On the one-year anniversary of the world’s worst oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, I was listening to a CBC Radio 1 interview with Kenneth Fineberg, who is also known as the “pay czar” for British Petroleum’s US$20 billion compensation fund for those hurt by that environmental disaster. Fineberg, a legal specialist in mediation and alternative dispute resolution, was previously the Special Master of the U.S. government’s September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and wrote a book about his experience called “What is Life Worth?: The Unprecedented Effort to Compensate the Victims of 9/11.”
So, how does Mr. Fineberg place a value on a human life? Well, it’s all fairly cut and dried being mostly numbers and statistics: A) Determine how much the person was making at the time of his or her death B) Estimate how many more years could that person reasonably have been expected to continue earning such money. C) Multiply A x B + something for “pain and suffering,” and voilà, you get a sum printed off on a compensation cheque.
Of course, the party or parties who suffered the loss of their loved one can always sue and try to make the case for a higher figure. But you’re going to have to convince the judge and the jury, dollar-wise. For most people, the high legal costs for such a run through the “justice” system makes accepting the pay czar’s formula of fixing the life-value of their loved one the only rational choice—even if the final figure seems low and cold.
So, have you ever stopped to figure out what YOUR life is worth? Or, maybe even, what is all human life on this entire planet worth? To most people the logical answer would have to be: “utterly priceless” or “more than the total sum of all the money and things of value in the world.” I mean, how else could you figure such enormous present and potential value?
Actually, someone once working in a capacity like a “pay czar” did put a value on all humanity’s redemptive value in monetary terms. The amount was equal to what it would cost to hire the average, full-time workingman for 120 days. In 2007 U.S. dollars this would be $22,560 in Canada or about $31,680 in the United States or $26,688 in Germany or only $16,992 in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. That was the value of 30 pieces of silver in A.D. 30.
When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. 2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” 5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” 7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, 10 and gave them for the potter’s field, as the LORD directed me” (Matthew 27:1-10 New King James Version).
The value of Jesus’ life to his Father was priceless. But for the lawyers and compensation specialists of 2,000 years ago, 30 pieces of silver was enough.
So, what is YOUR life worth?
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
So don’t place a low value on your life. You are worth more than any lawyer or accountant could imagine. As the Apostle Peter said,
You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:19-19 NKJV).
When my youngest son wants to do something I’m not too excited about, we’ll talk together and come up with a compromise solution in which each of us gives a little so that the household can continue on in harmony.
Compromise is a normal part of the give and take of any family or human relationship. We adapt our personal preferences and opinions for the greater good of getting along with another. That’s normal.
But when it comes to the moral logic of the Universe and the demonstrable truth of the Judeo-Christian scriptures about what is right and what is wrong, it has always been required of Christians in every epoch of history to draw a line in the sand over something with which they cannot compromise. To accept the sinful cultural practices of their time or civilization would have been anathema.
For first century A.D. Christians it was not offering a pinch of incense on the Roman altar of state in order to acknowledge that Caesar was supreme: a small act of Roman paganism that clearly violated the Bible’s first commandment:
Then God gave the people all these instructions: “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me” (Exodus 20:1-3 NLT).
Many thousands of Christians were hideously murdered by the barbaric Roman state for refusing to compromise with the “most noble Caesar, the civilized world’s benefactor” and just offer that little act of worship.
For post-modern Christians living in the 21st Century, there is now a tremendous pressure to conform to what may be labelled “politically correct paganism,” which like all the pagan ideologies of the past, essentially worships and exalts human ideas of right and wrong above the divine ones taught by the Hebrew and Greek scriptures.
In the latest edition of a sorry series of similar events, a biblical-values sensitive, conservative Anglican congregation was forced out of its long-held church property—St. Albans Anglican Church on King George Street—where they had been meeting since before Canadian Confederation in 1867 — by the “politically correct” Anglican Diocese of Ottawa. Their issue was same sex marriage within their church congregation.
The pastor of this forced-to-leave congregation, George Sinclair, said:
The move was “an issue of conscience, and for us, conscience trumps building … A church that just has the building, but does not have the dreams and visions that come from God, is on its way to dying … If you end up thinking you’re smarter and nicer and wiser than the master [Jesus Christ], in what way are you still his disciple? … The Bible is very clear on certain things, as to what is right or wrong.” http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Anglican+Church+followers+find+home/5008958/story.html#ixzz1QcGf00LT
These conservative Anglicans came to understand that when it comes to sin—compromise is indeed the language of the devil.
Sin? What is sin? Why can’t one compromise with sin?
The Apostle John gave a succinct defintion of just what sin is:
“Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4 NRSV).
The law that the apostle was referring to is God’s law as contained in the Hebrew and Greek bibles—not Canada’s federal and provincial law, not even the rules and policies of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.
God’s law divides behaviour and thought patterns into those that are permitted, generally called “righteousness” and those that are forbidden, which is “sin.”
Spiritually speaking, there are serious consequences for those who deliberately chose to live sin-full lifestyles. As the Apostle Paul wrote:
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23 NLT).
The reason no one can compromise with sin and get away with it in the long run is because…well, without God we’re just dead meat. The Bible does NOT say you have an immortal soul! The scriptures clearly teach that eternal life is only for those who belong to Christ and who are resurrected from among the dead (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:23).
The whole purpose of Jesus first coming and His sacrifice was to rescue His people from the consequences of sin. We cannot cuddle up to or give ourselves permission to do what the Scriptures say is wrong and not pay the price! Again, listen to this warning from the Apostle John:
Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:7-8 NLT).
This music that is a classic favourite is often performed in the winter season, but most people do not know that the Messiah oratorio was originally intended for the spring to bring to mind the events surrounding the Passover.
Jennens and Primitive Christianity
Handel wrote the beautifully inspiring score to the ‘Messiah’ oratorio. But it was Charles Jennens, who pieced together the biblical storyline into a powerful witness to the authentic gospel. When it was first performed in Dublin in 1742, the ‘Messiah’ met great resistance from the established church. It did not conform to traditional orthodox Christian views. Rather, it became merely a “tolerable curiosity.’ It was out of the mainstream of traditional Christian thought. Instead, it harkened back to the beliefs of the ‘primitive’ church — the first century church in Jerusalem. As a result, the lyrics were ‘mysterious’ to the public, as the people had not been taught these scriptures in their churches.
The ‘Messiah’ a Guerilla Tactic?
Jennens was a non-conformist Christian. His lyrics were a concerted attempt to preach the ‘authentic gospel.’ It could perhaps be considered now as a “guerilla’ tactic to preach the truth. Carefully Jennens crafted a masterpiece about Jesus, the Messiah, as sung through the voices of many biblical writers. He was not ashamed about the authentic gospel. Rather, Jennens used his talents and the theatre venue to preach the message of hope in the Messiah, and to praise His name. Do we know that message? And are we living in that hope centuries later? Or has it just become ‘religious’ entertainment without meaning in our time?
Comfort My People
Charles Jennins, the lyricist who arranged the scriptures to create the Messiah oratorio, was a religious dissident in his time. His ‘Messiah’ was mysterious to the public who knew little of the bible. So in beginning his work with the message of, “Comfort my people — says your God,” his desire was to speak to the heart of his audience. He wove the scriptures together to appeal to people’s emotions and longings – to comfort the weary with God’s words. And that message still resonates today for all who hear the Messiah, whether they know the gospel or not.
Comfort My People — Jerusalem
Isaiah prophesied of Jerusalem’s destruction, yet he also had words of comfort and hope, for he wrote of a time when the city would be rebuilt. After the destruction of the temple in the first century this would have seemed to be an impossibility. Yet within the last century this prophetic vision has become a possibility once again. For Christians, “comfort my people” also brings to mind the heavenly Jerusalem and the hope of the Messiah. There is great comfort in knowing that our “iniquity is pardoned” and that our spiritual warfare will eventually come to an end. Are we preparing for his return?
It is the Messiah’s coming that will bring comfort to all people. The Lord of Hosts, will shake the heavens and earth, and all nations will see Him at his return. This King of glory will come to restore the earth and free the captives. He will come as messenger of the covenant — a relationship with God that will perfect the conscience and lead to eternal life. The Messiah will return to fulfill these prophecies. There is great comfort in knowing that we can have confidence in the Messiah
Read all of the lyrics of the Messiah:
“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40, vv.1–3)
“Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, and ev’ry mountain and hill made low: the crooked straight and the rough places plain:” (Isaiah 40, v.4)
“And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40, v.5)
“Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts: Yet once, a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea, and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come.” (Haggai 2, vv.6–7); “The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3, v.1)
“But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire.” (Malachi 3, v.2)
“And he shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” (Malachi 3, v.3)
“Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us.” (Isaiah 7, v.14; Matthew 1, v.23)
“O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain. O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!” (Isaiah 40, v.9); “Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60, v.1)
“For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” (Isaiah 60, vv.2–3)
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” (Isaiah 9, v.2)
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9, v.6)
“There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” (Luke 2, v.8)
“And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.” (Luke 2, v.9)
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2, 10–11)
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,” (Luke 2, v.13)
“Chorus Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will toward men.” (Luke
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is the righteous Saviour, and he shall speak peace unto the heathen.” (Zechariah 9, vv.9–10) 19. Recitative (mezzo-soprano) – “Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.” (Isaiah 35, vv.5–6)
“He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: and he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40, v.11); “Come unto him, all ye that labour, come unto him, that are heavy laden, and he will give you rest. Take his yoke upon you, and learn of him; for he is meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11, vv.28–29)
“His yoke is easy, and his burthen is light.” (Matthew 11, v.30)
“Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1, v.29)
“He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. (Isaiah 53, v.3); “He gave his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: he hid not his face from shame and spitting.” (Isaiah 50, v.6)
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him;” (Isaiah 53, vv.4–5)
“And with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53, v.5)
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53, v.6)
“All they that see him laugh him to scorn: they shoot out their lips, and shake their heads, saying,” (Psalm 22, v.7)
“He trusted in God that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, if he delight in him.” (Psalm 22, v.8) 29. Accompagnato (tenor) – “Thy rebuke hath broken his heart; he is full of heaviness. He looked for some to have pity on him, but there was no man, neither found he any to comfort him.” (Psalm 69, v.20)
“Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto his sorrow.” (Lamentations 1, v.12) 31. Accompagnato (tenor) – “He was cut off out the land of the living: for the transgressions of thy people was he stricken.” (Isaiah 53, v.8)
“But thou didst not leave his soul in hell; nor didst thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption.” (Psalm 16, v.10) “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” (Psalm 24, vv.7–10)
“Unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?” (Hebrews 1, v.5)
“Let all the angels of God worship him.” (Hebrews 1, v.6)
“Thou art gone up on high; thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men: yea, even for thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them.” (Psalm 68, v.18)
“The Lord gave the word: great was the company of the preachers.” (Psalm 68, v.11)
“How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10, v.15)
“Their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the world.” (Romans 10, v.18)
“Why do the nations so furiously rage together: and why do the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his Anointed.” (Psalm 2, vv.1–2)
“Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yokes from us.” (Psalm 2, v.3)
“He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn: the Lord shall have them in derision.” (Psalm 2, v.4)
“Thou shall break them with a rod of iron; thou shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (Psalm 2, v.9)
“Hallelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” (Revelation 19, v.6); “The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11, v.15); “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.” (Revelation 19, v.16) “Hallelujah!” PART 3
“I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” (Job 19, vv.25–26); “For now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that sleep.” (I Corinthians 15, v.20)
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (I Corinthians 15, vv.21–22)
“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet:” (I Corinthians 15, vv.51–52) 48. Air (bass) – “The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (I Corinthians 15, 52–53)
“Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.” (I Corinthians 15, v.54)
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.” (I Corinthians 15, vv.55–56)
“But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15, v.57)
“If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8, v. 31); “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8, vv.33–34)
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by his blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Blessing, and honour, glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” (Revelation 5, vv.12–14) “Amen.”
There are a number of financial newsletters put out by goldbugs with a survivalist bent that are busy prophesying to cyberspace about the eminent default of our financial systems and the resulting collapse of Western civilization and our present consumer/globalist life as we know it.
I don’t doubt that the incredible debt load of the United States is threatening the U.S. dollar’s continuing status as the world’s reserve currency—time is truly running out for the no-longer almighty dollar.
But it is now equally obvious that the Euro is not going to be the sweet alternative that could replace the faltering greenback. This is because the European Union’s underlying financial contradictions have become all too apparent to many currency speculators who are selling the Euro short on the market and driving its value down. They talk about the Euro being doomed.
After all, how can you have anything but a soap opera or a fairy tale of a currency when you have one central bank with its single currency acting as the exasperated, over-stretched supranational husband trying to manage a polygamous EU marriage involving 27 sovereign wives who each has deeply ingrained habits.
Each of these fractious wife-states has peculiarities when it comes to running her own household’s national budget. While Sensible Hilda and Prudent Gertrude may only spend what a no-nonsense budgetary discipline allows, Impulsive Athena and Romantic Maria will beg and borrow to shop on credit till they drop from insolvency! The only solution for the EU is a scary centralizing consolidation of Brussels’ political and economic power on the one hand, and the loss of national sovereignty of the individual EU member states on the other hand.
None of the above bodes particularly well for our future financial stability not to mention our political status quo here in Canada. After all, we play but a short, walk-on, secondary role on this world’s stage. We are not a major power. But, since most of us are neither central bankers nor political heavyweights with either macro-economic or governmental clout, we go about our relatively comfortable, day-by-day routines, assuming or hoping that today’s normalcy is stable and continuing for as far as we care to see into the future. But we are probably kidding ourselves.
On a personal and family level our daily lives are most certainly nothing more than illusions of stability.
This past week reminded me of this sobering truth. One of the pillars of our local church and the mother of one of my friends had a stroke. Then one of my 40-something friends told me that his doctor had given him some very disturbing medical test results.
A few days later while driving to my local shopping centre for an errand I had to stop on a busy two-lane road while the car ahead of me made a left turn. Suddenly I heard behind me the sound of screaming brakes as that heavy-footed driver behind me tried to avoid—unsuccessfully—from crashing into me. In spite of a sore neck and jumpy nerves, I celebrated being alive one more day and enjoyed a little ice cream.
The following day, last Friday, my brother called me to say my 80ish step-dad was discovered by police 60 miles from his home driving on a bike path, not knowing where he was. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in an advanced stage. He’s now in a nursing home while his wife, my mother, who is now legally blind due to macular degeneration , is now going to have to change her whole life’s routine as it is no longer possible for her to stay in her home by herself. Everything in a status quo goes along until… one day, everything changes and can never be the same again.
Our present life in this world is inherently instable whether we’re talking about the big picture or just our mortal selves. And no matter how much we cling to the status quo with our fingernails dug in, one day it will all be ripped from you and me.
Surprisingly, the Judeo-Christian scriptures have something to say about what makes life more stable. On a big picture scale the book of Proverbs says:
When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability (Prov. 28:2 NLT trans.)
The prophet Isaiah talked of a time when everything begins to fall apart and become unstable. He made a suggestion of where we can look to preserve our balance and peace of mind in a time of sudden instability:
Look! Listen! Tough men weep openly. Peacemaking diplomats are in bitter tears. The roads are empty— not a soul out on the streets. The peace treaty is broken, its conditions violated, its signers reviled. The very ground under our feet mourns….
God is supremely esteemed. His center holds. Zion brims over with all that is just and right. God keeps your days stable and secure—salvation, wisdom, and knowledge in surplus, and best of all, Zion’s treasure, Fear-of-God.
God, treat us kindly. You’re our only hope. First thing in the morning, be there for us! When things go bad, help us out! (Isaiah 33:7-8, 5-6, 2-4 The Message translation)
The bottom line for this Old Covenant prophet was that the only source of stability in a time of instability was to look to the God of the Bible. Not surprisingly, the New Covenant apostles taught much the same thing.
While focusing more on the individual who is faced with mortality, the New Covenant solution to instability is still to focus our priorities God-ward. We are encouraged to incorporate into our daily routine the spiritual wisdom and knowledge that really matters when it comes to how we live our lives.
We may be merely physical beings, depreciating assets, but there still is the possibility that we can convert instability into stability, temporary into permanent, and move away from what is transitory into what is lasting. Consider the inherent stability and permanence proclaimed by the apostle Peter that belongs to Christians who have wholeheartedly embraced the spiritual life:
23You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God.
24For all flesh (mankind) is like grass, and all its glory (honor) like [the] flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower drops off,
25But the Word of the Lord (divine instruction, the Gospel) endures forever. And this Word is the good news which was preached to you (1 Peter 1:23-25 Amplified version).
You have the opportunity to move from an illusion of stability to the reality of stability and permanence. Are you acting on it? Or do you believe that everything will just continue on just as it is presently without end?
A CBC radio program called The Current, recently lent itself as a megaphone to the provocative idea that a pill is the next best thing to improve the “human animal.”— That’s the label Neil Levy, deputy director of psycho-babble at the Oxford Centre for Neuroethics, in the U.K. applies to you and me. He wants to formulate and administer a “morality pill” to targeted segments of the population.
To bolster his case, Levy cited research that shows drugs prescribed for anxiety, depression or even high blood pressure, “have been found to amplify characteristics such as empathy, self-control and increased trust; even an improvement in attitudes towards people of other races.” Neil Levy’s enthusiastic pill-pushing reminds me of the Jefferson Airplane hippie anthem “The White Rabbit” with its advocacy of the pharmaceutical lifestyle—or some of the stoner rants of Timothy O’Leary about LSD. I found Neil Levy’s advocacy of “morality pills” to be truly mind-blowing.
To the CBC’s credit they did balance Levy’s unbridled enthusiasm for mind-altering drugs with some sober second thoughts provided by Kerry Bowman of the The University of Toronto’s Joint Centre for Bioethics. Bowman commented:
“It’s a very difficult, difficult concept because if you look at what occurs when a person has moral intuition … what they do with the moral intuition and the moral feelings and the space between that and moral action — meaning the decision that is made — that’s a very deep and powerful human experience.”
Bowman thinks there could be some serious push-back if the elite tries to increase its social control over the Canadian public by pushing such “morality pills.” One of the big reasons there might be some push back is that Levy’s idea denies the spiritual and even material importance of free will to humanity. When God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26), one of the most important features of His divine nature that He gave us was our ability to choose between obedience and disobedience, right and wrong.
When the Apostle Paul thought to accept a runaway slave named Onesimus into his service, he first wrote a letter to Philemon, Onesimus’ master. Paul wanted Philemon to give Onesimus his freedom to further the preaching of the Gospel. Paul said to Philemon:
“But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that your good deed might not be out of obligation, but of your own free will,” (Philemon 1:14 Holman Christian Standard Bible).
To be virtuously moral of necessity requires, first of all, that one is capable of choice—and then through the exercise of free will one chooses to do the right rather than the wrong. There is nothing noble or Godly about someone being drugged into conformity with someone else’s idea of what is politically correct.
Leading Unleavened Lives Unleavened Bread — A Quaint Tradition?
If we know the biblical accounts, then we know this is a time when our spiritual ancestors would have been leading unleavened lives. For they had physically removed the yeast of leavened bread from their homes. But, the Christian world is divided when it comes to how to celebrate or remember the events that the bible recounts at this time of year. Most conventional Christians embrace the Good Friday – Easter Sunday tradition. If they think about it at all, they may consider Passover, and the idea of eating ‘unleavened bread,’ matzah, as quaint Jewish customs. But in favouring tradition over ‘sola scriptura’ believers are missing important lessons that we are told to remember. So how did our spiritual ancestors worship and what insight did this give them?
Unleavened Bread — Our Spiritual Heritage
Paul in writing to the Corinthians reminded them of their spiritual heritage. He had instructed them to ‘put out the leaven’ in accordance with the Lord God’s instructions in the book of Exodus. For even though Gentiles by birth, they had become part of God’s people by baptism. But there was a problem. They had removed the physical leaven from their homes. But, they were not leading unleavened lives. They were ‘leavened’ by tolerating sexual sin in their midst. And Paul knew, that like leaven, a little spiritual corruption could become pervasive. And in time that leaven of sin could destroy the whole congregation. Paul’s advice was to remove the leaven of malice and vice, by leading unleavened lives in sincerity and untainted truth.
The Problem with Leaven
Jesus warned his disciples of the danger of ‘spiritual leaven’ and following the hypocritical example of the Pharisees. The religious leaders of the time may have appeared pious. But, Jesus decried them as ‘blind guides’ who would lead people astray. How would they do this? The Pharisees were adept religious showmen who made a point of keeping the law to look good. And many people were taken-in by their showmanship. But Jesus’ confronted them, calling them ‘play actors,’ whose outward show concealed a spirit of murder, and a jealous self-indulgent heart. For in reality they were lawless and hostile to God and his laws, specifically the principles of justice, mercy, and faith. Jesus counselled them to be clean from the inside out. And not merely whitewashed tombs that looked good on the outside, but were spiritually dead inside.
Paul’s Teaching to the Gentile Christians
Both Paul and Peter reminded Christians that they were God’s temple, a place for his spirit to dwell. So they needed to be pure from the inside out. Eating unleavened bread at Passover, was symbolic of leading unleavened lives. This was to be accomplished through God’s spirit of love. So that as obedient children, they would be faithful workers, pure and virtuous. Having been redeemed from death by Christ’s sacrifice, Christians would embrace a new way of life free from deceit, hypocrisy, and jealousy. This was going to be a life-long mission, to put on the mind of Christ who led a sinless, unleavened life. And there would be obstacles to overcome.
Hypocrisy and the Leaven of Balaam’s Way
John’s book of Revelation highlighted one of the pitfalls that would challenge believers’ sincerity in leading unleavened lives. Jesus sent a Message to Pergamos, that ancient religious centre with temples devoted to the worship of Zeus, Dionysius, and Caesar. Jesus “knew where they dwelt,” for the believers lived in the midst of a world of religious confusion. His concern was that the believers were being negatively influenced by the teaching of Balaam. Balaam’s philosophy was a ‘do your own thing’ style of worship, that was indulgent and offered ‘freedom’ from the law of God. Of course, Jesus’ prophetic message rings true today. For there are many religious teachers who preach a message of love and a distorted grace. This message, like Balaam’s, encourages people to ignore or reject God’s instructions in favour of personal freedom of religious expression.
Jude adds to John’s observations, noting that those who follow Balaam’s way, are caught up in sensuality, and despise outside authorities. They have become their own authority on what is acceptable behaviour. They are no longer leading unleavened lives according to the scriptures, but are caught up in their own emotional and philosophical religious ideas. Balaam’s story is recounted in the Book of Numbers.
Balaam did not want to provoke God directly by prophesying against Israel, as God had forbidden him to do so. Yet, Balaam really wanted the rich reward offered by Balak the King who wanted Israel destroyed. Balaam put his self-interest above God’s interests. So in his insolence and self-will Balaam looked for an angle — a way he could circumvent God’s direct command. He was okay with keeping the “letter” of the law while violating the spirit of the law, motivated by his greed and lust for wealth and status.
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Self-Indulgence
Balaam wanted his own sweet way! So he found a way around God’s command, by counselling Balak to incite Israel to commit sin. He encouraged Balak to send women into the camp of Israel to entice the men into sexual sin and worship of their god, Baal-peor. As a result, the people of Israel reaped what was sown by their sexual indulgence and were punished for their disobedience. Christians can get caught up in conniving deceitful behaviour like Balaam. And they can cause others to stumble by inciting them to be unfaithful and disobedient.
Or, they can be like the ancient Israelites, naively believing Balaam’s message. Assuming erroneously that it is okay to disobey God, and there will be no consequences for spiritual leaven in their lives. Scriptures tell us to think carefully about the story of Balaam. We should consider whether we are like Balaam, and the Israelites who disobeyed God. Or are we like Phinehas who had a passion for God’s ways and stood up against the tide of lawlessness and sensuality?
Chosen to Lead Unleavened Lives
Passover and unleavened bread remind us to root lawless behaviour out of our lives. For we are God’s chosen people, chosen to be holy — leading unleavened lives. We need to be aware of Balaam’s tricks, and the negative impact of focusing on the things that the world values. Having been called into God’s light, and leading unleavened lives, we can show others the goodness of God. This is a key lesson of the Passover season and now is a good time for some self-reflection. There are great benefits, rewards we can reap, in our own lives and the lives of family and friends, if we commit to leading unleavened lives all year long.
Christ’s birth was a miraculous and foundational element of Christian belief. This historic event is not accurately portrayed among most traditional churches, as it most certainly did not happen December 25th. And typically, the story and import of Christ’s birth is obscured by useless traditions and its association with pagan winter festivals. So what really happened? And why is it important for people to understand the message that Christ’s birth conveys? The bible has stories that you may not know and answers that might surprise you.
In one sense the story of Christ’s birth begins in the book of Isaiah, during the reign of Ahaz. The prophet had told Ahaz to ask a sign from God. Ahaz was facing an implacable foe and fearful of defeat, and yet he refused to ask for a sign. The prophet then gave the prophecy of the Messiah, as a sign of the immediate deliverance of the nation from the Assyrian invaders. But it also promised a future fulfillment and greater deliverance. For a virgin would conceive and bear a child and he would be ‘Immanuel’ – God with us.
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9
Isaiah’s Prophecy Fulfilled – Partially
This prophecy began to be fulfilled in the time of the gospel writers. Luke wrote about the angel who appeared to Zacharias promising the childless couple that they would have a son. This son, John, would be a Nazarite devoted to God’s service and filled with God’s spirit. He would prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. And, like Elijah, he would turn the hearts of the people back to serve the Lord God, rejecting the idolatry of the contemporary society. Zacharias had a hard time believing what he had heard and experienced. But soon, as promised, his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant. It seemed to this elderly couple that anything was possible when God was involved, for there was nothing too hard for God.
Shortly thereafter, the angel appeared to Elizabeth’s cousin, Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph. Mary was surprised when she was told that it was through her that the prophecy of Isaiah would be fulfilled. She, though a virgin, would conceive a son who would be ‘Immanuel’ – God with us. He would be named “Jesus/Yeshua” which means God is salvation. Mary did not doubt what the angel said, though she wondered how it would all take place. She understood that nothing was too hard for God. Even Joseph, when told the circumstances surrounding Mary’s pregnancy in a dream, believed in God’s ability to perform a miracle as he had promised.
Jeremiah and the Message of Messiah
In Judea, based on the prophecies of the Hebrew scriptures, many people were anticipating the coming of the Messiah. They looked for the coming of a warrior king to save them from Roman domination. The people remembered Jeremiah’s prophecy of the return of Judah to the land of promise. They had seen these prophecies fulfilled when their forefathers were released from exile in Babylon and their land was restored to them. So they believed that there was nothing too hard for God.
The begettal and birth of the Messiah, Jesus, as the son of God was the fulfillment of prophecy. But, he was also the forerunner, being the first of many brothers and sisters, to be begotten of the Father. His coming gives every Christian hope for the future, as co-inheritors of the great promises of eternal life in the family of God. Just as Jeremiah obtained a title deed in hope of a future inheritance in the land of Israel, so the spirit of Christ in us is our “title deed” to a place in the spiritual promised land. But there is more. Jesus’ birth also gives hope to all of humanity, everyone who has suffered under the tyranny of human rule. For his birth opened up the possibility of the restoration of all things.
Daniel and the Son of Man
Daniel’s prophecy of the Son of Man and the Ancient of days provided a historical context for the second coming of the Messiah. There would be a time of restoration after the rise and fall of the great empires of the world: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The Ancient of Days would send the Son of Man, the Messiah, to destroy human civilizations. And in their place the Messiah and the saints of God would establish the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom, made possible by the birth and death and return of the Messiah, the Christ, will remain forever.
So when we consider the good news of Christ’s birth it has profound implications for humanity. There is nothing too hard for the Lord God. For when he returns, he will establish justice and the end result will be peace – something our world needs desperately.
Learn more about the Messiah from Handel’s Oratorio:
Among religious people having a supposed relationship with God is the reason most are willing to do outwardly “religious” stuff like go to church and participate in a public worship service and to sing hymns, say congregational prayers, bow, kneel, or wear special head coverings or garments, etc, etc. But does doing some or all of the above guarantee that you have established a real, vital spiritual connection to God?
Humans have all sorts of ideas about religion. Some of these ideas have been around for many hundreds of years while others are merely today’s fashionable flavour, or even weird and whacky! How do we separate the correct, good ideas from the attractive deceptive, worthless ones?
Click on this link to see my message “Walking with God posted on COGwebcast and discover how the Scriptures answer correctly this question: https://cogwebcast.com/
A notable apostate who fell away from the Scripturalist, Sola Scriptura-based Churches of God now teaches: “All the old covenant promises about the [Promised] land ended at and with the Cross of Christ. All real estate deeds [meaning the promises the OT Lord of Hosts made to Abraham and his descendants] are kaput—all land ownership bets are off the table.”
Is this really so? Or is it just a bad theological interpretation? The answer matters a lot at a time when many are asking what the long-term consequences will be from all the fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere. Are you spiritually awake to what God is thinking right now?
There are those who espouse a type of ‘Christianity’ who do not believe that God will keep his promises. Or perhaps they think that the prophecies – prophecies of a righteous remnant who would be delivered and return to restore and rebuild Zion—were already completed in some historical past. Do you know what God actually says? Were the prophets mistaken? Did God change his mind and his promises are no longer valid? Or is God the same yesterday, today, and forever? What do the Scriptures really say?
In a time of asymmetrical warfare our Western Democracies are under great strain. We need to ask ourselves whether our current dilemmas are the result of having forgotten God’s ways so that instead of walking fearlessly on his straight path we are stumbling in the darkness. Jesus warned about the false prophets caught up in their faulty predictions of the future
So will the Lord God return to save his people—those who trust in him? Will he actually forgive and redeem those who repent so they can be awake to God’s purpose in their lives?
Check out my detailed answer to these questions in my streaming video “Are You Awake to God’s Promises” posted at: https://cogwebcast.com/sermons/video-archives/are-you-awake-to-gods-promises/
Also you can join us for our new weekly webcasts and you can search our archives for specific topics by using any of the following links:
America is not the nation it used to be. According to a recent poll by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ),the percentage of Americans who still hold traditional values—those values that laid a solid foundation for the nation’s ascent to greatness in the 20th Century—has plummeted.
For instance, in 1998 when this poll was first run 62% of Americans said that religion was very important to them. Now, however, 25 years later only 39% of Americans now say their religious faith is very important to them. This is a drop of 32% in the number of Americans who say the are religiously motivated and convicted.
A generation ago (25 years) 70% of Americans said patriotism was very important. Now it’s just 38%—a decline of 45%! It would appear that these declines in traditional values increasingly reflect the generational shift in population numbers between the aging post WW2 Baby Boomers and the generations of Americans younger than them.
Are those declines in traditional values in the American population being accompanied downhill by a corresponding decline in the younger generations’ standards of living? The answer is a clear yes.
According to a recent consumer finances survey conducted by the Federal Reserve, the Millennials have the dubious distinction of being the first generation to fall behind their Baby Boomer parents’ standards of living.
High debt, high housing costs, high inflation, high taxes, and expanding government regulations are making life not as good for the younger generations of North Americans.
Millennials (and the kids born after them) are also being called the “unhealthiest generation” in human history by some medical insurance industry analysts—facing diagnoses, mysterious illnesses, behavioural/mental health issues and conditions that our parents never faced. According to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Health IndexSM (BCBS Health Index), a third of millennials have health conditions that reduce their quality of life and life expectancy, according to this recent study of their medical claims.
There is a spiritual connection between the values we hold and our material welfare. Traditionally North American society lived according the Judeo-Christian morality and ethics, and the overwhelming majority of people said the Bible’s God was their God. This was the status quo for many generations. But now in 21st Century America and Canada, we live in a “post-Christian” era that values neither the worship of the Bible’s God nor appreciates the great material advantages with which our ancestor’s God blessed us. So now the people’s of North America are being cursed.
You see the Bible’s God made a covenant, a binding relationship, with those people who took Him as their God. Worship of such a God must be done in spirit and in truth—and this requires obedience to His teachings by those who say they love Him. Those who take the Bible’s God as their God experience blessings if they live with integrity according to His scripturally revealed morals and ethics. But if the descendants of those faithful forbears who took the Bible’s God as their God should turn their back on their ancestor’s God, they will experience a life that is cursed (read Leviticus chapter 26 and Deuteronomy 28). The Bible’s God does not change the way He works with humanity. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Here what this prophet of old once called out to our ancestors in the faith who lived through a time of similar national decline:
This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!” Jeremiah 6:16 New Living Translation
Jesus of Nazareth also once invited a generation experiencing financial pressures, dispossession, and high taxation to re-discover the peace of mind and a sense of hope for a better future that comes from re-engaging with the traditional biblical values, teachings, and virtues:
“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest.Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.Yes, the teaching that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 Easy-to-Read Version
There are far too many self-professing Christian church groups that have forgotten the basics of the gospel as taught by Jesus and His disciples. Recently the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields, while accompanying Pope Francis on an ecumenical trip to South Sudan, said to journalists who wanted to talk about homosexuality “There is nowhere in my reading of the four Gospels where I see Jesus turning anyone away. There is nowhere in the four Gospels where I see anything other than Jesus expressing love to whoever he meets.” Perhaps Moderator Greenshields has forgotten what John the Baptist prophesied about the dual nature of Jesus’ ministry:
“As for me, I baptize you with water because of [your] repentance [that is, because you are willing to change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret your sin and live a changed life], but He (the Messiah) who is coming after me is mightier [more powerful, more noble] than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to remove [even as His slave]; He will baptize you [who truly repent] with the Holy Spirit and [you who remain unrepentant] with fire (judgment),” Matthew 3:11 Amplified Bible.
Dr. Aaron Edwards, who taught theology at the Methodist Cliff College in Derbyshire, England, was recently fired by a purported “Bible” school after being accused by the administration of “bringing the college into disrepute” on social media when he tweeted, “Homosexuality is invading the church,” and that “this is a ‘Gospel issue,’ by the way. If sin is no longer sin, we no longer need a Savior.”
It seems Dr. Edwards’ tweets alarmed Cliff College’s staff and admin who held that such comments “could be extremely damaging” and “impact the college’s core work” and its “business plan.”
Should being popular and well spoken of by the sinners of a corrupt, progressively degenerating culture be our first priority as Christians? Or rather, shouldn’t we be much more concerned with what the Bible’s God thinks of us? So shouldn’t the Church’s first priority be converting the world to God’s righteous ways rather than being corrupted by the world’s unrighteous ways? The Apostle James clarified this issue for the Church a long time ago
Faithless apostates! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. James 4:4 New Living Version
According to Jesus Christ the core work of the Church, its leaders, and its members is to transform the world—not to be corrupted by it!
This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from [Christ] and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection]. If we say that we have fellowship with [Christ] and yet walk in the darkness [of sin], we lie and do not practice the truth.” 1 John 1:5-6 Amplified Bible
Fifteen years ago Harold Ristau was a traditional Lutheran chaplain serving in Canada’s armed forces. At that time he supported the Canadian military’s new “diversity/pluralism” policy, which sought to hire new chaplains who would represent “non-traditional faith groups.” He supported that new government policy even though Ristau himself admits he “did not believe that all religions are equally valid expressions of truth.”
Nevertheless, Ristau quieted his uneasy Protestant soul at that time with the thought that since the Canadian military was determined to embrace this new “true pluralism,” well, theoretically such a diversity policy ought to protect the integrity of “absolutist traditional mainstream faith traditions”—like his traditional Lutheranism—“that are not inclusive of other belief systems due to the logical law of non-contradiction.”
But fast forward to 2023 and Harold Ristau is now dumbfounded by how the idea of “true pluralism” has morphed. What formerly just asked to be tolerated has now transformed itself into a militant “woke religion” that promotes an “exclusivist monoculture” that despises all traditional Christian churches that neither ordain women nor accept homosexual/transgender lifestyles.
Today Ristau is alarmed that the “diversity/pluralism” policy he once supported 15 years ago has become the pointy edge for a direct attack by the Canadian government on conservative Lutherans, historic Roman Catholics, and other Biblically-based and conservative denominations. Because all such Christians are now to be officially discriminated against and excluded from employment as military chaplains.
Ristau is truly shocked by what has happened to the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service and what the implications are for wider Canadian society in the coming years. He writes, “At present, such an unjust and illogical policy is implying—‘if you are a conservative Biblically based Christian you can’t work in the Canadian government,’ and ultimately—‘there is no space for your kind in Canada.’ And that Canada is proudly prejudiced against all such traditional Christians because we government bureaucrats and technocrats say so.”
In about one month the people of God will be observing the annual biblical spring holy days. These Scripturally ordained days teach us about the infectious nature of sin—how a little sin can grow and grow until it wholly corrupts individuals, or an entire church, group, or any organization that gives it welcome, or a bit of tolerance.
As the Apostle Paul wrote:
“Your boasting [over the supposed spirituality of your group] is not good [indeed, it is vulgar and inappropriate]. Do you not know that [just] a little leaven ferments the whole batch [of dough, just as a little sin corrupts a person or an entire church, organization, government, or nation]? First Corinthians 5:6 Amplified Version
The sinful yeast of woke ideology is indeed permeating the whole of the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service—as it does everything it touches. Don’t let it touch and corrupt you! Don’t tolerate such presently fashionable but eternally sinful ideologies! Resist this spiritual corruption with the truth, the unleavened bread of righteousness as taught and defined by the Scriptures.
In the first lawsuit of its kind in Canada, a detransitioner is seeking justice and accountability from the medical professionals whose approach to her troubled self-diagnosis of gender dysphoria—was not to sort through the patient’s mental health challenges and suggest therapy or some alternative treatment—but rather to simply acquiesce to the young woman’s delusions by giving her unquestioned gender-affirmation and to offer medicalization. Such medicalization eventually included giving cross-sex hormone injections and then performing life-altering surgery that included the cutting off of her breasts, and the removing of her uterus.
In her online blog the detransitioner describes herself as having “‘a delusional belief’ at the time that she ‘was not a woman and was somehow a man instead.’” But such delusions about reality can be costly. And she acknowledges that “some days, the pain of what I’ve done to myself is overwhelming. I cry and I can’t stop.”
How do you avoid being taken in by a delusional belief of some sort? In the Scriptures the Apostle Paul reveals the key principle. In the Greek Scriptures the word for “truth” is synonymous with reality. It is the opposite of illusion. Therefore to avoid falling for a deception or an illusion we must have a love for the truth.
According to Paul, a delusion results in a deviant behaviour and a wandering away from reality. In this contemporary situation, those feeling gender dysphoria are being tempted to depart from what the Creator God, who made man and woman, says is true. Biological sex is reality. Our DNA gives a true witness that we are either male or female in every cell of our body. It is what the Bible would say is “truth.”
In this present corrupt time evil has an undiluted power to deceive. But it can only deceive those who refuse to love the truth—which could have saved them from a whole dark swamp of despair. The full force of evil’s delusion is upon those who put their faith in an utter fraud, and who have refused to believe the truth. Such persons make evil their play-fellow. But they only end up bitterly discovering later that evil does not play fair (see 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). But the Bible’s God does play fair and those who make decisions according to His truth discover that He blesses and adds no bitterness at the end of it all.
It happened suddenly, unexpectedly this past Friday at the end of the work week: John Tory, the Progressive Conservative mayor of Toronto, Canada’s biggest city, resigned. It was an ugly end for the relatively popular career Ontario politician.
Tory loved his job as mayor, and a lot of people thought he was good at it. Though he was getting close to 70, he gave the impression that he could have done it “forever.” His work ethic was legendary due to the long hours he kept on the job. And the public also bought Tory’s political branding of a family man with a solid background and a 40-year-marriage. Tory’s popularity among Torontonians was high enough that he didn’t seem to have to be worried much about any serious political challengers—until the Leftist newspaper, The Toronto Star, published a story alleging that Tory had a zipper problem. As it is written: “You may be sure that your sin will find you out!” (Numbers 32:23).
It seems John Tory had become involved in a consensual adulterous affair with a 31-year-old staffer who had been working in his office during the Covid lockdown craziness in Toronto. Rather than lie about it like former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Tory simply owned up to it and then resigned, surprising everyone.
In a society where almost anything goes in regards to a person’s sexual behaviour, to resign because of an adulterous affair seems terribly old-fashioned to those with a “progressive” orientation. There were more than a few politicians and media commentators who considered Tory’s indiscretion to be politically survivable. But for whatever reason, John Tory did not. So a distinguished career in public service ended suddenly and ignominiously. The Bible would assert that when one sins, dishonour follows as surely as night follows day.
Our present society doesn’t like to acknowledge the reality of sin and its consequences. That is to say, the Woke don’t believe that there really is a Creator God who established spiritual laws about correct sexual behaviour along with appropriate consequences for disobeying that divine morality. After all, most “progressive” politicians and their Woke supporters assume that the Bible’s God and His teachings on sex are just so much nonsense and ancient mythology.
Well, I suppose one could ask John Tory whether he now thinks that it would have been better for him if he had obeyed the 7th of the 10 Commandments? (see Deuteronomy 5) Or whether his life would have been much less painful for him right now if he had just paid more attention to Ecclesiastes 10:1: Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honour.
“Live by the sword die by the sword” is a proverb that is as true today as it was almost 2,000 years ago. What was the original context of this saying?
Last night my Mexican homestay student during our conversation over dinner about how his day had gone mentioned that he was now afraid about going to a shopping centre in downtown Nanaimo because someone had been murdered there. I hadn’t heard about it so I checked out a local online news source to see if this was true. Public street murders are rare in Nanaimo, a small city of about 100,000 people on the east shore of Vancouver Island. Sure enough, someone had been repeatedly stabbed and had died from the wounds. Was it part of the uptick of random “stranger attack” violence or something else? Fear is on the rise in many Canadian big cities like Toronto these days. What should I tell my homestay student? And as for myself, well I regularly go shopping where that murder occurred. Should I change my shopping habits to avoid the area?
The next day I decided to go shopping at a store near the murder site. They had a sale on some beef sirloin tip roasts, which I wanted to take advantage of, you know, food being so expensive these days. As luck would have it in the check out line there was a RCMP officer, kitted out in SWAT team drab olive fatigues with the letters “DOG POLICE” printed in large letters on his body armour immediately before me. So I decided to have a conversation with the officer and opened with a joke.
“So you’re the dog police, eh? So you’re the guy the dogs call when they don’t get enough kibble or long enough walks?” The policeman smiled at me and laughed saying, “Well, that’s a new one. Most people just say something like, ‘It wasn’t me.'”
I responded, “Well, my conscience is clear. But I am wondering, officer, do you know anything about the murder that took place here yesterday?” (The police weren’t publicly releasing any information.) The DOG POLICE officer responded, “Yes, I do know a lot about it. But you and the general public don’t have to be concerned because this one was strictly a live by the sword die by the swordsituation. I responded, “I’m impressed officer. You know some Scripture. Thank you for sharing.” And so, when I went home I looked up the Scripture to refresh my memory about its context and to reflect on its teaching:
Judas (one of the original Twelve disciples) showed up, and with him a gang from the high priests and religious leaders brandishing swords and clubs. The betrayer (Judas) had worked out a sign with them: “The one I kiss, that’s the one—seize him.” He went straight to Jesus, greeted him, “How are you, Rabbi?” and kissed him. Jesus said, “Friend, why this charade?Then they came on him—grabbed him and roughed him up. One of those with Jesus (Peter) pulled his sword and, taking a swing at the Chief Priest’s servant, cut off his ear. Jesus said, “Put your sword back where it belongs. People who use the sword die by the sword! Don’t you realize that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies—more, if I want them—of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready? But if I did that, how would the Scriptures come true that say this is the way it has to be?” (Matthew 26:49-54)
Jesus’ destiny as the Lamb of God was to allow Himself to be arrested and then murdered (slaughtered as a Passover sacrifice) to pay the blood price needed to cover the spiritual debt that all of us have incurred by our sins (transgressions of God’s Law). But even at such a critical moment in his ministry, Jesus used the occasion to teach his disciples to avoid the trap of using physical violence to deal with some dispute. Something, evidently, that was never learned by the two people involved in Nanaimo’s drug trade who recently met and then settled their conflicted account with the knife.
The conservative governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis’ recent announcement that he intends to transform a woke, financially failing liberal arts public university in the Sunshine State into a classical liberal arts college based on traditional educational values like the search for truth, merit-based scholarship and achievement, and the free academic debate of issues from different points of view has drawn fierce criticism from the leftist establishment.
DeSantis is pro-actively responding to the complaints of conservative students attending major Florida universities who are encountering difficulties in achieving their academic goals in what they described as a hostile anti-white, anti-Christian, and anti-American campus culture that has been infected by the Marxist Critical Race Theory (CRT) ideology.
So why are the CRT ideologues, in particular, so hostile to Jesus Christ and the Gospel of the Kingdom of God? Well, at its base the issue is about who has the authority to say what is right from wrong, what is righteousness or evil. Should we worship the God of the Bible or the fashionable idols of the Woke? Who is it that has the worldview that most accurately reflects reality; who has the Truth? The whole Truth and nothing but the Truth?
Christians understand and believe Jesus when He said, “I am ·the way, and the truth, and the life [that is to say,the one and only true way to have life]. ·The only way to the Father [of all life] is through me,” John 14:6, Expanded version.
For that reason, the CRT/Woke ideologues understand that Christians who base their lives and beliefs on the teachings of the Bible present the biggest obstacles to their path to power because they will always promote the truth of reality that the Gospel presents rather than the twisted version of reality presented by the all too carnal CRT/Woke ideologues.
There is such a thing as the smell of death. It’s a disagreeable an odor that for 34 years has been clinging to Canada from coast to coast to coast. But the stench grew increasingly strong just 7 years ago in February 2015 when our “activist-minded” Supreme Court in Ottawa decided for the good of us all that the then long established Criminal Code provisions that had made it a crime to help a person end his or her life violated the Canadian Charter right to “life, liberty, and security of the person.” This meant that euthanasia—euphemistically enshrined in Canadian law as “medical assistance in dying”—was okay according to the State. The legal reasoning behind this decision about euthanasia was previously used by our Supreme Court in 1988’s R v Morgentaler, which gave Canadian women access to totally unrestricted, unregulated abortion on demand.
However, a few of the 1988 Supreme Court justices found that the majority’s legal reasoning was fatally flawed. Justice J. McIntyre argued that there was no right to an abortion under section 7 of our Charter nor under other laws. McIntyre wrote that “the courts must not go about creating rights not explicitly found in the Charter nor interpret Charter rights to protect interests that the rights were not initially intending to protect.” He further observed that there was a complete absence of support for such a claimed right in our constitutional texts, history or legal philosophies. As a consequence, McIntyre foresaw that society would become increasingly divided, lacking consensus.
If a society starts down the slippery slope of moral degeneration can it reverse course and so avoid self-destruction? At first Canada’s euthanasia law only permitted “medical assistance in death” (MAiD) for sound-minded adults whose medical condition was terminal and that death was “foreseeably”in the near future. All sorts of additional precautions were added to the original MAiD law in order to avoid the possibility of unseemly pressure on the vulnerable by medical staff, or coercion by self-interested third parties, or agreed to in unreflective haste. But such unease about the State enacting a law hastening its citizens demise didn’t last for long.
An activist Quebec court judge in 2019 ruled that confining euthanasia to only the end-of-life context violated the charter. So in 2021, Parliament dutifully broadened the euthanasia to encompass undefined “significant suffering” regardless of whether or not the adult was at death’s door. Also, in its enthusiasm, Parliament’s newly revised euthanasia law—”for the good of us all”—is being scheduled to allow the mentally ill to enjoy along with their otherwise sane neighbours their full court-interpreted Charter right to suicide by doctor in 2023. And if the activist judges have their way soon “mature” minors suffering from depression and elders with dementia will be able to also enjoy their “rights” as they, too, jump aboard the culture of death’s wild toboggon ride down a very real slippery slope… Whooie! … Fade to black.
As National Post columnist Sabrina Maddeux recently wrote: A year from now, MAID could become an option for those who can’t afford needed therapy, medications, or care in a country that’d sooner approve euthanizing the mentally ill than provide accessible treatment options… Making access to death easier and cheaper than access to care renders the idea of real choice in the matter more twisted than a reflection in a fun-house mirror.”
Christians who are called according to God’s purpose should never say without serious qualifications “my body, my choice”—because we are not our own! We are not our own masters to do whatever we please with our bodies. As the Apostle Paul wrote to a group of believers who had failed to fully understand this crucial spiritual principle: WHAT! Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, which you have within you from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Coulter trans.)
This Christian teaching that applies to the euthanasia and abortion moral choices is indeed a hard teaching for many—whether believer or unbeliever. But unbelievers may deeply resent it. The Apostle Paul also wrote this to both believer and unbeliever so they might understand that our choices have outcomes and consequences. Paul, of course, as a real servant of the Creator God wants us all to make the right choices:
“For we [the repentant] are Christ’s sweet perfume to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a stench of death unto death; but to those who are being saved, we are a fragrance of life unto life. And who is qualified for such things? For we are not like the many, who for their own profit are corrupting the Word of God; but we speak with sincerity, as from God, and before God and in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15-17).
During her confirmation hearings this week before the U.S. Senate judicial committee, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson refused to define what a woman was under questioning by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, saying she could not do so because she was “not a biologist.” The following day, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz resumed questioning nominee Jackson, “Let me ask you, as a judge, how would you determine if a plaintiff had Article III (legal) standing to challenge a gender-based rule, regulation, policy without being able to determine what a woman was?”
Ketanji Brown Jackson answered saying, “Senator, I know I am a woman and Sen. Blackburn is a woman and the woman I admire most in the world is in the room today, my mother,” Jackson responded.
But Sen. Cruz pressed his point, “Under the modern, leftist sensibilities, if I decide right now that I am a woman, then, apparently, I am a woman. Does that mean I would have Article III (legal) standing to challenge a gender-based restriction?” Jackson wouldn’t say.
One of the earliest foundational revelations of the Bible is that when God made human beings He created them in the image of God: “He created them male and female” (Genesis 1:27)
Almost two thousand years later, the Apostle Paul additional stated that there would be the dire consequences for any people or society who preferred to live according to illusions rather than God’s truth, which the New Covenant Scriptures define broadly as reality.
“They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Romans 1:19-20).
“Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas… As a result, their minds became dark and confused.Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools….So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.They traded the truth about God for a lie. Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness,… They invent new ways of sinning” (Romans 1:21-30).
When a nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court prefers to say good-bye to Reality and hello to illusion, you can know the whole society is on the downward slippery slope to social disintegration.
“The distinction between caring for a dying patient and killing a dying patient is not difficult to make, in principle, though occasionally it gets complicated in practice. The distinction between caring and killing, however, is just what euthanasia proponents are determined to erase,” according to Douglas Farrow, a professor of theology and ethics at McGill University. Farrow believes that “MAiD”—medical assistance in dying—has no place in palliative care.
But sadly in 2022 the British Columbia provincial government and its courts are willing to normalize the idea that killing the vulnerable should now be re-interpreted as “caring.” Additionally the provincial government and those who ideologically support its euthanasia agenda are also attempting to deny to those non-profits who want to hold on to traditional morality their ability to organize and deliver medical care according to biblical values.
This conflict of worldviews is set to play out in real-time on March 26 during an online Annual General Meeting of the Delta Hospice Society (DHS) in British Columbia, Canada.
The conflict started to boil in 2019 when the B.C. provincial government ordered the DHS to provide MAiD at its 10-bed Irene Thomas hospice. Although this facility was built entirely from private donations—the society unfortunately built it on land provided by the government-funded health system. When the DHS board refused to budge from their pro-life, pro-palliative care policy by refusing to allow at their facility the Medical Assistance in Death protocols being mandated by the government’s health bureaucrats— DHS’s $1.5 million contract awarded by the public health authority to help operate their facility was terminated. The province’s health authorities then forcibly took control over the non-profit run hospice in March 2021 in order to initiate the euthanasia procedures.
The harsh lesson for any pro-life, pro-biblically oriented medical NGO’s is to NEVER accept assistance from the State. Here in B.C. the State believes that if a non-profit accepts their material assistance in any substantial way, then that gives the State the right to call the shots—in this case literally.
After this hostile takeover of their facility, the DHS board was left with about $4 million in assets. So the society wanted to build a new facility in order to fulfill their society’s mission of providing palliative care to the terminally ill according to biblical pro-life ethics. But this time they would build on land that DHS would buy for themselves.
But then the board of DHS found themselves being challenged by euthanasia activists for the control of the non-profit society and its assets. The DHS board tried to exclude those activists from their membership roll since they did not agree with their pro-life, pro-palliative care policy—but the B.C. Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals ruled that DHS’s membership rules couldn’t exclude the advocates for medically assisted suicide from joining the traditionally pro-life non-profit. Now those promoting the opposing MAiD/euthanasia position will vote in DHS’s up-coming March 26th AGM, and try to muster the votes to take over control of DHS and its assets.
As current DHS president Angelina Ireland said, “We have the pro-life, pro-palliative care side versus the death squad. These are the woke pack who feel entitled to rip apart a 50-year medical discipline of palliative care orthodoxy because it’s more trendy to be able to kill vulnerable people in their sick beds.”
Prof. Douglas Farrow concludes that “the sustained assault on the Delta Hospice Society demonstrates that all this has nothing to do with compassion. To normalize killing as ‘caring’ is the goal. Deep down, that is a terrible act of despair. It is not the beginning but the end of any humane civilization. Unhappily, this is something courts are prepared to tolerate and governments to encourage.”
For people living in a time like ours the prophet Isaiah gave a strong warning:
“Judgment is coming to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20-21 Holman Christian Standard Bible).
Although the darkness of our present time only seems to be increasing, yet there remains hope. The New Covenant scriptures promise that a change for the good is coming for those who are willing to become a part of that good change:
“The people who were living in [spiritual] darkness have seen a great Light, And for those who were living in the land and shadow of [spiritual and moral] death, Upon them a Light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:16-17 Amplified Bible).
The promised Kingdom of God is coming as certainly as the sun will rise tomorrow morning in the east. Don’t be part of the problem. Become a part of the solution like the people at DHS who are resisting today’s government approved mandates for euthanasia and medical assistance in death, which according to the Bible are spiritual darkness and not light. Do not be deceived!
Thanks to the Epoch Times newspaper and Lee Harding’s story “BC Hospice Society Opposed to MAiD in Palliative Care Faces Momentous Vote at AGM,” Mar. 13, 2022.
Fifty years ago, Bruce Dyer made the point that The Truth about a conflict always takes a back seat to the propaganda being put forth by both sides while a war is raging. Both sides argue to their own select audiences that their reasons for fighting are sound and valid. Both sell their citizens on the rightness of their cause. Sadly, most people will buy into what they are being told by their State rather than engaging in some critical thinking about the facts that may be known. The State, however, is not worthy of their trust and the sacrifices being demanded of them in blood and treasure. Luther Burbank once observed: “The greatest torture in the world for most people is to think.”
The political history of States speaking with “forked tongue” to their people is a repetitively tiresome one. Paul Joseph Goebbels, the master propagandist for one of the world’s most despicable regimes, explained how a State can effectively manipulate its people with lies into doing its will:
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic, and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for The State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for The Truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, The Truth is the greatest enemy of The State.”
The greatest source of moral Truth is the Judeo-Christian Bible. And it gets at what lies at the core of the current conflict in Eastern Europe with its many involved players who have both overt and hidden agendas.
“What leads to [the unending] quarrels and conflicts among you? Do they not come from your [hedonistic] desires that wage war in your [bodily] members [fighting for control over you]? 2 You are jealous and covet [what others have] and [b]your lust goes unfulfilled; so you [c]murder. You are envious and cannot obtain [the object of your envy]; so you fight and battle. You do not have because you do not ask [it of God].(A)3 You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask [d]with wrong motives [out of selfishness or with an unrighteous agenda], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your [hedonistic] desires. 4 You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend [that is, loving the things of the world] is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose [e]that the [human] spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy?? James 4:1-5 Amplified Bible
The Truth of God (John 17:17 — God’s Word is Truth) is the invaluable measure to help us to avoid being deceived by the State and its lies. We don’t have to wait for the consequences of the lie to become painfully manifest in our lives in order to smarten up. The Scriptures can point us in the right direction to avoid being used by those who want us to serve their purposes instead of what’s in our own best interest or that of our neighbours.
For Christians it is important to note that we are now in the middle of the 8-day festival of Hanukkah. “Oi vey!” You might say. Why should I be interested in a Jewish festival”?
Well, for beginners, all humanity’s Saviour had to be born as—wait for it—a Jew in order to fulfill all the prophecies given about him in the Old Covenant scriptures. Sorry anti-Semites. This required that Jesus be born into an observant Jewish family who lived among at least a somewhat observant Jewish community who still thought it was important to worship at the Temple of the Bible’s God in Jerusalem, which would have to be in existence and functioning in a form approved by the Scriptures.
In explaining his ministry’s tight connection with the Hebrew Scriptures, Jesus emphasized: “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved,” (Matthew 5:17-18 New Living Translation).
It would have been impossible for the Bible’s prophesied sinless, holy Messiah to have been born into an unbelieving pagan family whose community worship service included sacrificing pigs in honour of the false Greek god, Zeus.
That is why the Hanukkah story is perhaps so significant for Christians. The Hanukkah story is one of resistance and the survival of a believing Jewish community in the face of an attempted cultural/religious genocide by one of the leading global powers of that time, the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, which then ruled much of the Middle East. For truly without the resistance heroes of Hanukkah, men and women who we now call the Maccabees, a Bible-believing and Bible-practicing Jewish population in the Galilee, Judea and much of the Middle East would have ceased to exist.
During the Intertestamental period—that time period between the close of the Old Covenant canon in the 400s B.C. and the writing of the Gospels in the first century A.D., “the Jews in their public role as farmers, merchants, and soldiers were familiar figures around the shores of the eastern Mediterranean, throughout the Middle East and into Egypt—areas that had been conquered by Alexander the Great and his Greek-speaking armies in the 300s B.C. To the Greeks, the Jews were like all the other easterners except in their intransigent monotheism, and their claim to an extraordinary document—the Hebrew Bible—that provided an ideal and a norm for human behaviour. Although other peoples of the East had literature containing both origin legends and law, describing their own past and regulating the conduct of their society; the Jew’s sacred writings included both of those, and yet much more. The Hebrew Scriptures described a historical unfolding of the Creator God’s providential plan not only for his own people but also for all humanity” (mostly quoted from F.E. Peters, The Harvest of Hellenism, 1970, Simeon & Schuster, pp. 261-262).
To the Hellenistic pagan Greek rulers then ruling the “Promised Land” the Scriptures of the Jews presented a very serious competing ideal to the way of life that their own culture—based as it was on Greek philosophy, polytheism, and political science could propose. Hanukkah is the story of the struggle between two competing ideals and the associated pragmatic issues revolving around what were appropriate or inappropriate human behaviours. It was a polarizing culture war that turned hot on steroids!
While we are separated from the Hanukkah events involving the Maccabees and the Seleucid Empire’s ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes by some 2,188 years, nevertheless the core issues of that time rhyme in a striking way with ours. Our 21st Century Western society in the United States and Canada is also similarly riven by a polarizing culture war in which there are also two clearly opposing sides with very different points of view on social ideals and human behaviour. In today’s news is an account about how Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) controversially warned the U.S.’s Supreme Court justices during her Nov. 29 press conference that if the justices overturn Roe v. Wade—the abortion issue—they will see a “revolution”! Chief Justice John Roberts condemned “threatening statements of this sort,” calling them “not only inappropriate” but “dangerous.”
Will our contemporary culture wars in North America turn hot—and become a latter day Hanukkah story? If you’d like to learn more about the real Hanukkah story and the spiritual stakes involved, click on these links:
Governments around the world, especially in Canada, have gone Covid-bat crazy, ignoring established constitutional/charter rights, issuing dictates like vaccine passports that are all aimed at pressuring us to give up all sorts of freedoms including our right to bodily autonomy. And what is bodily autonomy? —that quality or state of being self-governing. In other words: my body my choice when it comes to medical treatments.
But through their “mandates,” despite denials, governments are in effect reducing us to a state of slavery. They issue dictates and we must comply or else! Throughout history slaves were deprived of their freedom. They had no right to make their own decisions about even their own body since they belonged to the master. And the master could coerce his slaves in any way he wanted. A slave is never asked for his or her freely given consent.
While Covid has been a deadly threat to certain elderly populations with serious health problems and impaired immune systems, it is however an extremely small risk to others. Less than 0.071 percent of the Canadian population has succumbed to the disease. That’s not even 1/10 of 1 percent! And yet this is supposed to be a pandemic? The Bubonic Plague a.k.a the Black Death that struck Europe in 1347 to 1353 killed an estimated 30% to 60% of the population—not less than 1/10 of 1 percent!
The overwhelming majority of people have sufficiently healthy immune systems that allow them to beat the virus and recover without hospital care or ill effects. Nevertheless, governments are refusing to recognize that the people who have had a Covid infection have been gifted with a naturally acquired immunity—which may be stronger and longer-lasting than that conferred by vaccination!
While I am unaware of any government in the Western world that is now forcibly apprehending their vaccine hesitant citizens and holding them down in order to forcibly inject them with this experimental gene therapy, they are doing the next best thing. Governments are threatening unvaccinated people with the loss of their livelihood, the loss of their mobility, and the loss of their being able to fully participate in society. In essence, many Western governments have decided to create a two-tier social system, a sort of medical aparteid in which a compliant class is favoured by the State with perks while an unfavoured class is discriminated against and punished for having “wrong think.” The scapegoating of minorities has a long sordid history, and the unvaccinated are increasingly being reviled by politicians and the media as ignorant and selfish. Such scapegoating and punishment of those not eagerly embracing government dictates brings back memories to me of my experience behind the Iron Curtain in Communist Hungary in 1973.
But now I wake up in the Canada of 2021 and discover many government and related entities have issued so-called mandates—really just dictatorial orders—to force people to be injected with an experimental gene therapy that is demonstrably causing an absolutely unprecedented amount of adverse reactions involving death and permanent disability when compared to the data about all the other vaccines over the last 30 years. Employees who refuse to comply with employers’ mandates are being put on unpaid leave. In Canada unpaid leave means that your employer has tossed you out of work without paying severance, while at the same time depriving you of your ability to file for unemployment insurance payments. In essence, these pernicious Canadian employers are creating a financial crisis for those who do not wish to comply to the State’s orders.
This is straight-forward persecution for those whose religious faith or personal conscience tells them not to consent to the government’s heavy-handed vaccine “mandates.” The only response is prayer, heroic endurance, and resistance. If you’re in Canada check out the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. They can use your help to help fund the various law suits they’ve filed to ask the courts for relief from the federal and provincial governments overweening attacks on our Charter rights (www.jccf.ca). To understand the spiritual battle that’s going on and to find encouragement, I suggest you check out the Judeo-Christian Foundation at http://judeochristianfoundation.org/ or http://cogwebcast.com/ A time may be coming of a famine of the Word, but it is not yet.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms requires our governments here in Canada to demonstrate with evidence that restrictions on our freedom to move, travel, associate, assemble, and worship are “demonstrably justified.” The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms asked the provincial and federal governments of Canada for just such a cost/benefit justification analysis, but this NGO has been ignored. Perhaps our government leaders don’t think the deaths arising from cancelled surgeries, delayed medical diagnostics, increased suicides and drug overdoses, deteriorating mental health, unemployment, soaring public debt—caused by their COVID public policies— are worthy of their consideration because they’re off-narrative. However a charitable non-government organization called the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF.ca) has posted online just such a cost/benefit analysis—called Flying Blind—of the resultant harms and deaths arising from our government’s coercive COVID policies.
The results might shock you. Did you know that:
Deaths from all causes in Canada for the first 8 months of 2020 actually declined from those recorded in 2019 over the same time period?
Canadian governments attributed 10,295 fewer deaths due to cancer, heart diseases, lung diseases, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, while attributing 8,795 deaths to COVID during the same time period
At least 200,000 Canadians suffered the cancellation of their scheduled surgeries, including breast cancer surgery, due to lockdown measures.
At least 500,000 Canadians did not receive timely diagnostic procedures such as MRIs and CT scans for cancer and other deadly diseases.
As many as 18,000 Canadians have died or will die prematurely of cancer this year because their diagnosis or cancer treatment was delayed by lockdowns?
Or that unemployment and despair caused by lockdowns will likely increase Canada’s suicide rate by 17%—increasing deaths by suicide by about 680 people?
When the province of British Columbia’s final statistics are posted for 2020, we’ll probably see that more people died this year from opioid overdoses than COVID-19!
And what about the lower standard of living our younger generations will experience due to soaring public debt?
Politicians like Premier Doug Ford of Ontario tell Canadians not to travel. And yet hypocritically we discover that Ford’s Finance Minister Rod Phillips went to St. Barts in the Caribbean to soak up the sun for the winter holidays. Those who have forced on us their ill-conceived public policies around COVID are flying blind and often they are flying hypocritically. They are not heroes. When it comes to leadership, they are not following the servant-leadership example set by Jesus Christ.
Jesus said to His disciples, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called [ironically] “benefactors,” that is ‘friends of the people.’But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves. Luke 22:25-27 (NLT).
Christ’s birth was a miraculous and foundational element of Christian belief. This historic event is not accurately portrayed among most traditional churches, as it most certainly did not happen December 25th. And typically, in the midst of the winter celebration, the story and import of Christ’s birth is obscured by useless traditions. So what really happened? And why is it important for people to understand the message that Christ’s birth conveys? The bible has stories that you may not know and answers that might surprise you.
In one sense the story of Christ’s birth begins in the book of Isaiah, during the reign of Ahaz. The prophet had told Ahaz to ask a sign from God. Ahaz was facing an implacable foe and fearful of defeat, and yet he refused to ask for a sign. The prophet then gave the prophecy of the Messiah, as a sign of the immediate deliverance of the nation from the Assyrian invaders. But it also promised a future fulfillment and greater deliverance. For a virgin would conceive and bear a child and he would be ‘Immanuel’ – God with us.
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9
Isaiah’s Prophecy Fulfilled – Partially
This prophecy began to be fulfilled in the time of the gospel writers. Luke wrote about the angel who appeared to Zacharias promising the childless couple that they would have a son. This son, John, would be a Nazarite devoted to God’s service and filled with God’s spirit. He would prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. And, like Elijah, he would turn the hearts of the people back to serve the Lord God, rejecting the idolatry of the contemporary society. Zacharias had a hard time believing what he had heard and experienced. But soon, as promised his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant. It seemed to this elderly couple that anything was possible when God was involved, for there was nothing too hard for God.
Shortly thereafter, the angel appeared to Elizabeth’s cousin, Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph. Mary was surprised when she was told that it was through her that the prophecy of Isaiah would be fulfilled. She, though a virgin, would conceive a son who would be ‘Immanuel’ – God with us. He would be named “Jesus/Yeshua” which means God is salvation. Mary did not doubt what the angel said, though she wondered how it would all take place. She understood that nothing was too hard for God. Even Joseph, when told the circumstances surrounding Mary’s pregnancy in a dream, believed in God’s ability to perform a miracle as he had promised.
Jeremiah and the Message of Messiah
In Judea, based on the prophecies of the Hebrew scriptures, many people were anticipating the coming of the Messiah. They looked for the coming of a warrior king to save them from Roman domination. The people remembered Jeremiah’s prophecy of the return of Judah to the land of promise. They had seen these prophecies fulfilled when their forefathers were released from exile in Babylon and their land was restored to them. So they believed that there was nothing too hard for God.
The begettal and birth of the Messiah, Jesus, as the son of God was the fulfillment of prophecy. But, he was also the forerunner, being the first of many brothers and sisters, to be begotten of the Father. His coming gives every Christian hope for the future, as co-inheritors of the great promises of eternal life in the family of God. Just as Jeremiah obtained a title deed in hope of a future inheritance in the land of Israel, so the spirit of Christ in us is our “title deed” to a place in the spiritual promised land. But there is more. Jesus’ birth also gives hope to all of humanity, everyone who has suffered under the tyranny of human rule. For his birth opened up the possibility of the restoration of all things.
Daniel and the Son of Man
Daniel’s prophecy of the Son of Man and the Ancient of days provided a historical context for the second coming of the Messiah. There would be a time of restoration after the rise and fall of the great empires of the world: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The Ancient of Days would send the Son of Man, the Messiah, to destroy human civilizations. And in their place the Messiah and the saints of God would establish the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom, made possible by the birth and death and return of the Messiah, the Christ, will remain forever.
So when we consider the good news of Christ’s birth it has profound implications for humanity. There is nothing to hard for the Lord God. For when he returns, he will establish justice and the end result will be peace – something our world needs desperately.
Learn more about the Messiah from Handel’s Oratorio:
Hanukkah begins tomorrow evening, December 10 and ends the evening of December 18. Why is the real story behind Hanukkah unknown to most Christians and even most Jews, who are limited in their understanding to superficial tropes of the 8-day festival. The authentic message of Hanukkah has an “Independence Day” theme because it recounts a moment in history when the people of the Lord God in ancient Judea and Galilee were able to throw off the tyranny of the elite of the Seleucid Empire. This political elite was composed not only of Greeks but also of apostate Jewish high priests and their supporters (collaborators who betrayed for their own people and their theocratic constitution, i.e. the Law of God). The faithful leaders, the Jewish patriots of the day, were from a family of lower level priests who had to finally make a stand and refuse to compromise with God’s teachings. They were known as the Maccabees. It was only after waging a hard fought guerrilla war against the Seleucid Empire, one of the major states of the ancient, that the Maccabees were able to cleanse the Jerusalem Temple of the Lord God of Creation of Greek idols and other various defilements in order to restore a biblically approved worship service. The Maccabees also deposed and replaced the corrupt apostate Jewish leadership that had betrayed the nation and their biblical constitution.
Hanukkah acknowledges the commitment of those Jewish patriots who gave their lives to restore their people’s religious liberties. It is also about the mysterious power of the Bible’s God and how He works through imperfect human instruments to deliver Hs people when the opposing forces were vastly superior in numbers and armaments. The real Hanukkah story did not end when the Jerusalem Temple was cleansed and biblical worship restored in 165 B.C. The struggle by the people of God for their religious freedom would be ongoing. In fact you could say that while the nature of the warfare has changed, the battle is still being fought with those who are hostile to the Bible’s God and His values.
This year the message of Hanukkah seems especially fitting in the USA where there are those who would use cunning, deceit, and a ‘mirage of superior numbers and overwhelming forces’ to—at the very least give the strong impression of—if not the act of stealing an election. Election fraud is an old tradition in the USA going back to the 1800s.
The Maccabees were eventually successful in their costly fight for biblical truth and religious freedom because they looked to the Lord God to deliver them in spite of difficult odds. And they fought valiantly knowing that their way of life and that of their children were at stake.
Psalm 82 bears some interesting relevance to the Hanukkah story for Christians especially. While teaching in the Jerusalem Temple during Hanukkah, Jesus of Nazareth would quote Psalm 82 to a group of antagonistic “religious leaders” of His nation who were in fact collaborators with the then Roman overlords. Psalm 82 was a prophecy that future leaders of the nation would all become corrupt and compromised. When those “religious leaders” attacked Jesus for saying he was the son of God, He merely quoted this Psalm as proof that all men are “gods”—i.e. children of God created in His image. And no this Psalm is definitely not talking about “gods” in a heavenly realm, but people on earth that will die like men for their sins.
God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods (judges). 2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah (Think about that). 3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. 5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. 6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. 7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations. Psalm 82
In the National Post, columnist Barbara Kay slammed Canadian Bill C-6, which passed second reading with a majority of the House of Commons and is now under review by the justice committee. This bill seeks to criminalize “conversion therapy.” But in her article, Kay argues that the bill’s proponents are being misleading using a bait-and-switch conflation of sexual orientation with gender dysphoria. In Bill C-6 conversion therapy has been extended to mean “any treatment that slows down or dissuades a youth from early medical gender transition. In reality, sexual orientation and gender dysphoria are separate phenomena.” The balance of Kay’s column argued, “Early affirmation of a teenager’s expressed sexual orientation does no harm. But early affirmation of a teenager’s expressed desire to change his or her sex through chemistry and mutilation can lead to quite serious harm, as becomes ever more clear from public attestations by “detransitioners.” These are former transmen and transwomen who have embraced their natal sex after years of rejection, but are forever stuck with permanent physical changes, often including infertility, that are now a source of anguish.” You can read Kay’s full article at https://nationalpost.com/opinion/barbara-kay-the-problems-with-bill-c-6-and-the-gender-affirmation-model
As you can imagine National Post’s comment section on Kay’s column was pretty lively. One of those comments deprecated the Biblical narrative’s teaching on the origin of human gender by calling it myth. So I added this observation to the conversation:
Interesting article by Barbara Kay. And what is the so-called “Origin myth,” as it was referred to by a previous post, that is relevant to this conversation? “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply’…” (Genesis 1:27-28a). Strange, isn’t it, this statement written some 3,400 years ago purportedly by Moses makes a clear case that gender was “hard-wired” from the very beginning into our biology. And what did science discover in the late 20th Century so many years later? That indeed there is DNA found in every human cell that identifies us from birth as being in reality either male or female. Even secular evolutionists would have to say that anything that subverts the propagation of a species is unhelpful or counter-productive to that species survival and therefore would naturally be “unselected” over the course of time. It ought to be evident that individuals who wholeheartedly buy into transgender ideology and allow the medical profession to make permanent physical changes to their bodies will not be among the “ancestors” of future generations of humanity. Rationally speaking, transgenderism is a dead-end.
It is evident that something has changed in North America. Why this rising tide of mass murder and hateful speech?
This past week the headline stories in the media were packed with the details about the recent mass slaughter of random strangers by blood-thirsty perpetrators, who were all young men in their teens or early 20s. The El Paso, Texas killer was 21. The Dayton, Ohio killer was 24. The Northern B.C. killers were 18 and 19. All were young men, yet they shared no common ideology. One was apparently a white supremacist, while another was a radical leftist who support ANTIFA. The political leanings of the Northern B.C. killer-teens are unknown. So what do they have in common? NONE of them were church-going Christians or synagogue-going Jews.
Evidently the parents of these killers made little to no effort to teach them the basics of the morality taught by the Judeo-Christian Scriptures with its admonitions: “Thou shalt not murder” and “Love your neighbour as yourself.” The Bible passionately focuses on such family friendly values. Yet, it is now several generations since it was commonplace among Americans and Canadians to consistently raise our children with this foundational morality. I am such a dinosaur that I remember my 4th grade public school teacher regularly reading the Psalms to us during class.
But today it is commonplace for the social and political discourse to be full of venom and words of disrespect and even violence.We commonly bite and devour each other on the Twitterosphere. This is the new norm, and no one seems to know what to do about it except to censor it one way or another. And so the precious freedom of speech is gradually being eroded. The idea that one should speak moderately, and practice kindness to one’s neighbours and strangers in word and deed seem alien to many today.
This rising tide of violence in word and deed is the natural consequence of our society turning away from the Bible’s God and his teachings. And yet so many are still surprised by the increase in random murders. But perhaps they have never known the Judeo Christian ethic. As the Apostle Paul clearly pointed out a long time ago there is a natural cause and effect relationship of what happens when a society turns its back on biblical values.
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarrelling, deception, malicious behaviour, and gossip.They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand [biblical truth], break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. Romans 1:28-32 New Living Translation.
Gun control legislation will at best be only a poor and relatively ineffective remedy for what is in essence a spiritual sickness. Instead, if we want real social peace in our communities and the reversal of this rising tide of violence in both word and deed, then we need to blow the dust off our Bibles and begin to read them. We must practice what the Scriptures teach about loving our neighbours, and the strangers in our land. And of course, we should begin to teach the Bible’s message to our children and grandchildren at home and in the schools. That would heal our nations’ spiritual sickness, that is manifest in this rising tide of verbal violence and the outright cold-blooded mass murder of strangers.
When I get up tomorrow, Wednesday morning, October 17th, recreational cannabis use will be legal throughout Canada. Curiously two days earlier on Monday, October 15th, the Canadian Medical Association Journal decided to play Cassandra warning in an editorial that marijuana’s legalization is nothing less than “a national, uncontrolled experiment in which the profits of cannabis producers and tax revenues are squarely pitched against the health of Canadians.”
Health Canada estimates we can expect that recreational cannabis use will cause problems for “nearly 1 in 3 adult users and an addiction in close to 1 in 10, with higher risks in youth.”Researchers all know that there are “many unanswered questions about the consequences that will arise from the short-term and long-term use of cannabis” (see CMAJ, editorial, accessed May 15, 2018, http://www.cmaj.ca/content/190/41/E1218
In a classic case of hypocritical “double-speak” P.M. Justin Trudeau’s Liberals justified their legalization of recreational cannabis because they believed it would “protect public health and safety, by keeping cannabis out of the hands of youth and enhancing public awareness of health risks associated with cannabis use.” (Language from Bill C-45). I’m not sure how removing any sort of stigma from using this drug would make youth less inclined to use it. The plain truth of the matter is that the Federal Liberal Party of Canada felt during the last election that a promise to legalize cannabis use would help propel them into power since about 1 in 7 Canadians (almost 5 million) were already using the drug.
So is this “uncontrolled national experiment” really in the best interests of the Canadian people? Just because the government makes something “legal” doesn’t mean it’s good for you—or righteous, moral, or even just plain healthful! Tobacco smoking, gambling, abortion, and assisted suicide are cases in point. Governments do what they think is in their best interests—not yours! Perhaps we all should reflect on this Proverb from the Bible before allowing ourselves to take advantage of some governmentally legalized, but perhaps personally harmful scheme:
“Wisdom rests [silently] in the heart of one who has understanding, But what is in the heart of [shortsighted] fools is made known. Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:33-34 Amplified Bible)
All this past week most of the mainstream press has been pushing the idea that what is needed to stop today’s school shootings and other mass murders is to inaugurate effective, total gun control—which is to say, to confiscate all firearms from the American public. The idea is “no guns equals no murders.” President Trump, however, has called for arming teachers at schools, and to more tightly control the vetting process for buying guns. He would eliminate some types of firearms that facilitate a mass murder spree, and do a better job with handling the mentally ill. Will any of this work to really change the situation on the ground? Frankly, at this stage of the game, I have my doubts, because all those suggestions don’t get at the heart of the problem..
After all, as far as gun control goes, if would-be murderers can’t use guns they’ll use trucks — or knives, screwdrivers, hammers, poisons, and any other means that a bloody-minded individual can devise. When you think back on history, humanity has often resorted to some of the most basic, brutal tools in order to murder others. The root of the problem is not the fact that there is a stone, a baseball bat, or a gun in every American home. The root of the problem is the spirit of murder and lawlessness that is now stalking America. The problem of mass murder is a people problem, not a tool problem.
When I was a youth in the 1950s and 1960s, guns were readily available to practically anyone who wanted one. My Mom (a divorced woman) kept a holstered, loaded handgun hanging on her bedpost, which she took with her when out horseback riding by herself in the boonies—it was for shooting snakes or other varmits. Don’t you know that we boys never would have dreamed to touch much less play with Mom’s gun. It never would have entered our minds because we knew better—and we also knew how to use guns ourselves. Of course, my brother and I also never would have dreamed about telling any of our teachers to F— off or to ignore an instruction in class. We showed our teachers and school administrators respect and, our parents expected nothing less of us—or else!
Mom only had to use that pistol once when a would-be thief was trying to steal my motorcycle parked in the carport. The fella saw that Mom had spotted him and he took off to hide behind some bushes in our large backyard. Mom, who was a crack shot—Annie Oakley had taught her grandma to shoot and she in turn had taught Mom—put a few rounds into the ground at the base of those bushes where the guy was lurking. Immediately he leaped over the 6 ft. tall back fence in a single bound and took off like a bat out of hell down the alley. Mom didn’t want to hurt anyone, but she did want to communicate that she wasn’t fooling around. The thief never returned. I wonder why? Low-lifes figure out pretty quickly who to respect and who not to.
For $20.00 in the 1950s and 60s you could buy on demand without a background check a “Saturday night special” and a box of shells at the corner hardware. But I can’t remember any dreadful mass shootings at schools during that time period that even remotely approached today’s problem in Florida. It just didn’t happen. The problem is that the American people have changed—and not for the better. Why? What’s the root of the problem?
In a letter to the editor of my local paper last Saturday, a fellow wrote: “While its consequence might manifest on the roads [or in schools], discourtesy is a much deeper problem in our civilization that has worsened during my lifetime. Whereas people detest each other as much today as at any other point in history, today’s citizens no longer feel a duty to be courteous to each other for the sake of the community.
“I blame the decline of our civilization’s traditional moral-reinforcing institutions. People might or might not like churches, but it’s hard to deny the role churches played in our society as sources of civil order, and as touchstones of right conduct.
“It is also hard not to correlate declining church attendance with rising aggression and apathy across the whole spectrum of our civilization… We need a politically independent moral industry today, more than ever” (D.S. Victoria, Times Colonist, Feb. 24, 2018.)
So dear reader please take to heart this warning from the Apostle Paul that we ourselves should not be caught up in the same spirit of violence and disregard for human life that is sweeping our society:
“Know this also, that in the last days perilous times shall come; for men will be lovers of self, loves of money, braggarts, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self control, savage, despisers of those who are good, betrayers, reckless, egotistical, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having an outward appearance of godliness, but denying the power of true godliness [that transforms from the inside out an authentic believer’s life]. But as for you, turn away from all these” (2 Timothy 3:1-5, The Holy Bible in its Original Order trans.)
As a society, we must return to teaching Judeo-Christian morality and ethics in our homes, in our schools, and in our churches and synagogues—day in and day out. America was built on and positively refined by Biblical values for close to 190 years. By abandoning these founding values and breaking faith with the God of our ancestors we risk destroying everything that once made America a shining city set on a hill—a good example to a world wallowing all too often in darkness and despair.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how is it that after so many thousands of years you can still command the attention of a Postmodernist, unbelieving global elite in the 21st Century? Could it be because the Biblical narrative that prophesies of something beyond the present world order scares the heck out of them?
President Donald Trump recently received an extraordinary rebuke from a curious assortment of America’s friends and foes at the U.N. Security Council—who though normally as harmonious as a bunch of feral cats and stray dogs in an alley—discovered that they could join hands in an effort to publicly humiliate not only Trump, but also all those presumptuous Israeli Jews who dare to call Jerusalem their eternal capital city? In reply to this slam, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, defiantly said, “The United States will not be told by any country where we can put our embassy!”
Ouch! Evidently some Americans can be as uppity as those stubborn Israeli Jews when it comes to standing up for a worldview that’s different from their own—and this angers their adversaries. It angers them a lot. Why?
Jerusalem is a stumbling block to this world’s governing elite. Because, it occupies the centre stage for a host of biblical prophecies and teachings that promise to completely overthrow not only their political authority, but also their ideology of political correctness. If you would like to understand some of the ways in which Jerusalem is so important to believing Jews and Christians, click on this link to see my video Why the Messiah and Jerusalem are Stumbling Stones http://cogwebcast.com/
many hundreds of years while others are merely today’s fashionable flavour, or even weird and whacky! How do we separate the correct, good ideas from the attractive deceptive, worthless ones?
A notable apostate who fell away from the Scripturalist, Sola Scriptura-based Churches of God now teaches: “All the old covenant promises about the [Promised] land ended at and with the Cross of Christ. All real estate deeds [meaning the promises the OT Lord of Hosts made to Abraham and his descendants] are kaput—all land ownership bets are off the table.”
ourselves whether our current dilemmas are the result of having forgotten God’s ways so that instead of walking fearlessly on his straight path we are stumbling in the darkness. Jesus warned about the false prophets caught up in their faulty predictions of the future
