- Dan 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire.
- Dan 4:2 "It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me.
- Dan 4:17 "This sentence is by the decree of the {angelic} watchers And the decision is a command of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, And bestows it on whom He wishes And sets over it the lowliest of men."
- Dan 4:24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king:
- Dan 4:25 that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.
- Dan 4:32 and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place {will be} with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.'
- Dan 4:34 ¶ "But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom {endures} from generation to generation.
- Dan 5:18 "O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father.
- Dan 5:21 "He was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like {that of} beasts, and his dwelling place {was} with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and {that} He sets over it whomever He wishes.
- Dan 7:25 'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
Total Redaction
Random, Redacted thoughts . . .
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Studies in Daniel
Thursday, July 28, 2011
By John Heilprin, Associated Press / July 26, 2011
Words from Heilprin's article are in THIS FONT.
My comments are in THIS FONT.
GRENOBLE, France
Scientists hoping to puzzle out how the Universe began will find a long-sought theoretical particle — or rule out that it exists — by the end of 2012, the director of the world's largest atom smasher predicted Monday.
Rolf Heuer, director of the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva, said his confidence was based on the latest findings from the $10 billion proton collider under the Swiss-French border.
"I would say we can settle the question, the Shakespearean question — 'to be or not to be' — end of next year," he told reporters at a major physics conference in Grenoble.
My comments are in THIS FONT.
The Higgs boson isn't just any particle. It's the linchpin of the Standard Model of particle physics theory that explains the Big Bang, because it is believed to answer a fundamental question about why matter has mass. The particle itself is thought to give mass to other particles, and thus to objects and creatures in the Universe.
My comments are in THIS FONT.
Heuer said these are "exciting times" for particle physicists because of the latest findings among two separate teams of scientists operating the Atlas and CMS detectors at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research near Geneva, that he directs.
Scientists are starting to pinpoint the precise level of high energy where the Higgs boson is expected to be found.
Last year, the collider for the first time threw together two proton beams, tiny particles traveling in opposite directions though a 17-mile (27-kilometer tunnel) at incredible speeds in conditions simulating those 1 trillionth to 2 trillionths of a second after the Big Bang. The crash on a subatomic scale is aimed more at improving our knowledge of how the universe was created than at finding immediate new technology uses to improve our lives.
The power produced has been ramped up to ever-new record levels this spring, creating reams of new data that requires endless monitoring and sifting. But to simulate the moments after the Big Bang nearly 14 billion years ago, the energy levels produced are potent only on the small atomic level.
My comments are in THIS FONT.
The collider launched with great fanfare little more than three years ago. Nine days after its inauguration, the project was sidetracked when a badly soldered electrical splice overheated, causing extensive damage to the massive magnets and other parts of the collider some 300 feet (100 meters) below the ground.
It cost $40 million to repair and improve the machine. Since its restart in November 2009, the collider has performed almost flawlessly and given scientists valuable data. It quickly eclipsed the next largest accelerator — the Tevatron at Fermilab near Chicago.
My comments are in THIS FONT.
"They have tested the Standard Model very well," Heuer said of CERN scientists. "They are now ready to bring us into uncharted territory. We are still missing the most wanted particle, the Higgs boson."
Fabio Zwirner, a physicist at the University of Padua, Italy, said there is "considerable excitement because of the many new results" at the conference, but physicists were still unsure whether they were seeing "hints" at finding the particle, or were running into statistical errors.
Physicists also hope the collider will help them see and understand other suspected phenomena, such as dark matter, antimatter and supersymmetry. Dark matter has been theorized by scientists to account for missing mass and bent light in faraway galaxies. Scientists believe it makes galaxies spin faster.
Physicists once thought protons and neutrons were the smallest components of the atom's nucleus, but colliders showed they are made of quarks and gluons and that there are other forces and particles.
My comments are in THIS FONT.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Higgs Boson on the Brink of Discovery
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Two Daughters and Dire Straits
I'm just posting some random thoughts on what I head today.
Mark 5:22
A leader of the synagogue (ἀρχισυναγώγων) sees Jesus and he falls toward (πίπτει πρὸς) the feet of Jesus. This man approaches Jesus with complete and utter surrender and reverence.
Contrast this with another ruler in the synagogue: Luke 13:14 The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, "There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!"
One refutes Jesus' healing and another realizes his need for what Jesus can offer.
34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.
36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
Faith (noun) and Believe (verb) -- Faith is what I have, Believe is what I do.
πίστις is the noun form, and πίστευε is the verb form.
Translated differently, but the same root word in the Greek.
From
4102 pístis (from 3982/peithô, "persuade, be persuaded") – properly, persuasion (be persuaded, come to trust); faith.
- Faith is always a gift from God, and never something that can be produced by people. In short, ("faith") for the believer is "God's divine persuasion" – and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence), yet involving it. The Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers, i.e. the persuasion of His will (1 Jn 5:4).
- (pistis) in secular antiquity referred to a guarantee (warranty). In Scripture, faith is God's warranty, certifying that the revelation He inbirthed <not sure that's a word> will come to pass (His way).
- Faith is also used collectively – of all the times God has revealed (given the persuasion of) His will, which includes the full revelation of Scripture (Jude 3). Indeed, God the Lord guarantees that all of this revelation will come to pass! Compare Mt 5:18 with 2 Tim 3:16.]
Honduras 2011
http://lgcchondurasjuly2011.blogspot.com/2011/07/welcome-to-july-2011-honduras-blog-site.html
http://s1087.photobucket.com/albums/j467/livinggrace1500/
Holy Spirit
- In the Gospels, Luke mentions the HOLY SPIRIT more times than all other Gospel writers combined.
- In the New Testament, Luke mentions the HOLY SPIRIT more times than all other New Testament references combined. (Luke wrote his Gospel and The ACTS of the Apostles; as we can see, Luke and Acts total 58% of NT references to the HS.)
Testimony of Salvation
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
The Truth about Fearing The Reaper
Ok, I'm not defending secular music here; but millions have misinterpreted a popular secular song, and I am all about correcting wrong thinking...so I am trying to change thinking and correct wrong thinking (please do not be afraid to correct my thinking when it is wrong.) I love it when I have a revelation about an idea or concept that I (or others) have held to be true for many years. A secular song has been misinterpreted since its release in 1976. Not only opponents of this kind of music have misinterpreted the lyrics of this song, but fans have misinterpreted it as well.
Now, I do not condone listening to this type of music in any way shape or form; but once one looks at the meaning of this song objectively a great truth can be proved, "Context is King." For those of you who are lucky enough to NOT have your minds tainted with this music (unlike myself) the song is (Don't Fear) The Reaper, written by Donald Roeser. This song has received much airplay on the radio, has been covered many times, featured in a video game, has been playing in the background of many movies, and even has been used as skit material for a couple of comedy TV shows. This song has been labeled evil because many believe it is about teenage suicide. But just because the song makes a reference to Romeo and Juliet and has Reaper in the title does not make it about suicide. Here is the lyric used in the song.
Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity (we can be like they are)
Most people think that Don meant that we should be like Romeo and Juliet, tragically eliminating ourselves because of unrequited love. However, he meant that we should not fear death because there is an afterlife. The context is not "we can be like they are," a tragic double suicide, but "we can be like they are," "TOGETHER IN ETERNITY." An earlier verse states that
Seasons don't fear the reaper; nor do the wind, the sun, or the rain (we can be like they are)
Should we be constantly changing like the seasons, or unpredictable and unseen like the wind, bright like the sun, or wet like rain? No, "we can be like they are." And how are they in this CONTEXT? They are in a state of not fearing death. That is how we should be. Fall cares not that winter is coming. We, as Christians, know there is more than just being together in eternity; for being together in a lake of fire for all eternity would not be an ideal afterlife.
Which brings me to a different point for a moment; we are never commanded to keep the world from being the world. We are commanded to not be in the world. (Forget for a moment that I am writing about a secular song.) Christians are not commanded to march on Hollywood and demand that they clean up their act, or sue record companies so they stop producing filth. We need to touch the lives of the people we pass by and have daily contact with. We need to show them there IS an afterlife; but only a pleasant one for those who have accepted Christ as Savior. And the reason to accept Christ is to glorify God, not a 'Get Out of Hell Free' card.
I do not believe the motive behind this song is to get the fans to kill themselves as ticket sales would drop. Don is a musician because it was his hobby; he taught himself how to play guitar. I do not believe he wanted to drag everyone who listens to his music into a lake of fire. He was just doing what he was interested in and became talented enough to become famous. The scenario he envisioned was that of a man consoling his terminally ill companion; saying that she should not fear death because death could not separate them from the love that they share. Love conquers death, was Don’s intent. The line at the end of the song, “it was clear she couldn’t go on” meant, to him, that she was unable to struggle anymore with her illness and was overcome. And Don does not give any notion that the man desires to follow her immediately into death. He never meant for people to interpret this song as promoting suicide.
So, if you ever meet a Blue Oyster Cult fan, ask them if they believe in an afterlife. And then hit them with the Gospel. And don’t forget: “Context is KING!”
TR
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Where was Jesus Born?
In this year’s Nov/Dec ARCHAEOLOGY magazine, they present an article about where exactly Jesus was born. The debate is between Bethlehem of Judea versus Bethlehem of Galilee. I’ll start with some quotes (from the "In this Issue" section) from the Editor in Chief, Peter A. Young.
This first one concerns Israel taking over Canaan.
“The conquest of the Promised Land is not about a rampaging band of desert nomads wiping out everyone in their path but serves rather as a powerful political metaphor for a profound social transformation in Canaan, during which the walls of Jericho never actually came tumbling down.”
This is, of course, a secular publication so I do not expect them to believe the miracles of the Bible. However there is a fatal flaw in his ideology, which I will address later (my 'glazed pot' analogy.)
He then addresses the Star of Bethlehem.
“Was the tale inspired by a supernova or a triple conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in the constellation Pisces in 7 B.C., or was it simply made up by Matthew?”
I believe that many times God uses natural events, which have logical explanations, throughout history (of course many have no explanation other than they are God’s ‘magic.’) So, who is to say he did not use an alignment of planets or have a star collapse and go supernova to coincide with the birth of Jesus? Astrology is hardly an exact science; especially when working backwards. And historical literary accounts from differing cultures as to when these astrological events took place would never match up anyway.
This brings me to a quote from the actual article’s author, Aviram Oshri who is a senior archaeologist with the ISRAELI ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY.
“Luke and Matthew may have deliberately made the association between Jesus and
David's Bethlehem to give greater credibility to Jesus as Messiah."
It is always easy to discount the Bible, just say they made it up; burden of proof falls on the believer, which is not possible because God requires FAITH...
Another quote from Aviram follows:
"Religious scholars had long questioned whether the Bible's only Nativity narratives set in Bethlehem in Judea were a deliberate attempt by Matthew and Luke to associate Jesus with the House of David and reinforce his status as Messiah among the early Jewish convert communities . . . Scholars only began to write about the possibility of Bethlehem of Galilee being the birthplace of Jesus in the late nineteenth century . . .”
Which is why it boggles my mind when they look at nature; they do not see that it was designed and created by an intelligent maker. However, this idea that nature could have created and designed itself is just as absurd as the pot that glazed itself. God is the inetlligent maker who designed and created all of this universe; and He sent His Son to glorify Himself by undoing the effects of sin.
Aviram might not necessarily dis-believe in God, but he surely does not believe that Jesus was THE Messiah. And this slant overshadows all of his postulates about what he will find on all of his digs.
While searching at Bethlehem in Judea, Aviram was surprised that he "found nothing" when it came to looking for Herodian remains. Just because one did not find anything does not mean that it is not there or has not degraded totally or has not been removed in the past. I am not impressed with the level of scientific thinking presented in this magazine.
However, while searching at Bethlehem in Galilee he found the three following structures:
1. Church (one of the largest Byzantine churches in Israel)
2. Inn
3. Monastery
These structures had been fortified and, later, violently destroyed.
"Is it possible that, because of the hostility the Jews had toward Christians in this period, the residents of Bethlehem of Galilee fortified the site which they held to be the birthplace of the Christian Messiah?"
Yes, it is; it is also possible that these structures were destroyed for a myriad other reasons. And wouldn't the early Christians be guarding the Judean Galilee if they were trying to assert that Jesus was THE Messiah (I'm sure they knew the rules set up by the OT.) They would be thinking: If He is the Christ He would have to be from David's line. Guarding Galilee would only promote the idea that He was not the Christ.
Aviram's conclusion is the following:
"If the historical Jesus were truly born in Bethlehem, it was most likely the Bethlehem of Galilee, not that in Judea. The archaeological evidence certainly seems to favor the former, a busy center a few miles from the home of Joseph and Mary, as opposed to an unpopulated spot almost a hundred miles from home. At the very least, it is an improbable trip for a pregnant woman to have made on a donkey."My conclusion is that Aviram's ideas about his findings are clouded by his preconceived notions that Jesus is not THE Christ; and as long as he holds this bias he will never be an objective archaeologist. Packed along with his pick-ax, shovel, and dust brush is his disbelief about Jesus being the Messiah, and this array of tools is no way to ever come up with open minded opinions about artifacts and sites he will uncover.
So, what should we do as Christians? Get together and get ARCHAEOLOGY magazine banned? No, I'll leave that up to the Baptists...I, as a Biblical independent fundamentalist, should pray that Mr. Young and Mr. Oshri would have the Holy Spirit open their minds and hearts to the FACT that Jesus was sent by God and IS the true Christ, the ONLY Messiah.
TR


