The Fall

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion

The first sin as original sin

As Adam's spiritual life would have consisted in remaining united and bound to his Maker, so estrangement from him was the death of his soul. Nor is it strange that he who perverted the whole order of nature in heaven and earth deteriorated his race by his revolt. "The whole creation groaneth," saith St Paul, "being made subject to vanity, not willingly," (Rom. 8: 20,22.) If the reason is asked, there cannot be a doubt that creation bears part of the punishment deserved by man, for whose use all other creatures were made. Therefore, since through man's fault a curse has extended above and below, over all the regions of the world, there is nothing unreasonable in its extending to all his offspring. After the heavenly image in man was effaced, he not only was himself punished by a withdrawal of the ornaments in which he had been arrayed, viz., wisdom, virtue, justice, truth, and holiness, and by the substitution in their place of those dire pests, blindness, impotence, vanity, impurity, and unrighteousness, but he involved his posterity also, and plunged them in the same wretchedness.

This is the hereditary corruption to which early Christian writers gave the name of Original Sin, meaning by the term the depravation of a nature formerly good and pure. The subject gave rise to much discussion, there being nothing more remote from common apprehension, than that the fault of one should render all guilty, and so become a common sin. This seems to be the reason why the oldest doctors of the church only glance obscurely at the point, or, at least, do not explain it so clearly as it required. This timidity, however, could not prevent the rise of a Pelagius with his profane fiction—that Adam sinned only to his own hurt, but did no hurt to his posterity. Satan, by thus craftily hiding the disease, tried to render it incurable. But when it was clearly proved from Scripture that the sin of the first man passed to all his posterity, recourse was had to the cavil, that it passed by imitation, and not by propagation. The orthodoxy, therefore, and more especially Augustine, laboured to show, that we are not corrupted by acquired wickedness, but bring an innate corruption from the very womb. It was the greatest impudence to deny this. But no man will wonder at the presumption of the Pelagians and Celestians, who has learned from the writings of that holy man how extreme the effrontery of these heretics was. Surely there is no ambiguity in David's confession, "I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me," (Ps. 51: 5.) His object in the passage is not to throw blame on his parents; but the better to commend the goodness of God towards him, he properly reiterates the confession of impurity from his very birth. As it is clear, that there was no peculiarity in David's case, it follows that it is only an instance of the common lot of the whole human race.

All of us, therefore, descending from an impure seed, come into the world tainted with the contagion of sin. Nay, before we behold the light of the sun we are in God's sight defiled and polluted. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one," says the Book of Job, (Job 14: 4.)

6. Original sin does not rest upon imitation

We thus see that the impurity of parents is transmitted to their children, so that all, without exception, are originally depraved. The commencement of this depravity will not be found until we ascend to the first parent of all as the fountain head. We must, therefore, hold it for certain, that, in regard to human nature, Adam was not merely a progenitor, but, as it were, a root, and that, accordingly, by his corruption, the whole human race was deservedly vitiated. This is plain from the contrast which the Apostle draws between Adam and Christ, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned; even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord," (Rom. 5: 19-21.) To what quibble will the Pelagians here recur? That the sin of Adam was propagated by imitation! Is the righteousness of Christ then available to us only in so far as it is an example held forth for our imitation? Can any man tolerate such blasphemy? But if, out of all controversy, the righteousness of Christ, and thereby life, is ours by communication, it follows that both of these were lost in Adam that they might be recovered in Christ, whereas sin and death were brought in by Adam, that they might be abolished in Christ. There is no obscurity in the words, "As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Accordingly, the relation subsisting between the two is this, As Adam, by his ruin, involved and ruined us, so Christ, by his grace, restored us to salvation.

In this clear light of truth I cannot see any need of a longer or more laborious proof. Thus, too, in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, when Paul would confirm believers in the confident hope of the resurrection, he shows that the life is recovered in Christ which was lost in Adam, (1 Cor. 15: 22.) Having already declared that all died in Adam, he now also openly testifies, that all are imbued with the taint of sin. Condemnation, indeed, could not reach those who are altogether free from blame. But his meaning cannot be made clearer than from the other member of the sentence, in which he shows that the hope of life is restored in Christ. Every one knows that the only mode in which this is done is, when by a wondrous communication Christ transfuses into us the power of his own righteousness, as it is elsewhere said, "The Spirit is life because of righteousness," (1 Cor. 15: 22.) Therefore, the only explanation which can be given of the expression, "in Adam all died," is, that he by sinning not only brought disaster and ruin upon himself, but also plunged our nature into like destruction; and that not only in one fault, in a matter not pertaining to us, but by the corruption into which he himself fell, he infected his whole seed.

Paul never could have said that all are "by nature the children of wrath," (Eph. 2: 3,) if they had not been cursed from the womb. And it is obvious that the nature there referred to is not nature such as God created, but as vitiated in Adam; for it would have been most incongruous to make God the author of death. Adam, therefore, when he corrupted himself, transmitted the contagion to all his posterity. For a heavenly Judge, even our Saviour himself, declares that all are by birth vicious and depraved, when he says that "that which is born of the flesh is fleshy" (John 3: 6,) and that therefore the gate of life is closed against all until they have been regenerated.

7. The transmission of sin from one generation to another

To the understanding of this subject, there is no necessity for an anxious discussion, (which in no small degree perplexed the ancient doctors,) as to whether the soul of the child comes by transmission from the soul of the parent. It should be enough for us to know that Adam was made the depository of the endowments which God was pleased to bestow on human nature, and that, therefore, when he lost what he had received, he lost not only for himself but for us all. Why feel any anxiety about the transmission of the soul, when we know that the qualities which Adam lost he received for us not less than for himself, that they were not gifts to a single man, but attributes of the whole human race? There is nothing absurd, therefore, in the view, that when he was divested, his nature was left naked and destitute that he having been defiled by sin, the pollution extends to all his seed. Thus, from a corrupt root corrupt branches proceeding, transmit their corruption to the saplings which spring from them. The children being vitiated in their parent, conveyed the taint to the grandchildren; in other words, corruption commencing in Adam, is, by perpetual descent, conveyed from those preceding to those coming after them. The cause of the contagion is neither in the substance of the flesh nor the soul, but God was pleased to ordain that those gifts which he had bestowed on the first man, that man should lose as well for his descendants as for himself.

The Pelagian cavil, as to the improbability of children deriving corruption from pious parents, whereas, they ought rather to be sanctified by their purity, is easily refuted. Children come not by spiritual regeneration but carnal descent. Accordingly, as Augustine says, "Both the condemned unbeliever and the acquitted believer beget offspring not acquitted but condemned, because the nature which begets is corrupt." Moreover, though godly parents do in some measure contribute to the holiness of their offspring, this is by the blessing of God; a blessing, however, which does not prevent the primary and universal curse of the whole race from previously taking effect. Guilt is from nature, whereas sanctification is from supernatural grace.

(Original sin defined as a depravity of nature, deserves punishment, but which is not from nature as created, 8-11)
8. The nature of original sin

But lest the thing itself of which we speak be unknown or doubtful, it will be proper to define original sin. (Calvin, in Conc. Trident. 1, Dec. Sess. 5.) I have no intention, however, to discuss all the definitions which different writers have adopted, but only to adduce the one which seems to me most accordant with truth. Original sin, then, may be defined a hereditary corruption and depravity of our nature, extending to all the parts of the soul, which first makes us obnoxious to the wrath of God, and then produces in us works which in Scripture are termed works of the flesh. This corruption is repeatedly designated by Paul by the term sin, (Gal. 5: 19;) while the works which proceed from it, such as adultery, fornication, theft, hatred, murder, revellings, he terms, in the same way, the fruits of sin, though in various passages of Scripture, and even by Paul himself, they are also termed sins.

The two things, therefore, are to be distinctly observed, viz., that being thus perverted and corrupted in all the parts of our nature, we are, merely on account of such corruption, deservedly condemned by God, to whom nothing is acceptable but righteousness, innocence, and purity. This is not liability for another's fault. For when it is said, that the sin of Adam has made us obnoxious to the justice of God, the meaning is not, that we, who are in ourselves innocent and blameless, are bearing his guilt, but that since by his transgression we are all placed under the curse, he is said to have brought us under obligation. Through him, however, not only has punishment been derived, but pollution instilled, for which punishment is justly due. Hence Augustine, though he often terms it another's sin, (that he may more clearly show how it comes to us by descent,) at the same time asserts that it is each individual's own sin. And the Apostle most distinctly testifies, that "death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned," (Rom. 5: 12;) that is, are involved in original sin, and polluted by its stain. Hence, even infants bringing their condemnation with them from their mother's womb, suffer not for another's, but for their own defect. For although they have not yet produced the fruits of their own unrighteousness, they have the seed implanted in them. Nay, their whole nature is, as it were, a seed-bed of sin, and therefore cannot but be odious and abominable to God. Hence it follows, that it is properly deemed sinful in the sight of God; for there could be no condemnation without guilt.

Next comes the other point, viz., that this perversity in us never ceases, but constantly produces new fruits, in other words, those works of the flesh which we formerly described; just as a lighted furnace sends forth sparks and flames, or a fountain without ceasing pours out water. Hence, those who have defined original sin as the want of the original righteousness which we ought to have had, though they substantially comprehend the whole case, do not significantly enough express its power and energy. For our nature is not only utterly devoid of goodness, but so prolific in all kinds of evil, that it can never be idle. Those who term it concupiscence use a word not very inappropriate, provided it were added, (this, however, many will by no means concede,) that everything which is in man, from the intellect to the will, from the soul even to the flesh, is defiled and pervaded with this concupiscence; or, to express it more briefly, that the whole man is in himself nothing else than concupiscence.

9. Sin overturns the whole man

I have said, therefore, that all the parts of the soul were possessed by sin, ever since Adam revolted from the fountain of righteousness. For not only did the inferior appetites entice him, but abominable impiety seized upon the very citadel of the mind, and pride penetrated to his inmost heart, (Rom. 7: 12; Book 4, chap. 15, sec. 10-12,) so that it is foolish and unmeaning to confine the corruption thence proceeding to what are called sensual motions, or to call it an excitement, which allures, excites, and drags the single part which they call sensuality into sin. Here Peter Lombard has displayed gross ignorance, (Lomb., lib. 2 Dist. 31.) When investigating the seat of corruption, he says it is in the flesh, (as Paul declares,) not properly, indeed, but as being more apparent in the flesh. As if Paul had meant that only a part of the soul, and not the whole nature, was opposed to supernatural grace. Paul himself leaves no room for doubt, when he says, that corruption does not dwell in one part only, but that no part is free from its deadly taint. For, speaking of corrupt nature, he not only condemns the inordinate nature of the appetites, but, in particular, declares that the understanding is subjected to blindness, and the heart to depravity, (Eph. 4: 17, 18.)

The third chapter of the Epistle to the Romans is nothing but a description of original sin; The same thing appears more clearly from the mode of renovation. For the spirit, which is contrasted with the old man, and the flesh, denotes not only the grace by which the sensual or inferior part of the soul is corrected, but includes a complete reformation of all its parts, (Eph. 4: 23.) And, accordingly, Paul enjoins not only that gross appetites be suppressed, but that we be renewed in the spirit of our mind, (Eph. 4: 23,) as he elsewhere tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, (Rom. 12: 2.) Hence it follows, that that part in which the dignity and excellence of the soul are most conspicuous, has not only been wounded, but so corrupted, that mere cure is not sufficient. There must be a new nature. How far sin has seized both on the mind and heart, we shall shortly see. Here I only wished briefly to observe, that the whole man, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, is so deluged, as it were, that no part remains exempt from sin, and, therefore, everything which proceeds from him is imputed as sin. Thus Paul says, that all carnal thoughts and affections are enmity against God, and consequently death, (Rom. 8:6-7.)

10. Sin is not our nature, but its derangement

Let us have done, then, with those who dare to inscribe the name of God on their vices, because we say that men are born vicious. The divine workmanship, which they ought to look for in the nature of Adam, when still entire and uncorrupted, they absurdly expect to find in their depravity. The blame of our ruin rests with our own carnality, not with God, its only cause being our degeneracy from our original condition.

And let no one here glamour that God might have provided better for our safety by preventing Adam's fall. This objection, which, from the daring presumption implied in it, is odious to every pious mind, relates to the mystery of predestination, which will afterwards be considered in its own place, (Tertull. de Prescript., Calvin, Lib. de Predest.) Meanwhile let us remember that our ruin is attributable to our own depravity, that we may not insinuate a charge against God himself, the Author of nature. It is true that nature has received a mortal wound, but there is a great difference between a wound inflicted from without, and one inherent in our first condition. It is plain that this wound was inflicted by sin; and, therefore, we have no ground of complaint except against ourselves. This is carefully taught in Scripture. For the Preacher says, "Lo, this only have I found, that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions," (Eccl. 7: 29.) Since man, by the kindness of God, was made upright, but by his oven infatuation fell away unto vanity, his destruction is obviously attributable only to himself, (Athanas. in Orat. Cont. Idola.)

11. "Natural" corruption of the "nature" created by God

We says then that man is corrupted by a natural viciousness, but not by one which proceeded from nature. In saying that it proceeded not from nature, we mean that it was rather an adventitious event which befell man, than a substantial property assigned to him from the beginning. We, however call it natural to prevent any one from supposing that each individual contracts it by depraved habit, whereas all receive it by a hereditary law. And we have authority for so calling it. For, on the same grounds the apostle says, that we are "by nature the children of wrath," (Eph. 2: 3.) How could God, who takes pleasure in the meanest of his works be offended with the noblest of them all? The offence is not with the work itself, but the corruption of the work. Wherefore, if it is not improper to say, that, in consequence of the corruption of human nature, man is naturally hateful to God, it is not improper to say, that he is naturally vicious and depraved. Hence, in the view of our corrupt nature, Augustine hesitates not to call those sins natural which necessarily reign in the flesh wherever the grace of God is wanting. This disposes of the absurd notion of the Manichees, who, imagining that man was essentially wicked, went the length of assigning him a different Creator, that they might thus avoid the appearance of attributing the cause and origin of evil to a righteous God.

In Memory of Debbie Goad

I never met her, only exchanged a few impersonal emails with her in trying to track down her ex-husband. But the essays under her name in Answer Me! made a great impression upon. I was sorry to learn of her death.

I wrote this a year or so ago:

George: Truth and illusion. Who knows the difference, eh toots? Eh?

The woman struggles to lift herself from the bathtub. She has to take baths, now. It is too tiring to stand under the shower. And the jets of water feel like liquid darts pricking her skin and aggravating her assaulted-by-chemotherapy, ultra-sensitive nerve endings.

She stands naked in front of a mirror. Aged beyond her years, bald, emaciated, veins shining green through her pale, nearly translucent skin. Ah, that skin--that little bit of flesh that does remain to cover her bones--it is so moribund it can only hang loose and sag. Sag to the earth. The gravity of death literally pulling her flesh down into the grave.

It is impossible that while she stood there examining her naked body she did not observe to herself how closely she resembled a concentration camp victim.

The woman had concluded her essay I Hate Being A Jew (and it certainly must be ranked as one of the two or three greatest essays of the 20th century. . .the brilliant but ghastly humor of self-and-family loathing delivered in the author's peculiar narrative voice. . .an eerily bland voice. . .a creepy monotone of matter-of-fact moroseness) with the following:

"I wish there was a perfume I could sprinkle on myself to mask the Hebraic stench. I even have a name for it: Final Solution. But the oppressive smell won't go away until I'm stone-cold dead, a lifeless Jewess in my own private Auschwitz."

There is a stench to everyone, whether they be Jew or Greek. But the Final Solution won't mask that foul stink.

George: Truth and illusion. Who knows the difference, eh toots? Eh?

Franz Stangl, Treblinka Kommandant, was asked when he first stopped thinking of the victims as human: "I think it started the day I first saw the Totenlager in Treblinka. I remember Wirth standing there, next to the pits full of blue-black corpses. It had nothing to do with humanity--it couldn't have; it was a mass--a mass of rotting flesh. Wirth said, 'what shall we do with this garbage?' I think unconsciously that started me thinking of them as cargo. . .I rarely saw them as individuals. It was always a huge mass. I sometimes stood on the wall and saw them in the tube. But, how can I explain it, they were naked, packed together, running, being driven with whips."

It is a disturbing thought, and yet, what of those not covered by the Blood of Christ? Surely they will be exited from The Judgment in a more dignified manner. . .but their eternal place of residence, the Lake of Fire. . .it is a fearsome thought. . .what is the Totenlager compared to the Lake of Fire? But in this world of lying vanities, man does not see himself as the garbage he truly is. In the end, the one great mystery is the love of God. That the Almighty would put on the flesh of man and condescend to inhabit man's garbage dump and willingly suffer the indignities of the Cross--all the while knowing the vast majority of mankind would laugh as His Spilled Blood. Beyond understanding. . .but thank you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Already the effects of the hot bath begin to wear off. The chill returns. She takes one last look at herself in the mirror. . .trying to determine how much more death she has put on since yesterday. Perhaps the cheeks seem a trifle more hollow? She steps into a pair of slippers and wraps herself in a warm robe. She painstakingly pads to the kitchen, stopping only to nudge the thermostat from 74 to 76.

The woman takes a dirty glass and a bottle of wine from the kitchen and eases her way into the bedroom. She sits at a desk in front of a computer. On the computer desktop there is a text file titled *me.* It is her story. Her autobiography. She double-clicks *me.* She gulps wine as she reads her most recent entries.

George: Truth and illusion. Who knows the difference, eh toots? Eh?

Everybody wants to tell their story. Most people tell it to you everyday--whether you want to hear it or not. Co-workers, relatives, *friends,* they rape your ear with their version of their life. It is an urge they cannot control. God spoke the world into existence. The creature, cut off from the Creator and doomed to death, tries to save himself with his own stories. He tries to speak his version of his life into existence. But it is a lie. An unnatural story. It violates the Law of Creation. So when a *friend* corners you at a *party* and tells you their side of the story, you know their sterile words will just float through space. Float out into the dark and cold universe until the words drift to close to a black hole. . .where they will be sucked into an astronomical prison and compressed, along with all the other sides of all the other stories, into a microscopic dot of untruth.

There is an earthly prison not too many miles from where the woman sits drinking and thinking about her story. Her ex-husband resides in this prison, pencil in hand, and works on his story. As husband and wife they attained a degree of notoriety. Thus, their personal tribulations and failures became matters of public debate--in contrast to the lives of you and I, who comprise that indistinguishable mass of humanity whose own failures are noised no further than the apartment building or neighborhood they occur in. Therefore, you and I ad lib monologues of justification to the handful who have witnessed the anonymous failure that is our life, whereas the husband and wife will craft books, public records, meant to express their side of the spectacle that is Goad. Of course, in escaping the flat plane of drab humanity in which you and I reside, the Goad's story becomes three dimensional. And so there is a third side to the story.

George: Truth and illusion. Who knows the difference, eh toots? Eh?

The Goad marriage was barren. Their union produced no offspring. They were the George and Martha of zines. The Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? George and Martha of zines. Of course, one would not cast Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor as Jim and Debbie Goad. Being the George and Martha of zines is of a considerable magnitude less than being the symbolic First Family of the nation, as the George and Martha of Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? are. Hence, John Saxon and Kay Lenz would make a suitable Goad cast.

In Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? George and Martha compensated for their infertile marriage by birthing an imaginary son. He existed exclusively in words. . .in the conversations between George and Martha. They spoke him into being.

Zinedom's first family had an imaginary daughter. The third side of the story. Unfortunately, Jim and Debbie Goad's imaginary daughter had a little more flesh and blood than George's and Martha's imaginary son.

We read the following in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?:

GEORGE: . . .the real reason our son used to throw up all the time, wife and lover, was nothing more complicated than that he couldn't stand you fiddling
at him all the time, breaking into his bedroom with your kimono flying, fiddling at him all the time, with your liquor breath on him, and your hands all over his. . .

This hint of incest is fully developed in the less artful Goad version, though the gender roles are reversed. No need to recount here the much-talked about details of the Jim Goad/Sky Ryan coupling. Note only that Sky Ryan was young enough to be the Goad's daughter, and once the Jim/Sky relationship drew its last, a peculiar mother-daughter bond formed between Debbie and Sky.

In Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Martha violated her's and George's own private Law of Creation by speaking about their imaginary son to another person. As a result, George had to terminate the delusion.

GEORGE: You broke our rule, baby. You mentioned him. . .you mentioned him to someone else.

The delusion of the new life Jim Goad and Sky Ryan were creating together ended in a somewhat similar, albeit more lowbrow, fashion. Ms. Ryan broke their private Law of Creation by writing on the Internet about Mr. Goad's nose job and hair implants.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has a happier ending than the Jim and Debbie Goad Story. After finishing with their imaginary son, George and Martha resolve to stay together until their own natural end. They realize it won't be easy or pleasant, but understand that they must stay together. Because they know they cannot survive on their own.

MARTHA: Just. . .us?
GEORGE: Yes.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.

It is impossible that there were not moments when the Goads were content. I don't say they were happy. Maybe they were. Probably they weren't. One calls to mind the following passage from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and imagines its brutal *real life* fulfillment in the strange union that was Goad:

. . .whom I will not forgive for having come to rest; for having seen me and having said: yes; this will do; who has made the hideous, the hurting, the insulting mistake of loving me and must be punished for it.

They were one flesh. And now they are torn asunder. Examine the results. This, then, is the tragedy that is Goad.

Would Jesus Be A Human Bomb?

ABCNEWS.com (14 Jan 2003): A young Palestinian woman made history of sorts today in the 3-year-old Arab uprising against Israeli occupation. She killed four Israelis in a suicide bomb attack at the main border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Reem Raiyshi, 22, managed to get right inside the border security office with a bomb belt under her clothes. According to the Israeli military, she calmly told soldiers she had a metal splint in her leg that would set off their detector. As she was taken to a special room for a personal search, she blew herself up.

The Lord Jesus Christ, just hours from His crucifixion, revealed to His disciples:

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"--John 15:13.

Is therefore honor among the Human Bombs of Palestine, who lay down their lives for their friends? Would The Lord Jesus Christ be a Human/God Bomb where He to walk the earth today? Of course, the answer to these questions is *no,* for the Human Bombs sacrifice not only themselves, but others as well. . .and their motivation (hate and/or covet) is sinful. A trickier question to answer might be: would it be righteous for a Human Bomb to kill only himself on behalf of his friends as an act of protest? Such an act might be compared to self-immolation, a practice which probably originated with Buddhists. The most well-known self-immolation of recent years is that of the Asian monk Quang Duc who torched himself at a busy Saigon intersection on 11 June 1963 to protest the Vietnam war. Indeed, the act was captured on film and became one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century. Can a suicide meant to highlight an injustice and persuade the guilty party to repent of its wickedness be justified? The answer has to be no, because as noble as the deed sounds to our carnal ear, such suicide is still a sin. Why? Because the act displays a lack of faith in the Almighty. Whoever would bomb or burn himself must arrive at the conclusion he must take action himself. . .he therefore convicts God of tardiness, indifference or worse. The *greatest* sin is the sin of unbelief.

The person who would bomb or burn himself to bring about repentance in another is, in essence, attempting to perform a miracle, a supernatural act. . .to save the world by sacrificing himself. . .this is God's realm. God did not invest man with the ability to perform the supernatural. For the miraculous to occur, man must follow God's rules, as outlined by The Lord Jesus Christ:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it"--John 14:12-14.

Thus, any person who would seek to initiate a miracle must first petition The Lord Jesus Christ. An infidel can never willfully perform a genuine supernatural act. Therefore, all that resulted from the bonfire (and bonfire, of course, is taken from the old pagan bone fires, in which human and animal bones were set on fire to *appease the gods* for supernatural favor) the hapless little Buddhist Quang Duc made of himself was a spectacular photograph that eventually ended up as the cover art work for a Rage Against The Machine cd (and such a crass commercial use of what was the poor ascetic monk's defining moment in life must surely sadden the damned ghost of the little yellow man).

What if a believer prays for a miracle and it doesn't happen? They must be patient, and not fall into unbelief, as was the case with some of Christ's disciples, who could not perform an exorcism:

"Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you"--Matthew 17:19-20.

How long must the believer be patient and wait on the Lord? Until the end of his life, if need be. The Bible is filled with examples of individuals who had to wait years, decades for God to fulfill His promises of miraculous action. But man is not patient, and if God does not come running when man snaps his fingers, he tries to fix everything himself. The result, of course, is the present ugly world we live in. Truly, then, patience is a virtue:

"Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not Thou He, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon Thee: for Thou hast made all these things"--Jeremiah 14:22

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD"--Psalm 27:14

"Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth"--Psalm 37:8-9.

"Wait on the LORD, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it"--Psalm 37:34.

"I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings"--Psalm 40:1-2.

"Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and He shall save thee"--Proverbs 20:22.

"The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD"--Lamentations 3:25-26.

Be patient, wait on the Lord. . .and let us not think too highly of ourselves. . .for we must also remember that those who would sacrifice themselves to highlight an injustice and persuade the guilty party to repent of its wickedness are themselves wicked. . .God sees every man as a sinner. . .isn't it the height of arrogance for someone to think their own death could have a cleansing action? For the person who would suicide himself to provoke another to repent must imagine himself a superior being. This is the ultimate delusion of grandeur. . .a mockery, a counterfeit of Christ, whose sacrifice was acceptable to His Heavenly Father because He was without sin:

"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?. . .But now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation"--Hebrews 9:14, 26 - 28.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

The Palestinian (or any other aggrieved party seeking justice) must come to Almighty God through the Lord Jesus Christ and patiently wait for Christ to deliver unto him all the promises of the Bible. . .even if it means waiting until the end of this life. . .even if it means enduring an occupation of a brutal tyrant. . .after all, the Lord Himself lived all His life under Roman occupation, and He Himself was obedient unto the death of the Roman Cross. . .

The Palestinian (or any other aggrieved party seeking justice) must come to Almighty God through the Lord Jesus Christ and then learn that "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God"--Colossians 3:1 - 3.

As described in Hebrews chapter 11, the great men of faith of the Bible realized not all the promises would be realized within this world system, but it was of little matter, since this is not our homeland, anyway: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an Heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city"--Hebrews 11:13 - 16.

This, then, is the answer for the Palestinian. . .learn what it truly means to be a refugee. . .and then rejoice when the Lord calls you home!

Where Will You Be In One Million Years?

Do we spend a lot of time thinking about that? Or, are we *too busy?* Too busy with *more important* matters? Too busy fretting over our skyrocketing *interest-only* house payment? Our shrinking 401k? The failing dollar? Too obsessed with our neighbors' husband/wife and/or son/daughter? Too frightened by the *terror* threat? *Global warming?* *Illegal* immigration? *Gay* marriage? Health *care?* Bird flu? Disappearing honeybees? Britney's breakdown? Just too depressed because we only have 3 MySpace *friends?*

What a blessing, if we were to be locked alone in an empty room for three days with a loudspeaker quietly transmitting the following question every fifteen minutes:

Where will you be in one million years?

Nothing else matters.

Everything else is distraction.

No matter our varying frames of reference, one truth holds for all:

We will be dead for infinitely longer than we are alive.

Thus, this world is a triviality.

But it has snared most. The masses are so lost in the trivial pursuit, their own eternal nature eludes them.

The Spirit of this Letter is obvious.

But only those who are to be quickened by the Spirit of God will recognize its truth.

The rest remain dead. The Walking Dead, following the Fashion of the Age. . .the Walking Dead, that mass of humanity which is but a Pyre, burning on the Lusts of the Age. . .

The Dead are most welcome to remain. . .as it is written:

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

No offense is taken from the Dead who remain to be amused by the perceived foolishness of the Letter. . .if in their State of Limbo on this Earth, the perceived foolishness of the Letter comforts their deceit, it is not begrudged. . .it is their narcotic which allows brief moments of pleasure.

If we use the abstraction of one million years to peer into Eternity, and see the Dead in the Torments of the Lake of Fire, their artificial pleasures in this World, which in the temporal appear gross and disturbing, can be viewed almost as a merciful Stay of Execution. . .not a Last Supper, but a Last Meal. So all are welcome to stay and enjoy the remainder. . .

The Eternal Question:

Who am I?

Why can't it be answered? Because man is a creature. . .the offspring of the creation of an Infinitely Superior Being. Man can no more tell you who he is than a chair can tell you what it is.

Man does not know where he came from, nor does he know where he is going.

Man's *great achievement,* that which is called *Civilization* (defined as man's attempt to organize himself into the appearance of meaningful purpose), is but the blind stumblings of the ignorant. *Civilization* is x number of thousands of years old. . .it began as a pathetic shack in the plains of Shinar, and all of human history can be seen as just a series of shoddy, tacky add-ons. . .

*Civilization* is the make-work project of humanity. . .the busy work which the Dead occupy themselves until their flesh-and-blood bodies perish.

To what can we liken *Civilization?*

*Civilization* is like unto the baskets weaved by defectives in mental hospitals. . .

Who am I?

We do not understand our own behavior, our own motivations, our own desires.

It is written:

O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

We imagine we are the Masters of our own Lives. . .we have ambitions, goals, we aspire to *Self-Actualize*. . .but it is written:

A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

Who am I?

We are the offspring of the creation of the Infinitely Superior Being.

The History of the Creation:

In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve. He set them in an Earthly Paradise (Eden). Immortality in their flesh-and-blood bodies would be granted, if they could follow His few simple rules. Satan, that old serpent, captured Eve's mind, and she did that which her Creator forbid her to do. Adam followed Eve in her disobedience. This was the End of Paradise on Earth. Exile, Misery and Death have reigned through the Ages. . .

The vast majority of human lives have been short and ugly. Miscarriages, stillbirths, abortions, puerperal fever, etc., etc.

And what of those who managed to survive more than a handful of years? Brutal, futile existences scarred by poverty, disease and violence.

It is written of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ:

All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Light of the World who upholds the universe by the word of His power, once fed the multitudes from five loaves and two fishes. . .He produced enough bread and fish to feed thousands, and after the people had eaten, there was still much food. Jesus said to His disciples:

Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

Our Lord was not a wastrel. Gather up the food, keep it, it will provide many more meals. Do not let it remain on the ground, to rot under the sun and turn to garbage.

But what is the History of the Creation, but a garbage heap of wasted humanity? Jesus ordered the loaves and fishes to be saved. . .but the mass of humanity?

One could accuse God through a thousand questions. This is the pastime of infidels. Through arrogance and pride, they deny the Creator with their accusations. But it is written:

Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus?

Where will we be in one million years? The Lord Jesus Christ told a very simple parable with which we can answer this question:

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Where will we be in one million years? Will we be with Jesus and the just in New Jerusalem? Or with the wicked in the Lake of Fire?

How will the angels know the wicked from the just? Is it based on how well we live our lives?

No, for it is written:

There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. . .For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

Who are the Just?

The Just are the ones who know the answer to the question:

Who am I?

Let us not answer with our *pet peeves* or our favorite flavor of ice cream or our sexual preference.

When the question *Who am I?* is asked, it does not matter who WE are. We? Who are we?

We are the offspring of sin. We are the end of the long line of corruption, which stretches back to the mortified Adam and Eve, as they stood staring at each other's nakedness in the Garden of Eden. That's who we are. We shall die in our sins unless we can answer the question:

Who am I?

It is written:

Jesus went out, and His disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way He asked His disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. And He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

The Lord Jesus Christ asks:

Who am I?

The Just are the ones who know the answer.

Who is Jesus?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . .He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. . .But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God. . .all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The History of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Jesus is God. Without beginning, without end. All things were created by Him. All things were created for Him. His creation followed the way of Satan. He left eternity and entered His creation. He was rejected by His creation. He tolerated His creation's abuse of Him. He tolerated His creation's crucifixion of Him. He died for His creation, leaving their sins nailed to His cross. He rose from the dead--as the proof of His claims and as His creation's hope.

Who am I?

We are the creation. We were created for Him.

The way of the world:

The spirit of the false religions creates gods for every man. For every man there is a religion that suits his corruption. For every man, there is a god who is created in that man's image. All paths lead to God? No, all paths lead to man.

Only one path leads to God. The path laid out by Jesus Christ, of Whom it is written:

But was manifest in these last times for you, who by Him do believe in God.

We can only believe in the one true God by Jesus Christ.

The spirit of ecumenicism:

Man tries to topple God from His throne.

The folly of unmerited arrogance:

We offend God with our self-serving religions, and then imagine He will welcome us into eternity with open arms.

Who are the Just?

God the Father sent Jesus, God the Son (the faith God placed in us removes the stumbling blocks from the Trinity), to earth to restore man to his prelapsarian condition. The Just are the ones who understand God the Father will only welcome into eternity those who enter by the Door of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are the Just. . .the Justified.

As our Lord Jesus Christ spoke:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. . .I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep. . .Therefore doth my Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father.

How can a man know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life?

Christianity is the dominant *religion* in the United States of Amerika. But when we survey the landscape, we see no evidence of the faith. It is written:

And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

But in Amerika, the vast majority of *Christians* continue to walk according to the course of this world. Christians live just like infidels. . .the only difference is they futilely try to serve two Masters.

A fundamental problem with contemporary Amerikan *Christianity* is the cult's answer to the question:

How can a man know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life?

Here is the typical Amerikan Christian response (this was taken from an actual Amerikan Christian website. . .you can find similar all over the internet, and in countless little paper tracts littering the Amerikan landscape):

Who is Jesus Christ? The Bible tells us that Jesus is God in the flesh, God become a human being (see John 1:1,14). God came to earth to teach us, heal us, correct us, forgive us - and die for us! Jesus Christ is God, the Creator, the sovereign Lord. Have you accepted this Jesus?

What is a Savior and why do we need a Savior? The Bible tells us that we have all sinned, we have all committed evil acts (Romans 3:10-18). As a result of our sin, we are worthy of God's anger and judgment. The only just punishment for sins committed against an infinite and eternal God is an infinite punishment (Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:11-15). That is why we need a Savior!

Jesus Christ came to earth and died in our place. Jesus' death, as God in the flesh, was an infinite payment for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins (Romans 5:8). Jesus paid the price so that we would not have to. Jesus' resurrection from the dead proved that His death was sufficient to pay the penalty for our sins. That is why Jesus is the one and only Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)! Are you trusting in Jesus as your Savior?

Is Jesus your "personal" Savior? Many people view Christianity as attending church, performing rituals, not committing certain sins. That is not Christianity. True Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Accepting Jesus as your personal Savior means placing your own personal faith and trust in Him. No one is saved by the faith of others. No one is forgiven by doing certain deeds. The only way to be saved is to personally accept Jesus as your Savior, trusting His death as the payment for your sins, and His resurrection as your guarantee of eternal life (John 3:16). Is Jesus personally your Savior?

If you want to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, say the following words to God. Remember, saying this prayer or any other prayer will not save you. It is only trusting in Christ that can save you from sin. This prayer is simply a way to express to God your faith in Him and thank Him for providing for your salvation. "God, I know that I have sinned against you and deserve punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. I receive your offer of forgiveness and place my trust in You for salvation. I accept Jesus as my personal Savior! Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness - the gift of eternal life! Amen!"

Have you made a decision for Christ because of what you have read here? If so, please click on the "I have accepted Christ today" button below.

It is true Jesus is God. It is true we all are sinners. It is true Jesus was our substitute on the Cross, and His shed blood cleanses from sin. It is true we must have faith to be saved.

What's the problem?

The problem is:

According to the Standard Amerikan Evangelism *plan of salvation,* WE ACCEPT JESUS. WE determine, through our own reasoning, that Jesus is the Savior, and WE decide we will accept Him.

The Billy Graham-type of crusade, the TV preachers weeping every Sunday morning, the literature of the tracts, etc., present Jesus as an unfulfilled Savior who needs His self-esteem boosted by having lots and lots of *friends* who love Him.

I died for you, now please accept Me, they have Him beg. . .

Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus tells us He came to earth not to beg us to love Him, but:

I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father.

When Jesus stood among the unbelieving Jews in the temple, He didn't beg them to *accept* Him:

If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do ye not understand My speech? even because ye cannot hear My word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe Me not. Which of you convinceth Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe Me? He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

Jesus came to do the will of His Father, not to beg us to accept Him.

JESUS IS NOT SOME LONELY NERD, ROAMING THE STREETS LOOKING FOR FRIENDS!

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST SITS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER! FAR ABOVE ALL PRINCIPALITY, POWER AND MIGHT! FAR ABOVE EVERY NAME THAT IS NAMED! THE ANGELS IN HEAVEN SING HIS PRAISES!

And Amerikan Christianity presents Him as knocking on hearts, hat in hand, asking for reprobates to *accept* Him?

The arrogance to think we can *accept* Christ and *allow* Him to be our Savior!!!

Jesus Christ is KING OF KINGS!! Do we really think He frets over our opinion of Him? Let us get over ourselves and recognize what He said:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one.

God the Father gave God the Son x number of sheep. . .OUR OPINION DOES NOT MATTER. God's will over-rules.

It is written:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Those who claim they *accepted* Jesus claim responsibility for their faith. In essence, they boast they saved themselves, through their own intellect. They decided Jesus was the Savior, and so they give their faith to Him. They invert the scripture. . .they claim they are saved by their faith which they give to Jesus.

How can a man know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life?

Our Lord and Savior plainly declared:

No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him.

We cannot *accept* Jesus. . .

Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto Me, except it were given unto him of My Father.

Who am I?

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven.

Flesh and blood cannot reveal Christ.

It is written:

Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Man on his own cannot *accept* Jesus Christ. . .God must reveal it to him by the Spirit.

It may seem a trivial matter of semantics. . .but when we survey the *Christian* landscape of Amerika, and see it differs little from the rest of the world, let us understand the mind of the Christian. In his mind, he has *accepted* Jesus Christ. He evaluated the claims made by and about Christ, and decided with his own intelligence the claims were true.

Or, to put it in the Amerikan fashion, he shopped for a god, and decided Christ was the best model. These *Christians* will tell us in all sincerity that Jesus died for their sins. . .that their faith is in Jesus. . .but in reality, their faith is in themselves.

The proof is all around us. When trouble comes, they rush to a doctor or a psychiatrist for a pill. . .they rush to a lawyer for blood money or to escape their responsibilities. . .when confronted, they use their fists. . .when trouble comes to their nation, they call on the military. . .when trouble comes, they solve their own problems, shopping for the best solution. . .they NEVER rely on the Lord. Every solution they embrace contradicts the gospel of Jesus Christ.

How is it Amerikan Christians can support a criminal war in Iraq? How can they claim to follow the Way of Christ, when Jesus said to turn the other cheek, to love your enemies, and then the Christians pray for President Bush and support him in his ghoulish war on terror?

The Way, the faith of Christ, cannot be reconciled with the way of the world. . .

The Lord Jesus Christ asked:

And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

The Way, the faith of Christ, cannot be reconciled with the way of the world. . .

It is written:

Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

The typical Amerikan Christian *accepts* Christ, he decides Christ is savior. . .it's on his terms. . .he's the one who has made the deal. Therefore, it is a little thing if he discards the gospel. Some of Jesus' teachings don't fit his mind set? Disregard them. It's all about his decision.

As it is written:

A little leaven leavens the whole lump. . .

It may seem a small matter of semantics, this issue of *accepting Christ*. . .but if one can choose to accept Christ, can't one also then choose to accept only those parts of Christ's gospel that do not threaten their friendship with the world?

When a *Christian* accepts Jesus, he is not accepting the real Jesus, he is accepting another Jesus, a Jesus who is a creation of his own mind. Not surprisingly, the pseudo-Jesus has no problem with the pseudo-Christian following the course of the world.

The awful truth:

Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:

No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him. . .

The Father must *draw* you to Christ. . .the Greek word which is translated in the King James Bible as "draw" is helkuo, defined as:

to draw, drag off

metaphor: to draw by inward power, lead, impel

Remember what was quoted before:

There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

THERE IS NONE THAT SEEKETH AFTER GOD. All these people who *accept* Jesus, and all the people in the world with their cults, religions, sects, are not seeking after God. . .they are seeking after a ritual after their own heart.

Man is such a depraved, corrupt sinner, so totally cut-off from the true God, God must literally drag him to Christ, by a powerful supernatural force. . .

We do not *accept* Christ. . .God drags us to Him. . .and inside of us, before the creation of the world (According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world), God has already placed the measure of faith (according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith). . .that faith is activated when we hear the gospel (so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God), and if we are Christ's, if Christ has *accepted* us, we cannot deny it.

The Sum of Human History:

God created Adam and Eve, and they turned to Satanism. . .unseen forces, good and bad, have battled to influence the world down through the ages. . .

Yet even before the foundation of the world, an unknown number of men and women were conceived with the faith of Christ. . .no man can explain the mystery of salvation. . .all we know are the brief lines recorded in the Scriptures (My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me).

We can offer an analogy:

Let us say all men and women are born with a superheterodyne receiver, which they can tune to the world frequency of their choice. . .pornography, *sports,* yoga, whatever. . .but there is that unknown number of men and women who come into this world also equipped with a tuned frequency receiver. . .a receiver that will only receive the true gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. . .they may wander through the wilderness for ten, twenty, thirty years, a lifetime, tuning in and out the frequencies of the world. . .and then one moment of one day, they are dragged by God Almighty to the true gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. . .it may only be two simple words, Jesus Saves, but those words, those gospel words will be received on the gospel frequency receiver, and then faith cometh. . .

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. . .

And the disciples came, and said unto Him, Why speakest Thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

We can say Jesus spoke in a *frequency* only believers could receive.

To those implanted with the tuned frequency receiver, the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven are given. The rest follow the noise of the world, barred from the Kingdom. Just as we do not *accept* Jesus, we do not put OUR faith in Christ. God Almighty puts the faith of Christ in us.

As it is written:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

Those who claim they *accept* Christ stink of the sin of pride, for they claim ownership of their salvation. "I accepted Jesus!"

Similarly, those who claim they put their faith in Christ also stink of pride. They gift their faith to Christ!

God Almighty puts the faith of Christ in the saved and then, at some point in their lives, drags the saved to the Lord Jesus Christ and they hear the gospel of Jesus, they receive the gospel of Jesus-and they are born again, a new creature in Christ, adopted by God Almighty through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, these are not semantic trivialities. . .if one believes one accepts Christ, or gives their faith to Christ, at the very least they have a subconscious pride, which will taint their soul with mere religion. . .they become the author and finisher of their faith, and thus they feel free to follow the course of the world, whenever the course of the world suits their fancy. . .their conscience does not burn when they wave their flag in support of their nation's anti-Christ wars, or when they buy Wal-Mart merchandise manufactured by exploited laborers, or when they isolate homosexual sin from sexual sin.

It is written plainly:

Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. . .

We, who deserve nothing, begin the Way with the following attitude:

Christ has given us everything.

After that, then what? What is our responsibility with the faith that has been given us? One can ask countless questions regarding free will, predestination, eternal security, etc., etc. We will not know all of the mysteries of salvation. All we can know is that the Lord Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. . .as for what is in between, perhaps the best that can be offered is the paradoxical advice the apostle Paul gave the Philippians:

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. . .For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Where will you be in one million years?

The End

[Author's note: I do not claim divine revelation. I do not claim scholarship. I offer these words as my imperfect understanding of the mystery of salvation. As the apostle Paul said: For now we see through a glass, darkly. I do not judge whether these words are of any consequence. . .but if one soul passes this way, and God Almighty uses these words to tune you to the faith of Christ, then I join you in thanking our Father in heaven, who has opened your ears to the gospel of Jesus Christ and given you the incomparable gift of salvation.]

Few There Be That Find It. . .

To Hell With The Death Penalty

Lucasville, OH (AP 14 Jan 2003): A murderer whose claims of mental retardation were rejected by the courts was executed Wednesday after struggling with guards and pleading for his life until the last moment. Lewis Williams, 45, was put to death by injection for fatally shooting a 76-year-old woman during a robbery at her Cleveland home in 1983. Four guards were needed to lift the 117-pound Williams from his knees and pry his hand off the edge of a table before carrying him into the death chamber. As he was strapped to the execution table he cried, "I'm not guilty. God, help me." At least nine guards restrained him as they prepared his arms and inserted needles. One guard standing at his head alternately restrained him and patted his right shoulder to comfort him. Williams repeatedly shook his head and tried to lift himself off the preparation bed. He yelled several times, then rested his head and spoke, appearing to whisper or chant quietly.

Williams kept pleading even as the warden pulled the microphone away after his final official statement: "God, please help me. God, please hear my cry." He was pronounced dead at 10:15 am. His mother, Bonnie Williams, 66, sobbed in an adjacent room separated by a window. "It was an awful thing to watch," assistant state public defender Stephen Ferrell said. "The struggle caught us by surprise. He didn't seem to be like that this morning." "I would say it was disturbing. I would say it was traumatic," prisons systems director Reginald Wilkinson said. "It was probably as traumatic as anything our staff has gone through." His execution, originally set for June, was delayed while a judge considered his claim that he was mentally retarded and therefore ineligible for the death penalty. The judge rejected the claim after an expert hired by Williams' attorneys found that he was not mentally retarded.

Good for you, pseudo-retard. . .why should you make such a disgusting procedure appear *routine?* Look at the state's representative, Reginald Wilkinson, he has the nerve to be traumatized by the pseudo-retard's actions. They want the condemned to be polite about their own execution. "Slide down the gurney just a bit, please. . .Turn your head this way, please. . .Could you make a fist so we can find a vein?. . .Good. . .Now die quietly. . .Thank you."

It would be beneficial for Wilkinson and the *corrections officers* who carried out this killing to have nightmares for the rest of their days. . .let them wake up in a cold sweat after dreaming of being on their knees begging for their lives before a retarded Freddy Krueger. Maybe then they will have a greater appreciation for the virtue of mercy.

"Well, these killers didn't show any mercy to their victims, why should we?" is the standard reply. The state, if it wants to serve as the model for its citizens to emulate and if it wants its laws to be the citizens' schoolmaster, must make as great a distinction as possible between itself and its grossest members. . .this is the usual response. Of course, it's nonsense. The mere fact laws exist are proof of the hopelessness of legislating good behavior.

Mercy is a theological matter of self-interest. . .but most people think of themselves as *good*. . .they arrive at this conclusion through the process of relative righteousness. . .they look around for a pedophile or a serial killer or a Hitler, and then compare themselves to the beast. . .presto!. . . "I'm good!". . .hence they think they will never need mercy. . .they believe they are justified by their own Potemkin *goodness*. . .and they feel no qualms about denying mercy to others who they judge as *evil.*

Surely they will be shocked when they find themselves dead in their sins, being judged by the Almighty. . .then they will ask for mercy, just the like pseudo-retard in the story above. . .too late. . .in fact, they will claim a form of mental retardation themselves. . .they will tell the Almighty, "I didn't know I was a sinner." The Lord will likewise reject their claim of mental retardation.

Apparently most of the condemned cooperate with the state. . .they calmly accept their execution. Perhaps they don't want to create a spectacle because they believe they would appear weak, and it would offend their image of themselves. . .vanity, vanity, all is vanity. . .even in death. . .maybe the condemned think the state wants them to grovel and beg, and that by appearing cool and calm, they think they can gain a final victory over the state. . . "go ahead and kill me, I don't care." So they go like sheep to the slaughter, stupidly not realizing that by bending over for the state, they assist in making the barbaric practice appear to be nothing more than a routine *medical procedure.*

What if all the condemned went down swinging? I would guess most of them could put up a much better fight than the 117 pound weakling pseudo-retard in Ohio. Imagine if the weekly executions in Texas turned into tough man contests. . .with psychotic murderers and rapists biting, kicking, screaming, scratching, gouging, spitting on and clawing their last mile *escorts*. . .if they had to be pepper-sprayed or zapped with a stun gun just to get them on the gurney. . .make the thing a frenzy of blood and broken bones and chewed-off ears and noses. . .the system surely would have to be *reformed.*

Of course, the state would likely adopt a more ruthless procedure. . .such as the one that used to be applied in Russia. . .where the condemned were never told of their execution date. . .they sweated it out in uncertainty, until one early morning when a prison official would simply tell the condemned he had not been reprieved, and then an officer would fire a single shot to the back of his head.

One could ask, if the condemned are going to end up dead, anyway, what does it matter the form of execution? But why allow the state its pretense of a clean, orderly *medical procedure?* Make the state shed its surgical mask. . .make the state pull the trigger and have to clean the mess off the wall. . .let the state stand without guile before its people.

Few There Be That Find It. . .

New Testament Commentary: Matthew

Matthew, Chapter 1
1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
3And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
4And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;
5And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;
6And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
7And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;
8And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;
9And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;
10And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;
11And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
12And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
13And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;
14And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;
15And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;
16And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
17So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

It has been supposed by previous commentators that Matthew included this abridged genealogy of our Lord to convince a Jewish audience that Jesus was the legitimate legal heir to the throne of David. . .one cannot imagine many Jews, either in the first century AD or in our own time, bowing their knees to the Lordship of Christ based upon the pedigree. At best, the Jew’s skeptical response will remain: “Is this not the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55). . .and at worst, they will identify Christ with the Talmud’s heretic *Yeshu,* who is condemned to boil in excrement in Hell (Gittin 57a).

If one accepts the New Testament as the inspired word of God (II Timothy 3:16), one might ask why the Almighty would have this genealogy included? The most astounding miracles ever seen on earth, the raising of the dead (Mark 5:35 – 43), healing of the blind (Matthew 9:27 – 29), etc. are covered in a handful of verses, yet here 17 verses are spent on a genealogy that will convince no one of the Christ.

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness (Matthew 3:13 – 15).

So it may be also that this genealogy is included: to fulfill all righteousness. . .the genealogy as the meticulous work of God, dotting all His cosmic i’s and crossing all His cosmic t’s. . .

Unusual for a Bible genealogy, five women are named, of which at least two were Gentiles (Rahab and Ruth). . .

Of these women’s stories, one in particular has always been a favorite:

Tamar (Genesis Chapter 38): Judah picked Tamar to be the wife of his first-born son, Er. Er must have been an unsalvageable miscreant, however, for we are told he “was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.” After the Lord dispatched this reprobate, Judah gave Tamar to his second son, Onan, who, by the law of the levirate marriage, was supposed to *lay* with Tamar, that she might have a child to continue Er’s name and receive Er’s inheritance. Onan did, indeed, frequently *lay* with Tamar, but not wanting his dead brother to have an heir, he refused to ejaculate inside her. . .he would dismount the poor girl before climax and *spill his seed on the ground* (at least the ill-treated Tamar was spared the additional indignity of the modern practice of a *facial*). The LORD took note of Onan’s selfish disobedience, and removed him, also, from the Land of the Living.

Judah was therefore left with just one remaining son, Shelah. . .knowing only all-too-well Shelah was cut from the same cloth (the Canaanitish Shuah) as his brothers, and thus hoping to hide his probable moral and sexual dereliction from the LORD, Judah sent Tamar back to her father’s house. He told her he would bring her back when Shelah was ready to marry. . .but, of course, he never did.

The years passed. . .Egg after egg from Tamar went unfertilized. In our sophisticated age, women can remain single and childless, and it’s of no consequence. . .women can work and earn their own keep. . .they are *liberated* to live just as futile of an existence as men. Not so for Tamar. . .she lived back in the day when women were *oppressed.* She needed a son to secure her livelihood. With her biological clock winding down, Tamar dressed herself up as a whore, and seduced Judah:

When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face. And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me? And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. . .(Genesis 38:15 – 17).

Ha ha ha. . .you have to chuckle. . .imagine a similar exchange in our day. . .imagine having a goat on a leash, and bringing it up to some poor negress crack whore on a Highland Park, MI street corner. . .“Git dat crazy-ass dog out my face!”

Well. . .but anyway. . .old Judah didn’t spill his seed on the ground. . .no, indeed. . .he planted it right in Tamar, and she got her heir. . .in fact, she got two sons, the twins Pharez and Zarah.

A few things about this story:

One) There has been, down through the centuries, a tradition equating *Onanism* with masturbation, which suggests Onan was killed by God for being a wanker. . .but this is just an example of “making the word of God of none effect through your tradition” (Mark 7:13). Onan’s sin was greed. He *spilled his seed* so his dead brother wouldn’t have an heir, thus increasing his own inheritance.


Two) Though at least two Gentile women are included, it would seem God was determined to have Tamar, and not the Canaanitish Shuah, in the Messianic line, no matter how hard Onan and, later, Judah tried to keep her out. One might wonder what was so special about Tamar. Probably nothing. God would reach out from the other side and pick a good-looking chick every now and then (Sarah, Rachel), but the *heroes* of the Bible are mainly human mediocrities. . .cowards with trophy wives (Abraham), stuttering fugitives (Moses), bipolar adulterers (David), etc. God is the star, not man (despite the efforts of organized religion’s PR hacks to repackage these oddballs as spiritual Supermen, for the purpose of promoting today’s religious hucksters as being the latest in a line of *Great Men of God*).

Being picked by God for a part in His master plan does not guarantee a life of limousines and red carpets. . .in this, Tamar is typical. She was, essentially, a human bowling ball: picked up, fingered and thrown in the gutter by a series of low-lifes. One can easily imagine the horny Onan jack-hammering poor dry Tamar for two minutes and thirty seconds, then violently pulling out, grunting and spilling his seed all over the place as he fantasized about his increased inheritance, never even looking at Tamar, and leaving her sore on her bed to rub the oil of myrrh on her chafed genitalia. And then the indignity of Tamar having to play the whore and seduce her father-in-law, what a chore that had to be, teasing a the seed out of the old geezer Judah. . .all just to secure her *social security.* And when she got it, when she birthed the twins Pharez and Zarah, she was left alone to raise them.

Tamar, the single mother, abused by a string of irresponsible men. The more things change, the more they stay the same. How many millions of Tamars in our Amerika? Forced to whore themselves, in one form or the other, because some deadbeat is too immature, too selfish to fulfill his obligations.

Of course, the difference between Tamar and the average Amerikan single mother is that Amerikan women make their own bad choices about for whom they spread their legs. . .still, considering the grossly sexualized culture they are born into, one can retain a degree of sympathy for the Amerikan demi-Tamars.

Three) Because of man’s depravity, God’s plan is often continued in untidy fashions, as was the case with Tamar. Christ was the only one able to navigate squeaky-clean through this ugly world man has created. . .the rest of us get sullied from time-to-time. . .contemporary Amerikan Christians seem scandalized by this. . .perhaps they imagine they are already clothed in fine, clean white linen (Revelation 19:8), and that is why they rail against faggots, abortionists and other assorted sinners. . .but in doing so they risk judging another man’s servant (Romans 14:4), for who knows that God cannot reach into the darkest sewer, pluck out a human turd and use him or her to further the Divine Plan?

Our Lord once observed:

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal (John 12:25).

One can easily imagine poor Tamar when reading these words. . .and in her life of misery in this ugly world, she doubtless never imagined she had been picked by God to continue the Messianic line. . .she lived a lowdown life but was given a special place in the Eternal Line of the Kingdom of God.

Matthew, Chapter 1
18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

The Virgin Birth of Christ. . .the Parthenogenesis of Christ. . .

There has been some recent bluster concerning evolution and intelligent design. Not surprisingly, the blowhards on both sides of the *debate* miss the mark.

The apostle Paul advised:

O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. . .(I Timothy 6:20 – 21).

There you have the evolution/intelligent design debate: vain babbling.

What is most amusing is these babblers, clouded in the steam of their own over-heated blubberings, have lost sight that the foundation of each of their belief systems is based on the same principle: virgin birth, or parthenogenesis (for the Christian, this would also include Adam and Eve).

What is most sad are these Christian hicks, who would have a hard time spelling DNA, let alone explaining it, trying to use it to prove God.

“Ya see, fellers, this here DNA stuff is so gosh-dang complicated and all, why, it weren’t possible fer it ta jes pop out o’ thin air. No, sir, some real smart being had to a been there ta mix the D with the N and the A.”

What a sorry spectacle, what a sorry testimony for the faith. . .all these Christians running around, trying to cast out science with science. It’s a losing proposition.

If they are that insecure, that they need everybody to believe what they believe, if they need *science* to validate their beliefs, then they need to examine their faith. What God has chosen to reveal about creation should be enough for them:

Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:19 – 20).

The truth is, most Christians in Amerika have been seduced by science. . .they rely more on science than on God. . .they take the same anti-depressants as the infidels. . .they are just as afraid to depart this earth as the infidels (look how maniacally they tried to keep poor Terri Schiavo from Christ. . .they wanted her to be kept on earth as long as possible, because they themselves want to stay here for as long as possible, no matter in how degraded of a condition. . .what lack of faith that Christ awaits them!).

So now they want their second god, science, to reassure them of their first God, the Creator. . .pathetic. . .they love their life in this world so much, they make fools of themselves to get the world to love them back.

Of course, the infidels have their fools, also. . .the haughty High Priests of Scientism:

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things (Romans 1:21 – 23).

The High Priests of Scientism sneer at their Creator. . .imagine Tesla turning on his radio and hearing it insult him. . .the nerve!

The great geniuses of the day dismiss the virgin birth of our Lord (and Adam and Eve) as an old wives’ tale. . .they dismiss their own birth, then. . .for what is abiogenesis except for a virgin birth? They applaud their own spontaneous generation, while they hiss at the incarnation.

One can only marvel at these blind Pharisees of Scientism. . .they scoff at the virgin birth of our Lord, then, lacking an answer to explain the transition from asexual to sexual reproduction, they must insist upon billions of virgin births to bridge binary fission to meiosis and fertilization. Truly the Priests of Parthenogenesis strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.

One might register the argument the Priests of Scientism reject any creator behind their virgin births, yet when these proud little men tried to invent themselves in a chamber of glass tubes and flasks filled with water, methane, ammonia and hydrogen, they summoned the god of lightning to breathe the spark of life. Here they unconsciously embraced Christ’s metaphor:

I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven (Luke 10:18).

For their god is the father of all proud little men who seek to exalt their thrones above the stars of God.

Matthew, Chapter 1
19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.
22Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called His name JESUS.

Joseph. . .Mr. Mary. . .the Blessed Virgin’s caddy. Here is the blandest of Bible *heroes.* His job was to keep Mary’s womb from being polluted and to drive her to Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth. After that, he was to chauffeur Mary and Jesus to Egypt. Upon the return to Nazareth, he becomes the very definition of superfluous. “Just stand over there in the corner, buddy, and don’t mess things up”. . .but even this simple task may have proven difficult.

Since Matthew labels him a *just man,* Joseph must have been a decent Jew, and doubtless followed all their arcane laws, etc. . .he probably didn’t even masturbate, just waited for wet dreams (this is, in all probability, how narcolepsy started. . .a bunch of ultra-orthodox Jews, standing around horny, wishing real hard they could fall asleep and dream they were Solomon, rolling around with 700 wives and 300 concubines). Thus, already accustomed to celibacy, and with the religious fervor that must have followed the angel of the Lord’s news that Mary was carrying the Redeemer, it could not have been too difficult for Joseph to refrain from *knowing* Mary.

One might ask: “Could a religious Jew, convinced his virgin bride had given birth to his people’s Redeemer, ever in good conscience defile with his own impure penis the birth canal through which the Savior enters the world? Wouldn’t some kind of Christo-Genital phobia be expected, which would leave Joseph permanently impotent in the presence of Mary?” A good Jew wouldn’t even fart in Yad Vashem, so how could Joseph ever have wanted to have sex with Mary?

Though none of us have ever experienced the religious ardor that must have gripped Joseph after his dream visit from the angel of the Lord, and which must have been refreshed by the Deicidal intrigues which prompted the flight to Egypt, we know from our own meager examples, and the life histories of Bible figures, that religious mania, even the most genuinely inspired, wears off, evaporates, and we descend again from the heights of spiritual ennoblement to the depths of human carnality. Even so for Joseph. . .

So he *knew* Mary. From the Biblical record, it is clear Joseph and Mary had four sons and at least two daughters (Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3).

Let us for a moment wonder at Mary’s attitude toward Joseph’s sexual demands. . .

One can suppose Mary’s religious dedication to be more durable. . .after all, she had a maternal bond to the infant Christ. . .it would not be unusual, therefore, for her to have preferred to remain a virgin, and devote her life to the Christ. If one believed oneself to be the Handmaiden of the Lord, would one really want to be troubled with the burden of the commonplace human spawn? The ordinary marriages of the mass of human nonentities are chock full of sexual tension. . .so what type of sexual tension must have existed between Mary and Joseph?

Considering Joseph again, it would only be natural he expected a little gold dust to be sprinkled down upon him from the heavens. The Jews have a blind spot in regard to their prophets: they cannot see the predicted Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53, etc.). They expect only the Redeemer King, who would restore the glory of the Kingdom of David. Therefore, wouldn’t the Messiah be raised in glory? And so wouldn’t His caretakers achieve a lofty station in life? But for Joseph, after returning from Egypt, it was back to the sticks of Nazareth, of which Nathanael would ask *can anything good come from it?* (John 1:46).

Joseph had to wonder about this, as he returned to the drudgery of his previous life. And over the years, though Jesus would display His astonishing superiority, there would be nothing of the glory of David.

One might well ask if, over those years, Joseph came to doubt the dream of the angel of the Lord? So it may be that, at first, Joseph wanted to *know* Mary as a kind of consolation prize, as it had to be evident very early on he would not be leaving his humble station in Nazareth for a seat near a throne in Jerusalem.

Joseph would have more in common, of course, with his natural born sons. . .and it may be that he began to use Mary as a breeder in order to create more and more distance between himself and this enigmatic child called Jesus. . .

What happened in that household, as Joseph’s children were added? Mary could never favor them the way she favored Jesus. And what would Joseph’s attitude be, observing his own flesh-and-blood taking their mother’s backseat? One could insist Jesus had a fairy tale upbringing, and that Joseph, never doubting, was always the good sport, even though he had no earthly material gain as Jesus’ caretaker.

But we know Joseph’s sons did not believe in Jesus (John 7:5). Where did this doubt originate? From Mary? Unlikely, for there is no evidence Mary ever doubted. From amongst themselves? Possibly. But we must also consider there is no evidence Joseph’s daughters doubted. Would it be unreasonable to picture a household with Mary and the daughters on one side, and Joseph and the sons on the other side?

For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:35 - 37).

If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:26).

The greater cosmic spiritual truth of these sayings would not be invalidated if Christ Himself had analogous local experiences.

Sometime in Jesus’ life between age 12 and age 30, Joseph died. Unlike the other famous *patriarchs,* his passing goes unnoted in the Biblical record. After Christ’s birth, there is no mention of him in the gospels, save for as a sidebar in the famous *missing Jesus* anecdote of Luke 2:41 - 49. There is not a single word of Christ’s recorded in the New Testament concerning Joseph. As He was dying on the cross, our Lord entrusted the care of Mary not to any of Joseph’s sons, as would be the custom, but to His disciple John (John 19:25 - 27).

Is it unreasonable, at the very least, to infer a distant relationship between Jesus and Joseph?

We often think of the only pain in Christ’s life at His betrayal, trial, scourging and crucifixion. . .the last few hours of His life. But what must His childhood have been like?

What would He have in common with anyone around Him? There is very little of Jesus’ life prior to age 30 revealed in the Bible, but after He begins His ministry, there is frequent mention of Jesus’ going off alone to the desert or the mountains. . .this may have been a lifelong trait. . .Jesus the Loner. . .Jesus the Outsider.

He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not (John 1:10 – 11).

Why should His childhood have been any different? In fact, He would have been less well received as a child than as an adult. . .adults would have been intimidated by His supernatural intellect. . .and what would He have in common with children of His own age? It is not that He would have been a stereotypical *goody-two-shoes* that normally rambunctious children ostracize, but it would be His alien nature. Here was a being who at age 12 was already fixed upon doing His Heavenly Father’s business (Luke 2:49). . .thus what childhood *peer* could Christ have had? Who could draw near to the Word made Flesh? It would not necessarily be that other children were antagonistic, but perplexed and at a loss as to how to *socialize* with the only begotten Son of God. . . Jesus would thus remain outside their circle.

In the well-known *missing Jesus* anecdote, we are told when Jesus was 12 years old, the family makes a Passover pilgrimage to the Temple:

And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing Him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance (Luke 2:43 - 44).

A whole day passes before they even realize Jesus is missing. Even in His own *family,* He was always on the outside. . .so much so that His absence is not immediately apparent.

His disappearances must have become more and more frequent, for as an adult, He seems not to have been recognized by those who should have known Him (for example, His *cousin* John the Baptist cannot identify Him at the baptism—John 1:33).

As an adult, Jesus placed Himself in league with the homeless:

And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head (Luke 9:58).

These musings on the relationship between Jesus and Joseph are not meant to suggest Joseph died in unbelief, or that he was hostile to Jesus. . .only that one can reasonably infer a distance between the two. Joseph, plagued by doubt and broken dreams, can be viewed as a sort of Ultimate Spiritual Everyman, struggling against his own corrupt nature to remain faithful to the promise of the Redeemer.

As for Jesus, He may well have been the loneliest man who ever lived. . .


Matthew, Chapter 2
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.
3When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found Him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him also.
9When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
12And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

The Wise Men. . .they were probably Zoroastrian astrologers from Persia (one of them perhaps in the genealogical line of that modern Persian, Ahmadinejad, who likewise *troubles all Jerusalem?*).

What *star* did the Magi see? It’s doubtful it was the arcing fireball of Giotto’s *Adoration of the Magi* or some spectacular supernova as commonly depicted in other works of art. After all, the pseudo-Jew King Herod and all of Jerusalem seem to have been unaware of any signs and wonders in the sky.

These travelers to Judaea were *magi*. . .highly skilled in whatever esoteric astronomical art they practiced. . .these weren’t some ignorant touristy boobs gaping in awe as they stumbled from one Las Vegas neon light show to the next.

No, whatever the magi saw, it was doubtless unobserved by the uninitiated. This was as it should have been. . .the celestial object as humble as the birth of the being it marked.

It is not surprising when notified the *King of the Jews* had been born, Herod was *troubled.* Not being a *religous* man, he would logically view this new-born *King* as a threat to his little Jewish satrapy.

What may be surprising is the reaction of the Jews’ chief priests and scribes. Made aware their long-awaited *King* may have been born, not a one of them bother to go to Bethlehem to investigate. The magi must have traveled for months to cover a distance of more than one thousand miles, but the *chief priests* couldn’t be bothered to journey six miles to Bethlehem.

But then, like their pseudo-Jew King Herod, these were probably not *religious* men, either. Even though had they been familiar with their own prophets (notably Daniel), they would have been aware the timing for the birth of the Messiah was at hand, they seem not to have believed. These were arrogant people, who trusted in their race to save them (Matthew 3:9) and therefore they probably discounted any news of their *King* which came from *gentiles.* And these were people ignorant of their own scriptures (Matthew 22:29) and would continually miss during Jesus’ life the *signs of the times* (Matthew 16:3). Additionally, these were political people, more interested in maintaining their own miniscule sphere of influence within the Roman Empire than with seeking the Kingdom of God (John 11:47 – 50).

Arrogant, ignorant, political. . .those were the Jews of Christ’s day. Arrogant, ignorant, political. . .these are the Christians in Amerika of our day. . .just picture Billy Graham limping to the White House to bless the wickedness du jour. . .or Pat Robertson calling for the assassination of Hugo Chavez. . .or the scholarly Bob Jones III, who baptized the war in Iraq with this unique twist on the blessedness of peacemakers: “I don't see how anybody who loves peace could really be against this war.”

Well, we will have ample opportunity, as the commentary is continued, to further beat the dead horse that is Amerikan Christianity. Let us return our attention to the Wise Men. It would seem from the Biblical record they were members of a very exclusive club: givers to the Savior. Though our Lord was undoubtedly the most generous individual to ever walk the earth, doling out healings, exorcisms and free meals to thousands and thousands, and, His most unselfish and valuable gift of all, His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28), He was answered with a surprising degree of ingratitude. He Himself remarked at least once upon this lack of appreciation:

And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And He said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole (Luke 17:12 – 19).

From this telling episode, we can extract a small parable of the Jews: they took what they could from the Lord, then turned their back on Him.

As for the Wise Men, I have often wondered whether the Lord, in later years, personally thanked them for their pilgrimage and gifts? Or, like the woman who gave Jesus an alabaster box of spikenard, was their mention in the gospel record their thanks (certainly sufficient), an eternal memorial to their kindness and generosity (Mark 14:3 – 9)?

The Bible is mysteriously silent concerning Christ’s years from age twelve to thirty. Where fact is absent, legend appears. Among the *missing years of Jesus* fables, we are told Christ returned to Egypt to learn the magic of the hekau, or that He traveled to India and Tibet to study the mysteries of the eastern charlatans, or He sailed with His Uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, to Great Britain:

And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon England's mountains green? And was the Holy Lamb of God On England's pleasant pastures seen?

And did the Countenance Divine Shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here Among those dark Satanic mills?—William Blake, 1804

Of course, there is nothing Jesus could have learned in Egypt, India or Tibet. . .so what would be the point of our Lord traveling to any of these lands, or to Britain? Vacation from His alleged work as a carpenter? No.

No, if Jesus did any traveling during His *missing years,* I find it would be more befitting His character to imagine Him making a long solitary trek to Persia. . .the lone Christ, traveling a thousand miles on foot, to thank the magi and to personally bring them the gospel, the full meaning of the good news of the sign in the stars they observed so many years prior.

And one could well then imagine, years later, our Lord remembering this great mission, as He rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves (Matthew 23:15).


Matthew, Chapter 2
13And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy Him.
14When he arose, he took the young child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called My son.
16Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
17Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
18In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
19But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20Saying, Arise, and take the young child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
21And he arose, and took the young child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
23And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

It must be supposed Satan imagined he had defeated the Almighty when he successfully tempted Eve.

I can picture the Adversary chuckling contentedly to himself as he watches the bewildered Adam and Eve sewing fig leaves together to cover their nakedness, and then trying to hide themselves from the LORD God in Eden (Genesis 3:7 – 8). . .

[The Leader reveals his spiritual ignorance when he makes statements such as *we are good, they are evil*. . .*they* are subject to the same supernatural forces *we* are. . .*they* are not the enemy. . .to believe that *evil* can be removed from the world with Helter-Skelter bombing attacks is childish. *We* may think we are removing evil when we bomb a *terrorist,* just as *they* think likewise when they bomb *civilians*. . .nothing is destroyed except corrupt flesh. . .evil moves on to a new host.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).

Man’s weapons are useless against these principalities, powers and rulers. . .and when he stupidly uses them, thinking he is *fighting evil,* he is really only serving evil. . .]

[Re: Genesis 3:7. . . And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. . .it would therefore appear the fist manifest consequence of sin was *nudity.* As a response, the *fashion industry* was born. The oldest profession is not prostitution, but *fashion design.*

We should not call Kate Moss, Carmen Kass, Karolina Kurkova, etc., *supermodels*. . .we should call them *Eves,* for when they slink down the catwalks, covered in the latest fig leaves, they minister the Sacrament of the Apron, in remembrance of their mother, Eve, the First Model, the First Sex Object. . .

The Sacrament of the Apron

*Fashion,* at its heart, may be nothing more than a Satanic art, meant to celebrate the Fallen Woman. . .

Satan, for those brief hours in Eden, must have thought he had captured all humanity for eternity. . .

Then the LORD God issued the first prophecy of the future Redeemer. . .it is interesting to note this prophecy is addressed by the LORD God directly to Satan:

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15).

Satan did not pout, but set to work again, with the aim of sabotaging the Messianic line. . .

It began with Cain’s murder of righteous Abel (Genesis 4:8), and continued through the near-entire genetic corruption of mankind, which provoked the flood (Genesis 6:11 – 13). . .and then the corruption of Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 16:1 – 4). . .and then the corruption all of Israel (Matthew 21:43).

Down through the ages, working through human surrogates tempted with sex, power and violence, Satan sought to block the Redeemer’s entry into the world. After thousands of years of failure, and after seeing the first humans, the Wise Men, worship the Christ child, it is the supreme arrogance of Satan that he still *believes in himself.*

His faith in himself unshaken after centuries of defeat, he vainly plots the murder of Christ in Bethlehem. As always, God is several steps ahead. Jesus is already in Egypt, as Satan works through Herod.

Herod is just another in a long line of patsies, bewitched by the Adversary into confusing Satan’s ambitions with his own. In a rage because the Wise Men did not betray Christ, this pseudo-Jew and dupe of the Devil orders the deaths of all the children in the area of Bethlehem who fit the Christ child profile. . .kill them all, that it may be certain Christ is killed. . .the others are mere *collateral damage.*

If we jump ahead of the story to our own day, we see Satan remains just as arrogant, and just as faithful to himself. He continues to be the world’s King-maker, bringing into position those whose interests can be made to serve his own. The pseudo-Christian Bush is his latest patsy. . .convinced he is the Right Hand of God, Bush’s disastrous military adventures only lay the groundwork for the chaos in the Middle East from which the Beast will create the New Satanic Order of the Age (Revelation 13:1 – 7). . .

Satan will believe in himself to the bitter end. . .and even beyond. Even the defeat of Armageddon, which leaves him in chains in the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1 – 3), will not shake his faith in himself. He will scheme in his prison, and then try again (Revelation 20:7 – 8). And one must imagine, even as Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire, to be tormented day and night for ever and ever, he will remain confident of final victory. . .

Well, and what is the average man on the street, but a little Satan in a wrinkled suit? The average man, the human mediocrity, lives a life of continual defeat, and yet never loses faith in himself. . .Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, says the Proverb, even as the way leads him straight to Hell.

But anyway, one must marvel at the unshakeable faith Satan has in himself. . .if a man could have such faith in Christ, the world could be turned upside down. . .


Matthew, Chapter 3
1In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.
4And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
11I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. But He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12Whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.


Look around. The world of *homo roboticus.* And each one fancies himself/herself *special.* They imagine their frame of reference is unique, and their observations to be *illuminating.* Somebody winds the little metal key in their back, their mouth opens, and they think they have *spoken.*

Since Christ ascended, how many genuine individuals have appeared in the Western World? Five? Ten? King Arthur, Francis of Assisi, Jeanne d’Arc, Sir Isaac Newton, Arthur Rimbaud, Bobby Fischer, Klaus Kinski, maybe a couple more. Otherwise, 2000 years of battlebots fighting the Great Toy Wars. . .

For most of the 2000 years, the great lump of humanity lived without pretense. The cobbler did not mark a few X’s on a scrap of paper, tack it to his door, and proclaim himself the next Voltaire. The cobbler mended shoes, ate a hot meal, and then fell asleep, perhaps hoping a succubus would visit.

Satan’s greatest practical joke must surely be the internet. The perfect *joy buzzer* to jolt the vanity of *homo oves.* Every human zero is now a star.

MySpace!! The zero’s cyberspace Walk of Fame!

They don’t have to have any native opinions, ideas or fictions. In fact, knowing the average *homo consumens* is nothing but a scarecrow, the format discourages them. Instead, it encourages trivia, the strawman’s loose hay. Lists, surveys, crypto personality analyses. “I am 82% Nymphomaniac!” *homo roboticus* proudly calculates.

Humanity reduced to junk data.

It cannot be *My*Space when nothing is their own. It is MimeticSpace.

The greatness of John the Baptist: Inspired by God, he turned away from the world.

Our Lord said:

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

If there are any Christians left, they are compromisers, at best. They compromise with the world. They live much as the rest of the world lives--minus some sloganeering about abortion, faggot marriage, etc.

John the Baptist made no compromise. This is why Jesus said of him:

“Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11).

He never set any captives free, like Moses, never slew a Goliath, like David, never performed any miracles, like Elijah or Elisha. He did something far greater: he never compromised with the world.

It would have been impossible for him to say *Repent ye* had he remained in the world. One man standing on the outside. His criticism therefore remains pure:

And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

What did this man mean when he said *repent?* Did he mean cry, feel sorry, lose some sleep for an uneasy conscience, then make a half-hearted vow to *try and do better?* That’s what Christians have dumbed the word down to. . .but that’s not what it means.

Repent means: be a completely different person. It would be like telling a redneck to be a nigger, or vice versa. How can a person truly repent? Impossible for a person of their own will to genuinely repent. That is the symbol of John’s baptism. . .you must be washed, purified, born again, by an external source.

John’s mission was to stand outside the circle of humanity, and to tell humanity it had gotten it all wrong, all wrong. Get ready for the One to come, or be burned, he said.

The Jews listened, received John’s lesser baptism, then rejected Christ for the world (John 5:35). Still, it’s better than the response of today’s human zeroes. Today, most merely yawn and move on by.

But there is in that great lump of human chaff the odd mocker and scoffer. . .they live exactly like the yawners. . .they live exactly like the rest of the world lives. . .unremarkable lives devoted to trivial pursuits. . .like the yawners in the modern world, the *My*Space Age, they imagine themselves special. . .like the yawners, they chase their own tails, thinking they have discovered the mystery of the universe. . .it’s just their own unwiped ass.

Like the yawners, these mockers and scoffers are parasites, growing fat on the mercy of God. The mockers and scoffers are just as useless as the average human zero. . .but with a Jesus tic. Say “Jesus” and they start blinking and twitching and grimacing. . .and then the Tourette’s-like epithets.

Out of courtesy, you try not to stare. . .

They can’t help themselves. . .like their fellow zeroes, it is impossible for them to repent. . .

Just like 2000 years ago, stones laying in the wilderness are closer to the Kingdom of God. . .


Matthew, Chapter 3
13Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
14But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest thou to me?
15And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered Him.
16And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him:
17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

And thus begins Christ’s Ministry of Reconciliation. . .

I wonder what Jesus thought as He took these steps toward John and the baptism. . .these first steps toward Calvary’s cross?

Before this world was formed, His ministry was prepared. The perfection of Eden would not last, and the Son would have to humble Himself, clothe Himself with flesh, and sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world. . .

I wonder what Jesus thought, then, as He began His first steps toward the crucifixion. . .

The God without beginning or end leaves eternity to enter the time and space of His own creation. . .

He had spent 30 years living amongst His creation. Thirty relatively quiet years. Thirty years in the garbage heap they had made of His perfect world. Thirty years observing the pettiness and cruelty of humanity.

I know what my thought would have been, after 30 years. . .it would have been the same thought I would have had after 10:

“Why bother?”

I wonder why Christ didn’t say:

“Ah, I changed My mind. Let me go back to My Father in Heaven. I’ll play cards with the angels, instead.”

Of course, I’m projecting my ill will, the product of my corruption, onto Christ.

But really, why did He bother? Not for anything of our merit (Ephesians 2:8), that much is clear.

Probably the most well-known verse in the New Testament is John 3:16:

For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This tells us the Father’s motivation. Love. But what about Christ? Did He share the same love for the world? And if so, could it really be that simple? Maybe it was. But the problem is, who the Hell knows what love is?

Everybody loves his/her own self. Most people don’t love anybody else. A few maybe love a few, on and off. Nobody loves everybody. There’s good reason for this. Just look around. Just open a window. I can’t stand to open the windows in my house in the summer. . .can’t stand to hear the screaming and the crying from the *neighbor’s*. . .and I’m sure they feel likewise

Sometimes, when one of my kids cracks especially wise, I think maybe I know what love is. But if one of them gets on my nerves. . .

You hear about some mother or father who kills their child: “How could they do that?” Nobody who has kids should ask that question. You know damn well how they could do that. You know damn well what Genesis 6:5 – 6 means:

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.

You think, did I ever really want this? You want to go back in time, when it was just yourself.

I say these things to Christians, and they look sorrowfully upon me, and tell me I must not really be a Christian, I haven’t really *given my heart to the Lord* (they can no more tell you how to do this than I can tell you what love means). . .well, maybe they are right. . .it’s not for me to decide (I Corinthians 4:1 – 4). But I see no profit in being too comfortable in the faith. The apostle Paul advised: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”(Philippians 2:12). You don’t see much trembling in Amerikan Christianity. . .it’s a pretty cocky bunch.

I say these things to infidels, and they look at me like I’m a maniac. “Well, I love my family!” they say. “Every second of every day?” I ask. “Yes!” You can’t shake these infidels. They live in complete denial. What they will tell you is that even if they are *angry* with someone they *love*, or even if they *make a mistake* and do something to hurt someone they *love,* why, even while they are angry or being hurtful, they *still love them!* Their hate, it seems, always takes place under a rainbow of love. . .

How many parents in Amerika who have *molested* their own children have tearfully told a judge they *loved* their little ones?

Only one walked this earth who was *internally consistent*:

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father—Philippians 2:10 – 11.

The rest of us, to varying degrees, are schizophrenics.

They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

But anyway, here is Jesus, standing before John, the opening act of the Ministry of Reconciliation. And what does John do? What does the greatest of them born of women do? He corrects the Lord. “No, no, Jesus. I shouldn’t baptize you, You should baptize me!” God’s got it all wrong. On the very first pitch, Jesus swings and misses!! Ha ha ha. There’s man’s problem, right there. He always thinks he knows better than God. He’s always giving advice to God, correcting God’s mistakes. Man just can’t shut up and do as he is told.

That was Satan’s problem, and he convinced Eve of the same thing: God is wrong.

Some office buildings fall down in New York?

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

You don’t know what the fuck you are talking about, God! You’re an idiot if you believe that shit! Save that crap for the Sunday Schoolers, God. We’re talking about the *real world,* here, and we’re gonna kill and destroy!! So get with the program or get the fuck out of the way!

Ha ha ha. . .God is wrong, man knows better. In the real world, sometimes you have to do some unpleasant things to make the world all nicey-nice again.

But anyway, Jesus gently corrected John, and His Ministry of Reconciliation began with the following commentary from the Father:

This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. . .

Maybe this is why Christ bothered. . .more than out of any love He had for the world, He did it for the praise of the Father. . .

Matthew, Chapter 4
1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred.
3And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6And saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.
11Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.

One can read here an article claiming a cure for blindness is only five years away. Indeed, one can easily imagine, if science and technology continue uninterrupted for the next forty years, the great miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ will all be duplicated. The electronic and chemical and nano gadgets of the High Priests of Scientism will cause the blind to see, the paralyzed to walk, the deaf to hear, the lunatick to be healed, and, in some cases, the dead to be raised.

Jesus Christ, if even taken seriously in forty years, will be regarded as a kind of Leonardo da Vinci, a freakish genius born two millennia in advance of the contemporaneous medical/philosophical curve.

If the Bible is even read in forty years, that generation may find the only truly miraculous achievements of Christ to be the wilderness experiences recounted above.

We consider our own present generation *plugged in*--with all of the electronic gizmos mainlining Media. Imagine the next generation, which will be completely fused to Media. They will find it incomprehensible that Christ could have spent forty days in the wilderness. . .forty days of utter solitude. . .Christ alone with His thoughts for forty days. . .His only communication: prayer to the Father.

Contemporary man is not comfortable with himself, not comfortable with his thoughts. He is estranged from his own psyche. The proof is evident in his constant search for distraction and escape.

The apostle Paul advised us to work out our salvation with phobias and traumas. . .but these are considered disorders in our own age. Yes, the natural result of introspection, of investigation of our place in the universe, is considered *illness*. . .treatments are offered to cure us of self-examination. . .the *patient,* the naturally curious human being misdiagnosed as *ill,* is prescribed chemical modifications. Depression is only the natural result of the discovery of our cut-off condition (cut-off from God, though, of course, most do not realize they are cut-off from God. . .the infidels feel isolated, alone. . .but they do not know what they are alienated from). We are the Paxil People. We take communion at Walgreens.

And even those outside the cult of pharmakeia still seek to dissociate themselves from themselves with alcohol or iPods or internets or video games or text messages and unceasing chatter on cell phones, etc. We are *connected*. . .not connected to ourselves, but connected to Media distractions.

Just picture the Future Wired Man, after forty more years of Media fusion. . .Homo Medius. . .he will not understand how anyone could bear to be alone with themselves for forty days and forty nights. This walking tangle of nanowire, whose eyelids will probably be coated on the inside with an organic electroluminescent video display (just close your eyes and play Solitaire), could not fathom being stripped back down to Homo Sapiens and set out in the wilderness with nothing to do but think.

After two hours without any Mega-Gulps to drink nor any simulacrums to frolick in, Homo Futurus would be confronted with the reality of himself. . .separated from his lifelong Siamese twin, Media, he would have to fight off the terror of his electronic nakedness. Alone in his own flesh, without any programmed prompts from his personalized *Smart Network,* his brain a mush of atrophied neurons, he wouldn’t know where to begin to think. Alone and mentally retarded, without Media to guide him, he wouldn’t even know to come in out of the rain (do not scoff—I know people even in our generation who do not know whether to dress for the hot or the cold without first checking weather.com. It does not occur to them to simply poke their head out their front door).

Man has always sought external wisdom. . .from the prophets and the gods, the stars, the flight of birds, etc., etc. But in the past, man sought external guidance for the aim of becoming a better man. 2000 years ago seekers went to the river Jordan where John preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Today man seeks to fuse with Media to free himself from the burden of his own being. He wants only to become a character in a simulation of life, directed by Media. Today the seekers line-up outside the electronics Temples for the baptism of iPhone for the remission of sapiens.

It can be summarized, at its most elemental: Man used to seek God. . .now he builds a wall of electronic noise to keep God from his thoughts.

For Homo Futurus, the second great miracle of Christ will be His refusal to enter into temptation. The next generation, after being astonished at Christ’s 40 days of solitude, will be further amazed by His 40 day fast and subsequent refusal of Satan’s temptation of bread.

In our own Age of Instant Gratification, temptation is hardly refused. Indeed, the behemoths of the day cannot even get past the Gas-Mart check-out counter rack of *impulse* candy items without grabbing a chocolate treat. . .

Well, in truth, everything in the Consumer States of Amerika is now an *impulse item*--even housing. . .we see our 3500 sq ft dream house, but we don’t have money for a down payment? No problem. It’s ours. Because we want it. We give in to the temptation to turn air into money . . .we give in to the temptation of a no-money-down, interest-only mortgage. We want a 72 inch Plasma Screen HDTV? A Jet Ski? Our 10th pair of Crocs? We can’t pay for any of the earthly treasures our hearts are set on? No problem. They’re ours. Because we want them. We give in to the temptation to turn plastic into money—we whip out the VISA and just go a little further into debt. The consequence, either to our future or present Asian laborers, is barely considered.

We now live by *impulse.* All rigorous thought, planning, budgeting, and the discipline to adhere, are now beyond our capabilities.

Jesus went forty days without pizza or potato chips, and then refused Satan’s temptation to turn the wilderness stones into an insta-order of cheesy bread? Imagine the Future Impulse Consumer trying to make sense of this!

The Future Impulse Consumer, who science and technology will free from all medical concern in regard to his own gluttony (though we must concede, when scanning the obese masses, our generation doesn’t exhibit much interest in the health effects from record-setting over-eating), will merrily stuff himself with nachos and candies, pizzas and beers, red meats and white breads. . .and won’t even have to bother with the pretense of *Diet* Coke. . .for a navy of little nano-mowers will sail through his blood stream, continually trimming fat cells to levels consistent with a 20 BMI. . .

Of course, the same biotechnologies will be able to save Homo Impetus from all lusts. For example, those of the next generation will be able to fornicate with anyone and no longer have HIV or STD worries. Sin-thetic life forms, super intelligent virus and bacteria hunters, will flood our circulatory system, tracking and killing any herpes, HIV, etc. viruses, or devouring syphilis, gonorrhea, etc. bacterium. Condoms will be a relic from a by-gone age, as quaint as the chastity belt. . .

Our generation has seen the rise of the *Transgender*. . .because of the übersexualization of the culture, in which every form of fornication is promoted and celebrated, and people live in a constant state of arousal, increasing numbers of *human beings* no longer know whether they are male or female. . .all they know is they are burning with fleshly desires. . .and they’ll lay with anyone, any sex, who can help them lose themselves in sex.

But there will be no gender confusion in the future. . .for there will be no such thing as gender. . .in forty years or less we will all be living in the New Age of the Hermaphrodite. Each individual will be injected at birth with nanobot sexgineers. Feel like being a man at work, but flitting around the clubs at night like a low-rent Lindsay Lohan? No problem, just a push a button on our gender remote, and our nano-gynes will convert our genitals to suit whatever lust fits our mood.

Picture the next generation: fused to Media and with every lust completely risk-free. The Lord Jesus Christ in forty days of solitude? The Lord Jesus Christ refusing Satan’s temptations? Both impossible for Homo Futurus to imagine.

The Bible teaches the wages of sin is death, and though most consciously reject the Bible as the Word of God, there is a subconscious awareness of this simple truth. Man expects the worst to happen. Man is surprised when good happens. Deep in the subconscious is the awareness our world is wrong, and that we have a part in that wrong, and that a price must be paid for that wrong. When man must pay a price, after seeming to live a charmed existence, he confesses:

I knew it was too good to be true!

Man lives with unacknowledged dread.

However, in the next generation, all the effects of sin (aging, disease, etc.) will be wiped away. Even now, some High Priests of Scientism prophesy a future of immortality.

The hope of immortality will break down the last barrier of man’s religion: superstition. Then man will do as he truly has wanted to do all along. . .he will cease paying superstitious lip service to God, he will kick God off His throne and proclaim himself god. . .and then do whatever his/her heart desires. . .without fear.

Would God allow this to happen? Let us suggest:

If there is no supernatural intervention (such as occurred at Babel 5000? years ago) which interrupts the progress of science and technology, then we are perhaps only one generation from the End. . .and let the final harvest of souls begin.

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.