Pre-flood levels of violence and evil?

Yesterday I happened to be at LiveLeak (that *English* website) when a video was uploaded (then pulled) showing Mexican cartel killers killing two rival cartel members. The video was close and in full focus and daylight lighting. They first interrogated the two men (who were sitting against a wall with their hands tied behind their backs and their feet tied, shirtless). Then about half way into the video one masked executioner arrives (from the right side of the scene) with a *chainsaw*, starts it up, and proceeds to cut off one of the men's head with it. Probably the most violent snuff film ever shown on public media. Even more violent in its way than Jihadist beheadings, though those made one sick when we first saw them years back. Then another masked executioner arrives from the left side of the scene with simply a long knife and proceeds to cut the other man's head off in the usual way, though slowly, and the man's chest was heaving for air pretty much all the way through the ordeal.

What was striking was when the first man was having his head chainsawed off the other guy was just sitting there thinking, "The guy right next to me is having his head cut off with a chainsaw, and I'm next." The two were almost touching they were sitting so close to each other.

Another striking thing was the guy who had his head chainsawed off had an interesting reaction. He had his head tilted back against the wall when the chainsaw first contacted his throat. The killer just kind of first 'tapped' the guy's throat with the chainsaw (which was on) causing a deep gash and blood gushing out of the main arteries. The man made an immediate agonizing facial expression when the chainsaw tapped him, then *instantly* he took on a spiritual look like he was seeing the spiritual world. Then the killer just launched into the cutting off of his head and he collapsed onto the shoulder of the guy sitting next to him.

The video was taken down by LiveLeak stating its rules had been violated, but I suspect the video was too hardcore violent and criminal even for that site. (Perhaps the criminal element as opposed to warfare footage is what made it violate some rule? I don't know, they show murders caught on video, I think it was just too uniquely savage even for LiveLeak.)

My thought in seeing it was this is the level of violence and lack of valuation for human life that one thinks about as having happened just before the flood, when humanity had become as evil as it possibly could become. Of course it's not uniquely violent compared to the Rape of Nanking, the Killing Fields, what went on in Mao's China or the Soviet Union or Hitler's Third Reich and so forth, but for pure terroristic violence it seemed unique. (Actually I'll say it is not so unique, we just have it on tape, but it does remind us of just *how violent*, or the *degree of violence* that has been happening in places around the world for the last hundred years or so has been.) The Bible says that that time before the flood will resemble the time just before the Second Coming.

When on that evil day, in the spiritual realm

I can't find the post, but someone left a comment to a post I'd written wherein my post was talking about how the word of God becomes practical to a new degree when we die and are in battle with spiritual forces and so forth.

The comment writer wrote a typical, shallow: "Show where it says that in Scripture. Show it. Show where it says we will be in battle with spiritual forces when we die." He only didn't add: "Typical oogie boogie stuff!!"

I didn't answer him because I saw the comment about four months after he'd written it. But in reading the Book of Psalms today I was reminded of it.

Psalm 20 in particular reminded me of the challenge:

1 The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;

That phrase, the day of trouble. I associate it with physical death. Ephesians 6:

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Day of trouble... Evil day. In Ephesians the context is the armor of God of course. Why do we need it? To stand in the evil day. To stand against what?

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

This is always, but 'the evil day' is singled out as well.

I discern Psalm 18 as well as describing physical death and the battle against spiritual forces that commences.

The word of God becomes practical in a new way then because what now seems overly simple or obvious takes on basic, foundational meaning in the spiritual realm. (It does *now* too, but I am speaking in particular of the day of physical death.)

Like for instance, the word of God will say, don't lie, tell the truth. In Proverbs somewhere, say. Well, we think, yes, that is pretty straight forward, simple advice. Yet in the spiritual realm it becomes something more, something practical to a specific event or encounter.

Fallen angels: "Who are you? Where do you think you are going?"

Fearful Christian: "I am someone who is just walking around. I don't mean any harm! Do you think I should turn back? I will!"

Now here is the scenario of a Christian who knows the word of God and fears God only:

Fallen angels: "Who are you? Where do you think you are going?"

Christian with bold truth: "I am a child of the living God, and a subject of my King Jesus Christ; and in fact I am a king myself, and a subject in good legal standing in the Kingdom of God by faith in the work and the voluntary death of my King in His life and on the cross. I have a swift horse and a deadly Sword, and I don't even plan on having to use this Shield. That's right, fly away. I'll see you at the final battle. Give my regards to your creepy leader. No, I have no sympathy for him, as some do. Zero."

Note to Churchians

To increase understanding you have to increase *capacity* for understanding.

This is another way of saying you have to increase level of Being. (Note: if you mock the phrase 'increase level of Being', which you will, then I'll turn it back around and say to increase understanding you have to increase *capacity* for understanding. You can't win. You can only be juvenile and shallow.)

This means you have to become more self-aware and increase your limits. (These two things have to do with your ignorance and your weakness.)

Increasing self-awareness is something you hate most of all. It causes real suffering.

Increasing your limits is something you hate too because it severely restricts your pleasure in indulging in fake suffering. You want to indulge your fake suffering.

This has been a concerned note to Churchians. Carry on.

An email, on kingdom, warfare, holiness

Kingdom, warfare, and holiness (or godliness). These are central themes for when you go beyond what the mainstream theological works offer.

On spiritual warfare, I was looking through some of those types of books this evening, and one was talking about how we are *constantly* surrounded and accompanied by demons and so forth, and it made me think about it, and methinks he was over-egging the pudding (as I heard one English blogger say in a different context).

I think there has to be obvious breaches (alcohol, drugs, nefarious activity, etc.). Some people can be full of demons of course, but to say everybody is constantly surrounded by them is a bit much. I think most people are 'tame slaves' in the Kingdom of Satan, and thus not noticed much by the Devil. And their use to the Devil comes in their playing unconscious and mechanical roles. General Law [worldly values, worldly influence, and the policing done collectively against individuals] type of force.

Also, part of God's sovereignty in providence is he limits the activity of the evil realm, and of our own fallen nature. He puts limits on our ability to be as bad as we can be. (You can see this lifted in history, like in the recently mentioned Rape of Nanking, or any such similar historical events, and *why* God didn't restrain is probably due to judgment being made on all concerned in the event. We tend to see an evil actor and an innocent victim, when they both can be and often are not very innocent.)

There are also good angels who take our side in matters. This may cause a general stand-off most of the time in the spiritual world.

I'm going to try to get a handle on all these spiritual warfare books. There are probably a thousand of them, from classics to the dime a dozen Christian bookstore variety. But they aren't all the same. One I was looking at had the subject of 'shouting' in it. How shouting plays a role in fighting demons. It reminded me of the last encounter I had with the sociopath I've been writing about. I shouted him away once and for all. (At the end of my rope.) And it's worked. I can 'feel' that the connection that I'd let him form has been cut off. I've had to do this shouting thing before regarding a drug addict and her terroristic behavior towards her family, and even with a parent who was aiding and abetting the other. It might be that you're getting something out of yourself at the same time. You're re-establishing autonomy in your own inner domain. The only problem is shouting is stupid human behavior. I don't recommend it. We don't want a reason to justify boorish behavior. The shouting I refer to though is the type you can't help. You are at a limit and you need to take control.

All this stuff happens all around us. Once we are regenerated we are in a different position regarding it all (we are targeted in a unique way, no longer an asleep tame slave and thus we are noticed). Different as well in terms of our protection too. - C.

ps- It's not a great coinage, but I was thinking of KIWARHOL CHRISTIANITY to remember Kingdom, Warfare, Holiness. Darn it, Andy Warhol, messing with my coinage.

Oh, I lost patience long ago...

2 Chronicles 21:16 Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians:

The Lord has recently stirred up the spirit of the Arabians and other Muslims against the Christian nations. Are Christians too afraid of the opinion of man to say that? Fear man much, Christians? Oh, and... Your idols, acknowledge them much? Statism, multiculturalism, environmentalism. You're scared of those things, aren't you, Christians? You fear upsetting their adherents. Fear of man is big among Christians of this era. The statism allows the child sacrifice, by the way. For those of you who can only think of abortion as the great national sin. Stop fearing and supporting statism and you will go a long way to controlling the child sacrifice.

Against God

"Someone has said that no theology is worth believing that cannot be preached standing in front of the gates of Auschwitz."

- Roger E. Olson, Against Calvinism

Because, you see, the death of Jews is a holy thing, and God Himself must approach Auschwitz on His knees.

Olson is an Arminian, and not a very bright one. He's also a moralist who really is not very approving of God. The above quote exposes that. His argument against Calvinism also comes down to equating Calvinists to Nazis. And hence God to Hitler. He really doesn't like God very much, not very much at all.

He also unconsciously uses the term theology as if it's something we choose to accept from a smorgasbord of choices, and our choice determines how moral we are. He doesn't see theology as something that is objective and outside us, needing the Spirit in us to be seen, valued, and accepted, by the grace of God. To Olson theology is whatever meets his demands as a moral and correct-thinking human being.

Are Arminians Christians? If one believes in faith alone then yes, one doesn't need to understand apostolic biblical doctrine to the level of Federal Theology to be saved. Yet this can be said about that: without understanding (and accepting) apostolic biblical doctrine you won't have the complete armor of God and hence you won't be much of a soldier of Christ. Calvinists, real Calvinists, are soldiers of Christ in real armor of God. Arminians may be the water-carriers or something like that. And maybe reluctant ones at that.

I'm not going to deny the work of the Holy Spirit in any self-identified Christian. Man-centered and making demands on Scripture to satisfy our fallen nature, disdainful of real armor (doctrine is armor of God) is a bit telling though. Though again I won't deny the work of the Holy Spirit in any self-identified Christian.

The pestilence of the authority of God

Thanks go out to James White's Alpha and Omega Ministries for alerting Christians once again to the pestilence that is the King James Bible. This time the good people over there are warning people about the connection the King James Bible has with child molesters. Apparently a child molester was convicted in a courtroom *while* he was holding a King James Bible. This is *sad*, as James White would undoubtedly put it. Can't we just burn all the King James Bibles?

Two states

You either learn and accept the mechanics of salvation, the plan of God from eternity, and you rest in it; or you continue in blithe, shallow, asleep distraction (what people call life, comedy or tragedy) looking forward to continuing to live in such a state.

By "continuing to live in such a state" what is meant is asleep in a wheel of revolving living time. Or dead in sin, take your pick. Revolving only in a metaphorical sense, the only way our minds can perceive higher aspects of time. Not reincarnation (all you shallow, man-pleasing heretic hunters), but recurrence (no, not anything to do with Nietzsche, all you shallow academic philosopher types).

Recurrence. Don't try to figure it out. Just ponder this: some dogs seem to want to move on when they are dying. Like up the great chain of being. Other dogs seem to still want to be dogs.

Recurrence doesn't survive the end of the great age though. The harvest. The end of time. Recurrence is a little wheel inside the big wheel. Once the big wheel makes one revolution the wheat is separated from the chaff. This is why you don't rely on recurrence.

And once you learn the truth your time is counted. Graduate or fail. Failing means hell. And to understand that in the context of monergistic regeneration failure means committing the unforgivable sin. Denying the work of the Holy Spirit.

Calvinists get too clever with God's sovereignty in grace. I.e. monergistic regeneration. If you are there you are there. If awake to it then awake to it. And if the unforgivable sin means anything it means you can commit it. If you have the work of the Spirit and you deny the work of the Spirit you get hammered. And good riddance. One thing I hate more than anything, as a regenerated Christian, is the double hearted.

"Oh, my God, America got attacked by terrorists in New York. I am in support of America!" - 36 hours later - "Um, no, I hate America still. Sorry!" (As much as I don't care about those people, or what they support or hate, God doesn't care about the doubled hearted towards Him. Once the period where His long-suffering is over.)

Reconciling King Solomon's idol worship with his famous Godly wisdom

Finishing 2 Kings I started to lose my patience with all the new kings announced followed by "and he did evil in the sight of the Lord as his father did..." Then I started thinking about King Solomon, who made altars to three of the most wicked false idols of the nations:

2Ki 23:13 And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.

I was thinking, he was just as bad as the kings that followed him, yet he is supposed to be the wisest human being who ever lived (other than Jesus Christ of course), and he of course wrote the Proverbs and the Book of Ecclesiastes. So you wonder how to put this together. I went to the commentaries and found the best defense of King Solomon, in this regard, from Keil and Delitzsch:

"The idolatry into which Solomon fell in his old age appears so strange in a king so wise and God-fearing as Solomon showed himself to be at the dedication of the temple, that many have been quite unable to reconcile the two, and have endeavoured to show either that Solomon's worship of idols was psychologically impossible, or that the knowledge of God and the piety attributed to him are unhistorical. But great wisdom and a refined knowledge of God are not a defence against the folly of idolatry, since this has its roots in the heart, and springs from sensual desires and the lust of the flesh. The cause assigned in the biblical account for Solomon's falling away from the Lord, is that he loved many strange, i.e., foreign or heathen, wives, who turned his heart from Jehovah to their own gods in his old age. Consequently the falling away did not take place suddenly, but gradually, as Solomon got old, and was not a complete renunciation of the worship of Jehovah, to whom he offered solemn sacrifices three times a year, and that certainly to the day of his death (1Ki_9:25), but consisted simply in the fact that his heart was no longer thoroughly devoted to the Lord (1Ki_11:4), and that he inclined towards the idols of his foreign wives and built them altars (1Ki_11:5-8); that is to say, it consisted merely in a syncretic mixture of Jehovah-worship and idolatry, by which the worship which should be paid solely and exclusively to the true God was not only injured, but was even turned into idolatry itself, Jehovah the only true God being placed on a level with the worthless gods of the heathen. - Love to foreign wives no doubt presupposed an inclination to foreign customs; it was not, however, idolatry in itself, but was still reconcilable with that sincere worship of Jehovah which is attributed to Solomon in the earlier years of his reign. At the same time it was a rock on which living faith and true adherence to the Lord might at last suffer shipwreck. And we may even infer from the repeated warnings of God (1Ki_3:14; 1Ki_6:12; 1Ki_9:4), that from the earliest years of his reign Solomon was in danger of falling into idolatry. This danger did, indeed, spring in his case from his inclination to foreign customs; but this inclination was again influenced by many of the circumstances of his reign, which we must regard as contributing more remotely to his eventual fall. And among the first of these we must place the splendour and glory of his reign. Through long and severe conflicts David had succeeded in conquering all the enemies of Israel, and had not only helped his people to peace and prosperity, but had also raised the kingdom to great power and glory. And Solomon inherited these fruits of his father's reign. Under the blessings of peace he was not only able to carry out the work of building a splendid temple, which his father had urged upon him, but was also able, by a wise use of the sources already existing and by opening new ones, still further to increase the treasures which he had collected, and thereby to exalt the splendour of his kingdom. The treaty with Hiram of Tyre, which enabled him to execute the intended state buildings in Jerusalem, was followed by alliances for the establishment of a widespread commerce both by sea and land, through which ever increasing treasures of gold and silver, and other costly goods, were brought to the king. As this accumulation of riches helped to nourish his inclination to a love of show, and created a kind of luxury which was hardly reconcilable with the simplicity of manners and the piety of a servant of God, so the foreign trade led to a toleration of heathen customs and religious views which could not fail to detract from the reverence paid to Jehovah, however little the trade with foreigners might be in itself at variance with the nature of the Old Testament kingdom of God. And again, even the great wisdom of king Solomon might also become a rock endangering his life of faith, not so much in the manner suggested by J. J. Hess (Gesch. Dav. u. Sal. ii. p. 413), namely, that an excessive thirst for inquiry might easily seduce him from the open and clearer regions of the kingdom of truth into the darker ones of the kingdom of lies, i.e., of magic, and so lead him to the paths of superstition; as because the widespread fame of his wisdom brought distinguished and wise men from distant lands to Jerusalem and into alliance with the king, and their homage flattered the vanity of the human heart, and led to a greater and greater toleration of heathen ways. But these things are none of them blamed in the Scriptures, because they did not of necessity lead to idolatry, but might simply give an indirect impulse to it, by lessening the wall of partition between the worship of the true God and that of heathen deities, and making apostasy a possible thing. The Lord Himself had promised and had given Solomon wisdom, riches, and glory above all other kings for the glorification of his kingdom; and these gifts of God merely contributed to estrange his heart from the true God for the simple reason, that Solomon forgot the commandments of the Lord and suffered himself to be besotted by the lusts of the flesh, not only so as to love many foreign wives, but so as also to take to himself wives from the nations with which Israel was not to enter into any close relationship whatever."

The Mosaic Covenant and republication for the 837th time

The eyes of academic Reformed theologians and those who follow them are no more turned away from Christ than when they are debating the Mosaic Covenant with regards to republication.

And yes that means this: when you see the issue as Jesus Christ came to fulfill what the first Adam failed to fulfill; and Jesus Christ was born under the law; and national Israel was a prototype of the coming Jesus Christ; then you can take it from there. (Hint: note the name Jesus Christ put three times in the above sentence. Does it anger you? Apparently it does. Many of you.)

I've kind of personally given up trying to explain it to the average Reformed believer. They seem to be petulant to a degree that suggests it's a discernment issue only the Holy Spirit can cure.

[Note: for beginners to Reformed Theology this subject is complicated for other reasons. Just learn Federal Theology, the spine of which is the two Adams, Adam in the Garden, and Jesus Christ.]

Good article on science and Christianity

This is not a book but a 26 page article:

http://www.archive.org/details/IsChristianityACauseOfScienceTheDuhem-jakiAndMertonThesesExplained

It's easiest to read if you just download the PDF and save it. It's good because in a concise way it gives the 7 reasons why science flourishes in any culture/civilization, then it compares the Chinese, Hindu, and Islamic cultures/civilizations to Christian culture and civilization regarding these 7 points.

Turn if off

Just now I was listening to James White's internet broadcast. He was making comments on a sermon given by a preacher who doesn't believe in the Trinity. About a quarter of the way in White compares these people who reject the Trinity to people who value the King James Version. Just out of nowhere his usual juvenile delinquent slam of Christians who value the King James Bible. What is James White? He's a mocker and a fool. And he is an angry boy as well. James White is angry. He's angry at God for some reason. Something is in his past unreconciled that he is holding against God. He knows the authority of God is in the Received Text, Hebrew and Greek, of the Authorized King James Version. He hates the authority of God. His giggly mocking of Christians who of all things value the Bible of English speaking Christians since 1611 can not be based solely on his sharing the shallow intellectual vanity of the priesthood of scholars who produce the mutilated trash of the corrupt modern versions. It can't be just that. James White is an angry boy. He is angry at God. He needs to reconcile whatever is in him and in his past that is making him angry and making him mock Christians who value the King James Version and making him mock the King James Version itself.

So anyway at that point where he mocks the King James Version I just turned the broadcast off. What does the Bible teach us about mockers and fools? Continue to listen to them? No, don't suffer them.