SOCIALIST RHETORIC

I read the article by Bill Stone. The same old socialist drivel. Socialism is his religious faith. He does not understand real economics because his religious bigotry of class warfare i.e. the haves and the have nots blinds him. He wants government to pay for everything rather than having individuals take responsibility for their own actions. Socialists are full of envy. They want to level the playing field through de-capitalizing taxation.

The socialist are vehemently opposed to the Ten Commandments. They do not like the one that says, "Thou shalt not steal." Socialists want to steal from the productive (rich) and give to the unproductive (lazy). They do this through the policy of the unfair tax policy of Karl Marx known as progressive taxation. Also through confiscatory taxes such as property and estate taxes. Socialists believe what is yours is theirs. They hate private property. They are clearly anti-family. They do not want families to inherit but they want their parent to inherit, the government. They believe that the government is obligated to take care of them from womb to tomb They promise freedom but their system always leads to a totalitarian dictatorship controlled by the elite. Socialism is death to liberty.

The Bible teaches free enterprise. People need to work and they can even start their own businesses and become rich. Socialism believes in salvation by equality. In their view, inequalities are a sin. They do not understand the division of labor. Not everyone has the capacity or ability to perform certain professions. Men still do not have babies. Inequalities in life are inescapable concepts. The socialist utopians cannot comprehend this. Their faith will not allow it. I put my faith and trust in God, not in government. He owns it all anyway, not the government.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

What is wrong with loving God with all your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself? Those opposing the Ten Commandments demonstrate their hatred of God and hatred of their neighbor as themselves. Love is defined by the law of God. If I love God, I will have no other gods before Him, not be involved in idolatry, not take His name in vain, keep the Sabbath day holy, and honor my father and mother. What is wrong with this?

If I love my neighbor as myself, I will not murder my neighbor, not commit adultery with my neighbor, not steal from my neighbor, not bear false witness against my neighbor, and not covet the possessions of my neighbor. What is wrong with this? Paul said in Romans 13:10 that love was the fulfilling of the law. Why do these commandments bother people so badly? Do they not know these commandments judge them?

They do not know because sinners hate God and His people with all of their hearts. They want to make it as though Christians are outlaws and sinners, when they themselves are the guilty ones. I am sure that even sinners enjoy the protection of "Thou shalt not steal." What do they have against their property not being stolen? What is wrong with "Thou shalt not commit adultery?" It is what keeps families strong and together. What is wrong with this?

THE MYTH OF NEUTRALITY

The received faith of our day for the naive is the myth of neutrality. Neutrality does not exist. We are assured that we do not have anything to worry about from evolution. Ideas have consequences and evolutionary ideas have fatal results. Evolution is the biggest hoax and fairy tale ever perpetrated on the mind of man. Science and evolution are not the same. Evolution is the religion of no God, only man. It is death to God and also man.

If evolution were true, likes would beget unlikes (abiogenesis). The Bible teaches likes beget likes. When scientists do research, they follow the existent laws and order. They have no choice. They do not practice time and chance. Evolutionary scientists like getting paid systematically, not according to their evolutionary belief, randomly, so they can buy food based on God’s order of likes begetting likes. Evolutionary scientists claim there is no Creator but to perform science, they must borrow from God’s order while denying Him. This makes them hypocrites.

Christians are now affirming the Genesis account of creation in regard to literal six 24 hour day creation, the age of the earth being approximately 6,000 years old (Biblical chronology), and the universal flood as the explanation for fossils. Anyone interested in finding out more about the truth in this regard can read Henry Morris’ book, The Genesis Flood. The truth of the Bible always wins out.

BLUELIGHT SPECIAL

Introduction

It is amazing how barbaric modern man has become. The religion of evolution has taken us deep into the very pit of hell itself. It is truly astounding that we call ourselves a free country. Free for whom? It is only free if you are immoral and wicked as far as the government condoning and passing laws in favor of such evil. For the righteous, we are told that our voices are not to be heard in the public square. You know, separation of church and state. Of course, most Christians buy into such drivel. Their voice has been quieted by accepting many of the presuppositions of the humanist. If these supposed Christians find out you home school, they fear that your children will not be socialized properly. After all, our children have to be exposed to sin in all of its grotesque forms for our children to turn out properly. They never have stopped to consider that we are trying to protect our children from this kind of socialization. It never dawns on them that there are alternatives and children do not have to rebel against authority. They are simply dupes of the present system that they support by such stupid statements as the government schools being their schools and we will get prayer back into these dens of iniquity.

Intelligence is something that is lacking in our day. There are not many independent thinkers. Most people are lemmings. They follow the crowd. They refuse to think for themselves, so someone else must do it for them. They live in a world of denial. It just cannot be that way they keep telling themselves. Things like that just do not happen in America. Our government would never lie to me. They only tell the truth. The moral slide continues in America. There seems to be no end to the immoral juggernaut. Christians have been powerless to stop it. They have been putting all of their energies in the fighting of lost causes. They believe that they will eventually win somehow and yet Jesus continues to be banned in the government schools. One atheist can impose his or her religious beliefs on an entire country and millions of Christians are powerless to do anything about it, but go along. It never occurs to them that God is speaking volumes to them telling them to pull their children out of the government schools. This would force parents to have to be responsible for raising their own children rather than someone else. Of course, they hate that word responsibility. They would rather accept the humanist system and bow down to their masters than to take responsibility and we wonder why the moral decay continues?

It is time to wake up and get your head out of the sand and quit denying what is going on and get involved and turn the ship around from its present course. Only 20% will respond. The 80% majority are characterized by being do nothing complainers. They complain about everything, but do nothing about it. This crowd complains about the trash and filth on the television and they say the Federal Communications Commission should clean up. They simply refuse to get a backbone and rid themselves once and for all of this idiot box. Secretly they love this garbage and have not got their fill yet or else they would throw it out. So on and on they complain, lining the pockets of the wicked. Here is a simple economic lesson. Where there is no demand, the supply will dry up. It is only with demand that supply can continue. Figure it out. I know when I am speaking to the 80%, I am wasting my time. They are not the ones I am trying to reach. I am looking for the 20% of hardcores. These are the doers. They take information and doing something with it. They do not look for lost causes to exude tremendous amounts of energy beating against the air. They put into operation different strategies that actually work and bring about results. I always look for what works and I know in general if the crowd is doing it, then that cannot be the right way. All of this is sad but true. Not much matters to the 80%, other than that they be left alone in their mediocrity.

Most people cannot take truth straight up. It has to be watered down for them. You have to speak in simplest terms for them to comprehend. Complex thought is too difficult. This is why they can be led astray so easily. They do not want to think things through completely. Too much effort and work involved. Something that requires effort just scares them off. They read the newspaper and believe what they read. They do not realize how they are being manipulated and not given the whole picture by the liberal media. The media knows how to manipulate the lemmings. They know that these shallow thinkers will swallow all without asking, "What is this?" Take it, doctor’s orders, you know. Whatever you do, do not think for yourselves. Of course, no one should be to hard on these folks. They were taught in the lower education of the government schools that makes any normal person hate learning. They have been brainwashed and conditioned not to think. Any knowledge they get has to be spoon fed to them. They have been conditioned just to accept everything as it is. After all, there is nothing we can do anyway. They have developed learned helplessness. It never occurs to them that someone is doing something to cause things to be the way they are. They believe there are forces out there beyond their control. So they do nothing.

Their middle name is procrastination. They know that they should do something, but they think that they will do it next week, or maybe next year and of course, we know that these never come. They do come, but now they are thinking a week in advance again. Any one that has witnessed about the Lord to others knows how they have wasted much time trying to convince people who did not want to do anything about their eternal future. After all, they have not killed anyone lately, so how bad could they be compared to that drug addict? Time goes by and they end up accomplishing nothing with their life. It was all a waste. Going around in circles and amounting to nothing. They are consumers and not producers. They are essentially destructive and not constructive. Their lack of doing nothing allows the other 20% to run roughshod over the rest of the population imposing their wicked immorality on the rest of us.

Am I worried about offending the 80%? No. They won’t read what I write. They do not respond to being motivated. Motivation is the last thing they want to do. They just do not have the energy for action. They have a hard time getting out of bed and moving. It might require energy. They are not motivated to see a change in things. They are perfectly content with the way things are. As long as they keep Social Security solvent, what is there to care about? My response to people saying there is nothing you can do about it: Really, just get out of my way because I will show you that you are wrong. The kind of individual I am writing to can be motivated. They can and will respond to the call. They will bring about results and get things accomplished.

Life is about life and death. It comes down to this. Most people do not really believe that there is a lake of fire which is the second death. If they did, they would order their lives wholly different than they do. They are practical atheists. They say they believe in God, but they do not live as though He exists. I for one know that there is an eternal state known as the lake of fire. This motivates me to make known that people need to respond to preventing death and do all they can to encourage life. Life is short and we only get one opportunity to get it right. You simply do not get a second chance. Therefore, it is imperative to begin to do what you can today. What you do today will have eternal consequences. Not only for yourself, but also for others.

Application

If you do not realize that abortion is murder and forbidden by God, then on the authority of God’s word, you are not a Christian. It is just that simple. God is the author of life, not death. Jesus said that the Sadducees were in error not knowing the scriptures, that He was not the God of the dead, but of the living. So is it today. Abortion is the killing of an innocent baby for selfishness and callousness. It is hatred of life. It is the way of death.

The thought crossed my mind just recently that I must do more to see this wickedness stopped. I do not believe that the answer lies in violence. That only makes these killers more resolved to carry on their grisly practice. Abortion has now been legal in America for thirty years. It is entrenched and it is not going to be easy to see it recriminalized. After all the Pro-Life Movement has been at the job now for thirty years and still the killing goes on. The absolute answer is to close down all government schools, colleges, and universities. I wonder how may of these Pro-Lifers send their children to the government schools, colleges, and universities to learn the way of the heathen and that abortion is acceptable? These dens of iniquity will even help girls get one without the parents knowing about it.

In my mind, (I believe the Bible backs me in this: See Deut. 6:6-7), home schooling is the answer. Not the ordinary home school, however. The Bible clearly teaches the concept of apprenticeship. Our children should be taught the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic and then as they get older should be apprenticed in their biblical roles. The boys would learn to be husbands and a skill or trade and the girls would learn to be wives and keepers at home. Of course, both would be instructed in the Bible as the chief textbook. Fathers should provide for their daughters until married. In other words, they are to stay at home under the protection of their father until married. No, they should not go out and get a job. This is feminism. We have forgotten that the Bible says that they are the weaker vessel.

This protects our daughters from the influence of the world. Some lemming might object to this arrangement, but oh well, it works and protects from having to explain why one’s daughter’s stomach is beginning to expand. It saves a lot of embarrassment. The lemming believes dating works. He is a dupe. It does not and will not work. It leads to the plethora of birth control devices. What works is courting. Chaperoning young people works in reality. The other just leads to abortion if the birth control should fail. Better a dead baby than having to change one’s behavior. No touching until the wedding night, will keep passions from getting out of control. The dupe sees nothing wrong with hugging and kissing and adding fuel to passion. You know the results of this type of thinking.

A Planned Parenthood website had the following to say regarding abstinence. "Abstinence 100 Percent Effective: Continuous abstinence is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy. It also prevents sexually transmitted infection." What an admission by Planned Parenthood. Of course, they go on to explain while this might be good for some especially when young, it is not preferable for all. After all, if all young people abstained from sex until they were married where would the money come to keep Planned Parenthood going? They are in the business of killing babies. Here is simple truth that even a dupe might be able to understand: If women do not have sex, they cannot get pregnant period. Pretty simple isn’t it? All truth is simple. Sin and lies are complex. Sin and lies require justification otherwise known as excuses. Truth needs no excuse.

Abstinence works every time, no matter what the liars say. It is 100% sure for preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. If you do not do it, it cannot happen. This is reality. These liars want you to believe that if you use birth control that it will also prove 100% sure. Have you ever heard about a hole in a condom? My wife tells of an instance where a woman she worked with was on birth control and still got pregnant. Only married couples who do not use any kind of protection can truly relax and enjoy sex. Those having to use protection are uptight and concerned about pregnancy. They cannot enjoy sex because it is wholly unnatural. Watch animals and see if they practice birth control. Planned Parenthood is just another name for planned death. It is a documented fact that the pill causes abortions or the killing of a child. See Randy Alcorn’s book, Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments.

The causes of abortion are legion and I am not attempting to be exhaustive in this writing. This is just like going through an expose of all the wickedness on television and instead of standing for it anymore, just getting rid of it. It renders all arguments about what is on it moot. The debate is ended. The best way to stop abortion is to make sure that your daughter is not having one. This requires forethought and protection. One is called abstinence, another courting, and young ladies staying at home until married. Simple isn’t it? It solves a whole bunch of problems.
What really prompted the writing of this article, was viewing this Planned Parenthood website and seeing a price list for killing a baby. It is simply mind boggling to see someone list their price for murder of an innocent baby. Now we know that is not what they call it. They lie and call it a surgical procedure. The Bible and I call it murder. In all my readings about this barbaric practice, I never once have seen anyone list the prices that are charged. I find this strange. Most who write about abortion are simply too nice about it. They do not want to offend these killers and they are sympathetic towards the murdering mother. I guess they do not consider her a murderer. I do because that is exactly what she is. These abortionists cannot perform their killing without these women demanding their services. Deceived or not, murder is still murder. They do not have to do it. They can say no.

These prices may have changed since they are as of September 1, 2002 and I am writing this on March 8, 2003. "$575 - 4.6 weeks, $390 - 5 to 11.6 weeks, $595 - 12 to 13.6 weeks, $890 - 14 to 15.6 weeks, $1,700 to 16 to 18 weeks, $1,995 - 18.1 to 20 weeks and $475 - Medical abortion up to 8 weeks." Here it is folks. This is how much this clinic will charge you to kill your baby. Attention Planned Parenthood shoppers, we have a bluelight special, you can kill your baby for the ridiculously low price of $390 if you come in between 5 to 11.6 weeks. Do not wait until the twelfth week because the price will increase by $205. Look how much you can save, if you just get in here early and let us get rid of that blob of tissue. Do not procrastinate and wait up until the eighteenth week where you will pay $1,605 more. Remember the early bird gets rid of the product of conception at a more affordable rate and it makes it easier on us. The longer you wait the riskier it becomes. So get in early and let us take care of disposing of that little act of indiscretion on your part. No we do not want you to be responsible for your actions. We want to enable you to continue to sin, we will take care of the consequences and everyone will live happily ever after. Remember we are a loving and caring operation who want to see the best for you. You will suffer no ill effects from this procedure. The only thing lost is a little cash.

I wonder how this ghastly affair is paid for. Do they accept all major credit cards? I could just see this after the murder has taken place, "Will that be Visa, MasterCard, Discover, check or cash?" What if the murderous mother’s check bounces or the credit card is maxed out? Maybe I am just being facetious here, but I think you get the idea of where I am coming from. This is not a charity after all. Someone has to pay for this murder. You can see a sign outside. Over 2,000 killed each year.

Conclusion

Folks, this is the reality of abortion. Quit being an ostrich. This goes on almost every day in America and the sad reality is that it is legal according to man’s law. It is, however, not so with God. Even though they may get away with it for right now, God has not lost count of one of these murders. He has recorded everyone and on the day of judgment, they will condemn the guilty to the lake of fire which is the second death. In the meantime, it is the privilege of parents to ensure that their children are not involved in being child killers.

WHO IS GOING TO PAY THE BILLS?

Introduction

Most Christians have never been trained in financial matters. They have not the first clue about budgeting, savings, investing etc. My parents never taught me how to handle money. This is because they did not really understand it all that well. We were taught that if you want something you get and pay for it by debt i.e. making payments. We were never taught to live strictly on a cash basis. We have thus been forced to be slaves. It is better to be free than to have possessions that you do not fully own until completely paid for. When you pay on the installment method, you do not really own the property until it has been paid in full. Circumstances could force one who is in debt to not be able to repay their just debts.

Application

To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.

Psalm 37:21 reads, "The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth." The reason why an individual who borrows and does repay the debt is wicked is because they are thieves at heart. They have received goods and services without paying for them. They have gotten something for nothing and they probably did not really intend to pay it back. This leads us to the legal term known as bankruptcy. When you owe more than you possess, you are effectively bankrupt, if your creditors should make you pay in full what you owe them. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines "bankruptcy" as "The state of being bankrupt or insolvent; inability to pay all debts." People can and do make financial mistakes. Too many live from paycheck to paycheck and if they should lose their job, they are not able to continue to pay on the debt they have accumulated.

We have the trap of easy credit especially credit cards. On the credit card issuer’s side, you have greed and on the those utilizing credit cards, there is covetousness. Buy now and pay later. This leads to getting oneself overextended very quickly, especially if the borrower is using more than one credit card. People in America are living on a mountain of debt. The year of 2002 saw a record number of bankruptcy. The largest business failures occurred in this past year. Every time these companies were sitting on mounds of debt. Romans 13:8 says, "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." Biblical wisdom says not to be in debt for anything. This is wise because none of us can accurately predict the future. By not going into debt, we stay free from situations in life that would render it impossible to repay.

To keep from being a thief, it is better to keep your financial house in order, then one will not be tempted to steal. Debt is a prelude to potential theft. When people get into financial trouble, the temptation of stealing becomes very pronounced. People do not think thoroughly in this kind of situation. They become gamblers willing to risk everything just to keep up with their debt payments or to live an extravagant lifestyle. Stealing is stealing no matter what form it may take. Many an individual has ruined their lives through being in excessive debt or living beyond their means and stealing to pay debt or continue in the indulgent lifestyle. It is just not worth it.

Proverbs 6:1-5 reads, "My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, 2Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. 3Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. 4Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. 5Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler." The Proverbs contains much wisdom. The above verses are wisdom regarding being a surety. Webster’s renders "suretiship" as "The state of being surety; the obligation of a person to answer for another, and make good any debt or loss which may occur from another’s delinquency." In other words, if you co-sign for another’s debt and they do not live up to their obligations, you are stuck with paying for the dead beat. The one that took out the debt is still responsible to repay, but the surety is looked to make good on the loan. Wisdom says that if this is what you have done, then get free from your obligation at whatever price is necessary. Surety is slavery and Christians are called to be free.

Conclusion

Who is going to pay the bills should you die prematurely? It is wise not to leave others after your demise with all your debt. Better to have nothing and no debt, than to have everything purchased on credit and having to make payments. Some short term debt may be necessary at times. However, make sure it is very short term. Excessive debt can and does lead to an individuals becoming thieves. Proverbs 22:7 is still true today, "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." The word servant here really is slave. The borrower obeys the dictates of the lender. He is not free but in bondage. If in debt, remember you are obligated to pay your debts until paid off. For the Christian, bankruptcy is never an option. Stay out of debt and avoid debt like the plague. Debt is a spiritual problem. It is based upon a covetous heart. Remember the commandment says, "Thou shalt not steal."

DOES MAN HAVE FREE WILL OR IS ALL DETERMINED?

Introduction

Probably the hardest question to ask is "Is life predetermined," and if so, "How can man be held responsible for his actions?" This is the dilemma of the ages and to no one’s satisfaction has it be sufficiently resolved. This is because most people do not think in abstracts or philosophically. Man believes that he has say in things and yet he is dependent upon God’s air to sustain life. At every turn man finds himself helpless.

Man is very simply, derivative. He can do nothing primarily, only secondarily. This is hard for man to accept. He wants to determine his future. He will not allow God to do so. He thinks himself as transcendent. He, however, cannot transcend having a bowel movement. This was predetermined for him. He has no say in this. Man’s life has been predetermined in every fashion. Break the law, and you are predetermined to obey the dictates of others, whether you like it or not.

Parents determine many things for their children. They determine where their children live, what they eat, what they wear, their friends, where they go etc. No one can do everything that they desire. Rather, they must conform to the predetermined law. If they do not, they must suffer the predetermined consequences. Paul said it this way in Galatians 6"7-8, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." The "God is not mocked" is the key here. In other words, God determines what mans sows and what he will reap for his actions. It has already been determined without the advice and consent of man. This galls man. He desperately believes that he can create an utopia. He has tried numerous times, only to fail over and over. Why?

Application

As with all philosophy, one must begin with origins. To begin anywhere else is to begin at the wrong point. God created the heaven and earth. This act was a predetermined act to which man had no say. (This, of course, makes man livid. He wants to determine. He will not allow God to do so. He has substituted himself as god). In this creation, God determined the way things would be and the way that things would operate.

Here is a true statement, "Only God has free will." Only God does as He pleases. This is the concept of sovereignty. We do not live in a world of polytheism. There is only one God and He has predetermined the way things will be. We cannot come unto Him unless He says we can as John 6:44-45, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." The desire to come unto the Lord has to come from the Lord. Unless, the Lord gives us this desire, we are lost because we control nothing.

It is true that man was created in the image of God. Because of the fall of man, this has become a determent. Man now thinks that he is god. He believes in his warped mind that he has free will. He fails to realize that he is a creature, subject to limitation. This does not stop him, however. He loves to follow delusion. He does not want to be subject unto the law of God. He wants to make the law upon his own terms. This is why a man apart from God will become a socialist i.e. utopian.

Man apart from God is characterized by Romans 8:7, "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." The carnal mind of man actually deceives itself into believing that he can disregard the law of God and that he will never be subject to it. He is always subject to it, whether he likes it or not. God has set up the rules and man breaks them at his own peril. All those characterized by the carnal mind are living in a fantasy world. They are the epitome of false prophets and they are constantly breaking the ninth commandment by bearing false witness against their neighbors.

No murderer is free to do whatever he pleases. We have the right of self defense. The law of God gives us this right in Exodus 22:2, "If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him." Thieves breaking into people’s homes at night are up to no good. In my book, as well as the good book, they are dead. We get the opportunity to determine whether this thief lives or dies. He does not. Where is his free will now? In my book, he is dead. I have a family to protect. If it is between family and this clown, the clown dies on the spot. I would have no remorse. He has none. Why should I have any for him? Simply put, people do not understand the concept of the punishment fits the crime or an eye for an eye. This is because they want to determine primarily and not secondarily.

We do not determine because we did not come first. Precedence is always the controlling factor, in this regard. We simply do not have the power nor control to do so. We can only occupy our minds with one thing at a time. We do not have the capability to explore and know all possibilities of each and every situation. We cannot know anything exhaustively, only truly. Exhaustive knowledge is beyond our realm. There are realms beyond our comprehension just as the stars, sun, and moon are beyond our grasp.

The mind of the natural man is delusional. He actually believes that things are not determined, that he can essentially effect the outcome. He believes that he can control the forces of nature when he cannot even control his own temper. How utterly delusional is this? Man was made in the image of God. He, therefore, confuses the image with the reality. The image is but a reflection of the true. Nothing more and nothing less.

Man does not keeping in his place. He is never happy nor content. He is restless. He is continually on the go (where to?). He, however, is running in place. All life is a concentric circle. It is one the that we do not control. Everyone knows that when he goes to work, he does not know what will befall him that day. This is because man does not determine the circumstances of his existence. This had been predetermined for him. All things in an indirect way are beyond his control.

This being the case, in regard to determination, man still retains the image of God and in this he possesses the right of choice. His heart condition, however, determines his heart’s choices and someone else determined his present heart condition. I did not chose to be a sinner. It was already chosen for me and I did not have any say in the matter and as long as I stayed a sinner, I was destined for the lake of fire. I did not get to pass go because I rolled some dice. My condition was a predetermined one. I did not set the rules. They were set for me.

The natural man hates the word humility. He prefers to be arrogant. The truth of the matter is that he does not know his butt from a hole in the ground. He is deceived by his own predetermined heart condition. The devil never could tell the truth. He is a liar and the father of them as the Lord Jesus Christ said in John 8:44, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." His main characteristic is one of a perpetual liar. His is a fixed state or condition and it can never be altered. It is the proverbial set in stone.

Everyone’s success is determined by someone else. Every business only stay in business because their customers or clients determine that they will. They can provide the product or service but ultimately someone else determines their success. While we build up the successful and sing their praises, we fail to see those who are ultimately responsible. It was other people who defined their success and yet we build up those who are successful as if they determined their own future. This is nonsense. We want to keep our blinders on as if Genesis 3:5 was actually true.

We often find ourselves giving in to the whims of others desires. We may want to punch someone else in the nose but we know the consequences of such actions and thus, the vast majority refrain from such reactions.

Here is one for the ages. Man does not control his own bowel movements. This has already been determined for him. When you go to go, buddy, you better find the nearest rest room. Did we determine this? Man thinks that he can transcend this universe. How can he, when he cannot even transcend bowel movements? No, man is a limited creature living in a predetermined world. His is to do, not to make policy.

The Lord Jesus said on the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:36, "Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black." The Lord Jesus denies any free will here. We do not determine our hair color, our sex, our date of birth, our place of birth, our parents, where we live (the list is endless) and yet, man has the audacity to claim free will. All that man possesses is limited choice in a predetermined world. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 10:30, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." God knows how many hairs are in our heads. It could not be that this was determined beforehand, could it?

When it comes to election, who does the choosing, God or man? Most are humanistic in their presuppositions. They are man centered rather than God directed. Notice these verses. John 15:16 reads, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." Where is the disciples free will in this verse? They were chosen. They did not chose for themselves. Further, they were ordained of the Lord. They did not and could ordain themselves. This had to take place outside of themselves. Even the direction of their lives has been predetermined for them. Their control is zilch. In other words, their free will amount to the same amount as nothing.

What about the apostle Paul? Acts 9:13-16 gives us the following narrative, "Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 15But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake." Ananias was concerned about Paul. The Lord reassures him, however, by telling him that Paul was a chosen vessel. Obviously, Paul did not do the choosing. This should be obvious. The Lord did the choosing, not Paul. For God to do this, would mean that He had predetermined it. Paul’s election did not depend upon himself, but upon God.
While this is all so obvious, facts are stubborn things, man still claims that he decides his future. The definition of "elect" is an interesting one. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines this word as, "1. One chosen or set apart; applied to Christ...2. Chosen or designated by God to salvation; predestinated to glory as the end, and to sanctification as the means; usually with a plural signification, the elect..."

This same dictionary renders the word "predestination" as, "The act of decreeing or foreordaining events; the decree of God by which he hath, from eternity, unchangeably appointed or determined whatever comes to pass. It is used particularly in theology to denote the preordination of men to everlasting happiness or misery. Predestination is part of the unchangeable plan of the divine government; or in other words, the unchangeable purpose of an unchangeable God." If God allows anything, then it was His determination that such should be because He alone has the power to alter any and every given situation. In other words, He alone possesses free will.

Scripture is replete with this concept of God’s free will. One is found in Malachi 3:6, "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." To be unchangeable would imply or presuppose that God has already predetermined the way that things are to be. He did this by virtue of creation. He set up the way that things would be. He established the His unalterable law. This law is the a predetermined law. Man believes that he can legislate. He cannot. God has already done it and it cannot be altered at all. The Lord Jesus expressed it this way in Matthew 5:17:18, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." The Lord Jesus did not come to destroy what had been preordained but to fulfill the demands of the unalterable law. Every jot and tittle has been preordained. This galls man. He wants an utopia of his own creating. In other words, he wants to create the world, not God.

God’s free will is best expressed in Psalm 115:3, "But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased." To be able to do whatever one wants to do is the essence of free will. In other words, God does whatever He wants to do and no one has the ability to stop Him. This is because He alone possesses the power of predetermination. I can see rebellious man being totally furious at this point. He wants the power that only belongs to God alone.

Conclusion

To be exhaustive is not in the realm of possibilities of man. While examples could be multiplied, I believe the point has been sufficiently made. God, Himself, is the only one that ultimately possesses free will. We have to much determined for us, for us to claim such a lofty position. In fact, it is the height of vanity. We are limited creatures that control so little of our lives.
We confuse the image of God in our hearts with the reality. In other words, we delude ourselves into believing that we are in control of our lives i.e. future. This is the epitome of foolishness. Only by man humbling himself can he ascertain his true condition in this present world. This is something the natural man will avoid at all costs. He does not want to face the reality of his circumstances.

The natural man only understand Genesis 3:5 and Romans 1:19-25, "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen." It is either worship the creature or the Creator. There are no other options because there is no neutrality. God has so determined it to be thus!

NOISE POLLUTION

We live in a day and age when the rage is who can be the noisiest. Theology is an inescapable concept. Why do we have so much noise in our day? The simple answer is they do not have peace in their heart’s. The Bible always gives an accurate picture of everything that it defines. It defines two types of people in the world. Those who have peace and those who do not. Those who do not have peace have decided that everyone will hear their cacophony.

There are two ways to exist, one is in harmony and the other is in disharmony. Those who live in disharmony with God’s world are characterized by discord. They are always off key. There music has no rhyme to it. It grates on the nerves of those who are in peace. It is out of step with all that is true and correct. People can never get away from who they really are. In other words, they are who they are, no matter wherever they go. They are incapable of transforming themselves into what they want to be.

Peace and noise are diametrically opposed to each other. So are saints and sinners. Proverbs 13:15, "Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard." Noise makers have set themselves in opposition of peace and quiet. They stand out to all of us. They cannot hide themselves. This does not give them favor in their neighbor’s eyes. In fact, they accomplish nothing more than infuriating their neighbors. They are not held in high regard.

Saints of God are just the opposite of these noise makers. The Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Here is the opposite of noise and hardness. Here we find peace and easiness. The saint’s way is just the opposite of the sinner’s way every time. Rest for our souls is the antithesis of the hard way of the transgressor. It is a matter of calling and choice.

Why must sinners makes such incessant noise? Isaiah give us the answer in Isaiah 59:20-21, "But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 21There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." These verses are so plain in explaining why are sinner neighbors make so much constant noise. It is the condition of their heart.. Each of us reflect the condition of our heart and each and every turn. We cannot go beyond who we truly are. These situations are established by definition.

Paul wanted us to understand the law of God in Philippians 2:1-4, "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." Paul was telling us that the law of God has consideration for others. If we do not take account the needs and feelings of other people, then we have to be ultimately guided by narcissism. The verses stated here are simply a restatement of Leviticus 19:18, "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord." We are either in accord with these verses or in disaccord. There is no neutrality.

If we think that something will offend our neighbor, then we must not do it. So many think that it is acceptable to set off fireworks anytime that they want to. July 4th then becomes a time of hating your neighbor rather than loving them. This is in accord with the day with in which we live. Because of the rejection of God’s law, all that we are left with is man’s law and his law is always in discord with God’s. Only those who are in accord with God will reflect peace and love toward their neighbor.

In other words, they will not shoot off fireworks, nor will they play loud music that everyone within a mile radius can hear. They will be cognizant of others around them. They realize that they are not the only ones in the universe. They would take into account the feelings of others. They are other oriented rather than selfish. By definition, they would rather see their brother prosper than themselves. They would rather be at peace than war with anyone.

Paul wrote in Romans 12:16-21, "Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 17Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." In other words, do not make noise but be quiet. Do not let your neighbor even know that you exist. Be as quiet as a church mouse.

Noise is for sinners. They are so lacking theologically that they have to make noise to make someone notice them. They have nothing of value. Inadequacy is their theme song. They sing it in many ways. In heavy metal, country, or rap, the verses are all the same. Noise is used to get attention. Noise means a lack of adequacy and peace within the heart. For the Christian, he is guided by Romans 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:" Peace is obtainable in only way. Everything is noise pollution. Which side are you on?

ELITIST KNOWLEDGE

Introduction

Some people want to appear smarter than they really are. They are based on perception rather than substance. They have rejected the law of God and have sought to establish their own law. This is, of course, a demonic quest. These people have accepted the myth of neutrality. At the presupposition level, they believe that there is elite knowledge that only the enlighten can have revealed to them because they are special. They are essentially full of pride.

They do not accept what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 8:1, "Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." The Amplified Bible gives the meaning of this verse, "Now about food offered to idols; of course we know that all of us possess knowledge (concerning these matters. Yet mere) knowledge causes people to be puffed up (to bear themselves loftily and be proud), but love (affection and goodwill and benevolence) edifies and builds up and encourages one to grow (to his full stature)." Paul is not saying that ignorance is more important than knowledge. What he is saying that mere knowledge, of the head, without the attitude of love makes one demonic, in regard, to knowledge.

Application

First, one has to understand what is meant by biblical love. Love revolves around two things. The Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 22:34-40, "But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Love, whether toward God or toward one’s neighbor is always defined by God’s law. Those with true knowledge, as opposed to snobbish knowledge, think analogically (thank you Cornelius Van Til for that tidbit) that is their knowledge is God’s knowledge interpreted in balance and context i.e. according to the rules of grammar.

The alternative to parallel thinking would be exclusive thinking. A parallel means that there is something that is being imitated. Private thinking means that it is not being reproduced from another source, but it is rather being made up by the individual to the exclusion of established rules. In other words, they make it up as they go. This Genesis 3:5 right out in the open, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." These are the words of the master of supposed of elite knowledge, the devil. He promises the world and delivers on nothing. He tells people that they can interpret the Bible and anything else they wish and not be subject to the laws of grammar and historical context. In other words, any interpretation of anything is not subject to any set rules or laws.

The devil realizes the importance of beginnings. Either laws have been established or they are made up as we think best. In other words, it comes down to whom is the source of the law. This is the law of origin. This establishes everything that we come into contact with. What we believe about the origin of anything will determine our interpretation of the phenomenon that we encounter on a daily basis. All things are interpreted on a theological basis.

Since there is no neutrality and there is antithesis, things can only be looked at from two perspectives and we will fall out on one side or the other. While most will try to mix the two together, they will essentially end up being sterile as any mule. We will either believe that the world was created by God, who established physical, soul, and spiritual laws or matter is eternal and the cosmos is here by chance i.e. an accident without meaning or purpose. There are no other alternatives. Their names are legion who seek to mix and match at this point. Those who believe that all is black or white are few and far between.

Someone who is characterized by superior knowledge, in their eyes, will seek to impress others with their supposed vast amount of knowledge. They may go so far as to claim to be experts. We all know that academia is not subject to the market system. They are protected, by law, from competition. This means that their ideas are not going to be put to the test. The are exempt from the consequences of their beliefs and yet they believe that what they have to say will actually work in the real world. Back where I come from we call them fools i.e. stupid.

This stupidity stems from the fact that they believe that they can superimpose what they think and make it work upon laws that were established way before they appeared upon the scene. These are educated idiots. All education is, therefore, not the same. One can be educated in the truth or in elitist (demonic) knowledge. One characteristic of elitist knowledge is that it seeks to be exhaustive. In other words, those who seek absolute knowledge are doomed to failure because they cannot know everything. Only the Creator of all things has this knowledge. In other words, there is only One God, not many.

What is extremely dangerous is when elitist thinking is prevalent of those who claim to be Christians. This type of thinking is dominant in the Pentecostal, Apostolic and Charismatic Movements. They throw their intellect out at the door. They make the church and God’s word open to elitist interpretation. The same holds true for Seventh Day Adventist, Jehovah Witness, and the Mormons. Also, classified in this group would be Evangelicals who hold to the Pre-Millennial doctrine. Each of these interpret the Bible according to elite interpretation rather than established rules of grammar.

The rules of grammar do not change. They do not and have not for years. Man, not wanting to accept these rules, goes about seeking a change to them, by claiming that something has been lost and he is seeking to restore what has been lost. How convenient this is for him who seeks to be a revisionist and how many people will swallow his slop hook, line, and sinker? Their names are legion. They are Peter said in his epistle 2 Peter 2:22, "But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." They enjoy the vomit of elitism and had the truth washed them, they prefer to wallow around in the mire of being snobbish.

A prime example is the Pre-Millennial belief of the seven church ages. These are the same people that tell you that they believe in a literal hermeneutic and yet in the book of Revelation and for that matter the entire Bible, there is no mention of seven church ages. They had to put this in there from their own rules of interpretation. In other words, they have jettisoned the rules of grammar that they accept for everything else but the Bible. In other words, they make the Bible say what they want it to say rather than what it actually says. This is an attitude of a snob who thinks he knows better and refuses to submit himself to rules higher than himself. This is the epitome of pride. No humbleness here.

They have forgotten what God has said to them in 1 Peter 5:5-6, "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time." Elitist knowledge is proud knowledge and leads to God resisting them. For all the rapture fever and sensationalism that we have seen, these false prophets of end times have egg all about their faces and yet tell us they know the truth. They are the proverbial emperor with no clothes. Do not tell them though because they will assure you they are properly addressed. No use in correcting a fool in his folly. Remember, he has inside information that others do not possess because he is better than everyone else.

Revelation 1:4 reads, "John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne." The author of the book of Revelation, John, tells us who he was writing this book to the seven churches whose geographical location was in Asia. The rules of grammar would force us to believe that John was writing the book of Revelation to these contemporary churches who were located in Asia. This is the literal interpretation of this verse. In fact, this is very straightforward. There is no secret knowledge that only the enlightened would understand and the masses could not figure out on their own.

Pre-Millennial thinking is false doctrine. In fact, it is demonic thinking, all in the name of Jesus. This is because it has to be read into the word of God because one does not come away from reading the word of God and find it contained therein. In other words, it is totally make believe. It is a fairy tale. It is the way that man wants things to be rather than the way that it actually is. The vast majority of people in the church world are Pre-Millennial.

Your eschatology drives your theology. What you believe about the future determines what you will do in the present. What are those who believe in the imminent rapture doing in the present? They are living a Post-Millennial life. Paul challenged Peter at this point in Galatians 2:11-14,"But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 14But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" In other words, "How can you a Pre-Millennial live like a Post-Millennial?" The way that they do it is called hypocrisy.

Conclusion

If this true and it is, then it follows that all elitist thinking is hypocrisy right out in the open. All men have their limitations. To seek exhaustive knowledge is a quest that is the equivalent of seeking the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant. Christians are enjoined to redeem the time, not waste it. Elitist knowledge, therefore, is a huge waste of time. Once again, we do not need to know something exhaustively, just truly.

Elitist knowledge is constantly in a state of flux. This is because one elite will eventually replace another elite. Intellectuals come and they go and none has been any closer to the truth than the other one. One generation comes and another goes. Elitists believe that they have special knowledge above the masses but in reality they are wearing a different dress, but underneath, it is the same old mess.

Solomon has already told us that there is nothing new under the sun. Why should it be any different in our day and time? Presuppositions do not change, no matter how they are disguised to be a formulation of something not previously discovered. Elitist knowledge is code for an utopian world. It is fantasy thinking right out in the open. It is not useful knowledge. It is used merely to build one’s ego. It is an attempt to be what someone is not, nor ever can be. The best advice is to avoid it like the plague.

THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION

Education means different things to different people. The education of the government schools is nothing more or less than indoctrination in the religion of Darwinism. The entire curriculum is centered around atheism. In other words, the way things are is because they are. No explanation is required. The assumption is that there is no God. They believe philosophically that chaos is the norm.

The government schools have enjoyed a monopoly for oodles of years. Their curriculum is not subject to the market. Government school education is enforced at the point of a gun. It is totally coercive. It is socialist to the core. Those attending have to be there. It is nothing more than a prison system. Those who go there are institutionalized. This prepares them for future careers in tax payer supported programs. This is the ultimate consequence of monopoly, bureaucracy, long lines and one size fits all.

The most ridiculous thing I think I have ever seen is grown adults accepting the government telling them when they can take their breaks at work. They learned in school that they were entitled to recess. These adults take their government ordained breaks no matter how many people are standing in line. Monopolies, of course, attract long lines because it fits in with the economic law that more will be demanded at less price or in this instance zero price. If you do not have to pay for it, you and everyone of your relatives will be in line looking for a freebie. It is, however, not free. There is no such thing as a free lunch. The taxpayer must pay and pay and pay, on and on. The taxpayer does not protest to loudly because he does not pay his tax directly out of his paycheck because it has already been deducted. If he had to pay it directly, by having to write a check, he would have a fit.

This is because our theology has changed in this country. There is a difference between modern education i.e. indoctrination, and biblical education. In the book of inheritance, Deuteronomy, we find many references to education as being the realm of parents (private) and not the State. There needs to be a separation of Education and the State. Deuteronomy 4:8-9 reads, "And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons." According to these scriptures, God’s law is superior to all laws and it is to be taught to sons and grandsons by the parents and grandparents. Notice that there is no mention of government education mentioned here. Therefore, modern education is anti-biblical. It is humanist to the core.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 further states that education is to be decentralized and the dominion of parents, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." To teach our children anything other than God’s law is tantamount to rebellion against the truth. To teach anything else is to teach falsehood, by definition.

What are children taught in the sciences by the government schools? Evolution right out in the open. It is not hidden in the closet. Evolution is the established religion of the State that is accepted by faith. By faith, these dupes accept that life came from non-life. Their dominating principle is that likes beget unlikes. This is counter to the word as found in Genesis 1:11-12, "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good." The law of God states that likes beget likes. This is what happens in the real world. Humans beget humans, not apes.

According to evolution, matter is eternal and therefore, god. They believe in uniformity. They say that the world has always been this way for billions of years, give or take a billion. They multiply the years like McDonald’s does hamburgers. Christians believe that world was created by God in a literal 6 day period i.e. 144 hours and that the world is not older than 6000 years. In other words, we believe that the history of Genesis is literal. This, of course, drives the evolutionist right up the wall. He cannot handle it because it refutes his religion.

Christians do not disagree with science. We disagree with evolution, in regard to origins. Evolution has nothing to do with science. It has to do with the genesis of things. An evolutionist has to hold his position by faith because he was not there in the beginning of time. Therefore, he has to make assumptions as to how the world began. Unfortunately for him, his assumption has made the proverbial you know what out of him. His position is untenable. Don’t tell him that he does not have any clothing. He claims that he does and that is all that matters to him. He does not accept the truth because he cannot. He believes lies because he can believe nothing else not being a Christian.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21 further drives home the point of parental education, i.e. private education, "Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 19And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 20And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 21That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth." Coerced education is not freedom in learning. It presupposes one point of view and that of the humanist state. It is godless education.

The Bible teaches that education is to be conducted at the private level and not by the Government. Education is an economic good, not a political one. The sooner that parents begin to take their responsibility before God seriously, in this regard, the sooner we will see the demise of the monopoly possessed by the State. God wants education to be decentralized. Satan wants it centralized. This is the only way that he can control it with his main presupposition of chaos.

IS LOGIC CHRISTIAN OR SECULAR?

All non-Christians regard any position held by Christians as being irrelevant. They assume that Christians only have points regarding the ethereal realm and have no relevant opinions in regards to the material world. In a word, they do not think Christians possess logical thought. They say that we hold our beliefs by faith and they sanctimoniously hold their positions by logic and reason. They honestly believe that they are devoid of bias and that their views are in accordance with all the laws of logic.

Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines the word "logic," as, "The art of thinking and reasoning justly...Logic many be defined, the science or history of the human mind, as it traces the progress of our knowledge from our first conceptions through their different combinations, and the numerous deductions that result from comparing them with one another. Correct reasoning implies correct thinking and legitimate inferences from premises, which are principles assumed or admitted to be just. Logic then includes the art of thinking, as well as the art of reasoning..." Logical thinking is then determined upon presuppositions.

The question becomes, "Whose presuppositions do we use to determine what is correct reasoning and therefore, correct thinking?" Is there an objective standard available to us? Or are we merely left to our own devices of subjectivity in determining our presuppositions? Logic is based upon predetermined assumptions. This means that we must assess whether they are objectively given or subjectively given.

To answer the question of whether logic is Christian or secular, we must first deal with man and his relation to the outside world. The starting point of this analysis is whether man is a creature or a creator. As always, we are led back to origins. Each of us believe that there were human beings which existed prior to us. This means that the human race had to have a beginning point. As with all things, we must assume certain things i.e. take some things for granted. Man’s origin is one of a creature.

Being a creature presupposes that man has a Creator. If man had a Creator, then logic must have been given to him by this Creator. Genesis 1:26-27 reads, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Man has been made in the image of God.

The question then becomes, "What does the image of God consist of?" John 4:24 gives us the answer, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." The image of God in man is spiritual because God is Spirit. The law of God from Genesis is that likes beget likes in Genesis 1:11-12, "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good." The physical reality has a spiritual counterpart.

Since God is Spirit, he has made man with an incorporeal component. It is called the soul or what the Bible terms as the heart. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary’s rendering of "image" is apropos, "A representation or similitude of any person or thing..." Man is therefore a miniature representation or similitude of God spiritually and since logic occurs at the spiritual level, God would be the one who determines what logic is or is not. He has established an objective standard of truth.

We know that logic is something that occurs in the conscious realm but it is also an intangible function. It does not have a material or physical component to it. All people have access to logic. It is not in the realm of the elite. Some will be better at it than others but the point of the matter is that we all are able to reason. The question is not are we able to use logic, but rather are we using the right logical principles in our thinking and reasoning? All of man’s reasoning is circular. Where you begin will also be where you end. The conclusion is contained in the original premise.

Since man is a creature, this means that if his reasoning left to its own, it will always be of a finite nature. He can never think beyond what he is. His imagination is never reflected in reality. He thinks one way and the result is different from what he originally intended. The main point is as Cornelius Van Til expressed it best, "that man does not need to have exhaustive knowledge, but that he possess true knowledge."

Exhaustive knowledge belongs to God alone and true knowledge is our possession. This is confirmed in Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." What has been revealed to us? God’s law has been imparted to us as our objective standard, whereby we determine what is correct reasoning and correct thinking. Logic, therefore, is Christian and not secular and only by thinking God’s thoughts after Him can we know that our thinking is logical and certain.

CASTING ONE'S PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Introduction

Wisdom is something which escapes the majority of men. Most people think in the short term. They do not see that what they do today will effect them in the future. They live for the present moment. They believe that they can avoid future punishment by taking a short cut today. They do not want to face up to reality. They live in an utopian world where there are no consequences to their actions.

Older men should have developed a certain amount of wisdom based upon their previous experiences. I have heard many people say that they have made a lot of mistakes. This is good to recognize the fact that one has made errors. This is not, however, the key to this situation. The main thing is that you have learned from these previous miscues and now, you are not making the same miscalculations. In other words, you are using wisdom rather than foolishness.

Only a fool continually repeats the same behavior that has caused him to come under sanctions. These are the type that never learn. They will also not accomplish much in their lives. They will shift the blame to others every time for their misfortune. They are not smart enough to see that they caused their own misery and take the necessary steps to rectify the situation. They are the ultimate blind leaders leading the blind to the ditch of their destruction.

Their ethics are of their own making. They do not realize that they live in a world where the laws have already been established. Therefore, they must suffer under the lash. Proverbs is the book of wisdom. We find this insight in Proverbs 26:3, "A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back." If someone cannot discipline themselves, someone else must. A whip and bridle, therefore, are instruments of training. A rod is designed to be used on a fool’s back. It is also a waste of time because the fools refuse to be instructed and reform. It is still necessary to let him know that he is not the ultimate authority, as he thinks that he is.

Application

The Lord Jesus Christ told us in Matthew 7:6, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." The Lord is not here speaking about literal dogs and swine. He is referring to human beings. He is in essence saying that we should discern what to say to certain individuals. At times, it is better to say nothing because they will not listen and anything said to these individuals will only cause them to come to resent you.

They do not like wisdom but foolishness. They love it. They wallow in it the same way that a swine does. Dogs and swine have in common that they will eat almost anything. These will eat foolishness because they lack discernment to tell the difference. They call junk food nutritious. They do not take to time to reflect and to take a hard look at who they truly are. They are the same of James 1:23, "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." They do not know themselves, all the while they claim advanced knowledge. This is the height of foolishness right out in the open. So what else is new?

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:12, "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." In other words, when we set others as the standard, we have established a false standard. The true standard is God’s law. This is what we must compare ourselves against. We are not as Peter was before Pentecost in John 21:20-22, "Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 21Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me." Peter here wanted to compare himself against another man. The Lord Jesus Christ would not allow him to do such. He told Peter that he was fool comparing himself to another man. Peter missed the true standards, as do all fools.

All fools believe that they establish truth. They are self deceived. So when is it appropriate to say anything to these mules? Proverbs 26:4-5 gives us the answer, "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. 5Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." These verses on the surface seem to be contradictory. In actuality, the context gives us the sense of these verses. We should not answer a fool by using personal attacks. This is how one becomes like a fool. A fool refuses to face up to his behavior, as he seeks to deflect attention from himself. They will always attempt to confuse the issue at hand.

At least once, a wise man should confront a fool in his folly. Unless a fool is contradicted, he will believe that he is correct in his thinking and actions. Resistance is a good thing. Fools are not known for their reflective thinking. They do not choose to contemplate their actions. They are extremely superficial. The law of contradiction is always in effect. It says that someone will believe something unless otherwise contradicted. Dale Carnegie taught this principle and I have found it to be so. Contradiction is used to make a wise man out of a fool. It is appropriate at times to refute fools.

Conclusion

The Bible is a divinely inspired book of contrasts. The main contrast is that of wisdom and foolishness. The examples of the Bible are replete with men of wisdom and their counterparts, the fools. The question that ultimately needs to be answered is, "Which are you?"

MAN'S LACK OF OMNISCIENCE

Man will continually reveal his theological roots at every turn. Man apart from God believes that he can prevent the impossible. Their motto is "With man all things are possible." When something devastating occurs, they believe that it could have been somehow averted. In other words, they believe that man can be omniscient. This is the height of arrogance. This is because man believes that he is God.

Only the true God possesses the attribute of omniscience. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines "omniscience," as, "The quality of knowing all things at once; universal knowledge; knowledge unbounded or infinite. Omniscience is an attribute peculiar to God." If this definition is true, and it is, then only God possesses all knowledge. This means that not only does He possess knowledge of all that will transpire throughout all history and eternity, He also has a determining element in all of it.

That determining element is that good will always triumph over evil. This fact has been preordained by God. Only God can bring about good amidst evil. This is the message of Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." God overrules all evil. No evil can overcome what He foreordains. This means that man sees things one way, while God sees it and determines it from a totally different perspective.

Possessing omniscience enables one to perform the supernatural. This is what the natural man covets above all else. This is a demonic pursuit and futile. It is something that will never transpire. It is tantamount to wasting time. It ends up accomplishing nothing. Man attempts to create utopia and ends up with hell and for all eternity, the lake of fire. Satan attempted to be God and failed. This is the message Ezekiel 28:14-19, "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more." Evil was the result of Satan’s arrogance and attempt to be God. It failed miserably.

Like all of God’s creation, Satan lacks omniscience. All of man’s education is designed to be exhaustive in nature. This is an exercise in vanity. Only God possesses such knowledge. Man does not need to have exhaustive knowledge. He just needs to have true knowledge. Only the Bible, both Old and New Testament, contains the essential truth that man needs to know. What is paramount is not this present life, but the hereafter. This is the message Paul conveyed in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." He was comparing the temporal with the eternal. The eternal won out easily. This makes total sense. If we live for temporary gain at the expense of the eternal, then we will live in abject spiritual poverty.

The Lord Jesus Christ expressed this condition of the temporal over the eternal in Mark 8:36-38, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Eternal thinking is therefore foremost above all. Its impact has greater consequences than anything else. What we believe about the future will determine what we do in the present. This is an extremely important point.

Short term thinking leads to disastrous results. It does not take into account the ramifications of one’s actions. It ignores what Paul said in Galatians 6:7-10, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.." Sowing to the flesh is tantamount to short term thinking, whereas, long term thinking is represented by sowing to the Spirit. This makes sense because the Spirit is eternal and the flesh is temporal. Both are diametrically opposed to one another and will lead to different results. Becoming weary and fainting show signs of weakness and lack of durability. These are the ones who will not endure to the end. They cannot be counted on when the going gets tough.

Man can obtain to a measure of omniscience, if we will avail ourselves of the truth of the Bible. Cornelius Van Til expressed it this way, "We must think God’s thoughts after Him." If we do this, by definition, we will have God’s results. Since we know that God is omniscient, if we think His thoughts, then it follows that we have attained to a level of omniscience. This is only because God has revealed it to us.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

We rank things categorically by what we think is most important to us. In other words, we will always put emphasis upon what we deem as our supreme values. These values are innate with each of us. Our actions will demonstrate what our priorities are. In order to understand priorities and their importance, we must first begin to look at the ordering or disordering of the principles involved.

There are only two ways to live life. One is in an orderly fashion or the other is chaos. There is not a third alternative because there is no neutrality. Chaos, which is an inferior principle, can only be overcome by something which is superior to it. Order overcomes chaos wherever it is implemented. The Lord Jesus Christ expresses this truth in Luke 11:21-22, "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils." Chaos cannot stand against the superior force of order.

This leads us to the concept of priorities. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines "priority" as, "The state of being antecedent in time, or of preceding something else; as priority of birth...2. Precedence in place or rank..." Prioritizing is establishing a hierarchy. With a hierarchy, we are able to establish order. Prioritizing is putting things into their proper category based upon a standard. That standard for any of us will be either objective or subjective. If subjective, it will eventually be putting ordering principles in practice without understanding why you are doing it.

Is there an objective standard by which we can assure ourselves that our priorities are in their proper place or rank? We are in need of feedback. Exodus 20:1-2 reads, "And God spake all these words, saying, 2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." In a hierarchal system, God is clearly the LORD and we rank under Him at all times.

Since God is above us, He has given us an objective standard which we are to order our lives upon. Exodus 20:3 says, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." This is the First Commandment of the Ten Commandments. Without this first commandment being our highest priority of order, the rest cannot be put into practice no matter how hard one would try. This is because those not following the first commandment will seek to establish their own priority system. This system will not bring order but chaos because it is subjectively derived. This is because it is not based upon a firm foundation of objectivity.

To a great degree, the New Testament is a restatement of the Old Testament in somewhat different wording. An example of this is found in Matthew 6:31-34, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Contained within these verses is the principle of priority.

The Lord Jesus Christ was telling His disciples that they were not to be anxious or worried in regard to their physical needs. This is what those who are outside the covenant of the Lord are concerned with. This is because their operating principle is chaos and not order because they have other gods before Him. The Lord said that our Heavenly Father was abundantly aware of our physical needs. In fact, He knows them before we do.

So the Lord Jesus then tells them to get their priorities straight by seeking first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, which is what His objective law stated foremost in the Old Testament. Seeking first the kingdom of God is the positive side of the first commandment. Seeking first means that this is our top priority. Nothing else can superceded it. It is paramount. Only by doing this can we come into a proper order or ranking of things.

What are your priorities based upon? Will your hierarchy of priorities bring order and peace to your life, or chaos and confusion? Whether we are aware of it or not, our priorities have an effect upon every facet of our lives. This is why it is of the upmost importance that we align our priorities in the right order. The alternative can be devastating.

REBELLION AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT

When considering things in their larger magnifications, some things are just not worth rebelling against. It is the equivalent of spitting out the window, only to have it come back and hit you in the face. Not a pleasant experience to say the least. However, youth must first experience this awful consequence before realizing that they did not make up the rules, nor will they ever. This is a hard lesson to learn, but in the long run it will pay off handsomely.

Youth is characterized by its idealism. It is idealism that has not been tempered by life experience, therefore, it never works in the real world. Youth believe that parents are square and a drag. They believe that they are going to be able to change the world. They certainly possess the energy and enthusiasm. They do not mind continually running into brick walls. They figure that they will eventually be able to run through them. At this point, they are not smart enough to realize that the brick wall is impregnable. Oh well, they say. We have enough time and energy to keep trying.

It never dawns on them that they are fighting a losing battle. This is why not much is ever accomplished by youth. They simply lack any sense of foresight. They do not fully appreciate the consequences of their actions. They waste more time than redeem it. Their reflective capacity is next to zero. This is why they will make numerous decisions that they will live to regret later on in their lives. In fact, they may never effectively overcome those poor decisions. They may have eternal consequences for them.

To rebel against the establishment presupposes that there is right order about the universe. To rebel against what is right is to become an outlaw. It is the seeking to be determiner of what is right and wrong for each individual. No matter how much man may believe that he has evolved from a primitive state, he has not evolved ethically at all. In fact, he has regressed from his original state of Genesis 2:25, "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." At this point in time, shame did not exist in the world. To man there was no such thing as anything dirty.

What a change transpired when man decided that he was the determiner of his own fate. Genesis 3:9-10 talks about man being ashamed for the first time, "And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." The shame of his actions were obvious to all. He went from a position of confidence to one of timidity. Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." Righteous people are not guilty and therefore, cannot be manipulated. They do not suffer from shame.

Youth is further characterized by its extreme narcissism. They think that they are the center of the universe and that no one is as important as they are. They are under the illusion that all things revolve around them. This is due in large to the fact that they do not have to fend for themselves. Others support them in their vanity. They could not achieve this on their own. When the real world crowds in on them, they immediately want to be bailed out. They certainly do not want to experience the world of hard knocks. They just might stub their toe. How painful.

Youth seeks attention. They want everyone to see them. They will make a spectacle of themselves so that others will notice them. This usually entails negative attention. In their estimation of things, any attention is better than none. They are not concerned if they look utterly foolish. This is because in their world there is no right or wrong. Everything that they do is right, in their little world.

A case in point of what has already been written can be found in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark. Work crews demolished a building that young people had commandeered. The newspaper article (AP) begins with, "Masked demolition workers tore down the graffiti-sprayed building Monday that served as the makeshift cultural center for Denmark’s anarchists and disaffected youth, ignoring sobs and screamed obscenities from a surrounding crowd of young people." It should be noted that these young people did not own this building. They were trespassers. A minor point to them. They believe that everything belongs to them by them just being born.

The article goes on in saying, "Four days of street riots followed the owner’s decision Thursday to evict the squatters from the building—officially abandoned but used by anarchists, punk rockers and left-wing groups since 1982. The violent demonstrations were Denmark’s worst in a decade and drew like minded young people from across Northern Europe ending with more than 650 arrests and 25 injured." Absolutely wonderful. The Associated Press does not condemn this shameful action on the part of these young people. They make the owner of this building as the cause of these riots. In reality, these young people demonstrated their true colors. They are totally self-centered and filled with hate and rage against the establishment. They used this situation to show that they are immature little babies who will resort to violence when they do not get their way. They love to throw hissy fits, if anyone dares defy them.

Here is an enlightening piece of this article, "The protesters saw their fight to keep the "Youth House" as symbolic of a wider struggle against a capitalistic establishment. They hurled cobblestones at riot police, set fires to cars and trash bins, and caused havoc on the usually calm Copenhagen streets." The reason that there was a riot, in the first place, was because these youths wanted something for nothing. They believe that they are entitled to whatever they want without having to pay anything for it. In a word, they are thieves. Notice their maturity level. It is the equivalent of a baby throwing a tantrum. They turn destructive and violent. They despise all authority because they recognize no authority outside themselves.

What makes this incident more remarkable is that it occurred in a bastion of liberalism. Copenhagen is known for being a place where most things are allowed. Even this is not enough for the young people of Denmark. They want everything without having to do any thing for it. Their motto is "What is yours is mine and what is mine is mine." They live on a one way street named Me. In their world, the only ones that have any rights are themselves. They are self-indulgent in the extreme, as this case in point makes abundantly clear.

This is why there is a decided generation gap. Older people and young people have been polarized against each other. There is a civil war going on here. This is because young people, in general, have rejected establishment. Because of their idealism, they believe that they can establish another establishment, where they are on top and not on the bottom. This they accomplish, of course, without having to conform to any form of law or authority. They will determine right and wrong for themselves.

Negativity, as demonstrated by these youth in Copenhagen, accomplishes nothing. It just leads to destruction and violence. It should be obvious that these youth were trained in practical atheism. Their actions say loud and clear that they do not believe in any authority outside of themselves and anyone who stands in their way will feel their wrath. You will know that they are there. Of course, the Associated Press stands in alliance with these disenchanted youth. The Associated Press are just as mature as these youths because they support them. The Associated Press’ official religion is atheism. Their bias is obvious.

To overcome negativity, it must be replaced with something positive. This is where God’s law comes into play. Exodus 20:12 reads, "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." This law teaches youth not to rebel against the establishment i.e. established Godly authority. To rebel against this jurisdiction is to revolt against God. Honoring is a positive emotion. It is placing value on something. This entails the opposite of negativity, which devalues.

Leviticus 19:32 is a positive command, "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD." We are to respect the older generation, not defy them. Our youth have been taught from an early age to do the opposite. This is clear in their actions. They believe that they are the ones that everyone should rise up before. They clearly have things transposed. They are dyslexic.

Rebellion against the establishment is a serious thing with God. He makes this clear in His law. Examples are found at Exodus 20:15, "And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death," and Exodus 20:17, "And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death." God calls for the civil penalty of forfeiture of life for rebellion against His established authority.