Remember the Titanic

 

This week we look back on the dedication of the Titanic Memorial in Washington D.C. on June 9, 1913.

 

In the aftermath of the tragic sinking of the Titanic in 1912, hearings were held in the U.S. Senate. During these hearings, the doctrine of “Women and Children First” was reviewed and it was found that 90% of those who died in the disaster were men. The First Lady, Nellie Taft, was so moved by the courage and sacrifice of those men that she raised funds to build a memorial to them.  It was placed near the White House, bearing the inscription, “To the brave men who gave their lives that women and children might be saved.”

 

Not everyone was in favor of the Titanic Memorial. Feminists argued that “Women and Children First” was a disguised form of paternalistic oppression. They even criticized the women of the Titanic for accepting preferential treatment. The Memorial apparently remained offensive to Feminists, and in 1973 it was removed from its prominent place and put in storage. In 1979 it was moved to an obscure location overlooking the Potomac River.

 

Today the Feminist agenda is at its ascendency, and they are well on the way to eliminating special preferences for women and children. Institutions which are designed to protect children are being forced to put them at risk to sexual predators in the name of equality, and 50 million have been killed in furtherance of the Feminist abortion agenda. Women, especially single mothers, are increasingly left to fend for themselves and now, thanks to the Feminists, women can be sent into front lines of military conflicts. The old belief of chivalry and sacrifice is ridiculed, and then the Feminists are surprised as young men thrown into close contact with young women in the military behave badly. And the abandonment and abuse of women and children by men encouraged to have no sense of honor is increasing every day, with tragic results.

 

We need to pray that there will be a revival of chivalry and sacrifice in our men. The Biblical role of men, to love their families even to the point of sacrificing themselves like Christ (Eph. 5:25) and the men of the Titanic, must be restored.

 

Let us remember the Titanic Memorial and pray that its message is moved from the Potomac into the hearts of our men and women.

 

The second Sunday following the dedication anniversary, Father’s Day, would be a good time to start.

The Age of Pentecost

            Last Sunday, May 24, the Church celebrates its birthday and the infilling of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday in 30 AD.

Pentecost was one of the Seven Feasts of Israel which formed the religious calendar of the Torah and served as Prophetic signposts of God’s plan of redemption. The first three, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits look back to the Exodus, but foreshadow the death and resurrection of Christ during these feasts in 30 AD. The last three, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles celebrated the final ingathering of the Harvest (Ex 23:16) and looked forward to the Second Coming of Christ. Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Harvest, celebrated the sowing of the crops in preparation of Harvest. (See Ex 23:16), and represents the beginning of the Harvest of believers by the Church in 30 AD.

Throughout history Christians looking for the return of Christ, as represented by the Feast of Ingathering, have thought that the Age of Pentecost, represented by the Feast of Harvest, was coming to an end. From the generation after Christ to the predictions of 1000 AD, 1844, 1914, 1988, 2000, and numerous others, people who predicted the end of the Age of the Harvest have been proven wrong. Now we have a new batch of Doomsday predictions based on the writings of an Irish monk who listed the future Popes, ending with the current Pope. Some even suggest that he may be the Antichrist. Others misread the blessings of the Blood Moons (See our Blog of 10/15/14 “Blood Moons during the Church Age”.) And the Shemitah years (See our Blog of 10/22/14 “The Shemitah: Year of God’s Favor”) to mean that disaster is on the way.

Just for the record, Pope Francis is a remarkable Christian who has participated in some of God’s most important movements in the Earth. He has supported the Charismatic Catholics, who have brought millions into the Kingdom of God, and promoted the Reconciliation Movement which is responding to Christ’s prayer for unity of believers. (See our Blog of 3/5/14 “Pope’s Unity Message Goes Viral”) We wish Pope Francis a long and blessed life until God takes him home and the election of the next Pope exposes the foolishness of the “Last Pope” prophets.

The real damage done by these false Doomsday prophets extends far beyond their foolishness and slander of a good Christian. The focus on gloom and fear is a distraction from our mission to bring good news and hope to the world. Attacks on fellow Christians are not only a form of rebellion against Christ’s command to love our brothers, but also create divisions which undermine the Gospel.

We must leave foolish controversies behind and get about our business of making disciples throughout the world (See our Special Report “The Age We Live In”).
We still live in the Age of Pentecost. Celebrate it every Sunday. Live it every Monday.

Honoring Our Defenders

            Next Monday, Memorial Day, the U.S. pauses to remember those who gave their all in our defense.

 

Warfare is one of the oldest activities of mankind. Beginning with Nimrod in Babylon, rulers have used force of arms to subjugate their enemies and, often, their own people (See our Blog of 1/28/2015 “The Nimrod Spirit”). The great empires of antiquity, Babylon, Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Greece, and Rome rose and fell to the cadence of armies on the march. And the people suffered from the plagues of death, famine, and disease which followed the armies.

 

Into this world of brutal warfare God sent deliverers to his people. Abraham recued Lot, Moses defeated Egypt, Joshua defeated the Canaanites, and the Judges fought to rescue the Israelites when they repented of their disastrous turns away from God. God built a great Kingdom on the victories of King David, but the people repeatedly fell into sin and many of their Kings moved in the Nimrod Spirit. The horrors of warfare came upon God’s rebellious people, and the Israelites became slaves in the Promised Land (See Neh 9:36, 37).

 

Christ came into a world ruled by the sword, but He refused to build His Kingdom by the sword. Instead, he established His Kingdom within the hearts of believers, giving them the inner strength to overcome their real enemy, Satan. Jesus was the greatest revolutionary of all time, bringing millions out of the Kingdom of Darkness. Even the mighty Roman Empire finally bowed its knee and surrendered to Christ.

 

Alas, the plague of warfare was not eradicated even in the Christian Lands. The Church followed the path of Israel, falling into sinful periods and suffering divisions. New Nimrods arose, some from the Church itself, to subjugate their people. And, as with Israel, God sent deliverers, some with a Bible, like St Patrick who converted the Irish, and some with the sword, like Charles Martel who saved Europe from an Islamic Invasion.

 

God has also raised up deliverers for our country, whose sacrifice we remember on Memorial Day. Jesus said “Greater Love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:14). As the Lord commends them for their love, so should we.

 

Let us then pray for our defenders as we honor those who showed the greatest love by sacrificing their lives for us.

 

 

The Peace of Jerusalem

This week on May 14 the Nation of Israel will celebrate its 67h year as an independent nation.

 

The rebirth of Israel after almost two thousand years stands as an amazing fulfillment of Bible prophecy.  Numerous scriptures refer to an end time role for the Nation of Israel. Even the date of Israel’s formation can be calculated from the scripture in Revelation 11: 1,2 which speaks of a “42 month”, or 1260 year, “Age of the Gentiles” which is  measured from the time the Temple Mount was lost to unbelievers. From the time the Dome of the Rock was constructed on the Temple Mount, 687, until 1947, the year the U.N. voted to establish Israel, exactly 1260 years had passed.

 

The survival of Israel against overwhelming forces is one of the greatest modern miracles of God. Israel has fought wars in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973, and has emerged victorious every time. She has fought many smaller engagements and has endured sustained terrorist activities. The Hand of God has been evident, as described by The Prophet Zechariah, who speaks of Jerusalem as an “Immovable Rock” and a “Cup that sends the surrounding peoples reeling” (Zechariah 12:2,3).

 

Yet today Israel is still surrounded by its enemies. Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, Al Queda and Iran are sworn to Israel’s destruction. As of now Israel’s enemies are fighting among themselves, but the Islamists are still pushing for an end to their peace with Israel. For those who subscribe to a historical interpretation of Revelation, the situation is described in Rev 9:1-11, the fifth trumpet, as a 150 year war with the Arabs (See our special report “The Times We Live In”). We can expect not peace, but another 83 years of warfare in the Middle East.

 

The end will come after Israel is defeated by the Antichrist (Zechariah 14:2 and Rev 11:7). But Jerusalem will rebel against the Antichrist and he will gather the nations to fight at Armageddon (Megiddo, in Israel) (Rev 16:16). Then, when all seems lost, Christ will return to the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4 and Acts 1:11, 12) and destroy His enemies (Zechariah 14:3 and Revelation 19:19-21). Only then will peace come to the Middle East and the world (Zechariah 14:9 and Revelation 20:1-6).

 

Nevertheless, we must continue to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. When they have peace so will we.

Preparing for a New Pentecost

                This year Pentecost Sunday, the time when we remember the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church, comes on May 24. However, throughout the history of the Church there has always been a period of prayer in preparation for Pentecost.

 

Jesus told the believers to return to Jerusalem to be baptized with the Holy Spirit when He ascended to Heaven after appearing to them for 40 days. About 120 believers prayed for nine days in the Upper Room, and on the tenth day, the Feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came on them. That day 3000 members were added to their number, and the Church was born.

 

Toward the end of the ninetieth century Christians began to seek God for a new Pentecost to regain the passion and power of the early Church. On May 4, 1897, Pope Leo XIII declared that the Catholic Church would spend nine days in prayer prior to Pentecost every year, seeking the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and Unity in Christianity. The initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit fell on Protestants soon afterward, but in 1967 the Pope’s desired outpouring fell on the Catholic Church, bringing the Charismatic revival.

 

This year Anne Lotz, daughter of Billy Graham, has asked the Christians pray during the nine days before Pentecost for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. She has also asked the Church to pray for Church and National repentance, evangelism, and turning away of God’s judgment for our sins.

 

Mrs. Lotz refers to the recent signs in the Heavens, the Blood Moons, as indicating an out pouring of the Holy Spirit. (Joel 2:29, 31). We agree that the Blood Moons signal a revival (See our Blog of 10/15/14 “Blood Moons During the Church Age). It is interesting to us that the Blood Moon revival of 1949-50 was focused around her father (See our Blog of 10/6/14 “Billy Graham’s Blood Moon Crusade”). We believe that this revival of the 2014-15 Blood Moons will be based on Christian unity in Christ (See our Blog of 3/5/14 “Pope’s Unity Message Goes Viral”).

 

Let us then join with Anne Graham Lotz and the Catholic Church to pray for a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the nine days prior to Pentecost, May 15-23. Pray for the visible unity of the Church, such as that which will be experienced at the “John 17” unity meeting to be held in Phoenix Arizona on May 23.

 

This year, let us pray in preparation for a historic new Pentecost.

The Lesson of May Day

            This week, on May 1, we mark a pagan holiday which has been celebrated from the most ancient of times until the present.

The European Druids celebrated May 1 as “Beltane”, a holiday named after their god “Bel” and the word for fire, “Tane.” On Beltane all fires were extinguished except for the sacred fires of the Druids, which were then used to start new fires. The ritual actually traces back to Babylon, as does the name of the pagan god “Bel.”

Another ritual of Beltane was celebrated by gathering around the “May Pole.” The pole actually represented the Cosmic Axis, or North Pole, and this type of celebration has been found as far away as the North American Indians. The pole is also a Phallic symbol, similar to the Egyptian obelisk, echoing the pagan claim that their god is the “Seed of Woman” (See Gen 3:15), a title which belongs only to Jesus Christ.

Another feature of the May 1 celebration is its position 52 days, or one seventh of a year, from the Summer Solstice, an important pagan worship date and the focal point of the ancient Stonehenge monument. The day 52 days after the Summer Solstice, August 15, is also a Druid holiday known as Lughnasa. Interestingly, these dates are also celebrated by the Mayans, and form the structure of their 260 day, or five sevenths of a year, calendar. The Egyptians also built a 52 day period into the Great Pyramid, although their periods are tied to the Winter, not summer, Solstice.

These amazing connections between Babylon, Egypt, the Druids, and the American Indians are merely one of many examples worldwide of common cultural practices. For those who understand that the Bible presents an accurate history of humanity, it is a simple matter to trace those beliefs back to the time when all humanity was gathered into one place: Babylon. It was the event we call the Tower of Babel, actually a civil war, which scattered the people and their practices across the earth. And it was God who sent Jesus to save humanity from the false religion born in Babylon.

Next week we can celebrate a Christian May Day where we recognize the goodness and mercy of God as He has poured out his grace on our societies. The National Day of Prayer, May 7, gives us the opportunity to thank God for His mercies and humble ourselves to pray for our nation.

The lesson of May Day is the provable reality of God’s word. Let us learn our lesson and pray that our nation will not go the way of the Babylonians, Egyptians, Druids, and Mayans who turned away from God on May Day.

Carbon 14 and The Bible

            For years some scientists have been using Carbon 14 dating to undermine the Biblical timeline of History and attack the truthfulness of the Bible. Now they are having to rethink their arguments.

 

The Carbon 14 dating method measures the amount of the radioactive Carbon 14 isotope in organic material and, comparing it with modern levels of Carbon 14, productes an age based on the radioactive decay of Carbon 14. This dating method is assumed to be good for 40,000 years, and produces very old dates for archeological sites.  However, it also produces dates which clash with historical dates derived both from Biblical information and other historical and archeological sources.

 

The problem with Carbon 14 dating is simply that the current levels of Carbon 14 are much higher than past levels of Carbon 14, and this produces a much earlier date than the actual date.  Based on the more  accurate data about past Carbon 14 levels, one scientist documented 15,000 findings and found that none were over 7000 years old, and that many were about 4500 years old, the date of the worldwide catastrophe we call Noah’s Flood. Thus , for example, an American Indian artifact claimed to be over 11,000 years old may really be only 3,000 years old.

 

Now archeologists are joining in the criticism of the Carbon 14 dating system. At a recent meeting, a noted archeologist observed that “In some circles it has been a crime to cast doubt on the accuracy of radiocarbon dating.” Nevertheless, this scientist showed conclusively that radiocarbon levels fluctuate from season to season and vary with location, providing erroneous age readings. When added to historical fluctuations in Carbon 14 levels, the whole Carbon 14 dating method becomes very suspect.

 

The reason that some scientists cling to the inaccurate Carbon 14 system is simply that it produces results which are much older than actual. They fear that the real dates would be more in line with Bible history, and they would rather be wrong than give up their Anti-Biblical bias (See our Blog of 1/21/2015 “The Battle Over Biblical Archeology”). Their problem is that the more Science learns about the past, the more it supports the Bible (See our Blogs of 12/31/2014 “Looking Back to Look Ahead” and 4/15/15 “God of the Universe”).

 

We salute the courageous Scientists and Archeologists who challenge the Anti-Biblical Orthodoxy of their peers. Let us pray that God’s truth will prevail and that proofs of the accuracy of the Bible history will continue to be discovered by truth seeking Scientists.

 

And may the attempts to destroy the faith of believers by false, Anti-Biblical, Pseudo-Scientific theories be exposed. Let no weapon formed against us prosper.