The House

Picture the safe house of salvation in this way.  Approaching the house there is a sign above the door that reads "Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved."  Upon entering you look back at the door and above it reads a sign that says, "It was by grace that you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."

How one understands the message of salvation depends on one's perspective.  The evangelist does not go around telling people there is nothing they can do to be saved.  Imagine the jailer in Acts chapter 16 when there was an earthquake and his prisoners, Paul and Silas, were found walking about freed from their chains.  The jailer in fear and trembling says to Paul and Silas, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"  If Paul would have said, "Sorry pal, there is nothing you can do."  The jailer would have likely thrust himself through with his own sword.  After he received the message of Christ however Paul could have explained that the whole ordeal of the earthquake and all things leading up to it was God's grace bringing the jailer to the door, which by faith, he entered.  One must walk to get through the door but he does not open the door on his own.  The door is Christ and it swings on the hinges of God's grace. 

Haman's ears and the Croissant

In some cultures it has been customary to cut off the ears of criminals before they hung on the gallows.  Apparently for those that don't listen they must feel.  The Jews have a custom of eating a pastry during the feast of Purim that is called Hamantaschen, literally Haman's ears.  This stems from the story in the book of Esther where Haman had prepared a gallows to hang the Jews on because of his hatred of the Jews.  The Jews prayed and God turned things around and Haman ended up hanging on the very gallows he had prepared.  In celebration the Jews eat Haman's ears.

In similar fashion the croissant that has become popular in the west has a somewhat parallel story.

Legend has it that due to conflict with the Ottoman crescent, during the siege of Vienna in 1683 during which the Muslims were defeated, bakers began to bake these crescent shaped breads in celebration.  Some claim the history goes back even further to the Battle of Tours in 732.  Share the joy and eat more croissants.

Catholics praying for the Dead

They will argue that it was a Jewish tradition confirmed in the Bible.  What they don't tell you is that it is not in the Jewish Bible nor in our modern New Testament.  This is something introduced by the Council of Trent (1563) as a counter-reformation ploy, and they referred to 2 Maccabees 12:42 as justification for the doctrine.  The Maccabees is an Apocrypha text which tells the story of the Jewish revolt in which numerous soldiers were killed.  When the bodies of the slain were found to be wearing amulets of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids, it was believed to be the sin responsible for their death (12:40).  Therefore Judas prayed that God would forgive the dead of this sin.

This has resulted in many traditions which have no founding in biblical tradition.  This is linked to the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory in which souls are held in a state of limbo and the living can pay to have a priest pray for them that any sins that are preventing the souls from making it to heaven may be forgiven.  Playing on the emotions of naive and desperate people this has been a good method of fund raising for Rome.

Praying for the dead can often lead to praying to the dead or doing works for the dead which smacks of spiritism and the occult.  Such practice can open the doors for demonic deception as in the Mormon practice of doing baptisms for the dead.  It is not uncommon for demons to appear as deceased persons which can lead to ancestor worship or even spirit worship as in voodoo.

She is dead!  There is only one mediator between man and God, that is Jesus Christ only lamb of God who shed blood for our sins.  Jews never prayed to Moses or any of the Old Testament prophets so why did Catholics decide to pray to biblical saints?

What the Hell?

The HERMENEUTICS of

DEATH and ETERNAL JUDGMENT

Three Terms - Sheol, Hades and Gehenna

by Dale Brown

1.   SHEOL - (Heb. "underworld" 66 times in Hebrew Old Testament) a conscious, invisible place that is never full (Psm. 6:5, Isa. 14:9-16, Prov. 27:20)

Rabbinic literature, both Talmud and Apocryphal describe a conscious life after death.  The KJV translates Sheol as "hell" 31 times, and "pit" three times.  This inconsistency in translation has resulted in annihilationists such as the Adventists and JW's teaching that Sheol means simply grave.  But graves can be robbed, defiled, seen, visited, decorated, uncovered, etc. but not so of Sheol.  Because of the many attacks on the Scripture since the KJV scholars have had to take a closer look and become more and more definitive about terms.  (Matt. 23:24, 2 Tim. 2:14)

The O.T. is rather vague in it's description of Sheol; thus we are given the principle of progressive revelation.  Always interpret the O.T. in the light of the New Testament didactic literature.

2.  HADES - (Grk, "unseen") 71 times in LXX.  It is the Greek equivalent for Sheol 64 times.  Never is it used for grave.   Hades is not simple death (Rev. 1:18).  Hades is not hell  (The KJV shows hell being thrown into the lake of fire) (Rev. 20:13,14)
Hades of the rich man and Lazarus illustration portrays judgment, yet intertestament progression. (Luke 16:19-31, 2 Pet. 2:9)

Jesus triumphed over death and Hades (Acts 2:31, Rev. 1:18)
Jesus made proclamation to spirits in prison.  (1 Pet. 3:18-20, Eph. 4:8-10)

3.  GEHENNA - (Grk, "the valley of Hinnon") this valley just outside of Jerusalem was considered "unclean" by pious Jews because of sacrifice done to pagan deities in past ages (2 Chr. 28:3).  It became the common illustration of God's final judgment, hell.

Gehenna during Christ's time as in Josiah's (2 Kgs 23:10, Jere.7:31) had been turned into a garbage dump for unclean corpses and city trash.  The fires never stopped burning and the worms never stopped eating (Isa. 66:24, MK 9:43-48).

The Talmuds, as did Jesus, referred to a place of eternal, conscious punishment for the wicked after the resurrection (Matt. 25:30, 41, 46).  How can hell be dark?  God is light, therefore eternal separation from God is sometimes referred to as black darkness (Jude 13, 2 Pet 2:4, 17).

Jesus authority and view of Hell (Gehenna, Matt. 10:28)
Degrees of punishment (Lk. 12:47,48)

The Good Old Days

Remember when city streets were covered with horse crap and the air was full of smoke from coal and wood stoves, and light was supplied by smoking oil lamps.  Oh, don't forget the flies.

 

Yeah, that was the good old days when the only lawn mower was the neighbor's sheep and goats.  Cough, cough...

The Almighty Buck

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some for longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.  (1 Tim. 6:9-10)

Jesus said, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you." (Matt. 6:33)
Do not be the fool of whom Jesus said, "You fool!  This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?" (Luke 12:20)

Holy Spirit only for Apostles?

GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
ONLY FOR THE APOSTOLIC AGE?

It is suggested by some that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were dispensational and ceased after the apostolic age. If that were true then there should be no record of them in operation during the church age after the apostles died. In fact, it seems reasonable the church fathers would have made mention of such a loss to the church, however the opposite is true. The second century believers were still experiencing powerful gifts of the Spirit. It appears that these manifestations of the Holy Spirit were under attack during the early church and continue to the present time. The devil finds them such a threat that he has gone to great lengths to provide counterfeits. The following quotes are taken from the first volume of the Ante-Nicene Fathers published by Eerdmans. - Dale Brown
　
JUSTIN MARTYR [A.D. 110-165] DIALOGUE OF JUSTIN WITH TRYPHO, A JEW
CHAP. LXXXII - "For the prophetical gifts remain with us, even to the present time. And hence you ought to understand that [the gifts] formerly among your nation have been transferred to us."

CHAP. LXXXVII - "I have already said, and do again say, that it had been prophesied that this would be done by Him after His ascension to heaven. It is accordingly said, ‘He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, He gave gifts unto the sons of men.’ And again, in another prophecy it is said: ‘And it shall come to pass after this, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and on My servants, and on My handmaids, and they shall prophesy.’"
　
THE SECOND APOLOGY OF JUSTIN
CHAP. VI - "And now you can learn this from what is under your own observation. For numberless demoniacs throughout the whole world, and in your city, many of our Christian men exorcising them in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, have healed and do heal, rendering helpless and driving the possessing devils out of the men, though they could not be cured by all the other exorcists, and those who used incantations and drugs."

IRENAEUS [A.D. 120-202] - a disciple of Polycarp who according to Irenaeus was a disciple of John the Apostle. He wrote extensively against the heresies of his day that came in, "like locusts" to devour the harvest of the gospel.

IRENAEUS AGAINST HERESIES

BOOK I
PREFACE - Error, indeed, is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should at once be detected. But it is craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its outward form, to make it appear to the inexperienced (ridiculous as the expression may seem) more true than the truth itself.
　
BOOK II
XXXII - Wherefore, also, those who are in truth His disciples, receiving grace from Him, do in His name perform [miracles], so as to promote the welfare of other men, according to the gift which each one has received from Him. For some do certainly and truly drive out devils, so that those who have thus been cleansed from evil spirits frequently both believe[in Christ], and join themselves to the Church. Others have foreknowledge of things to come: they see visions, and utter prophetic expressions. Others still, heal the sick by laying their hands upon them, and they are made whole. Yea, moreover, as I have said, the dead even have been raised up, and remained among us for many years. And what shall I more say? It is not possible to name the number of the gifts which the Church, [scattered] throughout the whole world, has received from God, in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and which she exerts day by day for the benefit of the Gentiles, neither practicing deception upon any, nor taking any reward from [on account of such miraculous interpositions]. For as she has received freely from God, freely also does she minister [to others].
A gospel message with no spiritual confirmation is often the reason those looking for spiritual fulfillment find themselves mixed up in the occult. Christians who present a powerless gospel are presenting a message that may have promise for the future in heaven but often has little practical application for daily living. Their theology is based on their lack of spiritual experience. If God has not manifested supernaturally to them they wrongly assume that God no longer manifests to us today. If God is truly the same yesterday, today and forever, then He can surely manifest Himself on a personal level in whatever way He chooses. Though it is true that there have been times of spiritual drought when there were few miraculous signs, it is not healthy to think that God cannot work miracles today. Gideon had the same complaint in his day. If God is with us, where are his signs (Judge 6:13)? God confirmed to him the supernatural in spite of Gideon’s lack of faith. In the days of young prophet Samuel the scripture states that word from the Lord was infrequent and visions were rare (! Sam. 3:1). Jesus claimed that John the Baptist was the greatest of the prophets yet he was not known for miracles. Should we assume then that the dispensation of miracles had stopped? Some New Testament disciples manifested great signs and wonders, however the scriptural record is limited to a very few. Usually the people with the strongest views on tongues and other spiritual gifts come from those who have the least amount of experience in that realm. They surround themselves with those of like mind and are quick to point out every misuse of such manifestations as proof that they are not for today.

Some claim that if you have the Holy Spirit you will have all of the Spirit all of the time. This does not square with scripture. King Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit one minute and demonized the next (1 Samuel 19:9). Then a short time later the Holy Spirit came upon him and he prophesied (1 Sam. 19:23) thus proving that the Holy Spirit can manifest in/on a corrupt vessel. The New Testament believer is no different. The same Peter who was filled with the Spirit at Pentecost later had to be rebuked by Paul for false teaching and hypocrisy (Gal. 2:11-14). Was Peter being inspired by the Holy Spirit during this time? God has used imperfect vessels from the beginning. If we could get good enough to deserve the Holy Spirit we would not need the Holy Spirit. Paul said to desire spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:1). He did not say desire only the ones for this dispensation, or until we get the Bible printed in King James English.

Chief Seattle

When are the leftist loons going to protest this monument?

Free Speech and Public Education

A few years ago false charges were brought up against my wife who was working as a library assistant in an elementary school in Prosser, WA (elevation 666 feet).   After a year of letting the union fight for her she lost and as she continued to work in a fake job where she was reassigned to supposedly keep her away from children.  Eventually they paid her to go away because they were not about to let her back in the library where she could monitor gay friendly books being put on the shelves.

The real issue is the sign that we have in the back of our truck.  I drove the truck around town and parked for awhile at two of the schools.  One day at the elementary school where she used to work I was confronted by several police officers who claimed had received reports of me taking pictures of the kids.  Do you see any kids in this picture?  One lady officer asked to see the pictures on my camera which I refused.  They wanted to see my identification as though I was a stranger in a town where I had lived for over fifteen years.  I understand they are just doing their job so I gave them all of my contact info but they were not about to see my camera.  After a bit of a chat they left and went to talk to the crossing guards and the school principal below.

Can you see where this is headed?  A bit later the mayor found me parked near where my wife works and we had nice chat.  Again he is just doing his job.  But then the school superintendent was just doing his job last year when he called me into his office to talk about the truck and later pulled my wife out of the library.  Public schools have lots of buses they can throw you under.  They like to talk about education but when you try to educate them about sin and redemption you suddenly become enemy number one.  I would like to see drug tests for all school employees.  That would likely purge the system of a lot of dead weight.

Who is the Alpha and Omega?

Normally when someone posts a sign with Alpha and Omega and fish symbol together we think of the Jesus who is the beginning and the end.  With Alpha and Omega Tours of Spokane however they have a new twist to the story.  We took a picture of our truck parked next to one of their buses in Kennewick, WA and posted it on Facebook and this is the reply we got.

I would suggest if they use biblical symbols then condemn the bible and the Lord Jesus Christ they had better be ready for some criticism.

Pot the Miracle Drug

Complete with Psychosis and Suicide

Many of us that survived the marijuana of the 60s were shaking our heads in disbelief when all of a sudden it became legal across the country one state at a time.  We all understood the word "paranoia" from those early days.  Now it is a big revelation when young people that are playing with a drug that is ten times more potent than what we experimented with in the 60s drives kids to psychosis and suicide.  An article in The Epoch Times documents how the new levels of THC are producing a national crisis of addiction and destruction among young people.  So what we knew all along now requires studies to figure out how to cope with this "new" problem.  If alcohol and tobacco did not give us enough problems now we have a whole new breed of addicts driving our roads and teaching our kids in public schools.  Epoch Times told the heart breaking story of Johnny Stack whose consumption of THC lead to psychosis and eventual suicide.

 

Potheads will be the first to quote the Bible that claims every herb of the field and every tree is for food. (Genesis 1:29).  However some herbs are noxious weeds that we cannot feed to our cows, and some like hemlock will kill you dead.  Yet I have had some Christians justify the use of pot and one guy even told me he taught some of his best Bible studies while being high on pot. He eventually quit not because he thought it was wrong but because he was afraid it might harm his reputation or his job as a school teacher.  This is psychosis on the most deceptive level.

Like any placebo or sugar pill when someone gets a high it can be mistaken for proof that it is a cure.  Tobacco was once considered healthy and facts in the 1930s doctors were paid to endorse smoking as a cure for various diseases.  Any mechanic will tell you however that running smoke through the engine of your car without a filter will eventually cause serious damage.

There is no question that some medical drugs have come from toxic plants however if the reason one is using the drug is simply to get stoned there is the problem.  The Bible is loaded with warnings about drunkenness.  Drugs have a history of being used for occult religious practices.  The word pharmacy comes from the Greek word which is often translated sorcery which is condemned.

The Jehovah's Witness Deception Program

When Raymond Franz, a third-generation member of the Jehovah's Witnesses, finally broke free and wrote his book Crisis of Conscience (1992) inside information was revealed like no other time in the history of their religion.  Frederick Franz who had been a major player in early Watchtower development was his uncle.

What started in the 1870's as an independent bible study by Charles Taze Russell now covers the globe with missionaries and literature lead by the Watchtower organization in New York.  Their door-to-door witnessing program is a polished machine which preys on the naive who know little about the bible.  Their New World Translation in modern English has been translated to support the bias of Watchtower doctrinal views and few are equipped to argue with them.  The Watchtower still refuses to publish any names of the so-called scholars responsible for the NWT and scholars outside the organization are simply written off as tools of the Devil.  So no one could get it correct for over 1800 years until Charles Taze Russell came along.

But now it is not Russell who holds the keys to the kingdom.  It is the governing body of which Raymond Franz was a member for the last nine years of his sixty years as a Witness.  Then, he became a different kind of witness, one who exposed the power of manipulation and deception the governing body holds.  It was a painful "crisis of conscience" for him as it will be for anyone who questions the authority of the anointed class.

Members are reluctant to engage anyone in debate outside the organization for fear of being tainted by the spirit of the world.  Witnesses are forbidden to serve in the military and most secular government is considered part or the Devil's kingdom therefore is never trusted.  It is common for the JW's to aid and abet illegal aliens from foreign countries because there is little reason to uphold any patriotism for America.  Their only concern is the Kingdom of Jehovah and that consists of only members of the Watchtower.  Hispanics who have become disenchanted with their Catholic roots are easy targets especially if they happen to be undocumented citizens.  It never seems to cross their mind that the prophet Daniel served under a foreign king as did Joseph serving under the Pharoah, so why now is it that all government is of the Devil?

Witnesses are forbidden to receive a blood transfusion because of their belief that life is in the blood according to the bible.  Jesus on the other hand said, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends". (John 15:13)  Jesus not only gave a little blood but he gave it all.

Witnesses getting some unwanted exposer.

The Triune Nature of Man

In Apostle Paul's words, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess. 5:23)
God said let us go down and make man in our image.  As the Godhead is triune so is man, yet one.

Zuckerberg Forbids Access

The never ending list of objections from Facebook

A flower shop gets in trouble for refusing to do business with those who trample biblical standards yet Zuckerberg refuses access to Facebook depending on ones political or religious convictions and gets away with it.  And do not point out the facts about Glenn Beck's Mormonism.  That will get you 30 days in the slammer.

Though draining a swamp might reveal some scum, 
thou shall not call criminals scum!

(That will be another 30 days)

I took this photo of some kids that followed us around while on mission in Haiti, a country cursed by voodoo.  Facebook found it too offensive.  Meanwhile police protect the right of the LGBTQ crowd to parade their children through the streets amidst some of the most vulgar displays of perversion.

No jesting or opinions allowed

Go to a gay pride parade where there are children of all ages and you will see some of the most disgusting displays of human behavior,  protected by the police.  Yet I posted this photo below taken at a queer parade and it was taken down by Facebook.

Below is one that was flagged over a year after being posted.