THE WORDS OF JESUS...MATTHEW

Nowhere in  the Bible can you find more of what God has to say regarding the covenants and laws of the OT, and how Jesus Christ changed it all forever.  In the first 4 books of the NT, Jesus himself is quoted time and again as He made his way through villages and cities, not only to teach and heal, but just as importantly to make us understand once and for all time that Judaic Law while inspired in principle was never meant to be applied without compassion and fair-mindedness. This is a revelation of sorts to all those literalists amongst the Pharisee's and Sadducee's at a later date. There entire Raison d'être was to apply every letter of the laws with out wisdom or understanding, only blind obedience. With the ultimate goal of becoming our sacrificial lamb that ushered in the FINAL COVENANT with our Lord God, Jesus made certain that in these Gospels that he provided many instances of correcting the historic misconception of legalism.  Prior to Jesus there were Covenant's made with Noah and Moses respectively by God the Father, that set the law and its enforcement in place. Aside from that, God specifically agreed to never again wipe out the human race because of sin and disobedience, JESUS changed it all forever!

The main reason that we will be immersed in this study at this time has to do with being challenged about my personal belief that salvation or redemption has only one thing to do with Baptism. The only tie between them is that they happen consecutively, meaning you are redeemed first, and then you can choose to be baptized as an outward sign to all, that you have been changed internally forever. While preparing my scriptural basis for not being required to be baptized, God blessed with some new insight to the words of Jesus himself, so that will take precedent for now, but promise to get back to Baptism at a later date.

Megabytes from God began exactly one year ago today. Since the inception, what to read and what to publish was always on my mind. What started at the urging of my daughter, and of course, my Lord, has now come full circle. I remain as uncertain about the 48th post, as I was about the 2nd post. Today marks the beginning of work on the 47th posting in 12 months. Most would not be able to appreciated the significance of God's achievement through this broken vessel unless you walked some of the last 40 years in my shoes. In the last year I have filled you in on snippets of my dark side experiences. Save the  amazing grace (pun intended) of my Heavenly Father, my Lord Jesus and my Holy Spirit, none of this would have been published. If He can do this with me, how much more could He do with your talent laser focused on spreading his Word? Whether you like what is written or not is not important. I only ask that you read it, and then I back out of the equation and let God work his miracle in your soul. Yes, I have favorable and not so favorable responses, but there is no such thing as a bad response. The fact that we are closing in on 5,000 readers around the globe is testimony how our God can use, even you. Some think my talent is talking, IE., I have a big mouth, but the truth is that the written word, soon to be a lost art in most societies, is my gift. With the help of God Almighty, I will do my best to keep this blog about him, not me. With my ego that is a daunting task.

Anyway:

The Book of Matthew and the Four Gospels together tell us details about the birth, life, death and resurrection of the Christ Child. Just as importantly we get to hear the ACTUAL words of this man who was God incarnate. We have recorded history of His movements, His miracles, and His majesty. Indeed these are words to live by in the period of the New Covenant. This is a new time in which the Judaic laws of the Torah get combined with the love and compassion of the Son of God himself. This transmutation is Alchemy 101 at the highest level. By itself, Judaism is a beautiful religion with centuries of the proper fear and respect for Jehovah. Comparatively Christianity is just a young upstart with nowhere near the strength and tradition of the Hebrew nation; and after all, they were quite literally the chosen people of our Heavenly Father. After centuries of strife and discord each religion has been broken into many pieces, each claiming to be the only way to eventually see God in Heaven. Understanding that Jesus is the GOLD and all the generations of mankind, despite their scholarly erudition is the LEAD in this transmutation. Every religion, every church, every dogma or system of religious law, anywhere on this globe is superseded by the the life and death of Jesus Christ. The fear (respect) of this triune God is truly "the beginning of wisdom."

Which Matthew wrote this book and when are in great dispute amongst the intellectuals. I am satisfied if he was any of them, including the tax collector. Chapter 1 is a complete listing of the lineage of Jesus back to Abraham with whom the First Covenant was created by our Lord. From there we move to Chapter 4 where the famous story of Jesus meeting the devil himself, after fasting for 40 days and nights. Satan immediately attacked His apparent weak spot, hunger...Can you imagine not eating for 4 days, much less 40? Despite His condition, when Satan asked him to turn the rocks into bread, so He could eat, Jesus gave us those great words, "man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." After 3 different attempts to lure Jesus into sin, he gave up and left Jesus alone. How He reacted to each temptation is a lesson for another day, but what he says to Satan is simple, but brilliant.

After miracle upon miracle in these early chapters, we get to a very important passage. Matthew 12 begins with Jesus deals with the Pharisee's about the Sabbath. Since Jesus was already quite famous, they wanted to catch him some how or some way to prove that he was not the "Son of Man," prophesied by Isaiah. Their first opportunity came as the Disciples were walking through a wheat field on the Sabbath. Some of them picked some wheat and ate it as they passed through following Jesus. The Pharisee's accused them of breaking the law of the Sabbath, ostensibly for doing something like work to obtain the wheat to eat. Those Jews were jubilant, because they thought that they found a hole in the message of our Lord while living among us. Matthew 12:3 is where our Lord sets the Jewish leaders straight concerning the new fact that the laws of the Old Covenant no longer completely apply with the advent of the Son of God in human form. Jesus never steps on the Law of Moses, but he makes it clear that the Son of Man has begun to change the equation of right and wrong. He uses scripture from the OT to prove that the priests of old desecrated the Sabbath by eating the consecrated shew bread, when it was strictly forbidden. He then says that He is now changing some of the interpretation of the law, and as for the Sabbath, that He is now the "Lord of the Sabbath."

This chapter in Matthew teaches us that their is now some flexibility in the rigid "law" of the Hebrew nation, and this throws the devout, but hypocritical Pharisee's such a curve ball, that they be to first connive about killing Jesus. Truly the New Covenant with Jesus Christ allows for new interpretation for more items than just the Sabbath. They push Jesus further about healing on the Sabbath, all in an effort to trap our Lord with their binding, legalistic approach to the interpretation of the Torah. Jesus uses simple logic to dispel the notion that anything He or the Disciples did on the Sabbath was sinful. Fellow saints, this is massively important to understanding how this applies to our lives right here, right now!

My interpretation here is that hard line dogma and life lived with rigid legality is not what Jesus had in mind. Jesus makes it clear that previous unchangeable law has to be tempered with the love of Jesus, and in some cases be re-interpreted by Him to redeem a world of sinners that not only dates back a minimum of 6,000 years and spans 3 different Covenants with mankind. 

As you read the first half of this amazing book, make sure you have a red-letter edition, so that you know exactly when Jesus is speaking. Then read those portions two or three times, until the words of our Saviour begin to sink in for good. There is no finer wine or better way to spend your time each day, than to carve out 10 minutes to dwell on what Jesus actually says. Therein lies the recipe for all of our lives in the time frame of the current Covenant.

God bless...

TDD

WOODEN NICKELS AND THREE DOLLAR BILLS...

                                                               FABULOUS FAKE
Having been a coin collector for many years, I have accumulated some knowledge and experience in this area, mostly the hard way. At 63, it still seems to be my primary method of learning. Many years ago I bought a beautiful 1909s VDB Lincoln penny to complete my collection of all Lincoln pennies minted in US history. This particular penny had several things going for it:

1. It was beautiful to the naked eye. All of the features in the face of Mr. Lincoln were clear and distinct, including his hair and beard. It was bright and shinny. It just had to be genuine!
2. The date on the front of the coin was perfect, and so was the coveted mint mark, the letter, (s). The San Francisco Mint (s) has produced some of the rarest coins from any denomination, but the 1909s is at the top, depending on condition.
3. VDB was inscribed on the very bottom of the back of the coin. It's the only coin that bears the designer's initials, Victor David Brenner. 
4. The coin was kept in a plastic casing by the owner, that I had to break into to check the coin under a microscope, because I had just spent $1,800 dollars on this coin, and when professionally graded could be worth more than $50,000. 

I fully expected my new treasure to come back graded MS60 or PF 60 based on my inspection. This coin was breath-taking to behold for this connoisseur of Lincoln pennies. When I got it back, I almost cried, because the coin had been meticulously cleaned and professionally polished by the previous owner, according to grading company. I called down to their Florida office to complain, so they overnighted me pictures of my coin under intense magnification.

There was this gorgeous rare coin microscopically destroyed by the handy-work of the worst type of craftsman. This person found this coin and decided took make the perfect FAKE. It got past my 5x to 30x microscope. It got past my weight test. It got past my eyeball with or without the microscope. The edges were perfect and so on...Unfortunately, I broke my own rules that prohibit falling in love with any coin and thereby sacrificing objectivity. (The EXACT same thing can happen in your choice of spiritual leader or mentor.) None of us is perfect, just like this coin, but when a pastor, priest or politician suggests or implies that you sacrifice your personal values gleaned from the Word of God with the Spirit of God, you have found a "FABULOUS FAKE." 

                                        A BETTER MICROSCOPE

As I continue my reading and study of the Book of Isaiah, I remain moved...

1. Depending on the day and time I begin reading, one of two things happens within the first 10-15 verses. Either I feel like a drone by reading without divine comprehension or feel as though the Spirit of God opens my mind and soul as He teaches me.
2. Just last night, I was a drone...It's been a tough week, the weather is poor, the wife is sick and my kids have issues. In my depressed state, I decided to pick up Isaiah and read anyway. After a couple of chapters, I knew I had done the Word of God an injustice, so I quit. In these instances I can usually play with the dog, listen to music, surf the Internet, watch TV or eat something. 
3. As I mulled this over I began eliminating things that I know are not good for me. Eating, TV and Internet had to go, so I played with our Chihuahua, "ManchoMan", for about 10 minutes, before going back to the Bible. This time I asked God for some help, and explained myself.
4. When I went back to Isaiah, where I began earlier, I was dumbfounded. Suddenly, I could see, I could hear and more importantly, I was listening to "that still small voice."

                                        INSPIRATION OF ISAIAH

This series of events might not be BIG to you, but it was GIGANTIC for me, and here is why. Isaiah is the genuine article. He is the 1909s VDB of his time with no blemishes or distortion. He holds up under the only microscope that counts, the Almighty. Their is nothing FAKE about the way our Lord used him to tell his world for most of his 75 years about the future. He repeatedly told of things to come, and in some cases lived to see the prophecy fulfilled. Listen to what he says:

1. He predicted the fall of Damascus and Israel in Chapter 1.
2. He predicted the rise and fall of Assyria.
3. He predicted the day of the Nazarene; his first prediction of Jesus of Nazareth.
4. He predicted the fall of the Babylonian Empire.
5. He admonished Israel for trusting the Egyptians and Ethiopians instead of God, before they did it.
6. He predicted the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib.
7. He predicted the future Kingdom of Zion.
8. He predicted the suffering of the Messiah.
9. He predicted Christ's mission in coming to live among us and die for our sin.

He accomplished all this and more while serving under four (4) different Kings of Israel, some good and some very bad. In the end King Hezekiah had a son, Manasseh.  In Manasseh's first year Jewish tradition says that Isaiah hid in a hollowed tree from the soldiers of the King. With a wooden saw they cut the trunk of the tree in half, along with this amazing prophet. 

Sometimes the difference between a "false prophet," cannot be seen with the naked eye or heard with divine discernment. Satan is so good at producing replicas that it is easy for those of us who fear our Creator to be led astray. Usually you begin to compromise small things, and before you know it, you have been duped. In the Book of Isaiah devout Jews, including members of the Sanhedrin, were led astray by impostors. Today we can clone. Today we can duplicate. Today we can replicate. Isaiah knew it back then and with God's help says in Chapter 60: "God's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear. For your hands and your fingers are defiled with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has uttered perverseness. None calls for justice, or stands up for the truth: rather they trust in vanity, speak lies, pursue mischief and nurture iniquity."

My grandfather used to say to me regularly, "Jimmy, don't take any wooden nickels or three-dollar bills." Do not be fooled by imitation that is full of pride and arrogance. Do not be fooled by those who only inspire, and never tell you the truth. Do not be fooled by apparent riches, the voice of a songbird or the hand in your pocket. God rarely uses those bathed in this world's signs of wealth and success. He uses the humble, the humbled, the weak, the thankful, the poor, the lame, the sick and the weary. Beneath these saints is built the foundation that will never crumble in good times and in bad, in this life or the next. They have a pure heart and will stand for their Lord and Saviour whenever and wherever necessary. May you be able to do the same.

May God bless you according to those riches stored up for you in the next life...

TDD

                    ISAIAH HOLDING THE ONLY MICROSCOPE THAT MATTERS!!

THE FEAR OF GOD...WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN?

If you have read much in the OT, you have come across the "fear of God" many times. The study of fear, as used in scripture has provided me with an amazing journey from my own scottish Crest  to Catholic doctrine, Islamic doctrine, Jewish doctrine, and of course the various forms of Christian doctrine. Since my last name is "MONRO," I can trace my family history to the mountains of northeastern Scotland. Yes, Clan Monro sprouted from the hills. They were sort of Gaelic hillbillies, if you will...Their accents were thick with a tribal language that was native to that area. It was passed down for many generations, and in some of the hinterlands way up North, they still prefer Gaelic over the King's English. My grandfather hailed from a transitional generation that spoke both Gaelic and English with a thick brogue. It was and honor to hear him speak because our family heritage just oozed out of every pore in his body. Long ago he showed our family the Monro Crest for the first time, along with his kilts, bagpipes and special plaid. To this day, I remember that the Crest said, "DREAD GOD," in big bold letters. Back then and quite frankly right now, I still wonder why they chose to "dread" our Creator. Well now I know, and soon you will too.

Dreading or Fearing our Lord seems quite paradoxical at first blush, because how can you love and fear Him at the same time? The NT mentions this fear, but spends much more time on the subject of love. The OT is quite the opposite and here are examples of both:

1. And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to FEAR the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your HEART and SOUL."
2. He will be a sure foundation FOR YOUR TIMES, a rich store of Salvation and Wisdom and Knowledge. THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE KEY TO THIS TREASURE.
3. His mercy extends to those who FEAR Him from generation to generation.
4. I tell you my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should FEAR; FEAR him who, after killing the body, has the power to through you into Hell.
5. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, FEAR God, honor the king.
6. Their are no books listed on purpose...Just read though these and select which ones you think are from the the OT or the NT. This word fear is used 74 times in the KJV, so it is very important for us to understand it completely. 

Isaiah deals with biblical fear in Chapter 29, but comes at it from a completely different angle that certainly has helped me understand a deeper meaning of "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and discipline." This is completely different from being afraid of  things like, spiders, snakes, needles or flying. It is more like being afraid of failure, rejection, death or intimacy. It has more to do with how you think, feel and react internally rather than externally. This is one major distinction in my mind that begins to unravel this enigma called fear.

God requires a level of respect or reverence that transcends our use of the word, fear...Fear from our vantage point is a very negative emotion. Enough of the detrimental type of fear, and our minds and bodies begin to break down...This is NOT the fear of our Lord. Not having the fear of God in your heart and soul, eliminates growth in righteousness, wisdom and knowledge simply because  fear is the beginning of these gifts from God. Without genuine respect and reverence, you end up hollow where is counts the most, in your heart. Additionally, as Isaiah points out that discipline and/or discretion also is an important feature in the fear of our Lord.

In Isaiah 20:13, He says, "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near to me with their MOUTH, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart from FAR from me, and their FEAR toward me is taught by the precept of men:"
Continuing Isaiah says that God's people know the Word of God, precept by precept, line by line, a little here and a little there. In other words their belief in God has been reduced to rote memorization and mechanical doctrine. We know it and can recite it, but we don't feel it!! On the outside we draw near with our mouths only!! Wow, this is powerful scripture...God draws a clear line in the sands of time between stark, barren and rote HYPOCRISY pushed on saints throughout the ages. LOVE of our God begins with righteous fear, reverence and respect for our Creator. 

Further, the love of God always starts and stays internal, no matter your religious persuasion. I write mostly for Christian believers, but this same concept is exactly, and I mean exactly the same for Christian, Jew, Muslim or Catholic. It is the very reason we all seek the one true God. It has been instilled in all humanity with their first breathe of life. Everyone claims to have the ONLY path to God. Everyone has studied precept on precept, line by line in a church, mosque or synagogue somewhere. Some pray, some chant, some sing and some dance, but know this; anything you do externally without divine Love in your heart and soul is hollow.

I question my belief system all the time. I ask God to teach me how not to be hollow, because there are times I feel empty and alone. Understanding, Wisdom and Discernment only come from our Heavenly Father. Memorize, legalize, and chant from dawn to dusk, the precepts of God, but remember this...If your heart and soul don't biblically fear your Maker, you are nothing but a well educated and gifted hypocrite.

God Bless,

TDD

SENNACHERIB AND THE VISION OF ISAIAH...

                                                                  SENNACHERIB
Today I am writing about Isaiah 22, but before I begin I have to share some information tweeted to me, and I quote, "hey, someone is spreading horrible rumors about you."

The Internet is a two-edged sword. I brings some great global abilities to communicate about the Word of God, but it brings a commensurate risk because you put yourself out there, in the light for all to see... My task is simple, so I take my God-given talent to write and use it for His glory. Anyone who knows me, also knows that I come with baggage from a life of sin, as I have clearly articulated in prior posts. Normally I listen to God first and my readers, a distant second. I take accolades with the criticism and lay them both at the feet of my God. 

My approach is unique, because of several things:

1. I believe in a Triune God. God the Father is the creator of our world, our species and every other species. My Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, became one of us, so that He could provide the ultimate and only sacrifice that has meaning in this world and the next. God the Holy Spirit was given to me at birth, along with my eternal soul. What I have done with that gift for most of my life is baggage that I am not proud of, but it's my baggage and my responsibility.
2. I believe that all people of all nations, colors and creeds need to know about my God. My approach to all is the same, as taught by the Almighty Himself. I hate the sin and disbelief, but love the sinner, because he or she has been given the same gift of life at birth that I was given. 
3. I believe in second chances and so does my God. He will take genuine repentance at any time, anywhere. Salvation is another gift from God that requires belief in the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, coupled with genuine repentance. Is it permanent, you ask? Unequivocally and Absolutely, YES...
4. I believe that even the saints sin everyday, just like the rest of humanity; however, a true believer will admit that sin to God, again and again, if need be, until he is able to conquer it with the help of his God. 
5. I believe that God can use anyone willing to lay down his pride and his desire for wealth, trading it in on the study of the Word of God, while enlisting in God's service with whatever your particular talent might be...Mine is writing. I was born with this ability, but never used it for God until now. 
6. I believe in dying for only three (3) causes in exactly this order:

• MY GOD
• MY FAMILY
• MY COUNTY

      All else is just noise meant for distraction. When it is so loud that you forget about anyone of these six (6) items, you have a problem, not only with me, but with God himself.

Having been stuck on Isaiah 22 for several weeks now, I have resorted to the "pilpul," process of the Jews. Tearing apart each verse, reviewing etymology, sentence structure and other more educated thoughts on the subject is, in fact, fun for me. Every time I chisel my way through to a deeper meaning and understanding, it is like finding GOLD in Alaska during the gold rush. Each time I connect new dots that reveal hidden meaning for the 21st century, I am humbled that God would share his knowledge and wisdom with me.

                                                     INVASION OF SENNACHERIB

The destruction of the Hebrew nation happens repeatedly throughout the OT. God's grace has  allowed the nation to survive each time they were virtually annihilated. He dispensed judgement in the process of helping a remnant learn to love, respect and rely on the Almighty. All through their history God has given his chosen people second chances to become a permanent, loyal example to all others without success, despite all the miracles, the incredible leaders and his written Word. 

Ostensibly, the beginning of Chapter 22 has set the stage for yet another invasion, and virtual destruction of the race. God in his wrath has set up Jerusalem for the invasion by the powerful and  mighty Sennacherib. God starts out saying, "What do you want from me now?" If you have kids, how many times did you either think this or actually say it to your ungrateful munchkins? The Israelites chose to ignore God and worship elsewhere. They also broke the laws of Moses without regard, while basking in their time of peace and wealth. 

Long before Sennacherib was even close the people of Israel got wind of their impending demise. Today it would be tweeted or emailed, but back then it took days to get information in the desert. So now imagine you are in the middle of the walled city of Jerusalem as one of the chosen race. What do you do? Well here is what the Israelites did:

• Chaos broke out in the streets. People were being killed, "without swords or arrows," because there was mass panic. Basically, it was every man, woman or child for themselves.
• People went to the top of their homes and buildings screaming and yelling to avoid the mob rage.
• Filled with terror, they trampled each other trying to get out of Jerusalem in time to avoid the Assyrian army. 
• The first ones safely out of the city were those in power. The King and the commanders. They fled immediately leaving the people behind to be slaughtered.

                                                             JUDAH & JERUSALEM

Some were trying to call on God, I am sure, but He had already decided their fate. Everyone that fled was captured or killed. The people did everything in there power to protect themselves by "moving the water supply to a lower pool," so that the enemy had none to drink.  They tore down their houses to strengthen the walls of the city. God said, "but you never looked to the One who made it (the city) or have any regard for the One who planned it long ago." Rather than begging God for assistance, "tearing out your hair, wearing sackcloth or weeping for forgiveness," they chose to throw a party!! They got drunk, ate all the best food and chanted, "Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we may die!"

Isaiah then tells the people, "Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for." What a troubling story for them centuries ago, and for us right now. How many of us have a huge problem, maybe not the size of Sennacherib, but huge to you, in your life before God. What do we all do? We are conditioned to try to fix it ourselves. Sometimes we enlist the support of others, sometimes we are so ashamed, we keep it buried deep while it destroys our soul a tiny bit more each day. These are big, physical and emotional problems including huge debt, unfaithfulness, killing, lying, stealing and cheating. We batten down the hatches, just like the Israelites and try to hid in a dark corner until the storm is over. God can and will help with all of these and many not mentioned. When you turn away from God, he stays permanently in place and waits while you destroy yourself trying to gain redemption or forgiveness somewhere else. When will all of us learn that the only way is to look God square in the eyes (figuratively), and humbly tell him the painful truth. No matter how long you have ignored Him and worshipped money, power, wealth and all that they have attached to them, HE NEVER MOVED OR FLINCHED ONE IOTA!

The longer you remain embroiled in sin, the more it will affect you mentally and of course, spiritually. Do not wait until our God has to end your existence, as the only choice. He is silently waiting for you now and has been there the entire time.

The destruction of Jerusalem by Sennacherib in Isaiah 22 is far from just a history lesson. Read it and learn from it. It is truly an amazing look at our Heavenly Father and our relationship with Him.

God Bless,

TDD

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TORAH...

Most of you who have read my blog for any length of time understand my fascination with Judaism. I have long been amazed at the way they micro-manage their study down to the smallest detail, trying to get what God had to say, correct. This Hebrew methodology is called, "PILPUL." Extraordinary amounts of time are spent in this diligent and fruitful task. It goes like this:

1. The Torah, both written and oral was given to Moses first and he delivered it to the people. Some came down directly from Mt. Sinai, as we have learned, but some to Moses in the tabernacle.
2. All of this is considered to be the actual instructions from Yahweh himself, and that is why they remain revered to this day by every Jew. Every Jew must read a portion from the Torah, every three days.
3. Torah actually means, "To guide or teach." This is the Jewish recipe for life, and it is literally dissected, chewed up and swallowed at least twice per week. Just like Christianity, many do not follow this plan and have created a non-orthodox system that does not require this allegiance or discipline. 

If you have been to a Jewish synagogue, shul, or temple for a bar-mitzvah, wedding or special holiday, you have seen 5000 years of history unfold right before your eyes. The retrieving, handling and opening of the Torah is sheer pageantry, founded on their utmost respect for the first five books of the Old Testament. I suggest you read some of the Torah interpretations, as I have, because they give Christians a fresh look at what Jewish Scholars have gleaned from it. 

Some have postulated that biblical history is a hoax and that most, if not all of it was made up by someone, somewhere, somehow. Recognizing that there are those who don't believe any of this history has sparked my interest in any historical corroboration of the accounts in the Bible. I follow the archeological digs in the middle east with enthusiasm, as much as I mentally dig through history myself. One of my personal interests since 9/11 has been Islam...I have read and reviewed the Al-Quran. All 114 Suras (chapters) have been read multiple times. Most of us know about the life of Muhammad and events subsequent, up to and including the latest attack against infidels by Muslim extremists somewhere in the world. Please note that the problem is with extremists, and not with the overwhelming majority of Muslims. Just like religous extremists from all religions, they are pulled from context some of the words from Muhammad to justify their violence. We know about there rules, their leaders, the Taliban, the Mullah's, and the Ayatollah's. In fact, Mullah Omar is said to have founded the Taliban, which by the way means, "students", in 1989 after the Soviets vacated.

But the history of their Islamic heritage closely parallels events in Old Testament. In fact, the Al-Quran discusses most of the OT prophets from Abrihim (Abraham) to Jesus (their prophet). Most OT stories from the Bible are so close to the Al-Quran, that one has to wonder where all the hatred began and why...My point here is simple. No one except God is going to cure the 5,000 years of bloodshed, but I can tell you that the similarities and simultaneousness of the stories of the Al-Quran provide us with another source of biblical corroboration. Over time they have splintered and fought with each other, just like Christianity. I will give you one amazing example. Moses is a critical person of God to all Muslims. Their account of the Israelites in the desert for 40 years is the same, as is the manna and "quail" from heaven to feed them. They recognize Moses as a Jew and that the Pharaoh's daughter rescues and raises him. Moses' name in Arabic means, "out of the water." But most amazingly they give credit to this Hebrew for the splitting of the Nile, the 10 Commandments and everything that happened on Mt. Sinai. So go figure...

I believe that their is much to be learned from a deeper understanding of the Old Testament. Yes, it is tedious sometimes. Yes, it is very hard to understand and yes, it takes commitment. In the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy), lies the foundation for Judaism, Christianity, Catholicism, and Islam.

Fellow saints, God is our rock of ages, but understanding the history of our world, our law, and our God will provide you with renewed resolve for research  and a laser focus on what was revealed to us by God through Moses.

God Bless,

TDD

ETERNAL LIFE...

Just the other day I was talking to God about a great many things from the scripture passage that I was reading in Isaiah. Concentration was difficult for me, because I remain deeply disturbed about the four Americans killed in Benghazi, Libya two weeks ago, and the ineptness our government to come together as one people during this crisis. Both Presidential candidates made a political football out of the loss of human life. "We the people," have no more hallowed ground...Everything is up for sale if you can make a buck or get a vote. We have replaced decency and dignity for our fallen with division, derision and dis-respect. Our chosen path is cluttered with our own man-made gods. We have a god of Wealth. We have a god of Power. We have a god of Deception. We have a god of War. We have a god of Sex. We have a god of Avarice. We have a god of Prejudice.  The list goes on, but you get the picture.

Out of this senseless tragedy, I see our great nation, once solidly founded on the principles of God, Family and Country, now flaying weakly in the wind, because we have abandoned all three of these principles. The one true God and Creator of Heaven and Earth, got thrown under the bus in the good old USA decades ago. The "One God" has been replaced by the many gods. We have excised our Creator virtually out of existence, because we chose, on our own, to worship elsewhere. God will not forget our 21st century idolatry, and will not forgive his rejection everywhere. I live in America, so I am particularly sensitive to my own culture, but this goes for all people from Sodom to Gomorrah and everyone in between.

Family value, family tradition, and family love is being replaced by Facebook, Google+, Kindle, iPads, iPhones, Email, Instant Messaging, Texting and Twitter. We have digitized and desensitized our children by trading in parental guidance and responsibility for You Tube and Reality TV. Discipline and Truth have been replaced by the new standards of modern life in the USA: Dollars, Votes, Hits and Clicks. All else is part of another ERA. If you are not pushing productivity by taking advantage of family, friends and acquaintances  you are "old school," or maybe "dinosaur" would even be more accurate. 

So where does this virtually extinct (pun intended) dinosaur come down on the subject of country? He literally has to hold back the tears, as he describes the country that once was...I suspect anyone who makes it into their 60's gains a modicum of knowledge and wisdom, no matter what country you live in at the moment. No matter what Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh pound out every day about impending doom, don't believe all of it or be mislead by their supposedly "altruistic" intentions, anymore than you should believe ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX. Government and the power of the MEDIA have us in a vice, and they inculcate 300 million people everyday by telling them only what they want them to know, so that control and power remains in the same few hands. Our country runs in place very hard everyday without ever really solving the critical issues facing this economic and spiritual titanic.

If you are polarized on the left or the right, you have missed the 

point. The electoral process that was put in place long ago to assure fairness has literally put us to sleep, making certain that those in power remain entrenched, all the while burying us with information to the point of sheer lunacy. When will were understand that we get sold a bill of goods every time  and end up with nothing except the check. Now that check is so big, that even the largest economy in the world cannot pay for it... There is only one place to find pure, unadulterated truth. We have had parts of it for 5,000 years. The Word of God was written by men and divinely inspired by God. Look there for your answers. Look there for your guidance. Look there for your value system.

The world has 8 billion people alive and well as of this writing. Many billions more have died over the centuries of recorded history. Most likely more will populate this planet for the next millennia...All of them, past, present and future have one thing in common, and that is ETERNAL LIFE. Christians spend their time arguing about how and when you were saved. Catholics believe you must have final confession or absolution. Muslims believe that you must follow Allah and the teachings of Muhammad. Atheists belief in no after life, Hindus believe in re-incarnation. Well guess what, the truth is that all of mankind received this divine benefit of ETERNAL LIFE at the moment of your first breathe. You do not get a choice or a vote. It can't be bought, sold or rejected. Despite centuries of doctrine and division from all the scholars, the truth of it remains immutable.

So my friend, it was never about the after-life...It is guaranteed to all mankind. The only thing up for discussion is whether you choose to spend that after-life with God or without God. It does not matter if you choose not to believe or not to participate, wherever you live. When you take your last breathe in this life, you, your children and your grandchildren will enter an after-life. Stop listening to the pundits and talking heads, who want to debate the definition of your soul. In the end, it all comes down to you and you alone. Give God a chance and receive the only gift that lasts more than your lifetime. The next life is not "priceless" like the cute MasterCard commercials. Despite your sin and our collective sin, "His hand remains extended" at great personal sacrifice by our Lord and Savior.

God Bless,                                   

TDD 

HE IS SUCH A TOOL!!

Since I seem to get along with kids much more than adults of late, I have started once again to pick up their lingo...My daughter described a particular guy in her life "such a tool." Of course I am thinking hammer, crescent wrench or screwdriver, but she meant something totally different. He was an "idiot who had become dull, uninteresting and boring." How you get that from tool is kind of interesting. You see, it all started years ago with a phrase we all know. "He is not the sharpest tool in the box." It's kind of like, "a few cards short of a full deck," or better yet, "his stairs don't go all the way to the top."

No matter how you slice it, being a "tool" is derogatory and a current part of modern colloquialism. Personally, I get a kick out of following new, modern, terse statements that our youth use daily to add color to their descriptions of each other. However, in Isaiah 10, God used a very similar metaphor 2500 years ago. I guess the Scripture is correct when it says, "there is nothing new under the sun."

Most of this chapter is dedicated to the judgement and destruction of Assyria. Ancient Assyria had the current country of Iraq pretty much in the center of it, stretching to Egypt in the West to the Persian Gulf in the East. It stretched North and South from very close to the Black Sea to the southern tip of Egypt. Basically it was huge, swallowing modern day Israel along the Mediterranean.

God observed his people being abused by the Assyrians every day for years, and the beginning of Chapter 10 is where God says through His prophet Isaiah: "Woe unto those who enact unjust laws and oppressive decrees, depriving the poor of honest justice, making helpless widows and orphans a primary target." God has used Assyria to punish Israel once again for their faithlessness, because they had once again traded in the Almighty for power and wealth. Sound familiar? How many times a month in 2012 do we commit the same senseless sin? 

Isaiah further says that the anger of God is going to allow Assyria some additional time to plunder Israel while exposing us to what God was really thinking:

1. Don't these Assyrians know that I am using them to bring Israel back to himself?
2. Why don't they understand the they might be the hammer, or the saw, but El Shaddai holds all the "tools" in His and wields the true power behind them?
3. So Assyria, in fact, was not the sharpest tool in the box, but with the support of God, they accomplish His will, and then arrogantly boast of their strength.
4. This upsets our God, but not as much as there continued influence on the Jewish people. The Israelites continue to worship other gods and graven images...

The message here is simply, how many times does it take the Jews and the Gentiles (Assyrians), before they will accept the one true God as their maker, their master and ultimately their salvation? So now hit the fast forward button to 2012. "How many times, all you Jews and Gentiles in the modern world, will I have to chastise you in an effort to teach you genuine loyalty, fealty, and adoration. Down through the centuries before Christ and after Christ, we continue to disappoint our God collectively and individually. Thankfully, at the end of verse one, God says, "Even after all of this, including my wrath, my hand remains stretched out."

You see God's wrath or anger is always RATIONAL with a distinct purpose in mind. We may not understand, but "righteous

indignation" has a time and purpose in our lives. The problem is that when we get angry, irrationality pushes its way to the top, often before the next breathe. God is following a very rational plan for all people of this globe. We are the ones that invalidate that plan at every turn. God's wrath is delicately balanced with His grace. The line between them is perilously thin, and yet we ignore him, disgrace him and yes, even disgust him with the dark side of our lives. We literally disrespect our Creator, almost every day, and yet his hand remains stretched out to the all of his people, no matter your family heritage, geographic location, or current belief system. This offer was made global, long before we coined the word for modern usage. Return to the one true God with a humble heart, and then assist in making His message "viral."

God Bless,

TDD

GOD'S TWIST ON ORGANIC FOODS...

Solon Community Rec Center is where I spend a lot of time these days, because just like turning my back on God for 40 years, I did something similar to my family, my mind and my body. After replacing my family with global travel and the creation of wealth, my mind and body were not far behind. The priority in my mind became making money for my company and for me. I was all about growth, margin and profitability. I talked about organic growth (natural), but yearned for geometric growth more times everyday than I ever thought or communicated with my wife and children.

Organic growth is like organic food. It is certainly better for you, but generally it's one-half the size of its anti-biotic filled, steroid induced and pesticide laced cousin that was produced where only size, color and taste matter. Results became the order for every day, while careful nurturing and nature were replaced by combines, cherry pickers and drugs. Oh yes, and all of this we call, new and improved. In the business world this is called geometric growth, defined as taking the solid base of a company that has worked well for years, and injecting it with iron clad management, a plan to make more or do more with less with tons of insecticidal funds that guarantee you will be the first, the biggest and the best. The process sucks up all your time, all your energy and left without change, eventually your desire to live. You can take a $100 million dollar company to over $600m in 8 years and reap all the rewards. You are deemed a SUCCESS professionally. You beat nurture and nature six fold, and all you had to do was give up your family, your friends and of course, your heart...You see along the way you took one inoculation too many and your heart couldn't take the hype anymore, so it just turned to stone. Finally you attained financial nirvana. Finally you were the perfect size, the perfect color, the perfect texture, and the perfect taste. Only thing to do now was to create more perfection. God help all of the Christian businessman that get on the treadmill of greed and perfection, while pushing up the numbers for what started out honest and honorable. After many years these traits can easily become a distant memory from another lifetime, or so it seems.

The facade created by mega-hormonal growth (geometric) looks, smells and tastes like the real thing...The drive to be the best of class, best of breed or best of anything in of itself seems seems innocuous enough at first blush, but it is generally followed by accelerating beyond the "red line." If you think about it for a minute you will see that this mentality has taken over our American culture from its honorable, hard-working, caring society of yesteryear to a pack of wild animals all vying for the Alpha position. Modeling, makeup and beauty in a bottle have taken over the female mind in our society, from reading Cosmo to purchasing the lastest "snake oil" from Relvon to Elizabeth Arden. Professional women of all sorts and housewives all believe that to be the best, you must be a waif in a business suit, designer jeans or an apron. Push in this direction hard enough and long enough by society in general and specifically the media, the once organic female beauty gets transformed into media designed pawn of the parasitic world of information overload.

Men have been at this longer than women. For many centuries women stayed out of the fray, so that they could invest their time and enery into a family. Personally I believe this is the highest calling for a women, but today I am very much in the minority. Men were raised to be determined breadwinners from an early age. Competition among men has soared over the years, but whether you are a farmer in the mid-west or a wall street broker, your success is measured in dollars and cents. Do more to make more, and if you can't make enough, have your wife get a job. Men are pushed and pulled by the same media giants. For years men got by with a little after shave and some deodorant, but now most of us go through a similar ritual with colognes, hair gels, hair sprays, and talcum powder to go along with our coiffed hair, shiny nails and pedicures. Go down this road long enough and you soon forget your responsibility to family and friends.

But Jimbo (nickname from my dad), do you have a point here somewhere? Oh yes, and here it is my friend...Once you have been modernized and homogenized, you have made it in this world, because you fight the good fight every hour of every day to make your dream come true. You are convinced that it is all about you, and then slowly but surely, your perspective on this life begins to change from selfless to selfish, from contentment to resentment, from beauty to the beast, and finally from God to Mammon. Here is what God has to say about this change in his own people:

Isaiah 5:18-24

Ah, you who drag iniquity along with cords of falsehood, who drag sin along as with cart ropes, who say, “Let him make haste, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the plan of the Holy One of Israel hasten to fulfillment, that we may know it!” Ah, you who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Ah, you who are wise in your own eyes, and shrewd in your own sight! Ah, you who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant at mixing drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of their rights! Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will become rotten, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the Lord of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Friends, I bring this to your attention, because Almighty God was not just talking to Jerusalem and Judah before Christ, but because He was talking to you and me, right here, right now! After living these verses personally for many years, and recognizing that many in our despicable digital world are also doing the same thing, I knew that God wanted me to write about it. When will you stop dragging your sinful baggage with you? Give that burden to your Heavenly Father, so that you can be a vessel He can use for humanity. We live in a world that now calls what historically has been evil, good! Think of what's happened to our criminal justice system. Not only do we have victimless crimes, but we also have crimes where the victim has NO rights. Light is being traded for darkness every day. Just look around you! Public schools have gone spiritually dark, which means our children now spend more time in the dark than the light. Godlessness has cast a thick cloud over the minds of young and old alike. It has also engulfed not only the sinners, but also the saints who have been misled by electronic and digital media. Or worse, they have been led astray by a charlatan who's only goal is to push himself up in the religious world of television's wealth creation.

Innocent people are being crushed by the weight of this evil godlessness. We think we are so smart and so shrewd, because we are under the misguided impression that if we trade in truth and righteousness, yeah, even our own souls, for 100 years of being at the top of your game, physically, mentally and financially, that happiness and contentment will have to catch up at some point. Satan got me to believe that lie. I almost traded in my birthright for power, money and all that comes with it. 

My goal here is today is to get you to think! Satan is selling geometric, unnatural growth worldwide. We all believe that more is better, and that more than your neighbor is best. To anyone in this world, we look younger, smell better, eat better, drink better and live better than ever before. We have "viagrasized" our minds to the point of not knowing the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, and true and false. 

Ever notice how fast weeks and months fly by these days? We are already in the last half of 2012, and yet I still write 2011 on documents and checks. Good thing we have erasers...Life used to be a walk-a-thon. Now it is a marathon that has most of the world lining up to race through their life. Time to stop and evaluate your priorities in this life, making certain that they are harmony with the next. Stop running and start living with fearless honor and love the God in your heart. The sands of mortality will run dry soon enough. There is no reason to rush this life, as long as you let our merciful and gracious God guide you, so that He can lift the clouds of ungodliness, uncertainly and fear. You will get immediate clarity and a sharpened focus that only He can provide, called wisdom.

God bless,

The Digital Disciple (TDD)

SIN AND SACRIFICE...REPEATEDLY

                                                      SECOND MOST QUOTED MAN IN SCRIPTURE
Most books of the Bible start out slowly...The true message or messages do not reveal themselves until later in each book. Born approximately 750 years before Christ, Isaiah's visions and prophetic communication lasted 64 years. If you add 20 years for his youth, you can estimate that he lived just over 80 years, dying in about 670 BC. This time frame is important so that we can approximate who his contemporaries were at the time. He had two sons, neither of which followed in his footsteps.

Most scholars believe that Isaiah did not write all 66 chapters of his book. Comparing the writing styles uncovers three distinct different methods, which ostensibly account for the opinions. I have read it several times recently, and frankly, it never crossed my mind that he did not write the whole thing. Whether or not there is some truth to the changes in writing style, the book has some amazing passages that we will be looking at for application in the 21st century. And Isaiah starts right out of the box in Chapter I...

Keep in mind that we are talking about Hebrew scripture written about 2800 years ago or the span of some fifty (50) lifetimes. When I contemplate lifetimes, I get a whole different sense of how long we are talking about. Today we think about the moment. We don't want to miss the Olympic games...We want to know the winner down to one thousandth (1/1000) of a second. We are clock watchers with second hands, so that we can see the seconds, minutes and hours tick off, all the time knowing that the sands of our personal time shrink every hour.

God thinks in lifetimes. If you talk about a generation of people, you are getting warm. You see, God's existence does not revolve around our sun or our moon. Our calendar by which we organize ourselves, ad nauseum, does not apply to our Creator. Generational thinking is not a usable format for us, any more than counting seconds and minutes is to Him. For example, we marvel at the fact that we turn away from Him for hours, days, weeks or months at a time, and yet, he is always there when we return. You may choose to ignore Him, but you can never be "away" from His presence. 

                                                                               ISAIAH THE MAN
Chapter 1:1 begins with a vision from God to Isaiah that spans four (4) generations, including the lifetimes of these kings, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. So this vision is not about last night, last week or last year. It's about 4 lifespans. God says that he nourished and brought up the Hebrew nation as "children." Despite that effort they continued to rebel against our Lord. This is a glance at the Hebrew people back then:

1. Not only was God a part of their history and heritage, but He was a household name that was used daily.
2. God speaks directly to them through Isaiah, and they know that what he says is true and righteous.
3. God nourishes both kingdoms (Judah & Jerusalem).
4. God protects both kingdoms from the non-Jewish kingdoms surrounding them.
5. With all of the above, "Israel doth not know, my people do not consider."

Despite God's judgement of the people for their endless iniquity, He steps back to lament the situation, because "their whole head is sick, and whole heart faint." They go through the religious motions by SINNING AND SACRIFICING, to assuage their own conscience, and the wrath of the Almighty. Isaiah says it best when he compares these Jews to Sodom & Gomorrah...Repeated sinfulness under God's protective cover is a dangerous place to live. That's what they were doing, and that's what most of us do as well. Think about your personal sin, and how you have gotten comfortable with it over time, because Christ has redeemed your soul. Initially, you were repentant and full of remorse, as you admitted to your Heavenly Father your transgression. 

                                                                  JESUS READING FROM ISAIAH

The Hebrew nation did the same thing...The more they sinned,  the more they sacrificed according to the Law of Moses. The bigger the sin, the bigger the offering. Initially, the Law worked in their hearts and minds, but eventually, like life in the 21st century, it got old and boring. If you committed adultery again and again, why not just keep killing all of the young bullocks to keep God happy? You get what you want, and God gets what he wants! Such a deal!! I like to call it The New Covenant method of sin and sacrificing or SAS. I admit to three (3) SAS's in my life. They are tough, they are ingrained, and what's worst of all, they are no longer painful. When you can sin and feel no pain, you are Stage #3 of spiritual ill, and the only effective remedy is to stand firm and cut it out of your soul and mind. If you do nothing the infection will spread, shutting down your access and relationship to God.

Only by slaying the SAS's in your life, will you live long and prosper with your Lord & Saviour.

The Digital Disciple

                                                             PENNING HIS GREAT BOOK FOR GOD

JONAH CHAPTER #4...A SPECIAL MESSAGE

                                                       Sailing From God To Tarshish

In the last post, the first three chapters of Jonah were discussed in detail, but Chapter #4 was purposely omitted, because it did not make complete sense to me. For the last 10 days I have been reading it repeatedly, while researching the Hebrew scholars, the original language issues and modern interpretation. Just last night with the help of the writing of John Calvin, Matthew Henry and light of the Holy Spirit, I finally get it. I get why Jonah was mad at God. I get why he did not want to go to Nineveh, and I even get why he built himself a, "booth," outside the city to wait for God's wrath.

So hear goes...Jonah was a prophet. He might have been a minor prophet, but he had a MAJOR ego. When prophets do their thing and prophesy (the verb), they predict future events. In this case he predicted the demise of Nineveh. The reason for all the stress and anger is simply his fear that his amazing description of Yahweh might come true. You see, in chapter 4:2, Jonah complains to God in prayer that He (God) was gracious, merciful, slow to anger, of great kindness, and often changed his mind when people were legitimately sorry for their sin. He thought the Almighty was setting him up for failure in his ability to predict accurately. Jonah was keeping score of the wrong game, just as we often do.

His preoccupation with his own reputation amongst the Hebrew nation made Jonah miss the whole point of being sent to Nineveh. He could not rejoice in saving 120,000 Gentiles from imminent death, so he did what he was told to do, and then immediately left the city. Just like a spoiled child, he made it clear to God, that it was His fault if his prediction did not come true. Just like a human father, God gave Jonah a plant for some shade, while he sulked outside the city gate.

                                                           Pouting Outside Nineveh

This clarity on Chapter 4 makes me smile from ear to ear! God Almighty was doting on his beloved Jonah, just like I have done many times with my own kids. If you now take the entire book and put it together, you get the gigantic irony as you finish the book. 

God has him tossed overboard, into a fish for 3 days. Then He has him spat upon the shore of Nineveh. What amazing patience and grace! Then when God does the right thing and spares the people, his immaturity continues to get the better of him, while he frets about his reputation. 

Sound familiar!! Look what God has done for us each day, and we still sulk and worry about our reputations and more. In all of scripture I cannot find a better description of the Lord we have chosen to serve. Despite His grace, despite His mercy, despite His temperament, despite his kindness, and despite His earnest desire to forgive, Jonah asks this same God to let him die because of his egotistical embarrassment. 

                                                           Prophesying to the King

This story has warmed hearts in Sunday Schools and Sabbath Schools for many years. May it warm all of us so-called adults with the corrected vision of our God. At the time I am sure Jonah had no idea that he was providing the world for thousands of years with an insightful look at our own Heavenly Father.

Commit Jonah 4:2 to heart, and you can never be led astray about the true character and genuine warmth of our Creator.


The Digital Disciple