Spirit of Truth/The Bible on Trial

Two Roads Diverged~ Robert Frost was a great American poet. His most famous poem is the Road Not Taken, with it's iconic opening, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood." As we near the 2020 election my thoughts have been on the decisions that will be made in choosing the road that will bring America, and indeed the world, the greatest blessing. The election in 2016 has set the stage for this election and this decision point; do we continue our path toward the prophecies of the Seven Thunders of Revelation 10, or do we go back on our decision made in 2016 to take the Road Less Traveled, toward Peace, Prosperity and Life. The Evil One and his servants are trying hard to make the other Road more appealing than the one we are currently on. It is very difficult to make Pain, Poverty, Socialism, Destruction and Death appear attractive, but they are making a valiant effort to do so, decieve America into believing that their Road is the one to take. Thus, my thougts went to Frost's Poem. Here then are the first and last stanzaa: Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. (https://www.robertfrost.org/the-road-not-taken.jsp) We are a the moment of choice, the same choice that God gave ancient israel; "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants," Deut 30:1

Even the Elected~ "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect". Matt.24:24. We are coming up on the second most significant election in the hisory of the USA this next Tuesday, November 3, 2020. It is Election Day, and although it is the official day for this event voting has been taking place for a number of weeks in certain states, and according to the Secretaries of certain states mail-in ballots may be counted up to 3 days after Electon day. There seems to be a fervor for this particular election because as of today it is estimated that 80 million voters have already turned in their mail in ballots, or have done early voting. The election turn out will far eclipse the turn out in 2016, with voter enthusiasm being the key factor in the outcome. As we have found out in our discussions in the past few months here on The Bible on Trial and The Revelaton of Jesus programs, prophecy is being fulflled before our very eyes with the election of Donald J. Trump in 2016, and will continue in this electon.  eklektos (ek-lek-tos') - From G1586; select; by implication favorite: - chosen, elect. When we vote as a nation or as a people we 'choose' our leaders. In order to choose the right leader we must NOT be fooled into choosing the wrong one. When a person is 'elected' they are placed in a position of authority by the people that chose them, and this choice demonstrates trust that the person chosen will be trustworthy in doing the will of the people.

High Flying~ On Saturday (Sabbath) October 24, 2020 my daughter Emily, her husband Arin, and my 12 week old grand-son Logan are flying to North Carolina for a visit that will be the first time that Arin's parent will see Logan. It is going to be a very special time. The worry (of course) will be how well or poorly Logan handles being on an airplane for 6-7 hours. They are heavily laden with all the acoutraments associated with traveling with a very young child; passifiers, prepared bottles, cards with black and white designs on them to keep Logan entertained, among many other items, especially diapers. But there is one thing that they are taking that I find very interesting, that speaks to their concern for potential 'noise pollution caused by a young and very upset baby. They are carrying with them on the airplane enough high quality reusable ear plugs for passengers that are near enough to where they are sitting to be affected by the noise. Many passengers will have ear pods, or even sound canceling head phones. But just in case Logan gets fussy Em and Arin will have something with them to help people have a more pleasant flight. To me this demonstrates good judgement, careful planning, and concern for others that goes beyond the norm. It was this same concern for people that prompted Jesus to take five loaves and two fish given to Him by a small boy whereby Jesus fed a big crowd, afterwhich He taught them Truth  that they had never hear before. The first miracle of Jesus a Cana, where He turned water into wine at the behest of His surrogate mother Mary, kept the wedding feast going, and also showed the concern Jesus had for doing the right thing, when not doing anything would have been more convenient. We need to take opportunities (where appropriate) to help people in the physical world, so that we can give to them spiritual words that Jesus brought from his Father.

Debate~ Just FYI-Debate is NOT what you use to catch 'defish'! The purpose of debate is not what most people think it is; that is, to reveal the truth about a particular subject in a back and forth verbal interaction between opponents that represent different sides. Classical debate is based upon a five part system of Argument, using rhetoric in persuasion of a specific viewpoint, when the audience s both favorable and hostile. Those five elements are: 1) Begin in an interesting way, 2) provide background and context to the audience, 3) state claims and provide clear evidence, 4) accounting for the opposing viewpoints and objections, 5) providing a satisfactory conclusion. In a modern debate, as was presented last night at the Presidential Debate, the Moderator provides the first two of these elements, and the debators try to accomplish the final 3 points, as well as can be allowed given the debate protocols. Debate is to be held on a level playing field where the Moderator does not influence the outcomes in any way, by interjecting themselves into the responces. (This became a problem in last nights debate, just as in the first debate.) The form of the questions in modern debate can either help or hinder the opposing sides, and do affect outcomes, which they should not. Jesus was obviously familiar with the format of debate, as is evidenced in how he responded in His various interactions with the Leadership of Israel, in their attempts to trap him in a rhetorical conundrum. He also showed this skill in His interaction with Pilate in John 18. The thing that is most evident in how Jesus delt with these questons was that He KNEW the truth. Jesus KNEW Scripture because He was the ONE tha gave these words to His servants, who accurately wrote them down for us to use in our own debates. By knowing the truth He could expose the lie in the opposing argument, as can we if we use His words as our source.

Tired~ There are days, and then there are DAZE! There are days when I wake up ready and raring to go, to get out into the world and take it head on, no hold barred, and the only rule is to win! As I age (hopefully gracefully) those days are more few and far between. Today is not one of those days. Today is the Sabbath, which for me used to be the day I would go to church with my young family (mom and dad, brother and sister), all in our "Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes, ready to sing songs and learn lessons in the childrens Sabbath school, or to perform with my wife singing duets at the time in the Service that was set aside for music (we were asked to do this a LOT).  Now, Sabbath consists of gathering with the Spirit of Truth Ministry team at my house for our regular blogtalkradio.com/sot program, accompanied by good coffee, a little breakfast, continuing our study into all things spiritual for currently 1190 one-hour programs. That is a LOT of work (believe it or not). Today I am tired, and feeling my age. I long for the days on vacation at Hume Lake Camp, away from everything, having nothing better to do than to be with my wife and children, and their husband and wife, relaxing, laughing, hiking, kayaking on the lake; no TV or radio, and no worries. Yet as tired as I am, and as much a I wish that this whole messy life world with all its Covid-19, election cycles, protests, and such would become that looked for time of peace and prosperity, I know there is a lot of work to do before that happens. I understand how Jesus felt in the garden at Gesthemany, when He needed time for Himself with His Father, in order to strengthen His will to go forward with the plan that had been set out for Him since the foundation of the world. We are in that same place right now, facing challenges that will test our mettle, our resolve, our determination to see that plan through to the end.

Walk Off~ On this day, Oct. 16, 1988, Kirk Gibson made Dodger history with his bottom of the ninth, 2 out, 3-2 count walk-off home fun againt Dennis Eckersly and the Oakland A's ,in game 1 of the World Series. The Dodgers went on to win the World series 5-2. This was a do-or-die moment where the Dodgers, down to their last out, and 1 run down to the A's had to have that home run, or go home. Tommy Lasorda had a number of good hitters he could have used in this situation, but he chose the 'old guy' that had two bad legs and could barely walk, to go to the plate and get the job done. This was a bid risk, because a ground ball would have most certainly ended in an out to 1st base. As it was, the Dodgers won the game in the most improbable way. We are in an improbable situation in the world today, similar to where the Dodgers were in 1988. The 'game' we are plaing is a game pitting Life and Prosperity against Death and Adversity, and at the moment it looks like the latter will win over the former. The people of the USA, and indeed the world, are waiting with baited breath to see which side in this issue will win out over the other, Will the Left win out and put the country back into a path that will lead to the events of Revelation that define the 'Death Road' come to pass, or will LIFE win out and the world will be able to learn the truth of salvation and eternal life during a time of peace?  According to a prophetic mystery it appears that the decision was already made in 2016, and the Life Road was chosen by 2/3rds of the American electorate when we chose Donald J. Trump as our President. Since then all hell has broken loose, where the Left has tried everything to stop the Life Road from being fulfilled, yet nothing they have done has been able to work to keep us from the destiny that will lead to Life.

Fear~ Being scared is a funny thing! Not funny in the way of humor, but of being odd! There are lots of things in this world that are truly scary, and we should rightly be wary of them. Things like our car suddenly running out of gas on a fast moving freeway, or being in a bank when a bank robber enters the lobby where we are standing, or not being able to get ahold of a loved one on the phone after an earthquake, or the earthquake itself. All of these things (and more) are part of what it means to live in our normal envirtonment today. Life can be scary, and intimidating, if you let it. There is one thing that mitigates fear, and that is preparation. If you are afraid of running out of gas, then fill your tank when it reaches half full. If you are afraid of bank robbers then use the Ready Teller, or your banking app on your phone. If you can't reach a loved one on the phone when you need then, remnd them to keep their phone charged, and get them an emergency battery and cable that they can carry with them. And always keep an emergency kit with water, food, flashlight, and medical kit in a back pack in your car should an earthquate hit. Many of us already do these things that will help mitigate the results of an emergency in the physical world, but we don't take the time to 'be prepared' to handle tough or unusual situations in the spiritual world, which can ultimately be much more scary.  We have been taught in Revelation that during the end-of-time there are going to be horrors on the earth that no one in their right mind would want to endure. Fear of this has been a means of 'converting' people to believe in Jesus. But fear is not a reliable method to bring people to the Truth. WHAT IF there was another way to learn the truth that didn't involve being scared into the Kingdom of God? Spirit of Truth Ministry has found that way.

Opinion vs. Fact! One of the great quotes in any political debate occured Wednesday night during the Vice Presidential Debate. The Democrat candidate, Kamala Harris, had been 'stretching' the truth about the record of both President Trump and Joe Biden, and at one point Mike Pence, the V-POTUS, had enough. His comment will go down as one of the best used and most salient quotes in history of political discourse.  "You are entitled to your own opinion; you are not entitlted to your own facts." Mike Pence. At hearing this Ms. Harris smiled and said (under her breath), "Good line". This quote is a restatement of a quote made by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and has garnered both positive and negative response from political observers on both sides. Regardless of the origin or circumstance of use the sentiment of this statement is key to finding, defining, and understanding Truth, and goes to the heart of the mission of Spirit of Truth Ministry. The idea that there is such a thing as 'simple belief' is itself an oxymoron, because just as with the phrase 'common sense', where the idea of good sense is never common, the idea that what, how and why you believe something is anything but simple, unless you decide that you will believe something without concrete proof, just because it makes you 'feel' good. This is belief by faith, as this type of belief requires no facts with which to back it up. The 'Salvation by faith through grace' that Paul teaches in his own unique 'gospel of god' requires no actual facts to back up that belief. It is simply an opinion that has been accepted by a religion established during the first century that accepts the opinion of one man as being the very words of God, when in fact the words of God and Jesus that back up this philosophy do not exist. Religious opinion does not salvation make.

Fall~ This morning my wife and I got up early in order to take our little dog Maggy out for a walk at Wildwood park, that is about a six minute drive from our house. Every time start to get ready to go on a walk Maggy gets REALLY excited, going from one of us to the other, whinning, and urging us on to get ready faster. She also loves the car ride both too and from the park.  It has been inordinately hot here in Southern California lately, but this morning in the car with the windows open and Maggy sitting on my wifes lap with her head out the window, with air actually felt chilly, and reminded us that Fall is just around the corner. Walking in the park in the cool of the morning with my wife and my dog reminded me that we are in a period of time on this earth where things are no longer 'normal', where see events that are heating up to such an extent that soon the heat of radical change will be upon us, and that the cool of a normal life with only be a fond memory. Or will it? We have been told that any prophecy not already fulfilled WILL BE before the end. This is why the events seen in Revelation are so terrifying and disturbing, because we have been told that these events are without a doubt in our future, and we need to be READY. But WHAT IF those prophecies don't need to happen. What if there is another prophetic road that is as yet unseen and undiscovered in end time prophecy that will lead us to Peace and Prosperity, and that will allow us to not have to endure the Death and destructon that we have been assured will happen by experts that see only one road. We at Spirit of Truth Ministry urge you to join us in the discovery of this alternate road, leading to an alternate outcome that will allow the God of Creation to show the world through His servants that the decisions for salvation can be made during a time of peace if we accept that the right choices have been made.

Stupid~ Today, in spite of the great temptation to do so, I am NOT going to comment on the recent 'debate' between POTUS and the challenger. Enough Already! However, that event and the responses by the opposition to the President in general have pointed out to me that there is a condition that exists in certain members of the 'body politic', and indeed in the population in general, that is so prevalent as to be terrifying as to the future of our society, including in the church, and that condition is one of abject stupidity. "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." ~ R.A. Heinlein. "Stupid" is a human condition that allows a person to delude themselves into thinking that they are smarter than the result that the situation dictates, and that it won't bite them. A stupid person will say to themselves "This won't hurt me if I do it just once", and they will end up dead or worse. Stupid dose not allow a person to "Think it through", such that the trap inside the situation that they didn't see because of the delusion catches them off guard, and harms them in some very painful way. This is why Jesus, when confronted with a question by His own disciples that indicated shoddy thinking, He responded by saying, "See to it that no one deceives you." (Matt. 24:4.) Jesus KNEW what His disciples wanted to hear, but He gave them an answer that they NEEDED to hear.  Finding spiritual truth means that a person must remove 'self-delusion' from every aspect of their lives, and look at what is being touted as 'truth' with brutal self-honesty. Self-delusion does not allow a person to see what IS, but what they prefer to see as truth. In spiritual terms Faith is the same as Stupid. "Faith allows a person to beleive a lie as if it is the truth, without accountability!"~Rick Sterling.