Straight Talk: Fed Up

Why all the Translations?

You may have noticed an over-abundance of "modern" Bible translations. Are you a little confused? Is there any sense to all of this? Allow me to share a few thoughts with you that may just change the way you view Bible translations.

First, there are paraphrases. A paraphrase is NOT a translation, but rather a view of Scripture from a single point. This can cause problems. The canonical Bible is often referred to as "The Living Word of God," because everyone can read it and it speaks to each one where they are. A paraphrase cannot do that. So the paraphrase must, simply because of its nature, enforce its singular opinion on you rather than allowing God to speak to you. Not all paraphrases are really horrible, but there is one that is. It's called The Message. Perhaps you've heard of it. Although a professor at a university praises the author for its content I would have to disagree with him. When asked by the disciples to teach them how to pray Jesus doesn't say, in The Message, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven." Instead it reads, "As above, so below." The gentleman to whom I had this little discussion claimed that the author translated The Message from the original texts. Well I wasn't aware that the occult "Emerald Tablet" where we find the words, "As within, so without. As above, so below," are found, is part of the original Biblical text. Introducing occult phrases into the Biblical text is, I believe, by design.

Then there are translations built upon the work of Westcott and Hort. Taking different Greek texts than the ones used for the King James Translation, they seem to have taken away much of the sanctity of the Holy Bible. They are found not to believe in miracles, and some New Age authors contend that they were practitioners of the occult. To give a list of the many translations that they influenced would take up too much space here. I suggest you do an online search and see for yourself. You are going to find 2 camps. One that will claim those opposing Wescott and Hort to be heretics hold that the King James is the Only translation. Two, will be people who study the Bible and even use many translations, but have found irregularities in the Westcott/Hort New Testament translations. I'm thinking the truth lies somewhere between these 2 points.

The massive number of translations is just too much. One author goes so far as to say that Satan enjoys the look on people's faces when the Scripture verses is put up on the Big Screen in the front of the church, and you and 10 others, each with different translations, look at that verse and it doesn't resemble anything any of them have. Confused and annoyed they decided to let the preacher use his Bible. The result is and has been, people, especially young people, never coming to church with their Bibles. Without their Bibles in church how much Bible study do you think they are doing alone at home. The fact that there can be confusion because of the many translations is just one method of Satan getting the Bible out of our hands, and then out of our hearts. If he can do that...and he IS doing that, and in doing that the enemy is disarming the people of God. For a very active part of the armor of God is The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Without that, he knows we are defenseless against him.

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Fed Up

I don't know about you, but I'm fed up with the way the American society is being herded along like a bunch of sheep, blissfully headed towards their own doom. Don't get me wrong. I like sheep and I like the idea of the Good Shepherd seeking out those who are lost. What gets me is all the propaganda that is nothing but a bold face lie.

A few years ago I wrote an article as a freelance writer, to the National Geographic magazine opposing their blatant belief in Evolution. Now while I agree that things evolve within a relatively small scope, never changing into something else, but merely trying to become a better self, I totally disagree with the Theory of Evolution. It has scientific errors, as well as "belief" differences. The Theory of Evolution needs something to start with, whether it's gases, dust, or a combination of the two. So if this theory is to explain the origins of the universe, how is that possible if there were no gases or dust particles to work from? Answer. It isn't possible.

One scientist referred to the impossibility of evolution by referring to the three laws of energy. He said, "The possibility of evolution occurring were similar to a tornado going through a junk yard and assembling a 747." Evolutionists will look at that statement and say, "Yes, but there is still a possibility. The problem is they haven't thought through their science. So for your edification, here are the 3 laws of Thermodynamics, or Energy:
1) You cannot win (that is, you cannot get something for nothing, because matter and energy are conserved.
2) You cannot break even (you cannot return to the same energy state, because there is always an increase in disorder; entropy always increases)
3) You cannot get out of the game (because absolute zero is unattainable)

(author C.P. Snow)

Let's take another look at that as it may or may not apply to Evolution;
The First Law of Thermodynamics tells us that you have to start with something. Evolutionists have claimed gas clouds, space dust, etc. yet they would need to have an origin. So, simply speaking, if Evolution is correct it does not explain the origin of things, only what happened after. And many of their theories about even that are fairy tales.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics tells us that everything is moving away from the point of origin in an ever increasing disorder. Remember the man who talked about a tornado assembling a 747? He started with 2 things, a junk yard and a tornado, which resulted in an airplane. Notice he emphasizes that you can't get something from nothing. Following his reason, that same energy, the tornado, will rip apart the 747. That's not evolution but destruction. Just ask anyone who lives in Tornado Alley.
The Third Law of Thermodynamics says, "you cannot get out of the game." In order to stop entropy, that is the increasing disorder, you would have to bring everything down to absolute zero in temperature. So everything is destined to fall apart, not change into something new to exist. The very act of changing would cause some kinetic (heat) energy keeping you from reaching absolute zero since it is creating heat.

Now let's look at things from a Biblical perspective:
While energy cannot be created or destroy, when God spoke, in Genesis chapter 1, His Word, part of Him, was able to be the kind of energy that could create. The scientific definition of energy is E=M times C(squared). That's Energy equals Matter times the Speed of Light squared. Interesting thing about mathematic formulas. You can solve any part of the equation, by a little shifting, which requires some more math. So we get M=E divided by C(squared) or Matter equals Energy times The Speed of Light squared. We didn't create something out of nothing, but took the energy available, the spoken Word of God, and compromised it by slowing it down or changing its composition to create a different kind of Energy...Matter. God would have held that creation energy together forever if it hadn't been for one thing. The sin of man. So it was now out of His hands, moving irrationally or disorderly towards its own destruction. The one glimmer of hope we have is that when God became a man and died on the cross for our sin we can have the glorious future of one day being brought back into His hand, living eternally without sin. It won't happen on this earth, but we are called to let God work through us and let Him remake us into the image of His Son.

A lot of people have argued this with me. I really don't mean to argue. I am just tired of seeing people accept things because some magazine or TV show or movie tells us we should believe. I want you to challenge what you have been taught and see if God's Word doesn't come out on top every time. That may mean slight disagreements with your particular religion, but that's okay. God hasn't called us to be church members, but part of His family.

The first law, also known as Law of Conservation of Energy, states that energy cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction.

Source: Boundless. “The Three Laws of Thermodynamics.” Boundless Chemistry. Boundless, 27 Jun. 2015. Retrieved 01 Jul. 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/chemistry/textbooks/boundless-chemistry-textbook/thermodynamics-17/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-123/the-three-laws-of-thermodynamics-496-3601/

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Getting Things Straight

I get all kinds of emails from Christians around the world. Those I receive from those in the US are disturbing. They talk about how anti-Christian President Obama is and propose various ideas and legislations to bring us back to a Christian society. Hang in there and you'll understand why this is disturbing.

In God's Word King Solomon received this promise from the Lord, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2nd Chronicles 7:14)

That sounds like a map to get us back to where we need to be, but it's only part of the map. We actually have to humble ourselves. We actually have to pray and see the face of God. We actually have to turn from our wicked ways if we want God to "forgive their sin and heal their land."

Now there are many out there that will say, "That's what I'm doing." This is where the other side of the coin is revealed. In the Chronicles and the Kings we have a list of kings from David up until they are led captive in Babylon. Some kings were good, and did what was right. Most did that which was evil. One good king, I believe it was Joash, King of Judah (you see already their evil had spit the nation) ordered the cleaning out of the Temple to make it worthy of the Lord. While they were cleaning out all the garbage, the idols, the things that belonged to other idols, men found the book of the Law. We would know this as the Torah or the books of Moses. They brought it back and read it before the king. Now pay attention. As they were reading this the king tore his clothes and fell (I believe) on his face. The very reading of the Law showed him how evil he was, even though he did that which was right. He ached for the people he ruled over and destroyed all the idols, grinding them into dust. Then he had the books of the Law read before all the people and the priests and Levites cleansed themselves and began to offer up sacrifices for the people.

You may be scratching your head, wondering why I'm bringing up this ancient history. The reason is simple. As long as we try to blame someone else for the troubles we are in we are part of the problem. Until we truly humble ourselves before God, how can we turn from our evil ways? If we do not turn from our evil ways, we, the CHURCH, then our nation will continue to come under the persecution of God. It's not that God likes persecution, but He wants us to come to Him.

Many in our churches are writing their own rules, their own laws. Our hearts have grown hard. While certain people may be doing harm to this nation, they can do no greater harm than we, who call ourselves Christian, and act in ways that do not seek God out or fail to humble ourselves before our Maker. You see, God sets all authorities over us. That means President Obama and all the rest. I'm not saying they are right. I'm saying that God has sent us into our own Babylon by appointing people who would increase the burdens on our back.

Do you see it? Jeremiah prophesied this, as did Isaiah, and a number or others. Are we greater than Israel that God would stand aside for our "democracy"? We are in contempt of His court, and unless we get things right with Him they will only get worse.

The way back is through a veil of tears. Each of us must listen to the law of love that Christ spoke of, and remember that God is Love. How far have we fallen from our first love? What is in store for us if we do not return? These are the things we should be directing our energies to.

Not Political

There are lot of angry people out there following the 2012 election results. While I can understand why they are angry I also realize that anger may be one of the things that is pinning us down in this society.

Fact 1: Just about every news outlet has shown us just how poorly Pres. Barrack Obama has led this nation. He has apologized to people who are our enemies, and have stated that after Israel we are next to be destroyed. This should be scary to say the least.
Fact 2: Obama has driven the country's debt higher than all previous presidents combined.
Fact 3: It is obvious that Obama does not want the people to have the right to make their own decisions. Perhaps the South was right to secede from the Union in 1860. Some people get the idea that the Civil War was about freeing the slaves. While that did become a factor, the real issue was State Sovereignty, and I think they were right in that.
Fact 4: While we have the privilege to vote for the candidate of our choice it is actually God who establishes authorities over us. How God does that is in direct proportion to the way we, as Christians, have, or have not obeyed Him. Currently God has handed us over to a cruel task-master.

So what does all this mean? Why am I bringing this up? I am bringing this up because there are worse things than a president bound to destroy our nation. Many of you may disagree with me on that. It seems to me that as long as you and I regard this nation as the top of our priorities then we will continue to be angry and bitter with our president. This is such a crazy thing to do.

One person shared with me that unforgiveness, bitterness, and anger directed towards anyone, is like wishing they would die and taking the poison ourselves. This is what America is currently doing. We are taking poison in hopes that some other person dies or is incapacitated in their duties, in this case, President Obama.

As Christians we are to forgive, even as Jesus forgave us. Do you think that you, by your own hand, find any goodness in the eyes of God? If you do then you better change your way of thinking. Scripture tells us that there is none righteous, no not one, and that Jesus offered Himself up to die for us that we might be seen righteous through Him. Dare we think any less for the one God has placed over us?

I do not agree with Obama. I believe nearly all his policies are corrupt and seems almost calculated to destroy the United States. And yet I forgive him, with the help of the Holy Spirit. For if I rebel against Obama I am rebelling against God.

The Bible says, "If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways then shall I hear from Heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land."

Time is working against us. It flies by like a barn swallow. If we do not repent now, we may never have the chance. The cup of God's wrath is already being filled. People have warped His words to support their own deviant behaviors; anger, drunkenness, sexual lust, and yes homosexuality. These also we must uphold in prayer and forgiveness. I have friends who are homosexuals, but they know my beliefs as well. I don't preach to them, nor do I put them down. People are people.

For instance, the shooting in Connecticut have nothing to do with guns or mental disabilities. It has to do with the presence of evil, and we must realize that this evil exist in all of us. The evil in one may provoke the evil in another. Jesus came into the world for this very purpose, to destroy that evil in us, but He can only do so to those who respond to Him.

While I would normally be writing about the birth of Christ and the miracles that surrounded that birth I believe it is more important to remind you, to remind me, that God is God. I'm not. Therefore I have an obligation to forgive anyone who has slighted me, and that includes the President. In fact, look at your life and pray for every person God has placed over you. Only as we seek His face and repent can we find the healing of God on this nation