You Are Being Used, Mr. Ahmadinejad

Is Satan influencing your heart and mind Mr. Ahmadinejad (Iranian President)? Undoubtedly he is. Don't you know that you cannot defeat God's chosen people? To Abram, God said: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse" [Genesis 12:3]. God has not/will not rescind his covenant with Israel, the "apple of his eye". I've been on vacation, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's always fantastic getting away from daily responsibilities. On this vacation I spent a lot of time playing with my “ankle-biters” (aka kids) and doing a bit of reading.

What I’ve been reading in the news lately is simply amazing. Just this last week I read about the situation in Iran: how Iran is using new centrifuge technology to process uranium four times faster than standard technology, and how Ahmadinejad is thumbing his nose at the IAEA and the UN Security Council – (something tells me this man doesn't care about economic sanctions). The Iranian people are solidly behind him, and any sanctions are months down the road IF the U.S., Britain and France can even successfully negotiate sanctions with Russia and China, the other members of the UN Council with veto capability. Unfortunately for the western world, China has just inked a $200 billion oil deal with Iran and Russia is economically tied to Iran's nuclear industry. Both China and Russia are adamantly opposed to any sanctions.

Other News This Week:
Mossad chief Meir Dagan met at the White House. Mossad is the Israel equivalent to the US CIA. There's no doubt that Israel is getting nervous about the fanatical rantings of Ahmadinejad, who's stated that he wants to push Israel into the Mediterranean Sea and wipe it off the map. Huge question: will the international community be able to do enough against the Iranian threats to keep Israel from pulling the trigger? This weekend, Israel successfully launched a sophisticated spy satellite to keep an eye on Iran (launched from Russia, interestingly enough). Iran already has conventional missiles aimed at Israel in Lebanon, manned by the Hezbollah. Lastly, Iran has been testing high speed torpedoes in the Straight of Hormuz, where 25-35% of the world's oil flows through aboard supertankers.

”Lay off the conspiracy novels, dude”, you say? Let's just say, I will be incredibly surprised if this kettle, containing a perfect storm, doesn't boil over in short order. I think the world may be in for a painful jolt. Not just an economic recession due to sky-rocketing oil, but I wonder if this could be Ezekiel 38:16 in the making: "You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes." If I were not a fervent believer in the infallibility of God’s Word, I would find it hard to believe that we could witness the end of this age - it would simply be too surreal and unbelievable. But God's word is true - it is only a matter of when these things happen. Praise God!

One more brief thing and then I'll close. I've read Ellis Skolfield's "The False Prophet" as I stated on my last post. Very interesting book! A point that Skolfield makes in his book is that the abomination of desolation of Matthew 24:15 (etc) is the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock that have been desecrating the former sites of the Solomonic and second temple since 688AD, on the temple mount in Jerusalem. Actually the location of the Muslim mosque and dome is in the court of Gentiles, which gives perfect meaning to Revelation 11:2 "But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months." Skolfield makes an interesting, if not an almost irrefutable argument that the third most holy site in Islam is the abomination of desolation upon the temple mount, and upon the site of Lord God Jehovah’s holy of holies.

I plan to write more about Skolfield's book because his theories have support within scripture. They do not adhere to a literal 7-year tribulation with the anti-Christ in the middle, but I think we need to be open to challenge end-time theories made in the 19th century, when confronted with scripture that may be saying something else. The devil deceives the whole world, as I wrote earlier, so challenging what is commonly accepted is not a bad thing, but it all needs to be done under the light of God’s word. Thank God that we have a solid foundation to test and approve what is good and what isn’t.

Up For a Challenge?

I'm going on vacation and decided to take along some light leisure reading. I stumbled upon ellisskolfield.com. I've read the first half of his free book The False Prophet on this site, and I must say I am intrigued. He makes some challenging theological arguments about the end times - I'd recommend a look. Thankfully, my vacation involves visiting my parents, who have been Christians almost twice as long as I've been breathing (that's a long time) so I can't wait to challenge their spirit-filled minds with the thesis of this book. Can all the classical theologians be wrong about an upcoming 7-year tribulation and the nature of the anti-Christ? If nothing else, this book is something to think and pray about. I appreciate any author that challenges me with scripture, and encourages me to look deeper into the Good Book. May the Holy Spirit continue to lead and guide us, and keep us from all evil, because let's face it folks - we live in evil and deceptive times.

Are We In For More "Fearful Events"?

In the Headlines this Past Week

Iran Steps Up Military Exercises
The head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards played up the significance of its wargames in the narrow neck in the Persian Gulf through which two-fifths of the world's oil trade passes. "The importance of the ... maneuvers lies in the time and geographical place they are happening as well as the arms used," General Yahya Rahim Safavi told the official IRNA news agency. The Straits of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, is a strategic corridor for the oil exports. Iran has been showing off its military achievements in the Persian Gulf, including radar-evading anti-ship missiles, which analysts fear Tehran could use to cripple maritime traffic and block the Straits if threatened over its nuclear ambitions.

Floods in Central Europe Claim More Lives
As Europe emerges from one of the worst winters on record, Central and Eastern parts are not out of the woods yet with rising floodwaters continuing to wreak havoc. The River Danube has risen to record levels, with Hungary, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Germany all losing lives to the waters. In Austria on Tuesday, a the walls of a dam broke causing the death of an 18 month old boy - adding to the 20 lives lost already in the other countries affected.

64 Twisters and 28 Confirmed Dead in Central U.S.
Tornadoes that ravaged the central United States claimed another victim in Tennessee, raising the death toll in the region to 28, state officials said on Tuesday. The tornado outbreak -- which produced 64 unconfirmed reports of twisters across the central United States -- was the deadliest since November, when 23 people died in southern Indiana. The Tennessee storms left a 25-mile (40.2 km) path of destruction, demolishing houses, stripping the bark off trees and hurling people into the air.

'Gospel of Judas': He didn't betray Jesus
Perhaps it wasn't history's greatest betrayal after all, but a simple act of obedience. Judas turned Jesus over to the high priests, not for money, but because Jesus asked him to do so, according to a newly translated ancient document.

Am I being alarmist? No. The definition of alarmist is someone who alarms others needlessly. These headlines speak of a world in trouble; a world that is trying to discredit the message of the cross and the necessity of repentance. The world is ripe for God’s judgment. It is tragically interesting how the “news” of the Gospel of Judas (this is not new news) is racing through our media. People seem almost eager to believe anything that contradicts the bible. For example, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code has been on the New York’s Best Sellers List for 157 weeks and counting, and been number 1 for weeks. It is a ridiculous work of fiction, and yet people are flocking to it and being fooled by it. The financial success of this book has led to an upcoming movie based on the book. For more on this see http://www.rbc.org/davinci/pdf/q1117.pdf

Now we have the re-introduction of the Gospel of Judas. The financial success of these heresies will spawn more heresies. The importance of the Christian being grounded in the word cannot be understated. Satan is the ruler of this corrupt world, as I stated in my last article. It is crucial that we are not deceived. Thank God that he is in control.

10Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
25"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."[Luke 21:10-11,25-28, 36]

Revelation 18: The Whore of Babylon

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4"Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"

5Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. [Mark 13:3-6, NIV]

It’s interesting that Jesus’ first response to the disciples’ question was: “Watch out that no one deceives you”. I love this response! The disciples ask “when”, and Jesus responds “watch out that not one deceives you”. Christ’s unconventional response tells us that Satan’s deception will be rampant before his coming.

What is the deception that Jesus talked about? It’s pretty obvious in our day, who is and who isn’t a Christian – right? Is it?!

21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' [Matthew 7:21-23; NIV]

Do we know that we are following true Christianity? Are we certain that we are not being deceived?

9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. [Revelation 12:9 King James Version;emphasis mine]

3[The angel] threw [Satan] into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. [Revelation 20:3 NIV;emphasis mine]

There are about 2 billion professing Christians in various denominations in the world, out of a total world population of about 6.5 billion. I will be bold enough to say that I don’t think all 2 billion people professing Christianity are practicing Christ’s Christianity. Satan is actively deceiving “the whole world”. Satan knows the bible [Matthew 4:6], and therefore knows that he will soon meet his end [Isaiah 14:12-15]. You can be sure that Satan is working overtime in our day!

The most dominant deception in the end times is described in Revelation 18:

1After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2With a mighty voice he shouted:

"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!

She has become a home for demons

and a haunt for every evil spirit,

a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.

3For all the nations have drunk

the maddening wine of her adulteries.

The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,

and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."

4Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

"Come out of her, my people,

so that you will not share in her sins,

so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

5for her sins are piled up to heaven,

and God has remembered her crimes.

6Give back to her as she has given;

pay her back double for what she has done.

Mix her a double portion from her own cup.

7Give her as much torture and grief

as the glory and luxury she gave herself.

In her heart she boasts,

'I sit as queen; I am not a widow,

and I will never mourn.'

8Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:

death, mourning and famine.

She will be consumed by fire,

for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

9"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:

" 'Woe! Woe, O great city,

O Babylon, city of power!

In one hour your doom has come!'

[Revelation 18:1-10; NIV]

I did some research on Revelation 18 and ended up back at the Berean Call. Like I said in my last post: I love their ministry. Dave Hunt, in my opinion convincingly equates the Whore of Babylon to the Roman Catholic Church. One of my bibles even entitles Revelation 18 as: “The fall of Babylon, which is Rome; the vision of the woman”. Here’s a link to a chapter out of one of Dave Hunt’s books:

http://www.wayoflife.org/otimothy/tl030003.htm

Of course the Catholic church isn’t the only deception used by the devil. I think another huge deception, especially for western Christians, is materialism. We should ask ourselves this: would Christ approve of the time and effort we devote to obtaining the world’s list of “must haves” – nice house, nice car, nice boat, nice vacations, etc, etc. These things aren’t evil in themselves, of course. They can be a blessing as long as we are seeking God’s kingdom first, and we are living “transformed lives”:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. [Romans 12:2;emphasis mine]

It is absolutely crucial that Christians be committed to studying the bible and yielding to the Holy Spirit for direction. The instruction in Revelation 18:4 is shouting at us to: “Come out of her”. Has the modern protestant church made a complete “Reformation” and come out? Or are we starting to go back in and accept the world’s ecumenical message that “all roads lead to heaven” - I had to shake my head when I heard Oprah say that the other day. I had to do a double take at a photograph showing Pope John Paul II kissing the Koran. I even had an online chat just this week where I was called “ignorant” and “arrogant” for stating that Christ is the only way to God (that’s ok, because I consider it pure joy – James 1:2). Actually here’s the message this one individual left me. I want to share it with you because I think it’s very telling of some of the attitudes in our time:

“What arrogance you display. What gives you the right to speak of God so freely? You speak exclusively from a dualistic Christian viewpoint, living by blind faith alone. Your beliefs are not written in stone. What gives you the right to say that the bible is the correct and final word in our reality? There are many belief systems alive and well on our planet including science. Take some time out of your day to cultivate some awareness.”

We must be in the last of the last days.

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord [Jude 1:3-4 ]

God, help us to diligently contend for the faith and effectively point a lost world to Christ, “…for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” [Acts 4:12; KJV] Help us to read your word, understand it, and do what it says. Amen

Keep Your Eyes on Israel

Is prophesy exciting, or what?! I get so “pumped” by reading about what God has planned for his servants. Praise the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel that he has made a way for us to become “sons of God” through Christ! [Galatians 3:26]. And I praise God that he is in control – we do not need to be afraid of the events that are unfolding.

One of the most important events in our day involves the nation of Israel. We should watch current events of the re-born nation of Israel very carefully as we wait for Christ’s inevitable return. An understanding of God’s plan for Israel is crucial to understanding our times.

God’s covenant promise to Jacob, to give his descendents the promised land is as true today as it was 4,000 years ago:

Genesis 28:
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." [emphasis mine]

In this passage we see that God’s original promise to Abraham of the land [see Genesis 12:1-3] was passed on through to Jacob. Muslims claim that the land of Israel is theirs because they claim to be descendents of Abraham through his first son Ishmael. Ishmael was born to Abraham through Hagar, Sarah’s maid-servant. However, God’s promise of the land did not flow through the lineage of Ishmael; it flows through the lineage of Abraham-Isaac-Jacob(later renamed Israel) as is confirmed by the above and other scripture verses.

In Genesis 28:15 God states to Jacob that he will bring Jacob’s descendants back into this land. After almost 4,000 years of punishment and banishment from the promised land, the return to the land occurred when the modern state of Israel was declared on May 14, 1948. The fact that the modern state of Israel was declared in one day is prophetic and significant:

Isaiah 66:
8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?
Who has ever seen such things?
Can a country be born in a day
or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
than she gives birth to her children.

The birth of Israel in 1948 is described in this verse. Zion in labor, or “travailing” as the King James version writes, is descriptive of the WWII holocaust, where 6 million Jews were exterminated. Three years after the most intense persecution in history of the Jews, the nation of Israel was born in one day.

A related prophesy to the re-establishment of the nation of Israel, is Christ’s “Olivet prophesy”, or Jesus’ prophesy given to his disciples on the Mount of Olives:

Matthew 24:
32"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. [emphasis mine]

The fig tree is used in the Bible to represent the nation of Israel. The twigs of the fig tree becoming tender and its leaves coming out is speaking of God’s fulfilled promise to Jacob and of the nation of Israel being re-established in the promised land. Israel does not currently possess most of the land that God promised to Abraham, for this land includes everything between the Nile and the Euphrates Rivers [Genesis 15:18]. The fight between the Muslim nations currently occupying this land and Israel will ignite the final battle of Armageddon. Indeed, since Israel’s re-establishment in 1948, there have been continuing military battles between Israel and its neighbours: 1948 War of Independence;1967 6-Day War; and the 1973 Yom Kippur War; to name some of the major ones. Today, it seems Israel is in the news every day. Can the end of this age be very far away?

Isn’t it, at the very least, perplexing that the whole world is so vexed over what to do with the little sliver of land we call Israel? Why can’t the nations simply follow Bush’s Two-State Solution and end the killing? The answer, as always, is in scripture. God said that people would be vexed over what to do with Israel:

Zechariah 12:2-3 (King James Version)
2Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

As I stated in the beginning of this post, this deserves repeating: praise the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel that he is in control. He has made these things known to us in advance, and we can know confidently that the world is simply following God’s predetermined plan to bring this age to a conclusion.

I gratefully acknowledge Dave Hunt’s book: “Judgment Day – Islam, Israel and the Nations” as a source of some of my information. If you haven’t read it, you’re missing out. You can get it through the Berean Call as an eBook or hard copy – and no, I am not associated with the Berean Call in any way, shape or form. I just love their ministry.

Be Encouraged...If You're a Christian

Be Encouraged:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. [I Thessalonians 4:16-18, NIV]

Praise the Lord! He is coming back! Simply by looking at the state of the world, I am inclined to think it will be sooner, rather than later and that’s as specific as I get about the timing of his return. As Christians, these verses should massively motivate us to confront every soul we can with the message of God’s free gift of mercy and salvation, before it is too late – and yes, there will come a time when it will be too late. There will be a reckoning.

These versus should NOT cause us to bury our talents, or spiritual gifts, in the ground [Matthew 25:14-28], in effect hibernate and idly wait for Christ’s return. Christ gave us the Great Commission to go and make disciples, and this charge does not end until: A) he comes, or B) we die. Either one of these two scenarios can happen at any moment. There is no prophetic event that needs to happen before Christ’s return. It can happen at any time.

Don’t Play the Timing Game:

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. [Matthew 24:42-44]

Almost two thousand years ago, Christ stated that he will return “…at an hour when we do not expect him.” To me, this is somewhat of a rebuke – even though I think I’m actively watching for his return, he will come at an hour when I do not expect him. Even though I’m actively writing in this forum about Christ’s return, I should be certain that he will come at an hour when I do not expect him. Therefore, these verses tell me that I should not waste time and credibility guessing the day or hour of his return. Joseph Smith Jr, principal founder of Mormonism, fell into this trap and specifically named the date of Christ’s return (1891 in Smith’s case), only to be proven wrong. As a Christian, I should do my best to “stand at the ready” as though I was waiting for a thief to break into my house, and in the meantime do what God has called me to do, with the talents he has given me. The exact day and hour of Christ’s return will still be a surprise because Jesus said it would be in Matthew 24.

I Just Had an Epiphany!

Epiphany: 1. A divine manifestation. 2. A moment of sudden understanding or revelation.

Sometimes it’s nothing less than funny how God works. I have just received a revelation of what God wants me to do. I have been very frustrated lately about not knowing God’s will – considering I’ve been praying fervently and consulting him regularly. It started last October, when I got a fantastic job offer from a great, reputable company in the energy industry. The job was a definite step up for me: it was a managerial job with a great salary, up to 20% annual bonus, and a signing bonus – it looked like a very busy position but it also looked awesome! BUT…for some reason I couldn’t get any peace about accepting the job offer. From an earthly point of view, it was absolutely the right thing to do. However, when the company sent me the offer letter and contract, I prayed about it, lost all sorts of sleep over it, told the company “yes”, then “no”, then “yes”, then “I have to think about it some more”, until the company finally got tired of my flip-flopping and revoked the offer. Rightfully, the company told me that “…it seemed like I wasn’t comfortable with making the commitment”. I think that was their kind way of saying: “you can’t make up your #^&% mind. My sincere apologies to them and my wife – I was driving both of them up the wall (across the ceiling and down the adjacent wall) with my indecision.

Why was I so undecided?! I was praying for a definite answer, but I still couldn’t get a definite ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. I just got an undefined, uneasy feeling and nothing else. Well, this whole thing was emotionally draining for me and I was really disappointed that God wasn’t showing me explicitly what he wanted. This disappointment was compounded by the fact that my current job is not very interesting, not very challenging and not going anywhere - so why could I not get peace about accepting the other, seemingly much better, job? Answer: Because God was saying to me: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal”. [Matthew 6:20]. That job would have made me incredibly busy. My spiritual life, my family, and my ability to provide greater Christian service would have suffered due to the time commitment that was demanded by that job.

BINGO! Thank God he was indeed speaking to me. He is telling me to focus less on the material aspects of life and focus on the things that have lasting value. Duh! Sometimes I’m sure God thinks I’m completely dense. God isn’t interested in me buying a bigger house, nicer car, and having a more prestigious job title. He is interested in my unyielding desire to serve him – key word here is “serve”. God isn’t interested in giving us the most luxurious life possible regardless of our spiritual condition and priorities. He is interested in us being 100% yielded to him AND then, as an added bonus “…all these things (material blessings) will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). I should mention that there were two things that (finally) led me to this epiphany:

1. I have been bothered, over the last number of months, by how little eschatology (the study of end times and of heaven and hell) is discussed in the church. It’s estimated that twenty-five percent (25%) of the bible is dedicated to future and, as of yet, unfulfilled prophesy and nobody is actively talking about it – at least in the churches I have attended. I have been greatly troubled by this. I have been casually reading about eschatology for a few years and just finished another excellent book entitled “From Iraq to Armageddon” by Keith Intrater. I don’t agree with everything in the book, but the ending especially made an impact on me (and hopefully it will be a profound impact). The book ends with a discussion on heavenly rewards for the Christian. Intrater quotes the following verses:

"That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:47-48, NIV)

These verses are not talking about punishment for unbelievers, because punishment for unbelievers is eternal damnation in the lake of fire. This punishment, limited to “few” or “many” blows, is referring to believers who chose to act or not act on their knowledge of God’s will.

These verses are telling me personally that if I feel uneasy or uncomfortable about the lack of eschatological sermons in the church today, I should do what I can about it. God has pointed this lack of discussion out to me; now it is my responsibility to do something about it, lest I be guilty and deserving of “many blows”.

2. I began this post by saying how funny God works sometimes. Well the second reason leading to my epiphany was just such a funny and remote possibility. I was reading an article in a magazine about how a church was having incredible political strife within it’s ranks. A long-serving couple had been excommunicated from the church and things soon got ugly within the church after that. Well, this story intrigued me, so I searched out this church on the internet. I surfed to the church’s home page and immediately noticed that two past friends of mine were mentioned as workers in the church.

I tried to email this couple to try and give them some encouragement and say hi, but I didn't have their current email address. However, what I think may have been just as important is that somehow I stumbled upon their blog. This is amazing in itself because blogs by their very nature are normally quite anonymous, and this blog was no exception. But somehow I found their blog, through the anonymous blog of another long lost friend, which details their recent departure for a six month missions trip to South Africa. What an inspiring (and actually quite hilarious) blog it is turning out to be. This couple has left their comfortable existence in a major City, their home, and their friends and are being obedient to God’s calling and pursuing his will. Some of their stories are absolutely comical and can be found at http://gowellstaywell.blogspot.com.

This couple has inspired me to “get to work for the Lord”. The blog talks about their hardships in an entirely different and primitive culture. It caused me to think that if they can go all the way to South Africa to follow their convictions, certainly I should act on what the Lord is telling me. End result is I need to get to work. As Luke 12 states, I need to get to work because I think God has been talking to me, and will hold me accountable for focusing on an end times ministry. God help me to be obedient to what he has been telling me these last five months. Honestly, I’m psyched to do it, but it isn't without a little fear - eschatology is an overwhelming subject. Thanks Cathy and Dan, even though you don’t know it, you’ve given me a profound example, inspiration and a much needed “kick in the pants” to get moving on what God has asked me to do.

"If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!" [Mark 13:36-37, NIV]

Canada Checking for Avian Flu at Airports

As an update to my posting yesterday, an interesting story was published in the Globe&Mail today. According to the article, Canada Customs has started using dogs at international airports to sniff for bird feathers and bird feces on the shoes of inbound passengers from select European countries. I guess since Canada had the SARS crisis in Ontario, it is trying to be vigilant with avian flu. This is a good precaution, however it will be difficult (read: impossible) to stop avian flu coming into Canada via migrating birds. Also a bit alarming was the report out of Germany yesterday that a cat was found infected with the virus – this marks the first time that the flu has jumped species in Europe.

I joined a short discussion in my company’s lunchroom yesterday about our healthcare system. The discussion was about how our health system is facing unprecedented pressures due to the aging population and escalating healthcare costs. I unintentionally ended the discussion when I mentioned that an avian flu outbreak would likely bring our already stressed healthcare system to a halt. That promptly brought the discussion to an end and people seemed to get up and leave the lunchroom soon after I brought up my concern about avian flu. People don’t seem to want to talk about things they can’t control. I think it is considered Canadian politeness not to talk about potentially catastrophic events. Granted, if I was a non-Christian I wouldn’t want to talk about it either. To a Christian, these end time events are a call to “…look up, for [our] redemption draws nigh.”

Hello!? Are We All Sleeping?

I suppose it’s good not to panic about things you cannot control, however the blasé attitude the world is paying to avian flu is astounding. With the news blaring ominous headlines like: “The Risk Now is High for Everybody” and Bloomberg with the delightful headline today: “Bird Flu, Spreading in Africa, May Touch Off Killer Pandemic”. Wow, with a killer pandemic on the inevitable horizon (as pointedly put by the World Health Organization) you’d think people would be feeling sheer terror. I suppose the terror will start once 1 in 5 starts coughing up their lungs.

How absolutely crucial it is that we be sure of our reason for existence - of why we are here. If I believed that we humans are on this earth due to mere chance and incredible evolution, I’d be freakin’ (to use the scientific name for it) right now. If I was a agnostic, humanist, evolutionist I’d now be preparing to make my “exit” and making way for the next higher life form: the super-bug. Thank God, I am not an evolutionist. I believe the Creator of all things has a plan that the earth is absolutely adhering to. I believe that to die on earth is only to be present with the Lord for the transformed Christian.

Christ warned us by stating: “There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”[Luke 21:11, NIV]. Praise the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel that he is in control, and I don’t have to worry about my family, me, or where my investments are headed in my retirement plan. I’ve got the best, longest retirement plan going – AMEN.

Today's Canadian News, eh?

CRTC Favours Choice (??)

Wha? Did the Globe and Mail actually print that? That’s hilarious! Everyone knows (should know!) that “CRTC” and “choice” are a complete oxymoron (which begs the question: Is there such a thing as an “incomplete” oxymoron?…I digress) . I think what the CRTC really is, is a tool used by the monopoly CBC to maintain relevancy and public funding to the tune of over a $Billion every year. I love what a G&M commenter posted on their site, he said: “Disband the CRTC!!! Those self-serving, overpaid, latte-sipping bureaucrats act like they know what's best for Canadians. Yeah, I can't wait for the next Rita MacNeil special on the CBC. Crap is crap, whether it's domestic or foreign”. Hee, hee – I love some of the comments that get posted on that paper’s web site. The editors at that paper don’t seem to edit much – which is great for opinionated people like me.

Countdown to Armageddon

Picking topics:

This is my first post so allow me to give a brief introduction. The purpose of my blog will be to discuss life as I see it. Although this is quite general, to say the least, it will allow me plenty of latitude and prevent me from become too bored with one line of thought. Good thinking huh?

Potential topics for this blog could include:

• Political events – world with a focus on Canada
• World news
• Christianity
• End times prophecy
• Middle East
• EU
• Raising kids
• Decline of civilization
• Avian Flu

If anyone else has any topics that follow along the above line, please feel free to post and suggest them.

Thanks very much,