DANIEL and PROPHECY

                                       DANIEL and PROPHECY

    We are about to study the most interesting book of the Old Testament, and
its companion, the entire New Testament. God is telling us not only about the
end time, but reveals His long range plan for making believers out of Gentile
nations. If you have a good study bible, you will find reference notes in the
margin, referring you to many of the books in the Old Testament. This is what
the people of that day had to go by--the New Testament wasn't written yet.

    Before we start, I want to take you to some specific scripture and ask you to
contemplate your reception and understanding of God's inspired Word. When
you read and study scripture, do you carefully weigh the written Word and
consider the teaching of the New Testament to be the actual instruction of what
God expects from you? If you are a Christian, these directives are the biggest 
deal you will ever be a part of.

    Some Christians were really upset with my quotes of scripture dealing with
God's instructions about following leadership. They didn't like the fact that I
referred to our president as God's anointed and provided the scripture verses
from Romans (13:1-7). None of that was political. It is God's directive. God and
Christ do not want us individually or collectively to fail. When we protest that
now we will fail because we don't accept our leader, we are contributing to
failure and actually hastening our judgment. God is merciful, and gives us an
opportunity to realize He is omnipotent and always in control. If we plead
failure and a personal agenda opposing the very Word of scripture, we can
expect an equivalent of Israel's captivity, although not necessarily a physical
movement to another nation. While you study along with me, ponder these
vital words of scripture directly from the Apostle to the Gentiles (us).

    When Nebuchadnezzar captured Judah, the lone remaining Jewish state, he
brought many captives back to Babylon. He was a very intelligent man, and
wanted to gain knowledge, not just slave labor. Among the first captives taken
to Babylon were the Jewish princes, the cream of the crop, members of the
palace court, well educated and experienced. We tend to think people of that
time were primitive and unlearned, but that is not true. While they didn't have
the knowledge or capabilities of today, they were highly knowledgeable and
skilled in many areas. For example, they forged a type of super steel that we
have not been able to duplicate. The king's wise men (the president's cabinet
of that day) were well educated, although many were superstitious--some of us
are today as well.

    Nebuchadnezzar was the first ruler of a massive kingdom, and is represented
as the head of that figure in his dream. He had a strong temper, as you would
expect from someone that was virtually a human god over millions of people and
dozens of nations. Daniel and his three friends were indoctrinated into the Babylon
culture, but were first castrated. They were then apportioned food from the king's
table. The four Jewish boys (probably late teens) refused the unclean Babylon
food and asked to eat Jewish fare. This was a bold move, considering they could
be slain for refusing the king's food. Daniel, already in good standing with the
chief guard of the prisoners, arranged a deal with the king, permitting them their
food and a comparison with those who ate the king's food.  This was a test of their
commitment to God. Would you dare, as a Christian, to do this? Remember, you
can make a deal with mankind, but never with God. (Read my message on "Making
a Deal).

    Since I see many Christians not paying attention to Christ's teaching, I seriously
doubt many would take this chance. God honored their risk and belief, and the four
Jewish boys turned out to be in superior condition after following the Jewish diet.
As we saw in Genesis and Joseph, those who stand up for God can and may be
used by God. You have to have plenty of "umph" to carry out God's work. You also
must expect some pretty tough trials. The glory goes to God, and if you are obedient,
some may brush off on you. See 1 Sam. 15:22, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better
than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams."

    Daniel and his friends are fast becoming accustomed to the Babylon culture, and
their progress and abilities are recognized. I repeat my question: Would you have a
strong enough commitment to Christ to challenge the king's diet? Do you believe the
Word of God in scripture to the point of being obedient to Christ's teaching? I fear
many are Christians in name only. These four boys (young men) put their life on the
line for FOOD. They knew the consequences. Is your acceptance of salvation through
Christ's shed blood really a full commitment? Do you agree to follow His teaching in
scripture? Examine your commitment and don't excuse your personal agenda, political
or otherwise.

    We will move on to Nebuchadnezzar at his feast and his dream, but first we need to
understand we are at the point where God begins his "campaign" to bring the Gentile
world into His realm. Most nations at that time had their own idols and gods. Only
Israel (now represented by Judah) followed and worshipped the true God in Heaven.
You may note in this Book that God is referred to by Gentiles as "God in Heaven" to
distinguish the Jewish God from all the others. Through the faithfulness of these four
Jewish young men, the God in Heaven will be recognized and given His rightful place
as the One God of all. That is a step towards the coming of Christ and the offer of eternal
life. It also starts the clock running toward the end time. God is merciful, and He is giving
people plenty of time to come to Him. 

     He gave you Christ and scripture as well as a group of people to begin the worship 
and study to prepare for Christ's better place. The people who worked for and with
Christ were willing to follow His instruction to the death. When you fail to heed His Word,
you are failing as a real Christian. You have accepted your free gift, but can't bring
yourself to follow the Father's direction. It's a good thing God is merciful, because we
are sinful wretches. He does have limited patience, however, and our continued
ignorance of His teaching will bring the end time.

    If you believe in the tribulation prior to the "end", you have the "hope" to be a faithful
Christian and thus qualify to be raptured. Those who are wishy-washy on following
scripture will have to remain and suffer the tribulation. There are two reasons to believe
in the rapture. Christ spoke of it and described the marriage feast with the church (us).
See Matt. 25:1-13. You will note in Revelation there is no further mention of the church
after the "record" of the existing seven churches is given in the first three chapters. In
telling us about the marriage feast, He warns us to keep oil in our lamps because we
won't know when He returns. The oil represents the lifeblood and Word of God--the
light of the world and our scripture. After studying Daniel and Revelation, we know the 
world as we know it will end. Christians only have the hope of avoiding the terror when
God "pulls the plug." If you believe Christians can save the world, you'd better actually
study scripture to learn the truth.

    The Book of Daniel shows us how far reaching God's plan is for His creation. Through
Daniel's dreams, the future history of our universe is revealed. There were virtually 
hundreds of gods among the many nations at that time, and the miracles were God's
way of separating the "God of heaven" from these heathen gods. This new location of
God is because He left the earthly home when the temple was destroyed. Under God's
plan, it will take many years and several major empires to reach the final days. The
captivity of Daniel, and the miracles, open the window of God's outreach to the entire
world and all peoples.

    The length of time and the many generations work both ways to accomplish His
goal. There is time for people to learn about Him and try to adapt their lives to His
teaching, and there is time for people to consider scripture and Christ's teaching to
be only a book. Unfortunately, many people who profess to accept salvation consider
that the final necessary act in the plan of salvation. Friends, it isn't. You have accepted
the "freebie'--full pay in advance. With the acceptance of this gift, you are obligated to
commit yourself to the Word of God as represented in scripture--the very teaching of
God through the New Testament. Your work as a Christian only began when you
accepted the gift. If you do not pursue His Word, you are not doing your job, and fit
the popular current designation as an "entitlement" recipient. I am sad to see so many
"believers" who do good works, but think scripture study is too time consuming, boring,
or not REQUIRED. That is why the church today is full of Christians in name only. It is
also why the apostate movement has become so successful.

    For many, scripture study is much like regular school study was during the grade 
school and high school years. Many subjects appeared boring, and there were lots
of other ways to spend your time. If you haven't realized the value of history, economics
and government by now, you have a problem. Even so, that pales compared to the
lack of scripture study. If you have trouble with reading comprehension, you have a
major problem. Watching television, listening to tapes or the radio is helpful, but you
really learn the most from reading. You need to have an inquiring mind as you read,
seeking more understanding than the mere words. Scripture tells us that if we sincerely
seek, we will find. If reading is too difficult, you need to secure CD's or tapes, because often
it is necessary to go over passages several times.

    In our next message of Daniel, we shall see the second major test of faith and a
miracle. I keep warning you about God's testing of each of us right now to see if we
qualify to escape the tribulation. This testing includes us as a people to determine
our national future. The faith of Daniel's three friends and the omnipotent power and
control of God guarantees that every leader in the world cannot cause success or
failure of people or nations. We are all part of God's plan, and our attitude is our
thermometer. We shall see that the plot is heating up in our next message. This message
only reviewed the first chapter of Daniel and gives you some background.

Rev. Walbear

CENSORSHIP

                       CENSORSHIP

    Well friends, Christians and fellow Americans, I'm not 
certain you will be reading this message. After all the
comments and claims I've heard recently, I was absolutely
sure our Constitution guaranteed freedom of religion and
speech. Now I've learned some people have enough clout to
attempt to limit those freedoms. Yep, they have complained
to Google and placed my messages under "review". First, they
removed them, but put them back under review when we wanted
to know why they were removed.

    My "Christmas Alive" apparently was the key that resulted
in the wholesale removal of my messages. Since no living 
person was identified, there was no attack leveled against
an individual. I identified only Esther from the bible and
Jesus Christ. What I did do, was give word for word from the
King James bible the verses of Romans 13:1-7. 

    The bible titles these verses "Submit to Government",and
they were written by the Apostle Paul. The Book of Romans has
been considered by Christians to be the "flagship" of the 
fleet of Paul's letters. The entire New Testament was written
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and inspired by God.
It, including every single word, is the spiritual manual for
every Christian. There can be no picking and choosing. Either
you try to follow every word of the teaching, or you are a sham
Christian.

    I criticized people who signed petitions after the recent
election asking that their state be permitted to secede from
the United States. We went through this process over 150 years
ago. The results were the death and injury to thousands of
Americans and the end of slavery. In our democracy, we live
by rules set by the free vote of citizens. Our government exists
to protect and mother all states. Our military people protect
everyone in America. Asking to secede from the Union shows a
singular lack of respect for the men and women who have served,
and especially for those who made the ultimate sacrifice. If
you haven't pledged your very life to protect the Constitution,
and you don't have to carry a gun, you DO NOT do the same WORK
as our servicemen and women. They do agree to sacrifice their
life if necessary. Until you make that pledge, you do not work
as hard as they do.

    Servicemen and women serve to protect the Constitution and
America no matter who controls our government. They are serving
our nation and the people citizens have freely elected. They do
not serve a political party nor any specific religion. Many
Christians apparently forget the Constitution provides freedom
of religion. I am a Christian minister, but so long as others
worship in their own faith without restricting choice, I cannot
even attempt to block their freedom. If you research the
background of many framers of the Constitution, you will see that
some did not adhere to Christian principles or teaching. 

    You cannot make scripture say what you might like. It is
clear in its teaching if you study. So is the Constitution. 
I support my messages with many verses of scripture as the
foundation for the teaching. I urge you to read Romans 13:1-7, 
so you understand the real value of our Constitution and the
teaching of Christ.

     Several days after my complaint, the "review" was removed 
from the messages, and they remained up. This is the second time
I have experienced censorship of God's Word. If someone wanted
to censor the Word, you'd think they would go after something
like the preaching of the North Carolina pastor who urged parents
to "whack" the limp wrists of their little boys who may show
possible female leanings. A previous attempt to censor a message
was because "they" thought it was too political. It wasn't, and
I stopped messages to that source.

    The problem is that some people confuse political beliefs with
religion. They attribute their claims to Constitutional "rights"
or "freedom", but then try to strike down anything that doesn't
match their political philosophy.Here is the truly interesting
part of their argument: they criticize all forms of government
(socialism, communism,etc.)and champion democracy, while denying
the freedoms guaranteed by democracy and the Constitution.They
attempt to use Christ and their church as a foundation for
Godliness. If they studied the history of politics AND the
church, they'd understand the two don't mix. The best example is
Constantine and his decree that a citizen of the empire had to be
a Christian. The Inquisition is another example.

    It was difficult for me to understand the attitude of church
people and leaders following the election. They didn't and maybe 
still don't believe  God is in control of the universe. Because
a conservative lost, America and the world is doomed. According
to my bibles (yes, I refer to several bibles), God created everything
and is in full control of everything. He did not hand America over
to Satan. God and Christ do not teach failure. Why do these people
assume all is lost? Why the concentration on money? 

    I've been writing these scriptural messages for a long time. It
is pretty clear that the problem is caused by people who have placed
their belief on theocracy--government controlled by a religious
leadership. We already see how that works out with the Muslim
Brotherhood. The Pilgrims left Europe for religious freedom purposes,
but imposed a strict church-government here which included burning
at the stake and the stocks. Man's interpretation of God's Word has
never resulted in a Godly obedient society. If you look at the history
of Israel, His chosen people, you see the cycles of man's actions.

    I have to feel very happy that the very Word of the Holy Spirit
as quoted in my messages is so troubling to those who, perhaps
unknowingly, are doing the bidding of Satan. Only Satan would challenge
scripture. These people usually operate under the cloak of darkness.
They can't stand the Light of the World. I would suggest that if you
don't agree with scripture, you are warned in Gen.12:3(to Abram), "I
will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you".

    A great deal of hatred has been preached by politicians and leaders
in the past few years. There has been no premium on truth or facts. Now
that hatred is in the form of doom and gloom. God, Christ and the Holy
Spirit are all positive. If you have a negative attitude, you are not
listening to God. Now, for the unknown censor, I extend my prayers, 
because you obviously need help from the Holy Spirit. I urge you to read
Romans 13:1-7. This is your instruction to serve God's appointed and
sitting government. Your fight against this directive will only create
the divisiveness and downfall you predict. God is in control of all, now 
and forever.You can either support His choice and work for a better
America, or you can speed up the end time. God is patient, but He does 
expect eventual obedience.

Rev. Walbear  

CHRISTMAS ALIVE

                          CHRISTMAS ALIVE

The traditional Christmas message is alive with us every day, and when we think of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made to give us the opportunity for eternal life, we should carefully consider our life today. Saved or unsav

ed, Christian or Atheist, this message is all about you. As usual, the Holy Spirit delivers these "holiday" messages through unusual channels. Our scriptural background is not in specific verses, but the entire Book of Esther from the Old Testament. How amazing that Book ties in with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the New
Testament.

Before I begin, please note that the Jewish people in this book have been scattered through captivity. While the opportunity to return to Jerusalem has been given them, most did not return. They are out of the "Will of God", which I have spoken about in a previous message. That does not mean they are destined for disaster because they are not where God wants them to be. Please look carefully at the characters in this message. Jesus Christ is the star, but there are three supporting actresses, including Esther. The other two ladies
are from Russia and the United States.

If you read the Book of Esther, you will know the part she portrays. I'll highlight a bit of that later. Now we will turn to the first of two actual living characters in America. Both are citizens. Number one was born in Russia and was placed in an orphanage. She had an opportunity to visit the United States through a program that offered the possibility to be adopted by an American family. She desperately
wanted to come to America, but was near the cutoff age for children to be accepted for adoption.

Her dream was realized, and she came to America and became a citizen. Like so many other immigrants of 100 years ago, she wanted to embrace the American customs, language and society. She did, and became main stream America. Upon graduation from high school (she was an excellent student), she joined the U.S. Navy. Some immigrants received citizenship by serving in the U.S. military, but she
already had her citizenship.

When you enter the armed services, you take an oath or pledge. In this, you faithfully promise to defend the U.S. Constitution with your very life, if necessary. That's correct. You pledge under oath to God to defend that document through the very loss of your life. It's not just a job or responsibility. It's your life, if that's what the situation calls for. Christ gave His life for us, and a military person pledges
his/her life for us. They cannot provide salvation, but they can provide freedom. It is a pledge of life not required in other occupations, although police and fire personnel face serious consequences at times.

The third supporting character is an American citizen by birth. She is employed and part of a normal American community. She recently stated she signed a petition for her state to secede from the United States because that privilege was provided by our Constitution. It was an act of protest--part of that freedom--because she was
not pleased with the outcome of our election. A letter to the editor of a local newspaper critical of her action brought forth her defense. I want us (you, too) to carefully examine that defense. This is not political, as some may think. It is about how we tend to arrive at our personal beliefs.

There is no life or death pledge or oath for a citizen born in America. You get the entire package free. The Russian lady pledged her life blood to our Constitution and Esther pledged her life, if necessary to save her people. Both these situations, although different, involve life or death, depending on God's providence. Even if a person or nation is out of the Will of God, He is watching, and, don't forget, He is always in full control. The threat to Esther was immediate. If the king refused to receive her at the throne, it meant death. Our navy lady doesn't know when or if she will be asked to give the ultimate sacrifice. In both situations, they placed or
place their fate in God's hands to serve their people.

Now we meet the third supporting character in our story. Remember, this is a true story about real people living today. It will take more words to address the reasoning of this character. She was accused of treasonous acts because of her petition signature seeking that her state secede from the Union. She responded to that
accusation by quoting the U.S. Constitution that defines the act as "applying only to levying war against the State, or adhering to their enemies, giving aid and comfort to them." Her accuser was merely saying that rebellion against a legally elected leader is "treason in spirit." You're either for this entire nation's leaders, or as one
ex-president said, "you're against us." Our military personnel don't have that choice. They are sworn to defend our Constitution to the death. They can't pack up and go home because they don't like the "people's choice". They must act like responsible adults, not whiny losers. They quote "we the people", but they don't represent the
majority in a democracy.

The further reasoning of this woman attacked our educational system because she felt the letter writer wasn't properly educated. She said he didn't know the
Constitution. I wonder if she ever pledged allegiance to our flag? That flag represents all Americans, not just those with a personal agenda. I will quote scripture dealing with each person's responsibility to government a bit later. First, I want to point out a couple of other things she said that are dead wrong.

She lauds our military, but says they aren't the only people who fight. Others just don't carry guns, she continues. There's a big difference between facing bullets and bombs under all types of conditions and doing ANY other type of work. She insults all veterans, and brushes aside the sacrifice of family and life of soldiers. She says "we" (the dissidents) take the time to educate ourselves and pay
attention.

Now we get to the motive of this person. She states she's praying that her "hard earned money" wasn't used to pay for these poor people's supposed education. Her interest in all this phony rant about our terrible governmental leaders is money. These, of course, are the ones "we the people in the majority of a historical democracy just elected to lead our nation." Again, I probably will be accused of being political.

ON THE CONTRARY! READ THIS SCRIPTURE: Romans 13:1-7. If you are a Christian, these are your marching orders as delivered by Paul. "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain for he is Gods minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject , not only because of wrath, but also for conscience sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due; taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor."

There is nothing political in Paul's directions. The woman worried that her money may have paid for some leader's education. She wasn't worried about the future of our nation and praying for the guidance of our leaders. She certainly isn't "up" on the very Word of God, so she hasn't paid attention to this most precious of all education. Remember the response of Christ when asked about paying taxes? See Matt. 22:18-21. "But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, 'Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? show Me the tax money.' So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, 'Whose image and inscription is this?' They said to Him, 'Caesar's.' And He said to them, 'Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's'"

Everything belongs to God. That includes all material things, including money. God is always in control, even when people or a nation are out of His Will. If you doubt my teaching, go back to the Book of Esther. She and the Jews who didn't return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and city were out of the Will of God. Even so, His plan was still working, and He was directing the show. Esther, a Jewess, was the queen of one of the worst king's in history. He was persuaded by a Jew hater to sign a decree directing the death of all Jews and collection of their possessions to be given the king's treasury.

When a decree was given, it became law, and could not be changed, even by the king or person who wrote it. When the lot was cast to set a date, God caused the date to be about one year from the decree. You see, although the Jews were out of His Will, they were still His people, and part of His plan. They always will be. He keeps His covenants. This was enough time for action to prevent the extinction of the Jews. Esther was the only person God had available to prevent the disaster, and she (although it was not known she was a Jew) was placed in her role by God for this very purpose.

To save her people she had to accept the possibility of sacrificing her life by appealing to her husband, the king. She had already seen former Queen Vashti removed from the throne for disobeying the king's order. If the king refused to accept her into the court without his personal invitation, it meant death. If you don't read the entire book of Esther, you are missing a wonderful story and a true Christmas message.

Esther didn't have to sacrifice her life, and her action did save her people. God used her, just as He could use any of our military personnel. They put their life where their mouth is, and it has nothing to do with misconceived lack of education or use of money. It has to do with character and true Godly values. It has to do with being willing to sacrifice your life, if necessary, for the GOOD OF ALL. At this Christmas season, we as Christians should understand the priceless gift of salvation we receive at only the cost of our sincere and honest acceptance through Christ's sacrifice. When we equate hard work or perceived higher intellect to be on the same level as the sacrifice pledged by Christ or our military people, we really do need to not only go back to school, but also to study scripture and stay
awake in church and Sunday school.

This Christmas, give serious thought to the sacrifice others have made to enable you to observe the joyous occasion of our Savior's birth. Even Atheists and people of other faiths can appreciate the sacrifice of life for others...except some Americans who overlook Mark 12:31, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." We are one nation, under God, and He is in full charge, now and forever. Yes, I am a veteran, and her words seared my soul.

Rev. Walbear

PS--This is the Rev's webmistress. The picture used here is of Pearl Harbor. Today is Pearl Harbor Day, and I thought it fitting in talking of sacrifice and military sacrifice for our freedom, that we mention that and thank all Veterans, but especially remember those that were at Pearl Harbor today.

ACCOUNTABILITY

                                  ACCOUNTABILITY

    Some time ago I wrote a message on the subject of accountability, and this
message is a follow up to that one with added scripture. There are all types
of accountability, but we are dealing with accountability to God in these two
messages. The previous message was based on Israeli procedure, which
established the age when a boy or girl was considered mature enough to be
accountable to God. Since this was in the period of time before the advent of
Christ, there was no clear plan of salvation as we now have. Accountability
was thus based on age. This age for boys and girls was usually 13, but over
the years has been changed to as old as 15 or 16, depending on the 
particular Jewish congregation.

    Our nation has established ages for accountability in consumption of alcohol
and many other things. This method is far from perfect, but seems to work out
fairly well. With the coming of Christ, age was replaced with maturity and
understanding of the plan of salvation. We should not be confused to think
that Israel in pre-Christ time did not know of salvation. They were aware of an
after life. There are several examples in scripture that prove this, but you have
to have a sharp eye and wit to discover them. Like so many truths in the bible,
these gems are usually overshadowed by other truths which grab our initial
attention.

    The first clue I give you is found in 2 Samuel 12:22,23. "And he said, 'While
the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, "Who can tell whether the Lord
will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead; why should
I fast? Can I bring him back again? I SHALL GO TO HIM, BUT HE SHALL NOT
RETURN TO ME.'" David knew about eternal life and the future "home" for the
child not committed through the sinner's prayer or by the age of accountability.

    The second clue is from, of all places, the Book of Job. This is a small book,
but it has so many sermon topics, it requires several in depth studies. We shall
examine some verses of Chapter 3 that tell us Job knew about eternal life. See
verses 1-19 (and more verses if you like), because this explains Job's knowledge
of eternal life. "May the day perish on  which I was born, And the night in which
it was said , A male child is conceived. May that day be darkness; May God above
not seek it, Nor the light shine upon it. May darkness and the shadow of death
claim it; May a cloud settle on it; May the blackness of the day terrify it. As for
that night, may darkness seize it; May it not rejoice among the days of the year;
May it not come into the number of the months. Oh, may that night be barren!
May no joyful shout come into it! May they curse it who curse the day, Those
who are ready to arouse Leviathan. May the stars of its morning be dark; May
it look for light, but have none, And not see the dawning of the day. Because it
did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb, Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.

    Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?
Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse? For
now I would have lain still and been quiet, I would have been asleep; Then I
would have been at rest With kings and counselors of the earth, Who built ruins
for themselves, Or with princes who had gold, Or filled their houses with silver;
OR WHY WAS I NOT HIDDEN LIKE A STILLBORN CHILD, LIKE INFANTS WHO
NEVER SAW LIGHT? There the wicked cease from troubling, And there the 
weary are at rest. There the prisoners rest together; They do not hear the voice
of the oppressor. The small and great are there, And the servant is free from his
master." Job knew the future whereabouts of the unborn.

    By now you may have surmised I'm writing about abortion, which I do not favor
except for special conditions. I've heard so many loudmouth conservative men say
there should be no abortions because it is murder of an innocent baby or fetus.
However, if the mother dies, it is apparently okay. First of all, there is no such
thing as an innocent baby or fetus. Upon conception, the fetus receives the seed
of sin from human parents. See Romans 5:12, "Therefore, just as through one man
sin entered the world,, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men,
because all sinned--" The term innocent sounds good, but does not apply to
mankind, at any age.

    Let's move on to murder--the term anti-abortionists define according to their
personal agendas. Some believe it's Godly to kill an abortion doctor or any
assistants. That's premeditated murder. Christ did not teach that and it is against
God's commandments. Now to the conservative church people who CONDONE
MURDER by refusing to permit an abortion to save a woman's life: We have a
perfect example in November 2012 in Ireland. It made the newspapers and the 
full media in Europe and Asia, but was pretty well smothered in America.

    The woman was 31 years old, a native of India, married, well educated and a
dentist. Her husband is an engineer. She was in her 17th week of pregnancy, and
the fetus was contributing to blood poisoning. An abortion could save her life. The
fetus would die with or without the abortion. The woman suffered great pain until
she died. Ireland is Catholic. The country's constitution forbids abortion for any
reason. The decision by the Catholic church and medical people was to let the 
woman die even though the fetus would never have life. As she said, she was not
Irish nor was she Catholic. So...the bishops and doctors were responsible for two
deaths. At least one was murder. Her husband lost his wife, and they never had
any possibility of having children.

    Fortunately there were no anti-abortion American Catholics or conservatives
involved in this horrendous sin. I might add that many liberals oppose abortion
unless there are extenuating circumstances. You see, a fetus or baby that dies
before the age of accountability or before accepting Christ as Savior, goes
directly to be with Christ. David knew it. Job knew it. I recall the early stages of
the anti-abortion movement when activists used the pain a fetus felt through an
abortion. It was quite an emotional tactic. No mention was made of the woman's
pain and suffering, nor the tragic loss of a wife or mother. 

    Neither David nor Job was a priest. Both, by the very Word of God, were men
God described as Godly men. How do you suppose they knew about the after life
and eternity? There was no radio or television. There were priests who really were
the bearers of God's Word, not man's agenda. The priests didn't take polls to see
what the people preferred. They didn't set up programs to entertain the public. The
priests taught truth just as God directed.

    There was an eagerness by the people to learn and understand the Word of God.
When Israel passed through a time of "falling away", the Word of God wasn't taught,
and the book of the Law was packed away to gather dust. The people forgot about
their need to follow God's teaching. After most of the Jewish people were carried away
to Babylon, those left behind were without any Godly influence until Nehemiah was
permitted by the Persian king to return to his people in Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.

    When the Book of the Law was found, the people were eager to find out what it
contained. Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites (priests) gathered the people together
(we're talking about thousands and thousands), and the entire book was read and
explained to them. They were so eager for the truth of God, they STOOD and
LISTENED for the fourth part of an day--SIX HOURS! Nehemiah 9:3, "And they stood
up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord, their God, for one
fourth of the day; and for ANOTHER fourth they confessed and worshipped the Lord
their God."

    Friends, these people were the real thing. They spent half a day, most of it standing
up, to understand the Word of God. I wonder how much time these wannabe leaders in
politics or the church spend studying scripture. Not much, I'd say, considering they don't
know about the future for stillborn or aborted babies. Or for much of anything else Godly,
since they spout single verses of scripture to support their agenda. Conservatives and
church people need to question and research the claims and teaching of these speakers
so the fiction and fact can be separated. The church influence is failing, and it's because
people are using reason to determine truth.

    The current problem is the claim non believers, Muslims, liberals and Satan are
responsible for the re-election of our president. They are saying GOD IS NOT IN
CONTROL! He only created everything and selects kings, dictators, presidents,
and those who fit His purpose; permits wars, natural disasters, performs miracles,
and virtually everything else. BUT, He couldn't prevent Obama from winning the
election? Even the non-believers can't accept this explanation. 

    Job said it all in 42:2, "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose
of Yours can be withheld from You." If you really are a Christian, don't you think you
should spend some "stand up" time to really learn what the Holy Book says? The future
of America hinges on the revival of Christians and understanding of His Word.

Rev. Walbear