The Spectrum of Politics

This year in politics has proven my long-held theory that the political universe is not linear from left to right, but curved. In this bizarro world of politics, Bernard Sanders and Donald J. Trump live in the same neighborhood. Bernie's neighbors to the left and Donald's neighbors to the right actually live in the same house together, a crack-house whose residents feed on fear and anger caused by the desperation and delusion of a world without God.

In the spectrum of politics, where deep red and deep indigo plunge into political darkness, demagogues of the past fanned the flames of fear and anger to rise to power while the masses that followed them drank their witches brew of delusion and zeal. Look into this darkness and you will see where the generals of Saddam Hussein's left-wing Baathist party collaborated with the most right-wing zealots of Islam, a meth lab known as Camp Bucca where the evil army we now know as "ISIS" was born.

Demagogues who rise to power have a nasty habit of making themselves demigods. I say this not to suggest that our current political wannabes are of such ilk, but to state plainly that America and the western world have chosen that path by rejecting God. The path away from God leads not to freedom but to a world of hatred and tyranny, led by the prince of darkness. I can understand why those in darkness run to this destructive light, but what baffles me is how the children of God can be led in the same direction.

Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world, and the world of politics is beneath the pursuit of eternal things, but decisions we make in politics have an irreparable effect on young people growing up in the world we leave them. Let us not leave them a world of political extremism where lives are cut short by angry mobs and unnecessary wars. Let us turn back to love and the God who enables love through his unconditional offer of grace.

I am writing a new commandment to you,

which is true in Him and in you,

because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. 

The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother

is in the darkness until now. 

The one who loves his brother abides in the Light

and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

But the one who hates his brother

is in the darkness and walks in the darkness,

and does not know where he is going

because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

I John 2:8-11

God is in Control

A few days ago I was reading something a friend liked on Facebook, which said that some who focus on prophecy are too negative and lead believers into fear and anxiety.

I lost a lot of sleep that night thinking seriously about this. I had never considered that what I post online about Biblical prophecy might cause some to stumble or fear, and I was deeply convicted. If you feel this way, please accept my humble apology and let me explain my motives.

First, I know there have been marketeers who prey on people's fears and superstitions to sell books and supplies for end-time preparation. Some may do this simply to feed their egos and enhance their power and influence over other believers. Some of these would fall into a category I've already blogged about, the wandering stars who have rushed headlong into "Balaam's Error".

I must confess that researching prophecy has been fulfilling to me because it's sort of like solving a puzzle, or finding that piece you were missing for so long. Little revelations keep me interested in studying more, and I think this is a good thing as long as it doesn't distract me from seeking the heart of God. But it's not the main thing.

After a lot of introspection I think I know why I am personally interested in this subject. I feel like the world we know in America is spinning out of control and lurching into some very troubled waters. This is currently disguised by a very unsustainable program of government borrowing and economic stimulus. In fact, I can't help believing that the end of the American era is at hand and without America the entire world is in for a very rude awakening. If I didn't believe in God I would be very troubled by these feelings of hopelessness for my homeland.

However, as a Christian I have a better home and a better hope in the eternal presence of God. When I read and write about end time prophecy I am reinforcing my confidence that indeed God has forewarned us about what is coming, and is giving us the hope and strength to thrive in the midst of a cataclysmic disaster.

What I know is this - that as hard as things may get in my lifetime, I am accepted and beloved by God and He will provide a way for me even in death to have eternal joy and hope. I am learning goals and strategies to reach the lost and leave a legacy of testimony to my Jewish brethren who have yet to accept Yeshua as their Messiah. I am learning how to put on the full armor of Christ so that I am prepared for spiritual warfare.

At the same time, I want to encourage those who see this to do the same.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
I Thessalonians 5:4-8 NASB

Remember that even though we may one day see hardship and persecution in our own land, God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

My goal is to encourage the fainthearted and help the weak, so please be patient with me. I will not allow the Holy Spirit in me to be quenched even if some may despise my prophesying. So hold fast to whatever I write that seems to be good and encouraging and cast away whatever appears to discourage you. After all, sometimes I miss the Lord or need to correct what I say in the spirit, even as I'm sure you do as well.

(I didn't intend to borrow so heavily from Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, but found myself on exactly the same wavelength!)

Holiness and the Sabbath

One of the things that I find difficult to reconcile between the Old Testament and the New Testament is the Sabbath.  This was one of the fundamental tenets of the Law; the Sabbath is to be a holy day unto the Lord.  The Sabbath rest is introduced in the very beginning of the Bible and it is one of the Ten Commandments.  I ran into this quandary again today when I was reading Isaiah 56.

Thus says the LORD,
            “Preserve justice and do righteousness,
            For My salvation is about to come
            And My righteousness to be revealed.
      “How blessed is the man who does this,
            And the son of man who takes hold of it;
            Who keeps from profaning the Sabbath,
            And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

This theme of not profaning the Sabbath is repeated three times in Isaiah 56, even  applying it to gentiles who come to the Lord.

“Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
            To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD,
            To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the Sabbath
            And holds fast My covenant;
      Even those I will bring to My holy mountain
            And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
            Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar;
            For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

When I was a child in Houston, I remember the world around me seemed to stop on Sundays.  At that time (the 1960s) America was just getting started on its way to abandoning the Sabbath or "blue laws."  Today in America you couldn't tell much difference between Sunday and any other day of the week.  Most people still get weekends off from work (praise the Lord), but treat Sunday just like Saturday or any other day off from work.

So I had to stop and ask myself, how does this fundamental Old Testament law apply to Christians, or does it apply at all?  First, the Sabbath as counted by the original keepers of the Sabbath occurs on Saturday.  That immediately causes me concern about Sabbath legalism being applied to Sundays.

The apostles seemed to dismiss or even discourage observance of holy days, and even Christ seemed to intentionally violate Jewish traditions based on the Sabbath day, in order to challenge the religious establishment.

So, what can we learn from the principal of the Sabbath that applies to Christians?  Well, first the principal of rest on the seventh day is built into our genetics by our Creator.  This is a physical principal which we would do best to observe.

More importantly, just like our bodies need rest periodically, our spirits need refreshing periodically.  The Sabbath, like the tithe, is a principal which pre-dates and exists outside the Law of Moses.  Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  So we should use the Sabbath rest for its purpose, to re-unite our spirits with the Spirit of God, and re-unite our souls with our brethren in the Lord.

Most critical though, the Sabbath is a demonstration of the holiness of God.  Profaning the Sabbath is really just making the Sabbath like any other day.  There is another similar commandment right before the Sabbath law.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain."
Exodus 20:7 NASB

The first four commandments deal with the holiness of God.  There have been teachings in America that bring God down to our level, as a friend or a brother.  While it is true that God may present himself through Jesus as a fellow servant of God, we cannot presume to approach Him in that way.  The first words in the Lord's prayer lift up the holiness of God.

I came across this in my study of the prophets.

He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings when they die, by setting their threshold by My threshold and their door post beside My door post, with only the wall between Me and them. And they have defiled My holy name by their abominations which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger.
Ezekiel 43:7-8 NASB

It appears to me that the Jewish priests set up a room next to the holy place in the temple where they kept the remains of their kings.  This reminds me of some churches I saw in Europe where they had the bones of dead saints right there in the sanctuary mixed in with images of Jesus.  Certainly elevating saints to a level of worship is an abomination to God.

God may come down to our level, but we are not allowed to go up to His level or bring Him down to ours. If we make His throne in our lives just one of many, we profane His name.  God's throne must be supreme; He will not share His glory with any other.

"I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images."
Isaiah 42:8 NASB

The early disciples called Sunday the "Lord's Day" and it was indeed a special day.  We need not re-introduce the Law of Moses to make Sunday our Sabbath.  Rather, I pray that I will remember to keep the Lord's day separate in some ways, to spend a little more time in prayer, to read a little more from His word, and maybe even write something honoring the Name of my Creator!

The River That Flows From God's Throne

I was reading the Gospel of John the last few days and came across something that made me seek a little more understanding.

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is the Prophet.” Others were saying, “This is the Christ.”
John 7:37-41

If you're just reading along, you might miss the context.  This is Hoshana Rabbah, a most joyous day of the year in Israel.  The people have just celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, which is a week-long praise service to remember their wandering in the wilderness, and God's provision of food and water for the children of Israel.

Jesus stands up and cries in a loud voice that HE is the source of the life-giving water that comes from the throne of God.  And He prophesies that believers in Him will be conduits of this life-giving water (the Holy Spirit) for the world's refreshment.  He relates Old Testament prophecy (Isaiah 55, Ezekiel 47) to the New Testament church that is yet to be born.

When the people hear this prophecy, their reaction is startling.  Some become convinced Jesus is the greatest prophet; others that He is indeed their Messiah.  Those few brief words are so exquisitely spoken and timed, they strike a resonant chord in the heart of the faithful.  But some are infuriated that Jesus would bind Himself to the words of Isaiah in such a setting, and they seek to kill Him.

This inspired me to learn more about this river of life, and what I learned was truly wonderful.  Let me start with Ezekiel.

Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side.
      When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the knees. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the loins. Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded. He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me back to the bank of the river.
Ezekiel 47:1-6

The water that was trickling from the east side of the Temple soon became an ankle-deep stream, and less than a mile downstream the life-giving water became a mighty river.  What would cause the waters to grow from a trickle to a mighty river?  What causes the Spirit of God to enter a person as a drink, and to leave a person as a river of life?  It is as if the faith of the believer greatly magnifies the flow of the Spirit.  The picture in my mind is the throne of God, established in the heart of every believer, that causes him or her to become a tributary of the river of life.

Not only does the river of living water nourish the body, but it satisfies the soul and gives eternal life.

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:13-14

God Himself calls us to come to the river and drink freely.  (You might want to listen to this beautiful John Foley song sung by Matt Maher while you read the rest of this...)

“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.
Isaiah 55:1


What does the river of life look like?  It starts at the foot of the cross where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.  It pours over the apostles in the upper room.  It bubbles from their tongues and spreads like wildfire over the believers of the early church.  It is fed by the blood, sweat and tears of martyrs  under persecution from their Jewish and Roman rulers.  It sweeps through the dark ages of post-Roman Europe and bubbles out of the Protestant reformers and Methodist revivalists at the dawn of the industrial revolution.  It bursts forth new branches in home churches throughout Africa, underground churches in Asia, and newly awakened churches in the West.  If you can hear it, it probably sounds like a mighty rushing wind.  If you listen closely you may hear the prayers and worship of the saints.

Every believer adds testimony, tears and travails to this vast and unending river of life that continues to flow from the throne of God.  In a manner of speaking, every believer becomes a tree of life planted by the river, each bearing fruit in its time.

“By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”
Ezekiel 47:12

 On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Revelation 22:2

Oh that I might drink anew from that beautiful stream, that I might be immersed in its flow and refreshed in my innermost being!  That I might plant my life firmly by its banks and bring forth everlasting fruit!  Lord Jesus, every day I will come to the river.  I will bow down and water the seeds that I have sewn with tears, and soon I will return with joyful shouting bringing bountiful fruit and healing leaves!

So let it be Lord, so let it be.

What on Earth Are We Doing Here?

There was a missionary in the late 1800's named C. T. Studd, who wrote a memorable poem that my childhood minister quoted every Sunday: Only one life, 'twill soon be past.  Only what's done for Christ will last.

I found the poem with some beautiful piano accompaniment on YouTube.  It's worth reading; click the YouTube icon beneath the picture for full text.

Revelation - Seven Seals Restrain God's Wrath

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. II Peter 3:9

I am very thankful that God was patient with me, and that His wrath did not descend suddenly upon me like a rain of fire when I was least prepared.  As a matter of fact, I think God is infinitely patient and willing to wait for all who would come to repentance, as Peter says above.

However, I also believe that there will come a time when the wrath of God will come suddenly upon the Earth, and He has left us a road map in the Bible to understand those times.  Thus He has impressed on the heart of man a desire to understand apocalyptic prophecy, as you can see this year with the almost ridiculous media focus on the Mayan calendar and the writings of Nostradamus.

My interest in understanding the Bible and particularly the book of Revelation was piqued a few years ago when my father passed away and the western financial system was poised at the brink of destruction (it still is by the way).

I must have read the book of Revelation five times that winter, pouring over verses and cross-referencing to Old Testament passages and related prophetic quotes in the Gospels.  I did all this without reading commentaries because I desperately needed to understand what I said I believed, the unvarnished truth of the Bible.  One thing that stood out to me was the opening of the seals in Revelation chapter 6, which restrain the final judgement of God upon the Earth.  But first a little background.

The Purpose of Prophecy

The purpose of the prophecies in the Book of Revelation is not different from other Bible prophecies.  As a matter of fact, many of the Old Testament prophecies contain references to God's final judgement and the establishment of His eternal kingdom.  Biblical prophecy is intended to:

• Warn us of coming judgement
• Encourage us to persevere and seek God
• Help us to understand the events as they unfold

Biblical prophecy is never intended to give us a time table for coming events.  Many people have gone foolishly astray predicting dates of Biblical events.  The fact that I am writing this now is simply because I have been very reluctant to say what I am about to say, because it is not good news for the world as we know it.  God put this on my heart a few years ago and I just didn't know whether or how to express it.

The Seven Seals

I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:1-5

The book of God's final judgement and the coming Kingdom of Heaven on Earth is sealed with seven seals.  John wept that no one was found worthy to open the book and break its seals.  I'm sure he wept because he was not found worthy, and because he wanted the book to be opened.  He had seen his fellow Christians mercilessly martyred at the hands of Jewish zealots and Roman emperors.  He had seen and heard of the debauchery of the Babylonian world system.  Even King David prayed often for God to bring judgement on his adversaries.

But God is incredibly patient.  The seven seals will not be broken until the Righteous One is ready, and each seal has a recognizable "signature".  Let me help you recognize these signatures.

The first four seals represent the "four spirits of heaven" (see Zechariah 6) which are sent from God to patrol the earth.  They represent the dominant power on earth, each in succession.  After these four eras of human history, the great tribulation and the rain of hailstones from heaven precede the breaking of the seventh seal, which allows the final judgements to be proclaimed.

The First Seal - The Emperors

Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
Revelation 6:1

Looking forward in the vision, the apostle John sees four successive horsemen.  The first is riding a white horse and goes to conquer.  This seal has already been broken; the rider was the emperor of Rome.

The Second Seal - The Barbarians

When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

This second seal is also broken; its signature was the end of "Pax Romana", the peace of the Roman Empire.  In Palestine and across the middle east, the sword of Islam replaced the bow of the Roman Emperor.  In Europe, the swift swordsmen of the north brought chaos and the dark ages to that continent.

The Third Seal - The Merchants

When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”

The third seal is also broken; its signature was the dawn of the Age of Reason and the subsequent birth of America.  Note that many interpreters of this chapter see the four horsemen as future harbingers of apocalyptic doom, with the black horse representing famine. But it is very apparent to me that this era is marked by mercantilism and materialism, not by famine.

There is this amazing reference in Zechariah 6:8 saying "those that have gone to the land of the north have appeased My wrath in the land of the north."  The chariots drawn by black horses are the ones that went to the land of the north.  Putting that together with the order of the seals in Revelation, it appears to me that this refers to the rebirth of the Church and the role that the Protestant reformers would play in establishing America, which has been used mightily by God for the last two centuries.

This is where we are now, and I'm praying that the next seal remain unbroken for as long as possible.

The Fourth Seal - The Reign of Death

When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

As would naturally follow the collapse of the global economy, all manner of death will occur.  We got a preview of that with the "Great War" and its aftermath in Europe.  However, this death is not only the death of men, which has been prevalent in the past.  This death is a systemic, final death of civilization, after which basically nothing is left but plant life in one fourth of the earth.  The color of the horse is actually the Greek word "chloros" which is consistently translated as "green" in reference to grass or plants in other passages of the New Testament, including the Book of Revelation.

The signature of this seal is the complete lack of order.  This is not an imperial war of conquest, or tribal warfare.  It is as if creation itself is rising up against mankind.  It is the complete collapse of the world system and the subsequent death of a significant part of the world population.  This collapse will carry with it a worldwide madness that leads to the Great Tribulation behind the fifth seal.

The Fifth Seal - The Great Tribulation

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.

This sad chapter of human history will mean the death of most (if not all) Christians alive on the earth at the time.  This genocide will remove the restraining force (II Thessalonians 2:7) of the Holy Spirit from the earth and open the door for God's final judgement.  The outcry of those slain in Heaven will last only a "little while" until the Lamb of God opens the sixth seal with an earthquake and the sound of a mighty wind.

The Sixth Seal - The Wrath of God

I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

This sixth seal will reveal the wrath of God to mankind, and this day of wrath will only be cut short so that those elected by God can be sealed with a sign on their foreheads.  But God is patient and waiting for any who would still repent.

The Seventh Seal - Silence

Before the seventh seal is broken the heavens are stilled and the elect children of every tribe are sealed with the mark of God on their foreheads.  In another beautifully symmetrical relationship with creation and the Sabbath rest, the seventh seal brings a time of rest and worship.  But this worship service is bigger and better than every other worship service ever held on earth combined.

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying,
“Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Rev. 7:9-12

And now, all rise for a long moment of silence as the Judge enters the room.  The Lamb of God who was slain from the foundation of the earth, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the Lamb of God who is worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and glory and honor and praise - opens the seventh and final seal.  There is a collective "gasp" in the heavens as the seven angels are given their trumpets and the prayers of the saints arise as incense before the throne of God.

The Rest of the Story

Quite truthfully I don't have a strong conviction about what happens next because the scroll hasn't been opened and we only have very symbolic language describing it.  There are seven trumpet blasts announcing disasters and woes to come upon the earth.  Even after these disasters and woes those who are alive refuse to repent (Rev. 9:20).  The seventh and final trumpet blast (Rev. 11:15) is followed by another awesome worship service in heaven.

Then the beast and the false prophet (the antichrist) who comes after are released (Rev. 13).  The beast rules for 42 months, after which the false prophet is given dominion for a time.  Then comes the harvest (i.e. the "rapture") in which Christ gathers His elect from the four winds of heaven and the four corners of earth (Rev. 14:14, II Thessalonians 4:16, Mark 13:26).  Note that the harvest gathering of the elect comes after the antichrist is revealed, which is probably different than you have heard.

Now that the harvest gathering is finished, God freely pours out His seven bowls of wrath upon the earth.  Those who are left now can only blaspheme God (Rev. 16:21).  Babylon (the world system) is overthrown and there is another tremendous worship service (Rev. 19:1), which is really the beginning of the GLORIOUS WEDDING CEREMONY of the Bride (those who followed Christ) and the Lamb.

The beast and the false prophet are cast in the lake of fire; the dragon is bound and his army is destroyed by the Word of God (the sword that comes from His mouth).  The Bride and the Lamb have a thousand year "honeymoon" on earth until the final judgement of the world before the great white throne of God (Rev. 20:11).  The creation itself (heaven and earth) flees from the presence of God.  Then the eternal home of the Bride and the Lamb is revealed, which is a sight we can "only imagine".  Now I recommend you click the link to this wonderful song by Mercy Me and see if you will not jump up and down and shout praise to God!!

"Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” Rev 21:3

Heavenly Accounting

God is not a bookkeeper, but there are certainly books being kept on each of us, and not just by Google and the credit bureaus.

The book on me contains everything I've done, which is basically a book about my sin, because everything I do (including my righteousness) is as "filthy rags" before God.  There is absolutely nothing I could do to zero out this book.  There is nothing you could do, or all of us could do together to zero out these books.  Add to this debt the infinite debt incurred by all of us, when we rejected His Son and put Him through a most painful and unjust death on the cross.  That's a pretty heavy load of debt.

On the other side of the ledger is only one act that can balance the books.  That is the sacrifice of the pure and spotless Lamb of God.  His blood can cover every line in your book.  The good new is - Jesus  lives and He forgives.  You know in your heart that you could not stand and account for your life before God.  Without Jesus we are toast.  Only Jesus can get us out of this jam.

Let me share one of my favorite Psalms 130 with you in music.


In this Psalm, verse 4 says "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.."

God doesn't want to read my book, He just wants to see my heart pumping the blood of Jesus through my veins, giving me new life. Live in me LORD, and pour out your blessings through me to others!  In Jesus name...

Dying in the Wilderness

I had a dream.  It was a troubling dream.  I found myself in the middle of a desert, lost.  I wandered seemingly endlessly searching for a way out, through one scene after another of bleak lonely wilderness.  Then I awakened.  It was 1976 in my garage apartment in Waco where I was enrolled in college.  I still remember that dream and the disturbing impression left on my heart.

Some time later the Lord put a song on my heart.  The song was about a man who knew God but lost his way and returned to the world. This song continued to haunt me through my years of wandering.  Many times the Lord reached out to me and touched my heart with new songs and fresh understanding of His Word.  But the warning reminded me - continue to wander and let the world harden your heart and you'll come to an end like the miserable old soul in this song.

A few years ago my father passed away while I was away on business.  The tremendous weight of this experience caused me to become desperate for God.  I asked for Him to give me the faith I needed to become truly free from the world.  That is when I started to die.  By that I mean that I began to lose interest in the things that took me away from God.

A few months ago one of the associate pastors at my church spoke about Joshua leading the nation of Israel into the promised land.  Through him God showed me what had happened to me over those years of wandering.  More than thirty years of my life was wasted pursuing wealth and fulfillment in the world while gradually losing touch with God.  Like the children of Israel, God had taken me out of Egypt but there was still a lot of Egypt left in me that had to die in the wilderness.

Thank God I now see the green fields of the promised land.  I know now that as long as I bear this "body of sin and death" I will still need to die daily, but I also have the spirit of Christ giving life to my spirit, and the spirit of God giving life to my mortal body!

Let me also say that Jesus' parable of the sower has been fulfilled in me (see Matthew 13).  Some of the seed (the word of God) fell by the side of the road while I was a young skeptic.  Some of the seed fell on sandy soil, sprouted early but perished because it had no depth of root.  Some of the seed fell on thorny soil and was choked by my years of wandering in the cares of this world.  And some of the seed has fallen in good soil, deeply rooted in me and about to bear eternal fruit!

Does any of this ring true with you?  Are you lost in the wilderness?  There is still a way out, if you are still alive and able to call upon Jesus.  He will NEVER give up on you.

Genesis 1 - Vision of the Beginning

As I mentioned in my post "The Incredible Expanding Universe", Genesis chapter 1 records the revelation of the creation of the universe (the Heavens and the Earth).  It had to be a revelation because there was no eye-witness to record the events.

To add to the parallels between the first and last books of the Bible, the vision in Genesis 1 is from the perspective of Earth.  The vision in Revelation is from the perspective of Heaven.  We easily accept that Revelation is a vision because it is written in first person by the Apostle John and presented as a vision.  We easily accept that John recorded the events he saw but did not fully understand.

What many Christians do not understand or easily accept is that the creation account was also a vision and recorded as God gave its revelation to the author.  If I could subtitle this chapter I would call it "The Revelation to Moses".  However, the style and purpose of Genesis was not prophetic, but legal in nature.  It was establishing the foundation upon which God would build the Law of Moses, or the Torah.  Thus, there is no first-person awe-struck emotion in the account - it is very plain and purposeful.

The thing that I find most inspiring about the creation account is that, from the perspective of an observer on Earth, the account is clearly and completely in harmony with the order of the fossil records and geological records available to us today.  The chance of anyone recording a vision of this nature without a revelation from the Creator is virtually zero.

Before Beginning
Before I expound on the amazing truth of Genesis 1, let me explain why I am fascinated and passionate about this subject.  I was an atheist for most of my childhood, probably because I was taught to be skeptical by the public education system and by the information I got from television and print media.

So strict seven-day "Young Earth" creation theology was a stumbling block to me.  It was also a stumbling block to my father and many others very close to me.  Most educated people who go through life accepting what they are taught believe the Theory of Evolution, which directly contradicts the creation account and the divinity of the Creator.  When I finally accepted the Bible as inspired by the Word of God, I felt compelled to reconcile the obvious contradictions in the "traditional" understanding of Genesis chapter 1 with abundant physical evidence of an older Earth.

The Theory of Evolution as put forth by Charles Darwin is based on a Naturalist philosophy.  This philosophy says that there is no "supernatural" force and everything in nature has an explanation based on physical laws of nature.  This philosophy gave birth to some really evil implementations, such as Marxism and the madness of Adolph Hitler's Nazi party.  I want to remove this stumbling block for you who wish to believe the Bible, because the creation account should reinforce rather than contradict your faith in God.

The purpose of this post is to present the creation account in a way that a scientifically-minded person can accept, and in the process refute the view that there is no Creator or supernatural force behind this majestic work of creation.

In the Beginning
The beginning of the universe is a mystery to everyone, including those who think they understand it, because only God could bring into being in an instant of time, from things not visible, both the infinity of space and time.  Scientists refer to this as "the Singularity" or the "Big Bang", with no logical explanation of how or why.  By every mathematical and astronomical method of dating, this event occurred at least 11 billion years ago.  Virtually all scientists today believe it happened about 13.7 billion years ago, based on estimates of how long it took the light from the most distant stars to arrive at Earth.  Many scientists, including Christian astronomer Hugh Ross, think they have a concept of the initial nanoseconds of this event, but I would caution about delving too far into the vain speculation of men.  I have no idea if the mathematical and scientific basis of this theory is accurate, but even if the estimated age of the universe were off by several orders of magnitude, it is apparent that the universe is much older than the historical understanding of Genesis would indicate.

Genesis 1:1 simply states that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  There is no further explanation in Genesis, but the Epistle to the Hebrews expounds on this:

"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." (Hebrews 11:3)

This part must be accepted by faith, because there is no way for a human mind to comprehend what it means to exist outside the context of space and time.  I accept this by faith, however long ago that may be.  By purposely giving no explanation, the Bible is uniquely accurate in describing this as a singular and miraculous event.

The Earth Became Formless
Genesis 1:2 describes a dark, formless earth covered by deep waters.  This is consistent with our understanding of the earliest days of Earth, where the hot and heavily carbon-laden atmosphere would completely obscure the light of the Sun.  The Earth could have remained in this condition like Venus and other gas-shrouded planets, but for the next act of creation:

"And God said let there be light, and there was light.  God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness".

Now instead of a dark heavy fog, there is light fog (day) and dark fog (night). The next verse is where it gets really interesting. "There was evening and there was morning, one day." Note that the literal interpretation is missing one key element - the Sun. That is not apparent until the fourth day. This is one reason I believe the creation account is based on a vision and not a literal scientific description of the process. The Sun is not mentioned at this point in the vision. Literally, there would be no basis for the first three solar days without the Sun. However this would be totally consistent with a vision of the acts of creation from the surface of the earth.

The Fog Is Lifted
In the second act of creation, God separates the waters above from the waters below. In the vision there is a clear space between the clouds above and the waters covering the Earth.  Space is not visible yet since the atmosphere is still covered by dense clouds. Once again the order of creation is consistent with science.

The third act of creation gets even more interesting to me. God causes dry land to appear, probably causing some massive tectonic shifting of plates on the surface of the earth. You can see the way the mountain ranges are bunched together when you fly over them or look at pictures from satellites. During this day, or vision of the day, God creates plant life. The author does not mention microbial life, which could be seen in fossils from this period of time. That is totally understandable since he would not see this in the vision without a microscope, and describing that to the nation of Israel would be pointless at that time in history. But it is fascinating that geological evidence indicates oxygen-producing plant life came significantly before oxygen-consuming animal life. That is further astonishing evidence of the inspiration of this account.

Also fascinating is that this abundance of vegetation is used by God to absorb the massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and create the oxygen and food which is essential for animal life.  This part of the vision corresponds to what scientists call the Pre-Cambrian time.  During that time the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere was apparently thousands of times higher than it is today.

Creatures Above and Below
In the fourth act of creation God reveals deep space; the Sun, the Moon, and the stars appear.  The plant life which was abundant and flourishing in the carbon-rich atmosphere has now absorbed enough CO2 and created enough oxygen to support animate life.

In the fifth act God creates creatures of the sea and the birds of the sky.  This day God creates what scientists have called the "Cambrian Explosion", an event which baffled even Charles Darwin.  How did this vast variety of creatures come into existence instantly from a geological perspective?  (God knows.)  Note that the account describes the creation of fish and then birds before mammals, another key point that makes this account statistically impossible without divine revelation.

The Final Acts of Creation
The final act of creation is the creation of land animals, culminating in the creation of man in God's image, male and female.  Notice that even here, the order of creation is consistent with the fossil record.

Finally, on the seventh day God rests.  This is one of the basic legal teachings of the first chapter of Genesis, that God rests after six days of work, that man is created in God's image, and therefore man should have a day of rest.  As Jesus said, "The Sabbath was created for man".  So really the last thing created in the creation account was the Sabbath.

The Key Points
As the first book of the Law of Moses, the creation account establishes many important legal principles.

1. The universe is a special creation of God. (Gen 1:1)  It has a beginning, and therefore a purpose.
2. Light is good, and separate from darkness (which is by inference not good.) (Gen 1:4)
3. God's Word is all-powerful.
4. Creatures are blessed to hear and obey God's Word. (Gen 1:22)
5. Mankind is a special, divine creation made in God's image (Gen 1:26).  Thus human life is sacred.
6. Mankind has authority over every living creature on earth. ( Gen 1:26, 28)
7. God's creation was good and pleasing to Him. (Gen 1:31)
8. God's creation of the universe is complete. (Gen 2:1)
9. God works, and God rests.  (Gen 2:1-2)
10. The seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest which is sanctified (holy) and set apart as a day of rest and worship. (Gen 2:3)
11. By inference, mankind is to be Godly, because he is made in God's image and likeness and is made to work and rest in the pattern established by God. (Gen 2:3)

None of these principals are changed by the literal meaning of a "day" in Genesis 1. God could have created everything in seven consecutive solar days, but evidence suggests that these days were separated by great lengths of time if indeed they are solar days in our sense of time. I do not believe in evolution or that God created heaven and earth through some background evolutionary processes. I do believe that the acts of creation were indeed miraculous acts of God's sovereign power.

The important thing to remember when reconciling the creation account with scientific evidence, is that God's Word is more trustworthy than science.  If scientists discover something new tomorrow and/or refute something they believed yesterday, that doesn't change the truth of God's Word. The Bible encourages us to pray both with our mind and our spirit. We are not trying to defeat science but use it to more fully understand the Truth.

Finally, as Paul said there are "mysteries kept hidden for ages and generations, which have been revealed to the saints." (Colossians 1:26)  Perhaps now in these last days, in the midst of this massive increase in knowledge, the mystery of creation is also being revealed.  That possibility may say more about the present and future than it says about the past.  My next post on the subject of visions will deal with the Revelation to John the Apostle.

The Incredible Expanding Universe

January 7 at midnight was a perfect night in the Houston area; the almost-full moon directly overhead was casting heavenly moon-shadows on the ground, and the clear sky was accompanied by a remarkably mild temperature for mid-January, even in Houston.

As I gazed in wonder at the stars, I couldn't help but think about how large the universe is, and how little we understand about the nature of God.  The night before I spent a few hours reading about how scientists measure the distance to the stars, and the theory of relativity.  I'm naturally a skeptic so I don't accept scientific theories without at least attempting to understand them.  How little I understand about physics pales in comparison to how little we all understand about God.

Being a skeptic, I also don't easily accept anybody's interpretation of scriptures without studying and at least attempting to understand in my own mind and spirit.  As a result, I have studied the most mysterious parts of the Bible at great length.  So, rather than being puzzled about these passages, my understanding now supports my belief.

So now I want to share with you what I am learning, if perhaps it can help you understand and overcome your own skepticism.  Specifically I want to talk about the creation account in Genesis  and the apocalyptic vision of Revelation.  These two topics are quite large and will probably require several posts to cover each, even from my limited understanding.

Let be begin by giving you some wonderful insight into parallels and contrasts between the two books.

Genesis begins with a vision of the beginning of time.  Revelation ends with a vision of the end of time.  (I don't believe either author fully understood what he witnessed, but recorded the vision as it was given.)

In the beginning, creation is spoken into existence through the power of God's word.  In the end, the enemy is destroyed by the power of God's word (the sword coming out of his mouth in Rev 19:21 is the Word of God).

In Genesis Adam is placed in a garden.  In Revelation the saints worship in a city.  In the Garden, man is innocent. In the Heavenly City the saints are redeemed. There is no return to innocence.  As Winkie Pratney once said, "God is a progressive God."

In the middle of both the Garden of Eden and the Heavenly City you will find the Tree of Life (Gen 2:9, Rev 22:2).  Adam and Eve never ate from the Tree of Life or they would be eternally sinful, as Satan is.

The purpose of the creation account in Genesis was to establish the principals upon which the Law would be based.  Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Torah, the five books of the Law of Moses.

The purpose of the Revelation was to warn the saints of the things yet to come; that we would heed the warnings and guard the prophecy as one would guard a valuable treasure.  Revelation is the last book of prophecy in the Christian Bible.

Paul said that there are mysteries in the Bible hidden even from the "principalities and authorities in heavenly places."  God granted the Church to make known His manifold wisdom which had been "hidden for ages" (Ephesians 3).  I believe there are still mysteries to be revealed, and we won't fully understand these mysteries until "we know as we are known."

One of these mysteries is the incredible expanding universe that God has "stretched forth in the heavens".  Mankind continues to learn more about the size and character of the universe through powerful telescopes and sophisticated mathematical analysis.  The universe we can detect is unimaginably large, yet most scientists believe it started as an unimaginably small, unimaginably dense object that exploded something like 14 billion years ago to form everything that exists.

OK, so here's a question I can't answer: if we can detect stars 13.5 billion light years away, that means that it took that radiation almost the entire age of the universe to get here.  That means those stars either started out near where they appear to be, or travelled at near-light-speed to get there.  The former would contradict the Big Bang Theory; the latter would challenge the Theory of Relativity.  And where are they now, 13.5 billion years later?  I might need to spend some time with an astronomer, but I suspect there are more questions than there are plausible answers.  So it remains a mystery to me, and I suspect that at the end of this line of futile speculation is a mass of human foolishness.

At any rate, this very large universe causes me to reflect on the awesome and unknowable majesty of God, and to realize how much we need Jesus to mediate our relationship to God.  This God who created the universe by the power of His Word, stepped into our world from infinite power to become mortal and suffer a brutal and unjust death in our place.  "Amazing love, how can it be, that thou my God shouldst die for me!"

Update January 16
On further reading I found that the Big Bang theory is really mis-nomenclature for an event in which the universe suddenly appeared out of nowhere in an instant, all over the place - not from a single point in space.  That, my friend, sure sounds like God unveiling his majestic creation!

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. (Heb 11:3)

Babylon and The New Jerusalem

Previously I posted a quote from Revelation about leaving Babylon. The book of Revelation is really a tale of two cities - Babylon, the city on many waters, and the new Jerusalem, the city on a hill being prepared for the bride of Christ.

Note that from the time of Revelation until now, neither city has been seen. One city, Babylon, was destroyed by the Persians centuries before Christ. The other has yet to be seen on Earth. So both cities have special symbolic meaning.

Babylon represents the world system of power and wealth, the great harlot who sits on many waters, by which the merchants of the world were made rich by the wealth of her trade. It is a worldwide kingdom that spans across time and enslaves its citizens with the deceitfulness of riches. Its ruler is the prince of Babylon, the ruler of this age.

The New Jerusalem is the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness. It is a city not built by human hands, whose center is the Throne of God, from which flow the streams of living water that make glad the city of God. It is built on a foundation of precious stones, the apostles and prophets, and whose cornerstone is Jesus Christ the Lord.

Ancient Babylon was used by God to separate and purify His people. The Jews who returned from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem left established businesses and perhaps family to restore the temple of God. The ones who stayed in Babylon chose a more worldly Kingdom and lost their godly identity.

This is the choice we as Christians are now presented, to choose which master we will serve, God or Mammon (money). I had for most of my life focused my time and energy on the latter, but I sense God calling me back to focus on Him. The time is short for the kingdom of Babylon, and I feel the need to get oil for my lamp while there is still light. I have more to write on this subject, which I will do as time permits.

U-Turn Weekend

Imagine (if you will) you are riding a swift black horse down a winding mountain road.  It's been a wonderful ride, and the setting sun is still illumining the golden edges of the canyon beneath you.

At some point you realize that the horse is out of control.  You want to turn around, so you pull hard on the reins. The horse does not turn but only accelerates down the road.  You are now careening blindly down the road at full gallop when a barrier appears and you see that the end of the road is a steep cliff.  You try frantically to turn the horse but it refuses to waiver from its path of destruction.

Almost in slow-motion the horse leaps the barrier and sails into the black void ahead.  At this point any more attempts to influence the horse are worthless.  Your destiny is sealed.

This is the point we find ourselves.  Like the HMS Titanic slipping slowly, then suddenly into the cold dark abyss, this system that supported us is sinking.  Whether or not there is time to save it is a moot point for me; my time is too short to waste.

So this weekend I am taking a U-turn of sorts.  The Incredible Shrinking Wallet will continue shrinking, but I'm going to focus mostly on the even more incredible Kingdom of God.  I would rather focus on preparing for the now-certain future than vainly trying to fix what has already failed.

I don't really know what lies ahead for me, but I have decided to get out of Babylon and return to my Father's kingdom.  Thank God, it's a long way, but I think the door is still open!

I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues..." (Rev 18:4)

What the Bible Says About Employment

(I am an evangelical Christian and attend a Baptist church in the heart of the Bible belt.)
My pastor quoted this verse yesterday in reference to fasting.

Isaiah 58:3-6
'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers...
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

I took this to heart, and also noted the reference to fair treatment of workers (which was not the subject of the sermon).  I think it is time for the Church to address the morality of certain business practices that do great harm to our neighbors and enrich others at their expense.

Leviticus 23:22
'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'

Leviticus 19:13
Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him. Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.

Deuteronomy 24:15
Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

Deuteronomy 25:4
Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.

Jeremiah 22:13
Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor.

Malachi 3:5
"Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me," says the LORD of hosts.

James 5:4
Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

Jesus' disciples gathered grain from the fields when they were hungry, as did His ancestor Ruth. (Ruth 2:2, Mark 2:23-24).  The commandment to leave the edges of your grainfield for the poor is beautiful because it doesn't require handing out food; the poor can harvest and cook for themselves.  Charity is only required for the truly helpless.

A Christian Response
Why is the second greatest commandment from Jesus "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself"?

Let me ask this another way.  What does the fellow need whom you pass begging on the highway, or whom you see at the thrift shop picking up food for his family?  Enough money to pay his electric bill, or his rent for a month?  This would certainly be an acceptable gift and much appreciated, but next month he will need help again.

What people really need are good jobs.  Since the Garden of Eden, mankind was made to work.  Work gives people not only money, but dignity and family values.  And it prevents crime.

What would the LORD think about those who drive their employees out of the workplace to be replaced by slaves in a foreign land?

I feel passionately about this because I have seen layoffs happen to so many of my colleagues and friends.  Of course most of them found other jobs eventually and this is certainly not limited to my business or industry.  But it is a national tragedy and symptomatic of a spiritual issue.  I believe that the spirit of hedonism is behind this, and the endless pursuit of money.  To the extent that we in the Church participate in this system, we are responsible to speak out against it and to protect people from it.

If you are an employer, my hat is off to you for putting up with a government that treats you like the enemy.  I don't know how you keep up with the time, taxes and regulations required to employ people in this country!  I encourage you to speak up, rather than giving up.  Speak out rather than selling out.

I have never been an employer, but a lot of people work for me.  People care for my lawn, serve me dinner at restaurants, repair my house, and manufacture the products I buy.  I will always treat them fairly and consider their needs when I deal with them.  I will do my best to influence decision makers at work.  I will use my vote to elect people who support family-friendly business practices.  And I will encourage my pastor and friends to discuss the morality of this critical issue in the context of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus.

Will you join me?