My Thanksgiving Notebook

Posted on November 27, 2013 by admin

Wikipedia - public domainI found a treasure last week! It was one that I had buried ten years ago by accident. It was a project that I had started twenty years ago. I called it my “Thanksgiving Notebook.” Having discovered over the years that I needed to be reminded of all the things for which I should be grateful, I had started this collection of memories one Thanksgiving season, and had added to it every year at this time. Whenever I would revisit the hundreds of encouraging things that had come into my life because of the goodness of the Lord, I was able to worship Him better and be happy about what a wonderful life I had been privileged to live.

I had accidently placed this notebook in a large box of computer software documentation in 2003, and never had occasion to look in that box until recently. Every year at this time I searched our bookshelves, closets and other likely places, but I had almost given up hope of ever seeing this history of the Lord’s blessings again.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I have had occasion several times to conduct a class on how to start one of these notebooks and keep it up from year to year. If you might like to consider making one of your own, here are the notes from the class.

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Of Making Many Books There is No End

Posted on November 16, 2013 by admin

In one of his books, King Solomon gave this exhortation:

And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end… - Ecclesiastes 12:12

In his day, books were actually pages pasted together in a scroll. It wasn’t until about the Second Century AD, a thousand years after Solomon, that pages were put together between a hard cover. That kind of “book” was called a Codex.

Although he was the wisest man in the world, he could not have imagined how true his prediction would be. The greatest libraries could not hold all the books that were written.

In this age of electronic publishing, there is a major shift away from physical, paper books. It is cheaper and faster to transmit whole books into one’s reader, tablet, or smart phone in about one minute. And between one’s own e-books and the limitless free information now available on the Internet, including the old classics, there is little need of bulky books these days.

Still, Solomon’s words ring true. The e-publishing phenomenon has given rise to an even greater number of titles with every passing year!

Bookstores have disappeared, or are struggling. Libraries are not visited very often.

But there is just something about a good book, actually printed on paper, that appeals to us after all. Some of us like to underline key phrases and make notes in the margins of our favorite books. We especially do that with the Bible, but it is also common in our textbooks, commentaries, and other special volumes. Some books are too special to take a chance that they will be lost in “the cloud,” or become inaccessible if the lights go out.

So, for most of us, it is not a simple choice of “either/ or,” but of “both/ and.” I do most of my study on the Internet and Kindle, but I want a hard copy of the most treasured publications.

So, Amazon has given us the best of both worlds! Order the paperback, or download the text. But wait! There’s more! Now, with their new service, “CreateSpace.com,” they offer to treat every writer to online storage of his or her literary creations, FOR FREE! And, almost miraculously, their equipment will print out a low-cost, full-color professional, real book and send it out right away, or you can download the electronic version immediately.

I wonder if Solomon in his heavenly home knows this is happening. If so, I wonder if he is laughing or crying.

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Obamacare: A Trial Run for the Mark of the Beast

Posted on October 18, 2013 by admin

The launch of the registration program for the Affordable Health Care program was a disaster. And for those who can’t get into the system or make it work for them, it can literally be a matter of life or death. They can’t get health insurance! In a worst-case scenario, a situation like this could lead to massive protests and the imposition of “martial law.”

A recent article in Forbes says the cost of the dysfunctional website for Obamacare has already passed $360 million, and could even reach $600 million! Compare that to Apple’s cost of about $150 million to develop the iPhone.

Admittedly, this registration is a colossal task. How do you invite 7 million visitors to use your website in a short period of time? But the people in charge have had three years to develop it. Google and Facebook can handle that much traffic. Mobile phone companies do it. But of course, they have taken years to gradually build up to the challenge.

We see this difficult transition as a trial run for an even bigger and more important registration in the foreseeable future. According to the Bible, a world dictator is going to order the “mother of all registrations,” the “Mark of the Beast.” Then it won’t be seven million, but more than seven billion people – all needing to qualify to buy and sell – not only insurance – but everything!

It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.That number is 666. - Revelation 13:16-18

Would the whole world ever allow itself to come under the control of a global dictator? Once the economy has become bad enough, people would welcome a brilliant and charismatic leader to do whatever it will take to restore peace and prosperity. Revelation 6 portrays such a person as the “rider on a white horse.”

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. – Revelation 6:1-2

Starting now, the details of that future world registration will be highly refined. The “bugs” in the present enrollment program will be identified and corrected. Equipment will be upgraded. Maybe the NSA’s controversial and unbelievable database will assist the process. Capable managers will be employed. All the technical issues will be addressed – bandwidth, equipment, a user-friendly interface, security, user identification and verification, connectivity with millions of remote devices for buying and selling. The Beast will finally be ready to make his move.

This would be a good time to read “The Registration,” a free short story we published many years ago. It incorporates hyperlinks to relevant Scripture references and resources on Prophecy Central.

Posted in Eschatology, Fearful Events, Mark of the Beast, New World Order, Preparedness, Technology | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Nobel Prizes Showcase the Wonders of Creation

Posted on October 10, 2013 by admin
Folded Protein

Folded Protein

I noticed something fascinating about the current spate of Nobel Prize winners. Their achievements give witness to the greatness of our Creator God!

Let me give a little background here. Knowledgeable Christians take the Bible literally, and believe the account of God’s creation in the first two chapters of Genesis. They also value true science and rejoice whenever more truth is discovered by brilliant and diligent scientists.

For the past century and a half, the theory of evolution has been taught almost exclusively in our public educational systems. This has led to confusion, and in many cases, rejection of Biblical values by students.

The good news is – the more advanced science gets in our generation, the more credence its findings give to belief in Creation. Charles Darwin and his followers did not expect this to happen. In fact, he wrote in his book, On the Origen of Species,

“If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” - Charles Darwin

Irreducible Complexity: The Challenge to the Darwinian Evolutionary Explanations of many Biochemical Structures

Darwin thought that the cell was utterly simple. He had no idea about the immensely complex structure of the cell, with its unfathomable DNA “computer program” in every nucleus, or the amazing microscopic “machines” that do all the work in its tiny factory. It is too bad that Darwin couldn’t be here now to be amazed at the things Nobel Prize laureates have discovered since his dark age.

Here are just three of the hundreds of articles about the current prize-winners and their work:

Computer chemists win Nobel prize

This article features three scientists who put the latest and greatest computers to work in order to solve the incredibly complex nature of proteins and other biological structures.

I remember reading about IBM’s “Blue Gene” supercomputer in 2000. It would be devoted to the study of one of the 40,000 proteins in the human body.

IBM computer to speed genetic studies

June 3, 2000 - During the next five years, IBM plans to build its “Blue Gene” computer which will be 500 times faster than any computer in use today. It will be devoted to the gigantic task of modeling proteins in the study of the genetic code.

Yet Blue Gene, 40 times faster than the combined speed of the 40 fastest computers in the world today, will run an entire year to produce an answer for one protein. That will be one down, 39,999 to go. Or thereabouts.

Source: Washington Post

Here are some other articles about the Nobel Prizes:

Higgs boson scientists win Nobel prize in physics

Thanks to these brilliant minds and the amazing new Large Hadron Collider in Europe, they have “captured” and identified the previously theoretical “Higgs boson” particle. A current article in Forbes Magazine explains that this illusive and invisible force causes the matter in the Universe to have substance, or mass. Because of its powerful unseen influence it has been given the popular name, “The God Particle.”

I can’t pretend to really understand such advanced knowledge in a specialized field, but it all points to a universe that is incredibly bigger and more complex than anything that could ever have happened by accident. All of this gives great credence to the more faith-oriented disciplines of Intelligent Design.

 

Cellular ‘shipping’ wins Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology was awarded to three scientists who discovered how cells precisely transport material. They identified “vesicles” that act like a fleet of ships transporting their goods to destinations.

“The billions of cells which make up the body are not empty blobs, instead they are packed with precise machinery. In order for a cell to function properly it needs the right materials in the right place at the right time.”

Another thing I noticed was how many of the Nobel Prize winners are Jewish and/or Israelis. When I checked this out, I found an article in the Jewish Chronicle that declared this was A remarkable week for Jewish Nobel Prize winners. It explained that six Jewish scientists won awards and two others came very close. It went on to say:

An estimated 190 Jewish or half-Jewish people have received Nobel Prizes since they were first handed out in 1901.

Jews have won more than 20 per cent of the 850-plus prizes awarded, despite making up just 0.2 per cent of world’s population.

I just want to say to all of these amazing Nobel laureates, “Thank you for your intellects and devotion to your work. And thank you for strengthening our faith in the God of Creation and His Word!”

Posted in Apologetics, Creation, Israel, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tribute to Chuck Smith

Posted on October 3, 2013 by admin

Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.– Psalm 116:15

Chuck Smith, one of the greatest luminaries of our times, left us this morning to dwell in the presence of Jesus, “The Light of the World.” We will miss him more than words can express, but the world does not need to grow dark now that he is gone. Instead, it should become brighter than ever as the tens of thousands of pastors and teachers, who considered him a spiritual father (myself included), allow their own light to increase.

May his mantle fall on us like Elijah’s did on Elisha (1 Kings 19:15-21). May we walk in humble dependence on the Lord’s power and direction like he did. May we love the Lord and love people the way he did. May we teach the whole counsel of God’s Word the way he did. May we be faithful to the Lord until the very end of this short life the way he was.

Like the greatest reformers, and the most effective evangelists of the past, Chuck Smith will never be forgotten. His voice will surely continue to fill the airwaves and his influence will fill our hearts until Jesus comes. Maranatha!

Posted in Rapture, Revival | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Our First Educational Computer Programs Posted on Historical Site

Posted on September 22, 2013 by admin

We were honored yesterday to have our first ten educational computer programs made available on the Internet. Brutal Deluxe Software maintains the site that documents the earliest programs for personal computers (Apple II). They went to great effort to photograph the packaging and the cassettes that contained the programs (there were no floppy drives for the original personal computers).

My involvement was an unexpected turn of events in our life. I had always loved technology, and was drawn into the exciting computer revolution at the very beginning. I was always a pastor, but for several years, software development and computer store management was my “tent-making” employment (The Apostle Paul spent part of his time as a tent-maker).

These early programs were adapted from our first attempts to enhance the youth Bible study we held in our home when our son Tim was in Junior High School (1977).

Here are some links about this development and about our history in the world of computers. To God be the Glory!

Brutal Deluxe Software

Magnemedia Page – The ten programs: photos, digitized programs, documentation

My Strange Adventure: How I Stumbled into the World of Personal Computers and Educational Software - Powerpoint

Short written history of our involvement in the world of computers - PDF

Posted in Educational Software, Eschatology, Personal Computers, Technology, Youth | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Speaking At Laguna Woods

Posted on September 7, 2013 by admin

It will be a privilege to minister to the Saints at Laguna Woods for a Prophecy Update during the next two weeks. This will be a mini-prophecy conference. We will introduce the series during the Sunday morning service. The theme is “What in the World is Happening?” We will return on the following two Fridays to do “An Overview of Things to Come” one week and “Technology and the Mark of the Beast” the next week. We will incorporate a Q & A session into each of the presentations.

Barbara and I are looking forward to this engagement since some of our great “old friends” are there. This is the congregation that we served as pastoral couple 22 years ago before we were called to Solid Ground Church in Alta Loma.

Visitors are welcome! The services begin at 10:15 a.m. You can visit the church site for directions.

Posted in Eschatology, Mark of the Beast, Rapture, Revelation, Revival | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Utter Destruction of Damascus

Posted on August 28, 2013 by admin

Damascus was an important city in Bible history, and it is thought to be the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world.

We have noted before that a prophecy of Damascus’ utter destruction has yet to take place, and that Syria does not appear to be an ally of the other enemies of Israel in end-times prophecies (See Syria page in Prophecy Central and our Blog).

Since Syria’s civil war began two years ago, more than 100,000 Syrian have been killed, and last week the government, led by President Bashar Assad, apparently used chemical weapons of mass destruction against their own citizens killing hundreds more. This could be the cause of this great destruction of Damascus and other parts of Syria. As always, we stress that it “could” be the trigger, because only God knows how and when His predictions will be fulfilled.

The burden against Damascus.

“Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city,
And it will be a ruinous heap.
2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken;
They will be for flocks
Which lie down, and no one will make them afraid.
3 The fortress also will cease from Ephraim,
The kingdom from Damascus,
And the remnant of Syria;
They will be as the glory of the children of Israel,”
Says the Lord of hosts. – Isaiah 17:1-3

Syria is an inveterate opponent of Israel. It fought against God’s Chosen People in the wars of 1948, 1967, and 1973. Israel has had to conduct surgical strikes into Syria in recent years to stop them from producing nuclear weapons, and to stop the flow of advanced missiles from Russia into the hands of Hezbollah. It is the “puppet state” of Iran, the worst of enemies to Israel and even to the United States. It is the client of Russia and China.

Now that they have used chemical weapons against their own people, Western nations and Arab countries are outraged, and are clamoring for something to be done. Syria says that, if they are attacked themselves, they will retaliate against Israel. Russia, China, and Iran are all warning the rest of the world to leave Syria alone or the whole Middle East will become inflamed.

President Obama would like to demonstrate his resolve by doing something, since this outrageous situation has crossed his own “red line.” However, he certainly would not want to destroy Damascus! The Pentagon is ready for any level of warfare the President might order, but no one really knows what will happen once a strike against Syria begins.

When Syria is attacked, would it dare do serious damage to Israel? Israel has already warned that such a response would be disastrous. Of course, Israel would not want to be forced into such a quandary, but remember, they could only lose one war and they would cease to exist as a nation. Therefore, it is not out of the question that they “could” eliminate Damascus with just one nuclear weapon.

We pray that this scenario does not happen. But somewhere along the trail of the future, Damascus will cease to be a city. This, by the way, could be the reason Syria is not mentioned in the Ezekiel 38 and 39 prediction of an even greater war. This conflict, called “Gog and Magog,” will pit Russia, Iran, and possibly Turkey and other Islamic countries against Israel. God will intervene and preserve His people. This is most likely the same as the war of Revelation 6:3-4 which will take place just before, or just after, the start of the Tribulation Period.

Here are some of the many articles about this crisis that are on the Internet now:

Damascus, Syria, and Isaiah 17 – Chris Schang – Rapture Forums

The destruction of Damascus: Syria and biblical prophecy - Chad Groening’s report on Jan Markell’s views – One News Now

Does the Bible Predict God’s End-Times Destruction of Syria — and Is Prophecy About to Unfold Before Our Eyes? – Billy Hallowell’s summary of Joel Rosenberg’s views and his latest book, “Damascus Countdown.” – The Blaze

Posted in Gog and Magog, Islam, Middle East War, Syria, Uncategorized, Wars | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

How to Get the Most out of Prophecy Central

Posted on August 23, 2013 by admin

Prophecy Central is truly “A World of Information about Bible Prophecy!” It has been available continuously since 1996, the early days of the World Wide Web. From its inception it has been the top result, or on the first page of searches for “Bible prophecy” by Google, AOL, Yahoo, and most other search engines.

At least 100,000 people visit the site every month to understand important world developments in the light of the amazing predictions of the Bible. More than one quarter of the Bible is prophecy, and the portions that have already been fulfilled are the greatest proof that the Bible really is the Word of God.

Some Bible teachers and pastors spend hours on the site, learning about one aspect or another of this fascinating subject. There are thousands of pages of documentation. But we realize that most of our visitors are just too busy to spend that much time. So we would like to suggest some ways that you can quickly find interesting and helpful information from the site.

1 - Check out the “Top Story” often. Near the top of our home page, we list one or more of today’s news headlines that we feel are especially relevant to Biblical prophecy. Click on the title of the story. This will take you to one of our 100-plus study topic pages. The same title will be shown with a few short descriptive paragraphs about the issue. This article usually summarizes the most important facts about the story. If you want more information, click on the title if it is underlined or any other part of the article that is underlined. These links will take you to the source(s) of the story. As you know, many Internet sources are only posted for a short time. When we discover a link that is no longer working we keep the summary but we may remove the link. We then add the statement “Story no longer on line.”

2 - While you are on one of these study topic pages, scan some of the other articles that have been posted there. In some cases the information goes all the way back to 1996! If you want to spend some time in this section, use the scroll controls on the right side of your browser to go to the top of the page. Most study topic pages have a list of choices you may make. They may include Key Scriptures, Current Events, Links, and Excerpts from our books. There are usually cross reference links to related topics.


3 - Browse other sources of prophecy news. Right below the “Top Story” on Prophecy Central’s home page, there are two rows of buttons which link you immediately to other popular Internet sources of prophecy news. A sample headline from each source is shown below the button. This is usually their top story of the day. Click on the appropriate button, read their stories, then click on the “Back” button on your browser to return to Prophecy Central. Even if you don’t take the time to visit each of these sites, scanning this section gives you an idea of what is going on around the world.

4 - If you have not visited Prophecy Central for a few days, catch up on what you have missed by browsing the “Earlier Top Stories” in the lower left section of the home page. A list of recent stories is listed. At the bottom of that list, you may click on “Go to Archives for More Stories”.

5 - Search for key word(s) by using the site’s search feature, which is located below the day’s top stories. You will be surprised how extensive this search engine is!


6 - Look for a certain topic in Prophecy Central’s topical index. Click on the “Study Topics” button at the top of the left column of our home page. This will take you to a page where topics are listed alphabetically. Click on the topic you would like to study.

7 - Look up Key Scripture References from the various study topic pages. Click on any of these references to see the verse(s) in the Bible Gateway site. From that site you may view the same passage in various versions. Returning to the list of Scripture references, you will notice an entry to the right of each reference which says, “Further study.” Click on those words to see the same passage in the Blue Letter Bible. At that site you may see the original Greek or Hebrew, read commentaries and find other Bible study reference works that relate to the passage.

8 – You will also see links to our blog on the home page and to the latest entry in our ongoing verse-by-verse commentary of the Book of Revelation.


9 - Use the navigation bars near the top of the page to explore the many special features of Prophecy Central. These will give links to scores of other prophecy sites, news sources, and special features, including our free online books and year-end summaries, audio and video resources, and hot (or trending) topics.

10 – If you would like to have our highly acclaimed prophecy book, “Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy,” visit our store, where you may order your copy in paperback or e-Reader format (Kindle and others). This will help you see the “big picture” of Bible prophecy and know how to “discern the times.”


11 - There’s still more to Prophecy Central, but we’ll let you discover the rest on your own. You might also want to make Prophecy Central your home page. There is a link toward the bottom of our homepage that will do that for you automatically.

If you have a site that other people visit, we would be honored if you would place a link to Prophecy Central on your home page or church site.

Posted in Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy, Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Isaiah 19 and the Current Chaos in Egypt

Posted on August 17, 2013 by admin

In February of 2011, after Egypt’s dictatorial president Mubarak was deposed, we posted a blog asking the question “Where is Egypt in Bible prophecy?”

We mentioned three different predictions in the Bible about the future of Egypt that seem to be separate from one another. One is the prophecy of the War of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38 and 39. This is a short but intense war that may be the same as Revelation’s “rider on a red horse” (Revelation 6:3-4). This is a war near the beginning of the Tribulation after the coming evil world dictator appears (Revelation 6:1-2). Egypt is conspicuously absent from the list of Israel’s enemies in the Ezekiel passage. This is presumably because of the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that still stands today.

We also pointed to Daniel 11:21-45 where Egypt is called the King of the South, which is in conflict with a revived form of the Roman Empire called the King of the North. The Northern power will be led by the “Beast” (Revelation 13), who is often referred to as “antichrist” in prophetic literature.

And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. – Daniel 11:21

This passage predicts the wars of the Great Tribulation, leading up to the Battle of Armageddon. It describes Egypt’s unsuccessful attempt to stand against the evil dictator.

Isaiah 19 is another important prophecy about the internal weakening of Egypt that that could be beginning right now and might eventually lead to the defeat we just considered (from Daniel 11) at the end of the Tribulation.

The burden against Egypt.

Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud,
And will come into Egypt;
The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence,
And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.

2 “I will set Egyptians against Egyptians;
Everyone will fight against his brother,
And everyone against his neighbor,
City against city, kingdom against kingdom.
3 The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst;
I will destroy their counsel,
And they will consult the idols and the charmers,
The mediums and the sorcerers.
4 And the Egyptians I will give
Into the hand of a cruel master,
And a fierce king will rule over them,”
Says the Lord, the Lord of hosts. – Isaiah 19:1-4

The good news from this same prophecy is that the final condition of Egypt will be salvation and healing for the nation, probably during the millennial reign of Christ.

In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. 20 And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them. 21 Then the Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day, and will make sacrifice and offering; yes, they will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22 And the Lord will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the Lord, and He will be entreated by them and heal them. – Isaiah 19:19-22

This blessing could be the result of its treaty with Israel, which began in 1979 and has not yet been revoked in spite of Egypt’s internal struggles with the Muslim Brotherhood.

See also: Egypt in the End Times

Posted in Egypt, Gog and Magog, Islam, Israel, Revelation, Wars | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments