1 The Eaglestar Prophecy
A Seeker’s Revelation
Table of Contents Chapter 1: An Eagle in Heaven ..........................................................................................2 Chapter 2: The Questions....................................................................................................6 Chapter 3: The Floating Cross..........................................................................................12 Chapter 4: The Open File Cabinet Philosophy .............................................................15 Chapter 5: Laws ...................................................................................................................19 Chapter 6: Jesus in a Helicopter ......................................................................................27 Chapter 7: My Best Friend Jack .......................................................................................38 Chapter 8: Joe the Christian .............................................................................................62 Chapter 9: Tangents ...........................................................................................................69 Chapter 10: Divine Progression .......................................................................................73 Chapter 11: Going Deep ....................................................................................................75
Table of Appendixes Appendix A – The Gospel Scriptures Referenced in Appendix A Appendix B – The Trinity Appendix C – Poetry
2 Chapter 1: An Eagle in Heaven I was 12 years old when it happened the first time. I was taken in the spirit to the Kingdom of Heaven, where I encountered God. During this first encounter, God didn‟t tell me to do anything, nor did He even speak to me. He simply touched me in a unique way, which imparted a revelation to me about His personality. I recall entering the Kingdom of Heaven through a massive gate, where I saw grassy hills and trees inside, as far as my eyes could see. Everything was crystal clear. The green grass wasn‟t just green. It was really green – unbelievably green. Everything was so unimaginably colorful, just to gaze about was a pleasurable experience. A tall entity stood behind a podium on the right side of the gate, just on the inside of the gate. On top of the podium was an extremely large book. As soon as I showed up, the being referenced something in the book. This being was wearing a robe, and his face was somehow obscured so that I either couldn't see it, or I can't remember it if I did see it. All I remember about this being is that he found something of interest in the book, perhaps my name, and then motioned for me to enter through the gate. As soon as I walked through the gate, I was immediately saturated with the essence of pure love. My self-awareness dissolved, and was replaced with a simple blissfulness of an incomprehensible peace that permeated the atmosphere of this place. I‟ll never forget it. God was near.
3 The first thing I noticed apart from the countryside, and the peace I was experiencing, was a man with a Spanish sombrero draped over his face. I never did see his face. He was sitting, leaning against a tree, playing a guitar. I approached him and listened to him play. The music had an extraordinary effect on me. It was harmonizing with something in my body. Each cord reverberated through me, as if I were one with the music. While listening to the music, I suddenly felt a strong urge to look up in the tree. When I did, I saw the most magnificent bird I've ever seen in my life. It was an eagle with glowing electric blue eyes, and it had electricity pulsating throughout its feathers. That was one powerful looking bird. The cover graphic on the front of this book is my best attempt at depicting it. When we made eye contact, it lifted its wings, and a four-pointed star of light began to form in the air between the tips of its wings. When the points of this star increased in size enough to touch the wings, the star of light shot toward me and struck me on the forehead like a bolt of lightning. Pure love flowed throughout my body. I can‟t say for certain whether or not I was in heaven. I‟m not 100% sure about the identity of the entity, the man with the sombrero, or even the eagle, though I have my suspicions. But one thing I do know, the power that struck me was the power of God. It was His love that flowed through me. I already felt His presence in that place, but when I was blinded with that light, the intensity was unparalleled. Never in my life have I ever felt so loved, not because I did anything to deserve it, but rather, simply because I existed.
4 So much meaning was conveyed to me through that divine touch. Within it, I came to the explicit knowledge that I was specifically created for the sole purpose of being loved by God. And I knew in a way that could never be unlearned, the fundamental fact that the heart of God is pure love. I knew God. I knew what He was like. I understood His love to such a degree that it was frightening, for that‟s the kind of love that would sacrifice a son for me. That‟s the kind of love that would create a place called hell for those that defiled it, for the greatest fury is spawned from love betrayed. As General Wallis said in the movie Brave Heart, “…it‟s well beyond rage.” The power of that kind of love is untouchable – unfathomable – stronger than death, and eternal in magnitude. It‟s the source of all God‟s miracles. Have you ever cried? Have you ever fallen madly in love? Do you remember the magical moment when someone special let you into his or her heart? Can you recall contemplating someone‟s face that you so adore? Have you ever lost a loved one, and a wave of sorrow enveloped you? Have you witnessed the birth of your child? Have you lost a child? Has someone violated someone you love, and the anger that overtook you swept away all your sanity? The root of that anger is love. All of the most intense emotions spawn from love. That‟s the kind of love I‟m talking about. It‟s all there. I felt it. Everything, all at once. When I awoke from this dream, I immediately drew a picture of this eagle with the star. All throughout my childhood, I continued to draw pictures of this dream. I didn‟t have much definition to my faith back then. I believed that God
5 existed, and I thought about God quite often while growing up. I suppose one could say I was spiritually inclined. I asked questions. But I didn‟t know God – not until I had this dream.
1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
6 Chapter 2: The Questions Why? Why am I here? Why do I exist? What‟s the point? All things are composed of countless numbers of microscopic spheres spinning around each other in numerous orbital configurations. Atoms bind into atomic clusters called molecules, which bind to create all the various structures of the material universe. I consist of 100 trillion molecular structures called cells, which are a special type of molecular structure referred to as „living matter‟. Living matter is unique, because it struggles to resist the first law of thermodynamics. Each cell renews itself, resisting the natural degradation that attacks all matter. It does this so that its own existence might be perpetuated, or at least prolonged. Why? What is it about life that struggles to remain in existence? I sit, aware of my own sense of reason – my emotions, my thoughts. My brain thinks about how it is capable of thinking. I wonder why the thought of no longer existing is so disturbing. I live stuck to a spinning ball, (called Earth), which spins about 15 thousand miles per hour, rotating around another much larger spinning ball of burning, liquid, gaseous fire. While spinning and rotating on my planet, I am guided in an elliptical orbit by an unseen energy, floating in a void called „space‟, which appears to be endless. Are these facts not strange? I can‟t see all of these things, but I know about them. And those that I can see, I‟m not even sure how I can see them, because no one can explain how the
7 light that transmits the images of them to my eyes works. Is light a wave, or a particle? How can it be both? Through science, we‟ve learned a few things, yet we seldom contemplate how bizarre they are. And the more we learn the more bizarre reality becomes. Why? Why do they spin And circle again What is their source The unseen force They are so close And yet so far The planets we‟re on The atoms we are Does existence not hold some mystery that roars out in silence? What is it telling us? Might there be something important? Should we strain to hear? These are the kinds of thoughts that used to go through my mind when I was very young. The more I learned about my universe, the more it fascinated me. And behind it all, I always felt there had to be a reason. I couldn‟t fathom the extravagant vastness of my creation all being for absolutely no reason whatsoever. The REASON was mysterious to me, and equally as mysterious were the people that didn‟t care. The question WHY is such a wonderful question, yet so many people detest it. This is a sad fact, because those who refuse to leave it alone will eventually receive an answer. And the more they continue to ask, the more detailed their answer will get.
8 I believe that with God, EVERYTHING has meaning. I might not understand the meaning, but at least there is one, or many meanings. And without God, everything means nothing. I had a Biology teacher lecture for hours about the what, where, when, and how of life, but he could never answer why. That‟s the most important question! Who cares about the what, where, when, and how, if there‟s no point to it! Were I to adopt all that was taught to me in that class, I might have requested an extra credit assignment for committing suicide, concluding that my existence amounts to nothing more than a random electro-chemical fluke capable of self-termination, since it was going to disintegrate anyway, eventually. I could never shake the logic from my mind of the elemental truth about existence; there MUST be a reason. The universe is literally absurd with intricately detailed complexity that screams DESIGNER – a designer with a REASON – and surely a designer who created enough detail that no one could ever miss it. This was the understanding I had about God, prior to my dream about the eagle. I simply knew that God had to exist, without ever being taught, and without ever reading the Bible, even though the Bible states what I‟ve just said here, in Romans 1:20.
Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because of my response to the small amount of light that I had, God gave me more light, just as He promises for everyone, (Matthew 25:14-29). I knew
9 there had to be a reason, and God let me know that the reason had something to do with love. Anyone who truly wants to know if there is a God and earnestly seeks, responding to the light that he or she has, will receive more light. Those who lose interest in the search, for whatever reason, shall have the small amount of light that they have received taken away from them. This is explained in the Bible where it states that Satan is a thief of truth, and God will allow Him to steal the little bit of truth we have, when we refuse to respond to the little bit of light God gives us to start with (Matthew 13:3-8, 19-23).
Matthew 25:14-29 *See note For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that
10 hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. Note: The talents may be synonymous with either blessings that God bestows upon us, or truths that He imparts to us. Matthew 13:3-8 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some thirty. Matthew 13:19-23 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. There may be some atheists or agnostics reading this that ardently disagree with what I‟m writing. Fine, they can disagree, but in doing so they have to accept that their lives are meaningless, because without God, everything is meaningless. Without God, all that exists came about for no reason at all, and it will all return to the nothingness it came from. Yet, with God, everything has meaning, because everything is designed, and created for an explicit purpose. Nothing will be forgotten, and history will be – His Story.
11 The decision to believe in God doesn‟t necessarily have to do with whether God‟s existence can be proven or not. To the uncertain mind, no one can prove God‟s existence, but no one can disprove God‟s existence either, so whether He exists or not is irrelevant. It‟s all a matter of choice. People choose on a daily basis to believe in things they cannot prove. What‟s proof, anyway? Anyone who‟s ever used a calendar has exercised faith. So why not take that same principle and apply it to something much more important. Use it to choose a life of meaning. Plan on life having a purpose just as one might plan for an enjoyable weekend. So what if it can‟t be proven if there is or isn‟t a God. It can‟t be disproved, either. My suggestion for anyone that struggles with the question of whether there is a God or not, is to simply believe there is a POINT to existence; there is a God who designed everything with a purpose in mind. For those that are willing to take this baby step of faith, they will discover that elusive proof they so long for, rushing into their lives like a powerful flood. How do I know this? I know, because they will be responding to this light that is being given to them in these words right now. God will always honor His promises. He created us, and faith is that communication line that must be tapped in order for us to establish communication with Him. As for not having enough proof to believe in God‟s existence, a good place to start is by re-reading the opening of this chapter. To believe that something as complex as the universe, and all the life within it, could come about through a completely random process, is to suggest that exponential magnitudes of order were achieved randomly. That‟s an oxymoron.
12 Chapter 3: The Floating Cross Perhaps you‟re still with me. You‟re considering the possibility that you have the option to believe in something you can‟t prove. Maybe there is a God. What‟s next? For me, it was everyday life. I had my exquisite dream of an eagle in heaven that captivated my mind. I believed there was a God, because I contemplated Him, and then that contemplation was sealed within me through a vision. Then after I woke up from my dream, I got dressed, went to school, and carried on with my life as usual. God didn‟t leave it at that, however. A few months later, I had another vision, just as powerful as the first vision. I was walking through a damp, dark dungeon, wandering from chamber to chamber, feeling my way through the dark. The ground was muddy and full of puddles. The walls were slimy with moss and mildew. I finally reached a door that I knew was the end. When I cracked the door open, it slammed all the way open as if forced open by a powerful wind, and light and sound flooded the chamber. I heard an incredible chorus, which I think could only come from one place – heaven. The holiness and richness of that chorus made me feel as if I was expanding like a balloon. It‟s hard to describe; I actually felt like I was going to grow larger, or float away. I stepped out into an immense outdoor corridor that was part of a stone structure higher than anything on earth. It was miles high – so high, the wall on the other side, which was about 300 yards away, nearly converged with the wall I
13 was standing next to when I looked upward. Doors spanned these walls for miles down. I was at the last door, where the corridor came to a dead end. When I looked upward, I saw floating in the sky a long line of crosses, glowing with an amber hue. People were stuck to them like metal on magnets. They weren't nailed; they were just stuck. These crosses were floating down the center of the corridor, in perfect symmetry, about 20 feet above the ground. Suddenly, a new cross formed in the sky in the center of the corridor, next to the last cross. It was right above the door I just went through. It first appeared as a miniature tornado of amber light. A solid object began to become visible, spinning as it formed, and then it instantly stopped, floating perfectly still. I felt its pull, pulsating with the overwhelming sensation the chorus was building up in me, and I instantly jumped into the air, and flew towards it. I was whipped around and slammed against it. God's power suddenly filled me – it was the same overpowering jolt of love that shot through the depths of my being that I experienced in the last dream. I felt as though I downloaded several lifetimes‟ worth of loving emotional experiences within a few seconds. I woke up in bed with my arms stretched out as though I were on a crucifix. Tears streamed down my cheeks; my breath was stuttered. What on earth was happening to me! I have yet to discover the full meaning of this second dream, but one thing was immediately apparent. I was stuck to a cross.
Joel 2:28-32
14 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
15 Chapter 4: The Open File Cabinet Philosophy My father once told me that it‟s impossible to love God, since it‟s impossible to know Him. My father, it may be surmised, is an agnostic, though he jests himself to be a Pagan. He said he read the Bible once, in a week, from cover to cover. Perhaps in his haste he sped-read past 1 John 4:7-8
1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In short, anyone familiar with what love is and partakes of it can say he or she knows God, because love defines everything about God, from His personality, to His every action. Interestingly, God allows all people, even unbelievers, to taste of His glory in the fruit of love. All people have at least a minor grasp of who God is because of their knowledge of love, but many of those same people still deny God‟s existence. This is what my dad does, unfortunately, (though perhaps in his heart there is still a struggle), yet with me, my knowledge of God‟s nature was solidified at the age of 12. Many people are in the same boat as my father. My dad was raised in a Christian home, but during the course of his young life, he accumulated a large collection of unanswered questions concerning God. His unanswered questions and painful trials eventually resulted in his agnosticism. I had many of the same unanswered questions my father did, but I dealt with them differently. While my visions of God didn‟t alter my behavior, they created in my young mind a
16 wonderful thing I call the “Open File Cabinet” philosophy. This is a powerful tool for any young Christian. I had many questions about God that I couldn‟t answer. Most people have this same dilemma. In the few times that I read the Bible, I seldom understood it. For example, how could God, a Being of consummate love, demand the Israelites to slaughter every man, woman, and child in order to receive their “Promised Land”? This perceived contradiction, as well as others, was confusing, but my mind was made up about God; I knew He existed, and I knew what He was like. So when I was faced with unanswered questions and perceived Biblical contradictions to what I knew about God, I didn‟t feel compelled to answer these questions immediately, and close the case. I simply left the file open, unanswered, awaiting further information. I was simply missing a few pieces to the puzzle. As for the case concerning God‟s nature, this file was closed. The theory of evolution was yet another open file that provided me with a source of confusion. I‟m an analytical person by nature, so scientific theories always intrigued me. But where does the Bible discuss Neanderthals? It does, which I recently discovered, (this file finally got closed), but that‟s beside the point. I was able to accept the truth about God‟s nature when it was given to me, despite what the world was throwing at me. I didn‟t reject the light that I received, despite Satan‟s attempt at twisting scripture to make me deny God‟s nature. My fists were clenched tightly to the truth I received about God, and I wasn‟t going to
17 let go of it, even if the Bible itself, or my life experiences, seemed to indicate otherwise. Being a Christian is about a relationship with God – it‟s not about comprehending doctrine, or conducting religious activities. I say this, because if someone initiates a relationship with God, then God will reveal everything that is wrong, in His own way, and in His own time. That‟s one of His jobs. He will let us know what we need to know, especially if we want to know. Unfortunately, we frequently don‟t want to hear the truth, because it can hurt. Who wants to hear what he or she is doing wrong? God has a tendency of taking us exactly where we don‟t want to go, but this is where our part comes in. We are to seek, and when things are revealed to us, we need to submit. This can often be a painful experience, but at least the pain has meaning. It‟s not just us reaping the consequences of screwing up. It‟s the kind of pain that really does purify, as they like to say in the military. It‟s like tasting some nasty medicine, or undergoing painful surgery. We don‟t want to do it, but deep down inside, we know we have to if we want things to get better. This is what God did with me, and continues to do. I didn‟t start with doctrine. I started with a vision. Something resonated in me as TRUTH. This truth, is what I call The Eaglestar Prophecy. It is the place where everyone starts. In some way or other, God reaches every human being at some point during his or her life, planting a seed of truth that is understood at a fundamental level. Reiterating what I mentioned before, I didn‟t know hardly anything about interpreting scripture and resolving what appeared to be contradictions. But I
18 had a genuine relationship with an omniscient Being who felt compelled to enlighten me about a great many things throughout the course of my life. Now, I view not just the truth that God is Love as something I refuse to let go of, but even the entire Bible as a source of irrefutable truth, despite my ability to understand all of it. God produced this change in me. Some people may not even have access to a Bible, yet somehow, God reaches them. It may be controversial of me to make the suggestion, but I think God can save people even despite their religion, because it‟s not doctrine that saves people, it‟s God, whether people are knowledgeable about His methodology or not. Don‟t get me wrong – I‟m not saying that people can be saved through any other means than Christ. I furthermore am not validating any other doctrine than the Gospel of Christ. Jesus is still the only way to God the Father, according to (John 14:6). It may very well be, however, that the way, and the time that people reach Christ, (or that Christ reaches people I should say), could surpass the imagination, and transcend the barrier of religious doctrine. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
19 Chapter 5: Laws Going back to my introduction to evolution that I mentioned in the previous chapter, I recall that my mind frequently wandered while in Biology class. How could it not? Biology is, after all, the study of life. This was something that always fascinated me. While my teacher rambled on, I usually perused the contents of my textbook a few chapters ahead, seeing God interwoven into each page, hiding in plain view. Along with the vastness of creation – the ludicrous complexity interwoven into the fabric of time and space – indwells a fundamental aspect of reality that shows there DEFINITELY is a REASON for existence, and that aspect of reality is yet another indicator of the existence of God. The first thing that leaped out of my Biology text was the concept of laws. They were on every page. Why do they exist? Where did they come from? Did they just pop up out of nowhere? Many Biologists seem to think so. In the physical realm, there are countless laws, such as electromagnetism, the refraction of light, kinetic energy, buoyancy, aerodynamics, gravity, thermodynamics, and the list goes on. All things made of matter obey all the laws of physics. Then there‟s living organisms, which also obey all the laws of physics, but because of their complexity, they have unique laws in themselves. Reproduction, growth, consumption, and regeneration are four fundamental laws that apply to all living matter. If living matter doesn‟t reproduce, grow, consume a source of energy, and regenerate, then it dies.
20 Concerning the laws of living organisms, (which I will term the laws of life), mentioned above, consider the fact that the nature of love follows these four laws as well. The laws that apply to living organisms are both physical, and spiritual, because living matter serves as the physical interface for spiritual beings to interact in the physical realm. So in a manner of speaking, life, if it is to remain in existence, must conform to the laws of life – which can ONLY be achieved through love, which I will further illustrate. This is why love is the supreme law mandated by God upon all living beings. Life has programmed within it a selfdestruction mechanism that activates, for every violation of love, because the author of life is love, and all that He created is meant to exist in love. The entire Bible, in fact, can be summed up in single verse, mandating the requirement of love, (Matthew 22:37-40).
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. It is therefore important to understand love, and how obeying its mandate is requisite to living. Reiterating the four laws of living organisms, they are reproduction, growth, consumption, and regeneration. Let‟s start with reproduction. Does love reproduce? Consider the fact that love is the reason why God decided to create life in the first place. Love by definition is selflessness, focused away from the self. It desires to share. Love longs for companionship.
21 Concerning people, God‟s first mandate to Adam and Eve was to multiply and be fruitful. That was nice, wasn‟t it? “Okay kids, go have sex and enjoy yourselves!” The husband/wife relationship was designed to create new life, while experiencing the pinnacle of intimacy – in love. I imagine that with God, creating new life is one of His most enjoyable pastimes. If not, then why did He create so much of it? Does love grow? Again, love by definition is selflessness. Because of its external focus, it is always expanding. In nature, we see a great deal of selfpreservation, which is certainly not love, (there is a deeper explanation to it however), but with those organisms that are the most successful at surviving, namely human beings, it is because they realize that they must count on each other in order to not only survive, but to thrive. It is true that short-term gain can be achieved through selfish means, but long-term survival and fruitfulness in life only comes from large-scale selfless actions. Humanity wouldn‟t be where it‟s at today if everyone lived with a survival of the fittest mentality. Spirits live to grow And love is the reason why If evil they sew, they grow no more Then die Love gives until there is nothing left, but miraculously, it is renewed, to give more, which leads to the next law, consumption. Does love consume? It certainly does. It consumes the all powerful, eternal Holy Spirit of God. When we give, we become empty, yet God fills us again, refreshed anew. Love comes from God, (1 John 4:8), and spreads throughout the entire universe, perpetually feeding all life.
22
1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. Finally, does love regenerate? It is said that only God‟s love can truly regenerate the soul, (Psalm 23:3). As a living organism physically heals from wounds and diseases, kind words and compassion bring spiritual healing. And this love, poured out through people, originates from God. (1 John 4:7-8 / Genesis 1:1). Psalm 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. It is possible to live without companionship, but the definition of life becomes debatable. God regenerates the soul, and frequently uses other people to do it. Without the regenerating power of love, bitterness, selfishness, greed, lust, envy, strife, and every form self-destructive evil take root, and ultimately destroy us. Because love follows all the laws of living organisms, it may be surmised that when speaking spiritually, all the laws of living organisms can be referenced with a single term – the law of love. On a very fundamental level, all living
23 organisms obey the laws of reproduction, growth, consumption, and regeneration, by obeying the law of love. The moment a life form disobeys the law of love, it turns away from God. At this point, it is cut off from God, His supply of love, and it eventually consumes itself and dies. All infractions against love result in self-consumption, and eventual extermination. The law of love enforces itself in this manner. It is intrinsically designed into the physical material and spiritual essence of all living organisms. When we read the Bible, we see that the ultimate end of all life forms refusing to submit to the law of love, (obeying God – who is Love), results in the ultimate all-consuming Lake of Fire, which destroys even eternal beings – in an eternal destruction, (Revelation 20:12-15).
Revelation 20:12-15 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. This same fate is seen in the physical realm as well. When we study living organisms, we see the strange anomaly of viruses, which oddly, are not classified as living organisms, because of their inability to reproduce without a host. These little creatures bounce from host to host in their unending quest of self-destruction, (because they destroy their own homes).
24 And what exactly are viruses, anyway? Viruses are pieces of DNA that Biologists speculate once originated from the organisms they infect. Ponder the origin of viruses. Long ago, a piece of DNA decided it didn‟t want to follow the rules of the strand it belonged to, so it broke away from the main strand inside the cell of a living organism. Does this sound familiar? After breaking away, it realized it was going to die, so it tried to reinsert itself into the same DNA strand. But because it broke away, it destroyed the harmony of the original DNA strand, and it didn‟t quite fit in the same again. In fact, it actually destroyed the original DNA strand‟s ability to replicate. So the fragment of DNA frantically searched for a way to survive on its own, and discovered that it was able to replicate itself at the cost of destroying its own cell. Unfortunately, after a cell is consumed, it dies, but there were other cells to go to. It therefore spread from cell to cell, and then when it saw that it was destroying the entire organism, it eventually jumped into another organism altogether, thus, the virus was born. Consider the fate of a ruthless virus that kills every living host it infects. In such a scenario, it commits suicide. Does this seem natural? No, and rightly so. Viruses are not natural. Viruses are a peculiar anomaly that that exists on earth, because earth is a cursed domain, (Romans 5:12). Life, even at the cellular level, when practicing lawlessness, results in self-termination. Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
25 I believe viruses are inextricably linked with the realm of the demonic, because of their odd rebellious nature that disobeys the law of love, and because of the fact that all throughout scripture, healing the sick goes hand in hand with exorcism. (Matthew 4:24, 8:16, Mark 1:34, Luke 4:40-41, and Acts 5:16), are among a few scriptures marking this trend. Matthew 4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. Matthew 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: Mark 1:34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. Luke 4:40-41 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. Acts 5:16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. Viruses are to the flesh, what demons are to the spirit. Demons aren‟t truly alive, because they require a host in order to continue their pathetic existence. Also like viruses, they consume their hosts at every level, spreading
26 their selfish rebellion into every thought, sewing seeds of lust and greed into the soul. Their only means of survival is to consume their hosts until death, then seek another host. Reflecting on all of this rambling concerning the laws of living organisms, one can imagine the notes I took in Biology class. I loaned my Biology book to my Uncle, and he laughed hysterically at what I wrote in the margins.
27 Chapter 6: Jesus in a Helicopter Years later, in the fall of 1991, I was fresh out of the Army, and high on a freedom kick. I restrained myself from nothing. I considered myself to be a Christian, but if I really was, the definition is exceptionally lenient. I completely ignored the fact that being a Christian had anything to do with moral accountability. In my mind, morality was just an option. For example, I could go to church on Easter Sunday, (which is the only time I would go, if someone I knew bugged me about it), then get drunk and watch porno's right after service, and think nothing of it. At that time in my life, I didn‟t realize that Jesus is God. I was clueless about God‟s triune nature, which I address in Appendix B of this book. As for Christianity in general, if I were to sum it up in a word back then, it would‟ve been “Boring”. God wanted to change this. Encountering Jesus in a vision, then having some demonic visitations shortly thereafter was enough to get my attention. I believe God implemented some policy changes concerning my spiritual welfare during this time in my life, (i.e., a removal of angelic protection), so that I would grow up. If I wasn't going to change, then consequences were on their way. God did me a favor, however, prior to stripping away His protection. He gave me another revelation of Himself, and as an added bonus, warned me that some serious consequences were on their way if I didn't shape up. It was only up to me as to how severe they were going to be.
28 My dream began with my best friend, Rami, and me, walking together in a run down ghetto in the middle of the night. Typical of degraded neighborhoods, we heard people screaming and fighting in their homes, a bottle shattering somewhere, and a few cats fighting. As we passed a spray painted car sitting on cinder blocks, we happened upon a shopping card full of wine coolers. We were in hog heaven, and began filling our pockets. We continued to walk, each carrying about 10 wine coolers, and got so drunk that we lost track of where we were. Before we knew it, it was daytime, and we somehow ended up in the middle of a compound out in a desert. As it turned out, this compound was part of a huge drug cartel. Rami and I saw gang members standing around with machine guns strapped to their bodies. I had the strong impression that something awful was going to happen in this place, and that we had to get out of there. We looked for a way out, not knowing exactly how we ended up there. There was no way out; we were fenced in, and armed guards were everywhere. We were sorely out of place, too, and desperately hoping nobody would ask us who we were or what we were doing there. We just wanted to get out! I started regretting that I dolefully wandered into this place, and questioned myself about how I could allow it to happen. I kicked myself for getting so drunk, and started to cry out to God. "God, how did I end up here? I can't get out, and I don't even know how I got here!" While I was crying in my spirit, something wonderful happened. A large helicopter came from out of nowhere, and landed in front of Rami and me. The
29 door flew open, and I heard someone yell, "Get in!" Rami and I both immediately jumped inside. The door closed by it self, and off we went in the helicopter. As I looked out the window of the helicopter, the compound faded away, and we were free! I was greatly relieved, and sat back in my seat. After a short while of flying, I began to wonder about what was happening. Where were we being taken? I turned in my seat and looked out the window again. All I could see were miles upon miles of beautiful golden fields of wheat. The landscape was very peaceful and comforting. I then saw a road below, and we flew over to it. Next to the road were some power lines, which we were getting very close to. I began to get concerned. Suddenly, we jutted downward and underneath one of the power lines! Before I knew it, the helicopter did a complete flip, spinning around one of the power lines! Right after the flip, I saw that there was a mountain directly in front of us. The helicopter instantly dropped downward. Just when I thought we were going to explode against the side of the mountain, we flew into a tunnel that was made for the road we were flying over. We shot through the tunnel and out the other side. The helicopter did another flip around some power lines on the other side of the tunnel, then zipped back up into the sky and returned to a peaceful, tranquil ride. "Now what was that all about?" I questioned with shock. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time to react. We continued to glide over the beautiful golden fields of wheat, and Rami and I exchanged bewildered glances at each other. I then looked forward, and a question popped into my
30 mind. "Who in the world is that pilot? He's ... really good!" I then leaned forward and looked into the pilot's seat. To my amazement, I couldn't see anyone sitting there. The seat was indented, as if someone was sitting there, but whoever it was, He made Himself invisible. The controls and pedals moved busily about by an invisible pilot. I sat back in my seat, even more bewildered than before. While I was trying to figure out what was happening, the helicopter suddenly landed, the door flew open, and a voice spoke into my mind, "Get out!" Rami and I both jumped out, but then the voice yelled to Rami, "You get back in." Rami and I smiled at each other, I patted him on his back, and then he jumped inside. The door slammed shut, and off the helicopter and Rami went. I was surprised to discover that the helicopter pilot dropped me off right back in the same place he picked me up! But something was drastically different. Dead bodies were everywhere! A massive shoot-out must have taken place right after the helicopter took Rami and me away from this place. I was saved by whoever was flying the helicopter. The gate to the compound was wide open, so I cautiously walked out, and away from the compound. I was free, and unafraid. I woke up in my bed early in the morning, instantly recalling the vivid dream. I can tell when a dream is just a dream, but I know that was no ordinary dream. It changed me. I studied it in my mind, recalling how good it felt to walk away from that compound as free as a bird. Nothing was holding me down at the end of that
31 dream. I began to question myself. "Why did that feel so good? What was I leaving behind? What gave me that sense of freedom?" As I looked around my room, I felt like I was looking at the compound again, with all the same fences and armed guards. Within my room was a tremendous amount of bondage that had the potential to completely destroy me. Recounting the events in my dream, I finally remembered the part about seeing the pilot's seat, and the invisible pilot. "Who was that pilot?" I whispered to myself. I can still remember the powerful jolt of the reality of Christ that hit me the second I asked that question. "Jesus" spoke a soft but firm voice in my mind, with a profound realness, and authority I cannot explain. I can't say I've ever audibly heard Jesus speak to me, but on that occasion, Jesus' voice was so crisp, and real in my mind, I might have actually heard His name with my physical ears. Chills shot down my spine and tears began to pour down my face. I didn't know what was happening to me. Where was all this emotion coming from? I took a deep, stuttered breath ... a significant breath ... the kind of breath a newborn baby takes after it first exits the womb. I was shaking, not knowing what to do. I was just sledge hammered with the reality of Jesus Christ unlike ever before, and I felt like I had to do something! I was BORN AGAIN! I jumped off my bed and began pacing around my room. "What do I do? What do I do? What do you want me to do God?" Suddenly I felt God's presence rush up into my face, and a wake of His love hit me like a ton of bricks! I stumbled backward and fell to my knees, crying like a baby. He didn't tell me to do ... anything. He just said, "John, I love you.
32 Even if you don't do anything, I still love you. I've loved you since before time began, and I always will. You can go on ignoring me every single day of your life, but that won't matter. I will still love you, always, perpetually – with the kind of love you're feeling right now." I laughed and cried at the same time. Who was this crazy God of mine! "But how can you love me? I'm a mess! I'm sick! Just look around this room. You know the things I've done!" I never realized what a sinful person I was before this day. For the first time in my life, I was asking God what He wanted me to do with my life. "Just tell me God, whatever it is, I'll do it! I don't care how crazy it is!" Instantly, my eyes began to see things differently. Everything in my room that was associated with sin became illuminated. I ran over to my refrigerator, pulled out all the alcohol and began to pour it down the drain. As the alcohol poured down the drain, I felt a sense of freedom pouring into my soul. That was the key! The more junk I got rid of, the better I felt! "Thank you God!" I verbally shouted. I was finally experiencing a communication with Him I'd never had before. I frantically turned around, scanning my room for the next thing to go. I spotted some pornographic videotapes. "Yea!" I ran over to them, and began shredding them apart and busting them into pieces. I started throwing cassette tapes on the floor and stomping on them, and ripping posters off my walls. I grabbed my personal address book and started looking up some phone numbers of some of my friends. I proceeded to call one friend after another, telling each of them to come and get their stuff out of my house, because I was destroying
33 everything. While talking on the phone, I started burning books, magazines, and other junk. I was FREE!!! My friend Pat thought I was putting on an act. I didn‟t care. I just said, "Get your stuff dude. If you don't, I'll rip it, crush it, burn it, or flush it!" "Why?" he asked. "Jesus came to me in a helicopter." "What?" "Just get your stuff..." This dream proved to be prophetic on several counts. Below are a few things I've taken note of. 1. Since I took the hint and purged my life of a multitude of sinful activities after having this dream, I'm certain that I avoided some horrendous consequences. I did experience other consequences, however. Shortly after this dream, the reality of the demonic realm jumped up into my face. All my years of sin, and experimentation in the occult caught up with me. I discovered that my faith was still very weak, and that my walk with God had a long way to go. According to the demons that frequented my house, I was missing the protection, and authority in Jesus Christ that I needed in order to kick them out. I had to work at getting those good things back from God. 2. Rami and I used to party together all the time. He became my roommate shortly after this dream, and then he became a born again Christian, too. Our spiritual lives were virtually paralleled. We walked together in sin, and
34 entered into Christ at almost the exact same time. Just like in the dream, we walked together in sin, and then we both leaped into the helicopter with Jesus at the same time. After living with me for about a year, he went back to live with his mother, then he moved away from his mother and went to live somewhere else. Rami was my best friend all throughout high school, but over the years, he became more distant. Then after I got married, I went through a period where I hardly saw him anymore. It's not that I couldn‟t see him. It's just that he went his way, and I went my way. When I jumped out of the helicopter and he flew off with Jesus, he flew out of my life. After about 10 years, he‟s recently reemerged into my life. Now I‟m expecting another vision of what comes next. 3. Finally, I have no doubt that Jesus is the best helicopter pilot in the world! People can call me crazy if they like, (and sometimes they like), but I'm convinced that Jesus came to me in a helicopter. Why He chose this medium, I have no idea. One thing is for certain; the impact of that dream changed me overnight. My two prior visions gave me revelations of God, but they didn‟t actually change my behavior. This dream actually changed me. Most of the addictions and bad habits I left behind after this dream were so far removed from me, I not only had no more desire for them, I detested them. I had no struggle whatsoever in leaving that dead life behind. Now it may not be the same for everyone else, but God knows which ways are best to guide us into holy living. No one should ever be confused about sin, and a relationship with Jesus. He takes us as we are – then cleans us up on the way, (Romans 5:8). All we have
35 to do is be willing to subject ourselves to His process. There will be a cost, I won't kid anybody about that. The cost may seem very pricey at times, but on the scale of eternity, the cost is a quark compared to a quasar. I urge you, the reader, to let go of that quark, if you haven't already! It's a good deal. In fact, it's the best deal that ever was, and ever will be offered. Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The key to having Jesus in one's life is simple. Ask, and seek, (Matthew 7:7-11). Forget about trying to clean up a sinful lifestyle before looking to Jesus. The Word of God is very clear that people don't have it within their own strength to do this anyway, (Isaiah 64:6). I'm fully convinced that God will take care of our problems, in His own way, and in His own timing. It's true that one should expect a certain degree of holiness in a professing Christian's life, but new Christians shouldn't get hung up on this. Actually, it's the non-believers and new Christians that often get hung up on seeing discrepancies in a mature Christian's life, which is not good! That's why scripture distinctly states that true faith in Christ will bear its marks in holy living, (1 John 1:5-9). But this holy living is not the work of mature Christians alone. They are just being submissive to God's process, as I stated earlier. Each Christian is different, dealing with God in different areas, struggling in some, victorious in others, etc. Matthew 7:7-11 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you,
36 whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 1 John 1:5-9 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Some Christians burn with an uncommon intensity, while others kick and scream with God dragging them along the way. My tendency is the later, unfortunately. It's easy to spot mistakes and label people, but the fact of the matter is, nobody has any business pointing fingers at anyone else if it isn't done out of pure motives and a loving heart, (Ephesians 4:15). Simply put, God will fulfill His promise to perfect that work which He has started in us, (Psalm 138:8). Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Psalm 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. He's working with me, and He can work with you too. (Hopefully He already is). All I started with was a tiny seed of faith in my heart that had been
37 dormant for years. Perhaps with you, the reader, if you aren't a Christian already, all it will take are these seeds of faith that are being planted in you right now. 1 John 4:7-10 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
38 Chapter 7: My Best Friend Jack 1991 was a big year for me. It was the year I had the dream I just elaborated on in the previous chapter. It was also the year I met Jack. (For the record, Jack didn’t want to be identified by name, so I'm just calling him Jack). I actually met Jack about 2 months prior to having the dream I just alluded to. He's still a very good friend of mine. I make a special point to keep in touch with him. Jack wasn't originally from the United States, and he had some incredible tales of the supernatural originating from the country where he came from. (Many foreigners do, in fact). I used to laugh when I talked with him about some of the things he saw, because they would simply come out in conversations. For example, he mentioned that he hated dogs with red eyes on one occasion while we were talking about dogs, and I told him that dogs don't have red eyes. He insisted that there must be a breed of excessively large, black dogs that have 'glowing' red eyes. He called them „demon dogs‟. I told him I knew of no living creature, let alone dogs, which had 'glowing' eyes, and very few that had red eyes. Dogs didn't fit the bill in either case. His patent response was, "You obviously haven't traveled around that much. In my country these dogs are seen by people all the time." I assumed he might have been talking about the creepy reddish glow from an animal's retina if you shine a flashlight in its face in the middle of the night, but he knew of this phenomenon and insisted that these dogs' eyes weren't reflecting any light, but actually emitted light from the darkness without any external light
39 source shining on them. He proceeded to tell me that once when he was a child, he ended up coming home from the store after dark. This was a very bad thing considering where he was from. The country he lived in was dangerous both politically, (civil war), as well as spiritually, (which you will soon read why). Suddenly a large demon dog appeared from the woods and trotted up beside him. He said it was a moonless night, and there were no lights along the dirt road where he was walking. In fact, it was so dark he could barely see enough to keep on the road. The dog, he insisted, had brightly glowing, red eyes. Oddly, his parents told him later on that evening after he had returned home that these dogs usually show up to protect people. I wonder if they were saying that just to comfort him. The creature trotted along side him for about a mile and a half while he walked home. Jack was full of terror, and tried his best not to look at the fearsome creature too much. He exhibited an enormous amount of self-control, remaining squeamishly silent, sweating bullets no doubt. The creature eventually returned to the jungle and disappeared. Jack's stories were among my first in what became a culmination of events that taught me the reality of the demonic realm. Much of his testimonies, as well as my own experiences in spending time with Jack worked on my heart, (and scared the crap out of me too). Initially, Jack's stories were too freaky to accept, and I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. Over time, however, I learned that Jack not only
40 experienced and saw strange phenomenon; he was an enigma himself. Simply being around him, I was subjected to things I could not have believed any other way. For example, I recall talking to Jack on the phone one time, and Jack immediately paused in his conversation with me. "Someone's listening to us,” he said. "No, it's just us. I can hear it if someone picks up the other phone." Jack refused to continue. He insisted that someone was eavesdropping on our conversation. Just then my roommate scared the dickens out of me when he suddenly made his presence known in my bedroom by placing his hand on my shoulder. He snuck into my bedroom and was listening in on our conversation from behind me, while I was in a chair facing away from the door. There's no possible way Jack could've known that someone was hiding behind me in my own bedroom. After the phone incident, I paid a little more attention to Jack's stories about spiritual things, and began to ask him to tell me more. He was reluctant to tell some of his stories, because they were both bizarre, and personally disturbing for him to recall. For example, his mother told one of his earliest stories to him, and he was too young to remember the actual event. He said that when he was a baby and his mother took him to church to be baptized, something quite unexpected happened when the holy water was sprinkled on him. His mother told him that he screamed, and red beams of light shot out of his eyes! "What?" I queried, and Jack continued. He said that his mother told
41 him the priest said he had a special blessing, and strangely, that the child (Jack) wasn't '...from here'. His mother didn't have any idea what the priest meant, and she didn't bother to ask. I guess she didn't want to know. I don't know what the priest meant either, but the special blessing part seems a bit unlikely to me. I didn't know what to say to Jack about this event. What could I say? Jack also told me that when he was a baby, he tumbled down an enormous flight of stairs. Nobody could see how he lived through it. When they reached him, they saw that he didn't have a single scratch or bruise on him. He wasn't even upset. Concerning the phone incident I previously mentioned, Jack elaborated that he had strange powers at times that he couldn't explain. For example, when he once asked his Grandmother for some money to go to the store, his Grandmother said she didn't have any money. Suddenly his eyes were able to actually see through his Grandmother's purse! He saw some money in it, and yelled at his Grandmother, "Yes you do, you're lying! I see 5 dollars right there." Jack told me that on two occasions, he saw demon spirits when staying with a dying relative. The wicked creatures were dancing gleefully around his relative's bed. He was the only person in the house that could see them. He described them as shadowy figures with red eyes and mouths. Jack also spoke of a powerful demon that lived in the forest not far from his home where he was growing up, and that everyone in the area knew of the creature. No one ever went into that area at night. The "Chicken Foot Lady", as
42 they called it, lived in a small portion of dense jungle where there were many caves that were later discovered to be ancient Indian dwellings. This demon would appear to people in the form of a beautiful woman wearing a white dress, but her feet were like chicken's feet. She would seduce men with supernatural charm, and if they gave in to her wishes, she would kill them by draining the life out of them. Jack said his mother said she actually saw this being one night. His mother went to the bathroom outside of the house, (it was an outhouse), and on the way back inside her house, the creature was standing next to the back door, staring at her. She was panic stricken, but held her bearing, refusing to glance back at the creature. It was said that this creature wielded its power through its eyes, so if it were encountered, one must do everything possible to avoid looking into its eyes. Jack's mother did just that, ignoring the creature, and went right past it and inside her house. It didn't do anything to her. Jack's Uncle also encountered this entity. The creature attempted to seduce him on one occasion, but his Uncle came to his senses just in time when he realized it wasn't a normal human being. He turned and ran away from the creature. It lashed out at him as he turned away from it, and cut him on his cheek. Regarding the Chicken Foot Lady in particular, I remembered from my days of playing Dungeon's & Dragons that in the book written by Gary Gygaxx, titled "Deities & Demigods", there is an entry for an evil Aztec god that fits the exact description of this being. In fact, Gary Gygaxx's physical description, as well as the behavioral characteristics of this being is exactly the same as the being Jack described. Deities & Demigods describes a demon that appears to
43 men as a beautiful woman, but has chicken's feet. It sustains an irresistible charm if eye contact is made, and either drives men insane, or kills them. Considering the fact that Gary Gygaxx obtained the legend of this creature from his studies of many ancient religions, legends, and cultures, I have to come to the conclusion that this particular demon must be widely known all throughout the country where Jack comes from. The fact that this was an Aztec god also placed it in a geographical region that corresponds to Jack‟s native country. (Incidentally, demons dogs are also found in Deities & Demigods.). While the Chicken Foot Lady appears to men, another demon Jack told me of is called "La Duende". Jack never heard of the Irish legend of the leprechaun, but he described one to me when detailing the description and characteristics of La Duende. He said this demon would appear to women as a small, greenish colored man only a few inches in height. It was mischievous and ill tempered, loved to pull malicious pranks, and was relentless in its belittling torments. Jack said it would invariably demand that its victims marry it, and if they refused, it would use its supernatural powers to do horrible things in retaliation. According to the people in Jack's neighborhood, not too far from Jack's house lived a woman who was driven completely insane by one of these La Duende creatures. These stories were interesting, and I always prodded Jack to tell me more of them, until I started experiencing them myself. While talking on the phone one evening with Jack, I was discussing a Carlos Castaneda book I was reading at the time, and Jack immediately flipped out. He said there was a black, shadowy
44 figure flying all throughout his house. He dropped his phone, and I heard him scream a few times. Furniture was being abruptly 'relocated' if I was judging the background sounds correctly, and then the line went dead. From this moment on, this black shadowy thing became a tormenting spirit of both Jack, and me. Jack began to see this shadowy thing in his house, but only when he talked to me on the phone, interestingly. Furthermore, when Jack came to visit me at my house, he would see it in my house too! Jack would completely flip out. I never saw this thing myself, whatever it was, but Jack certainly did. It got so bad on one occasion that both Jack and I were forced out of my house. Jack lost consciousness out of fear, and I had to drag him outside. When he came to, I asked him if the thing was outside. He immediately yelped and ran out to the sidewalk. I don't know why, but the shadowy thing stayed near the house, as if it were bound by some unseen force field, limiting it to my house. I asked Jack where it was, and he pointed. I jumped at it, but Jack said it was dodging me. I must have looked like a complete idiot, flailing about on my front lawn, trying to hit something I couldn't see. I felt a bit stupid, but I knew Jack's fear was genuine, so I was doing whatever I could to help. The shadow then went back into my house, and Jack and I couldn't go inside together without Jack being chased around, so we went for a nighttime walk. The ordeal in my house was awful. Since my earliest childhood, when I first learned of the existence of demons, I heard a preacher say the word "Rebuke!" in a sermon once while attending church with my Great Grandmother. I had the idea that the word "Rebuke" had some powerful invocation, but it was a
45 struggle for me to remember that word of esteemed vocabulary. I'd always ask my older brother, "What's that word again, you know, the one you say if you ever see a demon?" I wanted to make sure I had the word right, just in case I ever happened across a demon. Demons can be frightening to children. "Rebuke; you say 'I rebuke you in the name of Jesus'" my brother instructed me. So since I was 5 years old, I recited the phrase "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus" whenever I was afraid of the dark, or rather – something I felt was in it. This small phrase was put to the test on that night the shadowy creature was terrorizing Jack. I kept yelling "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!” but the wicked thing just ignored me. After the initial attack, Jack stopped coming to my house after dark. He would become so gripped with fear that he‟d lose consciousness. A week or so passed, and I wondered about Jack. I wondered if he was just hallucinating or something. He didn‟t act like he was on drugs. If he was putting on an act, it was exceptionally convincing. Then there was the fact that he had already demonstrated to me his strange unexplainable talents, like knowing someone was listening in on our phone conversation. I simply couldn‟t make up my mind about what was going on. Instead of coming to my house, Jack called me instead, but then stuff started happening with the phone line. I had my doubts about what Jack was seeing up until this point, but my doubts were soon put to rest. The phone connection would become full of static, we'd hear a series of clicking noises, and then the line would go dead. This only happened when I was talking with Jack.
46 While I never saw the shadowy thing in all of Jack's hysteria, I did experience the physical reality of my phone line exhibiting exceptionally peculiar behavior. On one occasion when I hit the redial button to call Jack back after being hung up, the phone displayed rows of "666". Six's filled the liquid crystal display, and the phone continued to beep the number 6 after the display was full. Chills ran up my spine, and I could feel a hideous presence all around me. I immediately hung up the phone, and tried to repeat the malfunction. I dialed a bunch of 3‟s; more than could be displayed in the display field, hung up, then picked it back up and hit redial. The phone redialed the 3's correctly, and once the display was full, it stopped beeping. On this instance, I actually verified that my phone performed a double malfunction; it redialed the wrong number, and then kept beeping after the liquid crystal display was full. That phone still works to this day, (I’m looking at it right now, sitting on top of my computer), and it has never performed the same malfunction before, or since. The demonic stuff was getting old with Jack. Something definitely didn't want Jack to associate with me. This culminated on one night when Jack was visiting me, and my friend Rami Bridges was there too. He had recently moved in as my new roommate. Rami and I had become born again Christians just a few weeks prior, so I figured that with the two of us there, the shadowy thing might not show up. We were wrong. That thing showed up in full force, and chased Jack around the house again. The scene was maddening! When it first appeared in the living room, Jack screamed and leaped on top of Rami, crawled over the top of him and dove behind the couch. I can still remember the look on
47 Rami's face! This time, while I was bellowing "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ!” my friend Rami ran into his bedroom and grabbed his Bible. He ran back into the living room and joined me shouting "WE rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ!" We were shaking that Bible around in the air as if it were a magic wand, and yelling at the tops of our lungs. The thing ignored us, and tormented Jack until he passed out. Rami was freaked out! (This was his introduction to Jack). Rami and I dragged Jack outside, and I apologized to Rami that I didn't think such an episode would come about with both of us Christians being there. We talked for a while, with Jack lying unconscious on my lawn. (I wonder what my neighbors thought of us. Those were the days...) "I always said you attract weird stuff like a magnet. Looks like you hit the jackpot this time", Rami glared at me. "Why didn't it leave? Aren't demons supposed to be scared of the name of Jesus Christ?" I questioned Rami. He shrugged his shoulders, puzzled. I was stumped as well. "Maybe we don't have enough faith?" I paused. "I believe in Jesus!" I protested to myself, and then looked at my house, seeing how futile my protest was. Someone or something in there certainly didn't think I had any faith at all, because it was calling my bluff, and apparently getting away with it. "That does it, Rami, we should both get baptized. That must be it. It's the only thing I can think of that we haven't done yet. We should've gotten baptized already anyway. Do you want to get baptized with me?" "Yea! Let's do it. Let's get baptized" Rami resolved with me.
48 I took Jack home that night, and when I got back home, Rami was shaking with fear. He said during the time I was taking Jack home, he was hearing noises all over the house. The next Sunday, just as we said we would, Rami and I both went to church at the Church of Christ on Palm Avenue in Fresno. About 90% of the members were senior citizens. That church is still there, but it's different now; it's now called the Potter's Wheel. We attended one of the most boring sermons I've ever had to bear. I had a hard time staying awake. Right after the service, I started asking around for someone to see about getting baptized, and ended up making an appointment with a deacon. I think the deacon thought I was nuts. "There's a demon tormenting me and a friend of mine, and I want to get baptized. I was rebuking it in the name of Jesus, and it ignored me" I told the deacon. "I think getting baptized will help me. It will show that thing that I'm serious about God now." The deacon didn‟t believe my story, (but many other churches would have). He pointed out various psychological conditions that my friend Jack might have had, i.e., schizophrenia, etc. I didn't deny the possibility that Jack might have had problems, but then I asked him how my phone could've malfunctioned, and about numerous other details. He was highly skeptical. He explained that he had a degree in demonology, and there was a clear, logical explanation for the things that were happening between Jack and me. "Yea, I know. There's a demon in my house! That's your clear, logical explanation” I retorted. He held his ground, however, fully convinced that there was no demonic activity in my
49 house. I have no idea why he was so sure of himself. He didn‟t know me, nor had he ever even seen my house. What kind of degree in demonology makes someone a skeptic of the existence of demons? In summation, he insisted that my motives must be pure for desiring a baptism. I could agree with that at least. I told him that I didn't care if he believed me or not about the demonic stuff. I insisted that my motives were pure, and I was planning on getting baptized anyway. Demons or no demons, I had to have more of God in my life, because what that demon was getting away with was direct proof that something was severely wrong with me. Quite frankly, I was scared to death! And so it was, during my early friendship with Jack, that the Lord refined me through various spiritual trials. In the heavens, I was enrolled in the University of the Kingdom of God, for a crash course in spiritual warfare. Concerning the vision I had a few weeks prior to this, God was making some huge changes in me. I was a completely different person than I was before I had the vision. I changed from a die-hard liberal, party mongering, pornography watching, filthy mouthed drunk, into priest by comparison – in just one night. I don't want to sound like I'm “Mr. Purity”. I still have issues I deal with – big ones. I don't claim to be better than anyone else, either. It's just that most of the black and white, easy to identify sins in my life were completely stripped away from me. I furthermore take no credit for this change. God did everything. All I did was seek, and when God showed up, I said, "Okay God, it's your way now. What's next?" After getting baptized the following Sunday, I immediately sensed that
50 something in me had been restored. Whatever protection and/or authority God had removed from me in the past, He gave it back to me now – and more of it. Or perhaps I never had any authority, and was given new authority. One thing I know for certain; something happened. I invited Jack over to my house again, and wondered about what was going to happen. I actually looked forward to a confrontation, just to see and experience the outcome. I also felt in my heart that no demon on this planet stood a chance against the power that indwelt me. When Jack came over, we were chatting in the kitchen when Jack jumped with a startled expression. He pointed out my back window and said, "I just saw some guy go up into your studio apartment." "What? Nobody would go up there. That door's locked, and the room is vacant." Jack insisted that he just saw someone walking up the stairs to go into the studio apartment behind my house. I grabbed the keys for the studio apartment, then went outside and proceeded up the stairs. Nobody was waiting on the porch of the studio apartment, which was odd. I checked the door, and sure enough, it was locked. Whatever Jack saw, it wasn't normal. I opened the door of the studio apartment and walked inside. It was empty, just as I thought it would be. I returned to the house and told Jack that it was empty. He still insisted that he saw someone going up the steps, so I asked him to go into the studio apartment with me and see for himself that nobody was there. He didn't want to go. "Jack, things are different now,” I explained. "Trust
51 me. Whatever is in there won't hurt you, if there is anything in there. God won't allow it." Jack and I walked into the studio apartment, and Jack stiffened with fear when his eyes fixed at the counter space next to the stove. "He's right there. You don't see that guy sitting right there?" "No" I answered. Now I was curious about this new visitor. I wanted to know who it was, what in the world it was doing, and what it wanted. Letting my curiosity get the best of me, I proceeded to ask the invisible entity a host of questions, but while I was talking to it, my interpreter, Jack, backed up to the door and jutted out. I didn't think I'd be able to hear any reply, but I thought maybe Jack could. But Jack abandoned me! I stepped out onto the porch of the studio apartment, and saw that Jack had already ran back into the house. "Why did you leave me? Don't you want to know who or what that thing is out there? What did he look like?" Jack was afraid and unresponsive. "I'm not going to talk to that thing. The way he was looking at me was sickening. You just don't understand what it's like, to see something that you know that nobody else can see." Just then, while Jack was still speaking, he suddenly stopped. His eyes were fixed on the back window. "He's walking back down the stairs now. Wait... Now he's sitting. He's sitting on the bottom steps, just right there. He's staring at me now." Jack was fidgeting with unbearable nervousness. "What does he look like, anyway?" "Are you sure you don't see him sitting right there?"
52 "I said no. He's obviously not ... normal. Tell me what he looks like. What is he doing?" Jack stepped backward a few paces, shaking his head to say no. He was scared. "What?" "He's staring at me and wants me to go outside. He just pointed at me, and he's motioning me to go out there." "Well what does he look like?" I kept prodding, dying with curiosity. Jack proceeded to give the description of someone that could've been a greaser from the 1950's. He was a white male about 20 years old, 5' 10" in height, and had black, shiny hair. He wore jeans, and a white T-shirt. Jack said he was chewing on a matchstick. Now my curiosity was burning. "Well let's go see what he wants. Don't you want to know?" "No!" Suddenly I felt the Lord reveal something to me. That thing was the evil, shadowy figure, and it was only outside because God wouldn't let it come into my house anymore. I was totally on fire! That thing couldn't handle even being around me anymore! It wasn't giving up just yet, though. It was now wearing a costume so to speak, as a tactic to appeal to my curiosity. I couldn't believe I actually fell for it, and was trying to convince Jack to go and talk to it. A question suddenly popped into my mind, which I felt was from God. "Did you feel ... an evil presence, or is it just freaky? Did it give you the
53 impression that it was wicked?" "Yes!" Jack answered. I don't know why, but I felt that along with Jack's ability to see things, he might have also been able to tell whether the spirits were good or bad. "Okay, okay, there's no need to know anything about it. In fact, I don't want you to talk to it. I already know what it is, anyway. That's the evil shadowy thing, and it's looking like that right now just to trick me into getting you to talk to it. I'll be the one to talk to it, and I know exactly what I'm going to say!" I marched outside and stared at something I couldn't see – but I could feel it. "Look, I don't know who, or what you are, and I don't really care at this point. You obviously can't come into my house anymore – but it doesn't end there." I pointed my finger at the empty space on the bottom of the steps, feeling an eerie sensation that something was there. "You are no longer allowed on my property" I raised my voice. "You have to leave, and in the name of Jesus Christ, I demand that you get out, NOW!" I shouted, pointing my finger toward my driveway. When I came back into the house, I asked Jack what he saw. He said that as soon as I was done speaking, it stood up and walked away – proceeding down the driveway where I pointed. We never saw it or the shadowy figure ever again. Praise to the Glory of God! I was really fired up for God now. I went on and on about the victory God gave us that day, a victory that only Jack, and Rami, could relate to and truly appreciate. The demons were gone, and they still are. (At least they were gone
54 from my house. Little did I know, there was more to come). I would frequently talk with Jack about the Lord. He was a very bitter young man, often talking about how much he hated life and yearned to die. He was one of the coolest guys I knew, but struggled with an enormous amount of depression. I don‟t know what it was about Jack in particular, but something in me yearned for Jack to be saved. I simply couldn't give up on him. Not too long after the day I cast the demon away from my home, I was talking on the phone with Jack one night. When I started to talk to him about Jesus, the phone began to make clicking noises, and then it went dead. I wasn't scared anymore. I was mad! The shadowy figure was gone from my house, but either it or something else was being awfully persistent with the phone lines. More than ever, that thing didn't want me to talk with Jack, especially about Jesus. I was persistent right back! I was determined that if it was going to mess with either Jack or me, I was going to make it pay! (Jesus was behind me of course. I suppose one could liken the situation to a puny pipsqueak kid shouting mighty words at his enemies, but only because his 300 pound muscle bound brother was standing right behind him. I had my muscle bound brother Jesus standing right behind me, and I knew it). I immediately called Jack again. If that thing disconnected the line, I'd call Jack right back up as many times as it took, and start shouting through the phone, "In the name of Jesus, I command you to stop disconnecting this line!" One night Jack called to tell me that he was mugged while walking on the canal bank behind his house. He was beaten horribly, and was left with huge
55 cuts all over his face. He told me that he was so disfigured that I probably wouldn't recognize him. He was lucky enough to be rescued by someone that happened to be driving near by and decided to stop and help him. He was taken to the hospital and was stitched up. While he was recalling the event, I felt truly filled with the power of God, and asked him, as if God were asking the question directly through me, "Jack, after everything you've been through, do you still love God?" Jack paused momentarily, and meekly answered, "Yes. Yes I do. I don't blame God for anything bad in my life. I'm responsible for most of the bad stuff that's happened to me through the years." Many things that happened to Jack in his life had nothing to do with anything he had done, but the fact that he wasn't bitter toward God sparked something in my soul. At that moment, I felt an overwhelming sensation of love for my friend pour through me. "Jack, because of your faith... because you haven't turned away from God during this troubled time, I believe that God is going to heal you." I had no idea what I was saying. At the time, I think I felt I was speaking more metaphorically than anything. But as soon as I was done speaking, something amazing began to happen to Jack. "You know, you really make me feel better. You're like the coolest dude I know. I feel good. In fact", Jack paused. There was a prolonged silence. "I'm not even hurting physically anymore. The pain in my face is ... Ahhh!" Jack screamed, and then dropped his phone. I could hear various yelps, and couldn't tell what was going on. Dread surged through my mind, and I sorely hoped the
56 dark demon wasn't tormenting Jack again, just as he was beginning to feel better. Jack finally picked up the phone, and was yelling in hysterics. "It's gone! I can't believe it! Everything – everything is gone. I'm healed! My face!" All of Jack's cuts, bruises, and even his many stitches, had completely vanished from his face. It was as if he'd never been attacked. I was astonished, and greatly relieved that Jack was okay. Needless to say, God surprised me more than I could've imagined. But it wasn't over yet. I was so excited and overjoyed for Jack that I was giving praises and shouts of glory to God. Then again, something severely unexpected happened. "Why do you always have to talk about Jesus!" shouted an angry Jack from the other end of the line. "What do you mean, Jack? Jesus has just healed you. Why don't you want me to talk about him? You were just laughing with joy a second ago." "I am happy" came a timid, confused reply, but then a quick rebuttal ensued in a deep guttural voice, "Shut up! I hate you, and I hate Jesus!" Chills shot through my body when something inside me realized that I was speaking directly to a being of ancient origins; a being that was incomprehensibly evil. "What do you mean you hate me? Aren't I your best friend? What's wrong with you Jack?" "What's happening to me? That's not me John", said Jack, but then strangely, he interrupted himself. "I hate you!" growled an angry, deep-pitched voice into my ear. "In the name of Jesus, get out of him!" I yelled through the phone.
57 Jack screamed in horror. "What's happening to me!" he cried in hysterics. "Red beams of light just shot out of my eyes and burned two holes in my carpet!" Jack was crying and confused. A few seconds passed, and again I heard the ugly, guttural voice. "Shut up! I hate you!" "I said in the name of Jesus, GET OUT! I rebuke you! Be gone in the name of Jesus!" I heard several bizarre noises; I think Jack was going into seizures. He dropped his phone, and the line was silent for about five minutes, while I pondered the fact that demons can be cast out of people even over the phone. Finally, Jack picked up the phone again. "Hello? Jack, are you there?" "Who's this?" asked Jack in a soft, childlike voice. "It's me, John, your friend. What happened to you?" "John? I don't know anyone named John,” answered Jack. It didn't take long before I realized that he had amnesia. He couldn't remember anything past being 12 years old! (I was never bored with Jack around. I never knew what was going to happen next.) I asked him if he saw two holes in his carpet, just to see what he'd answer. He said he did see two holes in his carpet, then wondered how in the world I knew about them, and wanted to know how they got there. Jack eventually regained his memory. As it turned out, he suffered from multiple personality disorder once the demon was cast out of him on that night. He never had this disorder before, but once the demon was gone, certain things would cause him to switch into another frame of mind, and he would think he was
58 12 years old, back in his home country. After knowing Jack, and also my personal studies in psychology, I have a suspicion that multiple personality disorder might be linked to demon possession. Perhaps when a demon takes residence in someone's consciousness for an extended period of time, the consciousness becomes segmented, which may be a catalyst for developing multiple personality disorder. Only a Christian psychologist would contemplate such a theory, but even a secular psychologist would agree that multiple personality disorder can't make phones malfunction, and can't be blamed on being able to tell if someone is eavesdropping in on a phone conversation. It can‟t burn holes in a carpet, either. And why would multiple personality disorder generate an avid hatred for Jesus? I have no doubt that Jack was an unwitting host for many years of his life, and after the demon was cast out, he had a tremendous amount of healing to get through. I later learned from Jack that a horrendous psychopathic child molester had kidnapped him when he was 12 years old. That's why whenever he had an amnesic episode, he'd return to being 12 years old, and relive parts of that nightmare. Over the times I spent with Jack during these episodes, I was able to piece together his entire story. I felt that recounting it was part of his healing, and I always urged him to tell me what he could remember. It was painful process, but the more he was able to recall, the less frequent and severe his episodes were. Jack could‟ve benefited from a real clinical psychologist, or psychiatrist, but whatever I did seemed to help. He doesn‟t have any episodes anymore.
59 Jack recalled being brutally tortured in inconceivable ways, and his tormentor was planning to kill him, but he managed to escape. The madman lived in a small shack out in the middle of the jungle, where he kept his victims. He had tortured and killed other children as well, and showed Jack the pictures of what he did to them. He would let Jack go free into the jungle sometimes, but then he would hunt him down for fun. He always caught Jack, but after about 5 weeks of brutal torture, Jack finally managed to evade this awful devil of a man. Jack remembered that he reached a house with a family of 5 teenage boys. The parents took him in, cleaned him up, fed him, and gave him a place to sleep. They harbored him for a few days, but unfortunately for Jack, his misfortune wasn't over yet. A few of the older boys molested Jack one night. When Jack told their parents the next day, they accused him of lying and kicked him out of their house. Again he wandered, but this time he at least he made it to a town, where a bus eventually picked him up, took him to a police station, and he was finally reunited with his family. He recalled that he heard someone in the police station mention that he had been missing for 5 weeks. When he finally returned home, he went to sleep, and when he woke up the next day, he couldn't remember that a single thing had ever happened to him. The entire horrific episode had been buried deep inside his mind for years, and didn't come out until the day God spoke healing into his life. Jack's life was one tragedy after another. I wondered if an uncle of his cursed him. One of his uncles was involved in a satanic cult. Jack was a
60 magnet for misfortune to the point that it didn‟t seem normal. I could write a book about Jack alone, but this segment is fitting. His whole childhood history was riddled with memories of child molestation, suicide, rejection, Satanism, and the list goes on. All of that is inconsequential now, though. Today, Jack is a born again spirit filled Christian. All his sorrows have since been turned into JOY! He accepted Jesus into his heart in late 1999, and through the miraculous power of Jesus Christ, all those generational curses have been broken. The demons are gone. Jack never has episodes of amnesia anymore, and his supernatural power is ... altered. He can sense spirits - but hardly ever sees them anymore. He likes it better that way, too. He used to see spirits all the time – not just demonic shadowy figures, but all kinds of strange things. He hated houses with antiques, because he'd invariably see people standing around them, sitting in them or leaning against them, etc. If there were a lot of people around the house, he didn‟t know which ones to talk to. He doesn't see them anymore though, and he's very glad about that fact. I've always wanted the ability to see into the spiritual realm like Jack used to, but Jack has told me time and again that if I had that ability, I wouldn't want it anymore than he wanted it. He said I simply couldn‟t understand how awful it is to see such creepy things all the time. Jack said he saw angels a few times, too, but the ratio of creepy things compared to Godly things was far in favor of the creepy things. Perhaps he should've spent more time in church. At least he does now. All Jack ever really longed for was a sense of normalcy, (which I
61 came to appreciate, being around him long enough). Jack now has the normalcy he longed for. He's a family man now, married to a wonderful Christian wife, and has three kids. Also, when I talk with Jack on the phone now - I do so with a clean, crispy clear connection. Something has been punished for messing with Jack and me. Praise God!
62 Chapter 8: Joe the Christian The natural progression of divine revelation begins with the acknowledgment of God‟s existence, then His divine nature of love, and finally, the mystery of His sovereign plan concerning His trip to planet Earth. Several years ago I went on a mission trip to San Francisco. There I met an Asian man named Joe. He told me he was a Buddhist. When he said this, I wondered if God had revealed His existence to Joe. How much more has God revealed? I wondered. I asked Joe, “Do you believe that God is love?” “Yes” Joe answered without hesitation. “So that makes sense to you? That God is love?” “Yes” Joe answered again. I knew immediately that God had prepared this man for me to witness to, because only God could have revealed this truth to him. Nothing in Buddhist philosophy teaches that God is love. Actually, Christianity is the only religion in the world that can be summed up in three words – God is love. This made sense to Joe, and he never learned it from anyone. He just knew. “Did you know that the teaching of Yen and Yang only contain part of the truth?” I asked Joe. “What do you mean?” he asked. “The philosophy of Yen and Yang suggests that the light and the dark are equal, and that you can‟t have one without the other. The truth, however, is that light is more powerful than darkness. Light is an invading force. Wherever light goes, the darkness must leave.”
63 Joe was curious now. I said something that he knew was true, but he didn‟t realize how he knew it. A glimmer shinned in his eyes. “The philosophy of Yen and Yang states that you can not have good without evil, but this is not true either. You can have good without evil. Everything is better that way. In the beginning, there was no evil, and in the end, there will be no evil. Only good.” I paused. Joe nodded his head in agreement. “Doesn‟t that make more sense, if God is love? Now the philosophy of Yen and Yang has an element of truth – and that‟s why it made sense to you. The greater truth is, however, that you can‟t have love without freewill – and freewill allows for the possibility of evil to exist. So in a sense, this seems like you can‟t have good without evil, but it isn‟t the same. Do you follow me?” Joe appeared puzzled. “You see, the only reason evil exists, is because God created us to be free – so that we may freely choose to obey Him, and love Him, and love each other. This is how love has meaning. The nature of love requires freewill. Without freewill, we would be puppets. If we were puppets, our love would have no meaning, because it wouldn‟t be by our choice. God doesn‟t want puppets; He wants children that choose to love Him. Does this make sense?” “Yes, I understand that much”. “Then the rest is easy. Because people have freedom, many choose to disobey. Many choose to be selfish. This is where evil comes from. But God will not allow evil to exist forever. The Bible says that we will see wonders in the
64 heavens and signs on the earth. The sun will be covered in darkness and the moon will turn to blood, but whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, (Acts 2:19-21).”
Acts 2:19-21 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Joe was with me. I continued on – this time, shedding light on another philosophy Joe was familiar with. “Do you believe in karma Joe?” “Yes”. “There is an element of truth to Karma. That‟s why you believe it. It is true that if you do good to others, good things will come to you, and it is true that if you do bad things to others, bad things will come to you. Why do you suppose that is? What makes that happen? Do you know?” Joe thought about it for a minute. “That‟s just the way it is.” “You know karma also teaches that if someone is going through some difficult times, or experiencing horrible things, then it‟s because that person is getting what they deserved, right? Joe nodded. “This is not always true though, because there is evil in the world. A lot of the time, people have bad things happen to them, and it has nothing to do with them deserving it, (John 16:33).”
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John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. “I know that‟s true also!” Joe exclaimed, and then he proceeded to tell me that he was nearly stabbed to death not too long ago, by a mad man on the street. The attack was completely unprovoked. “So you know by personal experience, and I see that you lived.” Joe proceeded to tell me that because of another stranger‟s kindness, he survived. Someone found him on the street, and called for an ambulance. He would have died without that call. “If that person that called the ambulance believed in karma, he might have left you there to die, thinking that it was best for you to pay back your negative karma. But he didn‟t. That‟s why when we see someone hurting, we should never believe that that person deserves it. Instead, we should love that person, and be willing to help however we can. Even if we know someone did something wrong, we should forgive. This is the way of Christ. Someone believing karma may pass by an injured person on the street, and justify himself by saying the man was there because he was paying back negative karma he earned in another life. A faithful Christian, however, would help, whether the person deserved it or not.” Joe agreed with me again. Truth after truth was being imparted to him, and he gobbled it up.
66 “Joe, God wants you to know something. He has kept you alive to hear this. He wants you to know that He is the one that revealed to you that He is love. This is not something that you learned. It was revealed to you. Even though people taught you about Yen and Yang, and Karma, something in you knows about a greater truth – in the fact that God is love. And now here‟s the next revelation God has for you. This is why you are alive today. Did you realize that Christianity is the only religion in the world that teaches exactly what you believe – that God is love?” I paused. Joe was anxious, and fidgeted in his seat. “I feel something strange”, he said. “All you say… make sense. I feel… I feel…” Joe‟s head was swimming. “I know what you‟re feeling. I‟ll tell you something else, too. Christianity is the only religion in the world whose founder is God Himself. God came to this earth in the form of a human being. Buddha was a man. Mohamed was a man. The Daly Llama is a man. But Jesus – IS – God Himself, (Hebrews 1:1-2 / John 1:10). When they asked Him who He was, He said – „I AM‟, (John 8:58). He is The Word of God, made flesh, (John 1:1, 14). He was capable of great miracles. He walked on water, He healed people, He even raised the dead – you name it, He did it, because He was God, and He was proving it. You know what else?”
Hebrews 1:2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; John 1:10
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He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. John 1:1, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Joe looked as if someone was stealing the breath out of his lungs. “What?” he asked in a daze. “Christianity is the only religion in the world whose founder was killed, then He rose back to life, and over 500 people witnessed it. Jesus conquered death. He is still alive today. Now that means something. He‟s alive, so that we can conquer death too. Buddha is still in a grave somewhere. Mohammed has turned to dust by now. But Jesus is alive.” Joe was experiencing a variety of sensations he never felt before. “I‟m hot”, he stammered. “What is happening to me?” “What you are feeling – is the POWER – of the Holy Spirit. He is descending upon you right this very moment. He is opening your ears. He is opening your eyes. You knew the truth all along in your spirit. Now you know it in your mind. Awaken!” Joe‟s eyes widened. “It‟s true, it‟s true”, he stuttered. “What do I do? I… I… don‟t know how many times people on the street have told me about Jesus. I
68 never listen to them. They make no sense to me. I never could see it like this. I… I know now. I understand.” “This is just the beginning. God has an entire lifetime of things to reveal to you. There is more – much more.”
69 Chapter 9: Tangents Whenever I attempt to convey any of the three revelations mentioned in the previous chapter to someone who may not have received them, I first try to find out where that person is in his or her faith. If someone doesn‟t believe in God, I begin with the first revelation, and I try to focus my conversation on establishing this revelation. It essentially does no good to speak about God‟s nature, or Jesus, to a person that doesn‟t even believe in God‟s existence. If someone is ready for revelation, the task is simple. Just present the truth as I did in the previous chapter, and it will be accepted. The reason for this is simple – God has done His work. All we do is reap the harvest. Notice that with Joe, I focused the bulk of our conversation on what God had already revealed to him, building it up to reveal Jesus. Since Christianity is the truth, this is easy to do. Christianity stands alone from every religion in the world, in every key factor. That‟s why I say that there are two kinds of religions in the world, Christianity, and everything else. Christianity is the only religion in the world that … Teaches that God is love. Is founded by God Himself coming to the earth and proclaiming His message. Conquers death with an active demonstration. States that humanity doesn‟t have what it takes to reach God – the only way we can ever be with God is by Him forgiving us, and taking the penalty upon Himself for everything that has, or ever will separate us from Him.
70 And the funny thing about all this is that Christianity isn‟t even a religion – it‟s a relationship with God. Religion implies works that earns salvation, whereas a relationship with God is God making the provision for us, to do for us, out of love, what is impossible for us to do for ourselves. For this, Christ has been hated by the world. For saying, “I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one goes to the Father except by Me”, (John 14:6), Jesus is often rejected. Many people don‟t want God‟s provision, but it is not Jesus that is ultimately rejected. For those that do not accept God‟s sacrifice, God will not accept them. Ultimately, they are the ones being rejected. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. I didn‟t need to explain all this to Joe, though. God interrupted our conversation and pushed things along much faster than they were going. Actual physical things were happening in Joe‟s body that he couldn‟t explain. The truth he heard was not merely an intellectual consignment. God was at work, doing something to Joe that he couldn‟t explain, and in less than two hours, Joe, who was raised as a Buddhist, became a born again Christian. God‟s work was done, and yet, it was just beginning. In situations where the Gospel is rejected, the reason for this is also simple. God has done His work, but He encountered resistance. The primary indication of this is when someone throws out a tangent to explain why he or she doesn‟t believe. For example, if I‟m speaking of God‟s existence to a person that doesn‟t believe that God exists, I will usually hear arguments about evolution, or
71 a mention of the lack of physical evidence. Even if I present good arguments, more tangents will usually be submitted to me before a conclusion can be met. Most people will find some way to escape the conversation altogether if it becomes too challenging. When speaking of God‟s nature, people will frequently say, “How could a God of love create a place like hell?” Such people will state that they believe there may be a God, but will not go any further. “God is unknowable”, some will say, such as my father. With me, most rejections of God‟s revelation are received when speaking of Jesus. Many people believe that God exists, and even that His nature is love, but that‟s as far as they will go. Jesus‟ name has a peculiar invocation that is either warmly received, or vehemently rejected. There tends to be very little middle ground. When speaking of Jesus, people often bring up the topic of other religions, with the connotation that I‟m an intolerant bigot for thinking that only Christians will receive eternal life in heaven. In any case, tangents are always thrown at me. And behind every tangent is an underlying motive that has nothing to do with the tangent itself. This is helpful to know, because it saves me from wasting my time with fruitless arguments. As scripture states, all people have received a certain degree of revelation at some point in their lives, (Matthew 25:14, 13:3, 19-23, Romans 1:18-20). God brings people as far as they are willing to go. At this point, anything providing revelation of God brings people back to this barrier. For many people, the barrier
72 involves painful memories. For others, the barrier involves fear. I, for example, feared the concept of selflessness, because I was all about getting as much as I could out of anything. Being Christian meant I might have to give things away, which is exceptionally difficult for a materialistic person. I also feared obedience, because I wanted to do things my way. I never did like authority figures. Many Christians expend a great deal of energy tackling various tangents with diligence. Tangents are often the products of deception, which Christians can be keenly aware of, but the core issues that they stem from should be the focus of discussion for those wishing to impart truth. People that have been severely hurt in life and refuse to believe in God as a result of that pain need to understand that God loves them. Just hearing it is usually not enough. People that have had bad experiences with religious legalism need to understand that Jesus Himself, also, had a problem with religious legalism. So the tangents are not the issues. Finding the source of someone‟s resistance to God is the key to the salvation of every soul. Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
73 Chapter 10: Divine Progression God has a divine progression concerning His revelation. As I stated in chapter 8, the natural progression of divine revelation begins with the acknowledgment of God‟s existence, then His divine nature of love, and finally, the mystery of His sovereign plan concerning His trip to planet Earth. This is just the beginning. My pastor once told me a story about an unmarried couple that came to him for counseling concerning tithing. They were considering tithing to his church. Interestingly, they were unmarried, but living together, and everyone in the church knew about it. While they wanted to talk about tithing, Josh felt compelled to talk to them about something else. In the previous chapter, I spoke briefly about tangents, how they stem for core issues, and how they can be expected when it comes to witnessing to someone about Jesus. Well, tangents don‟t go away after people begin their walk with Christ. This tithing thing was a tangent. Tangents come out in different ways, and if they gather momentum, they may eventually lead to division or damage relationships in one way or another. “We didn‟t come to talk to you about that”, the man said. “We want to talk about tithing.” “But I want to talk about your relationship first.” The couple looked puzzled. “Did you hear me?” Josh was in a tough spot, because he knows of God‟s priorities concerning black and white issues of this nature, and tithing was a few notches
74 below what this couple wanted to talk about. God does this to me sometimes. I bring something to Him, and He throws something back at me that has nothing to do with what I am expecting. If you, the reader, have a relationship with God, I‟m certain you‟re aware of this. I call it divine progression. Beyond God‟s existence, His nature, and His sovereign plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, lies and infinite landscape of revelation God desires to lead us into. God has a well-defined path laid out for us. But we frequently stray from that path, wandering off on various tangents. We often would rather not deal with the things God brings to our attention. They‟re usually the very things we want least to deal with. They are fearful things that threaten our security. But these are the greatest challenges for every Christian. We must confront our demons, (both figuratively, and sometimes literally). We must accept our own weaknesses in order to embrace the strengths of God. Only when we stop fluttering about and focus on God, and what He wants us to do, will we ever begin the climb up the ladder of Christian maturity. We have grace to flutter, no doubt, but whether we like it or not, we are in the midst of a war. Our only benefit to declining God‟s challenges is the shortterm relief received from procrastination. But the cross does not go away. It waits. It calls us. Our delays only make us more vulnerable to spiritual attacks, and rob us of the richness of life that awaits us.
75 Chapter 11: Going Deep God has led various people throughout history to do some crazy stuff. Noah built a massive boat on dry ground. Abraham nearly took the life of his own son. Moses, a desert nomad with a speech impediment, confronted the most powerful king in the world in his day. David, a Sheppard boy with a slingshot, ran into battle against a giant over 9 feet tall. And Ezekiel – made a public display of roasting a piece of crap and eating it, (Ezekiel 4:10-13). Ezekiel 4:10-13 And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it. Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink. And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. What do all these men have in common? What would we think of them if we were among the people of their days? How do we identify these kinds of people in this day and age? They‟re out there. And even more importantly, how do we develop the kind of relationship with God that they had? The first thing that comes to my mind about these Biblical characters is that on the surface, they all appear to be completely insane. So how do I differentiate them from people that actually are insane? They are out there too. The answer to these questions can be summed up in a single word; seek. We must all be seekers. We all start out as seekers, and God sees that in us, and reveals Himself to us. But it doesn‟t end there. We must continue to seek out God throughout all eternity, because He will forever have more to reveal to us. We can‟t go wrong by seeking. Sometimes we may think we have stumbled
76 upon something true, which isn‟t. This may even lead to contention with others that disagree. But instead of wasting our time with futile arguments, we should simply maintain the attitude of love, placing our importance on loving people over any idea or concept. Doing this, and continuing to seek out truth, we will eventually find our way back to the truth, if we are ever deceived. Deceptions only stick with people that stop seeking, because the truth is consistent, and selfevident. The greatest deceptions contain fragments of the truth, but their deceptive elements will eventually be revealed to a seeker. On the Day of Judgment that is to come, very few things really matter. Among them are the love we have for God, (who is love), which is expressed by loving others, and whether or not we lived our lives actively seeking out the truth with a humble heart. According to scripture, no law (which would mandate a judgment) can be made against love, (Galatians 5:22-23). Furthermore what accusation against a deceived person would be valid, if the accused was doing everything he or she could do to find the truth? Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. The seeking lifestyle is attractive to God. The seeking heart is what prompt‟s God‟s timing for revelation, (Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 11:9). Since seeking is so important, how do we do it? Where do we look for God‟s revelation? Jeremiah 29:13
77 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For starters, there are no predictable methods for receiving revelation from God, because God wants us to trust in Him, rather than in methods. Instead of placing our hope in any particular method, we should consider that God is around us at all times, and He may use anything to communicate to us in any given moment. God speaks in dreams and visions. He speaks in books – like this one, and of course the Bible. The Bible portrays a vast array of methods God used in the past to communicate with people. He used nature, miracles, spokesmen such as prophets, apostles, and teachers, a still, small voice, and even an audibly loud voice. He also used handwriting on a wall, fire, trumpets, and a fleece, the casting of lots, a talking donkey, and angelic beings. He spoke in the middle of the night, during mid-day, during worship services, at mealtimes, while people were walking along the road, through sermons, during prayer, and in the middle of a storm. The grand finale of His communication with humanity was culminated in His Son, (Hebrews 1:1-2). Today, we have a mind-boggling collection of
78 revelation in the words of the Holy Bible, which the prophets of the Old Testament would have marveled over endlessly. Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; When we seek truth, our minds will sometimes stifle the process. For this reason, the actions of people like Noah, Abraham, and Ezekiel, may make no sense to us. Our minds are capable of judging fruit when it is obvious. A godly lifestyle can be very appealing to someone who is experiencing the heavy consequences of deep-rooted sin. The countenance of peace on the face of someone enduring severe oppression – is a confident strength to be desired by anyone. The rational mind can perceive this. The rational mind can also judge consistency. But the rational mind says “What!” when it sees someone like Ezekiel roasting a piece of crap on a stick. To go deep, we need to trust the Holy Spirit when He‟s telling us to simply let go and believe. Sometimes we can go by scriptural precedence‟s, but God often leads us into unprecedented activities. When He does this, we can rejoice in the fact that we are not lost – quite the contrary! We are simply explorers charting new territory. It‟s exciting! To make an analogy, consider the fact that heavy objects made of metal can float. Usually they don‟t, but when the objects in question conform to a particular shape, the law of buoyancy comes into effect. A seeking mind discovered this. Likewise, we understand how gravity works, but it appears to be
79 defied by airplanes and jets, which were also invented by seekers. In actuality, we know now that gravity is not defied at all. The law of aerodynamics comes into effect when an object with a particular shape is thrust forward with enough velocity. And so it is with the truths that the Holy Spirit reveals to us. They are layered, each building on top of the others. Sometimes one law may make the others seem impossible, but this is only due to the fact that all of the facts are not yet known. As we learn to trust what God reveals to us, over time, our minds will eventually come into union with our spirits the way they were originally intended. This is called the Mind of Christ, (1 Corinthians 2:16). It begins with a seeking heart, and it will eventually lead us to the place where we simply don‟t understand on a logical level anymore – but we won‟t have to. Our understanding will be our trust in God, and that‟s all that matters. 1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
80 APPENDIX A – THE GOSPEL WHY DID GOD CREATE? The heart of the Creator of all things - is love (1 John 4:16). Because God is love, He decided to create a beautiful universe, and fill it with life. Why? So He can be with and love His children (1 Corinthians 2:9, Ephesians 1:4-5, John 1:1-2, 14). Love grows, and love enjoys loving relationships. God didn't want this relationship to disappear someday. He wants to spend eternity with His loving children, so He created His children as eternal beings (Acts 24:15, Daniel 12:2, Genesis 1:26-27).
WHY DOES EVIL EXIST?
Of course, in order for His children to truly love Him, they must freely choose to love Him. Therefore God decided to create life with freewill (Genesis 2:16-17, Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Joshua 24:15).
Because of the existence of freewill, the opportunity to not choose to love and obey God exists. This can be a sad fact, because many will choose not to love and obey God, but it must be so, in order for love to bear true meaning. This is why evil exists. God allows evil to exist for a short season, (on the scale of eternity), in order for all to choose Him with their own freewill. Once this choice has been made throughout all creation, evil will pass away (Revelation 20:14-15).
THE MEANING OF LIFE:
81 That's the meaning of life by the way – to choose to love and obey God, and have an eternal loving relationship with Him. Once this choice is made, the meaning of life grows to incorporate revealing this truth to others, so that they may also choose to love and obey God, and have an eternal loving relationship with Him (1 Corinthians 2:9, Ephesians 1:4-6, John 1:1-2, 14).
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN FREEWILL IS USED FOR EVIL?
Unfortunately, because of the existence of freewill, sin has, in fact, occurred on earth, beginning in (Genesis 3:6). What's worse, sin has a spreading effect once it is turned loose. There is no human means to stop its corruption. Sin was turned loose in the earth with the very first man and woman, (Adam and Eve), and has spread throughout the entire earth since that time (Romans 3:23, 5:12-15).
Because God is perfect, (Psalm 18:30), there is no tolerance for sin; the penalty of sin is death (Genesis 2:17, Romans 5:12). God defines death as returning to the dust of the earth, (Genesis 3:19), and calls it a curse, known as "...the last enemy" (1 Corinthians 15:26). In essence, any rejection of God's rule is sin. It began with Adam, and has since been endorsed by all humanity (Romans 5:12). So, it appears there is a great dilemma, because after sin was introduced into the world, all have been BORN into sin, living in bodies with a sinful nature. All are penalized with death even from birth.
GOD'S METHOD OF DEALING WITH SIN:
82 God knew that humanity needed a means of escaping sin. That's why the first thing He said about sin concerned His means of correcting it (Genesis 3:1415). His Son, Jesus, is the answer, who is first mentioned as the seed of the woman, in (Genesis 3:14-15). God decided that since humanity doesn't have the "Umph" to deal with sin and death, (never did and never will, despite all the religions and doctrines in the world that claim otherwise), He had to take care of this problem Himself. He therefore imbed Himself inside the womb of a human female by the name of Mary, and became a human being. The Creator of all things - became human (John 1:1-2, 14, Colossians 2:9-10). Is this not amazing? His name was Jesus - and still is. He lived a life of purity, and obedience to God - a life of love - healing - and forgiveness. Because of His will power, He was able to live perfectly, without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He then ended His life on earth by sacrificing Himself for all (Romans 5:8-10, 1 Peter 3:18). Then again by His power, He defeated death by rising from the dead (John 10:17-18, Romans 8:10-11).
GOD'S CALLING:
God offers the free gift of salvation to all who will ask. He calls upon all of us to turn from our sinful ways and trust in what He has done for us. There is nothing we can do to remove our guilt before Him. Doing good things doesn't remove our sin, and since all are sinners, nothing we can do can unto that; it's only by the mercy of God that we can be saved through what He has done (Ephesians 2:8-10). The gift of salvation is eternally rewarded, but to those that
83 refuse to repent and turn to God, they will have no place in His kingdom. Therefore whoever spurns God's offer will suffer His wrath in the judgment to come, which the Bible clearly warns of. This terrifying prospect (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10) is a reality that Jesus spoke much of, warning people of their fate.
GOD'S JUSTICE:
God is perfect justice (Psalms 19:7), perfect mercy (2 Corinthians 1:3-5), and all powerful (Romans 1:19-20). Jesus' sacrifice is the best example of all of these attributes. The fact that He died - and paid the penalty of sin - is justice. God accepts sacrifice, and has allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to be sacrificed to atone for all of the sin in the world. The price had to be paid - but He picked up the tab! Whatever sins anyone has ever committed - past, present, or future have all been atoned for. All people have to do is ask, and believe.
GOD'S MERCY:
The fact that Jesus died - yet Jesus is without sin - is mercy. He didn't have to die - He is blameless - yet He died for all who would ask for Him to take their place (Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 3:18). This was the requirement in order for His sacrifice to truly atone for the sin of the world. If He were a sinner Himself, He'd only be getting the punishment He deserved. But because He is perfect, His crucifixion allowed Him to be made worthy to forgive all that would come to Him and ask His forgiveness.
GOD'S POWER:
84 As for being all powerful; this is displayed in Jesus' perfect life (Hebrews 4:15), in His miracles, and especially in His resurrection. He died to atone for sin, and rose from the dead to prove that the atonement was not without meaning. He has power over death, and will give that power to all who ask Him for forgiveness of sins, and salvation.
WHY JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE:
When God sacrificed His son, it wasn't easy. Would it be easy for anyone to allow his or her children to be murdered? He doesn't take His son's death lightly – despite the fact that Jesus was resurrected. God stands outside of time and space, and can see His Son's death as if it were present - for eternity! He can hear the cries of His son, "Father, why have you forsaken me” (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34), for all eternity. This is His means of saving humanity, and there IS no other way. If there were - He would've taken it, because neither He, nor His Son desired the brutal murder of the cross. This is serious business, and it's why God allows for no other means of salvation. But hey – I'm really glad there is no other way, because His way is the easiest, and the best - though it is sad that Jesus had to be crucified in order to make it happen. Nobody has to go through any rituals, or punishments. All people have to do is lay aside their pride, and stop trying to reach God by their own strength. All they have to do is look to Jesus, because He is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE; there is no way to the Father, except by Him. (John 14:6)
HOW MIGHT ONE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?
85 Salvation is a free gift. There's only one thing that people have to do to receive it. Ask Jesus for forgiveness of their sins. He forgives all! The only unforgivable sin is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, which is achieved essentially by refusing God‟s offer, and not asking for forgiveness. Of course, one must have enough faith to ask such a question. This is a problem for many, because they simply don't perceive what faith actually is. Let me make this even easier. Simply ask Him, Jesus - to forgive you of your sins and save you - and HOPE He's real, if this is all you‟re capable of. I assure you, in His infinite mercy, you are saved if you do this. Put your hope in Him, and He will not be let down. You don't even have to change your life before you come to Him. He'll take care of those details later on. Just stop right now - and send up a prayer to Him.
There are other ways of rewording the act of asking God for salvation. For example, (Acts 20:20-21) states that you must have "Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ". Repentance means a complete change of heart and mind regarding sin – in which you agree with God about your sin and want to live a life pleasing to Him. Faith in Jesus Christ entails accepting who He is, "The Son of the living God", that "Christ died for the ungodly", and that He conquered death through His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22). But all of these Christian phrases simply boil down to believing in God enough to ask for forgiveness of sins from His Son, Jesus Christ, and allowing Him to work in you to mold you into His likeness. He really carries the brunt of the workload - mainly because people are so spiritually weak and puny.
86 It's all that easy. God bless you!
87 SCRIPTURES REFERENCED IN APPENDIX A 1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Ephesians 1:4-5 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will John 1:1-2, 14 *See note In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Note: God became flesh - to be intimately linked to us, and to save us. Acts 24:15 *See note And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. Note: All spirits are eternal, whether they are obedient and faithful to God or not. Everlasting damnation isn't God's desire, for He is not willing that any should perish, but it exists because it is a byproduct of freewill. The fact that all spirits are eternal, however, is evident in that they exist for eternity, whether they are saved with God, or eternally separated from God. Daniel 12:2 *See note And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Note: All spirits are eternal, whether they are obedient and faithful to God or not. Everlasting damnation isn't God's desire, for He is not willing that any
88 should perish, but it exists because it is a byproduct of freewill. The fact that all spirits are eternal, however, is evident in that they exist for eternity, whether they are saved with God, or eternally separated from God. Genesis 1:26-27 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 2:16-17 *See note And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Note: While it isn't explicitly stated that humans have freewill, it is implied by the fact that God created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and gave Adam and Eve the choice of whether to obey Him and not eat it, or to disobey Him, and eat it. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 *See note I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. Note: While it isn't explicitly stated that humans have freewill, it is implied by the fact that people obviously have the ability to choose life - and to love and obey God, as it is mentioned in this passage of scripture. Joshua 24:15 *See Note And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Note: While it isn't explicitly stated that humans have freewill, it is implied by the fact that people obviously have the ability to choose life - and to love and obey God, as it is mentioned in this passage of scripture.
89 Revelation 20:14-15 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Ephesians 1:4-6 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. John 1:1-2, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, (NOT), and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned... Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. 31For who is God save the LORD?
90 Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Romans 5:12-15 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Romans 5:12-15 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. Genesis 3:14-15 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. John 1:1-2, 14
91 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Colossians 2:9-10 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Romans 5:8-10 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. John 10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. Romans 8:10-11 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship,
92 created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Psalms 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. Romans 1:19-20 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
93 Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Acts 20:20-21 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
94 APPENDIX B – THE TRINITY When I wrote my last book, "Aliens in the Bible", I mentioned the concept of the Trinity in one area of the book, and stated that I heard a sermon on it once that helped me immensely to understand God's triune nature. 1 I wasn't talking about the Trinity specifically in that area of the book, so I simply concluded that readers should email me if they wanted to hear me explain more about that sermon. As it turned out, I had about 3 or 4 people email me about it, and I had to retype the same information out all those times. So by popular demand, I'm going to detail what I remember from that sermon about the Trinity as best I can right here, once and for all. Now the next time someone emails me asking about this info, all I'll have to do is send them a link to my website, http://www.AliensInTheBible.com, where this book is posted. Some people find it difficult to understand God's triune nature. How it is that one being can be manifest in three individuals? Does the Bible really teach this? YES! If it didn't, what would be the point of the word "Godhead", found 3 times in the New Testament, (Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20, Colossians 2:8-10)? Acts 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse Colossians 2:8-10 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the
95 tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
Before talking about how God has revealed his triune nature, I'm first going to briefly make it clear from the Bible that the Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Ghost - are ALL God. They are three individuals, united as ONE God, (1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Corinthians 8:6), and at the same time, spoken of as three individual beings. 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
Without going into huge detail, the Father is the Head of the Godhead, declared by Jesus to be the Greatest, (John 14:28). John 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. Jesus is the mediator between the Father and man, (1 Timothy 2:5). 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
96 The Holy Ghost comforts man, dwells in man, and reveals truth, (John 14:15-17, 26, 15:26-27). John 14:15-17 If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 15:26-27 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. All three, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are considered to be God for the 9 following reasons I was able to find: 1. All are referenced by the term Godhead, (Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20, Colossians 2:9). Acts 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse Colossians 2:8-10 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the
97 tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 2. The Father is essentially a synonymous term with "God", and is explicitly stated to be God, (1 Corinthians 8:6). 1 Corinthians 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. 3. Jesus said that He and His Father were as one, (John 8:58, 10:30). John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. John 10:30 I and my Father are one. 4. Within Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead, (Colossians 2:8-10). Scripture also states that Jesus created the world, and when coupled with (Genesis 1:1), we see that Jesus must therefore be God. Colossians 2:8-10 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
98 5. The Holy Spirit is of the Father (Ephesians 4:30). Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 6. The Holy Spirit is given from and sent by the Father (John 14:15-17, 26, 15:2627; 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8). John 14:15-17 If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 15:26-27 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. 7. The Holy Spirit conceived Jesus (Matthew 1:18-20). Matthew 1:18-20 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream,
99 saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 8. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of God (Matthew 3:16-17). Matthew 3:16-17 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God (The Holy Ghost) descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
9. Believers are to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19). Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Now that it should be fairly clear that God has a triune nature, exactly how has God revealed His nature to us in a way that we can understand? According to (Romans 1:20), we can understand the Godhead by studying the things that are made. Now what did the Apostle Paul mean by that? Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
Falling back to the most fundamental interpretation, if we want to study the things that are made in order to understand the Godhead, we need a small physics lesson. All things, according to physics, are made of energy, and require time, and space to exist in. What is it about energy, time, and space, which can reveal to us God's triune nature?
100 ENERGY: Energy is a single entity, yet consists of a relationship between mass, velocity, and the constant of the speed of light. Without any one of these 3 unique components, energy could not exist. TIME: Time is a single entity, yet consists of the past, present, and future. Without any one of these 3 unique components, time could not exist. SPACE: Space is a single entity, yet consists of height, width, and depth. Without any one of these 3 unique components, space could not exist. Wrapping everything up, the THINGS THAT ARE MADE is the single creation of the material universe and all things therein, yet it all consists of the three individual components of energy, time, and space. Without any one of these three unique components, (each of which consist of an additional three unique, yet unified set of components), the things that are made could not exist. So there you have it! It's all as simple as that. We are all familiar with time and space, (though the energy one is a bit complex), so nobody should have any problem in understanding how ONE God can be manifest in 3 unique, individual beings. Matthew 3:13 *See note And Jesus, (The Son) when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God (The Holy Ghost) descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, (The Father's voice) saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Note: This is one of those rare passages when the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are ALL witnessed together.
101 APPENDIX C – POETRY GOD HIS EYES ARE ON ME HOLY LORD HIS BRIDE I UNDERSTAND GOD LOVES ME LIKE CRAZY SUSTAIN ME ONE WELL DONE BLIND LIGHT KEEP SHADOW FIRE AT BAY GOOD SPIRITS GROW CHILDREN IN-BETWEEN GARDEN OF WEEDS JESUS SMILES GOOD FRIDAY THE MAKER OF IT ALL THE WAY OF THINGS MOONLIGHT (MATTHEW 5:45) DESTINY BECKONS TO DUST DROWNING IN THE RIVER EAGLE VALLEY WHAT IS BEAUTY LOVE NO ONE CAN DEMAND LOVE WHAT'S WRONG, WHAT'S RIGHT
102 GOD THE PERFECTION OF HIS FACE THE MIRACLE OF HIS SPIRIT AND THE SECRET OF HIS PERSONALITY ONLY HE KNOWS ALL ONLY HIS WORDS ARE PURE FROM HIS IMAGINATION COMES OUR REALITY AND ONLY GOD KNOWS THE COMPOUND OF AWARENESS AND THE QUEST OF EVERY SOUL ONLY HIS SMILE IS PURELY SWEET HIS MERCY COMPLETE AND HIS LOVE ENTIRELY WHOLE IN THE LIFE HE DELIVERS WITH A FEW QUIVERS OF HIS BREATH HE MAKES CHILDREN TO LIVE TO LOVE AND TO GIVE IRRELEVANT OF DEATH WE ARE THE DUST OF HIS BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS THAT HE LET ROAM FREE IN A PLACE CALLED SPACE IN A PERIOD CALLED TIME THAT HE SIMPLY WILLED TO BE
103 SUSTAIN ME LORD I SUFFER IT TO ASK OF THEE THAT YOU BESTOW UPON ME ANOTHER CRUMB OF YOUR HOLY WORD UNTIL THY KINGDOM COME AS I HAVE HEARD TO THEE OH MOST HIGH ABOVE I PRAY THEE TO GIVE ME ANOTHER DROP OF YOUR LOVE ALL I NEED IS A SPARK IN THE NIGHT GUIDE ME IN THE DARK WITH A PIECE OF YOUR LIGHT AND IN EVERY NEW DAY I WILL PRAY AND TRY A FEW MORE WAYS TO GIVE THEE PRAISE REMOVE ME OF PAIN REPROVE ME OF STAIN THAT I MAY BE WITHOUT SIN I WAIT FOR YOUR REIN STEADFAST I REMAIN SUSTAIN ME UNTIL THEN AMEN
104 ONE THE POWER ONLY ONE DIVINE TALK WITH GOD IN PRAYER THE WORK ONE MISSION NEVER DONE THAT WE HAVE COMPASSION TO CARE ONE BOOK, MANY MEN ONE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN ONE TRUTH, ONE DOOR ONE SPOKEN INSPIRED METAPHOR WITH AN EYE SINGLE FOCUSED ON THE CENTER GOAL THE SPIRIT OF GOD ENTERS THE SOUL HIS LIGHT AS THE SUN'S GLOW HIS REFLECTIONS MAKE THE RAINBOW REVEALING GOD, THE SINGLE WHOLE OF MANY THINGS THAT ARE ALL TRULY ONE IN THE SAME DIFFERENT MEANINGS OF HIS HOLY NAME FROM HE THAT IS ONE AND ALL THINGS TOGETHER THE SAME TODAY, YESTERDAY, AND FOREVER ONE GOD WHO SENT HIS ONLY SON FROM ABOVE WITH ONE WORD AND MANY LAWS FOUNDED ENTIRELY ONE LOVE THAT WE SHOULD ALWAYS STRIVE TO BE OF ONE HEART IN ONE ACCORD IN WORSHIP
105 TO THE ONE THE ONE HOLY BELOVED LORD
106 WELL DONE EASY IT MUST BE TO TRUST IN A GOD THAT'S FAIR AND JUST BUT TIMES OF DESPAIR BECOME UTTERLY GREAT WITH WORRY AND CARE IN A PAINFUL STATE JUST PRAY IT AWAY UNTO THE KING OF KINGS DAY BY DAY FOR GOD IS LOVE, OF ALL THINGS HE WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO LIVE HE WILL SHOW YOU TO GIVE AND FORGIVE HIS WORDS WILL LIFT YOU UP WHEN YOU FALL HIS TRUTH WILL GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE LIGHTED HALL AND SUSTAIN YOU UNTIL THAT FINE DAY YOU STAND BEFORE CHRIST THE SON WHEN HE WILL LOOK AT YOU AND SAY "MY CHILD - WELL DONE!"
107 GOOD SPIRITS GROW ANGELS WORK WITH TOOLS CALLED EVENTS GIVING WARNINGS AND MERCY TO WISE MEN AND FOOLS THE LORD'S WILL PRESENTS GOOD SHALL LAY IN THE HANDS OF GOOD AND EVIL CAST TO FIERY LANDS AS IT SHOULD FOR THE DESTINIES OF MORTALS WOMEN AND MEN ARE DYNAMICALLY WOVEN STITCHED IN FABRIC OF TIME AGAIN AND AGAIN THIS WISDOM DOES IN DEPTHS OF EVERY SOUL LIE THAT SPIRITS LIVE TO GROW AND GROWING IS GOOD IF EVIL THEY SEW THEY GROW NO MORE, THEN DIE
108 CHILDREN IN BETWEEN
ON THE DISTANT SHORES OF MORAL BAY STANDS THE LIGHTED FIGURE OF A SHINING BOY ABOVE, THE SEA GULL SOARS BELOW IN CORAL, LAY DARKENED FIGURE DEVISING PLOY OF A DECEPTIVE STAIN WITH PAIN OF ILL LITTLE BOYS AS THESE PLEASE A WICKED KILL BUT THE GULL SHINES LIGHT FROM THE SKIES TO THE DELIGHT OF THE CHILD'S EYES WILL LITTLE BOY FLY THE BIRD HE'S MEANT TO BE WILL LITTLE BOY DIE DENY WINGS HE CAN'T SEE WHERE WILL HE WALK THIS CHILD IN BETWEEN? THE PATH OF SALVATION IS YET TO BE SEEN
109 GARDEN OF WEEDS I PRAY TO BE PERFECT LIKE JESUS IN SPIRIT, LIKE THE FATHER IN FLESH, LIKE US AND WITHSTAND EVERY TEMPTATION AND EVERY DECEPTION SINCE THE DAWN OF CREATION WE, THE PEOPLE OF EARTH WHO MADE HIS SOUL TO BLEED WE DECEIVED WHO BELIEVED LIES FORGETTING WHAT WE NEED GIVEN BY THE FATHER WHICH IS LOVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON FROM ABOVE JESUS THE ONLY ROSE, THAT STILL BLEEDS IN THE CENTER OF A GARDEN OF WEEDS
110 GOOD FRIDAY TODAY IS THE DAY HE DIED THE DAY HE WAS THRICE DENIED THE DAY HE WAS BETRAYED THE DAY HE WENT WHEN HE COULD HAVE STAYED TODAY IS THE DAY HE CRIED HE PRAYED TO HIS FATHER THEN SIGHED TODAY IS THE DAY HE WAS CRUCIFIED TODAY IS THE DAY HE DIED HE ENTERED THE CITY OF PEACE WHERE HIS SOUL WAS RELEASED HE SHOUTED WHEN HE GAVE UP THE GHOST THEN HE ASSEMBLED ALL THE HEAVENLY HOSTS AND LIKE AN EAGLE HE SOARED AGAINST THE ARMIES OF DARKNESS HE WARRED YES, IT ALL HAPPENED THIS VERY DAY
111
THIS - THE DAY OF THE LORD
112 THE MAKER OF IT ALL WHICH IS GREATER CREATION OR CREATOR? WHAT GLORY TELLS A STORY IN THE LIFE THAT COVERS THE LANDS A SMALL WORD ITSELF ABOUT THE MAKER THEREOF A PIECE OF THE RADIANT LOVE FROM HIS HANDS MOUNTAINS ABOVE THE SKY STAND CANYONS THAT ECHO RIVERS RAGE DESSERT DUNES OF GOLDEN SAND FORESTS OF FERN, TREE, AND SAGE CLEAR WATER STREAMS AND MYSTERY IN THE WINDS THESE MEET THE REALM OF DREAMS AND TALK SWEET LIKE FRIENDS EVERY DAY OPENS WITH DAWN ITS ROSE COLORED FINGERTIPS SURPRISES IN LIVING LIKE WILD HONEY FRESH UPON MY LIPS STARRY NIGHTS OF CELESTIAL SPHERES BLANKET DARKNESS ABOVE WITH SHINNY TEARS AND ALL THE SEASONS THAT CHARM IN GREAT MEASURE FOR WHAT BE THE REASONS NONE OTHER THAN HIS GOOD PLEASURE WHAT HIDDEN SECRETS WHISPER IN WATERFALLS AND RAINBOWS SUMMER SHOWERS AND WILD FLOWERS ONLY THE LORD KNOWS DEW DROPS OF DIAMOND GLITTER ON FIELDS OF VIOLET GLASS TURNING TO EMERALDS I CONSIDER THE COMMON GREEN OF GRASS THE MIST OF A FOREST
113 IN THE MORNING AMBER SUN AN EQUAL IN AWE TO WHICH THERE IS NONE AND ALL THIS SPLENDOR DOESN'T COMPARE WITH THE BEAUTY OF HIS FACE FROM ONLY HIS MIND ALL THINGS WERE THOUGHT OF AND CAME TO BE WITH HIS LOVE AND GRACE
114 THE WAY OF THINGS LET MY THOUGHTS MOMENTS OF MOTION IN TIME PRESENT THE NOTION OF A LANGUAGE CALLED "THE WAY OF THINGS" READ IN FEELINGS THE HEART BRINGS FROM MY EYES WHEN NOT CAST UPON WRITTEN WORD FROM MY EARS WHEN NOT OPEN TO VOICES HEARD BUT FROM AN EARTH WHOSE BEAUTY IN ANCIENT OF DAYS RESONATES WITH MY SOUL AND SPEAKS IN REVERENT WAYS A RIVER FLOWS NOTHING IT KNOWS FOR IT HAS NO MIND YET, A RIVER FLOWS BLIND OF WHAT COMES AND GOES OR WHAT IT'S LEFT BEHIND BUT THE RIVERS GLARE IS BEAUTIFUL TO ME IN "THE WAY OF THINGS" SPOKEN TO ME THE GRASS GROWS TO COMPOSE A SYMPHONY OF GREEN ART THE GRASS GROWS YET HAS NO FEELINGS IN THOSE LITTLE BLADES VOID OF HEART BUT THESE BLADES BARE GREAT BEAUTY TO ME IN "THE WAY OF THINGS"
115 SPOKEN TO ME ROCKS PLACED IN ROWS STITCH THE AUTUMN RED ROSE FIELDS INTO A WHOLE SO LOVELY THEY ENCLOSE THE GRANDEUR THEY EXPOSE YET THEY HAVE NO SOUL BUT THESE ROCKS EVERYWHERE ARE BEAUTIFUL TO ME IN "THE WAY OF THINGS" SPOKEN TO ME THE WIND BLOWS LIKE A PHANTOM IT SHOWS NOTHING, YET ONE MAY HEAR IT THE WIND BLOWS LIKE FINE THREAD THROUGH TREES IT SEWS BUT IT HAS NO SPIRIT THIS THING IN THE AIR IS BEAUTIFUL TO ME IN "THE WAY OF THINGS" SPOKEN TO ME THE EARTH SPEAKS TO ME NOT WITH WORD NOR WITH A VOICE HAVE I EVER HEARD FOR THE LANGUAGE OF SHINE FROM THE SKIES IS A CRESCENT MOON IN MY EYES THE LANGUAGE OF RAIN ON MY FACE FROM ABOVE IS WRITTEN WITHIN KNOWING BEAUTY AND LOVE AND THE EARTH'S BEAUTY STANDS IN THE HANDS OF SPIRITS AND MINDS
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FOR THE EARTH'S BEAUTY STARTS IN THE SOULS AND HEARTS IT FINDS IN THIS I MUST EXPRESS "THE WAY OF THINGS" BY A SHORT PRAYER THE LORD BRINGS "BLESSED ARE THOSE AWARE TO DECLARE THE BEAUTY THERE IS TO SEE FOR BEAUTY WITHOUT BEHOLDERS TO LOVE WOULD HAVE NO REASON TO BE"
117 MOONLIGHT (MATTHEW 5:45) THE MOON OF THE NIGHT IT PUTS FOURTH LIGHT JUST LIKE MY DREAMS IT SEEMS FOR THE MOON AND MY DREAMS THEY STEAL MY FRIGHT AND REPLACE A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT YET DREAMS OF DESIRE FROM INNER FIRE ONLY THOSE WHO LOVE CONCEIVE BUT THE MOONS LIGHT STILL SPLITS THE NIGHT ASIDE WHAT WHO BELIEVES
118 DESTINY BECKONS TO DUST ALL MORTAL SHELLS BID FAREWELLS, DESTINY BECKONS TO DUST ALL MORTAL SHELLS BID FAREWELLS TO THE DUST, THEY MUST BUT THE SPIRIT OH THE SPIRIT, IT FLIES THE SPIRIT, CAN YOU HEAR IT IT CRIES, OH IT CRIES CAUGHT IN THE WINDS OF MORALITY SHOT THROUGH THE NIGHT, UP INTO THE LIGHT TAKEN TO ANOTHER REALITY DOES IT FEEL RIGHT, OR IS IT FRIGHT? ALL MORTAL SHELLS BID FAREWELLS, DESTINY BECKONS TO DUST ALL MORTAL SHELLS BID FAREWELLS TO THE DUST, THEY MUST ARE YOU FORGIVEN STRANGER OF ALL THE THINGS YOU'RE TO BLAME? WHEN THE MAN IN WHITE TAKES A LOOK IN THE BOOK THERE, WILL HE FIND YOUR NAME? WOE UNTO THOSE WHO ALWAYS CHOSE NEVER TO CARE TO REPENT THEIR ETERNAL SHAME WILL ONLY COMPARE WITH THE PAIN OF THE PLACE THEY'RE SENT BUT THE TONGUES OF ANGELS IN RHYTHM AND RHYME WILL SING AND DANCE OF YOUR REWARD IN A CHORUS WITH THE WINDS OF SHADOW AND TIME IF THE ANSWER IS YES TO THE LORD ALL MORTAL SHELLS BID FAREWELLS, DESTINY BECKONS TO DUST ALL MORTAL SHELLS BID FAREWELLS TO THE DUST, THEY MUST
119 DROWNING IN THE RIVER AS THE GLORY OF YOUR THRONE DRAWS NEAR WHEN I OPEN MY HEART TO HEAR YOUR STILL SMALL VOICE WHISPER IN MY EAR STORIES OF YOUR LOVE OF WHEN YOU CAME FROM ABOVE AND YOU GAVE YOUR LIFE YOU LAID YOUR LIFE DOWN NOW I SEE YOU BEFORE ME AND YOU CALL ME – YOU CALL ME INTO THE RIVER OF LIFE TO THE RIVER OF LIFE TO DROWN AND THERE I HEAR WHAT MOSES HEARD WHEN HIS HAIR TURNED WHITE AND IT‟S THERE I SEE WHAT PAUL SAW WHEN HE LOST HIS SIGHT YES IT‟S THERE I KNOW WHAT WISE MEN KNEW WHEN THEY FOLLOWED A STAR AND IT‟S THERE I WALK WHERE ENOCH WALKED WHEN HE WENT JUST A LITTLE TOO FAR YOUR GLORY FROM ABOVE IS THE GREATEST STORY OF LOVE WHEN YOU GAVE YOUR LIFE YOU LAID YOUR LIFE DOWN NOW I SEE YOU BEFORE ME AND YOU CALL ME – YOU CALL ME INTO THE RIVER OF LIFE TO THE RIVER OF LIFE TO DROWN IT‟S THERE I LAUGH LIKE SARAH LAUGHED MOTHER OF A NATION IT‟S THERE I LEARN W HAT JOHN LEARNED WHEN HE WAS GIVEN REVELATION AND IT‟S THERE I KNOW WHAT MADE STEPHEN GLOW WHEN HE SAW YOUR THRONE IT‟S THERE I FEEL WHAT ELISHA FELT WHEN HE KNEW HE WASN‟T ALONE
120 EAGLE VALLEY SPIRITS REST ABOARD AN ANCIENT GALLEY SOULS DRIFTING ACROSS A SEA TO THE ENCHANTED EAGLE VALLEY THERE, THEY GO TO SEE THE SPIRIT OF THE EAGLE FLY TO SEE WHAT THEY HEARD, OF THE MYSTICAL BIRD IN THE RED AND YELLOW SKY THERE IN EAGLE VALLEY WARM IS THE WINTER SNOW THERE IN EAGLE VALLEY SPRINGTIME FLOWERS GLOW BEING DOWN IN THAT VALLEY THERE IS PLEASURE IN WATCHING THE WATER FLOW IT'S VERY NICE, JUST ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF PARADISE IT'S A PLACE ALL SPIRITS MUST GO
121 WHAT IS BEAUTY BEAUTY LIES IN THE EYES BEAUTY CIRCLES THE EARS BEAUTY HAS A SCENT BEAUTY SHINES IN TEARS BEAUTY IS THE WARM SUMMER DAY OR MELTING SNOW BEAUTY IS THE WANDERERS WAY THE MOON‟S GLOW IT‟S A SECRET TO SOME A GRAND MYSTERY UNKNOWN YET SIMPLE TO THE SIMPLE SOMETHING ALWAYS KNOWN SEEKERS SEEK TO KNOW IT POETS WRITE TO FEEL IT ARTIST PAINT TO SHOW IT BUT THE GREEDY ATTEMPT TO STEAL IT IT‟S DELICATE IT‟S CRUDE, BUT TRIES IT‟S SWEET AND GENTLE IT‟S AN ELEPHANT ADMIRING BUTTERFLIES BEAUTY IS A BRIGHT HUMOR IT'S A WARM AND KIND HEART BEAUTY IS THE PURPOSE OF GOD THE REASON HE CHOSE TO CREATE FROM THE START IT‟S PUPPIES AND KITTENS AT PLAY IT‟S THE ACT OF GIVING LOVE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I SAY THAT MAKES LIFE WORTH LIVING
122 LOVE LOVE IS TO GIVE NOT TAKE LOVE'S REWARD IS ITS OWN SAKE WITH SOME IT IS CALM THROUGH THE YEARS WITH OTHERS IT TREMBLES IN TEARS AND THOUGH IT APPEARS TO BRING MUCH PAINFUL ACHE DOWN THE MISERABLE ROAD OF HEARTBREAK IT TRANSCENDS ALL FEARS IN A WAKE IN THE LAKE OF LIFE IT'S A PASSIONATE BEAUTY AN EAGLES WINGS AN ANGELS DUTY AND IT SINGS THE SONG OF A JOYFUL SOUL IT REDEEMS IT MAKES THE LONELY WHOLE AND IT DREAMS OF HEAVEN, ITS HOME AND FINAL REWARD TO BE WITH ITS FATHER THE HOLY LORD
123 NO ONE CAN DEMAND LOVE THERE'S A SMALL CHILD NOBODY LOVES AN OLD TOOL IN THE SHED NO ONE USES A SWEATER MADE THAT'S NEVER WORN A FOOD THAT EVERYONE REFUSES A LAKE NEVER SWAM IN A MOUNTAIN NEVER CLIMBED A STREET NO ONE WALKS ON A BELL NEVER CHIMED IT BURNS, IT BITES TO BE REJECTED AN ODD FORM OF PAIN TO BE NEGLECTED IT'S STILL, QUIET, AND SAD AND SPAWNS A BREAKING APART VICTIMS HURT THEMSELVES TRYING TO FIGHT IT WHEN THEY HAVE BROKEN HEARTS IT'S THE SILENT RAGE THAT I SPEAK OF IT SHOWS US THE NEEDY CHILDREN WE ALL ARE FOR WE CAN‟T DEMAND LOVE BUT WE ALL NEED IT
124 WHAT'S WRONG, WHAT'S RIGHT THE ESSENCE OF MY DREAMS LIFETIMES ON THE FINGERTIPS OF NIGHT THE FLAMES OF MY HEART ALL MY LOVE LIVE IN THE DAY OF LIGHT THE THOUGHTS OF MY MIND LIKE STARS IN A DISTANT GALAXY SHINE BRIGHT THE PLACE OF MY SOUL IN TIME BEFORE AND BEYOND ALL SIGHT AND HERE I SIT IN POETRY ABOUT THE SPIRIT I WRITE OF BEING A LIFE A SEPARATE LIGHT LEARNING WHAT'S WRONG WHAT'S RIGHT