Atheism Makes The World a Better Place

When Christians say that the farther we get from God, the more likely it is that things like this happen:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/03/sport/football/dutch-linesman-killed-football/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

and when Christians tell you that rejecting God makes the world a worse and more dangerous place to live, just tell them, “Referees and linesmen have always been killed after sporting events. It's just being reported more now.”

That always helps people to relax in the presence of evil.

. There have always been 50,000,000 pre born children killed every year. It's just being reported more now.
.  Rates of depression have always been staggeringly high. It's just being reported more now.
. There have always been snuff movies. It's just being reported more now.
. So what if, as prophecy says, there are 100 times more earthquakes now than there were 100 years ago. Tell people they're just being reported more now.
. So what if, as prophecy says, there are more famines in more lands than ever before. Tell people they're just being reported more now.
. So what if, as prophecy says, economic upheaval with rampant inflation for food and social upheaval is increasing. Tell people that stuff is just being reported more now.

. Kid's have always been going into schools and killing their classmates. It's just being reported more now.

. Kids have always been killing homeless people for fun. It's just being reported more now.

. Kids have always had higher rates of STD's than adults. It's just being reported more now.

. Kids have always been – well – you get the picture.

Crisis? What crisis?

We don't need God in order to be good people. 

Monday Night Football

I wonder how long it will take David Silverman and / or the Freedom From Religion atheist crowd to attempt to force athletes like RGIII to stop giving God credit for their athletic abilities?

It must be bad enough to have to listen to “God Bless America” during ball games, but to have super stars pointing to heaven a dozen times in every game, man, that's gotta hurt. 

Who Can Understand It?

There’s a line by the apostle Paul, where he says that he “rejoices” in his infirmities, his weakness, his failures etc.

In my unsaved days, as I was looking for ways to discount what the Bible says, that was one of the lines that was in my ammo pack. It looked like Christianity made people insane. It looked like Christianity turned people into sadomasochists.

Today, I get it.

Pride is our worst enemy and God takes those whom He has called and uses the hardships of life to pound the pride out of us. He uses the same events to increase the pride of those who are destined for hell. It causes them to believe they don't need God. 

Even when bestowing great mercies upon us, God often follows that up with loss or tragedy just to keep us from thinking that it was we, by our strength who brought that flake of goodness into our lives.

It sounds stupid but our human nature makes it a necessity. For example, I would never admit that I “do good things” to get something from God or to manipulate God into protecting me from something bad. And I believe that’s true. HOWEVER when something pleasant comes my way and I’m thanking God for that perfect gift, the thought always comes into my mind as I’m praying, just a reminder of the “good things I’ve done so of course God would reward me.”

Barf!

The fact is, our greatest spiritual triumphs come most often in our weakest moments. I’m at my worst spiritually when I have a little bit of control over the situation. I’m at my best when the situation is beyond my control and I can just say, “Lord, take this.”

For when I am weak, by the grace of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit, that’s when I’m at my strongest.

"He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future"

Adolf Hitler!

"Fucking Dick Head"

A client called me that once. In a story too long to tell here, this man had to be discharged from the treatment centre in which I was working and he was a patient. He was angry - at me. That’s what he called me on the way out. In his mind, at that point (perhaps still) I had little or no value.

There are lots of people in the world like that. Babies in the wombs of mothers who don’t want them. The poor. The mentally ill. Criminals. 

Certainly criminals. 

 Read the comments about someone who has committed a crime and “Lock him up and throw away the key,” is a common sentiment. Few people see value in those who have spent their lives taking from the rest of us.

Someone exactly like that made an outlandish request. Without having darkened the door of any Church, without having done anything of value for society, a man, hanging on a cross uttered what was probably the first genuine prayer of his life when he asked Jesus, “Please let me spend eternity in Your presence.”

And Jesus said, “Sure.”

Do you get this? A couple days ago Hugo said that I deserve to spend eternity in hell. He said it like he thought that might be a surprise to me, or that it might shock me in some way, but he's absolutely right. That is exactly where I deserve to be – for eternity. So does every human who has or will ever exist.

This guy on the cross, like you and I and everyone else had nothing to offer in exchange for eternal life in paradise. All he had time for was one prayer and he used his time wisely.

“Would you let me in Jesus?”

“Sure.”

To Jesus, you and I and everyone else have value. We have value, not because of how much we make or what we can do. Our value to God is not based on how we look or even how good we are to others. Our value to our Creator is based on the fact that He made us. He formed us. He knew us before our parents brought together their sperm and egg.

Jesus longs to spend eternity with us and the only thing that can keep that from happening is us. The only thing that can keep that from happening is our neglecting, or worse, our refusing to ask.

Don’t be a dick head.

Accept Jesus’ offer of forgiveness / salvation.

Cowardice asks the question - Is it safe?

Expediency asks the question - Is it popular?

But conscience asks the question - Is it right?

And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Jews and Prophecy

It's no news to say that, while many Jewish people have accepted the truth of Jesus as Messiah, as of yet most have not. Like atheists, these people can pour over the Torah and completely miss what's being said.

The rejection of Jesus as the Messiah by the Jews as a whole was prophesied in Isaiah and in Daniel. The Jews’ preconceived ideas of what the Messiah would do made it impossible for them to recognise Jesus as Messiah.

The problem is, they have ignored Old Testament prophecy which clearly explains that the Messiah will NOT accomplish what the Jews expected Him to accomplish. Many times I've heard Jewish people say, “The Messiah is supposed to bring peace. But when I look out my window I don't see peace.” The problem is not what they see. The problem is that they don't know Torah, which says clearly, 

"The Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler [Rome] will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple" (Daniel 9:26). (My insertion).

At the same time, thousands upon thousands of Jews DID accept Jesus as Messiah and all of the first missionary efforts took place in Jewish places of worship. From that time until now there has always been a remnant of Jews who know their Scriptures and recognise Jesus as their Messiah. 

1) Isaiah 52:13- 53:12: This tells us that the Messiah will be highly exalted BUT not before He suffers terribly. He would be beaten beyond recognition, lifted up (crucified) and would live again after being crucified. 
2) There have been two Temples in Jerusalem. 
a) In 2nd Chronicles 7:17-22 Israel was warned that if its sin reached a certain level the first Temple would be destroyed. Its sin did reach that level and the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, just as predicted. 
b) In Daniel chapter 9, Daniel prophesied that a second Temple would be built and that Temple too would be destroyed. It did get built and it was destroyed by Rome, again as prophesied. 
According to prophecy, several things regarding Messiah were going to happen prior to the destruction of the second Temple. 
a) Haggai 2:6-9 - This prophecy tells us that the glory of the second Temple would be greater than the first. That sounds like a “so what” kind of statement. Build a bigger Temple and you get your greater glory. Problem - the physical structure of the second Temple was pitiful in comparison with the first Temple that was built by Solomon. Yet, this passage tells us that the glory of the second Temple would be GREATER than the first. While the word for glory can sometimes mean “wealth” (was the Temple filled with coins?) for the passage to say - “I” will fill the [second] Temple with glory,” clearly implies the presence of God Himself. 
b) Malachi 3:1-5 - This prophecy tells us that prior to the destruction of the second Temple, the Messiah would come to the Temple. “The Lord you are seeking will come to His temple.” The Jews were looking for a human Messiah. However, since the word used for “Lord” always and only refers to God Himself, they COULD have known that Messiah would be God Himself. 
c) Daniel 9:24 - This prophecy tells us that before the second Temple is destroyed the Messiah would provide for an everlasting atoning sacrifice for all people. No more temporary sacrifices would need to be offered.
If prophecy is accurate then these things had to happen and in fact they did happen prior to the Temple being destroyed in 70AD.
Since the death and resurrection of Jesus 2,000 years ago, religious Jews have had:
NO atonement system, 
NO functioning priesthood and 
NO functioning Temple. 
That is because all of the above found their fulfilment in Jesus. The Jews were expecting Messiah to come and rescue them. He did come, He did provide the means for spiritual rescue (the only kind that’s important), but they did not recognise Him.
Are you getting this? 
1. According to prophecy of the Jewish Scripture, the Messiah would come to the second Temple before it was destroyed. 
The second Temple was destroyed in 70AD. 
If Messiah didn’t come to the Temple prior to its destruction in 70AD, then Messiah isn’t coming at all. 
2. According to prophecy of the Jewish Scripture, atonement for sins would be made by Messiah prior to the destruction of the second Temple. 
The second Temple was destroyed in 70AD
If atonement for the sins of the world didn’t take place prior to the destruction of the Temple in 70AD it isn’t going to happen. 
But 
. One claiming and proving to be the Messiah - Jesus - did appear prior to the destruction of the second Temple in 70AD.
. One providing atonement for sins - Jesus - did appear prior to the destruction of the second Temple in 70AD
. Jesus visitation to the second Temple was the only visitation by Messiah to take place.
. Jesus glory, the very presence of God incarnate, was the only way that the second Temple’s glory was greater than the first. 
Because of a prior commitment to a different belief system, you may not like the idea of Jesus being Messiah, but if Jesus isn’t Messiah then nobody is Messiah.
If none of this took place prior to the destruction of the Temple which took place in 70AD then we may as well say that atheists are correct because the prophecies were not fulfilled and it’s all a lie. 
However:
All of this did take place in the person of Jesus. 
The prophecies were fulfilled. 
The Messiah did come right on schedule.
This is not speculation. This is historical fact!