There are many good books that are available and I don’t usually recommend any, with the major exception of the Bible.

However, every once in a rare while, you comes across a book; which is truly inspirational – this is one, such book.

Nick writes in his introduction: “My name is Nick Vujicic (pronounced Voy-a-chich).

I am twenty seven years old (in 2009). I was born without any limbs, but I’m not constrained by my circumstances. … In this book I will share with you my experiences in dealing with adversity and obstacles, some of them are unique to me but most universal to us all.
My goal is to encourage you to overcome your own challenges and hardships so you can find your own purpose and pathway to a ridiculously good life.
Often we feel life is unfair. Hard times and tough circumstances can trigger self-doubt and despair. I understand that well. But the Bible says, “Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of any kind.” That is a lesson I struggled many years to learn. I eventually figured it out, and through my experiences I can help you to see that most of the hardships we face provide us with opportunities to discover who we are meant to be and what we can share of our gifts to benefit others. … “.

If you are looking for something to read at this time of year – this  book is excellent and will definitely leave an impression with you.

Nick’s website here.

I liked what he said, what follows is an extract: ” … This (the call for gay marriage rights) is not so much a call for legal change as a cause: one that endows its supporters with moral superiority and demotes its opponents with the status of moral inferiority. As a result, it does not simply represent a claim for a right but a demand for the institutionalisation of new moral and cultural values.”

He goes on to demonstrate the expression of this attitude by various people. The first, “by the chairman of Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission, who made the comment that an old-time religion incompatible with modern society was driving Christians to clash with mainstream views.”

The next person he quoted was the journalist Hadley Freeman who writes for The Guardian, her central view (in a simplified form) is that same-sex marriage is ‘right’ and all forms of opposition are, by definition, ‘wrong’. I went to her article (referrenced by Furedi)  to make sure that the next quote was exact, and it follows: “Our grandparents saw, if not the end of antisemitism then at least an end of it being an acceptable part of mainstream discourse. Our parents saw the beginning of that same moral tide turn against racism and sexism. Now is the time for homophobic legislation and talk to be seen for what it is: as shocking as racism, as unforgivable as antisemitism.” I also noticed in her article some poor analysis of what the Bible says, in particular, she quoted some of the old regulations which applied to Israel; yet, have no place in the new covenant. Perhaps someone should lead her through the letter to the Hebrews?

The point I’m highlighting in this article is that any opposition to same-sex marriage is being put into the same category as racism and antisemitism. In addition, this attitude is being adopted by civil rights crusaders and legislators; lastly and not in the least, this attitude is not only supported by the mainstream media, it is being actively championed by tweeting celebrities and their supporters.

I don’t think we can do much to change this situation except we can call out to Jesus to guide us in delivering the truth as found in Scripture; because at the end-of-the day, it’s only by His strength that the direction of history can be changed.

Your views?

The following extract from Matthew’s Gospel covers a lot of important points about the end-times.

 Chapter 24 (NIV): “Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again.

“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.

“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

“Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it  is near, right at the door.

Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In Chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel; we hear Jesus teaching the people about being prepared for His return (Parable of the ten virgins); of working for His Kingdom, with all of our ability- while we wait for His return (The parable of the Bags of Gold); and, the separation of the sheep from the goats (Those who followed God’s commandments – as demonstrated by their love for each other, are separated from those who don’t follow Jesus.)

Chapter 24, is a difficult chapter – as we experience a number of time shifts and audience shifts, often without a clear indication that a shift of view has occurred. In the earlier verses Jesus is talking privately to His disciples. In verse 15, we see the phrase ‘let the reader understand’, so now, it’s not just a private discussion between Jesus and the disciples but we can now recognise that Jesus is addressing a wider audience of ‘readers’.

There is a specific verse which has given rise to a wide range of interpretations, verse 34, refers to the fact that ‘this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened’. Clearly, Jesus is not referring to His contemporaries in a literal sense – if we take the normal meaning of the words: this-generation, pass-away,  all-things, and ‘have-happened’.  The Greek words used are fairly exact in their meaning and there are other examples in Scripture where the same words have been used. So, it’s hard to argue that the same words mean something else, in this verse. It remains a difficult verse – but the one good guide is to look at the context of the discussion, that often provide the best insight of the meaning of a passage of Scripture.

In summary, what have we gained from these verses: one, we wont know the time or the day but we will be able to see signs of the ‘season’; two, God’s return will be obvious to everyone; and three, some things will have happened before God returns. It’s important to note that wars, natural disasters and the like are part of everyday life, as we wait for Jesus’ return.  And, it’s true we have had wars, disease, famines and natural disasters for the last two thousand years – we now live in a relatively peaceful time (contrary to what the popular media might be reporting). Now,  there are less deaths from wars -  as a ratio of a unit of population as compared to earlier ‘ages’.

Any comments?

I have been doing some research on the history of the books Maccabees 1 & 2 – while they are accepted, in general, by Catholic and Orthodox churches; they are aggressively rejected by Protestant denominations, in terms of doctrinal value.

The usual Protestant rules of canonicity (how to determine if a book should be included in the Bible); if applied correctly, can hardly exclude Maccabees 2.  God is mentioned throughout the book and the festival of Hannukkah (as described in Maccabees) is still celebrated today; as it was in Jesus’ day. [John 10:22-23 (NIV): “Then came the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.”

If Maccabees 2 is rejected because some use it to support the false doctrines of Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead, then those issues are easily addressed – and they should not be a reason to reject the book. The Jews, as diverse a group as any,  did not believe in Purgatory and therefore would not be writing about it. The second point is that it’s stated in Maccabees that they did not have a Prophet, therefore there could be no new revelation at that time regarding practices, such as praying for the dead. The decision, to pray for the dead, was a case of political/religious expediency to handle the fears of  God-fearing relatives whose relations had died in battle wearing pagan lucky charms.  That is, it was a decision made by men – there’s no explicit claim that they made it after some revelation from God or one of His prophets.

God already knows our prayers before we pray – God’s judgement, in association with His mercy and compassion, of the dead is based on their relationship with Him, and it is final - and, no correspondence can be entered into – God does not change His mind. The examples, we have in the Bible – where it appears that His will is modified based on some one’s appeal (e.g. Moses), is from a human perspective. God knows what He was/is going to do – before He even created time – because His will – is perfect. He does not do anything, which is less than perfect and good.  Do you agree?

I’ll write more – but just curious to see if anyone had any views on this subject.

I don’t think our glorified Jesus will need any help from us.

He commands, and His angels will do the ‘work’; in Matthew 13:40b-42(NLT), we read: ” … so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

And, in Matthew 26: 50b-53, we find another couple of verses, which suggest that Jesus has a lot of angels under His command: ” … Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.

“Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?”

Consequently, I’m of the strong view that these people, in this militia, are listening to the wrong voice.

All through the New Testament, we have ample evidence that it’s not our role to be involved in armed rebellion, on the contrary – so far as it is able, we should try to live in peace. Paul’s letter to the Romans 12:18-20 (NLT): “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,”  says the Lord.

Instead: “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”

The special conditions that existed, in regard to the nation Israel (as described in the Old Testament), taking over their promised land – as part of their covenant with God – do not apply to us, as Christians.

This view is clearly made in Hebrews 8:6-7, 13 (NLT): ” … But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.  If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. … When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.”

There is only one voice that gets into the hearts of men and women – and, incites them to do acts of evil; it’s the voice of Satan.

What are your views?

He delivers his views on religion – with the telling title:  ’Religion distracts us from important issues.”

However, like a number of other highly visible ‘philosophers’, in the media, he makes a fundamental error in the use of the term ‘religion’.  It’s not that, ‘religion’ can distract us from any human issue – as defined in a dictionary (www.dictionary.com): Religion is ”a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.” People, who label themselves, as religious – are usually the source of fundamental errors – as, the history of world affairs,  amply demonstrates -  well, that’s my non-philosophical view. 

The core of Mr Harris’ discussion – is really centred on the definition of an ‘important’ issue. Consequently, he is saying that ‘the set of beliefs which define any of the world’s current religions – do not cover any of the important issues, which concern the majority of this world’s population.

Any comments?

It is now reaching the point that many anti-Israel forces must be starting to think that it’s now, an ideal time to strike out against this little ‘nation’.  On the one-hand, the Israeli government needs to recognise, and do something about, the suffering, that some of their policies are causing to their neighbours. On the other-hand, the people of Israel should be given a reasonable degree of assurance of their continued existence, as an independent and viable nation. 

In regard to the peace process – there can be no progress while this tense atmosphere continues. There does not appear to be any solution on the horizon (at least for the next decade) - neither the United Nations or the USA appear to have any reasonable way to resolve this difficult issue.

It’s my view that God is preparing the scene for His entrance  – what do you think?

[Today (29 March), I found this short article, written by Bradley Burston in Haaretz , a short excerpt, follows: " ...  The freed person in us is justly terrified by the path to a shared Jerusalem. When the sea divides enough for us to see a path, the walls on either side threaten to collapse and drown all those they do not crush. We look to the opposite shore and see not the City of God but a wilderness.

But it is the freed person in us who takes the first step on to that uncertain path. And, in so doing, for the first time, knows what it is to be free. ... "

I thought that his language was especially poignant and heart-felt.]

The article itself is about some judicial decision (in the UK?) that environmental beliefs should receive the same protection as religious beliefs. I don’t know the history of this case but Paul Richardson presents an interesting viewpoint on the topic of the discussion of religious views in the public forum. 

Excerpt of his article, as follows: “Recent years have seen attempts to ban religious arguments from public debate. Partly this is a response to the rise of the Religious Right. No one worried when Martin Luther King used religious arguments. Partly, too, it is a response to the spread of multiculturalism and a fear that religious arguments are divisive and provoke conflict. Richard Rorty famously labelled them a ‘conversation stopper’. Non-believers cannot be expected to engage with religious arguments, he maintained; it is the job of believers to express their views in neutral, public reason.

In fact, there is no such thing as neutral, public reason. We all argue from certain presuppositions and within a certain tradition. As we debate with others, our traditions may be modified or even overturned but we cannot leave them behind when we enter the debate. They are part of who we are and how we think. Banning religious arguments from the public square can itself be a divisive measure. It can leave religious believers living in a ghetto where some of their core values and opinions are never challenged by others. Worse of all, it can breed a festering resentment, a sense on the part of believers that they are marginalised and despised which can turn them to fundamentalism or even religious terrorism.

For years some of us have been arguing that it is hypocritical to ban conventional religious arguments from the public square when what might be termed ‘New Age’ arguments are advanced all the time. … ”

I agree, there is no such thing as a neutral, public reason. I believe it’s important that we continue to strive to put our views into the public arena. Our views, are part of – ‘who we are’ – and, as such, we should have the right to express our views – religious or otherwise. (Along with the responsibility to ensure that the expression of our views is not deliberately hurtful.)

One I use a lot is www.biblegateway.com  – mainly to search through Scripture when researching different themes. They have available many different language translation of Scripture and lots of  different, English ‘versions’.

In addition, they have a verse of the day and other interesting material. Today’s verse is: ““[Thanksgiving and Prayer] We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3, NIV)

Now, when I read the above verse – I thought to myself, is this true in my community; is our love for each other, increasing?  This question, then begs the next question – if not, why not?

I don’t have any answers … any views on this?

Amos 6 (NLT): ”Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come!

Go to Calneh and look at it; go from there to great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms? Is their land larger than yours?

You put off the evil day and bring near a reign of terror.

You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves.

You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.

The Sovereign LORD has sworn by himself – the LORD God Almighty declares: ”I abhor the pride of Jacob and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in it.”

If ten men are left in one house, they too will die. And if a relative who is to burn the bodies comes to carry them out of the house and asks anyone still hiding there, “Is anyone with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will say, “Hush! We must not mention the name of the LORD.” For the LORD has given the command, and he will smash the great house into pieces and the small house into bits.

Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness – you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar and say, “Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?”

For the LORD God Almighty declares, “I will stir up a nation against you, O house of Israel, that will oppress you all the way from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah.”

Amos 7 (NLT): “This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the second crop was coming up. When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign LORD, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” So the LORD relented. “This will not happen,” the LORD said.

This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: The Sovereign LORD was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. Then I cried out, “Sovereign LORD, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”  So the LORD relented. “This will not happen either,” the Sovereign LORD said.

This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” “A plumb line,” I replied. Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. 

“The high places of Isaac will be destroyed and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined; with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.”

Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. For this is what Amos is saying: ” ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’ “

Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”

Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now then, hear the word of the LORD. You say, ” ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and stop preaching against the house of Isaac.’

“Therefore this is what the LORD says: ” ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will certainly go into exile, away from their native land.’ “