Is Your Life Hot Or Cold, Or Surging To The Middle?
In Revelation 3 Jesus told the church of Laodicea “your life is neither hot nor cold.” He said since they were lukewarm, He will spit them out of His mouth. Click on the link below to read this thought provoking post. #316 #BibleStudy #Devotions #Evangelism #Revelation
https://www.ramckinley.com/is-your-life-hot-cold-or-surging-to-the-middle/
Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of torture & death
S-21 was an interrogation, torture & execution center. From 1975-1979 the communist Khmer Rouge forcibly took over Cambodia. Of 14,000 prisoners who entered S-21, only 7 are known to have survived. Out of a population of 8 million people, 2 million were killed. Out of 11,000 university students, only 450 survived. 9 out of 10 doctors were killed. They killed anyone who was educated so they wouldn’t be a threat to them.
In 1976, the Khmer Rouge converted a high school complex into S-21. The head of it was Comrade Duch (pronounced DOIK). He was an extremely efficient killing machine. He kept detailed records of every torture session, every murder. His henchmen would hang prisoners upside down with their head in a bucket of urine and feces. Throats were slit, heads were bashed with a shovel, necks were broken with a hoe. Babies were killed by swinging them by the legs and smashing their heads against a tree. Comrade Duch was extremely efficient.
In 1979, the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia, put a stop to the Khmer Rouge and handed the country over to the Cambodians. Duch didn’t have time to destroy his records. He just disappeared. He was presumed dead. Christopher LaPel had lived thru this disasterous time by the grace of God. He became a believer, then a pastor, then he started training other pastors at his Institute. Today over 200 churches can trace their origins back to his ministry. His cousin was killed at S-21.
Hang Pin started coming to LaPel’s meetings. He was 55 years old, frail, depressed and heavily burdened. LaPel lead him to the Lord. When he was baptized, an immediate transformation took place. For every teaching, Pin took extensive notes. He couldn’t get enough teaching about Jesus. He was excited. His dress even reflected his new demeanor. He had a new lease on life and he wanted to tell everybody about Jesus and His forgiveness. Before long, Pin received his pastoral certificate. In their graduation picture, LaPel had his hand on Pin’s shoulder. He considered him to be his best student. Pin went back to his hometown, lead his children to the Lord and started a small, thriving church. He also worked with World Vision, a Christian aid group. LaPel eventually lost touch with Pin.
Then in 1999, LaPel got a phone call from 2 American reporters that rocked his world.The reporters had proof that Pastor Hang Pin was Comrade Duch. When they told LaPel that they had confronted Pin with their suspicions he confessed that it was true. Pin readily confessed his crimes and gave himself up to authorities. He was put on trial by United Nations tribunal and found guilty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. In Cambodia, there is no appeal or parole ever. Pin said, “They have my body. Jesus has my soul.” Pin (Duch) told the tribunal everything he could remember. He identified his signature on the death & torture records that were found at S-21, which was now a museum. He has asked the relatives for forgiveness but only expects that from God. Duch tells everyone who will listen about his crimes and about the grace & forgiveness of God that set him free.
In 2008, LaPel came face-to-face with Duch in his prison cell. LaPel’s first words to Duch were, “…I love you as a brother in Christ. I forgive you for what you did to my family.” LaPel said it wasn’t easy buthow could he (LaPel) receive forgiveness from Jesus for his sins and then refuse to forgive Duch for his sins, no matter how egregious they were. Duch’s testimony made headlines all over the world. And so did his story about God’s forgiveness and grace. Today Duch is peaceful and filled with the joy of the Lord. Duch shares Jesus with the guards and the other Khmer Rouge prisoners. LaPel visits him regularly. Duch says, “I’m not a prisoner, I’m a free man…I deserve death, I deserve punishment…” but Jesus has set me free.
In Buddhism, the main religion of Cambodia, there is no forgiveness of sins. In the next life, you’ll get payback for what you’ve done in this life. LaPel & Duch thank God for His forgiveness and His grace. LaPel has said many Cambodians are hearing of Duch’s strong faith. They’re beginning to understand that Jesus offers forgiveness and grace in this life. These things are unknown to Buddhists. Isn’t it just like God to turn the Killing Fields into the Harvest Fields. Now that’s resurrection power.
For a detailed account of this story and many more about God’s grace, read the book “The Case for Grace” by Lee Strobel.
For His kingdom,
Dave Maynard
http://BSSSB-LLC.com
He condemned Jesus to death. He stood by while his soldiers beat Jesus up. He had Him flogged and crucified. But did you ever wonder what happened to Pilate after this? The historian Josephus said he was recalled to Rome to explain his mishandling of a Samaritan riot in 36AD. But we hear nothing about him after this.
By the 2nd century AD, the so-called “Acts of Pilate” document began to circulate among Christians. This document, allegedly derived from Pilate’s own records, says that he and his wife became believers in Jesus. Tertullian, the late, great 2nd century Christian theologian & apologist, was convinced of this as was the 4th century Saint Augustine. While most Christians didn’t believe it, the Eastern Orthodox church did, making Pilate’s wife a saint. The Coptic & Ethiopian Christians went further and canonized Pilate. His feast day is the 25th of the summer month of Sanne, a day shared with his wife Procla and the saints Jude, Peter and Paul.
Most theologians today discount this document as fake. There is really no way to prove what it says. I am always suspect of documents like this, so please understand that I am not presenting the “Acts of Pilate” as fact. It is in a class of documents called New Testament apocraphal writings. The fact that some Christians believed it is interesting at best. But in the end, the fate of Pontius Pilate remains a mystery.
But if he did become a Christian, wouldn’t this be the ultimate act of forgiveness on God’s part? We have examples of this in the Bible. In Acts 6:7 many of the Jewish priests (some of whom probably called for Jesus’ crucifixion) became believers. The thief crucified next to Jesus mocked Him, then turned silent. That silence then turned to repentance and he was immediately welcomed into God’s kingdom (Mark 15:32 & Luke 23:323-43). And Rabbi Saul of Tarsus persecuted & killed Christians (Acts 7:58, 8:3 & 9:1,2), yet he became the apostle Paul. A modern day example was when the Amish quickly forgave the man who murdered 10 Amish school girls (lancasterpa.com/amish/amish-forgiveness/).
This kind of forgiveness can only come from God. Aren’t you glad God’s forgiveness goes this deep?
One thing we can say for certain…IF Pilate did ask God to forgive him, he most assuredly would have received it.
Reference: www.historytoday.com/kevin-butcher/strange-afterlife-pontius-pilate
For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com
Enter the New Year with this Attitude
Come To The Lord With Thanksgiving In Your Heart
In the midst of praise and joy, Psalm 95 says we must come to the Lord with thanksgiving. Along with our adoration and worship, the Psalmist also gave us a warning in this Psalm. Click on the link below and take some time to read today's post. #BibleStudy #Devotions #Psalms #Thankful #worship
https://www.ramckinley.com/come-to-the-lord-with-thanksgiving-in-your-heart/
2022 is a new year. Do you know what God wants you to do this year? Here are some practical steps to help you make the most of this year...
What is your greatest fear? Many people say that its getting to the end of their life without having made a significant difference. For most of us, the regular duties of life get in our way and before you know it, you’re 50 years old wondering where the time went.
But Christians have an advantage. God has given us certain “spiritual gifts” to help us accomplish the mission He has for us. That’s right…God has a plan for each of us. Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
We need to find out what God has gifted us to do and do it with all our heart (Colossians 3:23-24…”Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”). To do this daunting adventure, we need to divide it up into smaller units that we can measure.
First off would be to determine what your spiritual gift(s) is/are. There are some online surveys you can take that give you some idea of what your gift(s) is/are. They are at…
1) https://gifts.churchgrowth.org/spiritual-gifts-survey/
2) https://spiritualgiftstest.com/spiritual-gifts-test-adult-version/
When I came down with throat cancer, God told me that He was going to heal me. I thought it was just me wanting to believe that I’d be healed. It took some convincing on God’s part but I finally believed Him. I was almost 65 years old. If God’s going to heal me at this age, He must still have things for me to do. After earnestly seeking Him, He spoke to me in these areas:
1) my personal life – what do I do when I’m not working? What do I spend my time on? Am I seeing friends on a regular basis? Am I spending quality time with my spouse? Maybe take her/him out on a date night.
2) my spiritual life – do I read/study the bible? Do I pray? Am I involved in a local bible-believing church? A consistent reading of the bible should only take maybe 15 minutes a day. Prayer could be done thru-out the day or in the evening with your spouse. Joining your church’s small home group takes one evening a week or one evening every two weeks. Reading good Christian non-fiction books is also good to do. It’s a way to gain a lot of information and guidance from other bible teachers.
3) my hobbies – most psych’s will tell you that having a hobby is good for your mental state of mind as long as it isn’t obsessive. What is your hobby? Is it traveling or reading or sewing or working around the house? Is it watching certain TV programs (be careful because TV watching can become obsessive).
4) my house life – God has provided you with a house. What a blessing! Are we using it for God’s glory? Do you have small group meetings in it? Do we have people over for an evening? My wife and I are empty-nesters, so we have bedrooms available for visiting missionaries, etc. Maybe you could have a youth group activity at your house.
5) my spiritual gifts – do you know what your spiritual gift(s) is/are? Are you using them? If not, why not? The church is a great place but not the only place to use your spiritual gifts. One guy who loved working on cars, had the church sponsor a Saturday when single moms would bring their cars to the church parking lot and he and a few other men would change their oil for free. They had the gift of service (Romans 12:7…”If your gift is serving others, serve them well…”). My spiritual gift is teaching, so I teach adult bible classes at our church. I’ve also put my teachings on the internet at https://bsssb-llc.com.
6) my parent/grandparent life – how are you parenting or grandparenting your family members for the Lord. What are you doing with the people that God has put in your sphere of influence? Parenting is a full time job but why not take one evening every week or every two weeks and have a family night. Play a board game, go to a park or play frisbee with your kids. If you’re a grandparent, give your adult kids a break and take the grandchildren for a day or evening every week or every other week. Take them on a picnic or to a museum or play a board game with them. Anything that engenders a conversation and builds memories.
Learn to pray with them on a consistent basis. Feel free to talk to them about God, Jesus, or whatever is happening in the culture. Just be sure to not harshly judge their opinions. If they’re younger, read bible stories to them. If they’re older and you can afford it, take them
to the Creation Museum and/or the Ark Encounter for a few days.
7) – for people who are still working (I’m retired), your work life – are you honoring God by being a good worker? Does your boss know why you’re a good worker? See Colossians 3:23-24 above.
8) – my financial life. Yes, this involves budgeting. Like it or not, you’ve got to budget if you’re going to plan things like vacations, travel, college for the children, retirement, etc. Any book by Dave Ramsey would be very helpful. Or just comparing your expenses to your income. For one month, track your spending. Don’t forget to include in there things like house insurance, car insurance, property taxes, Christmas gifts, etc. If you pay them once a year, just divide the total you pay by 12 and you’ll have a monthly amount. Being faithful in your finances is one of the hardest things to bring under control but its absolutely necessary if you’re going to be faithful in what the Lord has given you.
How do you put all this into action?
Start by writing down things that God wants you to work on. Then, don’t do anything different for 1-2 weeks but write down everything you do with your time. You might be amazed how much of your time is spent on things that don’t contribute to your stated goals.
I would suggest starting with establishing a consistent bible reading & prayer time. Start out with 10-15 minutes day. Once you’ve established that consistently, then you can go longer if you wish. The other areas require planning but still don’t take a lot of time.
All of these things are measurable quantities. You should be able to look back over the past month and see what you did accomplish. Don’t be surprise if it all doesn’t work out perfectly. If half of it works, you’re doing good. Also, don’t be surprised if God tweaks your plans. Stay flexible enough for that to happen.
So, at the end of every month you can look back and see what you’ve done. Then you can make any adjustments in the coming month. If you do this long enough, you’ll be amazed at the results. Eventually, you’ll be able to make longer term plans. Instead of just one year out, you may be planning several years out, realizing what Proverbs 16:9 says “In their hearts humans plan their course but the Lord establishes their steps”. But at the same time, remember the old saying that says if you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it.
Remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Here are some scriptures to meditate on regarding planning:
Ephesians 5:15-17 “Be very careful then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
Hebrews 10:36 “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.”
Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”
Proverbs 27:23 “Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds…”
Psalms 90:12 “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 20:4 “May He grant you your hearts desire and fulfill all of your plans.”
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.”
Galatians 6:9 “Let us not be weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Luke 14:28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?”
James 4:13-15 “Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow….Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” This does NOT say that you shouldn’t plan anything. It does say to be flexible so God can work. There’s an old saying that says, “God can’t steer a parked car.” Well, yes He can but I hope you get the point of the saying. An old Christian comedian said that he wants to be doing something when Jesus returns, even if its making mistakes.
Then at the end of your life, God will be able to say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master’s happiness.” (Matthew 25:21).
An excellent resource for making a life statement is the book, “Made to Count” by Bob Reccord and Randy Singer. It also comes with a workbook, “Made to Count Life Planner”.
For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com
The new year has arrived, and along with it we all have new goals, high aspirations and fresh hopes for the coming 52 weeks.
This past year has been an exciting one for us, while at the same time being trying and difficult at times.
While we can’t know what is coming in the new year, we can find hope in God’s word, and maintain a positive outlook that things will be better than ever in this coming year.
Today to get the year started off right I thought I’d share a few verses from the Bible to help us frame the coming year from a positive, hopeful and God focused perspective. Have your own favorite verses? Share them in the comments section below.
So what can we look forward to in the new year? Fresh hopes that God will do a new thing in our lives, that he has amazing plans for us and that his plans are for us to prosper in Him.
God is always faithful, and if we look at the past year, we’ll find that he has been with us, and has been working in our lives – even when we don’t realize it!
God has plans for our lives, and they’re plans to help us prosper!
God is with us in the new year, and we don’t need to worry about anything when we focus on Him. He is our strength, he is with us and we have nothing to fear.
While we’re reflecting on the year that has gone, and the year that is about to come, it’s important to plan ahead.
As we ring in the new year it’s important to remember that we can only find contentment in God. We also need to give thanks for all that He has done for us in the past year, and what he will do in the year to come.
At the dawn of the new year I’m filled with hope for what is to come, and I have thankfulness in my heart for what has already passed. I pray that I will keep my focus where it needs to be this year and that we’ll all have a year filled with joy, love and happiness.
Do you have your own favorite verses to start the new year off right? Tell us what they are in the comments section below.
HAPPY NEW YEAR - a FREE Devotional Guide
The 3:16s of the New Testament
The most well known verse in the Bible is John 3:16. There are, however, 20 other 3:16s in the New Testament and they are all worth reading. I did and I wrote a devotion on each of them and put them in this eBook. Start the New Year in The New Testament with the 3:16s.
https://christian-perspectives.ck.page/01123380c9
How To Live The Most Effective Life For Christ
This post will guide you through how the Apostle Paul admonishes us to move away from obvious and subtle sin. While encouraging us to put on the spiritual clothing we should wear. Click on the link below to read today's devotional post. #316 #BibleStudy #Colossians #Devotions
https://www.ramckinley.com/how-to-live-the-most-effective-life-for-christ/
What Is The Great Mystery Of Our Christian Faith?
In 2 Timothy the Apostle Paul revealed 2 things to us. Why the church is important and what the great mystery of our Christian faith is. Click on the link below to read this inspiring devotional post. . #1Timothy #316 #BibleStudy #Devotions
https://www.ramckinley.com/what-is-the-great-mystery-of-our-christian-faith/
Seventh and last in a series of "The Christmas Story"
What Valuable Gift Will You Offer To The Lord?
The gifts the wise men offered to Jesus were very expensive. The gifts we offer to the Lord don't need to be expensive, they do, however, need to be valuable. To see what I mean, check out today's post by clicking on the link below.
https://www.ramckinley.com/what-valuable-gift-will-you-offer/
Sixth in a series of "The Christmas Story"
How Can A Star Pinpoint Something On The Earth?
God directed the wise men to the very house where Jesus was by using a star. He is still in the direction giving business and He uses unbelievable and the unexplainable methods. Click on the link below to read about this part of the Christmas story. #BibleStudy #Christmas #Devotions #Matthew
https://www.ramckinley.com/how-can-a-star-pinpoint-something/
Fifth in a series of "The Christmas Story"
The Shepherds' Story Was Remarkably Astonishing
Did you ever see something so exciting you couldn’t wait to tell someone about it? The shepherds’ story was remarkably astonishing to all who heard it. They not only saw angels, but they saw the Lord as well. Click on the link below to read today's post.
https://www.ramckinley.com/the-shepherds-story-was-remarkably-astonishing/
Fourth in a series of "The Christmas Story"
Angels Announced Good News Of Great Joy To The World
After Jesus was born, the excitement of heaven exploded at a nearby pasture. Angels showed up to a band of shepherds announcing the good news of great joy. Today's post serves as a good evangelistic tool. Click on the link below to read it and also share it with others. #BibleStudy #Christmas #Devotions #Evangelism #Luke
https://www.ramckinley.com/angels-announced-good-news-of-great-joy/
Third in a series of "The Christmas Story"
The New Baby Jesus was Born In A Stable
Today's story leads up to when Jesus was laid in the manger. Our focus though, is on the ministry of Mary and Joseph. Click on the link below to read today's post. #BibleStudy #Christmas #Devotions #Luke
https://www.ramckinley.com/the-new-baby-jesus-was-born-in-a-stable/
Second in a series of "The Christmas Story"
Live A Unique Life Of Obedience To The Lord
There is not much said in the scriptures about Joseph the carpenter. There was, however, something very special about him. He was a man who knew how to live in obedience to the Lord. He is a great example for us. Click on the link below to read today's post. #BibleStudy #Christmas #Devotions #Matthew
https://www.ramckinley.com/live-a-unique-life-of-obedience-to-the-lord/
Easily Know When You Are Doing The Right Things
How can we know the difference between right and wrong? When putting everyone’s opinions together, it's hard to find a distinct line to separate the two. The Apostle Paul though helped us in this area. Read about it in today's post by clicking on the link below.
https://www.ramckinley.com/easily-know-when-you-are-doing-the-right-things/
Have you ever wondered why the Jews don’t accept Jesus as their Messiah?
There were several factions that made up the Jewish Sanhedrin (the ruling religious council).
The Sadducees: They rejected any concept of a Messiah. They didn’t believe in an afterlife. When you died, you were dead and gone, your soul was snuffed out of existence. They were the rich, ruling elite. They had made friends with the Romans and were in a comfortable position. They didn’t want to ‘rock the boat’ with Rome.
The Scribes: While most of them believed in 2 Messiahs, they were only looking for one---the ruling Messiah, who would set them free from Roman rule and establish God’s everlasting Kingdom.
The Pharisees: Thy observed the Mosaic laws strictly. They were very content with the condition of their souls as they mostly saw themselves as superior to the common person. They believed in a Messiah but couldn’t decide if there was one or two of them. They also wanted to establish God’s eternal Kingdom right away, hence they were looking for a political Messiah to overthrow Rome.
The Essenes: They believed in eternal life. They strictly observed the Mosaic laws even more than the Pharisees. and were looking for the Messiah. They didn’t worship in the Temple as they believed the Temple was polluted by backslidden Jews. They were a separatist sect.
In the 1st century. The Jews had 2 conflicting biblical pictures of their Messiah…one of a suffering servant and one of a reigning, kingly leader.
The suffering servant…Isa 53:2-8 & Ps 22:6-16…he would suffer & die for their sins
The reigning, kingly ruler…Ps 2:2-4 & Jer 23:5,6…he will reign & rule in peace and set up his earthly kingdom with Jerusalem as the center.
There was a variety of views on who the messiah was. Some Jews thought there would be one messiah fulfilling both roles one right after the other, others thought there would be 2 messiahs coming at the same time, while some thought that the suffering servant was the nation of Israel and that the Messiah would be a kingly, ruling one. Very few, if any, thought that it would be one messiah at two different times.
Then along came this itinerant preacher from the backwoods of Nazareth. He had the audacity to insult them and call them hypocrites. After all, they were the experts in religion, not this unlearned, untutored former carpenter. What was worse was that the people initially liked Him. With the crowds He was attracting, there might even be a revolt against Rome. What these sects had built up under Roman rule could be wiped out in a flash. And he certainly wasn’t the political, kingly messiah that most of them had longed for. He wasn’t from God as He didn’t recognize the godly lives they were leading and how they had observed the Laws of Moses. Something had to be done. Very few of the Jewish leaders believed Him, although many would after His resurrection (Acts 6:7…”So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith”).
Because of the Jews rejection of Him, Jesus said Matt 23:39 “For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”.
Following Jesus’ resurrection, Peter said Acts 3:19-21 & Zechariah 12:10 (“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”
Was Jesus the only one ever to claim to be the Jewish Messiah?
From 4 BC-70 AD, there were 7 ‘Messiahs’:
-Judas, son of Ezekias
-Simon, a slave of King Herod
-Anthronges, a shepard
These 3 came after King Herod’s death in 4 BC
-Jesus
-Menahem, a descendant of Judas of Galilee
-John of Gischala
-Simon bar Giona
These 3 came between 66-70 AD
There had been messiahs after the 1st century but they had all died (and stayed dead) and none of them fulfilled anywhere near the messianic prophecies that Jesus did.
See the 365 messianic prophecies from https://www.bibleprobe.com/365messianicprophecies.htm
Pull up http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/messianicprophecies.html.
In regards to #20 (Daniel’s prediction of the exact date when the Messiah would be revealed to Israel and the exact date when the Messiah would be killed)….Daniel 9:20-27 (Daniel received this revelation in 535 BC about the coming of the ‘anointed one’…’Messiah’ in the Hebrew language)…ancient people used lunar calendars which had 30days/month & 12 months in a year for 360 days/year. Each seven may represent one year, so 69 sevens x 7 years x 360days/Hebrew prophetic year = 173,880 days.
The decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes on March 14, 445 BC (the 1st day of Nisan that year…see Nehemiah 2:1-6). Using the actual 365 day calendar along with adjustments for leap years and the final adjustment of dropping one leap year every 128 years, this brings us to April 6, 32 AD.
Jesus’ ministry began in the fifteenth year of Roman Emperor Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1), whose reign began in 14 AD. Jesus’ ministry lasted 3 years. 14 AD + 15 years + 3 years = 32 AD. According to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England (the official timekeeper of the world), the Sunday before Passover that year was on April 6th…the very day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)…read Matt 21:9, this is a reference to Ps 118:22-26, which is a messianic psalm. After that time, the Anointed One would be cut off (killed). Following that time, the city & Temple would be destroyed (Rome destroyed them in 70 AD).
FYI….a few other Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah:
He is a King & rides on a donkey (Zech 9:9)
He suffers and is rejected (Isa 53:1-3)
Is crucified and pierced (Ps 22:16)
Lots are cast for His clothing (Ps 22:18)
None of His bones are broken (Ps 34:19,20)
He’s given gall & wine (Ps 69:20-22)
Pierced with a spear (Zech 12:10)
Posterity will serve Him (Ps 22:30)
Betrayed by a friend (Ps 41:9)
Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zech 11:12,13)
The silver is cast on the Temple floor, then used to buy a potter’s field (Zech 11:13)
Also, since the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, the Jews cannot trace their tribal heritage anymore. So their Messiah must have come before that as one of the conditions was that He must be from the tribe of Judah. Jesus is the only serious candidate EVER.
Genesis specified his ancestry
Isaiah revealed the manner of his birth & death
Micah told of his birth place
Psalms & Zech told of his betrayal, his accusation by false witnesses, his manner of death and his resurrection.
The probability of one person fulfilling just 48 of these 365 messianic prophecies by chance is one chance in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, ten trillion (1 chance in 10157th power). That would be like saying if you took the number of atoms in our universe and then took the number of atoms in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion billon of our universes and marked one of them. What would be your chance of picking that marked one out? Scientists have defined a zero chance of possibility as being one chance in 1053rd power. So, if something doesn’t have a one chance in 1053rd of happening, it’ll NEVER happen. One chance in 1054th is 10 times impossible. One chance in 1055th is 100 times impossible. So one chance in 10157th power is wayyy beyond impossible. And that’s just Jesus fulfilling 48 Old Testament Messianic prophecies.
For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com
God Delights In A Heart That's True And Right
Psalm 8:10 says God saves those whose hearts are true and right. When I read that a question immediately jumped out at me. If God delights in a heart that is true and right, how do we get it there? Click on the link below to read today's post.
https://www.ramckinley.com/god-delights-in-a-heart-thats-true-and-right/
A little history lesson will help to answer this question. While some early Christian thinkers grew up with classical Greek thinking, mostly there was a wide gap between Christian and pagan thinking. Christianity did not just melt into the syncretistic hodge-podge thinking of the Roman Empire.
To most residents of the Greco-Roman world, the supernatural world of gods, goddesses, omens, curses and astrology blended together. The common man lived his life under the constant danger of interference by these supernatural powers. They also believed in cyclical time, the conviction that history repeats itself in time periods. So, if a few good things happened to you, some bad things would happen also. The time period might be longer but the results would be the same. Some people also believed that the gods controlled everything. If you wanted a good crop the coming season, you’d offer a sacrifice of some kind to the god of agriculture. If you didn’t offer the right sacrifice, that god would be dis-pleased and you might have a bad crop. The problem was these gods were capricious. They got mad, often with other gods. They had human emotions, were lustful, etc., but they were much more powerful than humans. Many times the gods would war among themselves. Some pagans also believed that their life was already set out before them and they couldn’t change it. Their destiny was fixed by the stars (astrology). This belief is called determinism and it is very fatalistic.
On the other hand, Christians worshipped a personal, rational, loving and consistent God. He wasn’t capricious. They also believed time was not cyclical but linear. It had a direction. Jesus had come once for our salvation. He didn’t need to come back several times for the same thing. God was also separate from His creation. Christians appreciated nature but didn’t worship it. They also didn’t believe in determinism (astrology). They practiced personal responsibility because the bible taught it. They embraced progress because they saw it as being obedient to the creation mandate of Genesis 1, “to rule over creation”. They also believed that God takes a personal interest in His creation as this is what the bible teaches also. Eventually, Christianity came to believe in scientific progress. They posited that their rational God would create the universe according to rational laws. So they wanted to “think God’s thoughts after Him” according to Kepler.
All of these things gave Christianity a huge edge over other civilizations in their pursuit of knowledge. Many other cultures (Greek, Muslims, etc.) indulged in scientific exploration, often with impressive results, but they’re efforts stagnated or got lost because of their views of God and creation. Within 3 or 4 generations, Europe (western civilization) with it’s Christian foundations left the other cultures far behind. It has never lost its momentum.
The Middle Ages saw an explosion of knowledge in every area of life…machinery, medicine, farming, etc. Because of Christianity’s compassion and God’s command to care for and heal the sick, Christians started hospitals, schools, orphanages, soup kitchens, etc. for the poor and common man. Sexuality was elevated even if believers weren’t always consistent in it. The rights of women were elevated far above what they had been under Greeks, Romans, Egyptians or barbarians.
For more on this, read Dr. Alvin Schmidt’s book “How Christianity Changed the World”.
Also read http://www.faithfacts.org/christ-and-the-culture/the-impact-of-christianity.
Almost all the Middle Age scientists were priests, clerics or Christians. Monasteries had been keepers of ancient scrolls. Universities grew out of monasteries. Unlike in centuries past, anyone could attend these schools. Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, Copernicus and Galileo were all clerics. Almost all scientists, thru the mid-1800’s expressed their scientific discoveries in religious terms.
Here’s a partial list of scientists who were Christians:
Robert Grosseteste Galileo John Dalton
Roger Bacon William Harvey Andre Ampere
Nicholas Copernicus Blaise Pascal Georg Ohm
Leonardo da Vinci Robert Boyle Michael Faraday
Andreas Vesalius Isaac Newton Louis Pasteur
Tycho Brahe Antoine Lavoisier Lord Kelvin
Johann Kepler Alessandro Volta Joseph Lister
George Washington Carver
Were there vigorous debates on certain subjects? Of course there were. And there were Christians on both sides. Unfortunately, some people, including a Pope or two, made some stupid statements and did some stupid things. But science advanced more, by far, under Christendom than any other system. The case of Galileo is often trotted out by atheists and secularists to prove that Christianity is anti-science. But the facts show no such thing. Galileo’s problem was more political than scientific. Yes, he was arrested and put under house arrest, but he was given a good amount of freedom. His crime? Basically, he publicly dissed the Pope. For details on this, check out “Christianity on Trial” by Shifflett and Carroll, pages 54-56, 73-76 and “What’s So Great about Christianity” by D’Sousa, pages 103-111. Here is a catholic response from their own archives…
https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-galileo-controversy.
And one from a non-catholic source…
https://creation.com/the-galileo-affair-history-or-heroic-hagiography.
More than 90 years ago, the great mathematician and philosopher of science, Alfred Lord Whitehead, said that modern science came from the Medieval’s insistence on the rationality of the Christian God. Medieval cathedrals were transformed into the most sophisticated solar observatories in the world. The Catholic church gave more financial and social support to the study of astronomy for over 6 centuries than any other institution. Pope Alexander VIII (1610-1691) became the major patron of scientists. Isaac Newton, thought to be the greatest scientist who ever lived, wrote way more on biblical and theological topics than he did on science, even though he had misgivings about Jesus’ divinity later in his life. The usual reaction of these early scientists, most of whom were Christians, was to marvel at the orderliness of God’s creation. The first and most prestigious society of science in the world, The Royal Society of London (founded in 1645), consisted of 10 members, 7 of which were Puritans. Yes, that’s right, those Puritans who later emigrated to America.
But by the mid-1800’s, things became to change. There were 4 men who turned the sciences against Christianity. Charles Darwin, Thomas Huxley, John William Draper and Andrew Dickson White. John William Draper wrote a book in 1874 entitled “History of the Conflict between Religion and Science. Andrew Dickson White, first President of Cornell University, wrote a 2 volume “A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom” in 1896. The source documents for both books have been discredited. Historians are virtually unanimous in saying that the whole science versus religion story is a 19th century fabrication. But these books were popular with the common person. To this day, many people believe the Medieval church taught that the Earth was flat until science showed an uneducated clergy that the Earth was round, Forget the fact that the ancient Greeks proved the Earth was a sphere, that anyone could see the Earth’s shadow on the Moon during a lunar eclipse and that anyone could see ships sailing over the horizon would disappear. The Flat Earth theory was a late 19th century fabrication attributed to creationists to make them look foolish. Creationists have NEVER believed this.
Draper and White’s fictitious war between science and religion made it into American textbooks, despite the protestations of historians. Americans were being brought up on lies about science and religion. The old saying that “a lie in the morning makes it half-way around the globe before the truth has put it’s shoes on” came true.
Charles Darwin published his “Origin of Species” in 1859. He presented natural selection as a patient process by which such marvels of “design” could happen without a Designer as the cause. While Darwin stressed the similarities between species, creationists stressed the differences. At first, some scientists took a wait and see attitude towards evolution. But many Christians and some scientists opposed it. Other scientists (including some Christians) and the “free thinkers” (the atheists and agnostics) seized on the opportunity and launched a frontal assault on religious belief. Thomas Huxley, a biologist and atheist, lead the charge. He wasn’t called “Darwin’s Bulldog” for nothing. While Darwin’s theory of evolution was interesting and did make some valid comparisons, it had some valid opposition to it. It had also predicted that we would find thousands of transitional fossils. Darwin even said if they didn’t find these thousands of transitional fossils, his theory would be proven wrong. Guess what? We haven’t found any! Oh, there have been that have claimed to be transitional fossils, but they have all been disproven. The fact that in over 160 years, we haven’t found any is a serious blow to evolution. The evolutionists battle cry 100 years ago was to teach evolution alongside creationism in the public schools. Now that they have gained near dominance, they won’t allow creationism or intelligent design to be taught in the public schools. 100 years ago, they recognized creationism as a valid scientific theory. Today they don’t. The hypocrisy of this is amazing.
But the tide may be slowly turning. Two discoveries have brought this about. One is the realization that our universe is expanding. This has lead scientists to say hat the universe had a beginning from which to expand. The second is the absolutely fantastical fine-tuning of the universe’s physical constants. For example, if the force of gravity had been a little stronger, most stars would have burned out long ago, including our own Sun. If gravity had been a little weaker, galaxies, stars and planets would never have formed. English physicist and mathematician Roger Penrose estimated the odds of our physical constants being exactly balanced by random chance, it would be one chance in 10300 power. That’s the number 1 followed by 300 zeros. This number is wayyyy beyond impossible. To get around this impossibility, a few scientists have posited the multi-verse theory. This says that there is a universe-making “machine” that makes trillions upon trillions of universes. One of them is bound to have the right physical constants for life. To exist. This is insane to come from normally intelligent scientists. Of course, we cannot observe these other universes, so their existence is merely speculation. This alone takes it out of the realm of science. I guess people, even a few scientists, will go to any length to get away from the possibility of a Creator. Let’s hear from a few other scientists…
“Scientists are slowly waking up to an inconvenient truth – the universe looks suspiciously like a fix. The issue concerns the very laws of nature themselves. For 40 years, physicists and cosmologists have been quietly collecting examples of all too convenient “coincidences” and special features in the underlying laws of the universe that seem to be necessary in order for life, and hence conscious beings, to exist. Change any one of them and the consequences would be lethal. Fred Hoyle, the distinguished cosmologist, once said it was as if “a super-intellect has monkeyed with physics”. Physicist Paul Davies
“Scientists who utterly reject Evolution may be one of our fastest-growing controversial minorities… Many of the scientists supporting this position hold impressive credentials in science.” Larry Hatfield, “Educators Against Darwin,” Science Digest Special (Winter 1979), pp. 94-96.
“Darwinism has never had much appeal for science outside of the English-speaking world, and has never appealed much to the American public (although popular with the U.S. scientific establishment in the past). However, its ascendancy in science, in both Britain and America, has been waning for several decades as its grip has weakened in successive areas: geology; paleontology; embryology; comparative anatomy. Now even geneticists are beginning to have doubts. It is only in mainstream molecular biology and zoology that Darwinism retains serious enthusiastic supporters. As growing numbers of scientists begin to drift away from neo-Darwinist ideas, the revision of Darwinism at the public level is long overdue, and is a process that I believe has already started.” Richard Milton, Shattering the Myths of Darwinism (Rochester, Vermont: Park Street Press, 1992, 1997), p. 277.
“…A tidal wave of new books… threaten to shatter that confidence – titles like Darwin Retried (1971), Macbeth; The Neck of the Giraffe: Where Darwin Went Wrong (1982), Hitching; The Great Evolution Mystery (1983), Taylor; The Bone Peddlers: Selling Evolution (1984), Fix; Darwin Was Wrong – A Study in Probabilities (1984), Cohen; Darwinism: The Refutation of a Myth (1987), Lovtrup; and Adam and Evolution (1984), Pitman. Not one of these books was written from a Christian-apologetic point of view: they are concerned only with scientific truth – as was Sir Ernst Chain when he called evolution ‘a fairy tale’.” Richard Milton, Shattering the Myths of Darwinism (Rochester, Vermont: Park Street Press, 1992, 1997), p. 12.
Robert Jastrow (self-proclaimed agnostic and physicist/astronomer): “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”
Ed Harrison (cosmologist): “Here is the cosmological proof of the existence of God � the design argument of Paley � updated and refurbished. The fine tuning of the universe provides prima facie evidence of deistic design. Take your choice: blind chance that requires multitudes of universes or design that requires only one…. Many scientists, when they admit their views, incline toward the teleological or design argument.”
For more quotes, go to http://BSSSB-LLC.com/quotations-from-scientists-evolutionists-about-darwinian-evolution/.
So where does all of this leave us?
– evolution cannot explain how life began or how it went from non-living chemicals to humans. It doesn’t seem reasonable to assume that random combinations of chemicals could have produced such a marvelously complex thing like a living cell. Recently we have seen that a single living cell is more complex than all of the world’s factories. And those were intelligently designed.
– evolution cannot explain what consciousness is or how it came about. Virtually nothing is known about the functioning microcircuitry of the brain nor can it explain emotions.
– evolution cannot explain human rationality, the ability to perceive something as true or false.
– evolution cannot explain our morality. It cannot explain why we feel something is morally right or wrong. It cannot explain why we “ought” to feel a certain way.
So, evolution cannot explain:
-the origin of life
-the origin of consciousness
-the origin of human rationality
-the origin of morality
-the process of how the human body came to be
Any theory that cannot account for these basic things can hardly claim to be a theory of origin. There are some things about evolution that are right, there are some things that are wrong. But the theory just doesn’t explain enough. Yet the proponents of evolution are blind to the theory’s weaknesses.
So, after reading this, do you really think there’s a war between science and religion? I think there’s a war alright, but it’s between good science and bad science.
References:
Books;
“Christianity on Trial” by Carroll & Shiflett
“What’s So Great about Christianity?” by Dinesh D’Souza
“How Christianity Changed the World” by Alvin Schmidt
Websites;
http://BSSSB-LLC.com/sciencecreationevolution/
http://godandscience.org
http://BSSSB-LLC.com/was-our-universe-designed-for-life/
http://BSSSB-LLC.com/problems-with-the-big-bang-theory/
http://www.godandscience.org/evolution/index.html
For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
http://BSSSB-LLC.com
