FERRET-FACED FASCIST FRIENDS

Saturday, March 2, 2013

‘THE END IS NEAR’ (Or, ‘SORRY TO BURST YER SECULAR BUBBLE BUT...’)

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[This is Part 1 Of A 3-Part Blog Bit]

We Have Fallen Asleep In God’s Embrace,

Having A Nightmare That We Are Elsewhere.

~ photo by Anne Geddes

"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”

~ Jesus

Matthew 7:6

You’re not a dog, are you? You’re not a pig, are you?

Good - pleased to hear it. Then I shall proceed . . .

‘Saturday In The Park’, ‘Rikki Don’t Lose That Number’, ‘Good Vibrations’, ‘Summer’, ‘Reminiscing’, ‘Walking In Rhythm’, ‘Like To Get To Know You’, ‘Up-Up And Away’, ‘Moonlight Feels Right’, ‘Pagan Streams’, and many more. But maybe none more so than this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_LgLx93Woc
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I still remember that day in early 1994, shortly after I had been Baptized by Jesus with The Holy Spirit. I was in my Los Angeles apartment, staring out of a second floor window and listening to my cassette tape of great old songs I loved. I had titled the tape ‘INNOCENCE LOST’ because those 29 songs all reminded me of my former, innocent, carefree days when life was good and sweet.

While ‘Hot Fun In The Summertime’ by Sly And The Family Stone was playing it suddenly hit me how bizarre, how surrealistic it seemed that The Biblical End-Times were probably going to occur in my own lifetime. How could the seven-year Tribulation period happen on the Earth in the same lifetime that saw me spending all of my Summer days in 1974 body-surfing at the beach? How could it happen in the same lifetime that saw me playing second base for the Sunset Little League Yankees and spending Summer evenings listening to Vin Scully describe the Dodger game through a transistor radio on my front porch? How could it happen when . . .

Good times I remember [?] . . .
Fun days
Filled with simple pleasures
Drive-in movies
Comic books and blue jeans
Howdy Doody
Baseball cards and birthdays
Take me back
To a world gone away.
Memories
Seem like yesterday

~ ‘Old Days’ by Chicago [1975]

And yet, I now had this intuitive sense, an inner “almost knowing” that what Jesus warned the world about was not too far off on the horizon. However, even in 1994, the necessary changes that would need to occur in order to bring about the conditions for the coming of a satanic, global, anti-Christ dictator seemed nearly impossible.

And here I am today in 2013 – I look around me and I think: Damn! It’s all set up: the necessary technology (e.g., GPS satellites, electronic surveillance, armed drones, etc.) has been invented and is functioning; the socialistic mental conditioning has taken place; God’s New Testament contains “hate speech”; the world’s economies have been artificially merged; the DELIBERATE destruction of America’s economy perpetrated by both major political parties is now in the bottom of the ninth inning and the dollar will soon be replaced as the world’s primary reserve currency. The ONLY thing now holding back the Global Tyranny of the Biblical “Beast” – the “New World Order” – is the Second Amendment in the U.S.A., and by demonic deception and manipulation, that too is being gradually dismantled now.

For hundreds of years people have believed they were living in the Biblical “End-Times”; even some of Christ’s earliest followers (likely including Saint Paul) believed that His return was imminent, but the technology and the conditions were not ripe for the Beast’s worldwide reign of totalitarian terror. However, now, in our time, the stage is set, and I sincerely believe the wait is nearly over. How ironic that it should happen in a lifetime that once seemed so good and sweet and free to me. “Innocence Lost” indeed.

THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES AND THE END OF THE AGE

[Mark 13:3-8]

Now as [Jesus] sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”

And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows (or, the beginning of birth pangs).”

We have not yet entered “the Tribulation” period, but I feel certain we are currently experiencing “the beginnings of sorrows” or “the beginning of birth pangs” as spoken of by Jesus Christ.

Any earthquake greater than 6.0 on the Richter Scale is considered a “Killer Quake”. Did you know that from 1890 to 1970 there were a total of 39 Killer Quakes worldwide, but from 1970 to 1989 there were 137 of them? And in the first three and a half years of the 1990s over 100 more Killer Earthquakes had already occurred.

“And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.”

~ Jesus

“The current decade is unprecedented in terms of the disasters that have occurred: the most costly earthquake and hurricane; record tornado seasons; the worst floods; the worst blizzards and ice storms; the costliest wildfire damage.”

~ Los Angeles Times; April 28, 1997

And yet, as alarmed as the Los Angeles Times writer was even back then . . . Compared with the last decade of the 20th century, disaster deaths rose by 39% in the 2000-10 period. The number of people affected by disasters also rose, by 10%. According to THIS SITE, the data comes from the Cred EM-DAT database, run out of the School of Public Health at Belgium's Catholic University of Louvain. EM-DAT compiles core data on the occurrence and impact of more than 18,000 disasters, stretching as far back as 1900.

According to the TipTopTens website, following are the top ten worst disasters of the last ten years:

10. 2001 Gujarat earthquake (Death toll: 19,727)

09. 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami (Death toll: 18,400)

08. 2003 European heat wave (Death toll: 40,000)

07. 2003 Iran earthquake (Death toll 43,000)

06. 2010 Russian heat wave (Death toll: 56,000)

05. 2008 Sichuan earthquake (Death toll: 69,197)

04. 2005 Kashmir earthquake (Death toll: 86,000)

03. 2008 Cyclone Nargis (Death toll: 146,000)

02. 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (Death toll: 230,000)

01. 2010 Haiti earthquake (Death toll: 316,000)

Our own Hurricane Katrina, responsible for 1,300 fatalities in August of 2005, was barely even a blip when assessed strictly by the death toll.

[Edited from the New American Standard version:]
THE GREAT TRIBULATION

“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”

~ Jesus (Matthew 24)

Let’s think about that for a minute before moving on. First of all, until relatively recently it was not really possible for man to wipe out all life on the planet, but now with nuclear missiles and biological weapons . . .

Jesus said the Great Tribulation will be the worst time in Earth’s history; worse than anything that has happened before it. Let’s quickly review what happened in the 20th Century alone:

USSR: 61 million people murdered, 1917-1987

MAO’s Army: 3.4 million people murdered, 1923-1949

Communist CHINA: 35.2 million people murdered, 1949-2007

Nazi GERMANY: 20 million people murdered, 1932-1945

Communist POLAND: 1.6 million people murdered, 1945-1948

Communist CAMBODIA: 2 million people murdered, 1975-1979

Communist VIETNAM: 1.6 million murdered, 1945-1975

Communist YUGOSLAVIA: 1 million murdered, 1944-1987

Anti-Christian MEXICAN Revolution: 1.4 million, 1900-1920

TURKEY: 1.8 million, 1900-1918

PAKISTAN: 1.5 million, 1958-1987

JAPAN: 5.9 million, 1936-1945

That’s about 170 million human beings murdered by their governments and it doesn’t even count the number of people killed in the wars that were initiated by those governments. Now think about how terrible the anti-Christ Beast’s Tribulation period is going to be if it represents the very worst point in Earth’s history! Do you think your guns and ammo, stockpiled food and generators are going to help you get through The Beast’s Tribulation? Pshaw!

Then he [the Beast] opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name … It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb [Jesus] slain from the foundation of the world.

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He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

~ 'Revelation', chapter 13

But as sure as I am sitting here typing this, Jesus Christ will keep His promise and return for His people, and your ONLY hope is to be one of His people before He arrives.

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I [Jesus] have told you in advance. … For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

THE GLORIOUS RETURN

“ . . . the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

~ Jesus

Matthew 24:15-31

Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction [The Beast], who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

~ Saint Paul

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Truthfully, there is NOT a spiritual world and a secular world. “This world” we’re living in is a spiritual school and a spiritual battleground and EVERYTHING in it serves either God and His Son or satan and his Beast. With your every thought, word, and deed, you are choosing sides in spiritual warfare.

A fascinating book that I would recommend to you (and to everyone else) regarding the Biblical End-Times is ‘ONE WORLD’ by Christian writer Tal Brooke. I once wrote a review of it [This Ain't No Babbling Brooke!] in which I recounted the following moment of insight:
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I can still clearly recall that night, sitting at my desk and believing that I was engaged in two separate studies: religion and politics. And then suddenly, in a moment, it was as if the curtain on the stage was pulled back to reveal all of the props, the painted backgrounds, and the costumed players who were acting out the play called, "The New World Order", just as it had been penned by the unseen playwright, the Prince Of Darkness. I was astounded to realize that all of the different scenes actually formed acts, and that the acts formed a unified but very dark story. I found there were no independent nor secular parts; they all coalesced into a single production. And to carry this analogy one step further, one could argue that The Holy Bible is the review written by a Critic [God] who has seen the dress rehearsal. He says it's a bad show and it will close before its scheduled run is completed. And since the Critic owns the theater, we can take His Word for it.

But do you have to check your intellect at the door in order to believe in The Holy Bible and follow Yeshua (Jesus Christ)? Is it necessary to accept The Word Of God on “blind faith”? Do you have to be a dope to have hope? Nope! Ha-Ha-Hardly!

Anyone who knows me knows that I have zero tolerance for “blind faith”; “blind faith” has been one of the most destructive forces in mankind’s history. I SPIT ON “BLIND FAITH”! Show me someone who accepts anything on “blind faith” and I’ll show you an A-list idiot! I also believe that anyone who knows me also knows that I’m no dummy (no Howdy Doody or Charlie McCarthy) despite my Straight C report cards in high school. If I were a dummy, the Liberals would have surely kicked my butt in debates. They didn’t ...because they couldn’t.

I believe in “Jesus” but I DO NOT believe in “blind faith”. Go to Part 2 in this blog bit series and I will share with you some of my ideas about how to become a follower of Jesus WITHOUT checking your brain at the door, without turning your back on logic, science, and archaeology. There’s no need to tremble before the Liberals and/or the Atheists! There’s no need to stumble in the darkness of ignorance regarding God and Christ!

Borrowing an idea from a woman’s Bible-themed blog, I will suggest a Bible version and a reading plan for you that might well open your eyes to many wonders you’ve never previously imagined. Let your amazing spiritual journey begin TODAY!

To start that journey, go to Part 2 by clicking HERE.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.

‘I AM ON A MISSION FROM GOD’ (Or, ‘HAVE YOU MET MY BOSS?’)

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[This is Part 2 Of A 3-Part Blog Bit. For Part 1, click HERE.]

There have been some very, very intellectual people that have gone around saying God is dead. Well, He’s not dead, because I talked to Him this morning.

~ Mahalia Jackson

Before we get into the yakking, please take some minutes to listen to this beautiful song about what Yeshua (Jesus Christ) did for us all:

SANTANA - Somewhere in Heaven
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4z200fwyT4

I’ve been known to say that EVERYTHING I write is an attempt to make people think about God. Now, someone might ask, “How is writing over-the-top wacky things like The Chihuahua Cutthroat or O, What A Tangled Web We Weave . . . or Big Mack Attack! an attempt to make people think about God?”

When I post the loony stuffs, I hope that someone somewhere might come across it and perhaps be amused by something I’ve written. Out of curiosity they may explore some of the other things I’ve posted and thereby eventually come across some of the things I’ve written about spirituality and religion. Then he/she will think: Whoa! This guy believes in God and Christ? THIS crazy S.O.B. knows Jesus? And then presumably, that gets them thinking that one can actually be religious and still have a personality.

You see, I think there’s a misconception out there (and prior to accepting Jesus, I myself entertained this misconception) that once a person accepts Jesus they become some boring, staid, shell of a human being; Jesus robs them of their personality and they become a lifeless “McChristian”. I believe a lot of people think you can’t follow Jesus without turning into a Mr. Guder, or turning into this guy:

Oh, to be sure, in embracing Jesus and His principles, your life, your thinking, your values are going to change – they would have to! But you don’t have to abandon your personality. Yes, you’re going to be required to surrender your “life” but you will be trading it for “LIFE” . . . and you will get to keep your personality – goofy and/or feisty though it may be.

In late 1992 or early ‘93 - not long after I had moved from Los Angeles to Prescott, Airheadzona - my friend “The Countess” drove from L.A. to visit me for several days. One of the first things she said to me was, “I have become a Christian”. When she told me that, my heart hit the ground like a dog struck by a truck. I was sure she would never be fun again and that she had become a “Miss Guder”. But to my pleasant surprise, I found she was still fun, still laughing, still possessing an A-list sense o’ humor but… she had also become a better person.

Ideally, I would like people to read some of my stuffs and think: Hokey-Smoke! I didn’t know you could love Jesus and STILL be the crazy, snarky bastard next door!

I didn’t go looking for “the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14); He came and got me because I was screwing up my life - I was oblivious to “my mission”. Like everyone else here, I am attempting to learn to obey God’s one law: LOVE! But I also believe I’m supposed to tell others about what I’ve found – I am on a mission from God to share The Truth with anyone who will listen ‘n’ learn (just like everyone else is, to some extent). I am not an “orthodox”, “mainstream” Christian, but I have been Baptized by Jesus and taught by The Holy Spirit.

A couple of my Christian friends asked me how I came to Jesus, and when they learned that it was the result of a series of spiritual experiences, they began to wonder if their Christian faith was somehow lacking because they had come to Jesus through the intellect without experiencing anything “supernatural”. I want to clear this up once and for all:

In my opinion, the important thing is that we embrace Jesus as The Messiah, The Christ, The Savior of the world, and attempt to follow His teachings. How we get to that point is totally irrelevant, and I could/would make the argument that if you accept Jesus without His having to take you by the sharp lapel of your checkered coat and shake you, it’s probably because you’re brighter than I am. Think about it: Jesus did not compliment doubting Thomas for his lack of faith; had Jesus not “supernaturally” converted Saul on the road to Damascus, Saul would have gone right on persecuting Christians like a knucklehead. If Jesus is required to do something out of the ordinary in order to get you straightened out and on the correct path, it’s not exactly a feather in your cap.

The absolutely brilliant Christian intellectual and writer C.S. Lewis has sometimes been referred to as “the man who thought [or reasoned] his way to God”. Lee Strobel came to Christ by similarly weighing all of the evidence and thinking clearly and logically about it - and Strobel has already positively influenced a lot more people than I will ever even meet. Unlike Lewis and Strobel, I was not intelligent enough to find Christ via the open, everyday evidence, and that’s why I was yanked up by the sharp lapel of my checkered coat and shaken (not stirred).

I have written ‘Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends’ blog installments in the past pertaining to the Biblical End-Time scenario, such as It Is Written and The "Ho Bib" Tells Me So, but someone has inspired me to address another related area of study.
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About a month ago the SHORT LITTLE REBEL blog featured an installment titled ‘May I Suggest A Bible Version & Reading Plan For You?’ Susan Shannon recommended a particular translation of The Bible (the New International Version) and suggested that the Bible newbie first read God’s Word in a particular order. I really liked the idea of Susan’s post, although my suggestion and recommendation is somewhat different.
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The important thing is that you study The Bible, and whichever translation you have available to you is fine. I read through the entire Bible - cover to cover, Genesis to Revelation - every year (I’m currently reading it in its entirety for the 19th time) and I have read several different versions of it. If you have a choice, or you’re planning to purchase a new Bible, I’ll tell you that my own favorite is ‘HOLY BIBLE From The Ancient Eastern Text’, translated into English from the Aramaic by George M. Lamsa.

Unfortunately though, the George Lamsa translation of The Holy Bible comes only in one gigantic edition and it isn’t very practical for carrying with you. Perhaps a smaller ‘New American Standard Bible’ or ‘New King James Version’ would be a better choice to begin with – I’m a fan of both translations. The NIV, as recommended at ‘Short Little Rebel’, is probably the most popular translation in the U.S. today.

The Old Testament is that portion of The Bible written prior to the birth of Jesus; the New Testament tells the story of Jesus Christ and the history of the early Christian church. It has been accurately stated that “the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed”.

People often ask me, “How do you study the Bible?” The first rule is, never open your Bible without prayer. Bible study is not an intellectual exercise; it is a spiritual exercise. Study with prayer. Develop your personal relationship with the Author of the Book. Second, set aside your presuppositions. All of us bring the baggage of previous misconceptions to a subject, and they are often wrong. Cultivate an open mind, and investigate diligently. ... You will find that even the simplest texts will prove inexhaustible in their yield of insights. And that’s what you would expect from the Word of God Himself.

~ Dr. Chuck Missler

Pray for wisdom and pray for guidance each time you open your Bible. ... And by all means, keep a pencil with you AT ALL TIMES! Because you will most definitely want to underline and mark the especially meaningful or interesting passages!

~ Short Little Rebel

Stephen T. McCarthy: Yeah, what they said. You might try this one: “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of The Lord. Jesus, please send The Holy Spirit to enter into my heart and mind to teach me what God would have me understand regarding the Bible verses I am about to read. I thank You for hearing and for having answered this prayer.”

The order in which Short Little Rebel recommended that a Bible newbie read The Holy Book can be found by clicking HERE. There is nothing wrong with her suggested order, however, I have a very different suggested order:

It is my opinion that THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN contains the ENTIRE message of The Holy Bible in just five brief chapters. I have often said that if someone cut all of the pages out of my Bible with the exception of 1st JOHN, in those five short chapters I would still have the entire Bible; God’s complete message to His children.

Bear in mind that I am not referring to The Gospel Of John, the fourth “book” in the New Testament; I am referring to 1st JOHN, the first of his three letters found at the back of The Bible, just before Jude and Revelation. 1st John is a perfect overview of Scripture. For that reason, I would urge you to begin by reading THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN – 5 chapters; about 20 minutes of reading time – and I am going to suggest you read it three times before reading anything else in the Bible. Three times: Father, Son & Holy Spirit; Body, Mind & Soul; Conscious, Subconscious & Superconscious.

Link: The complete “book” of 1st JOHN at BibleGateway.com.

After reading those 5 chapters, 3 times each over a period of a few days, you will have an excellent understanding of the essential message of The Holy Bible: God’s Love, Christ’s Sacrifice, and our calling.

Next I’m going to say, read the book of JAMES once. Again, just five short chapters that could be described as “A Crash Course In ‘Practical Christianity’.”

After that, read ‘The Gospels’ – MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, and JOHN – the first four “books” of The New Testament that tell the story of Christ’s birth, life, crucifixion, death, and Resurrection.

FYI: If you read just three chapters from The Holy Bible daily, but five chapters every Sunday, you will go through the entire Bible in a single year. The Word Of God is easier to contemplate and seems less intimidating when only small, bite-sized portions are studied on a daily basis.

Remember these:

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

~ Hebrews 11:6

The very act of prayer honors God and gives glory to God, for it confesses that God is what He is.
~ Charles Kingsley

But perhaps for some people, in order to first gain sufficient faith in The Holy Bible to study it seriously and develop faith in Jesus, instead of beginning by reading IN The Bible, it might be advantageous to start by reading ABOUT The Bible. But do read quickly because the time is short.

I have recommended some excellent books ABOUT The Bible in Part 3 of this series. Go to Part 3 by clicking HERE.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

“SOMEBODY'S COMING WHO DON'T NEED YOUR VOTE!” (Or, “JESUS IS COMING AND, BOY, IS HE PISSED!”)

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[This is Part 3 Of A 3-Part Blog Bit. For Part 1, click HERE. For Part 2, click HERE.]

“Somebody's Coming Who
Don't Need Your Vote!”

~ Todd Snider

“Jesus Is Coming And, Boy, Is He Pissed!”

~ The Bellamy Brothers

“Jesus Saves” sign near ‘Hope Street’,
downtown Los Angeles, circa 1984.

I’ve always treated with respect my debate opponents who have treated me with respect (you reap what you sow). But whenever an Atheist and/or Liberal has started right out of the chute with that arrogant, demeaning, snotty attitude they’re so infamous for, I have been happy to intellectually slap that snottiness out of ‘em (sometimes maybe even a little TOO happy to do it).
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I once wrote a review of a book that investigated the claims and counter-claims of Darwinists and those who believe in Intelligent Design. I was immediately set upon by eight atheists who attacked me en masse like a starving wolf pack seeking to devour a piece of raw meat. I single-handedly took them all on using facts and humor as my weapons. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth, and when the dust settled and the smoke cleared, I was still standing, looking good and smiling big. Anyone can do it; anyone can consistently frustrate Atheists and Liberals in debates. You just need to do your homework first, gather your facts and then wield words like weapons.
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During that dispute, where I was doing my “Debate Martial Arts” - as my friend Aaron called my style of arguing – some gal (one of the eight atheists) posted the following comment:
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May 31, 2007
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Stephen:
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Regarding the Bible: you "know that it is a supernatural document given by God through His chosen prophets"? How do you KNOW this? (Don't bother responding; I KNOW you have zero proof for this belief ;-)
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For an ostensibly educated person, you certainly are gullible.
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I immediately responded to the “atheistic genius gal”, providing three astounding and mathematically verifiable facts proving that The Bible must have been inspired (even largely dictated) by an Omniscient Source.
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So how did the arrogant, self-assured, atheistic genius gal respond? The same way they usually responded to my proofs: dead silence. That’s how you know you’ve just kicked a Liberal’s/Atheist’s butt – they very quietly go away to find some less knowledgeable person to pick on. Anyone can do it; anyone can consistently frustrate Atheists and Liberals in debates. You just need to do your homework first, gather your facts and then wield words like weapons. (Hmmm… Ever get that ‘déjà vu’ feeling?)
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Saint Peter wrote: "BE READY TO GIVE AN ANSWER IN MEEKNESS AND REVERENCE TO EVERYONE WHO SEEKS FROM YOU A WORD CONCERNING THE HOPE OF YOUR FAITH."
(~ 1 Peter 3:15)
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I have occasionally been anything BUT “meek”, but I have always been ready to give an answer in support of my faith. Over the years I’ve read a number of books “in defense of the Christian faith” (or as it’s technically termed, ‘Christian Apologetics’). Below are a few of my favorites that I recommend to one and all:
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THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

by Robert J. Hutchinson (2007)

From The Back Cover:

The Bible was once regarded as the “Good Book”, but today it is under relentless attack from leftwing academics, novelists, and screenwriters to justify their own political agendas. But fear not: award-winning religious journalist Robert J. Hutchinson turns the truth about the Bible – as well as the latest Biblical scholarship – against the mockers, skeptics, and deniers to show that not only is the Bible true, but it is the source of Western ideas of charity, justice, reason, science, and democracy. Hutchinson takes you on a fast-paced, politically incorrect tour of the most important book ever written.
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“Comfortable and cocky atheists better brace themselves. Robert Hutchinson’s book systematically dismembers the old, haggard arguments in this naysayer-slaying tome. Read this book, find some annoying atheists, and let the good times roll. They won’t stand a chance.”

~ Pastor Doug Giles, nationally syndicated radio host, columnist, and author
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I almost didn’t acquire this book because I figured there wouldn’t be much in it that I hadn’t already been exposed to. But because I had already read and enjoyed several other books in the ‘Politically Incorrect Guide’ (P.I.G.) series, I decided to give it a try and was glad I did. It’s true that there wasn’t much in these 255 pages that I hadn’t previously been exposed to, but I loved the book because it addressed so many interrelated topics (e.g., you’ll learn about Judeo-Christian Natural Law Theory; Social Contract Theory; Legal Positivism and Legal Realism), and also because, like myself, the author has a feisty attitude – he sure ain’t no Ned Flanders or Mr. Guder. Hutchinson refers to Bible-haters as “the village atheists”. Ha!
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I urge everyone to read ‘THE P.I.G. TO THE BIBLE’ in conjunction with at least one of the following three books:
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THE CASE FOR CHRIST: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation Of The Evidence For Jesus

by Lee Strobel (1998)

From the back cover: Retracing his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith, Lee Strobel, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools like Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis who are recognized authorities in their own fields.
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Strobel challenges them with questions like How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence for Jesus exist outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the Resurrection was an actual event? ... What will your verdict be in The Case For Christ?
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From page 254: Now, if you were a Martian looking down on the first century, would you think Christianity or the Roman Empire would survive? You probably wouldn’t put money on a ragtag group of people whose primary message was that a crucified carpenter from an obscure village had triumphed over the grave. Yet it was so successful that today we name our children Peter and Paul and our dogs Caesar and Nero!
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From page 267: If Jesus did rise from the dead, He’s still alive today and available for me to encounter on a personal basis. ... If Jesus has Divine power, He has the supernatural ability to guide me and help me and transform me as I follow Him.
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Although I am not in 100% agreement with Strobel and all of his Biblical experts (e.g., I most definitely am NOT a Trinitarian, and I believe “the Jewish concept of agency”, as explained on page 140, best describes the true role of Jesus), I feel confident in saying that Strobel’s ‘THE CASE FOR CHRIST’ is, overall, probably the best Christian Apologetics book for most Bible students. This one’s a real winner! (Strobel’s book ‘THE CASE FOR A CREATOR’ is also very highly recommended.)
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LEARN THE BIBLE IN 24 HOURS

by Dr. Chuck Missler (2002)

From page 2: After the events of the Old Testament, there was a four hundred year period called “the silent years”. No prophet’s voice was heard. God appeared to be silent until He sent His messenger, John the Baptist, who ushered in the New Testament period. ... The central theme in the entire panorama is the advent of Jesus Christ who came, ministered, and went to the Cross. Then, after the New Testament period, came the Diaspora when Israel was scattered all over the world.
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Finally, miraculously, just as predicted in the Bible, on May 14, 1948, Israel was again restored. For centuries scholars debated whether prophecies in the Old Testament and the New were literal or symbolic (would Israel ever be regathered?). Those debates should have ended in 1948 when Israel became a nation again.
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While there is obviously some overlap in Christian publications, I'd also say that one of these books should not necessarily be read in exclusion to the others, as they all explore some aspects of The Bible which are unique unto themselves.

For example, Dr. Missler’s book explains the astonishing Messianic prophecy in the Old Testament book of Daniel, and also the heptadic, or seven-fold, structure in Scripture that seems to act as a signature of its Divine authenticity. The Messianic prophecy in Daniel and the Coincidences Of The Sevens (which appear to be something well beyond mere “coincidences”) are not addressed in Strobel’s aforementioned fine book, so there is no reason to think that reading one of these recommended books will cover ALL of the fascinating facts about The Holy Bible.

EVIDENCE FOR FAITH: Deciding The God Question
edited by John Warwick Montgomery (1991)

From the Preface: This is a book for believers and for unbelievers. Its authors – many of them scientists and all of them trained at secular universities – became and remain Christians because the evidence for the truth of Christianity overwhelmingly outweighs competing religious claims and secular world views.
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This volume is literally capable of changing lives, and the lives of more than one of its contributors were in fact turned upside down by the force of the evidences here set forth. ...
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This volume puts together their thinking. We call it the Cornell Symposium on Evidential Apologetics. This name is appropriate because (1) the arguments given for the existence of God are concerned with evidence, not with philosophical or theological presuppositions; (2) the papers were presented “far above Cayuga’s waters,” in earshot of the carillon that still plays the evensong at twilight, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of Eckelmann’s congregation; and (3) Cornell has served as a locus sacrissimus for most of the contributors. Indeed, this book may be said without exaggeration to benefit both from a holy place (Cornell University) and from a tutelary spirit (Herman John Eckelmann)!
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The fervent desire of the Editor and the contributors is to take the reader on an intellectual and existential pilgrimage. Consider well the evidence this volume presents to your mind and heart. Then act on it. You won’t regret it – either in time or in eternity.

~ John Warwick Montgomery

Strasbourg, France

The Feast of the Epiphany

6 January 1991
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Alright, if your eyes have already glazed over then this book is probably not for you. (Maybe start with Strobel’s ‘The Case For Christ’.) I gotta say, I LOVED this book! And remember that I was merely a Straight C student in high school. Nevertheless, my mind was geared by God for scrutinizing details, details, and details. But even a lot of very bright people – much smarter than I am – are put in ‘Snooze’ mode by the wee little details and deep, deeper, deepest thinking. (My own Brother, who is quite bright, tried twice to get through ‘EVIDENCE FOR FAITH’, but both times he got bogged down by the numbers and the scientific minutiae.) So, this book definitely is not for everyone. But if the above paragraphs intrigued you more than they bored you, you might want to explore this fine publication.
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How much evidence is there to indicate that we have entered what Jesus referred to as “the beginnings of sorrows” – that stage in the process which would just precede the Biblical ‘Tribulation’ time period? Well, there’s a heckuva lot more evidence for it than I can illustrate in this limited space. But here are just a few things to consider:
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In order to clear the way for the coming of satan’s Beast and his false prophet, the life and teachings of Christ need to be marginalized and eradicated as much as possible. And we see that process in full swing everywhere we look around us today. In his surprisingly good and thoroughly documented 2004 paperback ‘PERSECUTION: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity’, lawyer David Limbaugh writes:
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Most universities are bastions of politically liberal thought. ... There is simply no room for dissent in the politically correct atmosphere of the college campuses today. The sponsors of these speech codes pretend they are vindicating minority rights and preventing harassment of protected groups, but no matter how nicely they dress it up, in the end it amounts to no less than mind control and speech regulation for political purposes. ...
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Thus it is no mystery that Christianity is unacceptable to the postmodern paragons of tolerance. ... Postmodernists – those who peddle the euphemisms of tolerance, diversity, openness, multiculturalism, and the rest – view Christianity as inherently in conflict with their subjective assumptions about the world... Postmodernism gives rise to such ideas as that tolerance requires us not just to permit the free expression of all ideas, but also to accept all beliefs as equally valid. This mindset discourages reason, because reason itself is tainted by our socially constructed realities. ... The postmodern rule, more accurately formulated, is that all ideas must be tolerated except those that refuse to accept the doctrine that all ideas are equally valid. For all these reasons, postmodernism is innately anti-Christian.

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The last chapter of the Old Testament book of Daniel includes the following prophecies: “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase. ... Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.”
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Regarding that, Grant Jeffrey wrote the following in his book ‘ARMAGEDDON: Earth’s Last Days’.
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Knowledge And Travel Shall Increase In The Last Days:

Twenty-five centuries ago the Book of Daniel predicted that there would be an explosion of knowledge and a huge increase in travel in the last days. ...
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Throughout thousands of years of history the level of knowledge only increased incrementally. In some generations the level of general knowledge actually decreased. Yet, in the last century and a half, there has been an explosion of knowledge beyond anything ever experienced in human history. There are more scientists alive today than have lived in all of the rest of history. Recently, it was calculated that the sum total of human knowledge is growing so quickly that it literally doubles every twenty months. This is staggering in light of Daniel’s inspired prediction from the ancient past that “knowledge shall be increased.”
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In addition, Daniel stated that a characteristic of the last days would be an awesome increase in mobility as “many shall run to and fro.” The speed of transportation has also exploded in the last century. For thousands of years, until 1900, most people never traveled faster than a galloping horse. ... While most people in past centuries seldom traveled more than twenty miles from the place they were born, millions of people now travel across the globe as part of their normal course of daily business or for their annual vacation.
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Steve Miller, a freelance investigative journalist in Las Vegas, says: “Hopefully in the next year or so we’ll clean up our act, because we really need to. We’re hitting rock bottom, not only our economy but our morality. The bar’s been lowered and it’s laying on the floor now."
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Hokey-Smoke! Look here, when a writer who was born in, and lives in, and works in Las Vegas - America’s ‘Sin City’ - says that even Vegas is now hitting rock bottom, that’s rock bottom of the rock bottom! And if THAT’S not a sign of the Apocalypse, I don’t know what is.
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However, for me, the best evidence may actually be obtained by simply evaluating our current condition and comparing it to a passage from The Bible which foretells the condition of “this world” during the Biblical End-Time period. In the third chapter of 2nd Timothy, Saint Paul wrote the following warning:
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But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God ... always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. ... Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
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Regarding that passage, David Haggith, in his superb and exhaustive 1999 tome ‘END-TIME PROPHECIES OF THE BIBLE’, says, “Such people have existed in all ages, but the last line indicates they will increase significantly in the final age. The last two or three decades of the twentieth century saw more...multibillionaires and -millionaires than at any other time. The Bible does not speak against money or success, but it does speak against becoming absorbed by money or by one’s own interests. How many other generations have read so much news about children killing parents and children killing children, drive-by shootings, and unwed mothers who dump their babies in garbage dumpsters? One is hardly a social worrywart to question the spirit of such an age.”
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Indeed, that Biblical passage seems to be a spot-on description of many Americans and many other affluent people of “this world” today. Oddly, in times past, people with the characteristics described in 2nd Timothy 3 would have been considered social outcasts but today they occupy positions of great power and influence; today they are Presidents and Congressmen and Judges and CEOs and Actors and Athletes and Rappers and Pop Music Stars. The “lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, unthankful, unholy, brutal, despisers of good, and lovers of pleasure” have become today’s “heroes” - myriad unholy professionals worshipped by countless people.
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One word that especially attracts my attention there is “traitors”. It is a fact that American politicians, judges, and mainstream news outlets and personalities – Democrat AND Republican – are following orders given by International Bankers and their think tanks to deliberately, traitorously manipulate the United States of America into a coming ‘New World Order’ – satan’s totalitarian global government as described in The Holy Bible’s final section, ‘Revelation’.
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All of the interlocking pieces of the satanic worldwide tyrannical jigsaw puzzle are now falling quickly into place - from the Federal Reserve System and IMF/World Bank, to the machinations of the Freemasons, CFR, and Banker-controlled Foundations, to International Treaties and Executive Orders, to illegal (un-Constitutional) legislation, and the assaults on Christianity and the Second Amendment – it’s all coming together now in preparation for the satanic World Dictator. Any educated person who can’t discern that fact is a Pinball Wizard – deaf, dumb, and blind (and I do mean that other “dumb”).
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Nothing and no one can prevent satan’s ‘New World Order’ from manifesting in “this world” because . . . “IT IS WRITTEN”.
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Erwin W. Lutzer wrote the following in his book ‘IS GOD ON AMERICA’S SIDE?’:
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Our sins as a nation have been committed in the context of great opportunity and great light. ... No nation has turned away so much light in order to choose darkness. ... Therefore it is entirely possible that the God who has already begun to judge us will continue to do so with even greater intensity and more widespread devastation. ... He just might let our enemies defeat us because as a nation we continue to insult the living God. ... There is no doubt we will be judged nationally and individually with stricter judgment for “unto whom much is given, much is required.” We’ve done plenty to expect judgment, not blessing. ...
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When approaching Jericho, Joshua saw a man with a sword in his hand, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” he asked. This heavenly soldier answered, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord” (Joshua 5:13-14). In effect God was saying, “I am not here to take sides; I am here to take over!”
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As the brilliant C.S. Lewis says in his classic masterpiece ‘Mere Christianity’: “When the author walks on to the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then...? ... It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever.”
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Oh, you can absolutely bet the farm that Jesus is going to keep His promise! He said that He would return to gather His own, to immediately punish His Father’s enemies in “this world” and in the spiritual realm, and then He would rule the Earth during 1,000 years of peace. In other words: adios, Atheists; adios, Liberal social engineers, such as the ACLU; adios, lying, pseudo-patriotic Republicans! Was your willful rebellion against God worth it? Were you able to keep what your traitorous ways gained for you?
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That day is coming! It may be tomorrow; it may be next month, next year, or ten years from now. But regardless, that day is approaching, and when it arrives, some human beings will find it glorious and joyful; others will cringe, then run and hide – but there is no place to hide from the Eyes of The Lord.

My thanks to Annie McPhee / Anniee451 for this one:

There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done”, and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done”. All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.
~ C.S. Lewis
(from his book ‘The Great Divorce’)

As a dog returns to his own vomit,
so a fool repeats his folly.
~ Proverbs 26:11
(from ‘The Holy Bible’)

Don’t foolishly return to your folly by continuing to deny or question the existence of God, your Creator, and Jesus, your Savior. Jesus said that when you “know the truth ... the truth will make you free.” All evidence points to The Truth which you can know – pray to God and ask to receive it; humbly request that The Holy Spirit teach and guide you. But seek The Truth now because time is running out.
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It was DiscConnected of the political blog ‘Back In The USSR’ who, maybe 4 or 5 years ago, turned me on to what has become one of my all-time favorite songs about Jesus and the Second Coming. So, let’s close with this powerful song that I love, Love, LOVE:

Tell anybody that ain't got nobody
Somebody's coming ...
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Tell everybody walkin' tall and proud
That their money talks, but it talks so loud
That there's Somebody coming
That's gonna change everything ...
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Tell everybody in the KKK, in the FBI, in the CIA
That there's Somebody coming
That's gonna change everything ...
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Somebody's coming Who’s been here before
If you think you're outta chances, well you've got one more
'Cause Somebody's coming
That's gonna change everything ...
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Somebody's coming Who don't need your vote
Gonna rattle your cage and rock your boat
Somebody's coming like a thief in the night
Gonna stand by His people when we're too weak to fight ...
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TODD SNIDER Somebody's Coming