sever ourselves from our roots and our culture. Even America was founded by a war. Such a radical change will have many effects, one of which will be economic. Military bases can be found around the world. There are over one hundred Air Force installations in America alone. If we were to shut down every single military base of each military branch in every single country in the world, the results would be devastating. Instantly, the world economy would be flooded with the unemployed. Not only would soldiers be out of a job, but millions of civilians would be too. Civilians who operate the stores on base, supply the food, and deliver all the goods and materials would all lose their jobs. Even big companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin would take a huge hit. These companies in turn would have to lay-off thousands of employees, if they managed to avoid bankruptcy. </div><div align="left"><br /> Technological and medical advances would be affected as well. Military spending and even wars are responsible for the majority of all technological and medical advances. Communication has been advanced by the military as it moved from tubes, to transistors, and then to digital communication as a result of the military’s demand for better communication. We learned how to make steel framed buildings using technology gained by building battle ships. Even the assembly line was invented during the War Between the States because there was a need for lots of guns as fast as possible (Iron Mountain 53). </div><div align="left"><br /> Medical advances also come as a result of military spending. Often these advances come as a result of war. For example, amputation, blood-handling techniques and even surgery were vastly improved as a direct result of the Vietnam War (Iron Mountain 54). Technology and medicine are not the only areas affected by war. Most of today’s research and development, or R&D, comes through military spending. Over three-fifths of all funding for R&D comes from the Department of Defense, NASA, and the Atomic Energy Commission. This includes research done by non-profit institutions, and educational institutions such as universities (Benoit and Boulding 112-116). If this amount of money is cut from the average university, it will go under. The budget cuts we face now are severe and we can feel those effects; however, this is nothing compared to the loss researchers would take if the military were no longer in existence to fund them. </div><div align="left"><br /> Without militaries, nations will cease to exist. There will be no need for borders. No longer will one country worry about being attacked by another country’s military. There will be no military to attack them, and thus, no need for separate countries or nations. Without nations or countries to unite people there must be some other reason to unite the masses. These people no longer have jobs, their economy is bankrupt, and the world as they know it is turned upside down. This is a recipe for disaster, unless there is some other reason for these people to unite. In other words, there must be a substitute for war. </div><div align="left"><br /> This substitute could be one of many things. It could come in the form of some deadly virus. It could be something like pollution or a fear that global warming will melt the ice caps and flood the world. Whatever form this cause takes, it will not be some kind of philosophical ideal, but something that brings out the survival instinct in man. Basically, the world would trade war for something else just as horrific (Iron Mountain 64-66).</div><div align="left"> <br /> However, this still does not solve all of the problems the world will face. People, who once served in the military, will no longer have homes or an income. The bases they lived on are now nonexistent. The salaries they once collected are no longer there. Civilians who relied on the jobs these bases provided no longer have a place to work. They no longer have an income. Yet somehow the needs of these people must be met; otherwise, the problems of uprisings and crime, which were blocked by the potential for war, will resurface. </div><div align="left"><br /> The solution to this is government. Government would now have to provide the needs of the people who no longer have income to take care of themselves. Massive welfare programs would be implemented. The government will now have to provide all basic needs such as healthcare, food and shelter. In many cases the new government would go about this by providing government jobs. It would have to educate its own doctors, assign people to produce food, and then provide the means for them to do so. </div><div align="left"><br /> Regulating this system will require a worldwide police force, or a Peace Corps. The Peace Corps would insure that people stayed civil, and that no fights break out. Most importantly though, the Peace Corps would make sure that people fulfilled the roles assigned to them by this new government. In actuality this new form of government would be a new, high tech, sophisticated form of slavery (Iron Mountain 86). This government will be a form of slavery in which the people are forced to work for government apportioned rations and where “peace” is enforced by the Peace Corps. Instead of beating slaves with whips in the cotton fields, these task masters will use clubs and tasers to ensure production is on schedule. </div><div align="left"><br /> Peace like this comes with too high a price. This kind of change will wreck our already weak economy. People everywhere will lose their jobs and be forced to turn to the government for aid. Technological advancement will come to a stand-still. The medical industry will no longer be able to provide top notch care. But the most severe penalty to be paid for peace is the loss of freedom. No people should ever be willing to become slaves, especially not for fear that they may one day have to fight. This false security robs men of true liberty, and this type of peace is by no means desirable.<br /><br /> <br /><strong>Works Cited</strong><br />Benoit, Emile and Boulding, Kenneth E. <em>Disarmament and the Economy</em>. New York: Harper & Row, 1963. Print.<br /><em>Big Ivan, The Tsar Bomba (“King of Bombs”).</em> Nuclear Weapons Archive. 3 September 2007. Web. 5 September 2009.<br /><em>Report From Iron Mountain on the Possibility and Desirability of Peace</em>. New York: The Dial Press, Inc. 1967. Print.<br />United Nations. Reports of the Secretary General. <em>Basic Problems of Disarmament</em>. New York: United Nations, 1970. Print<br /></div>nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-77783381826227143032009-10-10T18:39:00.003-05:002009-10-10T18:49:11.192-05:00SECESSION IS GONEThe window of opportunity for secession is gone. Liberty as we once knew it in America is lost. There are those who still urge us to continue the fight. There are those eternal optimists who dream of taking back America and rescuing her from the socialism that is turning her into a communist state.<br /><br />The movement for secession might be making more noise, but the ability to secede shrinks as the Department of Homeland Security grows. Why was it not created the Department of Homeland Defense under the authority and watch of the existing Department of Defense? Probably because the sheep no longer want to defend their liberty; they want now only to maintain their personal peace and affluence.<br /><br />A nation is thought to be “secure” when it is free from the danger of outside military attack, outside political pressure, and outside interference with the nation’s economy. But this type of security does not exist. The entitlement mentality is conditioning the sheep, like Pavlov’s dogs, to come to the government for everything while believing they are owed free security. Why should anyone want to secede if all he needs is given to him by the federal beast. “I want it; my government will pay for it.”<br /><br />What keeps the federal beast alive? The will to power keeps it alive. Big brother tells the sheep their security is possible if they will just bow down at the altar of nationalism. Secession is anti-nationalism. Secession denies the sacrifice to the state. And what is that first sacrifice to bring? Money and more money must be offered by the sheep as the sacrifice for the cause. The god of Mammon rules by the power of the tax.<br /><br />Next, the dignity of the sheep must be sacrificed to the god of government Provision. Government Provision will supply all our needs including security. Secession requires risk. Secession cannot promise to supply all our needs. And as government Provision gives more to the sheep, they must give back with their labor—government service for the “free entitlements” received. Handouts, bail outs, and more handouts, no matter what the cost, the sheep have lost their self-reliance.<br /><br />Secession was an attainable goal, but it’s just no longer a desirable one; that is, the old interest in freedom has been replaced by the new passionate desire for security. As long as there are Monday night football, beer, and TV remotes, it won’t matter that increased taxes, check-points with full-body scanners, warrantless searches and seizures, and detention camps continue to appear.nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-2599563535176176262009-09-01T14:25:00.003-05:002009-09-01T14:42:47.967-05:00FAKE TERROR: The Road to War and DictatorshipIt's the oldest trick in the book, dating back to Roman times; creating the enemies you need.<br />This is an article by Michael Rivero from his blog. It's a long piece, but worth the time it takes to consider it. Check it out. <a href="http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/ARTICLE5/index.html">FAKE TERROR: The Road to War and Dictatorship</a>nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-37525672088570334102009-08-13T09:35:00.001-05:002009-08-13T09:38:21.562-05:00WHEN GOD LAUGHS“<strong><em>He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision</em></strong>”—Psalm 2:4<br /><br />Note God’s derision of the rebellious! What will the King do unto those who reject Him? Mark the quiet dignity of the Omnipotent One, and the contempt which He pours upon His raging enemies. He has not taken the trouble to rise up and do battle with them He despises them, He knows how absurd, how irrational, how futile are their attempts against Him. He therefore laughs at them! (<em>Charles Spurgeon</em>)<br /><br />“He that sitteth in the heavens. . .” Hereby it is clearly intimated, <br />(1) that the Lord is far above all their malice and power; <br />(2) that He sees all their plots, looking down on all; <br />(3) that He is of omnipotent power, and so can do with His enemies just as He desires. “Our God is in the heavens! He has done whatever He has pleased.” (<em>Arthur Jackson</em>)<br /><br />“Sinners’ follies are the righteous sport of God’s infinite wisdom and power. Those attempts of the kingdom of Satan, which in our eyes are formidable, in God’s eyes are despicable.” (<em>Matthew Henry</em>)<br /><br />“He that sitteth in the heavens.” They scoff at us but God laughs at them! Laugh? This seems like a harsh word at first view. But are the derision, the persecution and the injuries of his saints; and the cruelties of their enemies a matter of laughter? God laughs but it is in scorn; He scorns but it is with vengeance. Short is the joy of the wicked! Oh, what are God’s frowns if His smiles are so terrible! (<em>Thomas Adams</em>)<br /><br />The expression, “He that sitteth in the heavens,” at once fixes our thoughts on a being infinitely exalted above impotent man. And when it is said, “HE laughs,” this is designed to convey to our minds the idea, that the greatest confederacies among kings and peoples, and their most extensive and vigorous preparations to defeat HIS purposes are in HIS sight altogether insignificant and worthless! HE looks upon their poor and puny efforts, not only without uneasiness or fear, but <strong>HE laughs at their folly!</strong> HE treats their impotency with derision. He knows how HE can crush them like a moth when HE pleases or consume them in a moment with the breath of HIS mouth! How profitable it is for us to be reminded of truths such as these! Ah! it is indeed a vain thing for the potsherds of the earth to strive with the glorious Majesty of Heaven! (<em>David Pitcairn</em>)nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-65740746637944129682009-07-07T11:38:00.001-05:002009-07-07T11:41:24.226-05:00SAVE AMERICA: RE-ELECT NO ONE!Just a few more ramblings brought on by my reading “Confidence in God in Times of Danger,” by Alexander Carson.<br /><br />If God is God, and if we believe He can protect His people even under the worst dictatorship imaginable, then it would seem that so-called civil liberties really do not provide any safety for His people, or anyone else for that matter, without the immediate and direct protection of His almighty arm. Our protection is not in the Constitution, which has been violated time and again since the War Between the States, our true protection comes from God graciously ordaining the liberties we enjoy to serve the establishment of His Kingdom. This means the true Christian has nothing to fear in any country and under any government. If we are called to suffer in the near future under a dictator, we must remember it will be for God’s glory and our good. All of this then seems to imply that Christians must honor even the most worthless men in power. Even a socialist President, one giving the country away, in the end is to be honored, not worshipped, but honored as the leader God has placed in office. And if God should will that this same wicked President persecute the people of God, we must understand God is good and the sin belongs to the persecutor alone. The President might be wickedly gratifying his own evil dispositions, but ultimately he is fulfilling the appointment of God, Who ordains all things. God makes the plans of his enemies to establish His own agenda. Our true safety is in the Lord and in counting all things but loss for the sake of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. This is also more reason to pray for our President and leaders, because if no one brings them the true gospel of free and sovereign grace, then these men who have actively opposed God’s people will suffer a Christless eternity in Hell. Let us pray that God might be pleased to raise up a whole new crop of truly righteous leaders, set apart by His saving grace, and committed to following the Lord Jesus Christ.<br />SAVE AMERICA: RE-ELECT NO ONE!nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-17362438920644830972009-05-28T12:38:00.004-05:002009-05-28T12:54:51.505-05:00WHAT IS THE CORRECT RESPONSE?What is it to truly be longsuffering? I don’t know; that’s why I ask. I have a few ideas about it, but I’m not absolutely convinced about any of them. Are the sins of my enemies against me more heinous than my own sins against God? Just how longsuffering was God with me? I joke about now being the time to invest in precious metals, like brass and lead, referring to ammunition. With the coming revolution—whoops! – I mean with the almost certain coming civil unrest, what should I do to prepare? Do I stock up on food, firewater, and firearms? If the civil unrest becomes uncivil and turns into a shooting match, do I take part?<br /><br /> Politics has come between the so-called evangelical church and the glory of the Gospel. Oh, there’s plenty of outward hustle and activity among all the political action groups claiming to be fighting for God’s Kingdom and soliciting your “gifts and offerings.” Their pragmatism will attack my skepticism and ask, “So what should we do? Just sit around and do nothing?”<br /><br /> What about prayer? I know James tells us that faith without works is dead, but my skepticism concerns the works and the justification of those works. What are we building, the Kingdom of God, or the kingdom of men? Are we building the true Church?<br /> <br /> The perceived low level of spirituality, the lack of fruit in the churches, ought to alert us to a possibly misguided vision. Some of the changes in the church are labeled progress, and the voice of the people becomes the voice of God. But do not the Scriptures tell us the whole world lies in wickedness? That would seem to indicate that if we rely too heavily on a majority of public opinion to shape our goals and objectives, we might just be adopting the ways of the world, which is also known as walking in the flesh. This is also why I often say, “Democracy sucks.”<br /><br /> Progress, if it is only in the flesh, will ultimately degenerate. Remember the so-called “good old days” of the fifties and the early sixties with Leave It to Beaver and The Andy Griffith Show. Where has that Hollywood morality taken us? Did it progress to an even greater virtue? No, the boomers of the fifties and early sixties went crazy with drugs, sex, and rock and roll. Their offspring produced the eighties, and now their children, grandchildren to the hippies, are giving us the new millennium and its new morality. Jesus told Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh.” And if it’s flesh, it’s only going to get worse.<br /><br /> So, back to my question about our response to the world as we know it ending before our very eyes: Do we jump on the “influence the culture” bandwagon, or do we hide in caves until the fallout settles and attempt to survive in a Mad Max apocalypse? Or instead of TEOTWAWKI, how about TEOAAWKI (the end of America as we know it)? Our Pilgrim forefathers left Rotterdam, Holland, and arrived on our shores in the Mayflower. The place where our “American adventure” began is now under Sharia law. Do we sit idly by and watch Islamo-facists change American culture as they have done in Holland? Again, the Scriptures tell us we don’t wrestle or fight against flesh and blood; rather, we fight against spiritual principalities and powers. Our difficulty comes because those spiritual principalities and powers meet us directly in the flesh and blood they possess. Also, are we to be about building an earthly kingdom or should we not be about building the Kingdom of God? I love my country, but are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness my life’s calling? What about twenty-year-old Sandul, a Pakistani, Christian woman jailed for “blasphemy” against the Quran (the unholy Muslim book). She lost her liberty. How about another Pakistani Christian, Shafia, who was kidnapped into sexual slavery? Shafia definitely lost her liberty and her pursuit of happiness. And what about the 10,000 Christians who have died in a supposedly democratic Nigeria since 1999? Now when this begins to happen in the USA, am I to take up arms and fight against the flesh and blood committing the persecution?<br /><br /> Anyone who wants to know can find statistics about the persecution of Christians around the globe. So why do we in America suddenly think we should be exempt? Do we really think God needs America? I am not asking for persecution—I fear it. But how can I expect to be exempt and still claim to be a member of the suffering body of Christ? If suffering is a gift from God (see Phil 1:29), should I prepare to fight against it with guns and bombs? I believe God wills the persecution of His people; if that causes you a problem, I suggest you read the book of Esther and then try to refute it.<br /><br /> I would suggest that possibly President Obama is a lot like Haman (in the book of Esther); that is, he is ignorant of God’s purpose. The President might be radically opposed to Christians and will attempt to gratify his own evil dispositions; all the while, he is fulfilling the plan of God. Allow me to close this rambling essay with the comments of Alexander Carson from 1853 in his study of God’s providence in the book of Esther called “Confidence in God in Times of Danger”:<br />“It is a curious fact, but not a singular one, that God raised up Haman <em>to bring His people into danger</em>, as well as Esther to deliver them. In this, as in other things, the Divine wisdom is distinguished from the human in a striking manner. No man would nurture the wretch whom he should know to be the future enemy of himself and his offspring. But God exalted Haman in the court of the great king, above all the princes of the empire, for the very purpose of giving him an opportunity of manifesting [Haman’s] enmity against His people, and of attempting the destruction of the whole nation. He puts His enemies in the most favorable situation to oppose Him, that He may show with what ease He can discomfit the utmost efforts of their malevolence; nay, He makes the very wrath of man to praise Him, and the plans of His enemies to destroy His cause are made to effect its establishment.”nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-15261777399634176162009-05-01T10:04:00.003-05:002009-05-01T10:16:03.451-05:00IMPOSED NEW WORLD ORDER“One man or an elite giving authoritative arbitrary absolutes” is the only humanistic social option left for our godless society. At least that is the conclusion Dr. Francis Schaeffer came to in his ten film episodes of “How Should We Then Live?” If you think about it, and it won’t take long to figure it out, when there is an absence of moral absolutes, society becomes the sole absolute for everything. But that brings us back to either “one man or an elite”; that is, society has to be led by either one authoritarian or a group of elite authoritarians.<br /><br />For years I have jokingly said, “Technology is going to kill us.” It doesn’t take much of an imagination now to see how technology can be used by an elite to control the masses. With this control will eventually come absolute power, and that’s the contradiction Daniel Bell warned about; that is, “no absolute ethic to accompany absolute power.” What if the controllers wanted to spread panic? Could they not maybe use, say a man-made virus? Can you say, “Oink, oink”? Forced immunizations from a newly created national health-care system brought about by a recognized “pandemic” might just be the beginning of the end. I could go on with guesses about RFIDs being implanted in newborns, national ID cards, mandatory vehicle GPS devices, etc., but I’ll let your own imagination run wild.<br /><br />But when you think of the new authoritarian leader, don’t think of a Hitler or a Stalin; that’s simply old school. No, the new leader will probably be more of a puppet ruler controlled by an elite. He might even be told what to say by…maybe a…teleprompter. This leader can also have great influence through an ignorant media who have been taught to have the same views as the manipulative controlling elite. The deaf, dumb, and blind media will cry out for civil liberties, yet they will see government, not just as the only solution to every problem, but government as having a responsibility to solve every problem.<br /><br />What this new crop of socialists fails to understand is that they wish to have what are really Christian liberties without any Christian foundation. All they will reap is chaos. With this loss of a truly Christian consensus, since the Teleprompter Of The United States (<strong>TOTUS</strong>) has declared to the muslim nations of the world that the USA is not a Christian nation, there will be no reason for an apathetic population not to surrender their final liberties whenever TOTUS and the Federal beast promises them personal peace and affluence. As long as there is Monday Night Football, a six-pack, and a remote, who cares if TOTUS declares martial law. The fears being produced daily by the media announcements of economic collapse will out-weigh any concerns for liberty. TOTUS and his willing accomplices in the media are preparing the nation to accept a manipulative, authoritarian government.<br /><br />Random violence, political terrorism, economic collapse, swine flu, fuel shortages, and finally food shortages will cause the apathetic majority to give up all liberty for the false promise of “security.” Let’s not forget the constant threats of wars and the rumors of wars. Nuclear missiles in the hands of rogue states and muslim nations intent on destroying Israel will cause people to see authoritarianism as a lesser evil.<br /><br />So what’s the answer? Society needs to repent and acknowledge the true source of liberty and truth. The source is found in God’s revelation in the Bible and His revelation through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. As Dr. Schaeffer says, “Christianity is truth that gives a unity to all of knowledge and all of life.” All this comes from the personal God and Creator of heaven and earth. This means the true acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It means men must bow the knee to the King of kings and submit to His Law and the absolutes found in the Bible. Both liberals and conservatives are guilty of suppressing God’s truth. Both liberals and conservatives must submit to the truth that only the Bible has the foundation for liberty in any society. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only answer for all of man’s problems, and if our nation and the rest of the world continue to reject Christ as Lord, I suggest you prepare now for an imposed New World Order.<br /><em>(adapted from an outline in the study guide to Schaeffer's How Should We Then Live?)</em><br /><strong><span style="font-family:arial;">Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.</span></strong> (Psa 62:8)nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-82849993386356144282008-11-26T14:19:00.001-06:002008-11-26T14:20:38.565-06:00CHANGE IS COMING, HOPE IS ON THE HORIZONHow much lower do you think gas prices will go? It really doesn’t matter because it won’t last. The Beast now knows the American people will tolerate up to about $4 per gallon. Watch the Federal Beast place new taxes on gas after January 20. New taxes up to about $2 per gallon are probably not out of the question. The economic terrorist attack that has already taken place has crippled the mortgage industry, shrunk the banking industry, and wrecked the auto maker industry. Fearfully, the American people will plead with the Beast for protection. The people are so frightened of the coming depression, they will demand for the Federal Beast to do something to save the economy. But fear no more, CHANGE is coming. HOPE is on the horizon.<br /><br />We’ve already been warned that after January 20 we might only have 6 months of relative calm before our new leader is “tested.” Our new leader is clever enough to know he needs the American people to be fearful. So the predicted “test” helps to create that situation where the people will be so frightened that they will bow down and beg for the Federal Beast to do something. Wars and rumors of war, threats of terrorist attacks, threats of violence and riots can go a long way to convince the people to blindly accept martial law. But fear no more, CHANGE is coming. HOPE is on the horizon.<br /><br />Those who would riot and protest, the so-called revolutionaries, the militants, and all the extremists will never successfully overthrow the Beast; but what they can do is succeed in scaring the American people into begging for the new socialism coming from Washington. Peace at any cost is what a fearful people will accept. As long as they can have their six-pack and Monday Night Football on their big-screen HD TV, they will not care if the Constitution is suspended and the country enslaved. As the radicals in the streets make more commotion, they stupidly allow the true leaders of the Beast to appear more in the center as those leaders in reality continue to move to the left. But fear no more, CHANGE is coming. HOPE is on the horizon.<br /><br />It appears that the Federal Beast opposes terrorism much the same way it once opposed Communism. Billions and billions of dollars are spent to keep the military spread around the world to fight the war on terrorism without ever defeating terrorism. Much like Orwell’s 1984, the Beast needs the smoke and mirrors production of the appearance of a formidable foe. The thought of an ever-present enemy allows the Beast to manage the “conflict” while in truth it continues to advance its real objective of totalitarian rule. Remember September 11, 1990 when Bush 41 uttered the words “New World Order” in his "Toward a New World Order" speech? But fear no more, CHANGE is coming. HOPE is on the horizon.nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-49802618737397721992008-07-09T09:48:00.003-05:002009-02-20T15:34:25.959-06:00MEXICO Mission Trip PicturesHere's a link to a little collection of pictures from a summer (2008) mission trip to Emiliano Zapata in Mexico. 13 of us from Grace Bible Fellowship Church of Baton Rouge went with some other believers from Oklahoma, Alabama, and Michigan. "To Every Tribe Ministries" organized the trip for us.<br /><br /><a href="http://s354.photobucket.com/albums/r418/nottmb/?albumview=slideshow">MEXICO PICs</a>nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-16473399188187106062008-07-09T09:03:00.004-05:002009-02-20T15:37:32.700-06:00What is Faith?Faith: Based on fact, or gift from God?<br />What are the objects of faith?<br />Who has faith?<br />What is the use of faith?<br /><br />These are some of the things examined in an essay called "What is Faith?" You can read it now by clicking on: <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgrzgrrc_7gz6m4hfm">WHAT IS FAITH</a>nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-55846873777937215782008-04-18T09:34:00.002-05:002008-04-18T10:06:00.609-05:00FOURTH AMENDMENT BLUESJust got off the phone (Thur Apr 17) with a pastor friend. It seems a family in his church had a visit yesterday from his state's Dept. of Children and Families (DCF). The DCF agent wanted to inspect the house because of an anonymous tip his office received concerning alleged abuse of a child in this particular family. Fortunately the 17-year-old daughter who answered the door had enough wisdom and courage to deny entry to the agent. She called her father who immediately called the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). An HSLDA attorney guided the father through the process over the phone.<br /><br />Evidently, the state has ignored the U.S. Constitution and has invoked what they call "justifiable cause" instead of the Constitutionally lawful "probable cause." The DCF agent had been informed the family was abusing an infant by keeping the infant in a closet where it was possibly being smothered by the heat, etc. The father of the family makes a very good living and has a big house and the particular closet referred to is a large "walk-in" type closet with its own separate AC vent. The family had turned the closet into a nursery. There are 8 children, and the older ones are being home schooled. The mother is pregnant with number 9 to be delivered any day.<br /><br />The DCF agent returned today to speak with two of the sons who were away working yesterday. He informed the family he had to come back because of policy, but after having interviewed the children and being impressed by their conduct and seeing that the "closet" is really a nursery, he declared he would not be back. For that I am thankful, but for his blatant violation of the Constitution I am outraged and fearful of what might become a trend since the supposed "phone call" was made in Texas about the polygamist compound near Eldorado.<br /><br />Our Fourth Amendment reads, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."<br /><br />Evidently, states are ignoring "probable cause" and replacing it with terms that sound like they mean the same thing but in reality do not. It also seems states are now comfortable with anonymous tips which also violate our Constitution. The Sixth Amendment guarantees our right "to be confronted with the witnesses against" us.<br /><br />Agencies like DCF or Child Protection Services or whatever title a state might choose are good in their intentions. I am for protecting children and families. However, I am not for abusive agencies acting in ways that they are accusing their victims of acting. These agencies are staffed with men whose hearts can be corrupted by power. Sinful men twisting the law in the name of the law is tyranny. As we ignore these attacks on our liberties and look the other way for fear we might lose our security, we really lose our liberty.<br /><br />May God remember mercy in wrath.nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-36652931568312796642007-12-06T12:57:00.000-06:002007-12-06T13:12:23.329-06:00Christianity in the Fast LaneIf you have time, take a look at some thinking on paper (or pixels) about our 21st century rat race.<br /><br />Someone once told me, "You can take the rat out of the race, but you can't take the rat out of the rat."<br /><br /><a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgrzgrrc_6fmgx8h">Christianity in the Fast Lane</a>nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-1173260670568205442007-10-04T12:48:00.000-05:002007-11-19T11:47:35.918-06:00IS THE BIBLE GOD'S WORD?<em>Is The Bible God's Word?</em> is an old essay of mine, and I would like to republish it serially. Hopefully, I can share it in parts as listed below. Click on the parts to read the entire text of each part.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgrzgrrc_2gq734j">Starting Points</a></strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong><a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgrzgrrc_3xnmx9r">Inspiration</a> </strong><br /><br /><strong><a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgrzgrrc_4nqhvkp">Debates & Unbelievers</a> </strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong><a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgrzgrrc_5n6czvs">Why Can't They Believe?</a></strong>nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-68290912073820871582007-09-26T15:11:00.000-05:002007-09-26T15:15:00.720-05:00Universal Declaration of Human RightsPicked up a copy of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” the other day. Just in case you’re wondering, it’s a proclamation of the UN General Assembly from December 10, 1948. The declaration considers all people everywhere members of the “human family.” It speaks of the “conscience of mankind” and a lot of other one-world nonsense.<br /><br />Did you know the UN considers “freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want as the highest aspiration of the common people”? What do they mean by “common people”? Do they mean all the people everywhere in common, or do they mean the people who have to work for a living? The latter would seem to agree with the so-called “freedom from fear and want.” So if the UN rules the world, they will supply not just all my needs but even my wants. This is beginning to look a lot like something competing for the title of God.<br /><br />The so-called Article 1 says all human beings are “endowed with reason and conscience.” Really? Who “endowed” us with these? God or the UN? The article goes on to say we “should” all act in a “spirit of brotherhood.” And who is our father? God or the UN?<br /><br />Article 3 reads, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” Everyone? Even unborn babies? And “security of person” sure sounds a lot like the right to bear arms. So the UN says we have the right to security of person, and if I choose to use firearms to secure my person and be free from fear, then certainly the UN would protect those rights, right? Yeah, right.nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-90160565088857399232007-09-20T14:57:00.000-05:002007-09-20T15:08:39.495-05:00God's Law and the New CovenantHave questions about the place of the Law in the New Covenant? I do. Just for fun click on the <a href="http://bubbl.us/view.php?sid=39622&pw=yaG9kOlGghXQEMjY3dWdGVWJDTG42RQ ">LAW</a> link to see some of my brainstorming. Trust me, I'm still searching the Scriptures on this topic.<br /><br />I will try to add questions in the near future as I have time and new ideas.nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-40958252734931128982007-09-13T16:28:00.000-05:002007-09-14T12:07:02.218-05:00Total Inability<strong>Nottmb</strong> wrote an essay 20 years ago and tried to explain Total Depravity. He compared Jimmy Swaggart and Roman Catholicism to show the opposite doctrine of free will. If you have time, click on the link <a title="external link" href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgrzgrrc_0f37n79">Total Inability </a>and see how Swaggart and Rome make strange bedfellows.<br /><h3 class="post-title"> </h3>nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-69709031436436756592007-09-04T13:21:00.000-05:002007-09-04T13:41:28.126-05:00Land of the Free<span style="font-family:arial;"><em>Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!</em></span> (Isa 10:1-2)<br /><br />Have you flown the friendly skies lately? This summer (2007) I had the pleasure to participate in a short-term mission to Hungary. My two older sons went with me. The mission trip was wonderful. The airport experience was frightening.<br /><br />I could also mention the extreme difficulty I had acquiring a U.S. Passport, but that would take an entire new blog; so suffice it to say I received my Passport within three hours of the scheduled flight departure from New Orleans.<br /><br />Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr., in a recent April 2007 talk, said “Traveling on airplanes reminds us how much freedom we’ve lost and how we have become accustomed to it.” If you haven’t flown recently, let me help explain a little of what Rockwell is saying.<br /><br />Our U.S. Constitution protects us from “unreasonable searches and seizures.” Obviously, “unreasonable” is up for grabs. Anybody want to define “unreasonable”? The socialists in D.C. are content with defining anything done at an airport as “reasonable.” After all, they are trying to prevent hijackings, bombings, and other acts of terrorism. So we all just bend over (sometimes literally) and allow government bureaucrats to have their way with us and our belongings.<br /><br />Don’t think about trying to interrupt the routine. While we were waiting in airports, we were regularly advised over loudspeakers to “report suspicious activity.” You better walk right, talk right, and if you are waiting, you better wait right too, or else someone might interrogate you about your nervous pacing in the boarding area.<br /><br />Go ahead and empty your pockets, take off your belt, your hat, and your shoes. And don’t forget to put all your toiletries in a clear, one-quart, zip-lock bag. Your liquids and gels are limited to three ounces each. Any violations here and the items will be seized, regardless of how “unreasonable” it might be. Forget about probable cause, don’t worry about oaths or affirmations, and especially don’t bring up the notion of a Warrant.<br /><br />Maybe we have forgotten our true shield and defender, our God. Maybe we now rely solely on government to protect and defend us. Government will protect our "right" to "feel" safe at the expense of our right to that certain unalienable Right of Liberty. Our own government was founded to secure Liberty--honest--you can read about it in the Declaration of Independence. And our founders knew from whence these rights came, "You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments; rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the Universe" (John Adams, second President of the US).nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320094610993682898.post-34174234965201294952007-08-30T10:46:00.000-05:002007-08-30T10:49:06.432-05:00What is a "church"?And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt 16:18)<br /><br />What is a church? Regardless of your theological perspective, whatever your answer is, it is wrong. A church is a 501(c)3 corporation registered with the state. It’s an organization that is tax exempt and can provide receipts for contributions when no goods or services are provided in return. We have allowed the state to define a church for us.<br /><br />Can you imagine John Bunyan’s opinion of the “church” in America? John Bunyan was imprisoned for preaching without a license. Can you imagine that…”OK, Mister Bunyan, we understand you want to preach. All you need to do is simply receive a license from the state and you will then be free to preach.” Or maybe…”We really want you to be able to preach, Mr. Bunyan; however, you must first obtain a license from the state.”<br /><br />Ever wonder what Bunyan might have done in the 21st Century? “OK, Mr. Bunyan, you cannot provide that food and shelter for that family and later provide them with any receipts for contributions. You will lose your tax exempt status.” Mr. Bunyan might want to allow some input from the Federal Government and take some funds to assist with “faith-based ministries.” Of course Mr. Bunyan might have to hire some unwanted church administrators and assistants simply to meet some arbitrary standard of diversity if he chooses to receive government funds.<br /><br />The IRS can now locate all the 501(c)3 “churches” and if necessary monitor ministry activity. And let’s not forget that politics and religion don’t mix when it comes to saying things from the pulpit; that is, Mr. Bunyan cannot preach to persuade his entire church to endorse any political candidate. There’s even debate over whether or not a pastor can speak on major political issues at all. And of course with the threat of “hate crime” legislation on the horizon, pastors will be under even tighter scrutiny in the near future.<br /><br />So, what is the definition of a church again?nottmbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06647483545607589786noreply@blogger.com1