Who, or what can we believe?

There is so much unsolicited evidence on the net: people can write whatever they want, and technology makes it easy to doctor images to back up the theory being presented, which makes it easy to deceive people. Scripture warns us that a great deception will be pulled on the people in the last days; so convincing that even the elect could be fooled if possible (Matt.24:24).

It's a known fact that people lie. either to achieve their hidden agenda, or to evade the embarrassment of dealing with the consequences of their actions. Some may seem like harmless fibs, but a lie is a lie. This is why there is so much distrust in the world.

So who do, or can we trust? Scripture says that God cannot lie; it's not in his nature; the devil is the father of lies. For a believer in the one Almighty God, everything is tested against his word, and to them the Bible is the the inspired word of God. Now theory has it that Constantine was the one who conceived the idea of giving the people a bible, so that they could be controlled by religion. But since he was a pagan the spiritual writings of the prophets would have been beyond him. Whatever God wanted to perserve for today's readers would have been overlooked. One of the interesting things about The Dead Sea Scrolls is that fragment of scrolls reveal that certain books of the bible are word for word copies of the ancient writings. To disregard the writings of ancient holy men, because of Constantines motives is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Like Constantine, many people today do not understand the nature of prophecy; prophecy is simply telling people what God said. Much of it is cryptic, and sounds symbolic as the prophets wrote about things that were beyond the knowledge of their times. One example is found in the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream by Daniel. What is more amazing about this incident is that he was required to tell Nebuchadnezzar what the dream was too. After spending some time in prayer he was able to tell him that God had given him an image of what was in store for the world.

He told Nebuchadnezzar that God orders history by setting up and removing human rulers. and this dream illustrates this truth. But before he told him what he had dreamed he told him it was a God given vision in response to his concern about the future. The disturbing image of his dream was a huge statue: the head was of gold: the chest and arms were of silver; the belly and thighs were of bronze (brass); the legs were of iron; and the feet were a mix of iron and clay (Daniel 2:31).

Suddenly the dazzling figure moved, and a stone supernaturally cut from a mountain flew through the air and struck the figure with such force that all traces of it dissappeared, and the great stone filled the earth. Daniel told him that the head of gold symbolized him and his city of Babylon, because of the great use of gold to decorate all the important buildings, but someday the grand and mighty Babylon would be defeated by an inferior kingdom.

The chest and arms of silver represented Darius and the Medo-Persians. The empire was bigger, but inferior in quality of government. The next great empire (bronz) would be Greece, ruled by Alexander the Great, who ordered that he be called the king of the world. The iron legs represented the destructive strength of Rome. For though they built many things they crushed and demolished all resistance, which stamped out freedom. These four kingdom reigns have been fulfilled, the last kingdom has yet to play out it's roll.

Of course Daniel didn't name the sequence of empires, history has born out the proof of this prophecy. There is no reason to doubt that the world will live through the last worldly (feet of clay and iron) and brutal empire. The question on many minds is who will rule this last empire? It is believed that something of the old Roman empire will be revived, but it will be mixed; bible scholars point to other prophecies about the end days, when Daniel speaks of a federation of 10 kings (7:24), some strong and some weak that will create internal problems. Many believe it will involve the countries that once were ruled by Rome, which would include the EEC, since a economic union was formed with The Treaty of Rome in 1957.

The members held a summit meeting in Rome in Dec. '75 and seven of the nine nations held direct elections to the European Parliament in '78. They agreed to issue uniform passports, and they now have the Euro currency. Whether the speculation is true, or something else develops, it is a certainty that Europe will be a significant power bloc in the years prior to Christ's return to reigh as King. I believe the New World Order is the directive of this last empire, which will be ruled by the anti-christ.

If you haven't guessed already, the rock that destroyed the image in the dream, which filled the earth, represents Christ's rule of all the nations. No matter what people say, or what men plan, God has a plan for the world; history is unfolding according to His plan. Amen.

ps. You can read the interpretation of Daniel's life in Babylon in a little book titled: "Daniel: Decoder of Dreams" by Donald K. Campbell. Published by Victor Books, SP Publications, Inc. Box 1825, Wheaton, Illinois 60187. It is a wonderful companion to the study of the book of Daniel.

Something didn't feel right

I'm not sure what I did, but this new entry to the book ended up on The Journey blog, use this link to read it. http://cyber-pilgrim-thejourney.blogspot.com It is listed under the same title, dated Tues. December 23.'08.

Faith, creativity, and the aftermath.

It was surprising to find that 9/11 didn't make me anxious, as I had been during the Gulf Crisis, which led to my reconciliation; and the new spiritual birth. I was a basket case in those days. It makes a difference to know that you are in control, LORD, and that Your word says 'only you make me dwell in safety'. Now if I had the same confidence with my daily problems I'd have it made.

Intellectually I know I already have it made, it's just easier to say 'I live by faith' than it is to do it every moment. In my vulnerable moments, when the cares of the world loom larger than life, I comfort myself with the knowledge that you know what's in my heart; plus, since my name is written in the Lambs book of life, I have the promise: "He who started a good work in me, will see it through until Jesus comes." (Philippians 1:6) Use my contemplations on the anniversary of 9/11 to strengthen my walk with you LORD.

Meanwhile, the challange remains to give hope to the hopeless. That was a major intent behind the desire to write a short story, plus create curiosity in the book of Revelation. In the months following 9/11 there was a flush of ministries talking about the connection, and there were even seminars about the end times. So I felt a little deflated during the delay period, but I saw nothing similar to my idea of viewing it as a journal from a Christian perspective, and there are always people who need a timely word to revive their hope. At times this book seemed like an impossible task, LORD, but it's nice to remember reading your word to the apostles, "Nothing is impossible with God."

Writing about my faith works better for me: I'm not comfortable going up to strangers and just blurting out, "Do you know Jesus?" Often it goes over like a lead brick, and closes the door. I feel more confident just listening to someone's problem and ministering Godly wisdom, without sounding as if I'm cramming it down their throats. Often they are not even aware that I'm using Your word LORD, and many are open to prayer when I let them lead me to what their need is. It helps if they feel as if they know me too, so I'm planning to let the neighbors catch me sketching out in the back lot; it's a great way to start a conversation. I believe You put a pencil and paintbrush in my hands as tools for Your glory; not just my pleasure.

Speaking of creativity, tonight there was an interesting evening news item; promoting the run of a dramatic dance presentation, commemorating 9/11. The stage backdrop is the familiar picture of the protruding metal beams at 'Ground Zero' ; backlit like sunset. The dancers wore red, modern interpretive dance outfits, and the theme is a plea to God--'whomever or whatever he or she may be'--as stated in the introduction. It really bothers me that people are afraid to say, "Almighty God" for fear of offending somebody. This "politically correct" reference to God irks me. Anyway, the theme is a plea for an end to 'this cycle'? I hadn't been paying much attention to the introduction, so I missed whether it was terrorism, or all wars that was the hearts desire. However, I was pleased to see that artistic expression was alive and well.

Some have painted pictures; written poetry, or songs about the heroes and victims of this disaster. A pang of zealousy gripped my heart when I heard of them, for not accomplishing a creative expression of something so world changing myself; this is not like me. I have a painting to remind me of what I felt during the Gulf Crisis; I started another during the Oka Crisis, in Quebec, and I did a mixed media piece in response to the Wako incident. Sometimes it feels as if my life has stopped counting for anything. If I hadn't heard of the preparation years for Moses, Joseph, David; plus anyone else used by You, LORD, I could slip into dispair. But accepting that I have a God ordained destiny gives me something to hang on to.

P.S. I knew that moving back to Toronto was going to be a hardship, with the higher cost of living than in St. Catharine's, but I didn't think it would turn me into a hermit. Beside having limited resources to get 'out and about' the pollution is hard on my lungs. This has intensified the feeling of not counting for anything, especially since the sister church of my St. Catharine's home church doesn't have a bus pick-up for those on limited budgets, which means I'm unable to at least fellowship with other believers.

This great spiritual hunger led me to create a Christian website: http://www.freewebs.com/christiancrossword where I can fellowship with believers, and browse the forums looking for those who sound as if they need a little encouragement. There is also the interesting extra of having to deal with skeptics and athiests, on the open forums. It can be quite stimulating, as the questions they ask and the statements they make, allow you to exercise your faith. It's exhilerating how what they say reminds me of something from my study of the Bible.

Being on the net has opened a whole new world to me through Google, and YouTube searches. Having an account on the CBCnews blog led to other bloggers giving me tips of items to watch. The things I'm finding are opening my eyes, especially to some of the things I wrote in my first draft. It is stuff I feel compelled to share, so I'm developing another site to do that. http://www.freewebs.com/ccsnewsite I encourage all seekers of truth to check it out. Plus I have accumulated YouTube videos on my favorites page, and submitted my first video to enable others to access them: http://www.youtube.com/rookycybernerd .

National confusion.

The destruction of the World Trade Center was a great blow to the North American psyche, which caused a sudden, equally great increase of people seeking after You, Lord. I have wondered how You will convince all men that You are 'The Almighty God' of old, short of the day we all stand before Your throne, and see You with our own eyes. It took the plagues of Egypt to convince pharaoh that the Hebrew God was more powerful than the Egyptian gods; it took the miracles of the great exodus, and fourty years in the wilderness to erase the doubts of Your chosen people.

It is interesting that ancient Egypt is considered by some modern preachers as symbolic of the world. The system of rulership was essentially no different to any dictatorship, the great buildings that recorded the exploits of the pharaohs were nothing more than propaganda to build patriotism. Like any nation, the rules and regulations indoctrinate the people with traditions that replace freewill. Sadly, when living by the ways of the world, it robs us of trust in You, LORD.

Is is our faulty ideas of love and compassion that prevent us from understanding what is written about You, that Your ways are higher than ours? When I started to study the bible it was comforting to discover in the Old Testament that You patiently wait for us to dare to believe again. In faith, when faced with great devastation, all we can do is hold on to the promise that whatever the devil means for evil You will use for Your good purpose; so that we can grow to our full potential. This helped me to ponder the question of what each current trial can teach me.

One thing I heard while watching a current events discussion, revealed how patriotism blinds us. Most Americans can't understand how anyone can hate them enough to do such an awful thing. I think it stems from the human tendency to take attacks as personal, but in this case it is the American foreign policies that anger people who have been used to serve the American governments political, and economic purpose; only to be abandoned when they are no longer useful. It is little wonder that Saddam sees Bush as Satan.

Orwell's novel, '1984' exposed such tactics as the evil works of dictatorship. We relate them to Communism or Fascism, but the truth is that Colonialism and Imperialism operated the same way; it's an 'us and them' mentality that is bred by patriotism, and lust for control. Today's isms are Capitalism and Socialism. All of them are systems that are ruled by the nations elite, who want control over their own serfs, and the countries that have the natural resources they want. More than once I've heard middle-easterners say, "It's about the oil." Even Bush Sr. said in one of his speeches that war is about preserving 'our way of life.' Interestingly, any systems army cannot be sent off to kill 'the others' until they are indoctrinated by dehumanizing the projected enemy with labels such as: commie, gook, terrorist, and other derogatory terms. The big threat of any perceived enemy is the loss of freedom. How little we understand that freedom is only an illusion, created by social engineering.

Much of the western world is a product of Colonialism, ruled by a WASP sensibility, which can't perceive past a relatively shallow outlook on life. It has made us the spoiled brats of the world.
Without knowing it, all of North America has made the same mistakes as Israel did in the promised land; embracing the ways of the world, and turning their backs on God. Putting the conspiracy theories aside, it's no wonder you allowed the events of 9/11 to throw the people into confusion. Like Rip Van Winckle, my radical spirit has been asleep, and as I learn more of the coming New World Order it makes me nervous, and excited at the same time. For this is surely the establishing of the system that will be ruled by the last and most feared dictator.

Shock.

Watching one of the documentaries I was reminded of how much I hate the media coverage of shocking news events. When interviewing witnesses the reporters milk the human interest angle by asking something stupid about how it makes them feel. I wasn't surprised to hear that on 9/11 the faith of many was shaken.

A few years ago I read that the sheer horror and hopelessness of WWII turned many away from you, LORD; so I wasn't that surprised to find that 9/11 shook the confidence of many that day too. When I heard an interviewee ask, "How could God do such a thing?" I wanted to shout, "It's not true!" I know that Your integrity doesn't need defending, and surely such a question only shows an ignorance of the Old Testament. The story of Job reveals that You allow the evil one to test even Godly people with great disasters. In the case of ancient Israel You allowed them to suffer at the hand of oppressors as a wake-up call; and surely many need one today.

Sometimes it's hard to understand that You allow bad things to happen to draw Your people closer to You, and that eventually the experience will enable the victims to be a blessing to other people. The death of a loved one is a hard lesson, but when the grieving is over, we are more likely to have compassion for others who are dealing with a great loss. It's interesting to recall that Jesus is referred to as 'a man of sorrow' and as scripture tells us, as our high priest He is well acquainted with everything we may suffer. If He had to endure the trials of life, to prepare him for the earthly ministry, then why should we expect to be exempt from them?

Listening to the anguish of those who couldn't find their loved ones reminded me of the death of my firstborn. Like many that September morning, I didn't have You in my heart then, LORD. I always thought I was a Christian, but I didn't have a personal relationship with You. I had heard that we are reunited with loved ones when we die, but there was no comfort in my heart for what I had lost. Now I can appreciate Your pain as you watched Your only begotten son die; even though you knew it would mean He was coming home to be with you.

For those of us who are waiting for Your promised return, these days are looking more like signs of the times that the last days are upon us. It surprised me to read that 'the church' will be shaken; as I interact on open forums, and exercise my faith, it is surprising how many bitter scoffers used to be Christians. I even know some born-again people who got discouraged when their faith was tested, and their prayers seemed to go unheard. As it is written: "My people perish for lack of patience." Yes, we are adicted to instant gratification; I suspect this was a cause for the ancient Israelites turning to pagan gods.

Because everything we ever experience is tucked away in our memory banks, we are never free of what we heard about You, Lord. Even in my darkest days when I lived according to the ways of the world, I never gave up the hope that what I heard was not merely a myth. It usually takes some deep distress for us to appeal to Your mercy. In the chronicles of Your ancient people we see the renewal of peace and prosperity when they turned back to You. Bush's call for a national day of prayer, seemed to galvanize believers with something they could do for the families of the victims. It was very good for his image as a new President.

It was amazing to hear the stories of those who had been in the buildings, and lived to tell about it. There were also those who were supposed to be there, but for some reason were late, or somewhere else. More often than not it was Christian tv, and publications that told these tales. That surely is an example of saving grace. It blessed my heart to see the news reports of great public gathering to pray for those directly affected by the chaos created on 9/11.

Feeling impotent (continued).

When I was writing the first draft I wasn't hooked up to the net, so my research was from National Geographic articles, plus Time magazine, and current affairs discussions with experts in foreign affairs; aired after the nightly news. As I listened to them I wondered if Saddam had some aide listening to American broadcasts, for surely he would want to stay abreast of what his enemy was saying about him. Someone brought up an impending election in which Bush's brother was a contender; it occured to me that the anniversary could make for some aggressive politicking. As an afterthought, the second anniversary seemed to slip by with very little attention.

Now I am online: doing Google and YouTube searches confirms my suspicion of the renewed patriotic fervor, with it's call for homeland security, and the 'sabre rattling' against the 'Axis of Evil' was all propaganda. It's obvious now that the fear of biological warfare was a prelude to taking Saddam down. This year, during the summer, I got wind of the theory that 9/11 was an inside job, engineered to give Bush an excuse to attack Afghanistan.

I always thought it was so amazing that both the towers imploded, keeping the debris centralized. To my surprise there are videos on YouTube explaining the process of demolition, and the evidence at ground zero that lines up with these facts; including the way the steel beams were sheered off. People who were in the basement report unexplained explosions, that wouldn't have been caused by the plane crashing into the upper floors. There was also a third building, which wasn't mentioned at the time, that was also demolished; and it wasn't hit by a plane. Another point that is made is the speed at which the buildings came down; much too fast for the heat generated by the fuel in the planes. If this sounds too weird to be true, check it out for yourself; go to YouTube and type in 9-11, or twin towers disaster.

The thing that got me inspired to work with my manuscript again is all the hints I've been getting since the news was full of the bank bail-outs. I've been following the CBCnews blog, and my comments inspired others to clue me in. The first ones I got was 'The Money Masters documentary' and 'Zeitgiest' as exposes of who has been in control all along. This all ties in with the phrase we've heard from time to time, from world leaders, when they talk about 'The New World Order.' The related videos that come with a YouTube search are disturbing too. It all makes me feel impotent, as I wonder if we've already lost too much freedom for any cause to be effective in shaping our own destiny. But then there is bible prophesy about the last dictator who will rule the world during the Great Tribulation. It fills the heart with anticipation for the end of the old evil world systems, but stirs a little angst at the idea of living through its destruction.

I used to be a radical thirty years ago, but life, and its social engineering, numbed me into going with the flow; however, I am encouraged that there are people out there still fighting for righteous causes. The lead I got that reveals the move to indict Bush and Cheney for war crimes is: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/ . This is the news not covered by the standard media, because they are owned by those who don't want us to know the truth. Two other leads that are waking people up are: www.infowars.com/ and www.jonesreport.com/ . There's also a peace movement website, http://codepink4peace.org/ . I suspect that all the people involved in these causes will be on Fema's troublemakers list. Be sure to look up Fema on your search.

Originally the inspiration for my book was to share what I saw as unfolding prophesy, the only prophetic word that comes to mind right now is, "Everything that is hidden will be revealed." I would say it is rather timely that all this information is so easy to find on the net, if we only have the courage to seek the truth. I like that Jesus said, "The truth will set you free."

Feeling impotent.

As an artist, I felt some personal lack of essense for not coming up with a creative expression of the dreadful site that assailed us all day on tv, as Sept. 11, 2001 unfolded. It had been almost a decade since I became a born-again Christian, and lost my desire to be a successful painter. But this was the kind of thing that left you speechless, and the soul agonized in impotence; needing a way to express its bewilderment.

Since creative expression is as essential to some people, as the air we breathe, I had diverted my creative energy into writing. By the end of the day the idea for a short story was forming, as so much of what we were seeing made me think of Bible prophesy. Not being a natural novelist hung me up for a year. Then suddenly, as tv personalities, or stations spoke of things coming up for the first anniversary, I knew how to write my book.

I love the way C.S.Lewis wrote, "The Screwtape Letters" in a letter format; it would be a perfect way to reveal the unfolding of a thought process. Each letter could be an essay, which was my prefered writing style, and I would address my letters to the Lord; rather than a fictitious character. This would keep me honest, and hopefully serve as an example of how faith works.

It has been six years since I sat everymorning hammering out over a hundred and fifty pages, which never got past the first draft. Moving back to the city changed my focus, but things are happening that are still related to what I wrote then that have been hidden from the general public: for years; decades; even centuries; and are now coming to light. It make me happy that I didn't get back to the rewrite before now, and I see how niave my heart was when I started the first letter:

Sept. 5, 2002
Dear Lord:

As we approach Sept. 11th, I have mixed feelings about the big ado over the anniversary of the Twin Towers disaster. Can we ever forget where we were, what we were doing, or how unreal it all seemed at the time; the constant reruns are imprinted in deep memory. What disturbs me now, as it did then, is the renewed patriotic fervor. It smells like propaganda; especially since President Bush is sabre rattling [as one of the news guys put it], calling for Saddam's overthrow. I read in M.Scott Peck's book, "People of the Lie" that patriotism is national narcissism; tradition and indoctrination replacing freewill.

The big Anthrax scare reminded me of Bible prophecy; even unbelievers were worried about Armegaddon. Fear of biological warfare, and the increased concern about plagues like: West Nile Virus; Aids; and Malaria; to name a few--prompt the thought, "Could these things be the plagues released from the bowls of God's wrath, for The Great Tribulation to come?" (Rev.16). Anyone with common sense can see we are setting ourselves up for disaster: with greater global travel; the destruction of our environment; scientific and military advances. Every summer when I hear of the devastating fires in the west of our continent, and elsewhere, I remember the prediction that a third of the earths trees will be destroyed by fire (Rev. 8:7). It's all enough to make the heart panic, but I thank you, LORD, for the promise of Psalm 91; and the comfort of remembering the Hebrews in Goshen, when Egypt was smitten with ten plagues, which assures us that even today believers will be protected from the coming plagues too.

We are sure to see many replays of those towers crashing down to the ground. It's even more intense when set to music, which documentors tend to do. The heaps of rubble, the smoking twisted steel, and the strangely beautiful sunset, would be a film-makers dream; if it were not the real thing. Ground Zero definitely looked like something from an Apocalyptic movie. It really feels like todays fears are founded: with all the strange weather; wars and rumors of wars; and the other natural disasters. They are all things you spoke of when the apostles asked what the signs would be for the end of the age. We have the technology now for everyone in the world to see you return to the Mount of Olives. CNN with be there filming the hostility, as the nations come against Israel.