CALVINISM AND CHOICE

Calvinism is a doctrine formed by John Calvin which has five basic principles.
The five principles are as follows:

Total depravity (Original Sin)
Unconditional election (God's Election)
Limited atonement (Particular Redemption)
Irresistible grace (Effectual Calling)
Perseverance of the Saints

In summary these beliefs mean that man after sin was upon him has no ability to live for God.
God by his own will choices then who he will to be his elect since we have no ability to change for God. It is all up to God.
The salvation experience is also a complete inner change which cant be wavered. If you have been changed you will live for Christ until the end of your days. This is called the perseverence of the saints.

A lot of denominations cringe at such teachings and condemned them but then almost completely agree with these teachings as they preach the word of God. I think we need to accept the truth of these teachings to a great extent. Unless God intervenes we cant follow him and if we truly have the Spirit we cant walk away. He has changed us at salvation as Paul explains. We are new creatures.

Predestination is the big bopper so to speak in rubbing others the wrong way. God choosing as he wills is uncalled for as they say but what about Romans 9. He chooses whom he will and he hardens whom he will. We cant run from these teachings all throughout the scriptures. Jesus said Judas was chosen to be the son of perdition. Paul says we are chosen from the foundation of the world. Verses like these are clear in meaning but we cringe in teaching them and I do understand this. They are probably affraid the lost will think they werent meant to be converted so they will not listen. They feel it will in some way hurt Gods calling each soul.
Then again if they are chosen dont you think they will respond when God wills it. Its a hard doctrine to accept but I think the best way to put it is this, We all are called to salvation but few are chosen.

He doesnt want any to perish but for all to come to repentance. This is the biggest verse I have trouble with in believing in this Calvinism doctrine yet there are more verses that lean towards the Calvinistic teaching. How could God want all to repent but not choose them all? This I cant explain. One day we will find out on the other side. We may find out we had a bigger part to play in this than we thought. I doubt it though. I look at myself and see a boy wandering lifes path my way until God intervened. He did it all. He gets all the glory. If he hadnt have had unmerited grace and mercy and stepped in I would have walked my way all the way. Praise God he called and chose me and you.

WHATS IN A NAME

The names of bible characters had a message even in their meanings. Here are some people in scripture and their names meaning.

ABRAHAM.................Father of many
ADAM.........................Man
BARNABAS................Son of the prophet
BEULAH.....................Married
DANIEL......................God is my judge
DAVID........................Beloved
ELIJAH......................My God is Yahweh
ELISHA......................My God is salvation
ENOCH......................Dedicated
ESTHER....................Star
EZEKIEL...................God strengthens
GABRIEL..................Strong man of God
HOSEA......................Salvation
ISAIAH.....................Yahweh is salvation
JABEZ.......................Sorrow
JEREMIAH...............Yahweh has uplifted
JESUS........................Yeshua
JOB............................Persecuted
JOHN.........................Yahweh is gracious
JONAH......................Dove
JOSEPH.....................He will add
JUDAH.......................Praised
MALACHI.................My messenger
MICHAEL.................Who is like God
MOSES......................Deliver or son
NOAH........................Rest or comfort
PAUL.........................Small or humble
PETER.......................Stone
PHILIP......................Friend of horses
RUTH........................Friend
SARAH......................Princess
SETH.........................Appointed
SOLOMON...............Peace
STEPHEN.................Crown
TIMOTHY...............To honour
ZECHARIAH...........Yahweh remembers

WHY OUR LIFE SPAN IS AROUND 70

An amazing verse in scripture comes to mind when talking about our age limit.
Lets examine it:

Psalms 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Psalms says our years are around seventy and some will live longer yet those years after seventy will be ones of sorrow and weakness. As I saw this I was amazed at its accuracy even in our day and time with all the technologies and advancements we have life lasts, in general, this long. After seventy we start to decline and weakness and pains set in due to our bodys deteriating. Sorrows may also mean being alone and seeing the ones we grow up with all dying off and being left alone. There is great truth in this. Sorrows could also be attributed to the pains of the body. We dont know exactly what is meant here.

Now there have been life spans less than this due to conditions of certain generations but the fact remained seventy was the cap on good health. All the life spans varying differently at times were shorter in length not longer. Seventy even in those generations would be an accurate statement on the cut off of mans life because they werent exceeding it in good health. The verse once again shows Gods perfect word and its accuracy.

WHAT MORMONS TEACH AND BELIEVE

The differences in Mormonism and Christianity are amazing. Whats more amazing is that Mormons use the King James Bible along side their three books, the Book of Mormon being the main one. The reason this is amazing is that the Bible we know as Gods word teaches the exact opposite as the following teachings by the Mormon Church.

Mormon Teachings:

God was a man.
God had a father.
God also lived on another earth and died for man.
God and Jesus are two different people with fleshly bodys.
We become Gods.
Mormons believe in present day revelations.
Jesus will return in Missouri.
Jesus will set up a kingdom there in Missouri.
We the saints will build him a city there in Missouri.
The book of Mormon on plates dissappeared.
Satan and Jesus are brothers.
Spirit is matter.
We once lived before we were incarnated human.
Heaven will have three different places according to your rank.
Joseph Smith its founder was a prophet more accurate than even Christ in teachings.
The new Jerusalem is a city we build on earth.
The Mormons called polygamy honorable instead of a sin in the past. They changed this doctrine.
Water Baptism saves people not spiritual Baptism.
Even the dead can be saved from a living humans baptism for them.
Mormonism believes in many Gods ruling the universe.
A Mormon believes in the future they will become a God over their own planet.

Todays tipical Mormon will not talk about these things for one main reason: they really care what the public thinks and they want to be accepted and not look out of the ordinary. For the most part they want to be accepted as the label Christian.

The big differences make all the differences in the two. We as Christians believe these main points totally different than Mormonism:

There is one God.
God is spirit.
Jesus and the Father are one.
Salvation is in accepting Christ as Savior not water baptism.
We will not become Gods.
There is no continuous revelation. The word is complete.
There is one heaven and new Jerusalem is in heaven and comes to the new earth.
After death is the judgement.
There is one earth.

FEEDING THE 5000

Did you know this is the only miracle performed by Jesus in all four gospels. It must be important and it must have made a great impact for all four writers to mention this in their letters. Lets look at some facts about the miracle.

Jesus and the disciples have been teaching the masses and it has been long since they have eaten physically. The disciples tell Jesus to send them away instead Jesus says feed them.
A boy brings them 5 loaves and two fish and jesus miraculously feeds the masses (5000 men and unnumbered women and children). After this twelve baskets are left over.

Now lets look at this will spiritual glasses. A boy brings all the food. All through scripture God has used one man sometimes even a boy to deliver a group of people. Remember David and Goliath. 5 loathes and 2 fish: the number five scripturally is a number of grace while two is the number of witness. In other words this is a true story of Gods grace poured on the people.
5000 is also a number of complete fulfillment of Gods grace since 5 is used with 1000, the number of completeness in God. 12 baskets being left over could be a message to each disciple showing he was God but could also mean since Jesus has shown him who he was now they were responsible to accept him. 12 being the number of government.

The word says they were sheep without a shepherd. Their shepherd had came. After feeding them they said he was the prophet come for Israel. He realized they thought he meant as a literal king over the people so he left and went to a quiet place. They didnt realize he was to be their Savior from themselves. They missed the meaning of the prophecy. Yes he would be their literal king in the new earth but not now.
Did you know mark 6 implys the disciples even had enough money to feed them. Jesus wanted to show himself the Savior. The disciples stepped out on faith and put the fragments of the loaves and fish in the baskets as Jesus had told them. It was also another small step in building their faith unto him. In the future these people left Jesus because they just wanted him for their bellys fulfillment and not for a Savior. Only the disciples stayed with Christ. They got the point.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN AMERICA

1 THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME

2 THOU SHALT NOT MAKE UNTO THEE ANY GRAVEN IMAGES AND WORSHIP IT

3 THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE LORDS NAME IN VAIN

4 KEEP THE SABBATH HOLY

5 HONOUR THY FATHER AND MOTHER

6 THOU SHALT NOT KILL

7 THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY

8 THOU SHALT NOT STEAL

9 THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS (LIE)

10 THOU SHALT NOT COVET ANOTHERS POSSESSIONS

As we look at these commands notice the first five are commands for ourselves, to work on or to follow ourselves. The last five are for us not to harm or do wrong unto others or in some way is associated with our fellow man. All these commands are to do a few things. One it is for our protection. Second it is to honor God who made these laws and it is also for the honouring of all others. Jesus said love thy neighbor as thy self. If we do this we will fulfill the last five commands. The other command Jesus gave was to worship the Father with all our heart, soul, and mind. This will help us to fulfill the first five and also plants the foundation to fulfill the last five as well. Jesus said you can hand all the law on those two commands.

As far as America we are breaking them all. A few stand out though as I look over the commands. Of course we are breaking these laws because we are getting farther from worshiping God which is the motor for operating the other nine laws.
I think coveting is probably our biggest sin as a whole followed by adultery and lying. These three are destroying America as we grow more and more into a materialistic and sophisticated society. All these dont forget however come from the root problem. We are forgetting God and in doing so shattering the first four commands.

The church in America is just as at fault if not more. The preachers arent preaching sin or the breaking of Gods laws. We are teaching salvation without repentance. We are forgetting we need to be saved from something. That something is the breaking of Gods laws. Jesus came to give us a Spirit to fulfill the laws and the ability to worship him but we must repent first to receive his Spirit of adoption. We have broken Gods law and are in need of a Savior and also a Lord to be Lord of our lives. We arent teaching none of these things. Salvation isnt a membership to a club, its a life change, a new creation by God and for God. The commandments bring us to this well. When we see we cant fulfill these then we are drawn to the one who can fulfill them; Jesus.
The commandments are for our protection and play a part in our coming to Christ and being in him in our journey of salvation. Hang these laws on the door of your heart, judge yourself today. Its a good thing for us to do. Its our measuring stick in life. America needs to stop hiding the commands from public places and start displaying them. Its time to honour God again. Help us Lord honour you again.

OUT OF THE MOUTH OF FOUNDING FATHERS

Did America have a Christian heritage? Did we have Christian roots, values, and did our founding Fathers actually stand for religion publically?
Take a look at what they said.

“What students would learn in American schools above all is the religion of Jesus Christ.” --George Washington in a speech to the Delaware Indian Chiefs May 12, 1779

A Portion of George Washington's personal prayers:
“O Most Glorious God, in Jesus Christ, my merciful and loving Father; I acknowledge and confess my guilt in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of this day. I have called on Thee for pardon and forgiveness of my sins, but so coldly and carelessly that my prayers are become my sin, and they stand in need of pardon.”“ I have sinned against heaven and before Thee in thought, word, and deed. I have contemned Thy majesty and holy laws. I have likewise sinned by omitting what I ought to have done and committing what I ought not. I have rebelled against the light, despising Thy mercies and judgment, and broken my vows and promise. I have neglected the better things. My iniquities are multiplied and my sins are very great. I confess them, O Lord, with shame and sorrow, detestation and loathing and desire to be vile in my own eyes as I have rendered myself vile in Thine. I humbly beseech Thee to be merciful to me in the free pardon of my sins for the sake of Thy dear Son and only Savior Jesus Christ who came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Thou gavest Thy Son to die for me.”
"Make me to know what is acceptable in Thy sight, and therein to delight, open the eyes of my understanding, and help me thoroughly to examine myself concerning my knowledge, faith, and repentance, increase my faith, and direct me to the true object, Jesus Christ the Way, the Truth, and the Life, ..."[from a 24 page authentic handwritten manuscript book dated April 21-23, 1752]

Thomas Jefferson wrote:
“The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend to all the happiness of man.”
“Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern which have come under my observation, none appears to me so pure as that of Jesus.”
"I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus." [Letter to Benjamin Rush April 21, 1803]

John Quincy Adams (our 6th president) wrote:
“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” [July 4th, 1821]
From the day of the Declaration [of Independence]…they [the American people] were bound by the laws of God, which they all, and by the laws of The Gospel they nearly all, acknowledge as the rules of their conduct.” [July 4th, 1821]
“Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day [the Fourth of July]?" “Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity"? [July 4th, 1837 when he delivered a Fourth of July speech at Newburyport, Massachusetts]
“So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year.”

John Adams (our 2nd president wrote:
"I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere, my straightened means, and my busy life, would allow; and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen." December 25, 1813 letter to Thomas Jefferson
"Without Religion this World would be Something not fit to be mentioned in polite Company, I mean Hell." [John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, April 19, 1817]
“We recognize no Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!”[April 18, 1775, on the eve of the Revolutionary War after a British major ordered John Adams, John Hancock, and those with them to disperse in “the name of George the Sovereign King of England." ]

Andrew Jackson (our 7th president) wrote:
"Sir, I am in the hands of a merciful God. I have full confidence in His goodness and mercy...The Bible is true. I have tried to conform to its spirit as near as possible. Upon that sacred volume I rest my hope for eternal salvation, through the merits and blood of our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."[May 29th, 1845, just a few weeks before he died]
"The Bible is the Rock on which this Republic rests."

Abraham Lincoln (our 16th president) wrote:
"In regards to this great Book (the Bible), I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Saviour gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are found portrayed in it."
"I believe I am an humble servant in the hands of our Heavenly Father; I desire that all my words and acts may be according to His will."

William Bradford• wrote that they [the Pilgrims] were seeking: • 1) "a better, and easier place of living”; and that “the children of the group were being drawn away by evil examples into extravagance and dangerous courses [in Holland]“• 2) “The great hope, and for the propagating and advancing the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world" The Mayflower Compact (authored by William Bradford) 1620

Benjamin Franklin: “ God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel” –Constitutional Convention of 1787 original manuscript of this speech
“In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered… do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?” [Constitutional Convention, Thursday June 28, 1787]
In Benjamin Franklin's 1749 plan of education for public schools in Pennsylvania, he insisted that schools teach "the excellency of the Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern."
In 1787 when Franklin helped found Benjamin Franklin University, it was dedicated as "a nursery of religion and learning, built on Christ, the Cornerstone."

Patrick Henry: Portrait of Patrick Henry"Orator of the Revolution." • This is all the inheritance I can give my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.”—The Last Will and Testament of Patrick Henry

The bell quotes scripture:
Liberty Bell Inscription:“ Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof” [Leviticus 25:10]

They didnt even know an athiest exsisted:
New York Spectator. August 23, 1831“ The court of common pleas of Chester county, [New York] rejected a witness who declared his disbelief in the existence of God. The presiding judge remarked that he had not before been aware that there was a man living who did not believe in the existence of God; that this belief constituted the sanction of all testimony in a court of justice: and that he knew of no cause in a Christian country where a witness had been permitted to testify without such belief.

BENNY HINN: A BROTHER IN CHRIST

There is a lot of things being said about a man named Benny Hinn. Benny is a preacher and evangelist of the TBN broadcast television show and a world wide evangelist. There have been many things said in error on this man and this blog is to set the record straight from an unbiased observer.

Most of the comments made are belittling the man for all he has and is doing. Sadly they come from christian people. The most common statements are that he is a false prophet and a faith healer, which in most church or evangelical circles is a bad label.
Nothing good is ever said about Benny Hinn. I think we need to put our spiritual glasses on and really see what is happening.

Now im not saying benny is perfect or has always done or said everything correctly. Think of it this way however. Are you sure all your teachings and statements have always been correct?
No I dont believe in the laying on of hands as it is portrayed today and Benny often uses this method but he uses it not as a process of post healing but after the people themselves have claimed their healing. Benny Hinn in fact never claims to heal. Benny has a meeting in which people come to worship and gain faith within themselves to have a healing occur in their lives. They do not come for Benny to heal them or lay hands on them. This is a totally incorrect teaching and rumor harming a Christian brother. Now I will be the first to speak against a false teacher or someone doing things unbiblical like claiming to be a healer. I do think the sign gifts are not used today. Clearly scripturally they were used to show Jesus to have the true gospel and to authenticate its difference from other past false teachers. Benny does not heal or claim to. This is simply a false accusation.

I have personnally seen a Benny Hinn conference. He preached first and over 500 people made first time commitments to Christ. He even went over what they were doing for 10 plus minutes. It was very biblically accurate. It actually was the best Ive seen. He teaches them what they are doing as they are committing their lives to Christ. Then we praised God in song and worship before people came up and claimed their healing. Never did Benny heal or claim to. I do think a lot of people get caught up in the moment and claim things that dont happen but thats them trying to believe and have faith not Benny doing it for them.

Benny Hinn as I stated also is on TBN. His show This Is Your Day is shown every week. On it he shows clips from his conferences and in other shows teaches the bible. Benny is a great bible teacher. I say this for 3 reasons. He teaches Christ is everything and our complete salvation. All our hope is Jesus. Secondly he teaches holiness. Seeking holiness is the bedrock for our walk with Christ. It is a deep urging for us to seek God daily. Thirdly I always hear sound teaching. He has in the past said things mostly consistent with charasmatic or Church of God (Pentecostal) thinking but as he has grown in Christ teaches much more in the lines of Baptist theology. He does speak in tongues and still believe in the Pentecostal views I think, but he never hardly ever says anything about those teachings. He keeps almost all his teachings on our everyday walk and following Jesus.

In summary let me say this. If you think Benny Hinn is lost and is a false teacher then everyone charasmatic and Pentecostal must also be lost. Do you believe this?
As a whole I see a man who carries the gospel to the world, preaches truth, and stands for the Jesus we all believe. Benny by Faith has followed God and because of it God has done awesome things. Only in heaven will we know how many souls listened to Benny teach or preach and accept to follow Christ for the first time. Im sure it is many. He may not do it the conventional way but I dont think we need to condemn him unless we hear real false teachings.
I remember the disciples were criticizing a group casting out demons in Jesus name because they werent with them. What did Jesus say? Dont be against them for they are with us. They were on their side. Maybe we should look at Benny through spiritual, loving glasses and say, "Hes on our side."

BIBLICAL ACCURACY AND MIRACULOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

Many discoveries have been found by archaeologists that seem to without a doubt solidify the accuracies of biblical teachings. Look at these amazing discoveries.

The Bible tells how God, by a miracle, made the walls of Jericho fall down. Joshua and the army of Israelites were able to rush into the city and gain a victory.
Archaeologists have discovered that the ruins of Jericho prove that the walls fell down – but not inwards, as if the army had battered them in. The bricks and rubble show that the walls fell outward! That was a miracle! No people would want to push their own city walls down from inside the city!
The archaeologists also found, inside the ruined city, pots full of grain. That proved that the city was not besieged and the people were not starved into defeat. The only explanation is that the Bible is right! The collapse of the walls and the defeat of Jericho was sudden.

The Bible mentions a nation called the Hittites. It suggested that they lived 4,000 years ago.
(Genesis 23:10). Archaeologists and historians, for hundreds of years said: ‘The Bible is wrong. It cannot be God’s book because there is a mistake. There is no evidence of there ever being a people called Hittites.
Then, an archaeologist discovered an ancient slab with writing on it. This mentioned that someone had had a battle with a nation of people called Hittites! The Bible was right! The following edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica contained lots if information about this people!

Archaeologists have searched the Dead Sea region for many years in search of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 14:3 gives their location as the Valley of Siddim known as the Salt Sea, another name for the Dead Sea. On the east side six wadies, or river valleys, flow into the Dead Sea. Along five of these wadies, ancient cities were discovered. The northern most is named Bab edh-Drha. In 1924, renowned archaeologist Dr. William Albright excavated at this site, searching for Sodom and Gomorrah. He discovered it to be a heavily fortified city.
More digging was done in 1965, 1967, and 1973. The archaeologists discovered a 23-inch thick wall around the city, along with numerous houses and a large temple. Outside the city were huge grave sites where thousands of skeletons were unearthed. This revealed that the city had been well populated during the early Bronze Age, about the time Abraham would have lived.
Most intriguing was evidence that a massive fire had destroyed the city. It lay buried under a coating of ash several feet thick. A cemetery one kilometer outside the city contained charred remains of roofs, posts, and bricks turned red from heat.
Dr. Bryant Wood, in describing these charnel houses, stated that a fire began on the roofs of these buildings. Eventually the burning roof collapsed into the interior and spread inside the building. This was the case in every house they excavated. Such a massive fiery destruction would match the biblical account that the city was destroyed by fire that rained down from heaven. Wood states, "The evidence would suggest that this site of Bab edh-Drha is the biblical city of Sodom."
Five cities of the plain are mentioned in Genesis 14: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zoar, and Zeboiim. Remnants of these other four cities are also found along the Dead Sea. Following a southward path from Bab edh-Drha there is the city called Numeria. Continuing south is the city called es-Safi. Further south are the ancient cities of Feifa and Khanazir. Studies at these cities revealed that they had been abandoned at the same time about 2450–2350 B.C. Many archaeologists believe if Bab ed-Drha is Sodom, Numeria is Gomorrah, and es-Safi is Zoar.
What fascinated the archaeologists is that these cities were covered in the same ash as Bab ed-Drha. Numeria, believed to be Gomorrah, had seven feet of ash in some places. In every one of the destroyed cities ash deposits made the soil a spongy charcoal, making it impossible to rebuild. According to the Bible, four of the five cities were destroyed, leaving Lot to flee to Zoar. Zoar was not destroyed by fire, but was abandoned during this period.

In the summer of 1993, an archaeologist made what has been labeled as a phenomenal and stunning discovery. Dr. Avraham Biran and his team were excavating a site labeled Tell Dan, located in northern Galilee at the foot of Mt. Hermon. Evidence indicates that this is the site of the Old Testament land of Dan.
The team had discovered an impressive royal plaza. As they were clearing the debris, they discovered in the ruins the remains of a black basalt stele, or stone slab, containing Aramaic inscriptions. The stele contained thirteen lines of writing but none of the sentences were complete. Some of the lines contained only three letters while the widest contained fourteen. The letters that remained were clearly engraved and easy to read. Two of the lines included the phrases "The King of Israel" and "House of David."
This is the first reference to King David found outside of the Bible. This discovery has caused many critics to reconsider their view of the historicity of the Davidic kingdom. Pottery found in the vicinity, along with the construction and style of writing, lead Dr. Biran to argue that the stele was erected in the first quarter of the ninth century B.C., about a century after the death of King David.
The translation team discovered that the inscription told of warfare between the Israelites and the Arameans, which the Bible refers to during this period. In this find, a ruler of the Arameans probably Hazael is victorious over Israel and Judah. The stele was erected to celebrate the defeat of the two kings. In 1994 two more pieces were found with inscriptions which refer to Jehoram, the son of Ahab, ruler over Israel, and Ahaziah, who was the ruler over the "House of David" or Judah. These names and facts correspond to the account given in chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Kings. Dr. Hershel Shanks of Biblical Archaeological Review states, "The stele brings to life the biblical text in a very dramatic way. It also gives us more confidence in the historical reality of the biblical text."

As you can see more and more our land is leaving us clues of the accuracy of our great book, the word of God. Even though we dont need it it builds our faith more and more.

PRAYING PILGRIMS GAVE THANKS

The Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620. Their destination? The New World. Although filled with uncertainty and peril, it offered both civil and religious liberty.For over two months, the 102 passengers braved the harsh elements of a vast storm-tossed sea. Finally, with firm purpose and a reliance on Divine Providence, the cry of "Land!" was heard.
Arriving in Massachusetts in late November, the Pilgrims sought a suitable landing place. On December 11, just before disembarking at Plymouth Rock, they signed the "Mayflower Compact" - America's first document of civil government and the first to introduce self-government.
After a prayer service, the Pilgrims began building hasty shelters. However, unprepared for the starvation and sickness of a harsh New England winter, nearly half died before spring. Yet, persevering in prayer, and assisted by helpful Indians, they reaped a bountiful harvest the following summer.
The grateful Pilgrims then declared a three-day feast, starting on December 13, 1621, to thank God and to celebrate with their Indian friends. While this was not the first Thanksgiving in America (thanksgiving services were held in Virginia as early as 1607), it was America's first Thanksgiving Festival.

Columbus thanked God for his discoveries of the new world and the pilgrims did the same. America had a solid foundation.

COLUMBUS: FOUNDED ON THE ROCK

Christopher Columbus has been given the title as our founder of this great land we call America. Here is a part of a letter he wrote back to his people about his first discoverys. Columbus must have been a Christian explorer because he named his first discovery after Christ. Look at what Columbus wrote:

Because my undertakings have attained success, I know that it will be pleasing to you: these I have determined to relate, so that you may be made acquainted with everything done and discovered in this our voyage. On the thirty-third day after I departed from Cadiz, I came to the Indian sea, where I found many islands inhabited by men without number, of all which I took possession for our most fortunate king, with proclaiming heralds and flying standards, no one objecting. To the first of these I gave the name of the blessed Saviour, on whose aid relying I had reached this as well as the other islands. But the Indians call it Guanahany. I also called each one of the others by a new name. For I ordered one island to be called Santa Maria of the Conception, another Fernandina, another Isabella, another Juana, and so on with the rest.

Truly great and wonderful is this, and not corresponding to our merits, but to the holy Christian religion, and to the piety and religion of our sovereigns, because what the human understanding could not attain, that the divine will has granted to human efforts. For God is wont to listen to his servants who love his precepts, even in impossibilities, as has happened to us on the present occasion, who have attained that which hitherto mortal men have never reached. For if anyone has written or said anything about these islands, it was all with obscurities and conjectures; no one claims that he had seen them; from which they seemed like fables. Therefore let the king and queen, the princes and their most fortunate kingdoms, and all other countries of Christendom give thanks to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has bestowed upon us so great a victory and gift. Let religious processions be solemnized; let sacred festivals be given; let the churches be covered with festive garlands. Let Christ rejoice on earth, as he rejoices in heaven, when he foresees coming to salvation so many souls of people hitherto lost. Let us be glad also, as well on account of the exaltation of our faith, as on account of the increase of our temporal affairs, of which not only Spain, but universal Christendom will be partaker. These things that have been done are thus briefly related. Farewell.

Lisbon, the day before the Ides of March.

Christopher Columbus, Admiral of the Ocean Fleet.

ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved,[g] as it is written: “ The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”[h]28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.

What is Paul saying? What did he mean here by all Israel being saved?
Paul has just went over in the previous chapters that only a remnant of Israel will ever believe and he even stated how it grieved him. He also explained the election of God how God has soveriegnly chose his elect excluding most of Israel. They also, he explains had a role in this as they rejected Christ for their love of their own laws. Jesus was a stumblingblock to them thus the gentiles are the main flock in the body of Christ. But wait! Notice what it says: when the fullness of the gentiles has come in then all Israel will be saved.
Luke says when the time of the gentiles is over Jesus returns for his elect. What about Israel then?
Notice Paul states by them you will obtain mercy. By who?
Because the gentiles would go into all the world and the Israelites were scattered throughout the world, then because of the preaching of the gospel all over the world a remnant would always be within the church from fleshly Israel and when the last gentile is saved then all Israel is also saved at Christs return as it states in verse 26-27. All Israel is saved, every fleshly Israelite who ever accepted Christ (rom 2,9) at his return. This is the meaning of all Israel, not a generation in the future. Never does the bible teach one day every Israelite will accept Christ in a certain generation. The word always says a remnant of the jews. Saying all will be saved one day would be a contradiction to the whole old testament teaching and its prophecies. There is no contradiction. And so all Israel will be saved is a summary statement of all the people paul had just discussed. The gentiles and jews who are grafted into the olive tree make up all Gods Israel. We are one body now within the new covenant promised to Israel long ago. All Israel means all the saved, the new creatures in Christ.

DANIELS 70 WEEK PROPHECY

The Bible says, "He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Daniel 9:27.
Have you ever heard of the "seven-year period of great tribulation"? The whole idea is rooted in two words of the above sentence! The two words are "one week." Supposedly, that period of "one week" applies to the final seven-year period of great tribulation at the end of time. Right now, all over planet Earth, in books, in magazines, in videos, on the radio, in seminaries, on the Internet, and at Bible prophecy conferences, Christians are talking about events that they firmly believe will occur during a final seven years of tribulation.
According to the popular interpretation of Daniel 9:27, the "he" refers to a future Antichrist who will eventually make a covenant, or peace treaty, with the Jews during the final seven years of tribulation. In the "midst" of this tribulation, this Antichrist will cause "the sacrifice … to cease." In order for the sacrifices to cease, they must have been restarted. Therefore, according to countless modern interpreters, there must be a rebuilt third Jewish temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
A popular Christian magazine called Endtime reflects this current view: "Three and one-half years after the confirming of the covenant [by the Antichrist] the Jews’ Third Temple must be completed and sacrifice and oblation be in progress. We know this because Daniel 9:27 states that in the middle of the seven years the Antichrist will cause the sacrifice and the oblation to stop."
Much of the Christian world is now locked in a fierce debate about whether Jesus will return for His church before the 7 years (the pre-tribulation view), in the midst of the 7 years (the mid-tribulation view), or at the end of the 7 years (the post-tribulation view). Yet by far the most explosive question, which few seem to be asking, should be "Is and end-time ‘seven-year period of great tribulation’ really the correct interpretation of Daniel 9:27 in the first place?"
Historically, Protestant scholars have not applied Daniel 9:27 to a future period of tribulation at all! Neither have they applied the "he" to the Antichrist! Rather, they applied it to Jesus Christ. Notice what the world-famous Bible commentary written by Matthew Henry says about Daniel 9:27: "By offering himself a sacrifice once and for all he [Jesus] shall put an end to all the Levitical sacrifices." Another famous Bible commentary, written by Adam Clarke, says that during the "term of seven years," Jesus would "confirm or ratify the new covenant with mankind." Finally, another well-respected old commentary declares: "He shall confirm the covenant—Christ. The confirmation of the covenant is assigned to Him."
The following 10 points provide logical and convincing evidence that the "one week" spoken of in Daniel 9:27 does not apply to any future seven-year period of tribulation at all. Rather, this great prophetic period has already been definitely fulfilled in the past!
1) The entire prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 covers a period of "seventy weeks." This period applies to one complete, sequential block of time. This prophecy would start during the Persian period and would end during the time of the Messiah.
2) Logic requires that the 70th week follow immediately after the 69th week. If it does not, then it cannot properly be called the 70th week!
3) It is illogical to insert a 2,000-year gap between the 69th and the 70th week. No hint of this gap is found in the prophecy itself. There is no gap between the first 7 weeks and the following 62 weeks. Why insert one between the 69th and the 70th week?
4) Daniel 9:27 says nothing about a seven-year period of tribulation, or about any Antichrist.
5) The focus of this prophecy is the Messiah, not the Antichrist. Modern interpreters have applied "the people of the prince" who would come to "destroy the city and the sanctuary" (verse 26) to the Antichrist. Yet the text does not say this. In the past, that sentence has been applied to the Romans, who under Prince Titus did "destroy the city and the sanctuary" in A.D. 70.
6) "He shall confirm the covenant." Jesus Christ came "to confirm the promises made unto the fathers." Romans 15:8. Nowhere in the Bible is Antichrist ever said to make or confirm a covenant with anyone! The word "covenant" always applies to the Messiah, never to the Antichrist!
7) "He shall confirm the covenant with many." Jesus said, "This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many." Matthew 26:28. Jesus used the same words, because He knew that He was fulfilling Daniel 9:27!
8) "In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." The 70th week was from A.D. 27 to 34. After three and a half years of ministry, Christ died in A.D. 31, "in the midst [middle] of the week." At the moment of His death, "the veil of the temple was rent [torn] in twain from the top to the bottom." Matthew 27:51. This act of God signified that all animal sacrifices had at that moment ceased to be of value. The Great Sacrifice had been offered!
9) "For the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate." Jesus plainly applied this "abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" (Matthew 24:15) to the time when His followers were to flee from Jerusalem before the destruction of the second temple in A.D. 70. Jesus told His 12 disciples, "When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies [the Roman armies led by Prince Titus], then know that its desolation is near." Luke 21:20, emphasis added. Those disciples did "see" those very events. Christ’s very last words to the Pharisees from inside the second temple were, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." Matthew 23:38. Thus Daniel’s prophecy about Jerusalem becoming "desolate" was exactly fulfilled in A.D. 70! Jesus understood this perfectly.
10) Gabriel said that the 70-week prophecy specifically applied to the Jewish people (Daniel 9:24). From A.D. 27 to A.D. 34, the disciples went only "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matthew 10:6. At the end of the 70 weeks, in the year A.D. 34, Stephen was stoned by the Jewish Sanhedrin (Acts chapter 7). Then the gospel began to go to the Gentiles. In Acts chapter 9, Saul became Paul, "the apostle of the Gentiles." Romans 11:13. Then in Acts chapter 10, God gave Peter a vision revealing that it was now time to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10:1-28). Read also Acts 13:46.
The explosive evidence is overwhelming! Point by point, the events of the 70th week have already been fulfilled in the past! The following eight words found in Daniel 9:27: "confirm...covenant...many...midst...sacrifice...cease... abominations...desolate": all find a perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ and in early Christian history.
One reason why the Jewish nation as a whole failed to receive its Messiah was because its leaders and scholars failed to correctly interpret the 70-week prophecy. They failed to see Jesus Christ as the Messiah who died in the midst of the 70th week. The same thing is happening today! Amazingly, sincere Christian scholars are now misinterpreting the very same prophecy.
The entire "seven-year period of great tribulation" theory is a grand illusion. It may go down in history as the biggest evangelical misinterpretation of the 20th century! It can be compared to a big, fat hot air balloon. Inside, there is no substance, only air. As soon as Daniel 9:27 is understood correctly and the pin of truth is inserted, the balloon will pop. The fact is that no text in the Bible teaches any "seven-year period of great tribulation." If you look for it, you will end up like Ponce de Leon, who tirelessly searched for the famous fountain of youth but never found it.

IS IT POSSIBLE THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL WAS JESUS

Im not going to dogmatically say im sure of this. I never make a doctrine within my own beliefs until I have studied it out and have no doubts about what I am studying and have no evidence at all biblically that it could be any other way but this seems highly possible. Remember an angel in the bible is a messenger. Usually they appear as people and we know this because the ones they appear to dont know any different. Clearly the angel of the Lord in scripture was Jesus in the old testament if you examine all the details of the passages he is in. Michael the archangel seems also to probably be Jesus. Look at these arguements:

ARCHANGEL / MICHAEL TEXT #1
1 Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the *archangel*, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Who raises the dead with His voice? Not a created angel, indeed not even a created archangel. The shout is given with the voice of the *archangel*, the LORD Jesus Christ Himself:
John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;John 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.John 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
It is the voice of Jesus Christ (the Son of man) that raises the dead. Just as 1 Th 4:16 says, the Lord Jesus shall descend from heaven and shout with the voice of the Archangel, because He is the Archangel. With that shout, the righteous dead will be raised from their graves!

ARCHANGEL / MICHAEL TEXT #2
Jude 1:9 Yet *Michael the archangel*, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
This verse is a virtual duplicate of another Old Testament event-
Zec 3:1 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the *angel of the LORD*, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.Zec 3:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
In both Jude 9 and Zech 3:1-2 it is Jesus, the *angel of the LORD* who is also *Michael the archangel*, contending with Satan for both Moses and Joshua.

ARCHANGEL / MICHAEL TEXT #3
Dan 10:13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, *Michael*, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia
The prince of the kingdom of Persia is a reference to Satan, and Michael refers again to Jesus. It is the created angel Gabriel that is speaking with Daniel (See Dan 8:16, 9:21). The reference to Michael as one of the chief princes probably alludes to the Trinity, with Jesus being one part of the triune Godhead.

ARCHANGEL / MICHAEL TEXT #4
Dan 10:21 But I will show thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
So is Gabriel saying that only a created being knows the truth of scripture? No, clearly not. Michael the archangel is Jesus, God, who knows all the truth of scripture.

ARCHANGEL / MICHAEL TEXT #5
Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:
Michael standing up is a reference to the second coming of Jesus at the end of time.
Some might propose that, in these three preceding texts from Daniel, the description of Michael as a mere prince is inappropriate for Jesus, so it must be speaking of a created angel. Note the following verses:
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Acts 3:14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;Acts 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
Acts 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

ARCHANGEL / MICHAEL TEXT #6
Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, ...
Who leads the angelic host of heaven, who is their captain?
Josh 5:13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
Josh 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as *captain of the host* of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?Josh 5:15 And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
Notice that Joshua worshipped the *captain of the Host*? If this were a mere angel, then the angel would have protested Joshua worshipping him, just as the angel protested John the Revelator worshipping him (Rev 22:8-9). So Joshua met with God (Jesus Christ) the *captain of the Host*. That is why he stood on holy ground and was asked to remove his shoes (just like Moses was asked in Exo 3:5 and Acts 7:33). Therefore, in Rev 12:7 you have Satan and his angels, and Jesus (Michael, the *captain of the Host*) and His angels - this was the war that began in heaven and continues today.
And what does the name Michael mean? It means *who (is) like God?* A very good question indeed - who is like Jesus?
As this study shows, according to scriptures, Jesus is the angel of the LORD, the angel of God, the angel of the covenant, the Archangel Michael, who appeared time and again in the Old Testament to speak directly to His people. Michael is just another title for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh, the principle messenger of the gospel (archangel) to humanity, but He is not a created being.

IS HOMOSEXUALITY WRONG?

The rejection of homosexual behavior that is found in the Old Testament is well known. In Genesis 19, two angels in disguise visit the city of Sodom and are offered hospitality and shelter by Lot. During the night, the men of Sodom demand that Lot hand over his guests for homosexual intercourse. Lot refuses, and the angels blind the men of Sodom. Lot and his household escape, and the town is destroyed by fire "because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord" (Gen. 19:13). Throughout history, Jewish and Christian scholars have recognized that one of the chief sins involved in God’s destruction of Sodom was its people’s homosexual behavior. But today, certain homosexual activists promote the idea that the sin of Sodom was merely a lack of hospitality. Although inhospitality is a sin, it is clearly the homosexual behavior of the Sodomites that is singled out for special criticism in the account of their city’s destruction. We must look to Scripture’s own interpretation of the sin of Sodom. Jude 7 records that Sodom and Gomorrah "acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust." Ezekiel says that Sodom committed "abominable things" (Ezek. 16:50), which could refer to homosexual and heterosexual acts of sin. Lot even offered his two virgin daughters in place of his guests, but the men of Sodom rejected the offer, preferring homosexual sex over heterosexual sex (Gen. 19:8–9). Ezekiel does allude to a lack of hospitality in saying that Sodom "did not aid the poor and needy" (Ezek. 16:49). So homosexual acts and a lack of hospitality both contributed to the destruction of Sodom, with the former being the far greater sin, the "abominable thing" that set off God’s wrath. But the Sodom incident is not the only time the Old Testament deals with homosexuality. An explicit condemnation is found in the book of Leviticus: "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. . . . If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them" (Lev. 18:22, 20:13).

Confirming this fact is the New Testament’s forceful rejection of homosexual behavior as well. In Romans 1, Paul attributes the homosexual desires of some to a refusal to acknowledge and worship God. He says, "For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. . . . Though they know God’s decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them" (Rom. 1:26–28, 32). Elsewhere Paul again warns that homosexual behavior is one of the sins that will deprive one of heaven: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6:9–10, NIV). All of Scripture teaches the unacceptability of homosexual behavior. But the rejection of this behavior is not an arbitrary prohibition. It, like other moral imperatives, is rooted in natural law—the design that God has built into human nature.

This leads to another question. What about human nature? The way to find out right and wrong in most cases is to look at it at its extreme condition. In this case by doing so also leads you to believe it is not only morally wrong as the scriptures show but by nature it is wrong and devistating. If everyone became homosexual then there would be no life on the earth humanly speaking 120 years from now. Only a male and female can produce life as we all know.

Socially it is also harmful. Not only does it cause confusion in weak vulnerable people it also disrupts the social and family stability factors. The main cause for this behavior is most always due to the fact that a fathers love was missing in the home wiether male or female.
Homosexuals also drink, smoke, and do prescription or non prescription drugs at a much higher percentage than heterosexuals. Is this because of a mental weakness?
They also stay monogamous at a lot shorter time span than heterosexuals. This also causes not only a rise in sexualy transmitted diseases but also in once again the social structure of a home and its environment. If you look at societys who have high populations of such behavior, the economy is also weakened. Wiether this is Gods doings or self inflicted results is not 100 percent clear but the facts do cause us to question the behavior in all aspects of its consequences.
In most societys you have the choice to live out any sexual orientation you want but the results are there. Its wrong clearly not only by our conscious proclaiming it but our societys, nature, and the word of God cry out this truth. Its plain and simply a sinful disease destroying anyone or its surroundings it gets in.

Homosexual activists often justify homosexuality by claiming that ten percent of the population is homosexual, meaning that it is a common and thus acceptable behavior. But not all common behaviors are acceptable, and even if ten percent of the population were born homosexual, this would prove nothing. One hundred percent of the population is born with original sin and the desires flowing from it. If those desires manifest themselves in a homosexual fashion in ten percent of the population, all that does is give us information about the demographics of original sin.

GODS BOOK

There is only one book in history which does what the holy bible as we call it does. Look at these unusual facts.

The bible is the only book written by different authors in different time periods that concur and add to each other as one book. To add to that phenominon, this book stretches over 1800 years from the beginning of it until its completion. It was written by at least 40 men.

The bible is the only book that describes in detail the formation of life, earth, and man. It is also the only book that tells our conclusion after this life and tells of the future.

The bible is the only book that gives us a gauranteed hope.

The bible is the only book written by a God who became a man.

The bible told us before the scientists of facts about our surroundings. Look at these facts first told to us in scripture:
Roundness of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)
Almost infinite extent of the sidereal universe (Isaiah 55:9)
Law of conservation of mass and energy (II Peter 3:7)
Hydrologic cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:7)
Vast number of stars (Jeremiah 33:22)
Law of increasing entropy (Psalm 102:25-27)
Paramount importance of blood in life processes (Leviticus 17:11)
Atmospheric circulation (Ecclesiastes 1:6)
Gravitational field (Job 26:7)

For example, Daniel the prophet predicted in about 538 BC (Daniel 9:24-27) that Christ would come as Israel's promised Savior and Prince 483 years after the Persian emperor would give the Jews authority to rebuild Jerusalem, which was then in ruins. This was clearly and definitely fulfilled, hundreds of years later.
There are extensive prophecies dealing with individual nations and cities and with the course of history in general, all of which have been literally fulfilled. More than 300 prophecies were fulfilled by Christ Himself at His first coming. Other prophecies deal with the spread of Christianity, as well as various false religions, and many other subjects.

The greatest test however is the fact that nothing in the entire book has been proven false, from its teachings to its historical or prophetic statements; none.
Not to mention its ability to be kept in tact untampered with by man. Only God could protect such a thing for such a long time.

SANTA AND THE BUNNY WABBITT

You know Satan is very slick. Santa is the same letters as Satan just rearranged. Satan we might as well say invented him. Who else could take a common practice of giving from everyone and within itself be a heavy burden and antichrist. Thats what has happened before our very eyes. A fat man in a red suit, not even our neighbor mind you because he lives so far away, has stolen our sacred holiday known as Christmas. The day in which we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior coming to us has been perverted. Not just a little mind you. In fact it has been flat out stolen from God. Instead of honoring him we forget him in a little game of give and take.

Lights everywhere, money changing hands, borrowing, and rushing are just a few of the things that describe this time of year. We even cut down precious trees and hang lights on them for Jesus...no. For looks. For the feel of the Santa season. We borrow money to impress and by doing so burden ourselves. We have turned a manger into a sleigh. A baby into a fat man.
We dont know it but the mastermind of the whole thing is Satan himself. We feel good participating in such a holiday but Jesus we left behind. Kris Kringle instead of Christ. But it doesnt stop there.

We have another holiday as special and as glorious in which we celebrate. The ressurection of our Lord known as Easter. Easter sunday we dress up and go to Gods house to honor Jesus for ressurrecting from the dead giving us hope for eternal salvation and yes this should be celebrated. Something has crept in though and stole his spotlight. A bunny wabbitt. What???
Yes, somehow we as adults give our children candy on easter morning celebrating a bunny who came that night and left them candy. We even hide eggs to celebrate the occasion and associate it to the bunny somehow (bunnys dont even lay eggs). Once again we forget Jesus and give the lost and backsliden another out to not knowing or hearing or honoring our Lord. Satan once again makes a way to blockout the honoring of God and we are responsible. Do yourself a favor. Put less if any acknowledgement on the fatman and the bunny and more on Jesus. He deserves our praise and attention. Jesus' birth and ressurection should be honored.

ARE THE TREES TELLING US SOMETHING

What are “polystrate” fossils, and what is their significance in the creation/evolution controversy?

Polystratic trees are fossil trees that extend through several layers of strata, often twenty feet or more in length. There is no doubt that this type of fossil was formed relatively quickly; otherwise it would have decomposed while waiting for strata to slowly accumulate around it.

Evolutionary uniformitarianism would have us believe that the same processes going on in nature today have formed the Earth—as opposed to large-scale catastrophes (like, for example, the Flood of Noah recorded in Genesis 6-8). However, in light of the evidence from polystrate fossils, creationists believe that just the opposite is true. Some scientists have suggested that the fossil forests in Yellowstone may have been transported by geologic and/or volcanic activity possibly associated with the Noahic flood (see: Brand, 1997, p. 69; Roth, 1998, p. 246). Furthermore, as Morris and Parker have discussed in their book, What is Creation Science?:
Polystrates are especially common in coal formations. For years and years, students have been taught that coal represents the remains of swamp plants slowly accumulated as peat and then even more slowly changed into coal (1987, p. 168).
If polystrate fossils must form quickly in order to be preserved, and if (as many evolutionists believe) coal has been formed over periods lasting millions of years, how could there be so many (or any!) polystrate fossils in coal veins? The answer, of course, is that the evolutionary scenario requiring vast eons of time for the origin of coal (and, for that matter, oil) is wrong.

Yet tree trunks are not the only representatives of polystrate fossils. Even animals’ bodies form polystrate fossils (like catfish in the Green River Formation in Wyoming—see Morris, 1994, p. 102). But perhaps the most famous of all animal polystrate fossils was that of a baleen whale discovered in 1976. Not only was the whale fossilized in diatomite, but it was buried on its back at a 60-degree angle (with its tail down and its head pointing up). K.M. Reese, a staff writer for the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Chemical and Engineering News, reported the find in great detail in the October 11, 1976 issue of that publication.

K.M. Reese made no comment concerning the implications of the unique discovery of a baleen whale skeleton in a vertical orientation in a diatomaceous earth quarry in Lompoc, California. However, the fact that the whale is standing on end as well as the fact that it is buried in diatomaceous earth would strongly suggest that it was buried under very unusual and rapid catastrophic conditions. The vertical orientation of the whale is also reminiscent of observations of vertical tree trunks extending through several successive coal seams. Such phenomena cannot easily be explained by uniformitarian theories, but fit readily into an historical framework based upon the recent and dynamic universal flood described in Genesis, chapters 6-9.
Read what one scientist, Harvey Olney, wrote in a letter to the editor of Chemical and Engineering News—and believe it if you can!
Dr. Helmick, how dare you imply that our geology textbooks and uniformitarian theories could possibly be wrong! Everybody knows that diatomaceous earth beds are built up slowly over millions of years as diatom skeletons slowly settle out on the ocean floor. The baleen whale simply stood on its tail for 100,000 years, its skeleton decomposing, while the diatomaceous snow covered its frame millimeter by millimeter. Certainly you wouldn’t expect intelligent and informed establishment scientists of this modern age to revert to the outmoded views of our forefathers just to explain such finds!

There you have it. Rather than accept the straightforward facts at face value, and admit that gradualistic, uniformitarian processes simply do not work, we are expected to believe instead that a whale carcass stood on its tail—decomposing all the while—as millions of tiny diatom skeletons enshrouded it over a period of 100,000 years! [For an in-depth, technical report on the baleen whale polystrate fossil, see Snelling, 1995.]
After Dr. Rupke (who, remember, coined the term “polystrate fossils”) cited numerous examples of polystrate fossils (1973, pp. 152- 157), he concluded: “Nowadays, most geologists uphold a uniform process of sedimentation during the earth’s history; but their views are contradicted by plain facts” (p. 157, emp. added). Contradicted by plain facts indeed! Rupke then wrote: “Personally, I am of the opinion that the polystrate fossils constitute a crucial phenomenon both to the actuality and the mechanism of a cataclysmal deposition” (1973, p. 157). What “cataclysmal deposition” could have produced the types, and numbers, of polystrate fossils that have been discovered around the globe? How about the Noahic flood?