Further Down The Path, Part Eight?

                               

                                 Time is fulfilled

           This may not make a lot of sense to some people, but if you have read my book online for free it may fill in some interesting gaps.  I do not know if it is significant for others, but the time sequences in my life seem to happen in circles.  I kept pondering this and had to write it so I could sleep.

    14Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

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      Here I sit at my computer at 1:30 in the morning.  Why am I doing that because certain things that have been happening lately?  It has bought me a feeling that I am approaching the end of another circle in my life. My book “A Little Further Down the Path” shares several of the circles I have experienced in my life.  To me the Bible talks and shares things in several circles.  Some long and some short, but they are circles which end up back where they started.  It has been fifty years this month since I left home and started a large circle in my life.

     In Genesis 15 God told Abraham what land would be a big circle in Israel’s experience.  He told them they would go into captivity for four hundred years and then they would "return to their land".in the fourth generation.  Over the years the length of a generation has been a point of discussion in many of my conversations about the Bible. Israel has been removed from their land and returned several times in history. God makes it pretty clear on two points, it will be 400 years and they will return in the fourth generation.  I am not a mathematician or a Bible scholar but common sense tells me those generations have to be more than 100 years.  The only place I find God giving a time frame longer than 100 years is Genesis 6:3 where he says man’s time will be limited to 120 years.  The strange thing is that Moses lived 120 years and yet he never entered the Promised Land.  With the wondering in the wilderness 470 years had passed when they reentered the Promised Land.  Four times 120 would be 480 so they did return in the 4^th generation.  You would be amazed how many preachers have told me I am wrong about that number because it does not fit “their” calculations.

       Most of this is in my book and I need to not repeat that stuff but explain why I find the circles of time in my life significant. It is mainly because they are getting much shorter. I tell how I went to Vietnam and returned back to the very point I started.

       Another circle started about 1981 and ended about 1990.  It started when I asked the Lord to show me how he would punish a man if I turned the matter over to him.  I did and he did.  I certainly did not expect it to happen. It was a very humbling experience when it did, because how he did it, which was to give me that man’s job.

        The next circle started on 7 February 1992 with the crash of a military C-130 into a hotel in Evansville, IN.   I was interviewed by CNN and it restored a long lost friendship with a person I grew up with and had lost contact with. I had a heart attack on the 22 January 2004 in Baltimore, MD ending my trucking career. That circle ended when I flew into Louisville, KY and looked down on the fleet of C-130’s parked on the tarmac.  It was the home base of the aircraft than crashed into the hotel. It started before I got my own truck and ended with the end of my driving career.

       In August 2010 my youngest daughter, Glenda Lynn, passed away after a seven year battle with a brain tumor. She left me her Boston Terrier, Forrest Gump, in her Will.  She also left her home for her sister to administer till her children are of age to receive it. Glenda was a nurse by profession.  This month my grandson and his girlfriend who had been taking care of the home moved out. We decided to rent the house rather than let it sit empty. The lady who is going to rent it is the niece of the lady who owned it before my daughter bought it.  She is a x-ray technician and she has two Boston Terriers. A strange coincidence?

       In March 2011 I started a blog with the encouragement of my daughter Angel.  She had done one for a class she had taken. She teaches Spanish. She knew I liked to write and she encouraged me in that direction.  In May of 2012 I went to my first writer’s conference.  It was at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference.  It was a rewarding experience and had many neat people.  I am a bit of a people watcher and one lady caught my attention.  She walked with a large stick much like they used in the Lord of the Rings.  Her attire was a little different also.  While curious I did not approach her.  My mind muddled over the matter for a year.  In May of this year I returned to the conference.  After signing in I went upstairs and sat down.  The first person I had a long talk with happened to be the 80+ year old mother of the lady I had seen the year before.  She informed me of the details of her life and her daughters and all I had to do is listen.  That was another time I had asked the Lord to open my understanding and he did.  The Bible verse that says, “You have not, because you ask not.” has taken on new meaning for me.

       It may mean nothing but my circles seem to be getting smaller and quicker.  On May 5^th I went to the Indiana State Gourd show for the first time.  I make crafts from gourds and have started growing my own.  At the state show I saw a neat looking and very large gourd and did not think at the time to ask who made it.  On my way to the writing conference in Ridgecrest, NC I decided to stop by the Kentucky State Gourd show on the way.  Several people I met in Indiana were at the Kentucky Show.  One was the Indiana secretary.  She told me the story of the gourd and then pointed out a man in the crowd.  He was the one who had made it several years before.  I wanted the information because I hope to write an article about it.  So that circle was finished in less than a month.

       

        All this got me to pondering the meaning of it all.  That was when I realized the fifty year cycle for me. The 50^th year of Jubilee is very significant in the Bible.  It signifies the beginning and ending of time.  One of the reasons I did ponder so hard was that the keynote speaker told a story about a man who laid hands on him when he was a kid.  The experience had never left him. It made me ponder a man in my own home town that I had not heard of or thought of since leaving over fifty years ago. Today, well I guess in reality, yesterday I was looking at Facebook and guess whose picture is on my time line.  It was that old man that I thought of at the conference.  It is a strange coincidence, but I could not get it out of my head and so here I sit. This brings me back to the Biblical sequences of time.

        If we go back to my opening statement.  When the Jesus made the above statement he was telling the Jewish people that they had reached a point where the Gentiles would take over world affairs.

             22For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 24And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

     It is my belief that when Israel returned to the land in 1948 that prophecy was fulfilled.  Which also remind me of the verse in 2^nd Peter 3:8 where it says,

         8 Dear friends, don’t forget that for the Lord one day is the same as a thousand years, and a thousand years is the same as one day. 9 The Lord isn’t slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.

     Based on that logic we are entering the seventh day. Roughly two days were before the flood. Two days were from the flood till Christ and two more from Christ till now.  So is it time to enter the millennium and the Lord’s Day of Rest.  I really do not know, but I feel I can now lay down and sleep, having cleared my mind.

       Like I said before I could die before I get out of this chair, but I believe I will be here when the Lord returns in power and glory and I am getting the feeling by looking around me that, that time is not that far off.

      If you should happen to read the free book posted on my blog, it is in seven parts.  Please if you read none of the rest of it, please read part seven as it brings what I am trying to say together.  Hopefully this does not bore you to bad.  I did go right to sleep at 5AM when I finished it. It is now 10AM I am up and life goes on.

          There is a verse in Luke 9:62 that says to never look back when you have put your hand to the plow. The reason is really simple.  In the course of life we travel in the circles and seasons of life and sooner or later we come back to where we started.  We can then see the crookedness of our paths and hopefully correct them as we move on in life.

Obama Care or "Abomnicare"

                           Abomnicare, Will we survive it?

      The title is not a typo.  It is my personal name for Obama Care.  He may care but he has no business background and not a clue at the burden he is putting on average Americans.  While, supposedly, well intended it is quickly being seen for what it is.  It is an abomination of, supposedly, good intentions.  

      The reality of Obama Care is starting to hit home.  It would more properly be called the Abomnicare program.  As it is implemented it is busting the budget of low income Americans.  Worse yet it is actually going to reduce the number of people covered by health care.  As the details are released it is becoming a nightmare for many Americans.  People who have worked with companies and institutions for twenty or more years suddenly have no health care.  If the nation’s economy was in better health maybe it would work.  However the country’s economy is not in good shape.  Many states are on the edge of bankruptcy.  Decisions are being made totally based on the bottom line.  The effect on individuals is not a consideration.  The survival of the system is all that matters.

       How do I justify saying that?  Well I have seen firsthand how it is working.  School systems which have fixed budgets are making decisions to keep the schools running. One of the simplest ways is to reduce the number of people eligible for benefits.  That is done simply by cutting hours so that an employee is working less than forty hours a week.  They then become part time employees. It does not necessarily affect the teachers but the kitchen, maintenance and administrative staff may be fair game.  That is how state and county budgets are considering dealing with the problem.

      Corporate America is using much the same system.  They are passing much of the cost on to their employees.  They are not giving full time positions.  The ones that already are full time are being hit with highly increased cost. Raising the deductible and copay maintains company profits at the expense of the employees.  The attitude of the companies is take it, or leave.  With the economy in chaos and no alternatives the employees are being put between a rock and a hard place.  They have a choice between the frying pan and the fire.  Neither decision is a good choice, but which is the lesser of two evils.  If they keep the job, at least they will still be able to eat and pay their house payment as long as they do not get sick.  The irony is that though they have insurance if they get sick the copays may destroy them economically.  That is not a big change.  Many of the people forced into filing bankruptcy in America do so because of excessive medical bills.  They can’t pay the medical bills and still provide for their family’s needs.

       I am proud of America for rising above its prejudice and divisiveness.  Yet it raises the question of whether America can survive under a president that understands politics and the election process, but has no clue about administering the business needs of America.  Yes the economy is slowly recovering and the market is going up.  Every minor hiccup in the economy causes a setback.  If a real crisis arises it may push us over the edge. Abomnicare may become that crisis.

Why All The Evil? Jesus Said So

      Why is there so much evil in the world today.  Well it is no surprise to anyone who has read the Bible.  The Bible says there will be evil in the world especially in the end time.  Jesus himself warned us that at the end of time it would be just as it was in the days of Noah. He mentioned that people would be marrying and eating just as they were in Noah’s day. With the move toward same sex marriage the end must be near.  If it does not happen soon marriage as the Bible proclaims it will cease to exist.  If we look at what the Bible says about the time of Noah it becomes much clearer why there is so much evil.  In Genesis 6:5-7 it lays it out pretty clear why God destroyed the earth the first time.

  

         5And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.   6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

      Sounds pretty much like this day and age.  So what causes evil or where does it come from.  This sounds strange but it comes from God.  The Bible says so in Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. So why would God create evil?  If you search a little deeper you will get the answer.  Isaiah 54:16 makes it clear God created the waster to destroy.  What does he destroy?  He destroys evil, but he thinks it gives him power.  Ultimately it only leads to his own destruction.

      In Romans 1:18 it makes clear why and how God uses evil for his purposes.  He does it to punish unrighteousness.  If you read on down to verse 28 thru 32 it makes clear God gives up on those who will not listen and lets them receive their just reward.  Let me make it clear I do not think I am in any way above or better than any of those described.  The first step to changing your life is acknowledge that God is in charge. In this day and age most treat the Bible like a salad bar.  I will take this, but I do not want this.  They try to conform religion to what they want.  The truth is that mankind has earned the judgment that is coming on mankind.  Almost all the things mentioned in the following verses are very common place in this day and age.

      18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.  20For 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:  21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.  26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;   29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. 

      So how do we know it is the end time?  In 2^nd Timothy 3:1-9 it gives a description of what it will be like in the end times.  It makes clear that men in the end of time will have a form of Godliness, but deny the power of God.   

    

1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.  9But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

       Evil is having a field day in America.  This is supposed to be a Christian nation. Yet when we see the evil unfolding daily in bombings and shootings how can this be.  We have a broken government that can’t manage its affairs or finances and allows ungodly practices.  If you stand up and proclaim what the Bible proclaims you will be shouted down.  If you are not shot by some “Christian” who’s rights you are violating.

        There is a price to be paid for not standing up and proclaiming our faith and trust in God, not only as individuals, but as a nation.  As we used to say in the Army, “You are either part of the solution or part of the problem.” There is no middle ground.  If it keeps going the way it is going the Rapture will not even be noticed in America.  Contrary to the popular Left Behind series, God sets the standards and places the bar and this nation is coming up far short.  The feel good version of Christianity practiced by most churches is going to come up way short of the mark on judgment day.

         So who am I to judge America?  I am nothing and nobody and really this is just some stuff I have been studying for myself that has made me question my own walk as a professing Christian.  I am certainly falling far short of the mark.  The thing I am trying to figure out is how do I make a better impact on the world?.  The solution starts with fixing me, but I have to figure out what all I have to fix first.  It is a lot of things I am sure.  What stimulated me to thinking on this whole matter was a movie I recently watched with Andy Garcia and Eva Longoria called The Greater Glory, which was about a leader in Mexico who tried to ban the Catholic Church and the revolution that followed and people dying for what they thought was right. In the end the Catholic Church made peace with the government and abandoned those fighting for the “faith.”  Years later the church declared them martyrs for their faith.  What it got me to wondering was how far do you go in standing up for your faith?  Do you fight and kill for and in the name of God or do you get down on your knees and become a martyr?

        Maybe it will take enduring the tribulation of the last days and martyrdom for many to get it. The purpose of writing this is not to condemn anybody, but to provide food for thought.  Could we do more to make this a truly Christian nation?  The answer is an obvious yes.  The problem is how do we go about it?

Death by Default, Is It Our Fault

        In an age of global warming and many other potential disasters we do not need more problems. The real question is how many of the problems are of our own creation.  When I hear the complaints about obesity in America, especially childhood obesity I have to wonder if we are missing something.  I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer.  But I am starting to see, or at least believe personally, that many of the health problems we are seeing today in America we have created.

        Is there a connection between Alzheimer's disease, autism and increased brain tumors in America.  My beliefs come from over sixty years of observations. The realization that some things are related is pretty easy to come too.  Could all the missing honey bees just be one more confirmation of the link between science and technology and the worlds problems today.  Is there a common bond that ties them all together.  Could the genetic modification of plants be leading to the demise of the bees.  It would not surprise me.  Of course all of Monsanto's money says I am wrong.

       Most people have heard of the possible link between brain tumors and cell phones.  It has supposedly been proven to be false.  When you live in a society where laws are passed at the whim of corporate lobby's.  Is it really unrealistic to believe that the truth might be swept under the carpet in the interest of corporate earnings.

      The fact that science makes mistakes is a documented fact.  In 1962  a book by Rachel Carson called Silent Spring gave birth to the environmental movement.  In just ten years it led to the ban of DDT. The book laid down the fact that many chemicals are transmitted up the food chain.  The cumulative effect of consuming contaminated food sources can have fatal consequences to those beings farther up the chain. This knowledge led to the ban of DDT in 1972.  It had been discovered that DDT may have been to blame for the decline and almost extinction of the Bald Eagle in the lower forty eight states. Eagles were eating fish.  The fish had fed on smaller plants and animals that had absorbed the DDT which got into the runoff water from agricultural usage.  The consequence was the levels gradually increased in the Eagles bodies till it effected the shells of their eggs. The eggs became weak and thin and unable to survive till they were hatched.  The return of the Bald Eagle proves that some pollution damage can be reversed.

      So what does all this have to do with obesity, Alzheimer's and autism to name a few things. In America we eat processed foods that grown for market.  Those foods are fed the best growth products to make them grow and put on weight.  The question is have we come to a point where those growth hormones are effecting us the consumers.  I offer as proof of my theory ex-President Bill Clinton.  Most people were aware of his love of food and his battle with weight problems.  After leaving office he had health problems with cholesterol and blood pressure.  He became a vegan (vegetarian that eats no animal products including milk and eggs)  Anyone who has seen him lately can see the weight loss.  He says he feels healthier.  The diet even has a Biblical based story that validates it.  Read the first chapter of the book of Daniel and it tells how Daniel and his associates survived on a meatless diet.

      I am not advocating everybody become vegetarian. I am advocating knowing how the meat  you do eat is grown and what is being put into it's body, which you in turn put into your body.  Have you ever heard of Mad Cow disease.  They believe it was transmitted to the cows through their food supply. All the diseases I mentioned earlier have to do with the learning or memory process.  In 2011 I lost my youngest daughter to a brain tumor.  She was a nurse and we had many discussions about the possible causes for brains tumors.  She fought hers for seven years and had three operations. She was a nurse and so we approached it in a manner that if we could figure anything out we should share it.

      Back in the seventies while I was still in the Army I read two articles in major newspapers that made me wonder about where we were headed.  As a Vietnam veteran and having been exposed to Agent Orange I definitely have an interest in the matter.  I have heard but have not read it myself that the cause of the mysterious Gulf War Syndrome was caused by canned diet drink exposed to high heat.  Supposedly the heat caused a chemical reaction turning the diet drink into formaldehyde.  Which is something definitely not good for human consumption.  Getting back on track the two articles I read had to do with plastics.  The first was in the Chicago Tribune paper and it talked about extremely high brain tumor rates in a laboratory run by an oil company.  I am not sure of the name so I will not mention it. I am sure it was an oil company laboratory though.  They were doing plastics research.  In the course of research it became apparent that more and more of the people in the lab were developing brain tumors.  It was happening at hundreds of times the national level per 100,000 people.  The second article I read was in the Rio Grande valley of Texas near the town of McAllen. Across the border supposedly some plastics plants were in operation.  They were discharging waste that was getting in the local water supply.  The incidence of spina bifida was at hundreds of  times the national rate. Spina bifida is a disease where the spinal column does not completely develop during the birth process.  Both articles associated the heating process in the making of plastics as contributing to the problem.

       A few years later we got our first microwave oven. I noticed a peculiar smell when plastics were heated in the oven.  Remembering what I had read it became my personal police not to eat things that were cooked in a microwave if they were wrapped in, or placed in a plastic container.  Like I said it was and is a personal decision, but the longer I live the stronger I feel I am right in what I believe.  Which is that plastics while being beneficial in some ways to society may not be healthy in some circumstances.

        While I have no scientific background I feel compelled to share these observations as they may help someone from getting sucked into the cycle.  My comments are those of a layperson that is only concerned with the constantly rising rate of cancer deaths and infections I see and hear about daily.  Is the increase simply from better detection methods. It is not mine to say, but I do believe there is a cause and effect that with the proper amount of study might answer some of these issues.  If we do not solve the bee problem none of us may be here.  No pun intended. Simple things like bees keep nature in balance.  If the killer plants that do not reproduce continue to be planted, We may be planting the seeds of our own demise.  Have bees been harvesting their own demise as they are at the very beginnings of the food cycle.  Only time will tell.

     
       

Some Often Missed Bible Details

    Understanding some easily missed details that the Bible mentions or explains. Hopefully this will help someone grow in their understanding of the Bible

                                          Micah 7:15                                                                                                        

        According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt,                              will I show unto him marvelous things.               

      This verse changed my understanding of the Bible.  I had always believed the Bible, but this verse answered a question.  It opened my eyes and made me see I was on the right track.  For some time before finding it I had pondered in my heart. The meaning of the verse in Exodus 12:41 where it says the selfsame day.  Why was it worded the way it was. What was so important about that particular day?  After all in Genesis 12:13 God made it clear that they (The Jewish People) would spend 400 years in captivity.  God also made two other statements. He stated they would come out in the fourth generation. He also stated that it would not happen till the time of the Amorites had been fulfilled.

      Over the years I had heard many discussions about what or how long a generation is or was. It can’t be twenty, or thirty, or forty, or even seventy years which are the time periods I hear most often..  Even if you use seventy and take it times four, you only get two hundred and eighty years. It had to be a period longer than one hundred years. Four hundred thirty divided by four gave period a little longer than one hundred and seven years.  Then I remembered what God had said in Genesis 6:3 that he would not suffer man, but would limit his days to one hundred and twenty years.  Well one hundred and twenty would work but I wanted more proof.  Moses died at one hundred twenty years old, but he never entered the Promised Land.

     It was later when reading in Joshua that it made sense. It says Joshua died at one hundred and ten having done all God gave him to do. Well if there were three generations before Moses and you subtract three generations of one hundred and twenty years you have one hundred and twenty years left. The thing that made it work was Joshua 14:7 which says, at the time Moses sent Joshua into the land to search it out Joshua was forty years old.  They then wandered in the wilderness for forty years before entering the Promised Land.  If you add the forty years in the wilderness to the four hundred and thirty in the captivity it comes up to four hundred and seventy years.  It means they did in fact enter the Promised Land in the fourth generation just as God had said they would. 

      Remember the other part of The Prophesy, of God?   God had said that the time of the Amorites had not been fulfilled.  Well Joshua was 110 when he died and he had overcome the Amorites. This becomes significant when you start reading the book of Amos.  In that book God gives all the enemies of Israel a fourth chance.  So why wouldn’t he give Israel a fourth chance also. This encouraged me to look for more four hundred and thirty year periods and I found three of them in the Old Testament.  The problem is I think I found a fourth one. If I did we are living in it at this time.  I also found that each four hundred thirty year period was followed by a period of seventy years.

     You can find the other four hundred thirty year periods in the first four chapters of Ezekiel 4:5-6 and Daniel 9:25-27. Figuring this out just requires some basic math. Three score and two is 62 weeks, times seven which equals 434 years.  However, it says the Messiah will be cut off in the middle of the week. Simply subtract 3.5 and you will have 430.5 years.  Notice it is Ezekiel that gives the accounting of each day for a year.

        Remember earlier I said there is a fourth four hundred and thirty year period.  Well it may be a coincidence that from the time Martin Luther nailed his treatise onto the door of the church until the coming of Israel was 430 years almost to the day.  Some say from 1517 to 1948 is 431 years so you are wrong.  That is fine by me, but it was passed and approved by the United Nations for Israel to become a nation in November 1947.  It was a done deal at that time.  It just physically did not take place till 1948.  There is a free book on my blog which is done in seven parts.  It gives this story in more detail.  The title is Further Down the Path.  Just type it on the search bar on my blog and it will bring it up.

       

       Notice I have been talking of times.  In Luke 21:24 it talks of the, “times of the Gentiles” Notice it is not one time but times which is plural and from other places in the Bible may mean two times.  Peter 3:8 tells us to not be ignorant, that a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day.  That being said, from Adam to the flood was roughly two thousand years or two days,  from Noah to Christ was another two thousand years or two days, and finally from Christ till today has been roughly two thousand years or two days.  So we are dawning on the seventh day which is a day of rest as it is the Day of the Lord.  Notice in Luke though that it says all prophecy will be fulfilled at the time Israel is restored as a nation.

      The third chapter of Joel has an interesting prophecy especially in this day and age.  Regardless of what Newt Gingrich, the history professor and politician says. Palestine is not some knew creation.  It was mentioned almost a thousand years before Christ.  One has to wonder what he calls new.  That chapter says a lot about what Palestine is going through in this day and age.  It also makes clear that the judgment on Palestine will be in the end of time.

     This might seem unimportant to many, but the Bible makes clear in Hosea 4:6, “My people perish for a lack of knowledge.”  It does not say the sinners, or the heathens perish.  It says my people.  They perish because they do not take the time to really read and understand God’s Word and what he is telling us. The Bible tells us to be prepared. Are we?

    
       The Bible clearly defines three four hundred thirty year periods in the old testament.  Then when I was reading further I discovered there was a seventy year period after the four hundred thirty period that led caused them to go into the Babylonian captivity.  Also from the birth of Christ to the destruction of the Temple was a period of seventy years.  The has a verse speaking about God that says, I am the same, yesterday, today and forever.  Based on that there should have been a seventy year period at the time they came out of Egypt.  I could not find one.  Then I found Joshua 14:7 that says Joshua was forty when Moses sent him in to search out the land.  It also says he was one hundred and ten when he died.  BINGO, the light came on. Forty from one hundred and ten was seventy years.  

        This made me wonder if there were other recurring events.  I remembered the story of Moses and how they were killing the babies in Egypt.  Also at the time of Christ they were killing the babies. After a little research I found one of the main reasons Israel went into the Babylonian captivity was that they were sacrificing their children to idols.  That made me wonder if all the abortion and lack of respect for life in this day and age was going to lead to our judgment?   Are we living in a seventy year period?  If I am right about a fourth four hundred thirty year period it would seem we are in the seventy year period that follows them. Most of this is in my free book with several other things I have noticed over time.

        In closing let me encourage you to get into and read your Bible and get to know God.  You will come to have real peace in your life when you come to understand that he is always working on behalf of those who seek him.  Hope you enjoy reading this and learn something.

Fixing Social Security Could Fix America.

      America has problems.  Lots of problems and one of them is Social Security.  If Social Security is properly fixed it could fix America. The real question is can the system be fixed.  Republi-can'ts say they are not going to raise taxes for nothing or nobody.  Well if they do not do something we are all going belly up.  It is just a matter of when. There is a solution and I think it is just a matter of semantics. We need to remove the cap from Social Security. Technically that is not raising taxes at all. It is just letting those who are blessed with good jobs and the benefits of the system pay their fair share.

        Somehow over the years the Social Security system has been characterized as a system for the poor folks in America. It is that way because some con artist convinced those who created the system that you did not need or benefit from the system after you paid in so much money.  That was the biggest con job ever played on the American people.  It was and is a Ponzie scheme for the rich folks in America. The idea that you do not benefit from Social Security after you get a little money in your pocket is a snow job  When America was a Christian nation and people actually helped their fellow man.  It might have been true but, it is not anymore.

       Social Security was designed as a way to prevent people from falling through the cracks.  At the time it was created millions of Americans were living on the street and going hungry. The sad part at the same time people were going hungry farmers were burning their crops, poring out there milk and killing animals because they could not get enough money from their goods to justify selling them.  The government came up with a program to buy the surplus goods and feed the poor and homeless people in the country.  While it did not solve the problems it did keep things going till World War II bailed the country out.

     Since the end of World War II the rich have learned to play the system to their advantage.  Their taxes have gone steadily down and they have created ways to exempt their money from taxes.  Big business got on the bandwagon and found ways to give themselves subsidies and exemptions from taxes. Three things need fixed in this country.  The first is Social Security, the second is tax system, and the third is the election system. Anyone who is eligible to vote should be able to spend whatever they want on an election. However they should have to do it in their own name and certainly not get any special tax break for doing so.  Many of the rich people in this country would rather spend $10 to keep a poor person from getting a dime.  They want to keep "their"money and the poor in their place. We need an amendment that says only people who can vote can contribute to the election process.  Corporations are not people and should be exempted from buying power which is exactly what is going on in America today.

      When I was in the Army and stationed at a military base in the south I dated a banker's daughter. In the area I was stationed.  I noticed blacks lived in falling down shacks.  They had brand new cars in the drive and real nice stuff in their houses.  The houses though were in sad condition.  I asked the banker what the deal was.  Why didn't blacks fix up their homes?  He very bluntly told me it was because he would not lend them money to fix up their property.  If he did they might try to move up and possibly move in next to him. He was not going to allow that to happen.  At the time  I was the token white in a twelve man room.  I learnt a lot living in that room.  Especially about the stereotypes of blacks. Some of the issues are forced on them by society.  Others are done as a means of survival.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it.  Discrimination is no longer based on color in America.  It is based on what you have.or don't have.

    Having lived in that room for almost a year I learned to see discrimination.  Especially its more subtle sides.  Many of the blacks I lived with said discrimination was much more acceptable in the south than in the north.  In the south it was plain racism.  I really had this taught to me while stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. I was temporarily living with a friend of mine from Alabama and his wife. One night we robbed the piggy bank and went to the store to get milk and cigarettes.  The wife and I stayed in the car while my friend went into the store. As we sat there a black man walked by the car and into the store.  The wife started telling the baby, "Say nigger Johnny, say nigger"  This baby could not even talk yet and the first thing it was learning was hate.  My room mates expected that in the south.  They said in the north it was much more subtle.  It was never spoken openly, but when you did not get the job, you knew why.

     Why mention this racial stuff at all.  It is because I see the same thing being done to poor people today.  They can not get a loan regardless of their background.  There is an old saying that the only way to get a loan from a bank is to not need it. It still is true. You have to prove you do not need it.  I left the Army went to college and experienced this first hand myself.  Then I learned to talk bank talk.  When you go in for the loan you talk yourself and your side of the loan up.  You prove why it is a sure deal.  Even if you do not have a clue if it is. You sound positive and have the answers to any questions they might ask.  You will probably get your loan. Just do not produce anything negative. especially a doubtful attitude.

     All this brings me to why I said it.  In many cases President Obama is not getting any help to fix the country only because he is black.  Many of the politicians do not want a black man to succeed.  Well they are a little late.  One already has. Now they need to get off their high horses and help fix the problem.  The Republi-can'ts started two wars and lowered taxes without ever cutting spending or making a way to pay for what they have done.  They need to step up to the plate and pay their fair share of the debt.  Even if it means raising taxes. By the way, I am an Independent, and not a Democrat.

     Removing the cap from the Social Security system would be a good first step.  Technically it would not be raising taxes.  It would be the rich paying their fair share into the system.  After all you give 10 % of everything to God, nor a capped amount.  At least your supposed to. A cap should be placed on how much one can receive from the system, but not on Medicare. The excess money going into the system could fix many of the problems in America today. It could be used for infrastructure and to create jobs to fix the parts that are in need of fixing.  A national infrastructure audit and budget needs to be put in place so the nation fixes the problems before the nation falls apart.  Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress not only the right but the duty to defend and provide for this nation and they have failed in that job miserably.  The budget makes that clear.

    My blog of 11/24/11 The 10/20/30 Tax Plan tells how we need to fix America's tax system.  We also need to eliminate "all' deductions, exemptions, and subsidies for any and all programs.  We need to establish a tax across the board at a level that will take care of the programs we have.  Cutting willy-nilly anything without studying the problem is total ignorance.  The FAA today is living proof of that.  They are closing towers across he country because of the sequester of funds.  They are doing it at airports where they just finished spending millions of dollars to build towers for aviation safety.  Now they are saying it will not affect aviation safety.  Then why the hell did they spend the money.  It is time for them to get their head out of their ass and do their job.

     Taking the cap off of Social Security would put tons of money in the system.  Oh and yes it would be from the rich people.  It would be just a means of fixing the system quickly till they can fix it properly.  It is something that needs to be done.  There is nothing wrong with helping the country. It would be a way that every American would give their fair share.  If they are self employed it would be a little bit more, but business would know where they stand and they could live with that.

     Congress could then create a Medicare system that helps every American and do away with co-pays. In fact it would do away with the need for health insurance entirely. That would definitely help employers,
Co-pays are absolute robbery and ignorance.  You are required to pay part of the bill to get the insurance company to pay the bill you are already paying them to pay.  Their logic is if you have to pay some out of your own pocket you will not get sick as often.  How about a system that gives you money back if you do not use the system.  That would cut costs and be much more effective than co-pays. Malpractice insurance should be totally eliminated. All people taking the Hippocratic oath should be exempted from Federal taxes on their first million dollars of medical income and exempted from being sued for malpractice.  They pay large sums of money to get an education and swear an oath to save lives.  Review boards should be established and people or institutions performing malpractice should simply have their license to practice medicine pulled.  If the act was criminal then charge them.

       When someone does experience malpractice it should not be a lottery ticket. They should receive the national median income yearly for the rest of their life or until they are recovered. All their medical bills should be covered and that is it.  It is not a lottery.  The government should also get a deduction for quantity buying of medications.  From my experience with the VA the government is getting ripped off big time on meds.  Explaining that would be a whole knew blog post.

    These are some suggestions that if implemented could fix Federal Budget and get the economy moving again.  That is why I figure they will be ignored unless people like you get involved and send a copy of this to your Congressman and add your two-bits.  Let them know we want fixed and in the words of J.B. Wentworth. 'And we want it now."

Save America, How "WE" Can Balance the Budget

      Many people believe the government is in crisis because it can't balance the budget.  The sequestration of funds has supposedly caused the White House tours to end.  The articles I read said it would save funds.  My question is how?  They did not say they were downsizing the Secret Service. That is the only way there would be any savings.  Secret Service agents will get paid whether they are standing around watching the crowds or taking a siesta.  That is the way the government works.  The military gets paid the same whether they are fighting a war or training for a war.  Supply costs might increase in a war, but military pay does not change.  The opportunity for promotions might increase and increasing the size of the Army might cost more but the pay stays the same.

    If they really want to save some money take the keys to Air Force One away from President Obama. Tell him he does not get them back till the budget is balanced. The fuel savings in one month would probably equal or exceed the annual budget for the Secret Service. Congress could get their act together and do this. Then His Highintheass Obama could stand in line and talk to the people going through the White House on tour.  He could find out what some of the real problems are.  He can retaliate by cancelling all their travel reimbursements and all paid holidays and time off.  Like that will ever happen.

     It has become clear to me that Congress has no intention of passing a balanced budget amendment.  They all have their pet pork that they refuse to sacrifice to budget cuts.  The only good thing is that in my reading I found out there is a way to circumvent Congress.  There is a way to force them to act whether they want to or not.  The key is that it will take action by concerned citizens to make it happen.  The Constitution allows for a way to force Congress to act.  Article V of the Constitution says two thirds of Congress must agree to put forth an amendment and it must be approved by the states.  It also says two-thirds of the state legislations may call a Convention for proposing an amendment.  Well as supposedly forty-six of the states have mandatory budgeting requirements in their Constitutions it should not be hard to get the states to push the Federal Government into balancing the budget.

      What it will take is the action of millions and millions of citizens from all the states petitioning their state legislatures to act and demand the Congress to act on the matter. It has never been done, but America has never been in such sad economic shape in the past.  Not even in the Great Depression.  The Federal Government was solvent when he Great Depression started.  In fact the one day loss on the stock market that triggered the Great Depression was equal to three times the national debt at that time.  That should make any concerned American see just how bad our situation is.

     While they are at it they should demand a revision of the Federal Tax Code and elimination of all deductions and exemptions for any reason.  They should pass a flat tax that is enough to run the budget.  A tax that every citizen and corporation pays their fare share.  You want a different view than is normal take the time to read my blog of 11/24/11 titled " The 10/20/30 Tax Plan.

    After fixing those two problems there is one other problem that needs to be addressed to stop corporations from having undo power in our election system.  Pass a law that only people who have the right to vote in an election may contribute to an election.  Corporations do not vote and should have no say so in the political process.  That is half, if not more, of the problem with the present political process.  We need to send the lobbyists packing and stop their influence on Congress.  Groups try to buy influence to get the legislation they want.  The only way to stop that is eliminate them from the election process.  We do not need billion dollar elections.  We need honest elections and people who care about America and not their wallets running America.