News Bulletin.

I have made no secret of the fact that, with regard to Covid-19, I am something of a "conspiracy theorist"! I am also what has become known as an "anti-vaxxer". Okay, I reckon that I may have lost a number of friends just by posting those two sentences!

However, I have not made those decisions lightly, and unthinkingly. I have made them because I have gone to the trouble to do some basic research of my own, and not simply swallow all that the politicians, and the mainstream media, have churned out - in the UK; in France; and, it seems, in the rest of the world!

When one checks, for example, the actual number of deaths that are attributable to only Covid-19, then one discovers that they may be less than what is experienced with influenza! I use the word "may" simply because it is difficult to obtain totally accurate figures from any source! Of course, I don't expect anyone to take my word for it! Do your own research. It could be a real eye-opener!

However, in the book of Deuteronomy, in the Tanakh (the Old Testament of the Christian Bible), and in chapter 7 is a far more serious warning that any given out about Covid-19 - and this one is genuine! I would encourage you to read vs 6-16. Overall, that passage is a positive expression of the blessing of YHWH. It expresses His willingness to help those who trust Him. But that's not the whole picture! In v.10 we read: He "requites to their face those who hate Him, by destroying them; He will not be slack with him who hates Him, He will requite him to his face." 

Did you catch that "News Bulletin"? YHWH alerted His chosen people to be 'on the lookout' - not for bad men roaming the streets, but for a good God Who will destroy all those who hate Him!

It's true. A virus, however harmful it may be, is far from the only thing to be feared. Much more fearful is Almighty God! Even although He is merciful, and full of compassion, His awesome holiness makes all other kinds of fear look mild by comparison. 

In Matt. 10:28, we have these recorded words of the Lord Jesus: "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him Who can destroy both soul and body in hell." "It is not hell-fire we are to fear, but it is God; without the stroke of Whose justice hell itself would be no punishment, and Whose frown would render heaven itself insupportable." (Adam Clarke's Commentary). This is the God who is described, by the writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus, as "... a consuming fire." (Heb 12:29).

Just before I was about to publish this post, I received an e-mail that included these words:

"The God Who can speak the billions of galaxies into existence with the “breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6) is a God Who can cast ungodly men into eternal hell for their defiance and rebellion against “the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4)."

We may not like to face this sobering truth, but Almighty God will not always be patient with those people who have no love or respect for Him. That, I would suggest, is a "News Bulletin" that we cannot afford to miss - or to ignore!

Heaven and hell; and what we deserve!

I could still obtain them, but having read the provided synopsis, I don't think I want to do so!  

I'm referring to a couple of books that I was offered, online, earlier today.  

The first was:

Heaven and Hell, by Kenneth Zeigler, about which it is explained that "Chris and Serena Davis die in a crash — but while Chris enters Heaven, his wife is sentenced to Hell. Can Chris save his beloved?   A thought-provoking, intensely emotional Christian novel with over 200 five-star Amazon reviews!"

The second was:

Dancing with Jesus, by Linda Fitzpatrick, and the associated synopsis reads: "An enchanting work of biblical fiction: Abia is convinced that an accident has left her unfit to be loved. But one special person will renew her faith and show Abia just how deserving of happiness she is... "

Interesting titles; interesting subject matter.  The first book, with its "... over 200 five-star Amazon reviews!" would suggest that there is more interest in these concepts than would be expected by the constant barrage from secular humanists and atheists who insist that this life, itself the result of billions of years of random mutations and accidental meeting of sub-atomic particles, is less popular than they would have us believe, and would want to believe themselves!

However, both titles also display a lack of understanding of, at least, Christian theology as based on the written Word of God - the Bible.  Look at the first title and the little synopsis.  Can Chris, from the bliss of heaven, save his beloved wife Serena from the horror of hell?  Not according to the Bible!  It is in this life that we make the decisions that decide our eternal destiny.  If we have entered into a saving relationship with the Lord, Jesus the Christ. in this life then we will continue in that relationship after our mortal death.  If we have failed to enter that relationship here, then we have no further opportunity to do so!  In Hebrews 9:27 we read that "... it is appointed for man (generic - includes females!) to die once, and after that comes judgment,"  There is no "second chance" - through a loving spouse, or anyone else.  Paul reminds us, in Romans 2:6-8, that "He (Almighty God) will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, He will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury."

So what about the second book?  The words that made me raise my eyebrows were at the end of the synopsis: "... show Abia just how deserving of happiness she is."   The problem, here, is that none of us deserves anything but the wrath of Almighty God because of our constant sinning against Him!  His wrath is provoked when we rebel against His Word.  Of course, there are those who do not like to think on the wrath of God. They want a loving, fluffy, stuffed rabbit, kind of God who looks down benignly upon His erring creatures, and smiles understandingly at their faults and failures.  That, however, is not the God of the Bible.  Yes, He is Love - that is His essential Being.  But, as the totally sinless One, He cannot bear to look upon sin.  Sin must be punished. "... the soul that sins shall die." is His word through the prophet Ezekiel (18:4, 20).  Indeed, as a study of any good concordance will show, there are more references in the Bible to the anger, fury, and wrath of God, than there are to His love and tenderness!

That is a major problem for "Abia", for you, for me, and for every other member of the human race. That's why some of us seek to share the Gospel message as often as we can. Because that message is the answer - not an answer that any of us can provide, but one that is provided by that same Almighty God.  At its most simple, it says that the same Almighty God Who is sinless, and holy, and just, loves us so much that, in the Persona (not a typo - see my book: Great Words of the Faith; chapter on "Trinity") of the Son, He came among us, showed us His love and compassion, and then satisfied His justice by paying the penalty that we deserved to pay!  It is summed up in that well-known verse: "God loved the world so much that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in (places their trust in) Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). 

That involves, for us, the recognition that we are, indeed, sinners in the sight of God; that we can do nothing about our own debt of sin; that He has already done all in Jesus, and then accepting the salvation that is offered, so freely through Him.  The life we then lead is so totally different that we right speak of having been "born again".

There is a heaven, and there is a hell.  You and I deserve nothing but hell.  Praise God for His love and mercy that provide us with the opportunity to spend the timelessness of eternity, in heaven, with Him.

Were you there? - Part 3.

On this Good Friday, we look at the remaining characters who were involved in the crucifixion, in one way or another.  We begin by thinking of two who, most certainly, were not there by choice!   They were the two who were crucified with Jesus: "And with Him they crucified two robbers, one on His right and one on His left." (Mark 15:27).

Three men; three crosses!  How similar - yet how different!  One was a cross of contempt.  On it hung a man who derided Jesus as He hung there, dying.  "Are you not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" (Luke 23:39).  There he hung, dying himself, alongside the Saviour of mankind.  He had the opportunity of life eternal - but he threw it away, and took the path of hostility, derision, and contempt.  In the most solemn hour in the history of the world, this condemned criminal cursed his way to a Christ-less eternity.

But, on the other side of the Lord Jesus was another cross - a cross of contrition. On it hung a man who has become known as "the penitent thief".  In the midst of his own pain and humiliation something touched him as he gazed across at the Man in the middle.  He realised that this was no ordinary man!  He had watched the soldiers nail Him to the wood; he had seen the blood that spurted from His wounds; and he had heard, not the torrent of curses that he would have expected - and that, in all probability, he had himself uttered - but a prayer that still hung, as it were, in the air around him: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34).  As the very shadow of death hovered around them, he sensed that Jesus was more than a mere man, and cried out: "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."(Luke 23:42).  And from that central Cross, the Cross of compassion, came the welcome response: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43).   What joy must have flooded that man's spirit, in the midst of the physical agony that he, too, was experiencing!

Finally, we remember that there was, at the Cross on that first Good Friday, a little company of the Saviour's own friends, and His mother.  John was there, and Jesus fulfilled His final earthly duty as the eldest Son, by committing his mother to the care of "the beloved disciple".  Mary of Magdala was there, as was Mary, the wife of Clopas, and his un-named aunt - his mother's sister. (see John:19:25-27).  Humanly speaking there was little that they could do - but do not many of us understand the strength that is drawn , in times of difficulty, pain, or crisis, from loved ones who say nothing, and do nothing, but who are "there" for us?

To be nailed, stark naked, to a cross; and then to be lifted up above the heads of the watching crowd; was an ordeal that we can barely imagine.  Those dear ones who stayed with Him were, in effect, saying: "Whatever shame there is in this; whatever pain You are bearing; whatever agony You are experiencing; we are here, with You."

What is your attitude to the Christ on this Good Friday, 2016?  Could it be that, like the first thief, you have noting but contempt for the One Who gave His life to pay for your sins?   I trust that you are not like that but that, if you have never done so before, you will see, even in that battered, bruised, figure on a Cross; described, centuries before the event as having "... no form or comeliness that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with His stripes we are healed." (Isa 53:2-5; emphases added), not a mere man dying, but the King marching to Glory, and accept the salvation for which He paid the price!

If you already are a disciple of Jesus then, like the rest of us, you may know that you constantly let Him down.  Will you resolve, with me, on this Good Friday, to be more available to Him, in the strength of God the Holy Spirit?

It's Friday - but Sunday's coming.  Please return to this blog for the Resurrection Day post!

Postscript to 9/11.

No, not the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, but the post that I published here on September 11th, this year!  For some reason (I would be grateful if anyone could e-mail me with a solution - please use the e-mail address above), this blog no longer seems to accept comments, and has not done so for a considerable length of time.  This means that there were no comments directly to the blog.  However, I made the same point on a number of Facebook pages, and was castigated (albeit, mildly!) for my lack of compassion.  At least one brother in the Lord has been treated in much the same way for having made similar points.

However, the news reports that Daesh (aka ISIS) are crucifying thousands in Syria surely makes it clear that, as I have stated often, compassion must be tempered with discernment.  Daesh have made no secret of their willingness to 'use' the genuine refugees as a 'cover' for them to infiltrate Western Europe.  They will, undoubtedly, claim to be Syrian Christians fleeing persecution in order to be welcomed by their intended victims.   This is, to Muslims, "taqiyya" - the use of deceit to gain an advantage over one's enemies.  Muhammad declared, as a justification for murdering unarmed prisoners after offering them safe passage, “war is deceit”. (from the Hadith - collected sayings of Muhammad).  

The tradition continues.  On May 10^th, 1994, just a few months after signing the Oslo Accords (September, 1993), the late Yasir Arafat addressed an assembly of Muslims in a Johannesburg mosque where he justified his actions by explaining: “This agreement, I am not considering it more than the agreement which had been signed between our prophet Muhammad and Quraysh.” And he concluded by calling on the worshipers “to come and to fight and to start the jihad to liberate Jerusalem.”

What did he mean?   He was referring to Muhammad having signed a 10-year truce with the Arabian pagan Quraysh tribe in the city of Mecca (the Treaty of Hudaybiyah, 628 AD). At the beginning of the second year of that ten-year period he found a pretext to justify breaking the truce. He pounced on the Quraysh in a surprise attack, conquered Mecca and defeated the Quraysh, who were not prepared for more hostilities since they were honoring the 10-year accord and assumed that Muhammad was too.  Since then this agreement between Muhammad and the Quraysh has been an example for Muslims world-wide of how to trick the enemy in wartime. In other words, Arafat explained to his Muslim audience that he gave his word to President Clinton and Yitzhak Rabin, and signed the Oslo Accords, only because he planned to annul his commitments and attack Israel as soon as it was expedient for him to do so.  He lied to Clinton and Rabin; but once he was out from under the scrutiny of western media and in the comfort of a Muslim group whose support he could assume, he told the truth to his Muslim audience.  Apparently, he was unaware that his speech was being recorded.

The desired policy of many of Europe's 'leaders' (Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is an honourable exception!) of 'open doors' is, of course, simply playing into the hands of those terrorists who wish to make Western Europe part of a worldwide Caliphate - with its inhabitants given a simple choice to 'convert' to Islam; pay a special "subjugation" tax (the jizya); or die!

So - if we are disciples of Jesus, let us "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, ..." (Col.3:12).   However, let us neither forget, nor ignore, the words of the Saviour: "... be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matt.10:16).   Let us not be so insistent on being the latter, that we fail to be the former!

Every picture tells a story!

Every picture tells a story - but is every story told by a picture honest and dependable?

A few days ago, a photograph appeared on most, if not all, of the MSM. It was the body of a small child, named as Aylan Kurdi, lying on a beach at the edge of the water. The child was, we were informed, drowned - the tragic result of a rubber dinghy, full of refugees, having 'flipped over' in the sea. The apparently distraught father claimed that his wife and other son had also drowned. They were, he claimed, escaping from the war in Syria. The picture was likened to that of the young girl, running naked along a road in Vietnam, having been (if I recall correctly), the victim of a napalm bombing. That picture has often been credited with having brought about the end of the involvement of the USoA in Vietnam.

I was one of those who was criticised, by dear fellow-disciples of Jesus, for not responding with the demand that the UK take in more refugees.  I was, effectively, accused of lacking compassion.  It appeared that I am a poor advert for Jesus.  My basic response was that compassion sometimes needs to be tempered with discernment.

Later reports would seem to suggest that I was correct!   People have looked again at the picture - and come to the reasonable conclusion that it was all carefully staged (not that I am suggesting that the Vietnamese picture was likewise!).  It has been pointed out that, if that little body had been washed ashore by the waves, it would not have been lying as it is in the picture - almost as if the child had lain down for a sleep.   The father's own story has been found to be filled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies.   The latest claim, from a survivor of the capsizing, is that he was actually the 'captain' of the ill-fated little vessel.   It has also been noted that he was able to return to Syria in order to bury the bodies of his family - returning to the very 'war zone' from which he claimed to have fled!  

His own sister claimed, on Canadian television, that he had been in Turkey (it would appear that he had been there for about three years!) and that she had been paying the rent for the family's apartment.   It was she, also, who stated that his desire to get to Europe was motivated by his need for false teeth!   An anonymous blogger has apparently stated that Mr Kurdi had his teeth pulled out when being tortured by the Assad régime in his home country.  It could be asked why he didn't make this 'fact' known, himself, when he first came to the attention of the world's media.

Much more has apparently been unearthed, and it seems to me that there are more questions than answers in this sorry saga.  Of course the death of any child - or any adult - is sad.  Of course one has compassion for those who are genuinely fleeing persecution and violence.  However, there are sound reasons for believing that the majority of those who are currently seeking to enter a number of European countries are not fleeing adverse situations and circumstances, but merely seeking to benefit from what they see as some kind of 'El Dorado'!

I am not one to be taken in by every conspiracy theory - even those put about after the tragic event of fourteen years ago.  However, in addition to the above, the alleged comment by an official of the Saudi Arabian government, that his country (and other Arab, Muslim, countries) do not take in Muslim refugees because they want Europe to be filled with Muslims, is really quite believable!  The dream of many Muslims is the realisation of the world-wide Islamic Caliphate, and they will do all in their power, including lying and deceit, to achieve it.

Praise God, therefore, that He is the One Who is ultimately in control!   His Kingdom is within His people and will, many of us believe, be consummated soon.   Then will come to pass the vision granted to John: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her Husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them; He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.'   And He Who sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'" (Rev 21:1-5).  Hallelujah!