Does the gift of tongues make prayer more effective? Does it make you more powerful in the Spirit? A commonly held view in much of the Church is that God is more inclined or more able to assist you if you pray in tongues. Is this true?
Six Things Tongues Cannot Do, Part 2: Tongues Can’t Make You More Spiritual.
Does the gift of tongues make you more spiritual? Does it make you into a better Christian? I will show here from Scripture that it does not, and that the belief that it does is a deception. Our guide for this study is the Bible, not experience. YOU CAN SKIP A BIT I will first … Continue reading Six Things Tongues Cannot Do, Part 2: Tongues Can’t Make You More Spiritual.
Israel and Iran
With events in the Middle East these days, who knows what's going to transpire in the near future? The answer is that while a lot of self-professed experts in the faith and out of it really don't, God does.
Six Things the Gift of Tongues Can’t Do, Part 1: Tongues Can’t Make You Speak In Heavenly Languages.
The gift of speaking in tongues is often described as the ability to speak in heavenly languages: the languages of angels or of the Holy Spirit Himself. Does this belief stand up to close Biblical scrutiny?
Do Christians Worship a God of the Gaps?
Christians have been accused, most notably by Richard Dawkins, of worshipping and believing in a "God of the gaps". That is, whatever science doesn't yet understand is where we Christians claim God is. Is this true? Has science backed our God into a corner, so that most of our world can be observed, and the part where our God is gets smaller and smaller as knowledge increases?
A GOD WITH A MIND OF HIS OWN
How many people across the Western world have convinced themselves that the God of the Bible can't be the real God, because they're sure that the real God would do things differently?
WHAT TO BET YOUR LIFE ON
Perhaps a majority of people have submitted their lives and their eternal destinies to the idea that we all evolved from nothing, via some sort of single-celled organism, then a fish, a lemur-like creature, and an ape-like animal which eventually learned to walk on two legs.
CHOOSING TO BELIEVE
I recently wrote about free will in relation to faith using reason only, promising to consider Scripture very soon. So now I offer what I consider a Biblical viewpoint on the matter.
Passwords, Moles, 666 and Scammers
Who, besides me, has a stack of passwords, pins and usernames recorded on paper because they can't possibly all be remembered?
“ESCALANTE”- Our Newest Release of Original Music
My son and I recently released an album of original jazz/ jazz fusion music. You can hear it or download it on your favorite streaming platform, and I've listed a few links below for your convenience. If you pick the YouTube link you can hear it all completely free and without subscription. At the bottom is a link to an ad for the album, which is titled, "Escalante".
Excuses For Altering Truth
A Facebook friend of mine who's a pastor recently shared a quote from someone he looks up to. It went something like this: "If I have all my doctrine right but have not love, I am nothing".
A Terrible State…
The current government in the United States is, so far as I can tell, the most corrupt in the history of the United States, and probably many other nations also. What's worse is that they have no ability to feel shame, and no ability to access any conscience they may have left.
THE CONSEQUENCE OF OPPOSING ISRAEL
My focus is the consequence of hatred for the Jew. Of course, those now being led by the propaganda and instigation of Western media will insist that they don't hate the Jew-they "love everyone"!
Free Will: Is God a Monster?
A God who would bring billions of people into the world in order to send them into the pits of hell for ever is not a God of love at all. He is, as Erasmus observed in his debates with Luther, a monster. I for one would not want to go to His heaven.
The Moabite Stone
Many times in recent decades and over the past two hundred years, archaeological finds have confounded skeptics and unbelievers, and given evidence in support of the Bible. One such find is the "Moabite Stone", aka "The Mesha Stele". I'm here summarizing the description of this stele and how it came to light, as told in two video documentaries noted below.
The Great Falling Away
Some denominations and movements within the Christian world are foretelling or "prophesying" a world-wide revival. They even teach that we believers have to work to facilitate that revival, in order to put the world right, and, they hope, to persuade Jesus Christ to come back. If that's your belief, good luck: you'll need lots of it. It's a battle you cannot win.
The Significance of the Ruins of Nineveh.
In Joel's YouTube video, "Bible Evidence Unearthed at Nineveh!" hard evidence found in ancient Mesopotamia is compared to the text of Scripture. As you will see if you watch it, the details are numerous and match magnificently.
Faith Is Where the Heart Is
If you really want to find evidence to support the Bible and its God, you can: there's plenty of it. Of course, there are no photographs of Jesus, or emails from Moses to Aaron, or videos of the Flood inundating the earth. And if you're hoping that God is going to peep between the clouds so that you can have faith, forget it- it isn't going to happen.
NOT GOD, NOT A JELLYFISH
Tucker Carlson, in a recent speech in Canada, said "When you realize you're not God you have hit upon the root of all wisdom".
Disappearing the Church in Revelation After Chapter 3.
Normally I greatly respect John MacArthur's teachings and his love for the Word of God. He's one of those few men I can look up to in our time. However, I disagree with him on the subjects of election, and as I discuss below, the rapture of the Church.
Biden, Herod, and Me
As I look around at our world, and especially at our government (in the US and other Western nations) I can't help sometimes wondering why we don't see God strike certain people down in front of us all. They are utterly corrupt and arrogant. They have no shame. They make decisions for the detriment of their own citizens. They bear false witness against others. They are being bought by powerful globalist forces and figures. They lie incessantly. They use their positions of power for themselves and people like them.
YOUR TRUTH, MY TRUTH
I can tell you one thing: without God at the center of our culture, government will inevitably become God. It will be the ultimate authority. It will dictate what is right and what is wrong; what you can and cannot do; where you can and cannot go; how long you should live; what your value is; what you can have and what you must part with, and so on. And anyone living with the thought that we can hold government accountable and shape it to our own will is living in a dream world-a false utopia which history proves over and over again cannot ever be.
GOD’S OWN END-GAME
The existence of God, despite the complaints of people like Sir David Attenborough who gave suffering as the reason for his own atheism, doesn't go away by invoking this problem. After all, God may be pernicious and unloving. He may be uncaring. He may be somewhere else and not able to help us yet. He may be using suffering for his own purposes.
MY MUSIC, 2024!
This post is designed to inform you about some of my music. I've also included some links so you can sample it or watch a number of our videos.
WHEN STRONG MEN ARE WOKE
I made the mistake the other day of tuning in, briefly, to NPR "news". It really isn't news, it's opinion dressed as news. Within thirty seconds of listening, which is the time it normally takes for me to detect propaganda on NPR news, I was hearing support for Hamas funded by the tax payer, and how the brave "freedom fighters" will "regain their homeland" eventually.
Mind Burp 18
Whatever you think of Tucker Carlson (I agree with him on most things) I believe he should enter a future hall of fame with at least one of his phrases-one which touched me. He said , "Telling the truth makes you stronger".
WAR IN AND AROUND ME
We're all familiar with reports of war from Ukraine and Gaza. War between nations and people groups is as old as human nature, unfortunately. This is the most visible form of war, but not the only one, by far.
Rapture or Not?
Views of the "rapture of the Church" vary enormously, from people not believing that it's a Biblical event at all and who say it will never happen, to the insistance that all true believers will be whisked from the earth any day now, in order to save us all from suffering and from what's to come upon the earth during the "Tribulation".
The Christian Life is Teamwork.
I've heard, and perhaps you have, well-meaning Christians, having been given a little praise or encouragement, claiming humility, saying, "It's all God". They're wrong: it isn't "all God".
What Will People Be Like in Heaven?
What will people be like in heaven? Will they be as they are now, except with wings? Not everyone gets along with everyone else here, so if there's not some sort of change in the transition from here to there heaven will be like our world is now: fractured, tense, decidedly unfriendly in places, and with a drastic imbalance of fortunes.
The Machines Inside Your Body
Dr. Guliuzza goes on to describe some of what he calls the "undeniable engineering" of parts of the cell. He writes that it's not only complexity that we should be paying attention to, but the fact that researchers are finding components of the cell performing functions that correspond precisely to human-engineered components doing similar things.
Living In Iron And Clay
It's not the mixing of skin colors which is the problem: not at all. Skin is skin: it's all human. The problem is the mixing of incompatible philosophies, and the destruction of roots and connections.
Having Confidence Despite the Times
I've followed several favorite political commentators over the last few years, none of which, I hasten to add, are in the "mainstream" or "legacy" media. I don't trust any of those any more. They serve a corrupt agenda to take our world into darkness. Who does trust them? Surely only people who are not able or willing to think for themselves, or who love the agenda.
Is the Current War in Israel Prophetically Significant?
Is the current conflict in Israel of prophetic significance? Does it signify the beginning of end-times events? Is it spoken of in the Bible? Is it a fulfillment? These questions are being asked among a large portion of the evangelical world.
Will There Be A Third Jewish Temple?
According to a popular and most obvious interpretation of a prophecy known as “Daniel’s 70 Weeks”, found in Daniel chapter 9, a third Jewish temple must be built exactly on the site of the previous two. However, a highly revered Islamic holy site controlled by Jordanian officials is in its place. Will the temple be rebuilt? In present circumstances it seems impossible.
Canyonlands-Our Newest Original Music
I don't often take a diversion from apologetics on my blog, but here's one exception. My son and I are producing some original instrumental music, and I decided to share it with my readers...
What It’s All About
I"ve been thinking about the things I write about which are most unpopular-the things my readers least want to read. For example, when I write on the subject of creation versus evolution, my post will receive little or no attention: usually none at all. People just don't want to know that the prevailing philosophy of the day is a sham.
How Not to Have a Revival
Will the world see a spiritual revival before the return of Jesus Christ? Is it our duty and calling to bring about that revival? If so, should it be done through a movement of spiritual gifts, tongues and modern-day prophets and apostles? I discuss here the fallacies of such faulty theology and false teachings on the subject.
Israel: Taking Sides.
A large portion of the Christian world has fallen for the lie that God is finished with the earthly nation of Israel. To these people, Israel is just another nation., and a guilty one at that.
Mountains After the Flood
Because the mountains of the world are so.... big... and because they aren't moving, at least not visibly, we assume that they've been there for many millions of years, looking much as they do now (click the title to read on). Photo by Kalen Emsley on Unsplash And that's what our masters in the secular scientific community tell … Continue reading Mountains After the Flood
Hear My/Our New Recording!
Hello valued readers. My son and I have released an original piece of music onto most streaming services. It's the first of several releases which will come over the next two to three months, culminating in an album.
Complete in Christ, No Matter What They Say or Think!
I wrote recently about a class mentality which is present in a large portion of the Christian Church. This way of thinking derives from human pride-not true spirituality. It's within the nature of humanity to want to be better than others, or to want to have more than others, or to look down on others so that you can look bigger and better. This attitude is not of God.
Interpreting Today’s Events in Israel
Public opiinion on Isreal is shaped, on the surface, by the bias of media corporations (though they don't have much success with mine). However, below this veiled layer of propaganda is an even darker influence, fuelling anti-semitism, and ultimately, anti-Christ sentiment. Today I will offer an overview of the situation, then comment on whether current events are prophetic.
More Original Music Coming!
I hope you'll indulge me a little as I mention some upcoming new music, written, recorded and played by myself and my son Nathan.
Love and Justice.
God is love, and God is justice. You can't have one without the other. You can't have up without down. You can't have hot without cold. You can't have low without high., and you can't have love without justice. Don't believe in dualism? You're shooting yourself in the foot.
How Does God Speak to Us?
Does God speak to His people? If so, in what way does He speak? Is it in an audible voice, where words can be heard and understood clearly? Does He speak frequently in this way, or even all the time?
Does God Want You to be Rich ?
Does God want His people rich? Is it just our lack of faith and generosity that stops us rolling in money? I want to begin today by being perfectly blunt: If you think that God wants you to be rich so that you can live a luxurious lifestyle, you've been seriously deceived and lied to. Worse, it may be your own selfishness which has led you to think this way.
Jesus Christ, The Son of God.
If you have doubts or questions about who Jesus Christ was and is, I can assure you of one thing: Biblical Scripture is abundantly clear on the subject, despite what numerous supposed "experts" have to say. This post is designed to lay out some of the evidence.
Is Healing For Today?
For those of you in a hurry, here's the gist of my essay today: It is faith in God that we need, not faith in healers. God is able to do all things, but He does not, and He is under no obligation to do what we ask or demand. Humanity and nature is under a Curse. God can and will heal, if it's within His will.
The Spiritual Christian
To the Romans Paul defined true sprituality, and true worship. He didn't mention tongues, or dancing and swooning to our favorite worship artist. Here's what truly spiritual worship is...
Fuel for Faith 