Snapshots and Synapses

The United States of America had obviously not been formed when the Bible was authored, so “USA” and “America” are not words you’ll find in the Bible. However, that doesn’t mean that Bible prophecy is missing key points or that the Bible doesn’t have anything to say about the United States of America. It does mean that if there are one or more prophecies about America in the Bible, the prophecy will not clearly name the US. I have written before about America in the Bible. When I wrote America in the End Times ( Part 1 and Part 2 ) in 2021, I was concerned about the growing division in America. I also referenced Isaiah’s prophecy against Ethiopia (Isaiah 18). At the time I recall thinking of Ethiopia as a country, but believing Isaiah’s prophecy was about America because it referred to an unnamed country beyond the borders of Ethiopia. I have since realized that “Ethiopia” is the English translation for “Cush”, and that Cush refers to the land occupied by the descendants of Cush, whic...

“Why God?” is a cry people often make when they question why God allowed something to happen, but that is not what this short discourse is about. It’s actually more foundational, and while I’m not planning to prove anything, I am going to briefly describe why it’s logical to believe in God. While belief in God requires faith, it is not blind faith. There are multiple “logical” arguments that provide a rationale for belief in God and one practical decision matrix that even a child could understand. (I was that child!) Gr. Logos - word, discourse, reason  I don’t think it coincidence that Jesus was described by his close friend John as Logos. See John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word [gr. Logos], and the Word [gr. Logos] was with God, and the Word [gr. Logos] was fully God. These logical arguments for the existence of God are briefly described below. Cosmological Argument Gr. Cosmos - the order of the world or universe  aka Unmoved Mover or Prime Mover; the concept that cause...

I was asked a question: “Do you think Adam and Eve’s decisions to keep the commandments before perceiving  good and evil had the same value as after?” It’s an interesting question, but before it can be answered, we need to look at it more closely. Value is based on perception. In economic terms, the value of anything is based on its perceived worth. We don’t buy something for $500 that we believe is only worth $5.  So the question is inherently complicated by my follow-on question: “Who evaluates the worth?” From one person’s perspective, there may be more value in obeying when we know what we’re giving up, when we perceive something good that we won’t get by following God’s commandments.  In other words, we think we know what is good because we have decided it is good, and we can often label something “good” that is in reality a temporary and deceitful pleasure that is ultimately bad for us. For example, when Adam and Eve ate from the fruit they thought it would be good ...

 My highest value is Truth & Love. It's not my highest two values; it is my highest value because I don't believe the two can be separated. A partial truth is the most powerful lie. The gap in the full truth leaves an opening for so many different, wrong understandings, but the full truth cannot be separate from love.  Sadly, as John 1 points out, men prefer darkness to light; mankind prefers the lie or half truth to the full truth that can set us free. The full truth can't be spoken without love. Christians are commanded to speak the truth in love, but sadly, we can sometimes only speak the half-truth, focused on sinful behavior without love for the person caught in that sin. When we do that, it comes out as an accusation rather than an affirmation, and in the process we resemble the Accuser of Men (a.k.a. - Satan) rather than the One True God, Whose image we bear as ambassadors to this world.  When we sin, the Accuser speaks half-truths about who we are and what we ...

So what is Christmas all about? We know it's not about Santa, Die Hard or Christmas RomCom movies, and we can sometimes reflect on how Christ came to save us from the consequences of our wrong-doings (aka - "sin"). Theologically, this means Christ came to atone for our sins, meaning He took away our sins and chose to take the punishment on our behalf. This is all true, but is this why Christ came to earth?  Yes, He came to atone for our sins. Colosians 1:13-14 says: God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of his Son, whom he loves. His Son paid the price to free us, which means that our sins are forgiven. But more than that, He came to end the rebellion of Man (see Daniel 9:21-24 ) and to bring the reconciliation described in  Colossians 1:21-22 : Once you were separated from God. The evil things you did showed your hostile attitude. But now Christ has brought you back to God by dying in his physical body. He did this so that you...

“Hello Hello! Thank you for making the time to meet with me!” said the host as he opened the door. “Of course! I will almost always say yes to a free dinner.” the old man replied, his eyes smiling as he took a deep breath. “And it smells delicious, my friend! But why would you go to all this bother for me? I have nothing to offer you… not that I want you to turn me away now. My stomach would never forgive me.” “It’s just a small sign of my appreciation for being able to hear your story directly from you. I’ll just say that our mutual friend, Eleazar, was quite insistent that I add your story to the account I’ve been writing. He is literally a different person because of you.” “Doctor, you…” “Please, call me Luke.” “Yes. Luke. Thank you. Please promise me this first: If I share my story, do not use my name. I’ll give you names of other shepherds who were there that night, but I’m just an unworthy servant. It is only important that the One Who has written my name in the Book of Life know...