Such a Time as This

Above is a video of a Bible study recorded by the adult minister at my church.  I think it is a good compliment to what I have to say.

You may have heard that a few weeks ago that the Federal Reserve reduced interest rates to almost zero.  This was so that the Federal Government could borrow money at lower interest to pay for an anticipated stimulus package to give everybody $1200 and to bail out businesses.  Now they’re talking about another round of stimulus, which will mean more borrowing and more National debt.  The Fed does not have any money, they just create it out of nothing when they loan it.  The result will be that the value of the dollar will go down and prices will go up.  The President, the Congress, and the Fed can create dollars out of thin air, but they can’t create wealth and prosperity.

Many people are buying non-perishable items in large quantities because of this.  Others are doing it out fear that the items (like toilet paper) will become unavailable. Others are buying precious metals or stocks because they are cheaper at the moment and they anticipate that their resale value in dollars will be higher as a result of the inevitable inflation.  These investors are expecting that the economy will recover, but if it doesn’t, then it won’t be good investment.  How do they know that COVID-19 won’t keep coming back year after year like flu?  Maybe there will be a long-term effective vaccine.  Maybe there will not be one.  In that case, food, medicines and necessities will be of great value, but gold, stocks, and dollars will be of no use.  Revelation 18:17 (ESV) says, “For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste."

From a selfish, atheistic point of view, the best thing for you to do is buy non-perishable necessities as you can for yourself while the price is still low.  But if God exists, if He is in control of everything, and if there is a Day of Judgment coming, then your paradigm should be much different.   That being the case, you should be thinking about using your resources as wisely as you can, but not primarily for your own personal preservation, but for the good of your community and especially in regards to saving their eternal souls through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Freedom of Assembly, Gone Forever, part 2

In my recent post, Freedom of Assembly, Gone Forever?, I proved that, even in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, government stay-at-home orders are unconstitutional.  Again, I am not saying that people shouldn’t take precautions to protect themselves.  But these precautions should be your own choice. There is a great principle involved.

Here are some relevant quotes from the Founding Fathers:

It cannot be presumed that any clause in the Constitution is intended to be without effect.

Maybury v. Madison 5 U.S. 137, 174 (1803)

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Benjamin Franklin

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take but as for me: give me liberty or give me death.

Patrick Henry, The War Inevitable

Live Free or Die!

John Stark, General, Massachusetts Militia

Civil government is like fire.  It is necessary and beneficial, but when out of control, it is worse than not having it at all.  Time and time again, whenever a crisis arises, people are willing to give up their liberty in exchange for safety, only to end up in more danger because of the monster that they have created to save them.  I am not advocating that we should be fighting the politicians who are violating our rights.  I am only advocating a realization that we need to be prepared for more of the same and we need to get right with God.  A physical revolution at this point would be fruitless.

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

John Adams (Quoted in John R. Howe, Jr., The Changing Political Thought of John Adams [Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1961, p. 189].)

They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace.

Jeremiah 6:14 (ESV)

While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 (ESV)

 We are not like we were in the days of the American Revolution.  We have turned our backs on God and what we deserve is even worse than what we are going to get.

Freedom of Assembly, Gone Forever?

It has been a very long time since I have posted to this blog (or any blog).  I have been less concerned about politics and more concerned about other things like evangelism, charity, and my own career and education lately.  I do not deny the seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak, but the government has taken another big step toward effectively abolishing the Constitution and the rule of law in general.  The First Amendment says in part, “Congress shall make no law…abridging…the right of the people peaceably to assemble…”.  Article I, section 3 of the Ohio Constitution says, “The people have the right to assemble together, in a peaceable manner, to consult for their common good…” I’m not saying that people should ignore the situation, but the people have the absolute right to gather together.  There are no exceptions for extreme situations.  No one is above the law and there is no provision in the Constitution to suspend the Constitution or any part of it (except Habeus Corpus rights).  Will the government stop depriving us of this right even if COVID-19 is eradicated? If this right can be deprived without due process, then what about other rights?  We are living in dangerous times and it is not just because of the virus.

At first the CDC told us not to wear masks.  They said that there is not enough data to prove that they do any good.  How dumb do they think we are? Whose interests do they really want to protect?

Who came up with this “social distancing” phrase?  Why that and not “physical distancing”?  I have noticed that whenever the word “social” is used, it usually means freedom deprivation without the due process of law guaranteed by the constitution. Some examples are Social Security, social justice, and “we have a responsibility as a society”.

But there may be a more sinister reason that the word “social” is used instead of “physical”.  Maybe they are conditioning us for a time in which there will literally be government-mandated social distancing. The excuse for it will be terrorism and/or hate groups.  They will supposedly be so successful at recruiting people on the internet that something drastic will have to be done about it.  The terrorists/haters cannot be identified, therefore you must isolate yourself, not just physically, but socially “for the good of everybody”.

But none of this should be surprising to Bible believing Christians.

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth. 

Revelation 6:7-8 (ESV)

The word “pestilence” includes disease.  Furthermore scientists believe that the coronavirus originated in animals and crossed over into humans (thus the phrase “by the wild beasts of the earth”).  I don’t necessarily believe that coronavirus is the ultimate fulfillment of this verse and there will be other disease manifestations which will be worse (e.g. Revelation 16:2), but God is allowing us to see a preview of what is to come.  “And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.” (Revelation 9:6).

I have noticed that there are many people who take the name “Christian” who are not real Christians. You can know that they are not saved in their present spiritual state because their lifestyles are incompatible with salvation and genuine Christianity.  This is brought out in several passages like I Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, I John 3:8-10, and Revelation 21:8.  Common sinful lifestyles that I see are promiscuity and cohabitation without marriage, homosexuality, adultery (often in the form of remarriage after divorce, Matthew 5:32), murder (in the form of abortion and euthanasia), lying, drunkenness, reviling, jealousy, dissensions and hate.  I am talking about people who have no desire to stop doing these things. This is why I say that all these things should not be surprising.  Freedom and liberty cannot continue for long when the People turn their backs on God.

12 "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

Revelation 22:12-13 (ESV)

Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty." 

II Corinthians 6:17-18 (ESV)

Kirk Cameron on Anderson Cooper

This is awesome that Kirk Cameron got an interview with Anderson Cooper.  Cameron gave a good answer to Anderson Cooper's question about whether the sudden deaths of a large number of birds is a sign of the Apocalypse.  Cameron wisely answered that the was no connection and that people should be ready for Christ's return because no one knows when it is going to happen.  I don't agree with eschatology in the Left Behind series, but I am thankful that Kirk has such a good ministry, and I am excited to hear about the new movie.

Time's almost up, so be looking up!

I received an email the other day from Karl Priest (KC) with some timely words for today, which he graciously allowed me to reproduce here, but with the following disclaimer, “Here are just thoughts that hit me during my morning Bible reading (this past Friday). I make no claims of expertise.”

In referring to an earlier email which KC had sent just prior to the China quake, he expressed a hope that his readers took note of the list of the recent dozens of earthquakes he had outlined. That list is reproduced below.

Earthquakes in Divers Places

Current news headlines are about food shortages (Sam's Club, Costco Limit Rice Purchases) and U.N. soldier killed in Haiti's riots over food and disease epidemics (Flesh-eating Disease Is On The Rise) and U.S. Measles Cases Highest in Six Years.

Recently there have been articles about the signs in the heavens Does Maya calendar predict 2012 apocalypse? and Blood moon eclipses: 2nd Coming in 2015?.

Of course, there are more events the Bible tells us will come together in the End Times and one in particular is the amount of earthquakes. Following are reports of earthquakes from the past two months alone.

Authorities evacuated hundreds of people from villages in southern Chile Friday after a snowcapped volcano considered dormant for thousands of years erupted.

Strong earthquake hits remote part of Alaska's Andreanof Islands

Earthquake jolts 3 towns in western Iran

4.4-magnitude quake strikes in mountains near Bakersfield; second California quake

4.2-magnitude California quake shakes area near Palm Springs

Magnitude-5.2 earthquake hits mountainous area of Northern

Scientists look for clues as earthquakes continue to rattle northwest Reno

Moderate quake shakes Mexico

Moderate earthquake shakes Turkey

Magnitude-4.0 temblor shakes Southern Illinois

Earthquake rocks East Timor's coastal capital, causing widespread panic

5.2 quake rattles shelves, skyscrapers, nerves across the usually seismically quiet Midwest

6.1 Earthquake Jolts Guatemala

Earthquake Shakes Alban Hills Near Rome

Powerful 7.1 Earthquake Rattles Southern Ocean (Near Australia)
Swarm of Earthquakes Detected Off Oregon

Small Earthquake Strikes Parts of South Texas

Earthquakes Hit Remote Aleutian Islands

Moderate Quake Shakes Area of Northeast Nevada That Had Stronger Quake in February

Magnitude 6.1 quake hits Chile

7.2-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes China

Hawaii Volcanic Crater Records First Explosion Since 1924

Strong Earthquake Strikes Off Western Indonesia

Magnitude 5.9 quake hits off US Pacific coast

Quake Shakes Japan's Southeastern Island

Quake shakes Greece

Moderate Earthquake Hits Southern Mexico

4.8-Magnitude Quake Shakes Turkey

Magnitude 5.5 quake hits Chile

Moderate Earthquake and String of Aftershocks Jolt Eastern Iran

Earthquake shakes up German coal mining

Back-To-Back Earthquakes Registered Off Oregon Coast

Strong Earthquake Shakes Philippines

Magnitude 6.5 quake hits off Sumatra

And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. Luke 21:11

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. Matthew 24:7)

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. Mark 13:8

I make no predictions (But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Matthew 24:36), but I say, "Come Lord Jesus!"

Compiled by Karl C. Priest

"In (the above insert) I also briefly noted the recent prevalence of a multitude of serious diseases and the real potential of worldwide famine.

"Open your Bible (The King James Version - KJV- I hope) to Luke 21. See verse 11 [And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.]

"In the verse 21 [Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter there into] and in verse 25 [And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.] Jesus describes many signs in the heavens. Several weeks ago I posted something about the many headlines during the past month about astronomical occurrences, alignments, etc.

"lso, in verse 25 Jesus talks about "the sea and the waves roaring". New Orleans, Myanmar, and the Indian Ocean tsunami came to mind.

"I don't read Hal Lindsey, Jack Van Impe, or any other expert on prophecy. I don't have a problem with them, but all I need is my Bible (KJV by the way) and Internet news sources. I do not set dates, but I do think Luke 21:30-31 [When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.] is pertinent.

"The increase of knowledge, people running to and fro, the threat posed by Russia, the amount of Chinese troops, and the very real likelihood that Jerusalem will soon be surrounded by hostile armies in attack mode are happening now. Combine those, and many more, including the ability for everyone in the world to view an event that happens anywhere in the world and we have reached a period in history where that (IMHO) cannot be "improved" upon in the future.

"Luke 21:32 [Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.] refers, I think, to the formation of Israel in 1948 and/or the 1967 Six Day War. Just a few days ago Israel celebrated her 60th "birthday".

"The current hatred of Christians makes it even more important that Christians focus on a section Luke 21:9 [But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.]

"We need to heed Luke 21:28 [And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.] and especially Luke 21:36 [Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.]

"Come, Lord Jesus!"