Spirit of Truth/The Bible on Trial

Stronger than death~ "Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death." Song of Soloman 8:6. One of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written is set to the words of this Scripture. It was written by a composer named Rene' Clauson, and it is in the regular repertoire of choirs and Choral Societies all over the world. The words "Love is strong as death" have true and heartfelt meaning for anyone that has lost someone they love, because after someone dies that love now become unrequited, that is, not able to be returned. Unrequited love almost always turns into grief. This is true for humans, it is also true for God. This is why God offers salvation to everyone, but the love that is connected to salvation can never be unrequited, i.e., given and not recieved; there is a cost to the "love that is strong as death". But you say that you have heard that God offers unconditional love to all who simply 'claim the name of Jesus'.  It this was true then why did Jesus (who came to earth to testify to the truth-John 18:36) tell His own disciples, "If you love me, you will keep my Commandments." (John 14:15). This statement implies that if you don't "keep MY Commandments" you don't love Jesus. Simply making a statement of undying love for God does not prove that you do.  "So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus." (Rev. 12:17) There are two things that prove you are a child of God - you must keep His Commandments, and believe and practice the words that Jesus brought to earth from His Father. This is the SEAL of God, and it is this seal that must be on your heart (intellect), and on your arm (your doing), This is the true love of and for God.

reboot

reboot

Birthdays~ My twin sister and I just celebrated our birthday yesterday. We were not able to get together this year, but we did text and talk on the phone, and wish each other a 'happy birthday'. Our friends and family sent us many heartfelf greetings on FaceBook and messenger, and these greetings were much appreciated. There was no place to go to eat out that had inside dining, and we were not willing to challenge the cold and eat outside at a restaurant, so my wife picked up dinner to go at one of our favorite places, and we had a very nice dinner together at home. This weekend I am getting together with both of my children to celebrate with them and their spouses, and this will also be a lovely time. Birthdays are important, not just in the acknowledgment of another year spent on earth, but also the fact that we are privilaged to do this with people we love and respect. My only other comment is this: "Getting older is not for sissies!"  If you are a part of the Christian Community (or have been at some time) we have all been blessed to hear a person speak of the day they were 'saved'; the day that they said the 'sinners prayer' and gave their hearts to the 'Lord'! This is the day upon which they said that they were 'born again', that Jesus loves the so much that He died for their own personal sins, and that now there is nothing that can keep them from being with Jesus for eternity, either when they die and go to heaven, or when He finally comes in the clouds of glory. This, they say, is their 'Birthday' into eternal life. But is it? Did Jesus Himself say that this was the WAY to salvation? Or is this process something that came from an 'apostle' that got it wrong because he never knew Jesus 'in the flesh', and never acknowledged as valid the words that Jesus gave to His own eyewitness disciples? This is something to think about!

Join Spirit of Truth Ministry today, March 6, 2021, for our program The Revelation of Jesus with Rick Sterling. This is a program that dives deep into the words of Jesus that He gave to His own eyewitness disiples, that we compare to the words of other people that wrote in the New Testament, to find out if they are telling the truth. This is a fascinating study that will open your eyes to truth in a way that will confirm it in your heart. We are 'on air' live at 10 AM PDT at: blogtalkradio.com/sot.

Dreams and Reality~ When do dreams end and reality begin? Students of philosophy and psychology study this question from at least those two perspectives in hopes of getting a handle on what is 'reasonable' and what is 'fantacy' in life! Dreams can feel so real to the sleeping person that they can actually get up out of bed and begin acting on those dreams before they wake up. This is called 'sleep walking'. My first experience with this was when I was 13 years old at summer camp. The only other time happend to me last night when I heard my dog Maggie barking furiously outside in the back yard right outside the bedroom window, as if she was being attacked by another animal. I am a light sleeper. I have been this way for 35 years since my wife and I brought our son home from the hospital after he was born. My ears just don't shut off when I go to sleep, which makes getting a full nights sleep and 'iffy' propsect at best. So when I heard the barking I was up grabbing my glasses, into my slippers, with flashlight in hand, and out the back door so fast that I did not realize I had been dreaming until I was in the middle of the lawn being hit by the cold. Just to satisfy my curiosity I inspected the back yard, and finding nothing I went inside and went back to bed after seeing Maggie asleep under her blanket on the bed. The dream felt real, but it wasn't! Our waking dreams can feel real, but often end up being illusion. This is especially true for our dreams of salvation and eternal life that we have heard from our pastors and teachers at church and read in our Bibles. The salvation given by the Apostle Paul 'feels' so real, and is so beautiful that we believe that it MUST be true. Reality is much different. And this reality affects how we see salvation. We must 'wake up' in order to hear the truth of the words of Jesus.

Stupid~ We have all been stupid; it is endemic to the human condition. One of my favorite quotes from Robert A. Heinlein describes in precise language the condition of 'stupid': "There is no accounting for the power of human stupidity." And lest you believe this not to be true just look at the direction of the USA under the previous Administration and where we are now going under the new one. Everything has changed, and not for the better. Many of those that voted for the current 'President' are now regretting that choice, and trying to figure out what went wrong between what they were promised, and what has been delivered. Stupidity is a universal human condition that cannot be cured using logic and resson, because those two processes are impossible for a person to recognise as valid, in the face of the fear and emotion that control their decision making. Being stupid is not a sin, otherwise children would never be able to live long enought to grow up to become adults. The job of a parent to to protect a child from their own stupidity long enough for them to learn the difference. Some people never grow up. The paradiigms they live with and have learned from their upbringing have caused many people to "believe a lie as if it is the truth". They don't choose to see reality, but choose to live in a waking dream world where all is sweetness and light, as long as they 'believe'. And when the origin of their belief is proven to them to be a lie they still choose to believe that lie because their 'faith' is strong, and God would never allow them to believe something that is not true. This wishful thinking can kill you.  "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. John 3:19. Stupidity is not a sin. Staying stupid is!

Aggression~ The next couple of week might 'tell the tail' with respect to the world order and who will be leading it. Now mind you, the outcome is already certain, and that is "God Wins!" If you have been with us since the middle of August you know that I am speaking of the transition between the prophecies of the Death Road that are so graphically seen and described in Revelation 8-9, 11-18, information that has been the topic of discussion for thousands of years regarding how the end of time will play out; and the Life Road prophecies, first described right here and only at Spirit of Truth Ministry, given in a new understanding of the prophecy of the Seven Thunders in Revelation 10. In the media (mostly the alternative media) this is headlined as the battle between the 'Cabal', led by Satan through the Leftist political entities that seek to enslave mankind via a one-world-government, and the Patriots, led by Donald J. Trump, and those that want to see the populaton of the world freed from the shackles of tyranny and oppression that have controled the people of the world since the fall. We are SO close to the final 'battle' for earth. Why? Because Satan and his cohorts are "Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear (who) Is a wicked ruler over a poor people." Ps. 28:15. They are aggressively trying to change the outcome from the peace and properity that is God's desire for this world to the prophecies of Revelation listed above, that will keep the world in thrall to the Devil for eternity. And if you believe this a silly conspiracy theory, think again:  "There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her". Ez.22:25.

Getting Shot~ Yesterday I got shot! Ok, I got 'a' shot. Well, I recieved my second Moderna Covid-19 vaccination. I actually did not want to do this, given my distrust for this particular type of Vaccination, because my understanding is that this 'shot' is not a vaccination in the traditional sence of the word. I did it because my primary Doctor recommended it, and my wife and daughter coerced me into doing it by citing my 7 month old grandson as needing his grandpa to not give him Covid (which is highly unlikely), and offeing their undying love (which i already have) if I would relent and 'take my medicine'. So in spite of my misgivings about the efficacy of this particular 'vaccine', and it's evident side effects in some people I set aside my fears and trepidation and without reservation went to the clinic Friday afternoon at 1:30PM and was given this shot. So far tonight (Friday, February 19, 2021 at 10:15PM) I have as yet not felt any ill effects, but according to my wife I can expect some body aches and chillls, and maybe other unspecified reactions tomorrow. I am NOT looking forward to going through any of this, but my wife, daughter and grandson deserve my loyalty and care, and I love them, so I did this knowing full well what might happen. It's all on me. And this got me thinking; did Jesus feel this same way knowing that He was going to pay a penalty for a situation not of His own making, for something He did not do, knowing He would die in order to save His righteous Kingdom from a penalty He did not deserve in order to save the lives of those He loved? He did this willingly, and without reservation. We pay it forward when we do things for others that we would not otherwise do, simply because we love them as He loved us; giving up ourselves for them, as He gave Himself up for us.  In doing this we put ourselves squarely on the Life Road

The Tide has Turned~ In WW2 the USA was 'on the ropes' after the debacle at Pearl Harbor. Much of the United States Navy fleet had been destroyed, along with the Army Air Corp airplanes at Hickham Field, leaving the way open for a Japanese atttack on the West Coast of America. There was a sence of panic in Washington D.C. over this situation, especially since the Axis powers were rampaging in Europe, and seemed unstoppled, especially now that the Empire of Japan had joined the war with German and Italy.  But even in this dreadful situation there was a 'silver lining'. The air attack on Pearl harbor neglected to achieve three things; the carrier based aircraft of Japan did not destroy the tank farm (both bunker oil, and airplane gasoline) in the mountains outside of Pearl Harbor, the three US Navy fleet aircraft carriers were at sea on December 7, 1941, and survived the attack, and the Submarine base was left completely untouched by the Japanese raid. Because of this the Navy, although crippled, was not put out of business.  A few months later US Naval Intelligence learned that the Japanese were going to attack Midway Island. Giving this information the Navy sent ther remaining Carriers to do battle with four Japanese Carriers, where the sank three and heavily damaged one. This turned the tide of the Pacific war. We are now in a similar position with respect to the battle for the Planet Earth. For centuries we have been attacked by the forces of EVIL, and it looks to many that the good people of earth have been defeated, and Satan has won the day. But underlaying this perspective there is the fact that there is a Life Road prophecy that shows that Good has already overcome evil, that the people of earth have chosen LIFE over death, and that although the battle still rages the outcome is assured, that we will (in a short time) experience Peace and Prosperity, not death.