An Examination of Biblical Precepts Involved in Issues at Hand |
Contents
Redeemed to Serve God, 1
Why Christians don't vote
2012 Questions for Christians
Personel
Identity
God's Word Attacked
Head Covering
Pentagon to salute gay
troops
College Bubble
Spanish or Chinese?
Various Things To Know
College prof urges parents
to homeschool
Indiana First to allow
citizens to shool law enforcement officers
Various things you need to know
Vaccines
Rick Warren
The Merck Fraud Story
Corn Sugar
Gates and Monsanto Go After Milk
Walmart
Violence and the Posse Comitatus Act
Military prepares for
Martial law (Kill rioters, demonstrators in America)
Model public schools
after Muslim
Chinese Target U.S. Homes
USDA, Mexico & food stamps
From Blue Cross Blue Shield
The Moneychanger market report
The Biggest Financial Scandal in History
There Will Never Be Enough
Jobs In America Again
Election year is here again, and the slick politicians, from Obama and Romney down, will promise anything to deceive the "Christian" to get his vote. Very few successful candidates will remember and keep their pre-election promises. Pharaoh of old set the standard for modern politics thousands of years ago. Those who do not use their freedom to serve God as He requires, will serve wicked and oppressive Pharaohs with no freedom.
And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Exodus 8:1
The goal of the freedom of God's people from bondage was then and is now that they may serve me. Political freedom, that they may serve me. Social freedom, that they may serve me. Fanatical freedom, that they may serve me. Spiritual freedom, that they may serve me.
The godly goal of freedom has never been so they may serve their own desires.
Let us look a little at this statement, that they may serve me. And as we do, note the spelling of LORD in the Old Testament:
1. Heb. Jehovah, has been rendered in the English Bible LORD, printed in small capitals [LORD, ed]. This is the proper name of the God of the Hebrews. The form "Jehovah" is retained only in #Ex 6:3 #Ps 83:18 Isa 12:2 26:4 both in the Authorized and the Revised Version. (Easton, Online Bible.)
Exodus 3:12, is the first mention of serving God. 4:23, in the final instruction to Moses as he prepares to leave his father in law; the Lord tells Moses to tell Pharaoh that he, Pharaoh, is to let His, the Lord's, son go. Why is Moses to demand that Pharaoh let God's firstborn son go? That he may serve me. 5:3, in Moses' first confrontation with Pharaoh, he requests that Israel be permitted to go and sacrifice unto the LORD their God. Moses tells Pharaoh that there is a death penalty against them if they do not go serve their God. 7:16, the first plague of the river into blood is introduced to Pharaoh with the demand that Israel be released that they may serve the LORD God in the wilderness. 8:1, the second plague (frogs) is introduced with the demand that Israel be released so that they may serve God. 8:20, the fourth plague (flies) is introduced with the demand that Israel be released that they may serve God. 9:1, the fifth plague (the very grievous murrain against the cattle) is introduced with the demand that Israel be released that they may serve God. 9:13, the seventh plague (very grievous hail) was introduced with the demand that Israel be released that they may serve God.
10:3, the eighth plague (locusts) was introduced with the demand that Israel be released that they may serve God. V. 12, the final plague in chapter 12 (death of the firstborn), was so that 4:23 could be fulfilled. The final plague caused Pharaoh to send Israel out of his land with the specific instructions to go, serve the Lord, as ye have said, 12:31, 32.
Observe:
First, not every plague was announced to Pharaoh; three out of the first nine arrived unannounced (ninth, sixth and third). The tenth also arrived unannounced.
Second, from the very first mention through the tenth plague of death, the purpose of the deliverance of Israel is clearly presented: that Israel could serve the LORD God apart from the hindrances of Egypt. Also notice where they are to serve God: in the wilderness.
Nine times (6 to Pharaoh) the Lord tells the purpose of the redemption of His people from bondage: that Israel may serve the LORD God.
This purpose was made clear to Moses, 4:23, that he may serve me. In addition, it was made clear to Pharaoh, for every announcement to him also contained the reason for the LORD wanting His people released. Furthermore, Pharaoh explicitly understood why Israel was to be released, 12:31.
In the wilderness... The wilderness may not be the most congenial place to serve the Lord, but we are expected to serve Him every where..
Third, from the very first statement to Moses (3:12), we know that the purpose of redeeming Israel was so they could serve God according to His law-word as He would deliver to them at the Mount.
The purpose for the redemption of the people of God today is for the same reason as it was for Israel of old. The purpose of redemption is to serve God according to every word of God. (Luke 4:3.) In Hebrews 12, Paul sums up the demand upon God's people:
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Every provision for God's people before and after their redemption is for only one purpose: that we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Why? for our God is a consuming fire.
Note that in Moses' first meeting with Pharaoh, he told Pharaoh that Israel had to go serve God, or God would fall upon them with pestilence, or with sword. In other words, Moses told Pharaoh, "Let us go serve our God, or He will destroy us because our God is a consuming fire. He will destroy us if we do not serve Him as He requires." Redemption and grace empowers us to serve God in an acceptable manner which keeps Him from destroying us.
The whole earth is accountable to God. His laws are universal, and work both good and bad whether men want to believe it or not.
Not only are we in these United States in the midst of financial ruin, pestilence, sword, terrible weather, oppression by the wicked, &c, but the entire world is facing the same situation. Though God's people were delivered to serve God in holiness and truth, they (we) are serving the gods of the Egyptians.
Fourth, Exodus 12:31, Pharaoh clearly understood the purpose of Israel's redemption; he sends them out with the specific instructions to go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. Is it not sad that the unsaved Pharaoh's of our day understand better the purpose of redemption than do the people of God? They clearly understand that God's people are redeemed to be a holy people who serve God.
Bettie and I attended a Christian Motorcyclist Association (CMA) state wide rally in southern VA a few years ago. If I remember right, one of the CMA speakers told of a CMA member who went into a rough "biker" hangout with his "Colors" on. (Colors are like a national flag, and consist of a patch worn on the back of a "biker". Colors identify to which biker group the wearer owes allegiance, and the Colors, when worn, are enforced by that group. CMA Colors are bright yellow and blue, and contain the words, "Riding for the Son." Bikers are very sensitive as to how the Colors are worn, and everything means something.) CMA Colors are seen at every biker event in the US, and many overseas events. CMA tents are set up, and a Christian witness of some kind is make available, even in the worse of pagan situations. The Colors represent honest Christianity to the unsaved, and because CMA is known for honesty, many times CMA members are asked to do the registration at pagan events when money is involved. The man at the hangout was acting in a very unChristian way. Because of CMA's reputation, these unsaved "bikers" were not going to let this man demean what CMA stood for. They took the man, cut his CMA colors off, and sent them to back to CMA headquarters. Even the pagan "bikers" expected a Christian to act like a Christian, and demanded it of the man.
Though the world knows that genuine redemption requires serving God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, very few professed Christians will recognize their responsibility. Check how many Christians use the abortion clinics. How many Christians are serving the belly, i.e., sensual desires rather than serving God?
Exodus 8:2 MH makes an interesting observation here: the Lord could have used lions, bears, wolves, vultures or some other terrible beast to plague Egypt, but He chose to use contemptible creatures, frogs, gnats, flies and locust, as His instruments of destruction. God can use what He pleases, when He pleases; God can arm the smallest of His creation against sinful man, and man doesn't stand a chance. (He used a gnat in one of the plagues. How many microscopic virus bugs today are God's servants to judge sin?) All praise, honor and glory belongs to Him alone, and hardened Pharaohs can be made to know God's sovereign power through a gnat just as much as they can through an elephant. If God is our enemy, all creation is against us from the smallest insect to the largest animal.
God uses the foolish and weak things of this world to confound the wise and bring sinners to their knees. How foolish of fallen man, under the name of Christianity, to believe that the only way King Jesus can subdue sinners to Himself is with the sword (literal millennial reign of Christ). Even discounting the convicting and converting power of the Spirit, a microscopic bug can bring fallen man to his knees.
Consider the humiliation of mighty Pharaoh and Egypt destroyed by insects that the smallest child should have been able to master: frogs, lice (gnats) and flies. The Lord pours contempt upon all of man's pride.
The Lord announces to Moses what to say (through Aaron) to Pharaoh. Here is an if-then; "if Pharaoh refuses to hear and do My word, then here is what will happen." Moses is to announce that all the land of Egypt will be smitten with frogs. The Lord gave Pharaoh the opportunity to turn and obey the word of the Lord. Note that judgment does not come upon sinful man unannounced. Romans 2:1-11 tells us that the Lord is patient: He warns and when man does not heed the warning, He sends judgment. (Amos 3:7.) Judgment comes because men refuse to turn from their wicked ways.
The Egyptian frog is a small Nile frog, called rana Mosaica. Notice that it is named after Moses. These frogs were common in the Nile and marsh waters; the miracle is in the fact that they came out of the Nile, where they normally stayed, and completely overran the land.
V. 3. The river will now bring forth a super abundance of frogs, which is the second plague. The first plague was that the Nile became blood, so that no life could remain in it. The next plague is that the river produces so much life that the land is overrun with frogs. Furthermore, the first plague came with warning, and so does the second.
Moses warned Pharaoh so that all Egypt might know that these things were taking place at the hand of the Lord and not some naturalistic force. V. 10, the plagues came and went at Moses command with a specific purpose: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the Lord our God. The purpose of everything which comes into the life of every individual is that thy might know God.
Note that the first plague brought forth death from the river which they worshiped as the source of life, and now with this second plague, which shortly followed the first, brings forth a super abundance of life from the same river. The first plague killed all life: all the fish died. This second plague, by following the plague of death, shows that the Lord has total control of both death and life the river changed, within a very short time, from death to life, and more life than Pharaoh could deal with.
Note that the Lord brings forth abundant life from a formerly dead body. So He does today.
Frogs:
Frogs (tsphardeim, probably "marsh-leapers" (Ex 8:1-15) are very abundant just after the high Nile when the waters begin to recede. Spawn in the mud is hatched by the sun, and the marshes are filled with myriads of these creatures. The frog was the hieroglyph for myriads. The frogs usually remain in the marshes, but in this case they came forth to the horror and disgust of the people. "Frogs in the houses, frogs in the beds, frogs baked with the food in the ovens, frogs in the kneading troughs worked up with the flour; frogs with their monotonous croak, frogs with their cold slimy skins, everywhere from morning to night, from night to morning frogs." The frog was also associated with Divinity, was the symbol of Heqt, a form of Hathor, and seems also at times to have been worshipped as divinity. This plague created such horror that thus early Pharaoh came to an agreement (Ex 8:8-10). A time was set for the disappearance of the frogs that he might know that "there is none like unto Yahweh our God," but when the frogs were dead, Pharaoh hardened his heart (Ex 8:15). In this plague "the magicians did in like manner with their enchantments" (Ex 8:7). Frogs were plentiful, and it would not seem to be difficult to claim to have produced some of them. (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, s.v., Plagues of Egypt, 2. The Plague of Frongs. Online Bible.)
Frogs were reverenced as representing fertility and life, but that did not mean that the Egyptian wanted to touch, much less sleep with them. Even though frogs were a common sight in Egypt, there was no way that this superabundance of frogs could be compared with what Egypt had known in the past. Clearly, frogs were everywhere imaginable, and could not be kept out of any place.
The Nile was worshiped as a source of life. Frogs were worshiped as representing life and fertility, and at Moses' word, both overnight become a source of plague for the people who at one time reverenced them so highly.
Furthermore, notice Moses' words to Pharaoh, vv. 3, 4: into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy and into thine ovens, and into thy kneedingtroughs: and the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.
Ten times Moses tells Pharaoh that this is against him. Pharaoh himself, and all Egypt, regarded the office of Pharaoh as the mediator between what Egypt considered heaven and life on earth. If their supposition were true, then Pharaoh should have been immune from the plagues, but Moses makes it clear that Pharaoh is the plagues' primary target.
The frogs went everywhere, including upon the person of Pharaoh and his people. This in itself would be unusual because normally a frogs flee from people.
Observe:
1) Not only is the people's confidence in Pharaoh being destroyed, but so is Pharaoh's confidence in himself. He, and all Egypt, is being shown that he is no more than another pea in a pod before the Lord God of all nations, God is no respecter of persons and they are shown that the leaders of nations will bear the brunt of responsibility before God.
2) Certainly, we can assume that Pharaoh put everything at his disposal, his full effort, into keeping the frogs from his house and food.
I can imagine the effort of the mighty men of Egypt who went into keeping the person of Pharaoh, his house and food free from frogs, all to no avail.
Notice that when the Lord decrees something, it will be accomplished regardless of the efforts of proud evil men. They could not protect Pharaoh from something as large, and as noisy we might add, as a frog. All human and superhuman effort will not prevent one jot nor tittle of God's word from coming to pass. The kings and rulers of this world are less than nothing in the sight of the One With Whom we have to do. (Isaiah 40:15.) If they cannot protect themselves from something seen and heard, a frog, how much less can they protect themselves from the invisible hand of the Lord which was destroying the proud Egyptians.
3) Specifically, Pharaoh is told that this plague is against him. Godless leaders of all times have considered and do consider themselves exempt from the law-word of God. In fact, we see our own congress exempting itself from the terrible oppressive laws which they try to enforce upon others. The divine rights of kings is directly struck down in all the plagues, this one particularly.
Of course, Pharaoh's expected sovereign immunity is the logical conclusion of the idea that man can be as god. The false dream of sovereign immunity has permeated even Christian circles as Christians seek to become "sovereign individuals", not under obligation to the law-word of God.
4) God's curse, or plague against the hardened sinner will peruse him wherever he goes the sinner cannot escape or avoid God's judgment against his sin. (Psalms 139:7-12.) Note the frogs were primarily where people dwelt. How many have tried to flee from the results of their sin only to find a worse situation at the place to where they fled?
Vv. 5, 6, as with the blood, all the water of the Nile is affected. The Nile was worshiped as the source of life for the land of Egypt, and it becomes just that: the source of so much life that the land is destroyed.
There could be no mistaking the source of this plague Aaron, and Moses' command, stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, with was undoubtedly done in Pharaoh's sight. Nor could there be any mistaking of who did this, for immediately, the Lord's army of frogs gather together, and came up out of the Nile. Egypt, with all of its military might, was completely at the mercy of this army as it pillaged the land.
There could be no naturalistic explanation for the frogs. The river was blood just a short time ago, and now vast 'swarms' of frogs come up out of it to cover the whole land of Egypt at Moses' command. It is significant that the frogs come before the flies. A supper abundance of flies could lead to a superabundance of frogs, but the Lord reversed the order, sending frogs first.
V. 7. The magicians did so with their enchantments... The same thing was said about the bloody river. They could increase the destructive plagues, but could not do anything to ease them. The reason they are permitted to do this is so that Pharaoh would be deceived further and, thus, hardened further. Revelation 16:13-14, three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mount of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophets. They are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth to gather them to the battle against God. We must say that these false spirits appear to be extremely active in our day, for multitudes of people are being led away from obedience to the command-word of God.
V. 8. Though the magicians could charm some frogs from the river, they could not charm the frogs back to the river. Pharaoh must admit that the frogs are from the God of the Hebrews, for he must call Moses and Aaron to provide relief from them. This verse gives us the first compromise offered by Pharaoh. "Take the frogs away," says Pharaoh, "and you can go serve the Lord."
We will see a consistent point about Pharaohwhen the evils are upon him, he makes all kinds of promises. As soon as the evils are removed, he forgets the promises he made. The hardened heart will promise about anything to the Lord when things are difficult and then forget those promises when things are eased. The rulers of this world do the same, promising whatever is needed, so they can stay in power. But when their power is secured again, they continue in their pre-promise ways. When will people learn?
Though Pharaoh admits the frogs are from the God of the Hebrews, he makes no effort to make peace with this God whose hand is against him and his nation. How like the hardened heart today: Though people will admit to the power of the Lord, they will not submit in obedient service to Him. Sinners would rather die at the hands of the Lord's judgment than turn from their wicked ways.
V. 9. Glory over me.. or "Pharaoh, you will have the privilege of establishing the time when the frogs will be removed and again restricted to the river; therefore, when do you want them to leave?"
An interesting observation here is that the Lord is the one Who establishes the area of dominion of both man and animals. The Lord raises up whom He will, when He will, where He will and how He will. (Daniel 4.) He alone establishes the extent (boarder) of their dominion, power and authority. He tells man, "This far and no farther." He tells the rivers and seas, "This far and no farther." (Job 38:8-11.) He tells the animals, frogs in this case, "This far and no farther." Moses asks Pharaoh when does he want Moses to entreat to the Lord to restrict the frogs once again to the bodies of water, showing Pharaoh that the frogs were not a natural phenomenon of any kind, e.g., right time of the year, stars in the right order, & c.
V. 10. To morrow, says Pharaoh. This is undoubtedly one of the strangest statements in scripture. Why in the world would Pharaoh want to spend another night in bed with the frogs? Maybe the time set by Pharaoh was for his own benefit, wanting to be sure that it was indeed Moses' God and not something which would pass overnight.
according to.. that thou mayest... Pharaoh set the time of the frogs departure, but Moses is the one that had to remove them. Because they would only depart when Moses said they would, Pharaoh had no choice but to admit that the Lord God brought them about.
Vv. 11, 12. Again we see the emphasis that the plague is against Pharaoh, for only the Lord can undo what He has done. Only the Lord can undo the mess which man makes of things.
Vv. 13, 14. The frogs came at the word of Moses, and they leave the same way. But they do not leave. The do not hop back into the river from whence they came to be washed away by the current. Rather, they die where they are. We cannot imagine the amount of frogs involved in this plague. The land stank. The river of blood stank also, which shows that it could be nothing but blood.
The sin and hardness of Pharaoh caused the land to stink, and the people had to clean up the mess, which brings home the physical reality of the frogs to the Egyptians they had to rake them into heaps and put up with the smell. They knew for certain that Moses did not conjure up some visual image apart from reality. The frogs were not a figment of their imagination.
It is not difficult to imagine what the people were thinking as they heap up the frogs and smell the stench "Pharaoh is suppose to protect us from things like this, and now we are having to clean up after him." I am sure that the people were not rejoicing as they heaped together the frogs nor as they dug the wells attempting to get drinking water.
Note that every creature on this earth is here for a purpose. When that purpose is finished, so is the creature. God is glorified even in the death of His creatures.
Both the Egyptian's and the Israelites' faith in Pharaoh (the state) was being destroyed piece by piece, and he was being replaced by the Lord God which Moses represented. "I repent" will not stop the results of the hardened heart. Even if Pharaoh would have followed through with his word and had let the people go, v. 14, heaping the frogs and the stinking land, would have still had to be done. "I repent" is not a magical formula which eases or removes the results of sin. Rather, true repentance prevents the sin from coming about in the first place.
V. 15. There are many promises made under stressful situations; then when things smooth out, the promises are soon forgotten. But Moses had been warned of Pharaoh's response.
Moses' warning:
He was warned that Pharaoh would not listen before he met Pharaoh the first time. He met Pharaoh, and Pharaoh responded like the Lord said he would. Moses, depressed and discouraged, returned to the Lord about the hardness of Pharaoh, 5:22, 23. Then in chapter 6, the Lord encourages Moses again, and Moses 'gets it into his heart.' From then on, Pharaoh's hardness does not discourage Moses.
In the first plague, Pharaoh's heart was hardened. In the second plague, Pharaoh hardened his heart. In the third plague, Pharaoh's heart was hardened, v. 19. In the fourth plague, Pharaoh hardened his heart, v. 32. In the fifth plague, the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, 9:12. Pharaoh had reached the point of no return; he had hardened his heart one time too many and the Lord now does the hardening to his own destruction. (I deal with this hardening in 9:12.)
Hardening to personal destruction is presented continually throughout the Scriptures, and confronted in daily life: the hardened sinner can only see the truth of God and move with genuine repentance, only as God permits him to see it. Otherwise his heart is like the frozen ground on a sunny day: the sun melts it, but when the sun moves and the shade takes over, it freezes again.
However, we must take into account Paul's words:
Romans 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
God raised up Pharaoh, and God hardened his heart, all for the purpose of glorifying Himself.
V. 16-19, the dust into lice, the third plague, had no warning. Aaron stretched out his rod at Moses' command without going first to Pharaoh. Keil identifies this insect as a species of gnats which were hardly visible to the eye, but had a painful irritating sting. [This sounds like a flying insect common in Puerto Rico: a very small gnat which could fly through the screen wire. In fact, only if we would not wash the screens, would the screen keep them out. Thy were extremely small, but they bit like a misquote.]
Lice, or whatever biting insect v. 16 might be, as well as flies, are a continual 'plague' in Egypt, as anyone who has been there would testify. Therefore, these two supernatural plagues in the area of troublesome insects would have had to been far beyond anything known before or since for the Egyptians (and Israel; they had been there long enough, 400 years, to know the normal situations in Egypt). Those who hated the God of the Hebrews had to admit that it was indeed their God who brought this insects about.
The first plague dealt with the river; the second brought the frogs up out of the river. Neither created the plague out of nothing, and the magicians could duplicate both. The third plague caused the dust to become lice, and the magicians could not duplicate it. The reason they could not duplicate the lice was that they could not cause life to come out of nothing. These insects came from nothing, and this one was the first to do so. However, Keil (Keil-Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary) offers a naturalistic explanation, saying that the only thing that took place here is a superabundance of reproduction from the eggs in the dust of the ground. Furthermore, Keil says that none of the plagues are to be regarded as a direct act of creation, but rather a supernatural multiplication of what was already in existence.
Observe:
First, even though the Lord through Moses does not announce this plague (nor does He announce two more), He still commands Moses to stretch out his rod. This shows us that God uses men, even behind the scenes. Many will willingly "stretch out their rod" in the sight of Pharaoh and his kingdom, but how many will "stretch out their rod" when no one is watching? In other words, will we obey God and work as hard when no one is watching as we will when others see us? God works through people even when no one knows those people exist.
Second, what Moses did in the background unknown to Pharaoh affected Pharaoh and all his kingdom. Pharaoh and the Egyptians were so obsessed with cleanliness that they shaved all their hair off their bodies. Lice upon them with no way to avoid the lice, would have been a particularly bad plague.
Third, the rich soil of Egypt becomes the source of this plague. Every area which the Egyptians regarded as a giver of life becomes a source of death and destruction to all living within Egypt's borders. Even the dust of the ground obeys our God. "He has many arrows in His quiver."
Fourth, the plagues get worse. This one cannot be duplicated by the magicians and effected them. Even though they admit it is the finger of God, they make no effort to serve this God. How many people know and will admit the truth, yet they will not, under any circumstances, turn to the Author of Truth, the Lord Jesus Christ? They are hardened in their own sins to their own destruction.
This confession of the magicians was not an open confession of the Lord God; rather, it was only an admittance that the lice came from a power greater than Moses and Aaron and greater than themselves, maybe even from one of the Egyptian gods, who knows.. The magicians only confess that some supernatural force is at work; they do not confess that it is the God of Moses at work. Note that hardened man will flee to any reasoning to prevent having to admit that the Lord, He is God. Naturalism is the most common refugegiving a naturalistic explanation for the supernatural workings of the Spirit of God.
No matter how powerful the workers of darkness might appear, they are bound by the Lord. When He says that's enough, that's enough. As I have developed elsewhere, He only allows the amount of work from the forces of evil which will bring praise to Himself, Ps 76:10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. Thus, the Lord only permits evil workers to work so much, then He restrains them. The cutoff point is what will praise Him. They can go that far and no more. Even the evil magicians and the workers of black magic are subservient to the God of Israel.
Fifth and lastly, everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. These evil men, and all evil men of all times, will one day confess that Christ is Lord. Christians should find tremendous comfort in that the wicked will confess Christ one day.
Evidently the lice was a one time only plague. There is no record of Moses having to pray for its removal. It must have come upon man and beast and then died out of its own accord.
V. 20, Again, Moses is sent to Pharaoh with the warning to let the people go that they may serve the Lord
Early.. Lo, he cometh forth to the water..
Evidently Pharaoh was still worshiping the Nile, because Moses is told to meet him at the same place as he did the first time, at the water, 7:15.
Note that this false god, the Nile, had already turned against Pharaoh and Egypt, but he still worshiped it. People who are hardened in their sin cannot see the obvious; they are blinded by their rebellion against the Lord, James 1:22.
Pharaoh was up early serving his false god. Moses was to rise early to confront him. It is a shame when the ungodly can get up earlier in the morning to serve their gods, than what God's children can to serve Him. Is not our God at least as great and deserving as the gods of Egypt? If we expect to confront the gods of this world, we will have to put in at least as much time for our Lord and be at least as dedicated to His worship and service as the pagans are to their gods.
Moses, at the command-word of the Lord, was unafraid of Pharaoh. The righteous are bold as a lion... If we expect to have our Lord's approval, we too must overcome the fear of man.
V. 21, the fourth plague, swarms of flies. Moses is sent to tell Pharaoh before the flies come. The threat is that the flies will be everywhere, as well as covering the ground.
This plague "consisted in the sending of "heavy vermin," probably DOG-FLIES.. a mixture of all kinds of flies.. These insects are described by Philo and many travelers as a very severe scourge. They are much more numerous and annoying than the gnats; and when enraged, they fasten themselves upon the human body, especially upon the edges of the eyelids, and become a dreadful plagues." (Keil) Furthermore, "their bites cause severe inflammation" (Edersheim)
Vs. 22-24. The primary purpose of this plague seems to be so that Pharaoh and his people will be forced to see the division between God's people and the Egyptians. Notice that the magicians admitted in the previous plague that a supernatural power of some kind did indeed bring about the lice, but now they must admit that it is the God of the Hebrews which is bringing these plagues about; the division will be so obvious that even Pharaoh will be forced to recognize it.
This plague probably did not bring death with it as did the next plague. Why then did the Lord make the division here instead of in the nest plague which did bring death? Maybe because the division between His people and the Egyptians is made one step before the ones which start bringing death, for the Lord sought to make stark contrast between the land of Egypt and the land of Goshen where His people dwelt.
Evidently, great swarms of flies were not uncommon in this region. What the Lord brought were supper swarms of flies, but the Lord wanted Pharaoh and Egypt to know that He was the One who brought about the swarms of flies. All of these plagues were of things of which the Egyptians were generally acquainted, but they were so far above and beyond any event in history that they could not avoid the conclusion that they were the hand of the God of the Hebrew slaves.
Again notice that this plague was primarily upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses... Listed first, Pharaoh again bore the brunt of this plague, as the Lord continued to destroy his authority in the eyes of his people.
The Lord did two things so His hand could not be ignored:
1) The flies did not come until the next day and then at the word of Moses. It could not be any more obvious that the Lord authored the files through Moses.
2) Goshen, according to the words of Moses, remained free of flies. Imagine what the Egyptians had to realize as the great swarms of flies covered Egypt, invading absolutely every crack, corner and even covering the ground, yet the land of the Hebrews was free of these flying insects. In other words, the monstrous swarms of flies could not be blamed on a "freak of nature" or some kind of supernatural power because they did not fly into the land where the Hebrews lived.
Observe the workings of God in this one event:
1) V. 22 to the end thou maysed know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. The Lord, He is God in the midst of the plagues against Egypt and its ungodly Pharaohs of our day. He brings all things to pass, all things operate in accord with His will by His divine Providence as He exempts who He will, and moves against who He will.
There is a key phrase here: in the midst of the earth. The Lord is not in heaven and out of touch with reality; rather, He is in the midst of the earth. He came down to see what was going on in Sodom, and we are told in Hebrews that some have entertained angles unawares. The Lord, even before the incarnation, was in the midst of the earth through His people.
Furthermore, His eyes search the whole earth continually. Nothing escapes His immediate attention.
2) The covenant-people paid the price up to this point for the hardness of the ruler of the land.
3) The covenant-people also had to experience the power of their God.
4) The covenant-people also had to have the false gods dealt with in their heart.
5) Pharaoh and his people had to see that there was a difference between themselves and the covenant-people.
6) The Egyptians had to see that they and their gods were powerless before the Lord God of Israel. He had authority, not only over Egypt, but also over Israel and the whole earth.
7) As we mentioned under the frogs, the Lord establishes the dominion and boundaries of even the insects. The frogs were restricted by God to the Nile's waters. Here the flies are restricted from Goshen. The Sovereign God controls every aspect of His creation for His own purpose and glory.
Thus we see that one of the basic laws of the word of God is that the Lord establishes the bounds for men and nations, for the seas and heavens, for animals and insects. Everything moves in the midst of the earth according to His desire. Job 38-41 is the strongest statement on this subject in the Word of God. 38:35, is one of the most amazing verses in Scripture: Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we [are]? The Lord confronts Job and says, "Do the lightnings report to you and ask you where to strike? Do the whirlwinds obey you?"
See also Ex 23:31; Job 14:1-6; 26:13; Acts 17:26 ( And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.)
Jehovah God is a total God Who is in such total control of every aspect of His creation that the flies and gnats only move according to His desire and design. (Note that we, as finite creatures, cannot even begin to comprehend the fact that the Lord is in total control of all things. Divine Providence and Free Will... I cannot even begin to account for this seemingly contradictory statement. All we can say is what is clearly given in the word of God: He is the Lord in the midst of the earth. Either man will learn this like Moses did, or he will learn this as Pharaoh did. We can rest assured that all men will learn that the Lord He is Lord in the midst of the earth. Notice the word Lord... indicating absolute ownership and control.)
Furthermore, the division is made here, leaving a total of 7 plagues against Egypt alone. Compare these 7 plagues to the seven seals and plagues against the ungodly in Revelation 6-10. Therefore, seven is the number of God's perfect and righteous judgment against sin and wickedness.
V. 23. God places the division between His people and Egypt's people. This fact in itself creates great hostility between God's people and the pagans of our day. Fallen man does not want to admit at all that the Lord has placed any kind of division between man. The goal of the ungodly Pharaoh's of our day is to level every one to the lowest common denominator. And maybe today the wheat and tares are mixed together, but one day they will be separated.
V. 24. And the Lord did so.. We can be assured that the Lord will act according to His word. What He says will come to pass, will come to pass.
the land was corrupted... The marg reads, or destroyed. We can not imagine the files that were involved here. The flies not only tormented the Egyptians, but they destroyed the plants when they laid their eggs.
Flies.. MH makes an interesting point. Satan prides himself in being identified the prince of the power of the air: Beelzebub -- the god of flies. Here in Ex 8:24, Satan is proved to be no more than a pretender and a usurper. God uses him to destroy his own kingdom, showing us that Satan himself is at the beck and call of the Lord of Hosts. Job 1 & 3.
There is no mention of the magicians, Satan's servants, at all. They are now useless and helpless in the face of almighty God.
V. 25. The is the second time Pharaoh calls for Moses and offers a compromise, (first-8:10). The enemy of God's people is now willing to tolerate their worship of the Lord, as long as he can keep them under his control.
The average Christian today starts praising the Lord at this point. They say, "Look at the great victory we have won. We can now get a license to worship and serve God." But they mention not that they are still under Pharaoh's control; thus, they have not true freedom to serve the Lord because if they do not obey Pharaoh's policy, he can revoke the license.
Exodus 8:26. Moses rejects the compromise and told Pharaoh why.
1) First, let's continue with the thought from above. We could just as easily say for this verse: "The law of Moses will not tolerate any compromise with Pharaoh. It demands separation from the gods of this world; it demands a particular way in which to worship the Lord. Anything less than what is demanded by the law is sin and unexceptionable by the Lord (1 Jn 3:4)."
Moses tells Pharaoh that the compromise which he is offering will not work, for Israel is required to worship the Lord God in a manner which will offend the Egyptians so greatly that they will stone the Hebrews.
Observe: The service of the Lord God is contrary to public policy. When God's people start teaching God's word and making it part of their lives, the public will not like it. The public is overwhelmingly sinners and, as a rule, will not tolerate a message which points this out to them. The Sodomites are a good example of this intolerance, as is the NEA. They demand freedom to do their thing, but, actually, their goal is 'freedom' to sin without criticism, i.e., freedom from their conscience (the inborn voice of God).
Pharaoh will tolerate, and many times encourage, the worship of God in the land, but that tolerated worship must be unoffensive to the wicked, and according to public policy.
Notice what Moses originally told Pharaoh, 5:3. "If we do not depart from Egypt and sacrifice unto the Lord, He will fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword." Therefore, the indication here is that if Moses (Israel) had accepted Pharaoh's offer to serve the Lord under his authority, their worship of the Lord would have been not only unacceptable, but an abomination to the Lord invoking His wrath.
The religious community today would say something like this: "Praise the Lord, Pharaoh is going to permit us to worship God. All we have to do is compromise a little and maybe get a license. But if we do anything which offends Pharaoh and/or the Egyptians, we will lose our license. But that's OK. All we are interested in is the freedom to preach the gospel." Very few of God's people are interested in black and white. Most want shades of grey which will immune them from the wrath of both God and Pharaoh. Israel was in a fix. They would either have the wrath of God against them, or they would have the wrath of Pharaoh; they would either have God's sword and pestilence against them, or Pharaoh's sword against them. In other words, a religion which offends not the world, offends God. A religion which offends not God, offends the world. Furthermore, Israel clearly cannot serve both God and Pharaoh, for no man can serve two masters. For Israel to accept any of Pharaoh's compromises would have been to serve Pharaoh.
Moses told Pharaoh, "That compromised service to God will bring His wrath down upon us."
Let us consider the next point in this thought, then we will come back. V. 28, Moses will not, can not, accept Pharaoh's offer, so Pharaoh makes another: "OK, go serve your God, but don't go very far away." Pharaoh deceitfully agrees to let the people go, but even this agreement was that they could only go a short distance from Egypt. He offers his compromise in order to have the flies removed.
We are in an election year again (8/6/12). The religious rhetoric is and will continue to be overwhelming. Suddenly every politician becomes a committed Christian, but they are just like Pharaoh: they suddenly see themselves as sinners so they can get what they want, a docile 'Christian' electorate. The sad thing is that the Christians will fall for Pharaoh's deceitful line over and over, every election year. "Pray for me," say these modern day Pharaohs as they deal deceitfully with the people of God. As soon as they are elected, it will be the same old song and dance. Pharaoh's goal is to keep the people in bondage, and the people love their bondage, for it offers security.
Or worse yet, His people will not even vote because "it will not change things", or they have been taught it is sin to vote.
Why do the people fall for same old lies?
A) They have departed from the words of Moses.
B) They desire a political hope. But notice that a political hope, of necessity, must be a compromise.
3) Dispensationalism keeps the political hope alive. Dispensationalism believes that the only hope is that Jesus will one day establish a political base in Jerusalem from which to rule. It is unavoidable that Dispensationalism's political hope would spill over into the secular realm.
Compromise is not acceptable to God nor to the words of Moses. Compromise is not service to the Lord or to His word.
Now back to v. 26.
2) One of the main reasons that they had to depart from the land of Egypt to serve the Lord was because they had to sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians, and if they sacrificed in the sight of the Egyptians, the Egyptians would stone them. In other words, they were to serve the Lord with the very things which the Egyptians worshiped, i.e., sheep, rams, bulls, &c. Moses had been around the Egyptians enough to know how the Egyptians regarded these things, and he knew how they would respond. Therefore, he tells Pharaoh that it would not work to make their sacrifice in the land.
Keil points out that the word abomination means that the Hebrews would not observe the sacrificial rites of the Egyptians at all. "The Egyptians would be very likely to look upon this as an insult to their religion and their gods; 'the violation of the recognized mode of sacrificing would be regarded as a manifestation of contempt for themselves and their gods' (Calvin), and this would so enrage them that they would stone the Israelites."
[Note here that the Egyptians probably sacrificed humans to their gods which were represented by bulls and goats while, on the other hand, Israel sacrificed the Egyptian gods, bulls and goats to the Lord God.]
V. 27. Moses tells Pharaoh that as commanded by the Lord, they must go a three day journey out of the land of Egypt to make the sacrifice.
Observe:
I) It is not enough to serve God; His service must be according to His word. How many individuals and churches have I encountered which feel that all that is important is that they serve the Lord; therefore, they are willing to serve Him in a manner which does not offend the pagans around them. I can think particularly of the incorporation and state license issues, as well as the modern "worship teams" with their secular music, interpretive dances, &c.
II) As he shall command us... Evidently Moses did not know yet all that the Lord would require when they got to the location chooses by the Lord; therefore, he had to go with everything. This is true today. We do not know what the Lord will require of us; therefore, we must take everything we have with us in our service to Him.
III) three days journey... Three days in the big fish by Jonah and the three days in the grave by the Lord. Thus it speaks of complete obedience to the word of the Lord and death to self-will; it speaks of total surrender to the will of the Father for our lives.
V. 28. Pharaoh offers to let them go, but 1) he wanted to limit how far they could go, and 2) he wanted Moses to entreat for him to get rid of the flies.
Observe that many times the ungodly Pharaohs of our day will permit our service of the Lord, yet they insist on setting the limits of our service; they do not mind, and might even encourage, our service, as long as they can control it.
I am firmly convinced that the pagan nations, including the US, that permit the Bible to be taught, see Christianity in the light that American politicians see it: it is no threat to their status-quo. American Christianity has been tamed by Egypt to where it is indeed the Opium of the People; it makes docile people out of one time angry people because they now sit quietly on the sidelines of society waiting for the Rapture. This permits the ungodly to do as they pleasewhat more could they want? The corrupt Christian's teach that the child of God is to be subject in all things to civil authority, so they are. Meanwhile, corruption grows as the Christians withdraw the salt and light from society.
Pharaoh has found Christian leaders who will agree with his demand that they not go too far away from the land of Egypt. He has established guidelines and rules for their service to the Lord, and the Christian says, "As long as I can preach the gospel."
Pharaoh wants a docile people who will not bring about any trouble for him or his servants.
May God help us!
V. 29. Moses departs with a promise to entreat for Pharaoh for the flies to be removed the nest day. He also warns Pharaoh not to deceive him and hold the people back from making their required sacrifice to the Lord.
Vs. 30, 31. Moses departed and entreated with the Lord for Pharaoh, and the Lord removed the flies.
Not a one remained. There could be no mistaking that it was the Lord who removed them. No naturalistic explanation could account for ALL the files being removed at Moses' words.
V. 32. As promised by the Lord, Pharaoh again hardened his heart and went back on his word to let the people go.
Every time I read these statements where the plagues stopped and Pharaoh changed his mind because the plagues stopped, I am reminded that this is typical of hardened sinners. They will promise anything under pressure, but when the pressure is removed, their promise is soon forgotten.
Election year is here again, and the slick politicians, from Obama and Romney down, will promise anything to deceive the "Christian" to get his vote. Very few successful candidates will remember and keep their pre-election promises.
Why have Christians surrendered America to the ungodly?
"Seventy-five percent of American citizens who attend church do not vote. That's 21 million people! Fifty percent of America's Christians are registered to vote. That means that 50 percent are not!
Did you know that in the last six presidential elections, each newly elected president won by a margin of 10 million votes?
So, if our missing 21 million would show up at the polls, send in absentee ballots, and vote early, we could win this war on apathy and claim America back for her good and ours... (New American, 7/12, p. 5)
Against any activity that might influence the world for right and righteousness, particularly the activity of voting, is a major plank in the Dispensational theology. We are now living in the results of modern Dispensationalism as founded by J.N. Darby, and several others of his era, including George Muller. Here is one of Darby's letters:
[From the French]:
VERY DEAR BROTHER,
I write a line in haste, having at heart the course of the brethren with regard to these elections which are about to take place. I found that the brothers at V. had scarcely reflected at all on the bearing of an act which was making them take part in the course of the world. Thanks be to God, from the moment when that was presented to them they saw the thing, and, I hope, clearly. This has led me to think that perhaps the brothers near you may not have reflected upon it either. It seems to me so simple that the Christian, not being at all of this world, but united to Him who died and rose again, has no business to mix himself up with the most declared activity of the world, by an act which affirms his existence as belonging to the world, and his identification with the entire system which the Lord is about to judge; [the soon coming judgment of God upon the world was a constant theme with Darby, starting in the late 1820s, ed.] that I think the truth has only to be presented in order to be acknowledged by those who have understood their position; so much the more that these events* [*The Revolution.] place the world more manifestly (not more really) on its own ground, but more really near the great catastrophe which is about to fall upon those who rise up against God [i.e., the Great Tribulation from which the faithful Christians, defined as those who are "simply waiting for the Lord's return with no worldly activity," will be spared, ed.]. Oh how my soul longs that His people should be separated to Him, [i.e., totally unconcerned about anything around them, totally otherworldly, ed.] and even with understanding of what is awaiting the world, and still more of what they ought continually to await themselves! May God give the grace to be faithful [i.e., God's power to wait and not "mix it up" with the world, ed.] in bearing this testimony, and everywhere, according to the door that He will open, in season and out of season; for His own, so dear to Him, need it.
Events are hastening on, dear brother, and yet as to us we are waiting for but one, that our Beloved, our Saviour should come. His coming becomes a resource, as it has long been a joy to us, and reality still more precious, and more near. May we expect it continually; God alone knows the moment. The Christian takes cognizance of the events which are taking place, as a testimony to the one who understands; but his thoughts, his desire, his portion, is much more within the sanctuary than all that. But is it not true that this voting, as an act of identification with the world (in the very forms which it assumes in the last days), ought to be avoided as a snare by all Christians who understood the will of God and their position in Christ? Always true (I have been acting upon it for twenty years) [and spreading his theories all over Europe, later bringing them to America, we must add, ed.], it is doubly true now. May peace, grace and mercy be with you, dear brother, and be multiplied to you, and may the presence and joy of the Lord be with all the brethren who surround you. Probably I shall set out immediately for England, but in the hope of returning. Salute affectionately all the brethren.
Yours very affectionate.
I think that at the end of Philippians iii., the way in which we wait for Jesus Christ as Saviour, is to deliver us finally from the whole course of this world, such as it is [i.e., waiting for Christ means total unconcern about the course of this world as total strangers passing through town with no interest in what is taking place in the community, ed.].
Montpellier, March 24th, 1848. (Letters of J.N.D. Bible Truth Publishers, Oak Park IL. Reprint, 1971. Vol. 1, pp. 129, 130. Death of the Church Victorious traces these unholy, antiChristian ideas to their present day results.)
Many times over, he expressed his strong feelings against any kind of godly involvement in the world, particularly voting. (See Mat. 28:19, 20. Darby: Voting is a sin, and doubly true now, after the French Revolution. "We do not mix in politics; we are not of the world: we do not vote." Ibid, vol. 2, 439.
Words fail me to express the overwhelming wickedness of the ideas developed and spread over the world by Darby. Darby, and those who followed and still follow him into his wicked error, is the reason so many Christians have withdrawn the Christian salt and light from the rotting world of darkness.
Pastors who fail to tell their people and Christians who fail to register and vote are the cause of our present situation. Obama will be reelected, for God raises up the wicked to judge his indifferent people. In his second term, Obama will complete the destruction he started in his first term.
Since Christians refused to vote for the only good candidate, Ron Paul, they are left with a bad choice, a Muslim or a Mormon?
From Capitol Hill Voice, Dale Crowley, Jr. PO Box 1, Washington DC.
1. Should we entrust the welfare of a great nation to anyone who believes the outrageous, fanciful myths of Mormonism?
2. Put another way: Is it possible for a person to guide a nation and its citizens in right paths who has declared his trust in satanic deceptions?
3. Put another way: How can a nation established and populated by Bible believing devout Christians be properly and justly governed by one whose spiritual foundation are 100 percent hostile to those foundations?
What follows is a modest attempt to help you answer these important questions. Sources are many, and authoritative. Ungrammatical Mormon writings are not quoted directly, but cleaned up and disclosed accurately and succinctly.
1. GENERALLY ANTI-CHRISTIANITY
Historical Christianity is wrong, false, an abomination in the sight of God.
They are all wrong . . . all their creeds are abomination. (Joseph Smith)
All the so-called Christian world was groveling in darkness . . . the Christian world are heathens as to the knowledge of the salvation of God . . . a more ignorant people never lived than the so-called Christian world. (Brigham Young)
Christianity . . . a perfect pack of nonsense.
What does the Christian world know about God? Nothing . . . they are fools . . . they know neither God nor the things of God. (John Taylor)
Christians . . . the biggest whoremasters there are on earth. (Heber C. Kimball)
What is the church of the devil in our day? Christians and non-Christians. (Bruce McConkie)
2. DOCTRINE INSPIRED SCRIPTURE
"We need no more Bible." (The Book of Mormon)
3. DOCTRINE GOD THE FATHER
God was once a human being.
All human beings, especially men, have the potential to become God.
God had a wife, by whom all human beings came into being.
Adam is our father and our god. (Brigham Young)
4. DOCTRINE JESUS CHRIST, GOD THE SON
Jesus is the brother of Lucifer (Satan). Jesus was a man who became God.
5. DOCTRINE ATONEMENT, SALVATION
Rejects the blood atonement and substitutionary atonement. "Utter Nonsense"
There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith claimed that a heavenly messenger appeared, and said, "This is my beloved son; hear him."
6. DOCTRINE MISCELLANEOUS
A New Jerusalem will be established in Missouri. Joseph Smith will be crowned King of the Kingdom of God.
All human beings had a previous existence. Mormon men (founders? prophets? elders? leaders? all?) are entitled to have sexual relations and marry any and every woman they desire.
DISCOVERIES AND DISCLOSURES BY A FORMER MORMON ELDER
*Mormonism is rooted in Luciferianism, Freemasonry, witchcraft, and occultism.
*Mormonism teaches that America will someday be ruled by Mormons, in a religious dictatorship.
*Evangelicals' and conservatives' high regard for Mormon Glenn Beck is disturbing.
WARNING
Satan's takeover of the United States of America through the decades and centuries has been rooted largely in the maxim
THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS
But should the people of a Holy God embrace evil under any circumstance . . . even the "LESSER of two evils"?
What does Exodus 23:2 mean? "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil."
What is its application 3,500 years later?
Could "multitude" equate with, or be similar to "majority"? (Note: Christian people do not like to face such questions these days.)
Prostate update.
Greatly enlarged, but really no signs of cancer. Enlargement makes the psa test higher than normal. Doctor said he would tell me when it was time to panic.
My daughter and her family from Ohio, Cincinnati area, came out here for a few days of her husband's vacation. He had three goals: Visit Gettysburg battlefield, visit where Bettie and I were married, the Dobbin's House in Gettysburg, and to raid a train. We visited the area of the battle field on the west side of Gettiesburg where that battle started when the Confederates attacked Gettiesburg. We ate at the Dobbin's House, where Bettie and I were married.
And the next day, we went to Cass WV, as far south of us as Gettiesburg was north. Cass was a very busy lumber town up into the 1960s. The Cass State Park is located in this small town. The park is maybe 1000 ft wide and 15 miles long, consisting of the only remaining rail line to the top of Bald Knob. At one time, there were well over 125 miles of rail line in that part of the WV mountains, built to harvest the timber from that area. The only surviving line was built to Bald Knob in order to harvest the spruce trees at that 4700 ft elevation. When the rail lines were taken up in the 1960s, the one remaining line to the top was salvaged from the cutting torch, and made into a state park. The State now runs a daily tourist train to the top of Bald Knob, and another three times a day to the half way point up the mountain. The trains are powered by Shay steam locomotives. One engine is over 100 years old, and is still in daily service. The Shay was developed to work the very steep grades in the mountains. Their top speed on a level ground is around 12 mph, but up the mountain it is only 4-6 mph. The grade to Bald Knob was 6 to 9%, which some short stretches of 11%. A 2% grade on modern railroads is considered steep. There are no major roads over 9% even going over the mountains on US 33, or US 50. 9% is steep. These Shay engines brought untold millions of board feet of lumber out of the mountains all over the US, before trucks took over. Stop in to see us, and we will take you to the tourists sites withing driving distance. See my facebook page.
We were caught in the wicked weather front that passed through June 26, 2012, but the Lord was good. We were only without power for about 20 hours. A small tornado did touch down about 2 miles from us in one of our Church members woods. Some areas of WV were without power for many days. If you have driven across US 33 or US 50 in eastern WV, you understand why it took so long to restore the power.
The blessing of being in our mountain home is that we are about 10 degrees cooler than down in Moorefield. 101 down there, and mid 90s here. Night time allows us to open windows, turn on the fans and normally get the house cool enough that AC is not needed through the day, except on rare occasions. But so far this year, we have used it a lot. Pity the power bill.
The garden is coming on. Bettie planted a vertical garden this year, and we are being overrun with beans, &c. We have had to water it, and since we are on well water, the const is minimal. The tomato are loaded, and the blackberries keep us busy. The purple hulls are running over their box, and the other beans are climbing toward the sun. 60 o on July 30 makes it hard for the tomattows to rippen. We are praying for an early harvest, for we want to go see Bettie's oldest daughter and their 10 children in Kenya in September. We have a state policeman and his wife who have agreed to house-sit while we are gone. The next edition of the Examiner will probably be in Oct.
I have been asked to deal with Identity's Gentile corruption. It is in the works: Identifying Identity's Gentile Corruption or Biblical Order to Identity's Gentile Chaos.
In it, we deal with the error of those who hold to the strange theory that the Anglo-Saxon, or Gentiles, race is actually the "lost tribes" of Israel. Example:
It would not be much of a mystery if the gentiles in the Bible were simply non-Israelites to whom Yahshua granted salvation through his propitiating sacrifice. (He knows the words to use to make his suppositions plausible, ed.) But it would be intriguing if some of these gentiles fulfilled Bible prophecies that were intended for Israelites. What if these gentiles were somehow racially related to the Israelites of biblical antiquity, and the redemption and remarriage that Yahweh promised to the divorced and dispersed Israelites actually applied to certain gentiles in the New Testament? Could some of the gentiles actually be other than whom they are commonly considered to be? These possibilities present a much more perplexing puzzle than simply that salvation was granted non-Israelites.
To correctly answer the foregoing questions, a person must become familiar with two words, one Hebrew and one Greek." (Weiland, "The Mystery of the Gentiles..." p. 35. The two words translated as gentiles are goy and goyim, which we deal with in the booklet.)
What can we say about such a horrendous attack of doubt against God's word?
The perplexing puzzle is not from God, but is the fruit of a vain and evil imagination: mystery, intriguing, what if, could some, possibilities where there is no such possibility offered by God. The "perplexing puzzle" that he (Weiland) will seek to answer comes from his casting doubt on the word of God; that is, Yea, hath God said (Gen. 3:1) that the Biblical Gentiles are "simply non-Israelites to whom Yahshua granted salvation through his propitiating sacrifice?"
He has cast doubt upon God's word with the above emphasized words, as he attempts to prove that the Gentiles of Scripture are actually the Anglo-Saxon race, and he mocks all who disagree with him.
I must put McClintock & Strong's 1876 quote here:
I. The "Lost Tribes," This has been an inexhaustible source of theologicao-historical charlatanism on which there have been written so many volumes that it would be difficult to condense the contradictory opinions advanced in them within the limits of a moderate article. Suffice it to say that there is scarcely any human race so abject, forlorn, and dwindling, located anywhere between the Chinese and the American Indians, who have not been stated to be the ten tribes which disappeared from history during and after the Babylonian captivity. If the books, written on the ten tribes contained much truth, it would be difficult to say where they are not.
The booklet will include an index.
In our short booklet, we simply deal with Identity's gross misuse of the word gentile. Identity, through massive word confusion, seeks to make the Anglo-Saxon race the primary recipient of God's amazing grace as the literal seed of Abraham. I stand amazed at Identity's corruption of God's word.
Did you see
Rick Warren is teaming up with Dangerous doctrine people with the Daniel Plan.
Dr. Oz, who is Muslim, etc. 51 minutes long, but worth listening to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BskPtjZxCTc
"The problems we face today exist because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living."
By Thomas Williamson
1 Corinthians 11:2-16 is a rather mysterious passage that is avoided by most of us (except for verse 14 which teaches against long hair on men -entire sermons have been preached on that one verse).
For the most part, we ignore the rest of that passage. I have never preached on it and I do not recall ever hearing a sermon preached on it.
There is a perception that if we did teach from this passage, it would require us to lay upon our ladies a requirement that they wear hats in church - and few of us have the desire to stir up controversy or commotion on that issue.
Recently I did an in-depth study on the passage, to seek to understand what Paul's instructions would have meant to the ancient believers in Corinth, and what they mean for us today.
The first conclusion or postulate that I developed concerning this passage is that Paul here is expounding on a principle that is based on the creation order of God as taught in Genesis (see verses 8-9). Therefore, the principle taught here (whatever it is) applies to us today, not just to the church in Corinth in the First Century AD.
(Of course, those who believe in theistic evolution would not take this teaching seriously, nor any other teachings of Paul or of Christ that are based on a literal understanding of the Genesis account of creation). Since I reject any form of evolution, I am willing to accept Paul's teaching on the roles of men and women, based on the original creation order.
My second conclusion is that whatever Paul is teaching in this passage, it applies to married women only, not to all women. In verse 3 Paul states that "the head of the women is the man. " I would understand this as a reference to married women being under the headship of their husbands. I do not believe that Paul here was stating that all women, including those not currently married, are under the headship of a man.
Some would disagree with this, and would place all single women under the headship of some man or men. They would tend to place single women under the headship of their father. But what about women whose fathers are dead, or ungodly, or have abandoned the family? Some women do not even know who their father is.
I will leave explanations for such situations for those who take the position that all women are under the headship of some man. My understanding is that Paul, at least in this context, is dealing only with the proper role of married women under the headship of their husbands.
My third conclusion is that when Paul refers to head coverings in this passage, he is not talking about hats, or scarfs, or doilies - he is talking about veils. The standard commentaries appear to be almost unanimous on this point, that the head coverings here are veils. This being the case, getting all the ladies to wear hats in church would not fulfill the intention of Paul's teaching here.
In verse 5 Paul expresses disapproval of women praying or prophesying in church without the head covering. There are those who take the position that women are to be totally silent in church and not say anything at all. But if Paul had taken that position, he would have commanded women to stop praying and prophesying, rather than giving regulations as to how they should be attired while praying and prophesying.
(In 1 Corinthians 14:34, when Paul tells the ladies to keep silence in the churches, the intent appears to be that married women should not publicly contradict their husbands in the church service, but should ask any questions in private at home. Here again, the teaching is directly to married women only. Others interpret this as a prohibition against women speaking in tongues in church).
It was the custom for Jewish men to pray with their heads covered, but Paul specifically contradicts that tradition in verse 7, telling the men to leave their heads uncovered. Paul bases these contrasting roles and manner of dress for men and women on God's creation order, verses 8-9.
Verse 10, "For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels," has puzzled many over the years. A good explanation of "power" is found in the notes of the original 1611 edition of the King James Version: "That is, a covering, in sign that she is under the power of her husband."
In those days, it was common in Greek, Roman and Jewish society for married women to wear veils in public as a recognition of the headship of their husbands. Paul believes that Christian women should observe this practice, since to put away their veils in public would have been interpreted as a rebellious and subversive declaration of woman's liberation, and a rejection of traditional roles of wifely submission to husbands.
The reference to "angels" is best understood as good or unfallen angels, who are described in I Peter 1:12 as having a curious interest in the affairs of redeemed humans. They did not join in Satan's rebellion against God's created order, but willingly agreed to keep their place in that order. They observe us as Christians to see if we, as well as they, are willing to stay in the places that God has placed us in as part of His created order.
Verse 14 says that it is a shame for man to have long hair, but it does not say it is a sin. Many heroes of the faith, including Samson, Samuel and John the Baptist, took Nazarite vows and had long hair. Paul himself appears to have made a temporary Nazarite vow, Acts 18:18, and therefore may have had long hair while he was at Corinth.
As a general rule in Greek, Roman and Jewish society, it was considered natural for men to have relatively short hair, in comparison to the women. I believe it is still that way today, but some would disagree and say that long hair on men is no longer a big issue.
Verse 15, stating that God has given women long hair as a covering, is understood by some to teach that it is sinful for a women to have short hair, but Paul does not say that. All he says here is that long hair is comely and looks good on a woman, and therefore it is natural that she should also accept the veil as another appropriate and good-looking covering.
Some have interpreted verse 15 to mean that all through this passage, Paul is talking about long hair as being the head covering for women, not veils or hats. This does not make sense, since it would have Paul urging the women to leave their hair on during the worship service and urging the men to take their hair off
In verse 15 Paul is describing women's long hair as another kind of covering, in addition to the veil. To interpret womanly long hair as the covering that Paul was talking about in verses 5 and 6 would put Paul in the absurd position of ordering the ladies to not take their hair off while praying and prophesying in the church.
Verse 16 states, "But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God." Some have interpreted this to mean that if someone wants to make a fuss against Paul's teaching on this matter, then Paul has no such custom as to contend on this matter, and is willing to allow the hearer to disagree and disobey.
This is not what Paul is saying. Rather, he is saying that all those in the various churches in the eastern Roman empire had no other custom than for the married women to wear veils in church. He appeals to the prevailing custom of the "churches" of God - not to a "universal church," but rather to the practice of many autonomous, independent churches that are separate entities but nevertheless are bound together in the unity of the faith.
The application for today is that men and women ought to accept their places in the created order. While long hair on men and short hair on women are not condemned as sin, any deliberate attempt to style one's hair with the purpose of appearing to be of the opposite sex would certainly be frowned upon.
By application, sex-change operations would also be seen as a violation of God's created order. By further application, men adopting a female role in a homosexual relationship, or women taking the male role in a lesbian coupling, would definitely violate the created order.
Should we require married women to wear veils in church today? In my opinion, no. The custom of wearing veils is no longer prevalent in our society. A woman who refuses to wear a veil is no longer seen as being in rebellion against her husband or against the created order.
The principle of submission of wives to husbands remains in effect, but the custom of wearing veils is not binding - it falls into the same category as such things as foot washing and the "holy kiss." Some would put laying on of hands and anointing with oil in the same category, of things which we should observe in principle, but not necessarily following the literal forms of ancient times.
It appears that in ancient Greek society, women in certain pagan cults were known for casting off their veils as part of their wild, raucous manner of worship. Such actions would have been shocking to traditional Greek society and would have been interpreted in a manner similar to the way we would react to modern women burning their bras, as was popular for a while among the radical "liberated women" in the 1970's.
Nowadays, married Christian women display their proper wifely submission in such manners as wearing wedding rings, and by refraining from contradicting and arguing with their husbands in public, which appears to be what Paul forbids in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35.
With apologies to those in the business of manufacturing and retailing women's hats, I offer the foregoing as a possible solution to a puzzling and mysterious passage of Scripture.
By Pauline Jelinek
AP, June 14, 2012
WASHINGTON ? Last summer, gays in the military dared not admit their sexual orientation. This summer, the Pentagon will salute them, marking gay pride month just as it marks other celebrations honoring racial or ethnic groups.
Officials said Thursday that they're planning the first-ever event to recognize gay and lesbian troops. They declined to give details about what the event will be, but officials said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta feels it's important to recognize the service of gays in the armed forces.
June is gay pride month in the U.S. This is the first time the Pentagon could participate, since September's repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." Under the 1993 law, troops were kicked out for talking about their sexual orientation and more than 13,000 lost their jobs.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jun/14/pentagon-to-recognize-gay-troops/
Advice for mny students and parents: Explorer non-college options.
By Marvin Olasky, World, 1/14/12.
LOOKING AHEAD at the next bubble to burst: higher education. Costs keep going up at traditional four-year colleges, in part becausewith the notable exception of some Christian colleges and a few others that are studentorientedprofessors do not make teaching their prime activity.
Examples are numerous. Here's one: This past year the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) released a study showing that 80 percent of the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin receive full-time pay for teaching an average of 63 students per year, the equivalent of three classes per year of 21 students each.
The joke used to be that tenured professors with too much time on their hands sold real estate on the side, but this past year a New Jersey physics professor went to extremes. Police arrested him, along with a distinguished former president of the University of New Mexico, for allegedly running an online prostitution ring.
Most professors, of course, spend time in other pursuits. The Pope Center for Higher Education Policy in North Carolina recently asked whether an English professor who teaches Shakespeare will advance his career more by (1) Closely rereading the major plays of Shakespeare and their most important critiques, reading about Elizabethan history, preparing for lectures, and correcting written grammar when grading papers, or (2) Writing the one-millionth academic article on Shakespeare, "with an emphasis on cross-dressing, food, or some other obscure topic."
The answer: Number 2. And thus taxpayers spend thousands of dollars to subsidize conference papers that perhaps half a dozen people read, out of obligation. If you have a free half hour, visit the Postmodernism Generator (elsewhere.org/pomo) and make up amusing titles of the kind that fill research journals and allow professors to pretend that they are productive. Examples include "The semiotic paradigm of context in the works of Madonna" or "The capitalist paradigm of expression in the works of Fellini."
While students write poorly, professors prattle instead of teach. Meanwhile, parents pay tuition because it's socially the thing to doand they've also bought the talk that college graduates earn much more than non-graduates. That's true, but Richard Vedder, an education economic expert, estimates that two-thirds of superior earning comes from the intelligence and character of the earner rather than the degree itself.
That raises another question: Do colleges help or hurt character formation? Some students work hard, particularly when they add a part-time, bill-paying job to their classes, and some colleges demand hard work, but many students have an implicit deal with many professors: Neither will work hard.
The blog Gonzo Town describes college years, with some hyperbole, as a "four-year window in which to master the fine art of drinking beer," with "cheap tickets to Division I football and basketball games and their fantastic after parties ... a bottomless trough of free time to play computer games in your apartment, eat pizza, [consume] lots of beers, drugs, sports, parties, games, sex."
Gonzo Town has a good suggestion: "Go to community college for two years. By doing this you have the following advantages over your mostly deluded elite counterparts at a four-year university. You will have no debt, you can earn money, perhaps live at home and save money, get more or less the same curriculum the university college offersat a fraction of the cost." Drawbacks, though, include fewer parties, and "you have to put up with your parents for a while longer."
Some students can then transfer to a college, but Gonzo Town also offers a second option: "Learn a trade and become a 'skilled worker.' Here is a truly revolutionary concept, so radical in fact, the entire U.S. and European modern economies were built upon it. Question: Who earns more than a lawyer, .a resident physician, or most company directors? Answer: a plumber."
I'm not at all suggesting that those called to be lawyers, doctors, professors, etc., should not go to college. I am suggesting that work as an electrician, landscaper, or X-ray technician, or in hundreds of other occupations that don't require a four-year college degree, also glorifies God and should be honored by all of us. Many high-school graduates should spend their time that way instead of incurring huge loans for the opportunity to be unemployed and resentful.
David Peters Special to Salem-News.com
In the near future, human development can potentially be dictated by corporate America, through the Bill & Malinda [sic] Gates Foundation and their $8.3 U.C. Davis grant.
Bill Gates
Courtesy: alanmesher.com
(WASHINGTON DC) - Monsanto's head of the FDA's food safety division is threatening to get rid of raw (real) milk, and the real reason for this may have reared its ugly head.
The following is certainly not a scientific assessment of Gates' project but it is clear he is intending to genetically engineer milk and is looking at altering immunity itself.
BILL GATES PAYS FOR EXPERIMENTS TO GENETICALLY MODIFY HUMANS
(Snip)
Complete article at http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june122012/monsanto-gates-dp.php
See also, Death by Vaccination, http://deathbyvaccination.com/
Note: Monsanto appears to be the world's worse enemy as it goes after the world's food supply, unconcerned about how many innocent people it kills as it seeks control and to increase the bottom line. For the love of money is the root of all evil.
The following are 45 signs that China is colonizing America.
#1 It was recently announced that China's Dalian Wanda Group has bought U.S. movie theater chain AMC Entertainment for a whopping 2.6 billion dollars. This deal represents China's biggest corporate takeover of a U.S. firm ever.
#2 Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve announced that it has given approval for banks owned by the Chinese government to buy stakes in U.S.-owned banks.
#3 A few days ago Reuters reported that China is now able to completely bypass Wall Street and purchase U.S. debt directly from the U.S. Treasury Department.
#4 A recent investigation by the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services found more than one million counterfeit Chinese parts in the Department of Defense supply chain. How in the world could we be so stupid?
#5 After being bailed out by U.S. taxpayers, General Motors is currently involved in 11 joint ventures with companies owned by the Chinese government. The price for entering into many of these "joint ventures" was a transfer of "state of the art technology" from General Motors to the communist Chinese.
#6 A Chinese company known as "Sino-Michigan Properties LLC" has purchased 200 acres of land near the town of Milan, Michigan. The goal is to build a "China City" with artificial lakes, a Chinese cultural center and hundreds of housing units for Chinese citizens.
#7 As I reported on recently, corporations controlled by the Chinese government have been rapidly buying up U.S. oil and gas deposits worth billions of dollars.
#8 Chinese investors have been gobbling up real estate all over New York City. The following is from a recent Forbes article?.
According to a recent report in the New York Times, investors from China are "snapping up luxury apartments" and are planning to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on commercial and residential projects like Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn. Chinese companies also have signed major leases at the Empire State Building and at 1 World Trade Center, the report said.
#9 The Chinese are also doing huge real estate deals in cities in the middle part of the country. The following example is from an article in the Toledo Blade.
Dashing Pacific Group Ltd., which has already purchased the nearby Docks restaurant complex for $2.15 million, put its $3.8 million offer to buy the southern 69 acres at the Marina District in East Toledo back on the table for approval by Toledo City Council. Additionally, Dashing Pacific Chairman Yuan Xiaohong, in a letter signed in Hangzhou, said the firm wants a two-year option to buy the decommissioned Toledo Edison power plant property on the site.
#10 According to ABC News, major road and bridge projects all over the United States are being built by Chinese companies. Meanwhile, there are millions upon millions of blue collar American workers that cannot find jobs. The following is a brief excerpt from a recent ABC News article?.
In New York there is a $400 million renovation project on the Alexander Hamilton Bridge.
In California, there is a $7.2 billion project to rebuild the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland.
In Alaska, there is a proposal for a $190 million bridge project.
These projects sound like steps in the right direction, but much of the work is going to Chinese government-owned firms.
"When we subsidize jobs in China, we're not creating any wealth in the United States," said Scott Paul, executive director for the Alliance for American Manufacturing.
#11 The new World Trade Center tower is going to include glass that has been imported from China.
#12 The new Martin Luther King memorial on the National Mall was made in China.
#13 Check out this incredible photo which contrasts the decline of Detroit over the years with the amazing rise of Shanghai, China. (http://www.thedeathofamerica.org/images/shanghai-detroit.jpg)
#14 A couple of years ago, a large Chinese company was considering building "a 10,000- to 30,000-acre technology zone for industry, retail centers and homes" just south of Boise, Idaho.
#15 Our trade deficit with China in 2011 was $295.5 billion. That was the largest trade deficit that one country has had with another country in the history of the planet.
#16 In 2011, our trade deficit with China was 28 times larger than it was back in 1990 and more than 49,000 times larger than it was back in 1985.
#17 Back in 1998, the United States had 25 percent of the world's high-tech export market and China had just 10 percent. Today, China's high-tech exports are more than twice the size of U.S. high-tech exports.
#18 America has lost more than a quarter of all of its high-tech manufacturing jobs over the past ten years.
#19 According to the Economic Policy Institute, America is losing half a million jobs to China every single year.
#20 The U.S. spends about 4 dollars on goods and services from China for every one dollar that China spends on goods and services from the United States. Does that sound like "fair trade" to you?
#21 While we allow Chinese goods to freely flood our shores, China just keeps slapping new tariffs on American-made goods. According to the New York Times, a Jeep Grand Cherokee that costs $27,490 in the United States costs about $85,000 in China thanks to all the tariffs.
#22 According to U.S. Representative Betty Sutton, an average of 23 manufacturing facilities a day closed down in the United States during 2010.
#23 The United States has lost an average of approximately 50,000 manufacturing jobs a month and more than 56,000manufacturing facilities in the United States have been shut down since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.
#24 The United States has lost a staggering 32 percent of its manufacturing jobs since the year 2000.
#25 Between December 2000 and December 2010, 38 percent of the manufacturing jobs in Ohio were lost, 42 percent of the manufacturing jobs in North Carolina were lost and 48 percent of the manufacturing jobs in Michigan were lost.
#26 In 2010, China produced more than twice as many automobiles as the United States did.
#27 In 2010, China produced 627 million metric tons of steel. The United States only produced 80 million metric tons of steel.
#28 In 2010, China produced 7.3 million metric tons of cotton. The United States only produced 3.4 million metric tons of cotton.
#29 Today, China produces nearly twice as much beer as the United States does.
#30 85 percent of all artificial Christmas trees are made in China.
#31 China is now the number one producer of wind and solar power on the entire globe.
#32 Chinese solar panel production was about 50 times larger in 2010 than it was in 2005.
#33 Right now, China is producing more than three times as much coal as the United States does.
#34 China is now the number one supplier of components that are critical to the operation of U.S. defense systems.
#35 According to author Clyde Prestowitz, China's number one export to the U.S. is computer equipment. According to an article in U.S. News & World Report, during 2010 the number one U.S. export to China was "scrap and trash".
#36 According to Professor Alan Blinder of Princeton University, 40 million more U.S. jobs could be sent offshore over the next two decades.
#37 The United States had been the leading consumer of energy on the globe for about 100 years, but during the summer of 2010 China took over the number one spot.
#38 15 years ago, China was 14th in the world in published scientific research articles. But now, China is expected to pass the United States and become number one very shortly.
#39 China now awards more doctoral degrees in engineering each year than the United States does.
#40 China now possesses the fastest supercomputer on the entire planet.
#41 China now has the world's fastest train and the world's most extensive high-speed rail network.
#42 The Chinese economy has grown 7 times faster than the U.S. economy has over the past decade.
#43 The Chinese economy is projected to be larger than the U.S. economy by 2016.
#44 One economist is projecting that the Chinese economy will be three times larger than the U.S. economy by the year 2040.
#45 China now holds approximately 1.17 trillion dollars of U.S. government debt. If you were alive back when Jesus was born and you had spent a million dollars every single day since then, you still would not have spent that much money by now.
Copied from http://www.yolohub.com/economy/45-signs-that-china-is-colonizing-america
6/11/12
(ORLANDO SENTINEL) For the past 21 years I have taught economics to more than 14,000 college students here in Central Florida.
During that time I have made a concerted effort to glean information from my Valencia students as to their educational background preceding their arrival in college.
Drawing from a sample size this large multiplied by two decades multiplied by hundreds of thousands of test answers has put me in a good position to offer the following advice to any reader of this paper with children in Florida's K-12 public schools.
Get them out now before you ruin their life. ...
http://www.wnd.com/2012/06/college-prof-urges-parents-to-homeschool/?cat_orig=education
Monday, June 11, 2012
Indiana First State to Allow Citizens to Shoot Law Enforcement Officers
(graphic: traditioncreek.com)
Police officers in Indiana are upset over a new law allowing residents to use deadly force against public servants, including law enforcement officers, who unlawfully enter their homes. It was signed by Republican Governor Mitch Daniels in March.
The first of its kind in the United States, the law was adopted after the state Supreme Court went too far in one of its rulings last year, according to supporters. The case in question involved a man who assaulted an officer during a domestic violence call. The court ruled that there was "no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers."
http://www.allgov.com/Top_Stories/ViewNews/Indiana_First_State_to_Allow_Citizens_to_Shoot_Law_Enforcement_Officers_120611
Vaccines
Italian Court Reignites MMR Vaccine Debate After Award Over Child with Autism
The Italian Health Ministry recently conceded that the MMR vaccine caused autism in a now nine-year-old boy. The Bocca family has subsequently been awarded a 15-year annuity totaling 174,000 Euros (just under $220,000), plus reimbursement for court costs. The judge ruled the boy ?has been damaged by irreversible complications due to vaccination (prophylaxis trivalent MMR?
A documented serious side effect of vaccination, including smallpox, rabies, pertussis and MMR vaccine, is encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), which can lead to permanent brain damage and also result in regressive behavior
Dozens of studies have confirmed the hotly contested findings of Dr. Wakefield, whose 1998 study suggested a link between the MMR vaccine, chronic bowel inflammation, and symptoms of regressive autism. This is in contrast to the many vaccine industry-sponsored studies that refuted this association, which were widely picked up by the media
The work of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride explains how chronic bowel inflammation resulting from abnormal gut flora can lead to symptoms of autism, as well as many other neurological- and behavioral problems. Children with abnormal gut flora are at increased risk for vaccine damage, and parents should seriously consider postponing vaccinations until gut flora has been normalized to minimize health risks
A simple and inexpensive strategy to help minimize vaccine damage is to analyze the stool of the child to determine the state of her gut flora, followed by a urine test to check for metabolites, which can give you a picture of the state of your child's immune system. These tests are available in most laboratories around the world at a cost of about $80-100 per test
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/25/mmr-vaccine-caused-autism.aspx?e_cid=20120625_DNL_artNew_1
Why Did the Wall Street Journal Bury the Merck Fraud Story?
Two virologists have filed a federal lawsuit against Merck, their former employer, alleging the vaccine maker lied about the effectiveness of their mumps vaccine. They claim they witnessed "firsthand the improper testing and data falsification in which Merck engaged to artificially inflate the vaccine's efficacy findings."
The Wall Street Journal published the story on June 22, 2012, but within days, it was scrubbed from the internet. Was the story erased as a result of discussions at the Wall Street Journal's "elite" CFO network on June 25, which includes Merck?
Other censored vaccine news include the Italian Health Ministry conceding the MMR vaccine caused autism in a now nine-year old boy, which was not covered by US media
Chatom Primary Care has filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Merck, alleging Merck went to great lengths manipulating test procedures and falsifying results to prop up fraudulent efficacy claims, thereby maintaining its monopoly on the MMR vaccine
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/07/23/merck-vaccine-fraud-story-buried.aspx?e_cid=20120723_DNL_artNew_1
See also,
Corn Sugar
Why Is Big Corn Continuing to Run "Corn Sugar" Ads Even After FDA Denial?
While the FDA has stepped in to say that calling HFCS "corn sugar" is not acceptable, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), whose job it is to decide whether or not ads aired on television are deceptive, has not
The FTC is still allowing the Corn Refiners Association to advertise HFCS as "corn sugar" in TV advertisements
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/25/fructose-on-corn-sugar.aspx?e_cid=20120625_DNL_artNew_2
Walmart
Walmart to Sell Monsanto [Bt] GMO Corn this Summer.
"Walmart is set to sell a new form of genetically-engineered (GE) sweet corn as early as this summer. Monsanto's Bt sweet corn contains three GE traits that have never before been consumed directly by humans, and have not been subjected to thorough safety testing. There will be no labeling whatsoever indicating that the corn is a genetically modified organism.
The "Bt" means that the corn contains Bt toxin, which comes from the bacteria Bacillus theringiensis and is commonly used on crops as a pesticide. Monsanto's corn has been modified to produce this toxin, which means it makes its own pesticide, rupturing the stomachs of the insects that eat it. It is unknown what effect consuming a plant that produces this toxin will have on humans, however lab rats that were fed the Bt corn suffer from organ failure..."
Source: http://www.occupymonsanto360.org (http://s.tt/18OnG)
Media Promotes Troops ON Streets to "Cut Down on Crime"
Following reports last week that U.S. Army wheeled tanks would be rolling down residential streets and highways in St. Louis as part of a training program, local news media channels featured interviews with residents who praised the sight of troops on the streets as a valuable crime-fighting tool similar to that used in foreign countries. ...
Why is the news media, in its editorial decision to feature interviews with residents who laud troops on the streets of America in a similar vein to despotic foreign countries, actively promoting the idea of martial law?
Having U.S. troops perform duties normally ascribed to law enforcement officers is forbidden under section 1385 of the Posse Comitatus Act, which states, "Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."
Why is the news media giving editorial credence to something that is not only completely illegal but fundamentally anti-American and more in line with what you'd expect to see in the former Soviet Union or modern-day North Korea?
http://www.infowars.com/media-promotes-troops-on-streets-to-cut-down-on-crime/
Army manual: Kill rioters, demonstrators in America
2006 document for Fort McClellan course: 'Warning shot will not be fired'
http://www.wnd.com/2012/07/army-manual-kill-rioters-demonstrators-in-america/?cat_orig=us
Posted, July 7, 2012.
A newly leaked US Army Military Police training manual for "Civil Disturbance Operations" outlines how military assets are to be used domestically to quell riots, confiscate firearms and even kill Americans on U.S. soil during mass civil unrest.
http://www.infowars.com/dan-feidt-military-prepares-for-martial-law-takeover/print/
On our way to visit our son in PA we at times pass an Army Depot. There is an unbelieveable amount of military aquipment stroed there, ready for instant use. The equipment that we can see is all rubber tired equipment that can operate on civilian streets.
Note: American citizens are being programed to accept martial law; that is, using military troops to enforce civil law in the US as they are used in other countries.
Note that congress is to blame for the out of control FDA, for troops on the street, &c. The "elected" whimps strain at gnats yet swallow camels. They make much about about nothing while government runs away in areas like the TSA.
Speculation: As European nations run out of money and credit to support their welfare states, we see very serious riots taking place in the cities. The "powers that be" on our side of the ocean know exactly what they have done with our nation. Those of us who have followed these various events since the 60s, also realize the place where we are as a bankrupt, chaotic nation is intentional. (I first became acquainted with the John Burch Society in 1965.) Heavy industry and even the hi-tech industry have been intentionally sent of-shore to China, &c. It has been commonly reported since the early 60s that the purpose was to reduce this nation's standard of living as we ship our wealth to other nations. Note the total aversion against using US oil rather than sending the petro dollars to the Muslim nations so they can invest in the destruction of this nation.
My personal conclusion: Shipping all the wealth to Communist nations established by Roosevelt, China, Viet Nam, as well as India, has reduced the US to a beggar nation. With no wealth left here, the central government can only print money to stay afloat. One day soon the US will be in the same place as Greece, with riots in the street. The "powers that be" know what the results will be of their policies, so they are preparing the armed forces to handle the coming riots by those who will not longer be able to get their government checks.
Moreover, check the news: Violence is osculating at a very rapid rate. What can we expect from statist education? Race riots are coming, in fact, are here. Are you ready? Though the national news refuses to cover the black on white violence, World Net Daily is keeping their readers posted. Ignoring the problem will not make it non-existent. http://www.wnd.com/2012/07/black-mobs-knockout-game-raising-alarms/
Lawmaker: Model public schools after Muslim ones (UW Rep. Andre Carson, D-ind)
Praises virtues of Islamic 'madrassas,' 'where foundation is the Quran'
http://www.wnd.com/2012/07/u-s-lawmaker-model-public-schools-after-muslim-ones/?cat_orig=education
Also, this last Fourth, there were several riots, blacks on whites, reported in various cities across the US.
"Chinese Target U.S. Homes
State Bank in Talks to Provide Lennar $1.7 Billion for Two Long-Stalled Projects
By DINNY MCMAHON and ROBBIE WHELAN
Lennar Corp., one of the U.S.'s largest home builders, is in talks with the China Development Bank for approximately $1.7 billion in capital to jump-start two long-delayed San Francisco projects that would transform two former naval bases into large-scale housing developments, according to people familiar with the discussions...."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304458604577489062449154168.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection
USDA partnering with Mexico to boost food stamp participation
The Mexican government has been working with the United States Department of Agriculture to increase participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps.
USDA has an agreement with Mexico to promote American food assistance programs, including food stamps, among Mexican Americans, Mexican nationals and migrant communities in America. (Legal or ilegal!) http://dailycaller.com/2012/07/19/usda-partnering-with-mexico-to-boost-food-stamp-participation/#ixzz21A9M3XYp
A message from Blue Cross Blue Shield
Professor Emeritus John W. Hill, JD, PhD, Kelley School of Business , Indiana University
hillj@indiana.edu
Look clearly at the 2014 rate compared to the 2013 rate.
For those of you who are on Medicare, read the following. It's short, but important and you probably haven't heard about it in the Mainstream News:
"The per person Medicare Insurance Premium will increase from the present Monthly Fee of $96.40, rising to: $104.20 in 2012, $120.20 in 2013 and $247.00 in 2014."
These are Provisions incorporated in the Obamacare Legislation, purposely delayed so as not to confuse the 2012 Re-Election Campaigns. Send this to all Seniors that you know, so they will know who's throwing them under the bus.
Peggy Riehle, Internal Representative
From the Moneychanger market report:
Contact the-moneychanger.com to be on the mailing list of Franklin Sanders free weekly market report.
Just a couple of reminders, friends. Less than $1,000 per head of currency circulates in the USA. Best way to avoid a bar fight is to leave the bar before it breaks out. Same thing holds for bank runs: leave the bank -- take out money -- before it starts. Better get used to keeping your excess funds in gold coin you hold, rather than bank accounts held by thieves, fools, and knaves.
On the Supreme Court's puerile approval of forced medical insurance in Obamacare, here's a axiom for y'all to digest. Whenever government messes in a market, three things inevitably happen, no exceptions:
1. It reduces quantity (availability)
2. It lowers quality
3. It raises price.
Here's an alternative to buying life insurance, with far better coverage and no corporate bureaucracy to feed: Samaritan Ministries. It's a need sharing ministry with thousands of families sharing each others medical needs every month. I've been working with it for about 2 years, & it has proven to me that it works, better than insurance. Max monthly payout if you have a big family is $350/month. Two qualifications are that you are a Christian regularly attending church and you don't smoke. See www.samaritanministries.org. Best of all, it was grandfathered into the Obamacare bill, so it trumps the insurance buying mandate.
Also, pray for Franklin's wife Susan, who had to have surgery for "mitral valve replacement and tricuspid valve repair."
Note: Bettie has been with Samaritan Ministries for several years now, because the "Chrisitian" health care ministry she was with would not allow her to stay with them past 65, unless she went on Medicare B. We refused, and switched. She has had both knees replaced with SM, along with some other things, and the service from SM is beyond reproach. Her three children with their large families are with SM also. BTW, they give discounts for those over 65. Get out of banks and keep the funds in paper cash, if you are unable to go into precious medals. Also, you have no excuse for having to take part in the horror show called "Obomacare" with SM. I have the VA, and have found excellent care through the Martainsburg WV, VA hospital.
Michael Snyder, The Economic Collapse, 7/6/2012
We always knew that the financial markets were rigged, but this is getting ridiculous. It is now being alleged that 20 major banks have been systematically fixing global interest rates for years. Barclays has already been fined hundreds of millions of dollars for manipulating Libor (the London Inter Bank Offered Rate).
But Barclays says that a whole bunch of other banks were doing this too. This is shaping up to be the biggest financial scandal in history, and criminal investigations have been launched on both sides of the Atlantic. What those investigations are likely to uncover could shake the financial markets to their very core. In the end, this scandal could absolutely devastate confidence in the global financial system and it could potentially bring down a number of major global banks. We have never seen anything quite like this before. ...
Sadly, the revelations that have come out about Barclays in recent days are probably just the very tip of the iceberg. Before this is all over, we are probably going to find out that most of the major global banks were involved.
At a time when the global financial system is already on the verge of a major implosion, this is not welcome news.
This financial scandal is just another reason to be deeply concerned about the second half of 2012. The house of cards is starting to look really shaky, and nobody knows exactly when it will fall, but anyone with half a brain can see that things are progressively getting worse.
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/the-biggest-financial-scandal-in-history.
Shame on you if you have more than a very minium amount in the bank, particularly a large international bank. Keep your needed cash close at hand, and unneeded cash in metals.
60 days in Jail + $12,180 fine for home bible study in Phoenix Arizona.
http://www.infowars.com/60-days-in-jail-a-fine-for-home-bible-study/
Note: "WE" desirve to have Oboma reelected, and hsi coninued oppression.
Michael Snyder
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Well, we just had another bad jobs report. The U.S. economy created just 80,000 new jobs during the month of June. Normally, about 125,000 new jobs need to be created every month just to keep up with population growth. So it is a bit odd that the official unemployment rate did not rise above 8.2%.
What is even more alarming is that the Social Security Administration is telling us that 85,000 U.S. workers "left the workforce" and enrolled in the Social Security Disability Insurance program during the month of June. That means that the number of Americans enrolling in Social Security Disability actually exceeded the number of new jobs that was created. That is definitely not a sign of recovery. Unfortunately, this is about as good as things are going to get. Right now corporate profits are at an all-time high and usually after a recession has ended the percentage of working age Americans that have jobs bounces back very strongly. But that has not happened this time, and when the next economic crisis hits things are going to get a lot worse....
http://www.infowars.com/there-will-never-be-enough-jobs-in-america-again/
Note: Those who have the ability should get into a trade that is sellable in the oil industry. "Peak Oil" was a fraud. There is enough recoverable oil in the continental US with the new drilling technology to supply us for many hundreds of years, not to mention natural gas. And why will we not use it? Why do we continue to ship what wealth we have left to those determined to destroy us?
The short of it is this: First, we have been intentionally brought to the point of total economic collapse as wealth producing industry has been sent overseas by our own government. Note that Carter gave away the Panama Canal, and China now controls it. Second, the Fed knew and knows exactly what is and is doing by radically debasing the monetary supply. (Get out of paper while there is still a chance. See the-moneychanger.com) Third, elected officials have been fearful of taking any steps to correct the debt debacle, and have continued to "kick the can down the road." Fourth, the Federal Government since Roosevelt (really, since Lincoln) has worked hard to establish itself as god over the years, making 60% of our population dependent on government income and handouts. (Many of those who look to the Federal Government for their support, e.g. food stamps, WIC, welfare, &c, cannot comprehend that the government might not be able to support them.) Everyone in any place of authority knows that it is impossible for the "free" funds to continue to flow. When the funds stop, and they must stop, then what?? Fifth, the American people are being prepared for and the military trained for martial law ; that is, law enforcement by the military as is being done all over the middle east. Bush I started that training in order to enforce the "New World Order" as it developed, and his pattern has been followed by every president since. Sixth, large US cities are declaring bankruptcy, e.g., Stockton, CA. Seventh, as we see in Europe, when the welfare and government employee class of Americans are told there is no more money to pay them, there will be riots here. Martial law will be proclaimed, the military will move in as planned, and we will be a big step closer to the New World Order proclaimed by Bush I.
Witchcraft
Bizarre burning and cutting ritual on kids lands Florida woman in jail
By Dan Sullivan. The Miami Herald, Jun. 13, 2012
Danielle Harkins told the kids they needed to rid their bodies of demons as the group gathered before dusk Saturday around a small fire near the St. Petersburg Pier. They should cut their skin to let the evil spirits out, police said she told the children. Then, they needed to burn the wounds to ensure that those spirits would not return.
Some kids got cut, police said. Some kids got burned. Harkins got arrested.
Harkins, 35, a literacy teacher at Lealman and Asian Neighborhood Family Center, was booked in jail Tuesday morning on child abuse charges in connection with the bizarre ritual. She was held in jail Tuesday night on $55,000 bail. ...
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/13/2847187/bizarre-burning-and-cutting-ritual.html
Daniel 4:34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: 35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? 36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. 37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
Acts 4:28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
Ephesians 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: