For those who read this blog from outside of Arkansas, we’ve done it again. I must say we are not as spiritually “gone” as many states, but we are not immune from the cultural change that is occurring nationwide.
Sadly, one of the state’s lesser known news sources, printed an illuminating article which one may read here.
The article gives more info on Mr. Barth’s lifestyle. He traveled to New York so that his homosexual marriage would be legal. Additionally, the piece calls Jerry Cox, a man whom I have worked with on a moral issue, the “leader of the Arkansas Family Council, one of the state’s oldest formal hate groups.”
Jerry Cox is one of the bravest, godly men in Arkansas in my opinion. He has stood up for Biblical principles when many pastors haven’t.
And now Jerry is the leader of a “hate group,” according to a newspaper that has quite a circulation.
It is interesting that the newspaper itself admits that Mr. Barth has written for it. They are proud of it.
I know Jerry Cox well enough to know that the only thing he hates is sin. He does not hate Mr. Barth. It is evidence that taking a Biblical stand on an issue makes one a “hater” in certain circles.
Need more be said?
Yes.
I live in the “Bible Belt.” There are 230 churches in my county. There are 75 counties in Arkansas. This gay man will be helping make decisions that affect the education of the children around me and around the state.
I thank God for men like Jerry Cox. Please pray for the pastors and workers that are drawing a line in the sand. Unfortunately, the majority of folks don’t know what’s happening or don’t care.
I care, and if it wasn’t for my pastor I wouldn’t have known about this story. Is your pastor informing you of these issues? If not, you need to find a good source of information; one that tells the truth of our situation.
My pastor thinks we can still reverse things. He is correct, of course. God’s Word says that, if His people will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, he will heal their land. The question is: “Will we turn from our wicked ways?”
We don’t have a very good track record of late. Our situation, combined with the situation in the Middle East, and the financial situation worldwide leads me to believe the answer is “no.”
What has created the entire mess? Sin. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Anyone who has read this blog long enough knows that I believe there is only one answer. That answer is to trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
God will not bless those who do not trust. I’m not referring to financial, personal, or physical blessings. I am referring to spiritual blessings.
When Jerry Cox becomes the “leader of a hate group,” we are in serious trouble.
Who doesn’t know that Moses was great? I’m sure there are some in far off lands where the name Moses means nothing. Those places are becoming rare because of the work of Christian missionaries throughout the centuries.
I stumbled on something the other day that lifted Moses to a new level in my mind. You may have heard of this, but I don’t recall it. I’m sure I’ve read it; it just never caught my eye.
This time my reaction was “Wowwie-kazowie!!!
Moses made 7 trips to the top of Mount Sinai.
Most of us know of two.
Well, he made seven. They are noted in the Klassen Study Bible.
It was Moses 6th trip that intrigued me. One can find the story in Exodus 32:32.
Almost all people who have gone to a Christian church have heard the story of the Golden calf. However, it is 2012 and maybe this is, sadly, not the case. If you haven’t read it, you can start at Exodus 32:15 where Moses went down from his fifth trip on Sinai carrying the two tables (10 commandments).
Most know that Moses had to go back up the mountain (6th trip). You really should read the story if you haven’t to find out why. You can start at Exodus 32:1 or even at 31:1.
Anyway, In Exodus 32:31, Moses has gone back up Mt. Sinai once more. He says to God, “Oh this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.”
And then Moses does an outstanding thing.
I will use His words:
“Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin-; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.” (Exodus 32:32)
Is Moses offering up his salvation if God will forgive the people’s sins? It is not clear. It is clear that Moses is so concerned about the people that, if God won’t forgive their sins, he asks to be blotted out of God’s book.
Haven’t heard about God’s book? Well, Moses knew about it.
Not only is it mentioned in the Old Testament (here and in Malachi 3:16), it is mentioned in the New Testament:
“And there in shall in no wise enter into it (the gates of the holy city in heaven) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Rev. 21:27)
Anyway, Moses impresses me more than ever. He offers up his salvation for the people of Israel. Offering up one’s life is an amazing thing…but one’s salvation?
I think it is excellent. “Excellent” doesn’t really define it. But there it is, the highest thing one could offer is placed on the table.
God says to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” (Exodus 32:33)
That would make heaven empty except for God.
But Moses knew the promise of God – that a Savior would come, and save those who believed in Him.
Moses was one of the greatest, but he can’t save us.
Only faith that Jesus paid the price for our sins can save us.
It’s like the old song says: “What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
God’s love is an unconditional love that I will not understand this side of heaven.
But, I understand it enough.
It is amazing. Amazing is another word that is inadequate in this case, but it is the best I can think of.
This post started when I lost my Bible. I still haven’t found it and everyone has looked for it.
What does the loss of a Bible have to do with the Battle of Armageddon? Keep reading and you’ll know.
I put my Bible (and planner) down somewhere at work and it disappeared. I wasn’t too disappointed because we have Bibles all over the place where I work. You see, we hand them out to anyone who wants one (We give them the complete NLT…not my favorite but good enough).
I had lost an NASB of pretty good quality.
You know how you put something down somewhere, it “disappears,” and you give up looking for it because you figure it will eventually show up. That’s where I was for a couple of days and a weekend.
(Ignore the picture above. It has nothing in common with this post except the word “disappear.”)
What does the vanishing Bible have to do with the Battle of Armageddon or an Egyptian king? Keep reading and you might make a discovery.
People donate Bibles to the place I work. They come in all shapes, sizes, condition, and translation. I opened a file cabinet less than a week after I lost my Bible and there it was, the donated Bible that had intrigued me when it came in. I had forgotten about it, but now I was glad to see it. It has become my new work Bible. I will note the name of the Bible in the footnotes. It is one thick hombre.
My “find”
It is a King James Bible and there is an interesting work in it. How accurate the work is I don’t know. But it dates most major Biblical events; things like the creation and the Exodus. I’ve never heard of it before I saw this one.
I have always been curious about the identity of the Pharaoh that Moses saw as an adult. The 1965 version of Halley’s handbook gives different possibilities about those who may have oppressed the Hebrews and about the pharaohs who may have denied Moses’ request to “let my people go.”
Halley notes Pharaohs who may have met in the duel over the Hebrews. They are Amenhotep II (his mummy is at Thebes), and Merneptah (his mummy is in Cairo). In fact, Halley lists these two as the “two leading opinions.”(1) Dating systems put these pharaohs around 200 years apart with about 10 pharaohs between them.
I found 53 possible exodus candidates in only two other sources (if one includes the Hyksos pharaohs…a group of outsiders that invaded Egypt). I didn’t have to look far to find my 53 (also my age). Imagine if I had really studied this thing.
Mr. Halley writes “If the exodus was under Merneptah, then Rameses II was the great oppressor of Israel, whose daughter brought up Moses. (2)
“Thus Moses was brought up either under Thothmes III (Mr. Halley has spelled Thutmose III two different ways) or under Rameses II, both of whom were among Egypt’s most famous kings.” (3)
To repeat, Mr. Halley writes that “Moses led Israel out of Egypt either under Amenhotep II, or under Merneptah. (4)
So, the Hollywood version that is shown on network stations every Easter is wrong according to most scholars. The Pharaoh in the movie (Yul Brenner) is Ramses II, not a good possibility.
Halley writes that the one “thought to have been the Oppressor of Israel” is Thotmes III (also known as Thutmose III), Queen Hatshepsut’s half brother (Other sources call Hatshepsut Thutmose III’s stepmother and aunt).(5) In any case, she was “regent” the first 20 years of his reign: and “though he despised her, she completely dominated him.”(6)
“After her death, he ruled alone 30 years. He was the greatest conqueror in Egyptian history.” (7)
Halley states “His mummy is at Cairo.” (8)
This would mean that Thutmose the III was pharaoh when Moses was a baby.
Now you are probably wondering what this has to do with my post title. Hang in there and follow this rabbit trail with me….please?
Very interesting is the fact, again mentioned by Mr. Halley, that “Whichever it was, the MUMMIES OF ALL FOUR have been found. So we may now see the actual face of the Pharaoh of Moses’ day, and with whom Moses himself had intimate dealings.” (9)
I’ve always been interested in the subject and this Bible that I had run across might lend some insight because of its dating of events.
You can probably guess what I did.
I went to Exodus 2 to see when Moses was born according to my new find. (10)
The date given for Moses birth was March 6, 1542 BC. (11)
Mr. Frank R. Klassen of Laguna Hills California must have spent years studying the Bible and putting dates to events. We won’t know if he was right until we get to heaven. I’m sure they have the records up there.
Anyway, I looked to see who the pharaoh was in 1542 B.C., according to Mr. Klassen.
If you are still looking for the connection with Armageddon, I’ll get there.
One problem is that different scholars give different dates for the reigns of the pharaohs.
In many dating opinions, 1542 BC would make Ahmose the pharaoh who knew Moses as an infant. Or it was one of the last pharaohs of the 17th dynasty which was the last dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. If this is true, it depends on how many pharaohs Egypt went through while Moses was in the desert.
Confused? Ok, let’s get to the BIG QUESTION.
I went to Exodus 5 for the BIG QUESTION. When did Moses take the people out of Egypt? If I could find out the “when,” I could find out the “who.”
According to Mr. Klassen, it was on April 15th, 1462 BC, which in almost all Egyptian dating systems puts Thutmose III, “the greatest conqueror in Egyptian history” as Halley has stated, as the one who faced the adult Moses. (12)
That would mean that while Moses was in the desert all of those years, at least two pharaohs came and went, Thutmose II and the famous Hatshepsut.
So, Moses “met” two pharaohs. The pharaoh he saw as an adult wasn’t the pharaoh whose home he was taken into. This is almost certain no matter what dating system one uses.
Now comes the interesting part. Drum roll please. If you’ve waded through this far, you deserve some interesting stuff.
If Thutmose III was the man who had his heart hardened – who wouldn’t let the Hebrews go – then there is an interesting fact you should know.
There have been three major “Battles of Armageddon” in history. The second is recorded in 2 Kings 23: 29-30. It is generally regarded as having taken place in 609 B.C.
The third occurred in 1918. You can read about it here. (13)
It is something about the first “Battle of Armageddon” that is the interesting fact. It was fought and won by Thutmose III, Egypt’s “greatest conqueror.” You can read about the battle here. (14)
Interestingly, this first “Battle of Armageddon” is described as the first battle ever recorded in detail. Google “first recorded battle in history” and see what you find. (15)
I think that Thutmose III’s scribe exaggerated the victory a bit.
Embellished or not, Thutmose III is highly respected. Type in “The Napoleon of Egypt” into a Google word search and you will find something like this:
“Thutmose III The Napoleon of Ancient Egypt 1479 – 1425 BC. Some believe Rameses II was the greatest Egyptian ruler but this not true; he spent Egypt’s wealth on massive building projects where as Thutmose III actually created Egypt’s wealth. Thutmose III possessed the archetypal qualities of a great ruler.” (16)
He created the largest empire that Egypt had ever seen. (17)
Here is where I take a leap. I think, unlike most scholars, that Thutmose III was the pharaoh that hardened his heart and would not let the Hebrews go.
Why do I think this? Well, it fits Mr. Klassen’s Calendarized Study Bible perfectly.
Mr. Klassen puts 80 years between the birth of Moses and his taking of the Hebrews out of Egypt. Eighty is a match with the Bible.
This is not my only reason.
If you were God, who would you have Moses face? I’m not God and I don’t know but I’ll take a guess. I think God would choose the greatest conquering pharaoh of all time. (I’ll get comments on this statement and I welcome them.)
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Thutmose III fought and won the first recorded battle in history.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Thutmose III was the winning leader of the first battle of Armageddon.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that two men who spent their entire lives working on dating systems came up with dates that would put Thutmose III in the important role of the pharaoh of the exodus.
Mr. Klassen isn’t the only one whose dates fit Thutmose III.
Have you heard of J.R. Church? He worked his entire life on a dating system. He is one of my favorite Bible teachers who specialized in Bible prophecy. He died last year.
The last book that he wrote, Daniel Reveals The Bloodline of the Anti-Christ, J.R. has a timeline in it (in the back). It is very elaborate but doesn’t mention the Egyptian pharaohs. You can get more info on J.R.’s book here.
He put the date for the exodus at 1492/1491 on Nisan 15. This date puts Thutmose III closer to the adult Moses than the other three major possibilities.
Did I mention that Thutmose III was the first pharaoh called Pharaoh? (18) It means “Great House.”
To see a good picture of Thutmose III, you can go here. (19)
After a study like this, I have many questions, but a main one.
Why haven’t those who’ve studied these things, the real scholars, come to the same conclusion? Maybe I’m missing something and would be glad to hear it from any of you.
There are many speculations. There are a few You Tube videos that identify “Firoun” as the pharaoh during “Moses time.”
I looked at the list of all pharaohs known from the 1st to the 31st dynasty and saw no name that was close to Firoun. Maybe I missed it, but I looked twice and didn’t see it. The closest thing I could find relating to Egyptian pharaohs is the word firon. (20)
In my short study, I didn’t find anyone else who had narrowed it to Thutmose III. I’m sure there are others out there who have had the same thought. If you find one, please let me know.
I didn’t go that in depth, but I did find a source that narrows the possibility down to 2, Thutmose III being one of them. (21)
There you have it; a theory from a curious person.
If you are ever in Cairo, stop and see the mummy of Thutmose III and I think you will be facing the man who spoke with a grown Moses.
If you want to save yourself the time and air fare check here. (22) You see, Thutmose III’s mummy was damaged by grave robbers. It was “so ruined that later mummy makers used wooden splints tied to what was left of the body to reinforce it.” (23)
Lastly, there is another Battle of Armageddon coming. It’s referenced in Rev. 16:16.
But, that’s a subject for another time.
Now, if I can only find my lost Bible…
Chris Reimers (24)
P.S. I could have saved myself some time by Googling “Thutmose III and the exodus.” But then I wouldn’t have learned anything. I did the google search as a final check as soon as I finished this draft. I found one extensive study that agreed with me. (25) Scanning it I didn’t see the link with Megiddo, however. And I didn’t see J. R. Church or Mr. Klassen mentioned. Their dating systems helped me form my conclusions.
I’m glad I did my own work, though it is not as extensive as the only one I could find with the same conclusion at which I arrived. Steve Rudd feels that the evidence is overwhelming that Thutmose III was the pharaoh of the exodus. Although someone has been here before, I’ve enjoyed a great journey and maybe added a jot or tittle. Click here to see Mr. Rudd’s work and see a better picture of Thutmose III.
It is July 27th, 2013. I am looking at a more recent edition of Halley’s Handbook, published in 2000. In this version, Merneptah (1236) is not a possibility for being the Pharaoh that Moses saw. Here is a quote from the 2000 edition:
“On his stela he (Merneptah) mentions having defeated Israel – ‘Israel is laid waste, his seed is not’ – indicating that Israel was already in the land of Canaan.”
Thus, the two editions do not agree.
They do agree that Amenhotep II is a possible candidate for the pharaoh whom Moses saw.
Rameses II is mentioned in the first 1965 edition as being a possibility of being the pharaoh Moses was raised under. The 2000 edition states “Some scholars consider him to be the pharaoh of the Exodus.”
In the 2000 edition, Thutmose III is “thought to be one of the oppressors of Israel.”
Despite what wiki states about Rameses II being the greatest pharaoh in history, both versions of Halley’s Handbook states that Thutmose III was the greatest.
(I saw this first in Mar. 2020. As far as I can tell, it was posted in 2016. My original post was put up in 2012. There are a few other articles and videos which have been posted after my post.)
“Thutmose III reigned from 1479 BCE to 1425 BCE according to the Low Chronology of Ancient Egypt.” This wiki date fits not only both Halley’s Handbooks that I have, but also the Bible that I feature in this post (April 15, 1462 B..C.).
Most Biblical sources put the date near this for good reason. The 2000 edition pictured here makes a case for 1446 B.C. It has good reason. It states:
“Since Solomon began to rule in 970 B.C. (Mr. Klassen puts the date at 983 B.C.) the fourth year of his reign would be 966 B.C. The text says that the Exodus from Egypt took place 480 years before this; that gives 1446 B.C.as the approximated dated of the Exodus.”
This is how Mr. Klassen gets his date of 1462. Either way, the dates correspond with the wiki dates on Thutmose III.
Is wiki the ultimate source? Of course it isn’t. The Bible is our guide and God chooses not to identify, specifically, the pharaohs during the birth of Moses and during the time of the Exodus. Therefore, we must speculate. That is what I have done here.
If you are interested, you can come to your own conclusions. The above post shares mine.
(Latest thoughts on this book, 5/19/2007: I was always concerned about the Forward to the book done by Timothy Keller, another intellectual who has been very influential with very flawed doctrine. As it was my only concern at the time, I let it pass. I can’t let what I have recently learned have a pass. It is too important. I have left the post as it was originally. I think much of what I stated about the similarities of the times this book referred to and our times still holds true. I am saddened by the fact that many are choosing to go back to old traditions based on tradition instead of faith based on scripture. Read this post with my new comment in mind please.)
Looking for an informative and interesting read? I think the book should be read by anyone studying WW2 or by anyone who is breathing and can read these words.
The book is not about elements of the Third Reich comparable to events unfolding today. It is a Biography of a man. However, as I am reading this book, it is impossible for me not to see the similarities in our day.
First of all, the book was given to my son by my mother. It is a book with 500+ pages but STAY WITH ME!!!
You don’t have to read the entire book. I have only completed chapter 11 (Nazi Theology). There are 31 chapters. If one reads only the first 170 pages, it is enough.
I have always wondered when America began its moral decline. I know that we have never been a perfect nation. I think there was a time when we could be considered a Christian nation. Not to long ago Christian prayers and the study of the Bible began each day in public schools. There was a time when abortion was illegal. I know some Christians still think America is a Christian nation because we were founded on many Christian principles. I will not argue this. Yet, I just don’t understand how anyone can call today’s America “Christian” when its laws allow the murder of the most innocent.
I know that in the 1840’s, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously agreed that Bible study in the public schools was a good thing. So, although Christians had not yet become vocal enough about the subject of Southern Slavery, Bible reading was encouraged at the highest levels of our government, even in the Judicial Branch. Today, judicial tyranny is common, but that’s a subject for another post.
The German subject of the book writes about his experience at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. It was 1930.
“There is no theology here….They talk a blue streak without the slightest substantive foundation and with no evidence of any criteria. The students – on the average twenty-five to thirty years old – are completely clueless with respect to what dogmatics is really about. They are unfamiliar with even the most basic questions. They become intoxicated with liberal and humanistic phrases, laugh at the fundamentalists, and yet basically are not even up to their level.”
The book talks about the theological battles of 1930 and how John D. Rockefeller built a church just a stone’s throw away from the Seminary for one of the most liberal preachers in America, Harry Emerson Fosdick. Fosdick had preached an infamous sermon in 1922 entitled “Shall the Fundamentalists Win?” In the sermon, Fosdick questioned the virgin birth, the resurrection, the divinity of Christ, the atonement, miracles, and the Bible as the Word of God.
Since you have seen the picture above, you know that the book is about Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
On page 106 he states:
“In New York they preach about virtually everything; only one thing is not addressed, or it is addressed so rarely that I have as yet been unable to hear it, namely, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the cross, sin and forgiveness, death and life.”
He thought this until he visited the Abyssinian Baptist Church and heard Dr. Adam Clayton Powell Sr. The church was in Harlem and the pastor and his flock was mostly African American.
“Powell combines the fire of a revivalist preacher with great intellect and social vision. He was active in combating racism and minced no words about the saving power of Jesus Christ,” writes the author Erik Mataxis.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer spent the rest of his Sundays in New York at Dr. Powell’s church.
I have mentioned this brief part of the book because it helps me to see that the decline of the belief in simple Bible basics was already alive and well in America in 1930.
When one reads of the “masterful” propaganda program of the Nazi’s and the dumbing down of Christian principles in the German Churches, it seems to me that the same thing is happening before my own eyes.
Mr. Bonheoffer would disagree with the title of the Book. It calls him a prophet. Yes, Mr. Bonheoffer saw clearly when others did not, but he was not a prophet and would have been upset to know that someone had called him that. The extended title calls him “A Righteous Gentile.” You or I might call him that, but he was a humble man. I don’t think he would have ever called himself “righteous.”
I am reading this book to my 17 year old son. His grandmother gave him a great gift. It is a view of the past with strange similarities to the present.
I hope you have the opportunity to read this inspirational and educational biography which received a Christian Book Award. The chapters are 10-20 pages long; perfect for reading aloud or as time allows an individual. Some will have a bit more free time this summer and this book would be a good way to spend part of it.
I look forward to reading the remaining chapters. I know parts of it are sad as I have heard of Mr. Bonheoffer’s fate in this world. However, I know that Mr. Bonheoffer will live eternally.
I remember Tony Robbins as a guy who used to have answers for people. To his credit, he doesn’t pretend to have answers to our nation’s problems and he does a good job in this video of putting them in perspective.
The answer to the title of this post is: “He won’t.” If the Hebrews were taken into captivity, what makes us think we can escape it?”
Jesus is our only hope. Will we turn back to Him? Most of the time I think the answer is no. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to go home. To live is Christ, to die is gain. We continue to run the race until we are called home. I think the race will be ending soon.
Chuck admits to quite a bit of speculation in this interview. Nevertheless, he covers a variety of subjects using scripture as his guide. I found the interview instructive and thought provoking.
CR
9/3013
I have been concerned for some time about the recent things I have seen and heard about Mr. Missler. To be balanced, I am sharing a link that shares one man’s reasons for some of these concerns.
I would like to make it clear that I am not a superstitious person. No fear of walking under a ladder on Friday the 13th here. In fact, I didn’t realize that it was Friday the 13th yesterday until late in the afternoon.
Before the earthquake in Japan, I had watched little mainstream news for quite some time. Since that event, there is so much upheaval in the world that the continuing release of radioactivity in Japan is rarely mentioned. I have little confidence in the mainstream media, but I have been watching lately. Mainstream priorities are very poor but one gets a view of how the world sees things.
The bad news continues.
For the Christian, there is the great equalizer:
Jesus is our hope. (1 Tim. 1:1)
I was heading to bed last night and decided to turn the T.V. on and check out C-Span for a second. What I saw was a short, annual report by the Medicare and Social Security Trustees.
It doesn’t surprise me that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s report was not included on any of the mainstream news sources that I had seen earlier in the evening.
If I read C-Span correctly, the report was issued late last evening. If one has to issue a report and wants the fewest ears to hear it, a Friday evening is the best time. Weekend news is always very poorly done, so my guess is that this story will begin to get real notice next week if at all.
It is a beautiful morning in Arkansas. At the same time, the Mississippi River is out of control and so many are still picking up the pieces of the tornadoes that swept through the South.
I have been thinking quite a bit about the first verse of Revelation 21 lately.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away…”
I believe in the prophecies in the Bible. I think the last two chapters are very clear if one takes Revelation as literally as I do. Actually, the last four chapters are pretty clear. I’ll admit that I’ve read many ideas about the “Babylon” of chapter 18 and don’t know what it is. After Mr. Geithner’s report last night, I don’t think the United States is as great a candidate as so many internet sites state.
Regardless of how one views prophecy, most Christians believe that Jesus is coming back. There are many scenarios about how this will happen. I think there will be a 7 year tribulation. I also believe in a “rapture.”
Jesus said, “Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.” (Matt. 24:40)
I don’t pretend to know when this rapture will happen.
My point: It is hard for me, as a Christian, to hear a 35 minute report by the Medicare and Social Security Trustees like the one last night and not relate it to the nearness of our coming Lord. (Of course, the fact that Israel is back in the land is a much more important sign than last night’s report.)
The monstrous debt that we have accrued has tied us to a world economy that puts us in financial situation that we used to fear militarily. At one time we were worried about the “domino effect” that might be caused by Russian Imperialism. Think of the repercussions if any or a few of the major nation economies collapse. Some would say it’s not a matter of “if” but “when.”
Our experts in finance have about as much ability to forecast the future as our meteorologists.
All one has to do is listen to the short report given last night to see that.
My question: How can God bless a nation, or a World for that matter, that has turned its back on Him?
Jesus is our hope. He is our only hope.
If you haven’t placed your hope and trust in Jesus, I would hope that you would do it today. He is coming soon.
Chris Reimers
Here’s the press release from C-Span:
Medicare and Social Security Trustees report says Social Security and Medicare will run out of money sooner than anticipated. The annual report, which provides an update on the solvency and cost of the two entitlement programs, blames the sluggish economy for the changes.
The Hospital Insurance fund, which pays for hospital stays of Medicare recipients, will run out in 2024, five years earlier than last year’s report estimate. The Social Security Trust Fund will be exhausted in 2036. When the trust fund runs dry, Social Security benefits do not stop but decrease by 22% The entitlement programs, which cover one-third of the U.S. population, account for a growing piece of the budget. As Washington and the public express concern with the size of the deficit, this report by the Board of Trustees will influence how they fit into the budget debate.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Medicare reforms “will be needed.”
In his health care speech Thursday, potential presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) said making Medicare solvent should be a top priority but did not offer any specifics of how he would do it.
In 2009, nearly 57 million people received Social Security benefits and 46 million people received Medicare benefits.
Last year’s report found that long-term Social Security solvency was largely unchanged, but the 75-year outlook for Medicare improved “substantially” because of the passage of the health care law. Before the passage of health care, Medicare benefits were expected to decrease as early as 2016.
The Board of Trustees consists of six people, the Treasury Secretary, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Labor and the Social Security Commissioner. The final two members are public employees appointed by the President.
...some sing low, some sing higher, some sing out loud on the telephone wire and some just clap their hands, or paws, or anything they got now.
Take the title of this post and add the last line and you’ve got the opening line of a praise song.
You’ve probably heard of the mass deaths of different types of wildlife. There has been much speculation about the causes of these deaths which have now occurred on almost every continent.
One thing is sure. God knows what is causing the mysterious events.
Is it a sign of the last days?
I don’t know.
One of my favorite people under 12 shared a picture with me this week.
Carter Kimery said, “Chris, you’ve got to see this. It’s a huge gold fish.”
It was a pretty amazing picture of one of God’s creatures and quite good timing on Carter’s part. I needed to see a picture of a very healthy fish.
We know that someday a third of the creatures in the sea will die (Rev. 8:9).
What we are seeing is definitely not that.
Some Christians I know speculated that the gulf oil spill was the sea “blood” mentioned in Rev. 8:8.
Because I believe that the Seals and Trumpets of Revelation occur in sequence, I figured that the oil spill wasn’t the event described in Rev. 8:8.
Revelation 7:1 says that the wind will stop someday. That is an event that hasn’t taken place yet and since it preceeds 8:8, I thought I had good reason to doubt those who said the spill was the sea “blood.”
What did Jesus say about the last days?
“The disciples came to Him privately, saying,
“Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and the end of the age?” (Matt 24:3)
One could argue that the next ten verses have already taken place. I don’t think they have taken place to the degree that they will eventually.
For those of you who study this sort of thing, the event that Jesus describes in Matthew 24:15 is MAJOR.
So much for my opinion.
Here’s God’s opinion:
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)
I listened to a radio program today. The host of the program, Brannon Howse, articulated what I have believed for quite some time.
I will let the following quote from the show and from Mr. Howse echo the thoughts I have had:
“So many people have, again and again, wanted to find their hope in the Republican Party, Scott Brown (voting for a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell), and the Tea Party who largely got him elected. They continue to put their hope in politics.
“Folks, I have said it over and over. The culture war is lost…
“The spiritual battle continues and it will intensify greatly.
“When I say the culture war is lost, what I mean is:
“I don’t believe we’re going to see the return of the 10 commandments on our school room walls.
“I don’t believe we’re going to see Roe v. Wade overturned.
“I don’t believe we are going to see the Supreme Court all of a sudden change their ruling that we can’t teach creation and evolution side by side.
“In other words, we are passing the point of no return…
“However, that does not mean that we roll over and we don’t proclaim righteousness or stand for that which is consistent with the character and nature of God.
(Mr. Howse encourages involvement in the political process.)
“But, I believe that we may be at the point that God is judging our nation and removing his hand of divine protection…
“We are suffering the consequences you see mentioned in Romans, chapter one.
Here is some of what you will hear on the program:
“Brannon also read an article by Christian author Gary Kah and what he saw after attending a conservative conclave in the suburbs of Chicago in November of 2009. Gary’s experience indicated that many people who consider themselves to be part of the pro-constitution, conservative “right” are hostile to God and want answers apart from him.
“This shows how salvation for the born-again, Bible-believing Christian is not in the Republican party, the conservative movement or in winning the culture war, but in Christ Jesus.
The radio program explains the real problem. The “conservative” event that was held in Chicago and described on this radio program tells the story. We have a spiritual problem.
May God have mercy on us. In Him alone is our hope and joy.
16And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
17and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
It is this passage in Revelation 13 that causes many Christians to believe that there will eventually be a one world government along with a one world “currency.”
I lean towards this view myself, because of the above verses and other scriptures. Since the prophecies about Jesus were fulfilled perfectly, I can’t see those that deal with future events having any less accuracy.
Evidently, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon made a statement on Tuesday that would cause many to take notice. In Cancun, Mexico, at the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, Conference of the Parties 16, Mr. Moon said:
“We need to fundamentally transform the global economy – based on low-carbon, clean energy resources.”
German economist Ottmar Edenhofer, an official with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said in an interview with Neue Zürcher Zeitung on November 14:
“… it’s a big mistake to discuss climate policy separately from the major themes of globalization. The climate summit in Cancun at the end of the month is not a climate conference, but one of the largest economic conferences since the Second World War. … we redistribute de facto the world’s wealth by climate policy. … One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy anymore ….”
One question I have is: “Why could I not find this story in any mainline sources, including Fox?”
The best I could find was this headline:
U.S. nears agreement to curb destruction of world’s rain forests
Are Christians the only ones concerned about the global ambitions of the U.N. or are Christians paranoid? I think the former is much closer to the truth.
How much the U.N. will be a part of the two verses above are pure speculation. Jesus told us to “watch,” and that’s what I intend to do.
Chris Reimers
Sources:
U.N. Secretary General Calls for Fundamental Transformation of the Global Economy:
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Posted by Chris 
Wings of the Wind 
GOVERNER BEEBE APPOINTS FIRST OPENLY GAY MEMBER TO STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
July 8, 2012For those who read this blog from outside of Arkansas, we’ve done it again. I must say we are not as spiritually “gone” as many states, but we are not immune from the cultural change that is occurring nationwide.
Sadly, one of the state’s lesser known news sources, printed an illuminating article which one may read here.
http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2012/07/06/right-wingers-blast-jay-barth-appointment-to-state-board-of-education
The article gives more info on Mr. Barth’s lifestyle. He traveled to New York so that his homosexual marriage would be legal. Additionally, the piece calls Jerry Cox, a man whom I have worked with on a moral issue, the “leader of the Arkansas Family Council, one of the state’s oldest formal hate groups.”
Jerry Cox is one of the bravest, godly men in Arkansas in my opinion. He has stood up for Biblical principles when many pastors haven’t.
And now Jerry is the leader of a “hate group,” according to a newspaper that has quite a circulation.
It is interesting that the newspaper itself admits that Mr. Barth has written for it. They are proud of it.
I know Jerry Cox well enough to know that the only thing he hates is sin. He does not hate Mr. Barth. It is evidence that taking a Biblical stand on an issue makes one a “hater” in certain circles.
Need more be said?
Yes.
I live in the “Bible Belt.” There are 230 churches in my county. There are 75 counties in Arkansas. This gay man will be helping make decisions that affect the education of the children around me and around the state.
I thank God for men like Jerry Cox. Please pray for the pastors and workers that are drawing a line in the sand. Unfortunately, the majority of folks don’t know what’s happening or don’t care.
I care, and if it wasn’t for my pastor I wouldn’t have known about this story. Is your pastor informing you of these issues? If not, you need to find a good source of information; one that tells the truth of our situation.
My pastor thinks we can still reverse things. He is correct, of course. God’s Word says that, if His people will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, he will heal their land. The question is: “Will we turn from our wicked ways?”
We don’t have a very good track record of late. Our situation, combined with the situation in the Middle East, and the financial situation worldwide leads me to believe the answer is “no.”
What has created the entire mess? Sin. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Anyone who has read this blog long enough knows that I believe there is only one answer. That answer is to trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
God will not bless those who do not trust. I’m not referring to financial, personal, or physical blessings. I am referring to spiritual blessings.
When Jerry Cox becomes the “leader of a hate group,” we are in serious trouble.
May God have mercy on us.
Chris Reimers
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