LTB Blog

I personally believe it is neither. The Bible commands us to "walk by faith, not by sight". That means there are times when you do not know what direction to go, but you go asking God to guide you as you walk. Ask Him to open the right doors for you to enter and close the doors He does not want you to go through. Are you willing to sincerely ask God to guide your steps and then go without any assurance that He will? That, my friend, is faith.

I have argued for quite some time now that Bible believing preachers need to concern themselves more with "Relevant Bible Preaching". You can preach Bible all day long and never bring it home to the hearts of the people; yet, on the other hand you can preach to people about their finances and social life without ever cracking the pages of God's word. I believe that both of these are wrong and a balance must be sought.

So what is the solution? Relevant Bible Preaching! Preach God's word, preach it in its context, and preach it according to sound doctrine, but at the same time help the people of God to see the sins of the Bible as their own sins. Help them to see themselves in King David, Moses, Abraham, and even Judas. Man has not changed, and the ways of men in the Bible are the ways of men today. People cannot always see these things, and it is the responsibility of the man of God (with the power of God's Spirit) to help them see. Apparently I am not alone in my thoughts, for as I was reading in an old Puritan book entitled The Art of Prophesying by William Perkins, I found the following statement, "The form of the plain style was as follows: the preaching portion, be it text or passage, was explained in its context; the doctrine, or central teaching of the passage was expounded clearly and concisely; and then careful application to the hearers followed in further explanation of the uses." A few paragraphs beyond this we read, "Perkins believed that preaching should "rip up the hearts" of those who heard it; but by the same token he saw the preacher as a spiritual apothecary whose knowledge of biblical remedies enabled him to bathe the wounds and heal the spiritual sicknesses of God's people with the grace of Christ".

First of all, let us consider addition and subtraction.  One of greatest needs of Christianity in our day is faith in God's word.  As such, we are told on numerous occasions (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:5-6; Revelation 22:18-19) that we are not to add to or subtract from the word of God.  A man that believes God's word is perfect, accepts it as it is and has no desire to add to it or take away from it.  Along these lines, the apostle Paul praised the Thessalonians, "because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."  The history of mankind was still in its infancy when the first attack came against God's word.  Satan cast doubt on the words of God when he asked, " Yea, hath God said" (Genesis 3:1). Eve subtracted from God's word when she left out the word, "freely" in Genesis 3:2 and then added to God's word when she added the phrase, "neither shall ye touch it" (Genesis 3:3).  Then Satan finished the conversation off with another blatant attack against the word of God when he said, "Ye shall not surely die" (Genesis 3:4).  The question we must ask ourselves is, "Are we like the Thessalonians or the Devil?".  Its only basic Bible arithmetic, but many are flunking out.  How about you?  Are you adding to and subtracting from the word of God?

Next we ought to consider the operations of multiplication and division.  Unlike addition and subtraction, we ought to be consistently trying to multiply and divide.  When we speak of multiplication, we are speaking of multiplying the word of God by preaching, teaching, witnessing and distribution (Acts 12:24).  The multiplication of God's word brings great benefit to others and enables them to receive the gospel by which you were saved.  Not only should we occupy ourselves with the multiplication of God's word, but we also must enlist ourselves in the operation of division, or better yet "rightly dividing the word of truth".  We must be able to rightly divide between law and grace, between Jew, Gentile and the church of God, between our position and our practice, and so on.  Whereas multiplication greatly benefits others, rightly dividing God's word will greatly benefit you.

In closing it would do us well to consider the great accomplishment it would be for a believer to get these four things down.  If we would have faith in God's perfect word and leave off of adding to it or subtracting from it, surely it would change our lives for the better.  If we would occupy ourselves with the ministry of reconciliation by multiplying God's word, surely we would see others come to know Christ, and if we would learn to "rightly" divide God's word, surely it would help us to grasp the truths of God's word so that we would not be snared by the lies of cults and false doctrines.

In an earlier blog we discussed the unfortunate truth that modern-day fundamentalists lack personal separation at least partially because they never learned it sufficiently from fundamentalist generations past. God help us to correct this long standing weakness in fundamentalism.

Nevertheless there is a more current issue in fundamentalism for which the old fundamentalists deserve less blame. This issue is the lack of ecclesiastical separation. The former generations were strong in their ecclesiastical separation, and taught it at least to some degree. Yet today many fundamentalists ignore the teaching of their predecessors, and the convictions they themselves once had about separating from neo-evangelicals and neo-orthodox preachers and groups Increasingly fundamentalists openly admit they're learning from compromising churches and preachers and authors. They're comfortable in a modern "Christian" bookstore or mega-church family activity. Of course they justify it by saying these groups are "reaching people", but they ignore the fact that they're "reaching people" like malls , movies and mass media reach people, with no power of God to change them from spiritual death to life.

There is a reason Paul said in Romans 16:17, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them." Fellowship with false teachers is contrary to the doctrine of God's words and example of old fundamentalists. And since many modern fundamentalists know this, and purposely left their position, they fit the definition, according to Webster, of an apostate.

This statement helped me make sense of the changes in many of the "camps" of fundamentalism. One who loves old fundamentalism can't help but notice the changes in which the children of the old movement are lowering standards of holiness or obviously copying the world in matters such as entertainment, music, dress standards and general devotion to worldly amusement.

The justification for the changes in young fundamentalism is that it lends credibility to a movement that lacks it, and reaches people who are hurting, and needing the church. Because they're making changes, they emphasize that "change" is not always compromise. Change is only wrong when you commit some specific sin while incorporating change. Therefore since our fundamentalist forefathers were imperfect human beings, change from their methods could still prove to be an improvement.

So we who side with the old fundamentalists argued back. We proudly pointed out that previous generations compromised less, yet had more credibility, reached more people, and certainly effected more lasting changes in individuals and families than the pitiful numbers and commitment displayed in most of today's fundamentalist churches.

However, Dr. Spence's article referred to above reminded me of forgotten facts. I remembered many instances of old fundamentalist leaders and their families in which personal separation was sadly lacking. If you've been in the movement for a generation, you too could probably tell of cases of worldly music, undue devotion to movies and television, mixed swimming, cursing, appetites out of control, tempers out of control, covetousness, lack of submission of wives and children, and of course the occasional and well-publicized cases of adultery and stealing church funds.

On the other hand, I knew many old fundamentalists who I'm convinced would never have gone as far as the "bad eggs" described above. They were sincerely convinced their own allowances were harmless. For example it does seem mighty picky to fuss about the television-viewing to which nearly all of them gave many evenings. In their day it just wasn't so blatantly filthy.

But to continue the example, I wonder what they'd think of what their fundamentalist descendants are watching on t.v. today, emboldened by the fact that even "Grandpa Fundy Preacher" watched t.v., so it can't be wrong. There is no way they could honestly approve of today's t.v. and other entertainment habits of their spiritual grandchildren, if they meant what they preached at all.

The young fundamentalists are right. We do need to change fundamentalism. We have a vantage point our beloved predecessors did not have. We see the long-term effects of a lack of personal separation in seemingly small matters on individuals and families. They could not look into the future and see these results or else surely they would have been more careful. Today's generation learned from their fathers that one's own amount of worldliness is harmless. "It is only when someone goes farther than I would that they foolishly enter into sin."

Let us change, but change to be more like God, less like the world and less like worldly "Christians" in personal and family living. Surely God expects us to be more holy who know more about the results of compromise than those who have gone before. We may lose credibility with the world, but give pleasure to the God who can save the world. Galatians 1:10b "...for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."

In an effort to show the wholesome content in their books, the advertisers refer to God, Christianity and claim that the thoughts of the characters are clean as well as their words. Admittedly this series seems to be cleaner than most of the other entertainment choices in our day. They're not pornographic, and they even mention God.

However, some women confess that oftentimes this type of reading takes them to a point that their mind can easily wander from truly clean thoughts, even if the thoughts aren't explicit. Philippians 4:8.

Another problem with this kind of reading material is that it seems to be trying to create covetousness or lust for ideals of lifestyle or men that are not realistic. Of course this breeds discontent and can easily rob a Christian marriage of joy and submission. Hebrews 13:5

Furthermore, these works and the fantasies that often follow their readers can become so addictive that many hours are spent with pleasing self (Romans 15:1-3) instead of being busy about the task God has given these women to do and enjoy. Ephesians 5:15

While not as harmful to society as many of the evils of our day, these works should be cautioned against, especially if there is much time consumed with them and if they contribute to wrong thoughts or attitudes in the mind of the reader.

A National Adult Literary Survey found that only 4 to 6% of U.S. adults were totally illiterate. However, 46 to 53% were identified as unable to function adequately in a highly literate society or process lengthy written information adequately. 58% of the U.S. adult population never read another book after high school. 42% of U.S. university graduates never read another book. Adults in the U.S. spend four hours per day watching TV, three hours listening to the radio and 14 minutes reading magazines.

The participants in the ceremony at Unity of the Palm Beaches Church were given sheets of flash paper which would burn instantly when lit. The speaker encouraged them to write down all that might hinder "you from becoming all that you are, in all your greatness." The congregation was then given another set of sheets with envelopes. These were to be used to write down their goals for 2007. Those that were turned in would be mailed out to the individuals in November--to help them see how they had progressed. Some were including the dollar figure they hoped to earn in the coming year.

One problem with this entire process is the entire mockery it makes of sin and its forgiveness. Sin is forgiven instantaneously, but not by fire. Hebrews 9:22 reminds us that "without shedding of blood is no remission." The remission, or forgiveness, of our sins is based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Without that blood, there is no forgiveness. Burning slips of paper only draws attention from this fact. Another problem is the addition of another non-biblical, eucumenical tradition to the practice of so-called churches. These practices either go back to paganism or draw otherwise from new age doctrine and they will almost certainly be the basis for bringing the false churches together into the one world church of antichrist.

Many Muslims are not willing to wait for the legal killings at the slaughterhouses. Last year, a temporary slaughterhouse suffered long waits when water lines malfunctioned and drainage lines backed up. In the hurry to get home with lunch, some of the people decided to slaughter their own sheep and began doing so on top of other sheep, causing an even bigger mess.

Jewish Law, on the contrary, minimized the killing of animals away from the chosen place. "Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest" (Deuteronomy 12:13). An Israelite who sacrificed his offering outside the camp must make sure to bring it to the door of the tabernacle to be sacrificed (Leviticus 17:3-5). Though exceptions were made, and though the Jewish practice was not that of later Christianity, the shedding of blood was already minimized. But now, in the Muslim homes and slaughterhouses across Europe and the world, we see a return to the empty animal sacrifices and a new rejection of the wonderful sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His "once for all" blood. Only His blood can take away the sins of mankind. Let us go and tell the good story to the blinded multitudes.

However, the authors of "A Perfect Mess" make a bit of a case. A messy desk, say they, can often serve as an efficient filing system. Ever see the person with the messy desk find his paper in a few seconds while the person with the clean desk cannot remember what it is filed under? It can happen. Mess can also be a catalyst of creativity. Albert Einstein gloried in his messiness. He once asked, "If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, of what then, is an empty desk?" There. Take that, you neatilicks! Messy people certainly can and certainly do accomplish worthwhile things even while being messy.

But as with all things, I want to know what God thinks about it. Does God even care if my desk is neat or not? My mind started wandering. What if Paul, and Peter, and Barnabas, and Apollos all lived in the age of church offices? What would their desks look like? Well, Paul was the modern control-freak. His office [this is my supposing] would have been filled with books and maps and reminders of distant lands. And it would have been neat! He would allow nothing else.

But Peter? Don't make me laugh. His desk would have been piled high and overrunning with flavors. Barnabas was a people-person above all--the son of consolation. His emphasis on people might have left a messy desk. I see Apollos as a forerunner of Lee Roberson and his kind. I have never seen Lee Roberson's desk, but if you have and told me it was messy, I still would not believe you. I think the Apostle John's office would have been minimalistic. What does John need but the scriptures, writing instruments, and God. That would be neat.

All this, of course, is speculation. Please do not attack me for practicing something that most preachers do every Sunday. Yet, I want something more substantial. Here it is: "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1Corinthians 14:40). I might mention that the context refers to church service order--and it does. I might also mention that at Antioch, I am able to have a messy desk downstairs and still conduct a very orderly church service upstairs--and we do. But the "all things" does kind of stick in the craw--as we say in the Southern United States. A few verses before this one, we read that "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace" (1Corinthians 14:33).

The words messiness and neatness are not used in the Bible--at least not in the modern sense. Rather, we have "order" as opposed to "disorder;" "confusion" to "peace." The noose is drawn about my neck. The Lord may use me despite my messiness, as He may use others despite their arrogance. God is a great user of men with clay feet. However, there is nothing in the Bible promoting outright messiness and much to encourage neatness. Lord, I do need your help in this, and I confess my sin. However, I also realize that in the middle of a work, messiness may be the getting the job done (see any contractor on the job or any general on the battlefield). Yet, I will not bragg of my messiness or consider it a virture in any way and will attempt to grow in the blessed ways of the neat.

This story reminds me of two foreign students who were attending an American Bible college back in the late 1970s.  At the beginning of a new semester, someone noticed that they were not there.  Inquiries were made and it was discovered that they had transferred to a secular university.  Inevitably, the question was asked: Why?  The answer was not one that anyone there wanted to hear-"We like American sin!"  I don't know what happened to those two young men, but I am sure that it wasn't good.  They apparently made a pet out of sin, and like the man in the Associated Press story found out, some things don't make good pets.

The book of Revelation calls the devil "that old serpent" in chapter12 and again in chapter 20.  Like the lethal reptile in The Associated Press story, the devil is called a murderer in John 8:44.  His spiritual followers which are called "unclean spirits" and "devils" in the Bible desire to dwell inside houses.  Those houses are defined in Matthew 12 verses 43 through  45, as human bodies.

What a dangerous thing it is to play with the devil or anything associated with him!  Sin, American or otherwise, has terrible consequences.  James 1:14-15 says, "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: AND SIN, WHEN IT IS FINISHED, BRINGETH FORTH DEATH."

First, isn't it odd that an article proclaiming the results of scholarly, scientific research would be introduced with a title asking whether or not men and women are wired differently?  I cannot help but think that a typical response to that question would be: "Duh!"  Doesn't anyone with two brain cells knocking together know the answer to that question?  Of course, they are!  Who needs a research team to answer that question for them?

Second, this article was trumpeting the latest scientific research on gender differences done at the University of Pennsylvania.  Did you notice the word wired in the title to the article?  Now, why would that word be used in connection to a study done by a bunch of evolutionists?  If men and women are "wired," whether identically or differently, does that not demand an intelligent Designer?  My home is wired for electricity.  My computer has wiring.  My vehicles have wiring.  All of those things were designed by individuals with intelligence.  Not one of those things were wired randomly by accident and/or chance.  But that is what an evolutionist professes to believe.  They will talk about your brains being "hard-wired" from birth.  And here they are talking about differences in wiring based on your gender.

The problem that these evolutionists have is a wiring problem.  There can be no doubt about the fact that people are "wired" for the Apostle Paul talked about this in Romans 2:14-15-"For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)."  These Gentiles were wired with the word of God IN THEIR HEARTS even though they weren't aware of it.  The proof of this was seen in their actions.  The evolutionists, likewise, profess one thing, but their choice of words indicates something else.  Jesus Christ said, "…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Mt. 12:34).  These words remind me of Peter's accuser: "Thy speech bewrayeth thee."

In the parable of the sower, that Saviour talks about the good ground being "they, WHICH IN AN HONEST AND GOOD HEART, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience" (Lk. 8:15).  I believe the Lord is looking for some folks (saved or lost) who have an honest and a good heart to receive His holy word and act upon it.  The problem with most people today is that they don't have an honest or a good heart.  Therefore they won't accept the seed of the word of God.  How's your heart?  How do you react when the word of God comes into conflict with your actions or your thoughts?  That has something to do with God's desires because it has to do with "truth in the inward parts."

If an unsaved person does have "an honest and good heart," that person will "keep [the word that was given to them], and [that word] will bring forth fruit" in their hearts.  That is, they will acknowledge their own sinfulness, their own helplessness to save themselves, and they will put their faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ for their salvation.  At the point of salvation, the Holy Spirit of God will come and indwell that believer.  Jesus Christ, in John 14:16-17 calls the 3rd member of the Godhead, "the Spirit of truth."  Therefore every child of God has "truth in the inward parts" in the form of the Holy Spirit.

It doesn't end there.  David said, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" (Ps. 119:11).  If we couple that verse with the words of Jesus Christ in John 17:17-"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth"-we see that the word of God is truth, and it can be hidden in our hearts.  Do you have any of the written word of God in your inward parts?  It is only there if you are spending time with that Book   Are you reading it, studying it, memorizing it, and meditating on it?

Isn't it interesting to note that most of us are familiar with Psalm 37:4-"Delight thyself also in the LORD; AND HE SHALL GIVE THEE THE DESIRES OF THINE HEART"-but we don't consider the desires of God's heart.  David revealed at least one of the desires of the heart of God-"Behold, THOU DESIREST truth in the inward parts…"  What if we decided to grant the Lord's wishes and "give [Him] the desires of [His] heart?"  Wouldn't that be something of great benefit to both Him and us?

It turns out, after searching a number of web sites dealing with meteorology, that hoar frost is a specific type of frost, and it certainly matches the usage found in your King James Bible.  The first time that phrase occurs in the word of God, it is used to describe manna.  In Exodus 16:14, the Lord talks about the first appearance of what the Bible calls "angels' food" (Psalm 78:25) and He says, "…there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground."  Certainly that matches the descriptions that I have read of hoar frost for it is repeatedly described as being made up of small ice crystals.

As a side note, there are a number of other characteristics of manna found in Exodus 16 that matches the characteristics of hoar frost:
1. Heat causes hoar frost to melt-"…and when the sun waxed hot, [the manna] melted" (vs. 21).  
2. Manna is likened to "coriander seed" in verse 31, and interestingly, I have seen more than one website that talked about hoar frost growing from "an initial SEED!"  
3. Like manna, hoar frost is also white-"... and it was like coriander seed, white…" (vs. 31).

Now the new versions, in keeping with the criticism that hoar frost is an archaic term, remove this term and replace it with the generic, non-specific word frost (see  Exodus 16:14, and Psalm 147:16 in those versions).  In an attempt to be "relevant" and up-to-date, they have, in fact, taken a step backward.  Their minds seem to display the effects of frostbite-tissue damage!  Job 37:10 says, "By the breath of God frost is given…"  If God's breath (inspiration) produced hoar frost in Exodus 16:14 and hoarfrost in Psalm 147:16 it would be wise to just believe what God gave you.

Once again, scholarship that criticizes the King James Bible has proven to be untrustworthy.  Proverbs 30:5 says, "Every word of God is pure: he [the word of God] is a shield unto them that put their trust in him [the word of God]."  Where is your trust?  In the critics of the King James Bible, or the Book that God gave you?

Some challahs, though, are in other shapes. The Hasidic community bakes them in the shape of birds in reference to Isaiah 31:5 - "As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it." Another challah is made in the form of a ladder, pointing to Isaiah 5:15-16 - "And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness."

The word, challah, "comes from the piece of dough that the priests of the Temple were commanded to give as an offering [Numbers 15:19-21]. The custom of setting aside a part of the bread continued, and eventually the separation of a portion of challah became one of the duties incumbant on a Jewish woman. Even today, many observant women bake their bread at home so that they can separate the required portion of dough and burn it."

Fox isn't doing more because of the revival that these movies brought or lack thereof, rather it is because the sheep eat this stuff up. Get ready because coming soon is the film, "Color of the Cross" which is a film depicting Jesus as a black man. Jesus wasn't black or white. He was Jewish, but what does that matter. The sheep will still go to the slaughter. Why? Jeremiah 5:30-31 A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

Baylor University was often criticized for teaching evolution and modernism, but the scriptures teach that "wisdom is justified of her children" (Matthew 11:19). So what is going on at the Southern Baptist school today?

A professor at the university has recently been denied his tenure to teach. Many close to the situation have pointed out that the professor is very conservative on issues such as pro-life, gay marriage and intelligent design. Several professors stated that they don't consider intelligent design to be a part of valued scientific theory. Didn't J Frank Norris say that Baylor University was pushing evolution? Maybe he was on to something.

It should come as no surprise that this "Christian" college suffered a probation in 2003 from the NCAA. Why? Murder, drug use and money scandals. Teach young people that they come from beasts and they will behave as though they do.

A 23-year-old woman suffered serrious brain injury in a car accident in July of 2005. After being in a coma for some time, she opened her eyes and resumed a normal sleep-wake cycle. However, she remained in a vegetative state. She never responded to any sights or sounds and she never seemed to be aware of her own actions or surroundings. But when a team of scientists began to speak to her about different mental processes, they found that her brain registered activity in the regions connected with that action. For instance, they asked her to pretend that she was playing tennis and the region of the pre-motor cortex heavily involved in such mental playing became very active. When asked to walk through each room of her house, her parahippocampal gyrus, a region which generates spacial maps, became very active. These patterns were the same as that which is seen in healthy volunteers and they could not occur as automatic responses to suggestions. They require the purposeful high-level mental participation of the patient. "Her brain activity shows a clear level of intention," according to Steven Laureys of the University of Liege, Belgium.

Although this woman was the only one of about sixty patients to respond in this profound way, the door opened by her proves that we know little about those who fit the medical condition of the vegetative state. There is probably much more mental activity behind the blank stare than previously admitted by the scientific community. This also calls into question our willingness to euthanize such patients. This is likely another example of the silent scream. Moral ethics need to return to an honorable appreciation of the gift of life.

But this did not destroy the connection between television and preachers. Now, more often than not, it is the TV that changes the preaching and not the preaching that changes the TV. "In their attempt to transform culture, evangelical Christians found they had to imitate it in order to attract an audience. So now, your visit to the local megachurch is likely to include Starbuck's coffee, drama, contemporary music, and a short talk from a preacher trying to look more like a talk show host than a preacher. The mall has taken over the sanctuary. Because of mass media, "religion in America is increasingly tied to secular culture in presentation." We claimed the victory by running in front of the parade. We will look pretty good until the parade turns the next corner and leaves us on our own. O that we might turn from our worldly ways and return to the truth of the gospel!

How long before the word of God in the King James Bible is banned by the land that gave it to the world? How long before Christians using the Book will be persecuted in England?

Thanks be to God that ever since the creation of the world Satan has attacked His word and yet it is still with us today in all its power and might. 

"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever...." 1 Peter 1:24-25 

From the third century BC until the third century AD, Roman troops on campaign built a fortified camp each night wherever they came to rest for the night. These camps were quite elaborate with streets, places for each of the legions, storage areas, stables, cooking house, etc. The camp would even have coded signs leading to the various sites within the camp. The camp was surrounded by a ditch that averaged five feet wide and three feet deep with dirt from the ditch thrown up inside the camp to make a protective wall. These camps were put up in about three hours with everyone knowing his job and doing it. This was after a daily march of about twenty miles. No wonder the Romans conquered much of the world.

This reminds me of the camp the Lord builds around His people. Psalm 34:7 declares, ?The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.? We also know that we serve ?the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation? (2Corinthians 1:3-4). The word ?comfort? means a strength or ?fort? that we take with us. Whenever we rest for the night, the Lord builds a fortified camp around us and He goes with us through the day as well. Thank the Lord for His marching camp. Wherever He leads us, He will be there to protect us.

But this hatred is not limited to the Middle East and Europe. Two well-known professors from prestigious universities (Harvard and the University of Chicago) recently spoke to the Council on American-Islamic Relations and attacked the Bush administration for allowing several Jews to serve under President Bush. These Jews were unworthy to serve because of their special "attachments" to the Middle East. Their unfair attachment turned out to be their belief in Judaism. Recently in the news, the Moveon.org activists helped raise millions of dollars to defeat Senator Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary. When one Moveon member celebrated the defeat of "Jew Lieberman," 95% of the responses to the comment were positive. We have serious problems in this country.

Early in the twentieth century, the British journalist William Norman Ewer wrote: "How odd / Of God / To choose / The Jews." To this, Cecil Browne responded: "But not so odd / As those who choose / A Jewish God / But spurn the Jews." We must remember that God never removed His original promise to Abraham: "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). For four thousand years, Satan and his forces have attempted to destroy the Jewish people. Throughout history, every nation and people that has thrown the force of its hatred against God's chosen people have perished while the Jews remain as a testimony to God's promise. We would do better to believe God than to follow the prejudices of man.

In Hebrew, the "kohen gadol" is the "high priest." Therefore the similarity is in having a "great kohen" in Hebrew and a "great kahuna" in Hawaiian. However, in Hebrew the word for "priesthood" is "kehuna." The "priestly garments" are the "bigdei kehuna." If we really wanted to play with words, we could call this the "Big Day Kahuna." So, what does this all prove? Nothing much. Perhaps it is a lesson in the dangers of playing too much with the spelling and vocabulary of different languages. With a little imagination, we can quickly see things that are not there.

The problem comes in defining political issues. Churches have come under scrutiny for taking sides on issues like the Iraq War and stem-cell research. Other issues that are being considered political are abortion and same-sex marriage. These are moral issues and the government has no right to control the stands of a church or preacher on these issues. The law needs to be changed. North Carolina Representative Walter Jones has proposed legislation to get the IRS out of the business of religious political speech, but it has been stalled for six years. Be wary of this attack on the churches and be ready to contact your government officials. The United States was founded in part by preachers who spoke out on the issues of the day--all of them. Our freedoms are disappearing. We must be ready to do as the Apostle Peter proclaimed in another time of persecution: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).

Response: Numerous people in the Bible have more than one spelling for their name. These variations often reflect slight differences in the Hebrew or Greek or even from the Hebrew to the Greek (as in Elijah and Elias). The fact that one person may have more than one name or even have two spellings for the same basic name should not concern us. Nebuchadnezzar is one of these men. In the Bible, his name is given both as Nebuchadnezzar and Nebuchadrezzar, but it is one and the same person.

My quote was from Jeremiah 27:6. I have found it to read "Nebuchadnezzar" in the following King James Bibles: Local Church Bible Publishers, Oxford, Dugan, Thompson-Chain, and Old Scofield. None of the ones I checked had Nebuchadrezzar in that verse. However, if you just go back to Jeremiah 25:9, you will find the second spelling. In fact, according to my SwordSearcher program, Jeremiah uses "Nebuchadnezzar" 10 times and "Nebuchadrezzar" 27 times. Although your spelling may be a difference in Bibles, I would first suggest that you carefully check which references you are looking up. However, there is another danger in many of the more recently printed Bibles. With the lowered respect for the words of God, more and more publishers are taking liberties with the text. Some have especially tinkered with spelling but they soon go further. Please be wary of these kinds of changes to the text.

Dr. Doron Nof believes that Jesus Christ did not walk on the water of the Sea of Galilee.  At least he doesn't believe that He walked on water in its liquid state.  He believes that He may have walked on the solid form of water-ice.  Before it is over, Nof's natural explanation will rival the real miracle as recorded in the gospels.

Since the news media will not challenge Nof's goofy theory, here are some questions that folks ought to consider:

1. Why should anyone BELIEVE a college professor living about 2,000 years removed from the event over the testimony of eye witnesses?  If we have to BELIEVE one, who would you BELIEVE?   
2. How cold would it have had to be in order for a chunk of ice to form thick enough to support a full grown man?  
3. Wouldn't that have been too cold to hold a "Dinner on the Ground" in which more than 5,000 people attended just hours before (Mt. 14:15-21)?  
4. How large would this floating piece of ice have had to be for Jesus Christ to walk on it and reach the disciples who are said to be 25 to 30 furlongs (Jn. 6:19) from the land?  That means that the disciples are between 3 and 4 miles out from shore in the middle of a large body of water.  
5. With ice that large, why would any grown men, some of which were commercial fisherman who fished that very lake regularly, get on board a ship and sail across it AT NIGHT (Jn. 6:17)?  
6. How thick would that large, floating hunk of ice have had to be in order to remain in tact with waves so high that grown men weren't able to make any progress rowing the ship to shore?  
7. How does this "natural explanation" account for the fact that Jesus Christ just happened to find His disciples who are 3 to 4 miles out from land on a lake that is 13 miles long and 7-8 miles wide?  And He found them during the fourth watch of the night (Mk. 6:48) which is the hours of 3 o'clock and 6 o'clock in the morning!

For all of that to occur naturally, it would take some kind of miracle.  It would be almost as miraculous as a Big Bang that brought order and design to a universe of nothingness.  Maybe someone needs to throw Dr. Nof a life jacket.  I think he fell through the ice!

In addition, that same argument is then turned against the Bible-believer by arguing that the insistence of only using a Book filled with archaic words prevents folks from understanding what God said.  A list of words is often supplied to support this argument.  Many of these lists are "borrowed" from a book published in 1960, reprinted in 1994, and coauthored by the head of the translation committee for the Revised Standard Version, Luthur A. Weigle.  By the way, that corrupt perversion is noted for attacking the virgin birth of Jesus Christ in Isaiah 7:14 by replacing the word virgin with the phrase a young woman.

One of the words cited in that book is the word bruit which, according to Webster's New World College Dictionary (4th edition), is an archaic word that means "clamor" or "rumor."  It occurs exactly two times in the word of God (Jer. 10:22 & Na. 3:19).  Since it is classified as an archaic word it is assumed that it is undecipherable to virtually all English-speaking Americans without a college degree in English Literature.  Unfortunately for the Bible's critics, their criticisms of that Book often prove to be unfounded.

A blog, of course, is not a scholarly piece of Renaissance literature which might pose a problem for the average 21st century Americans.  I recently read one dealing with the restrictions placed on items taken on airplanes in carry on luggage.  Here's one line from that blog: "All the while, bits and pieces of the story were bruited about in a strange game of 'telephone':  'I heard it was nuclear weapons!'"  How is it that a King James Bible reader would have trouble understanding a word that appeared in a blog on a popular internet site (http://dailynightly.msnbc.com/2006/08/a_whole_new_way.html) designed to attract American readers?

What's the moral of the story?  The King James Bible's critics are either careless and lazy or deliberately deceptive in their haste to rid the world of that Book.  It's always best not to take them too seriously!

I remembered that Daniel, chapter five, refers to Belshazzar as the son of Nebuchadnezzar and that the kingdom of Babylon fell under him and the Babylonians lost their rule over the nations. This became a point of criticism a number of years ago by the scholars when it was discovered that Belshazzar was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar and the the son was a man named Nabonidus. Of course, in the Bible, the word "son" can refer to a son, a grandson, or even a distant descendant (Jesus being the son of David). Therefore, the Bible record in not at all wrong. The historical accounts just filled in some of the extra details.

But now I see that the Bible record anticipated this discovery all along--and not just in history, but in prophecy told before it happened. Jeremiah told us that all nations would serve Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and his son's son. This specific language would require a son and grandson to rule after Nebuchadnezzar before the fall of Babylon. And, although this fulfillment is not recorded in specific details in scripture, it is still exactly what happened. This family would rule in Babylon "until the very time of the land come" (Jeremiah 27:7). This phrase probably refers to the fact that Babylon would rule the nations until the time came for the land of Israel to be restored to the Jewish people. This also happened not long into the rule of the Persians when Cyrus made a decree for the restoration of Jerusalem and Judah to the Jews (Ezra 1:1-4). God certainly has an amazing eye for detail in prophecy and its fulfillment.

The second feast, variously called the Great Feast, the Feast of the Pilgrimage, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, occurs two months and nine days after the Minor Feast. It takes place on the day after the Meccan pilgrims visit the Plain of Arafat. Many Muslims around the world sacrifice animals on this day. A well-know quotation from Muslim religious literature quotes Muhammad as saying, "Man hath not done anything, on the day of sacrifice, more pleasing to God than spilling blood: I mean sacrifice." The feast often begins with prayers at the local mosque and includes visits to the cemetery.

The third feast, the Prophet's Birthday, is celebrated on the twelfth day of the month Rabi al-Awwal. On that day in 570AD Muhammad was born and on that same day 63 years later he died. On the day of this feast, believers chant praises extolling the virtues of the Prophet Muhammad. Processions take place through the streets with singing and dancing. The participants buy new clothes and wear them and they eat special sweets (similar to Easter practices). Many entertainments are given. One important note: the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar of 354 or 355 days with no adjustments for the solar year. Therefore, these feasts will continually rotate according to the time of the year in comparison the the solar calendar used in the modern world. Much of this information was taken from "The Unseen Face of Islam" by Bill Musk (p.77-80).

On that same day, John Wesley was in London. He records that in the evening he took a coach to Bath where he preached on Monday evening. His fellow traveller on the coach trip was George Whitfield. However, this could not be the famous evangelist, George Whitefield, since he had died in America in 1770. The famous Whitefield had a nephew named George and this could have been John Wesley's companion.

The Chinese "told of a wonderful garden with a tree, guarded by a dragon or winged serpent, that bears fruit of immortality and wisdom. the winged serpent here is a force for good, protecting also a mother-goddess." The Bassari people of west Africa speak "of a great god, Unumbotte, who made Man and made Snake; when Snake proposed the eating of fruit, 'Man and his wife took some of the fruit and ate it. Unumbotte came down from the sky and asked, "Who ate the fruit?" The first couple admitted eating the fruit and said Snake had told them to do so.'

The ancient Sumerians depicted the symbolism of the serpent, tree, and garden of immortality in its earliest cuneiform texts. According to Robert Bowie Johnson Jr., the ancient Greeks "depicted on vases a first couple standing by a serpent-entwined tree in an ancient paradise." In Buddhism, some "legends say that Muchalinda, king of the serpents, gave the Buddha his deepest understanding. Even Joseph Campbell, the myth analyst, noted the contrast between Buddhism and Christianity: "In one of these two legends of the tree the service of the serpent is rejected and the animal itself cursed, in the other it is accepted." Though the memory is often perverted, the memory of the serpent and his pivital role in our world remains in the stories told in many cultures.

The first reference for this quotation is in Exodus 6:10 and the last is in Numbers 35:9. I have found at least 22 other times where these words are found with some additional wording (for instance, "Aaron" may be added as receiving the words or the location is given as "in mount Sinai"). The Lord definitely wanted us to know that Moses was simply reporting the words given to him by God. One bonus to those of you who want to impress your friends with you ability to memorize scripture: say to yourself, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying," until you are confident that you have it memorized. Now, tell your friends that you memorized 72 Bible verses in less than ten minutes; the only trouble you are having is in remembering all the references. Have a great day!

I suppose the man had not wept at all as he stole whatever it was that he took; but as he was taken away, he cried for mercy that would not come. His guilt had brought no remorse; but terror too late wakened his once-dull heart to the crime he had committed and the penalty he now faced. I have tried to keep this same scene before my mind as I passed the crowds here or ventured out on the streets to distribute tracts. Most of this guilty world, too comfortable with guilt, will only awake to their crimes when their season for repentance has already passed and they face the penalty for not trusting in the work of the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of these same sins; but this does not have to be and so we are constrained to do our part to get the gospel to everyone we can." May we all be stirred to tell the world about Jesus Christ before it is too late for anything but the judgment of God.

It evidently means nothing to North that this statement is only a variation of "Even so, come, Lord Jesus," which is found at the end of the book of Revelation (Revelation 22:20). And Revelation was written around 95AD -- 25 years after the destruction of Jerusalem. Unfortunately, many who reject much of the teaching of the Reconstructionists are buying into the idea of looking for deliverance on the earth and not from above. This rejection of the soon return of Christ actually indicates the closeness of Christ's return: "Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not" (Luke 12:40). Besides, what could be more optimistic than to know that at any moment Jesus could come and we will forever be with Him? That is pessimistic only if your hope is in this world and not in Jesus Christ.