Please don't choose the wide path

 When we think of our faith we look forward to spending eternity in heaven with GOD and our savior Jesus Christ and the joy and peace we share in a perfect environment. While few are chosen, the rest are destined to an eternity of constant torment, as I understand GOD’s Word. It occured to me that little discussion or thought is given to the future of this huge share of souls past, present and future in today’s conversation. Considering the seriousness of our life after death it seems worth at least a casual investigation. 

Revelation 20:10 ESV   

And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 

I cannot think of anything worse than spending eternity constantly reminded that forever in heaven was given up because of __________?

Romans 10:9 ESV

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

A LITTLE HISTORY

 I find it quite interesting that almost all our Ivy League Universities were founded by Christian groups. Harvard is named after John Harvard, a Puritan minister. Yale has a Puritan heritage. Princeton was founded by four Presbyterian Ministers. A search of many others reveal a Christian heritage although most  try their best to hide the idea of anything Christian. Today, many are leaning anti-Christian with our Judiciary and other government agencies reflecting that trend due to the graduates views.

Christian faith, values, and moral ethics are constantly denigrated by the media, celebrities, and many of our government leaders. 

That leads me to wonder if we are "One Nation under GOD" or "IN GOD WE TRUST", I have watched over the past 70 years, a church that has succumbed to something other than a government of the people, by the people and for the people. 

In 1948 there appeared the phrase "separation of church and state" It seems the church voluntarily went silent. on anything related to government and we got abortion, prayer removed from schools, Bibles removed and persecution gradually entering our society. This prophecy is certainly true today

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:3–4, NKJV).

 The End is near:

2020 that is!!!!

Well, we got us a new President and I'm pretty sure an Obama run administration. We have yet to see if the Republicans will do anything different than just go along so the graft will continue to flow. There is some talk of gathering in DC to rally and protest. It would be remarkable if an organized massive inflow of conservatives would descend on Washington on Jan. 6 and after. Conservatives should realize that they are intensely unwelcome. Parking and lodging will be shut down. Rail travel will likely be shut down. Food, of course, will be in short supply. Folks would have to carry food and camping gear and be prepared for protection against violent groups as usual. It would be an effort by a very determined body, so all us senior citizens who are willing, but unable to participate will be forced to hope our younger counterparts have the passion and patriotism we hold dear.

Covid-19

Covid-19 has brought the United States to it's knees. Who would have ever thought something like this would completely shut down the largest economy of the world?  Is it a Chinese weapon?  Is it GOD? Is it an accident? We have to find someone or something to blame. We have had virus' before and regardless of blame, they still took many lives. Each time we learned more about how government handled the response. Yes, government. We automatically turn to government in these situations and the result is always the same; throw money at the problem. That would be great if the money landed where it was promised and the government actually had money for this purpose. Therein lies, perhaps, the real disaster: the entities chosen to to dispense funds and to whom? In actuality, we find that mostly large banks were given the opportunity to apportion the money and naturally the recipients just happened to be the banks favored customers and large companies. The intended targets for support (small businesses) were left out. Many of us are wondering if we will receive the $1200 stipend promised by direct deposit or check since the IRS is the chosen administrator of those funds and their website "Get my payment" states that "Payment status not available".
This predicament is complicated by the politicalization of the situation in an election year. With a biased news media we will never get a true understanding of the situation.
As far as blame; only one character comes to mind, and he currently is ruling this world. Some of you will know who I mean.          

Healthcare ??????

With the upcoming election we are bombarded with concern over healthcare from all our candidates ranging from free medical for all to free medical for illegals. Every candidate has some form of low cost government run medical care for some group of citizenry.
I have yet to hear anyone mention anything about the cost, except insurance costs. Insurance costs are a direct result of the charges by the hospitals, doctors, drugs, and countless other services and devices.
My own experience and observation has convinced me that this is the source of 95% of the problem related to healthcare. My last two visits to the emergency room were a waste of my time and the last was extremely detrimental to my health by a procedure that advanced my kidney failure considerably.
I have not been able to determine the total cost of those visits due to Medicare method of payments. They do not provide the patient with any cost information that I am aware of, however, my supplemental insurance provides limited cost of some of the charges. That was mind blowing information to me to say the least. I was also billed $1250 for three doctors who visited my room for five minutes each. This was not covered by Medicate or Insurance.
The convoluted procedure for the dispensing of prescription drugs is beyond my ability to provide any description.
In my city there has been a proliferation of new hospitals, hospital expansions, emergency rooms, urgent care facilities, and doctor offices. We now have these facilities advertising on television, radio, and direct mail. This increase tells me that there is big money to be made in healthcare and it is being exploited very quickly.
I believe that government involvement in the past few years have brought on this problem and the only solution would be to bring back competition.
That is unlikely due to the lobbying of Congress by those benefiting from this boom in easy money.

MORE ON CLIMATE CHANGE

If there wasn't an underlying motivation behind all the climate change rhetoric, it would be a great joke. The idea that man (and possibly a few women) could have any effect on the climate strikes me as hilarious. In my 80 plus years, the summer and winter temperatures have not changed much overall. The tornados and hurricanes are still devastating and Tucson still gets about 13 inches of rain each year.
They tell us the damage will come in 40 or 50 years from now if we do not come up with some money to prevent it. Most of us will be dead by then and I doubt that any amount of money will prevent the climate changes I read about in the Book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ. All I know is that it will happen sometime in the future and I am convinced it will happen.
Money won't help prepare, but there is a way to avoid it all. Just read that Book.

Thoughts

 With the current generation's desire for a form of Socialism it is obvious that our constitutional form of government is in it's last days.

Christianity no longer is the moral guideline for citizenry as the humanists now populate the education and media outlets of our country. 

I am so thankful that my time to leave this decaying body for my new eternal one is drawing nigh. What I have learned and observed in my eight plus decades is bottled up inside and appears of little value to others even when my mind allows some wisdom to escape.

 I must agree with Solomon that all is vanity and striving after the wind in this carnal world. Faith and trust in GOD's Word is the only thing that matters. John1

Remembering

I am biased. That is a fact you must consider as you view my opinions. I am old enough to remember a country inhabited by some very patriotic citizens who respected our flag and national anthem. This all changed in the 1960's. The 20 years prior were probably the best years of my life. Women were respected and treated very differently from today. Men opened the door for them, avoided swearing in their earshot, and were less obsessed with getting them naked.

Most everyone left their doors unlocked and the keys in the car. The radio and newspaper were our source of news and entertainment. Our schools were more interested in teaching kids how to be a productive and law abiding citizens. The school administration staffing was a fraction of today, yet kids were educated and more respectful.

People helped one another and had great relationships with one another, quite unlike today.

Government was smaller and socialism was struggling to gain a foothold.

I know it will never ever happen again, but I am glad to have such wonderful memories of a GOD fearing nation.

Apology

I want to apologize for my writing acumen.  I was a "d" student in high school english. I am totally lost in punctuation, thus, commas are used extensively for most everything that does not require a period. I appreciate you indulgence.

p/s I was able to read my diploma.

Justice?????????

From where I sit, it looks like a pile of manure has been placed on one side of the scales of justice in this country. There appears to be several categories of justice depending upon who you are, what your beliefs are, what your politics are, your level in the societal range, your financial situation, among seemingly countless others. We have legal system that can make even the most righteous person guilty of something. It is now almost impossible to find a judge who is not biased in some way, thus, one human being is allowed to make a decision affecting one or many citizens based on his personal beliefs.

The legal system has made it possible to totally destroy one financially with legal fees before he is able to prove his innocence. Thus, a poor man does not stand a chance as it takes a great deal of money to fight a case in court.

Our Federal Department of Justice is so politicized and corrupt, as well as several other areas of Government, that I have lost all confidence in a government that has itself become somewhat a dictatorship. We have entrenched bureaucrats who serve through all administrations, who have power to frustrate Congressional legislation. So, no matter how we vote, we have no control over the bureaucracy.
Our Government is truly a swamp that needs draining, starting with the Justice Department.

Our system shows that man is unable create any kind of self rule system without first adopting a tried and proven moral system.

A guideline has long been published for the perfect moral system. It is the Holy Bible.

GUV'MINT

Tomorrow, Facebook billionaire Zuckerberg will do a show with a group of Senators, all having been the recipients of financial contributions from "Zuck" and his company. I expect it will be reported as a hard hitting interrogation of  the evil Zuckerberg  who provided info that helped Trump win the election. Of course Zuckerberg had no knowledge of the activity and would have severely punished those responsible had he known. Every Senator can expect a generous contribution in upcoming campaigns for their work in uncovering all this information about the law violations of the Trump campaign.
Nothing will be mentioned about all the data that Facebook provided the Democrats throughout the past 10 years or so, or the favorable legislation for the social media giants in Silicon Valley.

It will be exciting to watch our rulers at work.

Do you know you have eternal life?

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, the life; no man comes to the Father but by me". One must have a relationship with Jesus.

He said " Enter by the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction".  One must be determined and committed as in any worthwhile goal in life.

He said " Why do you call me Lord and do not my commandments"  Lord means master and thus we are His servants who do His bidding. His name is Jesus. He is Lord. He is the Christ.

He said " Many will call me Lord, Lord;  but I will say I never knew you"  Many acknowledge Him but few serve Him.

He said "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven". The Pharisees spent 24 hours a day demonstrating their outward obedience to the Law but did not have the Spiritual commitment of love of their GOD and their neighbor.

These are only a few of Jesus' lessons to His followers that come to my mind at this time. I must read His Word continually to know His will for me and for the blessed assurance. I pray you will read and study His Word and not depend on man's thoughts and ideas for your life after death.

Happy Birthday Dutch.

I will be moving.

Sometime in the future, I will be declared dead. Just so you know, I will not really be dead because I have eternal life. My body, or this earthly tent that I occupy will be empty and I will no longer be in it, thanks be to GOD. I will be in a mansion prepared for me in heaven, in a new body designed to live forever in heaven with my Lord. Do not grieve,  but rejoice,  for I have moved to my eternal home where I will anxiously await your arrival.

Planning?????

I just read a news article about a Colorado couple who, as most of us do, reached a point in their lives where their jobs had lost it's spark and the struggle left them with that feeling of being left behind or out. After much discussion and pondering a decision was made to make a major change that would reignite that excitement of a new challenge hopefully leading to that life of fulfillment and bliss that we so earnestly yearn for.

What was this answer to this universal desire, you ask? None other than one I had explored with much enthusiasm myself in my years of labor. The only difference was, I had planned it for my retired life and not at the age of 24 and 26 respectively, The rather hastily conceived plan involved selling most all of their modest possessions and purchasing a sailboat, upon which they would spend their days cruising to those exotic beaches and balmy days of beach combing and possibly becoming a famous writer or a renowned traveler.

Within six months they had sold their possessions, moved to the gulf coast, purchased a 28 foot sailboat, stocked it with supplies and set sail for the Caribbean Islands. As they happily sailed out of the inlet to the open sea a sandbar grabbed the keel, capsizing the boat which promptly sank. They and their dog were rescued and the were left with whatever they had on and $90 in cash.

I cannot bring myself to offer any criticism except for the lack of the security of knowledge about sailing the open sea. The right kind of preparation is a necessity.

We all want to go to heaven and we attempt to do everything to prepare including following all the manmade rules of going to church, attending bible study, giving of our money etc. Sadly, that won't do it. Jesus said "no man comes to the Father but by Me".  We need the security of a relationship with Jesus, the Christ, and our  Savior Lord.

Don't be left with nothing.

Shortage of skilled workers

Watching the financial news  regularly, I keep hearing experts complaining that companies are having  difficulty finding experienced skilled workers with the implication that government should be doing something. The tech industry and most company support systems seem to be turning to Asia for employees since they work for less money and it leads me to question the skill level of those employees. I am well aware of the language skills of these employees as I seem to encounter at least one each day. I am getting off track of  my point on this and I am sure you understand.

As a former employer my business required many skills and I was faced with the same problems. Since finding skilled employees was very difficult for me, I immediately turned to the government for help. Just kidding!!!!. The construction industry had the problem solved several years ago with apprenticeship training. Several trades had sophisticated apprentice training programs that involved classroom education along with workplace experience. This worked extremely well and less sophisticated methods were used by individual employers. It seems to me that similar methods could be implemented by any company large or small. I find it doubtful that our educational system is now capable of producing a large number potential employees with a work ethic and a desire to spend the time to become a skilled employee. We have conditioned our young people to expect too much from their expensive education that has focused on many subjects unnecessary for employment.

So, if you need skilled employees you are going to have to train them yourself.

We need to make sure our kids realize schooling is only the beginning of our education.

Sadly, there is no substitute for specialized training.

Dependency to despondency????

I have noticed quite a contrast in attitudes following the three hurricanes causing such devastation in our country. I have joined so many others in prayer, sympathy and compassion for all those suffering   such horrendous losses.

In Houston we witnessed an outpouring of real neighborliness with immediate response by folks nearby rushing to help in any way possible. Although government and charitable groups were quick to respond, it did take a little time to reach the scene. Meanwhile, a heartwarming display of  man helping his fellow man immediately was beamed into our TV's, computers and phones. I recently talked to my grandson, whose apartment was filled with water to a depth of four feet and his car destroyed, was excited that the place is dry and remodeling is underway. We hardly hear anything on the news about the disaster in Houston anymore because the people there have a positive attitude and self reliance that seems to be missing elsewhere.

The folks in Florida have returned and are busy rebuilding the damage wrought on their neighborhoods. While we see so many helping one another it is not as well covered by the media as it was in Houston. The situation is quite different in Florida, it seems to me, since hurricanes are more prevalent and the people take a more ambivalent attitude and "here we go again" mindset. They set about the job ahead with a "lets get it done" attitude and rely heavily on government to assist in the job ahead.

While Puerto Rico is the most recent and still in the beginning stage of rescue and distribution of needed essentials, we are hearing the media and some of the leaders in Puerto Rico attempting to place blame and complain of the lack of supplies and  the distribution of food, water, fuel, medicine, and the plethora of necessities for survival. It is extremely heartbreaking to view the devastation and desperation of the survivors in the outlying areas and to hear of the impassable roads leading to them. The government has activated many military units to air drop supplies, but it takes time to move from the continent to the island. We just heard  that the electrical power plant is fully operable, but the power lines are destroyed. This will take months to repair. It is hard to judge the attitude of the people for me at this time. I am more than extremely disappointed hearing the mayor of San Juan speak for a half hour blaming everybody but herself for the failure to have even a simple plan for her city to prepare for a disaster like this. It was strange watching this well dressed mayor standing in front of seemingly untouched multistory building with cars passing by and people walking around talking on their cellphones as if nothing had happened. I suppose it was her  hurricane proof city hall.

A member of a bible study group I attend, has returned from 45 day tour of duty with a National Guard Unit in Puerto Rico. He states that it is truly a disaster area and the major problem is no electricity. It reminds us how dependent we are on electricity. Its will be over a year to restore electricity to the major population centers and even longer to the rural areas. Meanwhile, there are ships arriving daily with food, water, fuel and other necessary supplies. It is hard to estimate when that island will be somewhat restored. We must lift them up in prayer and support all efforts to expedite the restoration.

Climate Change

There is now a group who believes those who deny climate change should be jailed. I want everyone to know that I believe climate change exists. In fact, I see it four times a year at the least and often more frequently.
My problem is with the idea that man has the ability to cause climate change. Just imagine, the southern Arizona desert where I live could be a veritable garden of Eden if man had control In the 48 years I have lived here nothing about the climate has changed to my knowledge. In the 35 years prior to coming to Tucson my life was spent primarily in southern California where the climate remained much the same.
In my 38 years prior to 1971 I cannot recall any discussion of climate change in the media nor other news outlets. The advent of climate change discussion seemed to coincide with the development of the computer. We started to see a few articles in magazines and newspapers warning of a coming ice age i.e.

“U.S. Scientist Sees New Ice Age Coming”  Washington Post  July 9, 1971

“Another Ice Age?”  Time Magazine  June 24, 1974

“Scientists Ask Why World Climate Is Changing:  Major Cooling May Be Ahead.”  New York Times  May 21, 1975

“Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make. The death rate will increase until at least 100-200 million people per year will be starving to death during the next ten years.”• Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist

“Scientists have solid experimental and theoretical evidence to support…the following predictions: In a decade, urban dwellers will have to wear gas masks to survive air pollution…by 1985 air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half….” • Life Magazine, January 1970

“At the present rate of nitrogen buildup, it’s only a matter of time before light will be filtered out of the atmosphere and none of our land will be usable.” — Kenneth Watt, Ecologist

“The world has been chilling sharply for about twenty years,” he declared. “If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age.” — Kenneth Watt, Ecologist

In 1990 the summer temperatures were still over 100 degrees in Tucson. It was probably around this time or a little later the scientists discovered CO2 was causing global warming. Sometime during these warnings of death and starvation, the politicians, at the beckoning of the scientific community, set aside billions of dollars for grants to study of climate change creating a huge demand by Universities for  the funds. Many companies seeing the possibility of fortunes being made lobbied congress for regulations requiring CO2 spewing plants to spend billions to clean up their emissions. The auto industry was inundated with emission controls and mileage requirements. This helped drive some manufacturers into bankruptcy. The resulting bailouts of the auto companies and increased costs to the consumers of electricity and hundreds of other items followed. The national debt has increased tremendously while many insiders have made fortunes.
It soon became obvious that all of this money spent had done a fair job of reducing the CO2 and   instead of the arctic and antarctic ice melting, it has actually increased.
In order to keep the grant money flowing the scientists have resorted to computer models that show disastrous climactic disasters occurring in some 50 to 100 years when none of us are around.   Joining  the global climate change fiasco most likely would result in the United States footing 75% percent of the costs.
My objection to computer models is that the scientists input the information to create the model

This information is not the main reason I have my doubts.

What troubles me most is the scientists have arbitrarily picked this two or three hundred year period of time as the norm for a planet and climate system that they themselves reckon to be billions of years old.

This and a few other deceptions are contributing to a coming global government, in my mind.

Hate groups

After watching and listening to the plethora of voices condemning the President and praising the group of counter protesters referred to as Antifa my inquisitive mind led me to try to find out just who and what Antifa represents and their philosophy. The results of my search of websites listed under Antifa and other related websites presented some interesting observations. Antifa  protests are composed of various groups with similar but differing ideologies with an underlying theme that is anti-capitalist and  anti-government. One such group, itsgoingdown.org  promotes violence as a means to achieve it's goals. My impression is that their goals are the destruction of America as we have known it and a transition to some form of socialism through anarchy. What is most disturbing is the Republicans conferring moral authority on these people. We have seen their activity in Berkeley, Ferguson, and Baltimore. It now has a foothold in the new war on the Confederacy with the destruction of all historical monuments relating to the history of our country.
 I definitely do not in any way condone nor agree with any of those involved in the White Supremacy movement. They are a blight on our community and deserve our condemnation.
 I do not in any way agree with the Antifa movement either.

looking at Europe today

I recently found this speech by Winston Churchill given in the year 1899.

How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property – either as a child, a wife, or a concubine – must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die: but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.

Christianity gave up Europe or Europe gave up Christianity.

Healthcare

At 83 years old, I tend to be more concerned about my health as I notice that the rope is getting mighty short. Although I look forward to being with The Lord, my preoccupation seems to be more about extending what little time I have left. It seems that I have  many things left to accomplish so that my passing will not be burdensome to my family. I lie in bed and plan projects that need to be completed and when I arise my morning chores (breakfast, TV news, check email, review Facebook, devotions, check yard for watering, ride bike for 20 minutes, morning nap) have left me with too little time squeeze in any planned project. I just need a little more time.

Getting back to the subject of this treatise, the word healthcare has taken on a myriad of meanings to those in government and the media. The most prevalent is it's use as a replacement of health insurance when discussed in Congress and in advertising by political parties. It seems that many feel that I should participate in paying for others health CARE through the use of taxpayers money. It appears to be the trend in the United States to use taxpayers dollars to support a large segment of the population in many areas of needs or wants. That will work until taxpayers money runs out. Then we will be like Venezuela today. I am distressed to conclude that is the future of our country. Caring for the medical needs of the population has become the largest industry in the country when one takes into account all the companies and people involved who see an unlimited flow of dollars coming from Washington, D.C.

Who are the Palestinians?

When I was in High School, a huge news story was about the State of Israel coming into existence and the ensuing resistance by the Arab states surrounding this tiny nation of a people who were returning from dispersion around the world several centuries prior. Having grown up during the second great war my generation had came to relish world news and most were accustomed to closely following world events. For better or worse, that habit has been a vital part of my life leading me to observe world events as they relate to Biblical prophecy and to myself as a Christian living in the end times both literally and physically. Looking back, I am amazed at the developments in the land of "Palestine" over the past 69 years. I never would never have believed what has transpired had I not seen it myself. I urge my children and grandchildren to learn the facts, few of which are found in the current media and most curricula.

For me, the single most disturbing event was the manifestation of the term "Palestinian". As a teenager, I had never heard that term. Today one can hardly get through a day without hearing or reading it. It came into being in 1948. A new people suddenly appeared. I find it best stated here:

"It was only after the Jews re-inhabited their historic homeland of Judea and Samaria, that the myth of an Arab Palestinian nation was created and marketed worldwide. Jews come from Judea, not Palestinians. There is no language known as Palestinian, or any Palestinian culture distinct from that of all the Arabs in the area. There has never been a land known as Palestine governed by Palestinians. "Palestinians" are Arabs indistinguishable from Arabs throughout the Middle East. The great majority of Arabs in greater Palestine and Israel share the same culture, language and religion.

Much of the Arab population in this area actually migrated into Israel and Judea and Samaria from the surrounding Arab countries in the past 100 years. The rebirth of Israel was accompanied by economic prosperity for the region. Arabs migrated to this area to find employment and enjoy the higher standard of living. In documents not more than hundred years, the area is described as a scarcely populated region. Jews by far were the majority in Jerusalem over the small Arab minority. Until the Oslo agreement the major source of income for Arab residents was employment in the Israeli sector. To this day, many Arabs try to migrate into Israel with various deceptions to become a citizen of Israel."            

http://www.science.co.il/israel-history/Palestine-history.php

Another quote:

Identity of the so-called Palestinians

Palestinians are the newest of all the peoples on the face of the Earth, and began to exist in a single day by a kind of supernatural phenomenon that is unique in the whole history of mankind, as it is witnessed by Walid Shoebat, a former PLO terrorist that acknowledged the lie he was fighting for and the truth he was fighting against:

“Why is it that on June 4th 1967 I was a Jordanian and overnight I became a Palestinian?”
“We did not particularly mind Jordanian rule. The teaching of the destruction of Israel was a definite part of the curriculum, but we considered ourselves Jordanian until the Jews returned to Jerusalem. Then all of the sudden we were Palestinians - they removed the star from the Jordanian flag and all at once we had a Palestinian flag”.
“When I finally realized the lies and myths I was taught, it is my duty as a righteous person to speak out”.     

http://www.imninalu.net/myths-pals.htm

And another:

Mark Twain, "The Innocents Abroad", 1867 

"There is not a solitary village throughout its whole extent (valley of Jezreel, Galilea); not for thirty miles in either direction... One may ride ten miles hereabouts and not see ten human beings. For the sort of solitude to make one dreary, come to Galilee... Nazareth is forlorn... Jericho lies a mouldering ruin... Bethlehem and Bethany, in their poverty and humiliation... untenanted by any living creature... A desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds... a silent, mournful expanse... a desolation... We never saw a human being on the whole route... Hardly a tree or shrub anywhere. Even the olive tree and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil had almost deserted the country... Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes... desolate and unlovely...".

I believe Israel has a destiny ordained by GOD and feel excitement observing some of it.

I am surprised how few people do not understand the budget process. Congress uses a base line budget. Every budget item has an automatic increase added varying from 2% to 8% calculated by the Congressional Budget Office. The increase is added to the last years budget item. No, not what that item spent, but what last years budget was.  What they spent is not taken into account. Many do not need all their budget so they find ways to spend it so it will not affect future budgets.

When a conservative President submits a budget it usually cuts some of the increase and not really cutting the actual amount the item gets but merely the increase in the growth of their budget. So, when we hear cries from those in opposition, there really isn't any cuts, only a cut in the rate of growth.

Catching up

I happened to click on the bookmark for this site the other day and realized I am not making regular posts as noted in the blogger guidelines. In order to restore my standing among my counterparts,  I have resolved to make a more concerted effort heretofore.

Having taken note of our now former President sending 1.7 billion (1700 million)  in cash to Iran led me to make some un-Christian remarks, that fortunately only my wife heard. Normally, such a move would not cause much concern, but since Iran is the largest supporter of terrorism in the world, I could see this cash passing to the terrorist groups who would use it to purchase, on the black market, weapons and ammo.  Sort of reverse money laundering, I reckon. This really stuck in my craw because recently I was told by my bank that any withdrawal of cash in an amount over $10,000 from my account would be reported to the government, who in turn could seize all my bank accounts because I might be guilty of dealing in illegal drugs. It would be up to me to prove my innocence without any funds to pay for legal representation.
Over the years I have purchased  many vehicles and other items from people for cash. One usually can bargain for a better price if cash is used for payment and if the item is meant for resale, the profit can be increased.
It just gripes me that our government treats me like a criminal and can seize my assets with only suspicion as cause.

One nation under GOD

God led the Israelites out of Egypt to Mt. Sinai. It was there that He established a sovereignty of absolute righteousness whereby His chosen people would be the only example of the perfect kingdom on earth. He introduced a legal system remarkably simple and flawless. It differs from our idea of law in that it is about holy living and worship. Proper understanding of the law in the Pentateuch shows us that every aspect of our lives (moral, physical, and spiritual) is important to God and vital to our peace and happiness.

     Even though this chosen people, equipped and led by God Himself, and even after witnessing the awesome power and accomplishments they had under His rule, were led astray by disobedience. They saw the worldly side of humanity, led by that old master of deception, Satan. Soon, just as he convinced Eve in the garden, they began to permit foreign beliefs and customs to creep into their congregation. Before long, they sought a king from mankind, like their neighbors had. It wasn't long before their leaders began to call upon their human intellect to interpret God's law. It was corrupted to the point that God justly punished them and their descendants. The chosen people were scattered throughout the nations of the world for several centuries. Today they are re-established in the land God gave them and are governed by a system quite different from the original and similar to many others around the world.

      Many points may be made from this short account. I have only two to consider at this time.
     
     The first has to do with the system of government of the United States of America. For most of the first 200 years of it's existence one could not escape the overarching concept of a God authorized and responsive system based on Biblical principles emanating from Christian beliefs. The founders were seeking to escape a state controlled religion and to have freedom to worship as one pleased without governmental influence. Their efforts to create a government ordained by God, in my mind, was blessed by God. This, of course, did not sit well with that old deceiver, Satan, who immediately began to devastate the system in much the same manner as he used with Eve. He used his followers to question every aspect of the Constitution of the United States of America.

     That leads to my second point having to do with law. It has troubled me for many years as I have strived to live in a society supposedly governed by laws. Since I am a person of little education, far removed from the intellectual class, I consider myself an expert in common, ordinary citizenry. It seems to me that mankind has convinced itself that it can solve all society's ills through the creation of law for each and every dilemma. This has led to probably the most enormous industry in the world today, that being the creation, propagation, interpretation and prosecution of laws. Some 40,000 new state laws were created last year. I have yet to find one law that was deleted. I have no problem with a system of laws. My problem is with man and his proclivity to let his pride lead him to do the work of "you know who".

Most of my time nowadays is spent watching the news to correlate biblical prophecy with events around the world. Most of us tend to view prophecy through a local picture and things here in the U. S. When we consider the whole world a far different picture emerges. We see poverty, persecution, hatred, apostasy, false doctrines and idol worship, amid chaos and destruction while world leaders advocate a one world government and economy as the only solution to bring world peace.

It is my understanding that the Antichrist will be well received as he will be seen to bring world peace about in just that sort of environment.

Only one part will be missing. A very important part. Many relatives and friends will have just disappeared, most of whom were looked upon with disdain by the hip, sophisticated, so called knowledgeable and wise among us. Good riddance, many will say. We won't have to put up with all that Jesus stuff anymore. That is true, but the most important truth is that the restrainer is gone also.

Who is the restrainer? I believe he is The Holy Spirit who has indwelt those who have disappeared. Now, for a short period, the evil one in the form of the Antichrist will be in control.

Heed this warning. You do not want to be around at that time. You just might want to check out that Jesus stuff because therein lies the answer.