Author: Dean Smith

Does God still speak through dreams: A warning about Turkey?

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Throughout the Bible God used dreams to communicate messages with people. The Pharaoh of Egypt received a dream warning of a coming drought, that Joseph successfully interpreted. Pontius Pilate’s wife received a dream warning her husband about his treatment of Jesus at the Lord’s trial. God used dreams in both the Old and New Testament to communicate with people, so should we be surprised that God might warn Christians today through dreams. If so maybe we need to take heed of a dream received by American Pastor Andrew Brunson while imprisoned in a Turkish prison after being accused of terrorism by the government. Andrew and his wife had served for 25 years prior as missionaries in Turkey working largely among the Kurds along the Syrian Turkish border. Brunson was eventually released from prison in October 2018 and returned to the US. Brunson received this dream in December 2016 while in prison. In an interview with Fox News, Brunson said: “In the dream, Turkey, Iran and Russia began to move together in a very dark alliance.” …

Is the Holy Spirit working in Kanye West’s life?

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Pop superstar Kanye West’s conversion to Christ has certainly caught everyone’s attention. Secular media are broadcasting stories about the church services he is holding and of course the religious media is doing the same. Some, both religious and secular, have questioned the sincerity of Kanye’s faith. But a recent interview with Adam Tyson, a California pastor, on Pure Flix has me increasingly convinced that the Holy Spirit is doing a work in the pop star’s life. Tyson made contact with Kanye, when the pop star attended the pastor’s Placerita Bible church in Santa Clarita, California, one Sunday morning. Of course, I immediately suspected Tyson must be one of those mega-pastors with thousands of people attending every Sunday. It wasn’t. Tyson’s church has 300 members. But through this initial visit, Tyson developed a relationship with Kanye and is now regularly preaching at Kanye’s services held around the US. But in his Pure Flix interview, Tyson recalled what Kanye said to him: “I was just under the weight of my sin, and I was being convicted that …

UPDATE: The Babylonian coincidence?

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Maybe it’s all just a coincidence, but one of the favorite Old Testament stories may have a strange link to the Book of Revelation and a case being brought before the US Supreme Court. The Bible story involves Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into a fiery furnace because they refused to bow and worship a giant idol. The Jews had been taken in captivity by the Babylonians and an edict was passed requiring people of all nations to bow and worship a massive idol set up in the city. Refusal to worship would result in death by burning (Daniel 3:4-6). Because of their faith in Jehovah, three Jewish boys Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused and were immediately sentenced to death. They stood for their faith and were thrown into a fiery furnace where their lives were miraculously spared. Babylon was one of the great enemies of Israel and was eventually destroyed. But as we look to the New Testament, Babylon makes a second appearance in the Book of Revelation, a written record of the …

The ability to forgive others is birthed in fully understanding our forgiveness

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A Dallas jury recently found former police officer Amber Guyger, 31, guilty of killing Botham Jean, a believer, and worship leader at a Church of Christ in Dallas. Though the prosecutor was asking for a sentence of 28 years, Guyger was sentenced to ten years in prison. It was a bizarre story. Guyger lived in the same apartment building as Botham. She was a police officer and had just finished her shift in September 2018 and was returning home. But according to her testimony, distracted by texts, she inadvertently mistook Botham’s apartment for her own. Apparently Botham’s door was unlocked and thinking this was her apartment, Guyger was immediately suspicious that someone had broken in. When Botham stood up, thinking he was an intruder, Guyger pulled her gun, and shot Botham, killing him. There were obviously a lot of questions about this senseless killing and many were upset that Guyger hadn’t received a longer sentence. In fact, there were protesters outside the court room demanding a longer prison term. But after the sentencing came down, …

Is it time to rein in the man-made global warming hysteria?

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The recent arrival of Greta Thunberg, an environmental activist based out of Sweden, has certainly caught everyone’s attention. The 16-year-old’s fearful, emotional and angry presentation to the UN was viewed by millions as she warned of an imminent environmental apocalypse if governments didn’t immediately reduce CO2 emissions. And she is not alone, many young people are feeling a similar anxiety. According to an article entitled “Climate change poses mental health risks to children and teens” published on Science News for Students, the fear mongering over climate change is causing mental health issues for students. Unfortunately, the discussion of global warming has become so politicized, it is almost impossible to separate the rhetoric from the truth. But in the midst of all this, you may have missed a few major news stories that were not the flavor of the day, so basically ignored by most of the main line media. They were calling into question all the hysteria surrounding the issue of climate change. Nobody denies that global warming is taking place. What is questioned is …

26 | Three Bible passages that might warn of a nuclear war in the end times

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One question that has lurked at the back of my mind is this: Does the Bible warn of Nuclear war in the end times? It’s not a topic that many of us want to talk about, but in my study of the Bible I have seen hints of it. In this podcast we look at three Bible passages that suggest there will be a nuclear war during the end times.

Documentary tells of the explosive growth of the house church movement in Iran

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According to a documentary released in August, the explosive growth of Christianity in Iran is a result of a rapidly expanding house church movement with most being led by women. The documentary entitled Sheep Among Wolves was produced by Frontier Alliance International (FAI) and looked at the growth of Christianity in Iran perhaps one of the most repressive regimes in the world. And we know Christianity is growing because of the repeated public statements made by Iranian officials and religious leaders in recent years warning of Christianity’s growth. In their video, FAI explained what was behind the unusual growth. In its trailer, the documentary noted: “The Iranian awakening is a rapidly-reproducing discipleship movement that owns no property or buildings, has no central leadership and is predominantly led by women.” In the video they were forced to disguise the Iranian believers because of fear of arrest. One Iranian Christian said “What if I told you the mosques are empty inside Iran.” He went on to say that the political and the elites are the ones who …

Christian singer Francesca Battistelli healed while pregnant

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Francesca Battistelli, 34, a Grammy winning Christian singer recently shared a story of how God miraculously healed her of an ovarian cyst in the middle of her pregnancy. Francesca grew up in a musical family with both her mom and dad involved in theatrical singing in New York. Though, she expected to head in the same direction, Francesca veered off into a successful musical career, winning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song in 2016 with her song “Holy Spirit.” Recently, the mother of four shared a testimony on Instagram of God’s miraculous healing. She was ten weeks pregnant and woke up in “excruciating pain.” When the pain intensified over the next couple of hours, on the advice of her midwife, Francesca went to the hospital emergency. However, by the time she arrived, the pain had started to subside. Francesca knew from previous tests that she had a cyst on one of her ovaries. But the hospital tests revealed that this cyst was now 10 cm in size, about the size of a large …

Study suggests that women who bottle up anger have a higher risk of a stroke

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According to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, feeling resentful or bottling up your anger may result in an increased risk of stroke for women. Strokes occur when plaque build up in arteries results in a reduction of blood flow to the brain as the arteries narrow. An additional contributor is Atherosclerosis that occurs when chunks of plaque break away increasing the potential of a blockage. According to the Daily Mail, that reported on the study, strokes are the third highest cause of death in America and fourth highest in England Women are also more vulnerable to strokes than men and struggle with recovery when strokes do occur. In their study, the researchers analyzed 304 non-smoking women between the ages of 40 and 60. They asked them a series of questions that included if they tended to put other people’s needs first over their own and if they were likely to express their true feelings about a situation. The researchers then did ultra sounds on the women’s arteries and discovered that women who did not …

Denzel Washington Credit: GabboT/Wikipedia/Creative Commons

La profecía de una anciana sobre el actor Denzel Washington dijo que el hablaría con millones

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English: An old woman’s prophecy over actor Denzel Washington said he would speak to millions Denzel Washington, de 62 años, es un popular actor estadounidense, jugando papeles importantes en películas como Recordando a los Titanes , Día de entrenamiento y uno de mis favoritos – El libro de Eli . Ha ganado dos Oscars y tres Globos de Oro. En una entrevista con la revista Parade , Denzel habló de sus fuertes raíces espirituales, incluyendo a su padre quien fué predicador pentecostal durante casi cinco décadas. Denzel añadió que lee la Biblia todos los días y la ha leído completamente tres veces. Dios tiene un llamado y un propósito para Denzel y el habla  de una palabra profética que le dio una mujer mayor a la que muchos consideraban profeta de su iglesia. Ella le dijo a Denzel que un día el iba a hablar a millones de personas. Denzel tenía 21 años y acababa de ser suspendido de la universidad. Estaba sentado en el salón de belleza de su madre, cuando la anciana se acercó …

Credit: National Park Service, Alaska Region/Flickr/Creative Commons

‘Dame esa montaña’: Vivir la vida con la actitud de Caleb

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English: ‘Give me that mountain’: Living life with Caleb’s attitude De acuerdo con el rey Salomón cómo una persona piensa, determina la forma en que vive la vida: pues como piensa dentro de sí, así es. Proverbios 23: 7a LBLA Pero hay una advertencia importante en este verso, porque Salomón añade como un hombre “piensa en su corazón,” por que asi es él. Este es un paso más allá del pensamiento, tenemos que creer. Jesús dijo que si decimos que este monte sea echado en el mar ( Marcos 11:23 ), y no dudamos en nuestro corazón, que se llevará a cabo. No es suficiente pensarlo, tenemos que creerlo. La fé y la creencia marcan la diferencia. Investigadores de la Universidad de Seúl, en Corea del Sur encontraron que puede haber una conexión directa entre lo que las personas mayores creyeron y la manera como realmente se sintieron. Lo que ellos creyeron en sus últimos años directamente impacto cómo vivíeron su vida. Según el Daily Mail , un equipo de investigación escogiò a 68 personas entre …

Dios va a encontrar la manera

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English version: God will find a way A pesar de los seculares y los activistas de izquierda que estan tratando de poner a la iglesia en un rincón oscuro de irrelevancia, Dios va a encontrar una manera de hacer llegar el mensaje de Jesús al mundo. Durante las últimas tres semanas, dos mega artistas, el primero una estrella del pop y el segundo un artista de hip hop, pusieron a Dios al frente y a su fé en El al centro. Yo los llamo rocas de rock por una razón: Es una referencia de lo que pasó cuando Jesús entró en Jerusalén montado en un potro, el cual sería su último viaje. A medida que el Señor entraba en la ciudad, la gente gritaba fuertemente: “¡Bendito el Rey que viene en el nombre del Señor!”, y los fariseos en la multitud que estaban tratando de tranquilizar y callar a todos sin lograrlo, finalmente gritaron a Jesús ordenandole que callara a sus discípulos. ( Lucas 19: 28-47 ). Jesús respondió que si ellos no gritaban, entonces …

Has God’s temple been desecrated in China?

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As I read a story out of China, I wondered if I was watching end times prophecy come to pass. Now I don’t think it is the actual fulfillment, but I don’t like how close it got. In 2 Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul describes how the Antichrist will set himself up like a god, in the temple of God: 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 NASV There were two temples in Israel’s history. King Solomon built the first temple that was destroyed by Babylon in 586 BC. The second, built by Ezra and later renovated by King Herod, was the one that Jesus visited. It was obliterated by the Romans in 70 AD and was never rebuilt. But there are …

God will find a way

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Español: Dios va a encontrar la manera Despite secularists and left-wing activists trying to banish the church into a dark corner of irrelevancy, God will find a way to get the message of Jesus out to the world. Over the past three weeks, two rocks stars, though one is probably more a pop star and another a hip hop artist, put God and faith front and center. But I call them rock stars for a reason. It’s a play on what Jesus said as He entered Jerusalem riding a colt on what would be His final trip. As the Lord entered the city, people were crying out “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord”, and the pharisees in the crowds were trying to quieten everyone and finally yelled out for Jesus to order his disciples to quit shouting out (Luke 19:28-47). Jesus responded that if they didn’t cry out, then the rocks would. The lesson of this story is very simple. If society tries to marginalize the church, then God …

Model of Herod's Temple at the Israel Museum. Photo: Berthold Werner/Wikipedia

Has the third Jewish temple already been constructed?

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In early September, Dr. Ghassan Weshah, an archaeological professor from the Islamic University of Gaza in Palestine told the media that the Biblical references to the Jewish Temple existing on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem are all a complete lie. He made these claims despite the fact the Muslim Koran refers to the temple at least twice, and even refers to King Solomon building the temple (34:13). Another Koranic verse describes the Muslims praying towards Mecca and the Jews towards their temple (Sura 2:145). However, a handful of Islamic scholars try to get around this problem by insisting that Solomon actually built a mosque, even though Islam did not appear on the scene until 1,600 years later. According to the Biblical record, Solomon built the first temple around 1000 BC and it was destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians who them promptly hauled thousands of Jews into captivity. Ezra constructed what is called the second Temple around 520 BC when the Persians who had defeated the Babylonians allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem. …

Do two bizarre stories out of Canada define the country’s spiritual climate?

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I recently read of two events that took place in Canada that in some ways define the cultural climate of hostility against Christianity and its roots. The first involved an Orthodox Priest who was allegedly fired for praying for Israel and the second involved a leader of a political party who quickly apologized after stating in a media interview that her favorite person was Jesus Christ. Father Vladimir Tobin, 77, served as a priest for St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia. According to Breaking Israel News (BIN), he got into trouble with his overlords in the Orthodox church when he publicly prayed for Israel. BIN reports that on August 12, Tobin received a letter from America Archbishop Irénée who serves as the archbishop of Canada telling Tobin it was time for him to retire because his ministry had a “Jewish twist.” Apparently the assistant pastor at the church had contacted the archbishop complaining that during one service Tobin had asked his congregation to pray for Israel. Initially, the archbishop had asked for Tobin’s …

The discovery of the oldest mention of the ‘Hebrews’ outside the Bible hints of spiritual warfare

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Archaeologists working at Atarot, located in Jordan, recently uncovered a large cylinder shaped altar dated to the 9/8 the century BC. It was created by an ancient king of Moab, one of the dreaded enemies of Israel mentioned several times in the Old Testament. Archaeologists believe the altar, found inside an ancient shrine, was used for burning incense. But as they deciphered the seven lines of script written on the altar, they discovered the oldest reference to the “Hebrews” outside the Bible. The inscription is linked to a Biblical battle mentioned in 2 Kings 3. According to the Biblical record, Israel had conquered Moab and were forcing the country to pay an annual tribute to Israel. However, when the Israeli King died (Ahab), the Moabite King decided to take advantage of the political instability to break free from Israel’s control by refusing to make the annual payment. When that happened, the new Israeli King, Jehoram, contacted Judah’s King Jehoshaphat and an unnamed King of Edom to bring Moab to heel. If the King of Moab …

24 | The mysterious disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant

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Follow our podcasts on: Itunes Stitcher Spotify Google Play IHeartRadio PODCAST NOTES: I made an unusual purchase the other day. I bought the Ark of the Covenant. Hi my name is Dean Smith and in this podcast I want to talk about the mysterious disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant and the ancient conspiracy theories that swirled around at the time because of its disappearance. The Ark was a gold-plated box with two winged cherubim that sat inside the Tabernacle of Moses, the Tabernacle of David and lastly the Temple in Jerusalem. Between the two Cherubim rested the very presence of God and because of this, the Ark is referred to as God’s throne on earth. Of course, what I bought was a miniature replica about 4” x 2.5” in size proportional to the original which was 4’ by 2.5’. But the similarity stops there, because I am pretty sure for $21.77 Canadian, my replica is not gold-plated like the original, but other than that it looks kind of neat. The top even comes …

Study says for an emotionally healthier you reduce your Facebook time

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I have a confession to make. I am rarely on Facebook. We have a Facebook page for OpenTheWord, with articles automatically posted to the page. You can like the page here if you want to follow the website in that way. But in a counter-intuitive move, I am probably recommending you don’t. Because if researchers from Yale and UC San Diego are right, you may be emotionally healthier if you cut back the amount of time you spend on Facebook. In their study, the two researchers, UC’s Holly Shakya and Yale’s Nicholas Christakis, followed 5,208 people for two years who were regular Facebook users. There was one slight difference in their methodology. In the past, people studying the impact of social media have done it through self reporting. In other words, the people being studied reported how much they were on social media. However, in this study Shakya and Christakis received permission to monitor their study groups’ Facebook activity through Facebook, so they had an accurate reading of how many times the individuals were actually …

All Israel will be saved?

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I recently read an article on Charisma News by Ron Cantor, a Messianic Jew living and ministering in Israel of how Jews are starting to accept Christ as their Messiah. Israel has a population of just over nine million people with nearly 75% Jewish, 17% Muslim and the remainder a mixture of Christian 2%, Druze 1.7% (Arab non-Muslims) and others. According to Cantor, there are about 200 Messianic congregations in Israel with over 20,000 people attending. These are Jews who believe Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and are in addition to non-Jewish Christians living in Israel. But the purpose of Cantor’s article was to report on a shift he believes is taking place in Israel. Cantor points out that Paul writes in Romans 11:25 that there was a “partial hardening” of the Jew’s heart, that led to a powerful move of God among the gentiles. During Paul’s ministry, there came a moment when he purposefully shifted his ministry to the gentiles. That took place at Corinth. When Paul arrived, as was his tradition, he went …

Study suggests divorce increases the risk of dementia

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I find it difficult to write on divorce, because there can be legitimate reasons for a marriage breakdown and sometimes a person has no choice because one partner wants out of the marriage. But we are living in a society where marriage is increasingly devalued and looked upon as being as disposable as a paper cup. But the Bible states that God hates divorce and warns of it being a violent act as it involves separating two people who in Biblical terms were one flesh (Mark 10:8). “For the Lord God of Israel saysThat He hates divorce,For it covers one’s garment with violence,”Says the Lord of hosts.“Therefore take heed to your spirit,That you do not deal treacherously.” Malachi 2:16 NKJV And this cutting apart has the potential to harm all involved including children (here, here and here) and the couple divorcing. Aside from the negative emotional and economic consequences of divorce, studies also reveal divorce can physically impact the health of the people involved. And this was the conclusion of yet another study that provided …

Anointed worship song leads man to confess to murder?

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An interesting story emerged during the recent trial of Danny Dashay Holmes about the power and anointing on Christian music. Danny was on trial in Indiana, for the December 16, 2016, murder of Cesar Lopez-Flores. According to the Daily News Journal (DNJ), after kidnapping a woman by the name of Brittany Johnson, Danny forced Brittany to drive to Lopez-Flores home where Danny and others murdered Lopez-Flores. Johnson was then released unharmed. During his trial in August 2019, Danny dramatically announced to the court he would plead guilty to the murder. Danny stated that a year earlier he had become a Christian, but what prompted him to confess was Big Daddy Weave’s song called “Redeemed.” Now I must confess I had never heard of Big Daddy Weave, but the Christian band features a former worship leader of a church in Pensacola Florida, Mike Weaver. And though I had never heard of Big Daddy Weave, I am apparently one of the few who hasn’t because the video of the band’s song “Redeemed” has been viewed over 39 …

Credit: Ruby Babson/Flickr/Creative Commons

Perdóname por el bien de tu corazón

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English version: Forgive for your heart’s sake Cuando Jesús habló sobre el perdón Fue muy claro en una cosa: si no perdonamos a los que nos ofenden, Dios no nos perdonaría. 14 Porque si perdonáis a los hombres sus transgresiones, también vuestro Padre celestial os perdonará a vosotros. 15 Pero si no perdonáis a los hombres, tampoco vuestro Padre perdonará vuestras transgresiones. (Mateo 6: 14-15 LBLA) A veces me pregunto si luchamos para perdonarnos a nosotros mismos por las cosas que hemos hecho en el pasado, este es un signo de bloqueos espirituales causados por nuestra falta de voluntad para perdonar. Estos bloqueos nos impiden experimentar plenamente el perdón de Dios. Sin embargo, un artículo sobre John Hopkins Medicine, perdón: Su salud depende de ello , proporciona una razón más para perdonar. Tenemos que hacerlo por el bien de nuestra salud física. Como muchos de los mandamientos de Dios, como la circuncisión que mejora la salud de un hombre , la necesidad de perdonar es otra sección en el manual de Dios sobre el funcionamiento apropiado del …

Considered to be the location of the Garden Gethsemane located at the foot of Mount Olives in Jerusalem where Jesus sweated blood Credit: tango7174/Wikipedia

Mujer Italiana suda sangre confirmando Lucas 22:44

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English version: Italian woman sweats blood confirming Luke 22:44 El Canadian Medical Association Journal publicó recientemente un artículo sobre el caso de una joven Italiana de 21 años de edad, que ha estado sangrando sangre en la cara y las manos. los médicos italianos informaron que durante los últimos tres años, la mujer ha pasado por episodios donde sangra de forma espontánea sin ninguna rotura en la piel. De acuerdo con su informe, los episodios duraban hasta cinco minutos. A pesar de que estos episodios se produjeron en cualquier momento del sueño o en períodos de ejercicio, los médicos observaron que el sangrado se intensificaba cuando estaba bajo estrés emocional. Avergonzada por su condición la joven se estaba convirtiendo en una solitaria negandose a salir de su casa. Después de descartar Chromhidrosis, una condición que causa un sudor descolorido, los médicos diagnosticaron a la joven con una rara enfermedad llamada hematohidrosis – ‘sudor de sangre’, que ocurre cuando la gente realmente suda sangre. Algunos creen que es causada por la ruptura de los capilares cerca de …

Study says optimists more likely to live longer

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According to the Daily Mail, researchers from Boston University stated that optimists tend to live longer than those with a more pessimistic view of life. The researchers came to this conclusion after monitoring the attitudes and lives of 69,744 women and 1,500 men. The women (aged 58 to 86) were surveyed for ten years and the men (aged 41 to 90) tracked for 30 years. During this period, the researchers asked them a series of questions to determine if their outlook on life was negative or positive. They concluded that on average men with the most optimistic view extended their lives an additional 11% and women 15% when compared to their negative counterparts. They also found that optimists were more likely to hit 85 years of age with 70% more men and 50% more women reaching that age. Their findings were published in the journal entitled “Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences.” According to the researchers, optimistic people were defined as those who believed “the future will be pleasant because one can control …

Why we missed the communion service on the moon

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The British newspaper, The Guardian, recently told the story of how astronaut Buzz Aldrin had communion on the moon. On July 20, 1969, Buzz and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong were the first people to actually stand on the moon, during their visit as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Of course many will remember Armstrong’s memorable words as the first man to step on the moon when he said: ”That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” While most people remember “one small step for man” in an article on Space, Neil said he had actually said “a man” but the “a” wasn’t heard in the broadcast that travelled 238,000 miles (ca. 383,024 km). And though his words are remembered as the most iconic moment on the Apollo 11 lunar landing, there was a less known, and in fact, if The Guardian article is right, a suppressed religious event. Buzz Aldrin was also an elder at Webster Presbyterian Church in Webster, Texas about 30 miles (ca. 48 km) outside Houston. He had …

Evidence of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem reopens an ancient mystery

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Archaeologists working on the site of the Temple Mount in Old Jerusalem discovered evidence of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 587/586 BC when both the city and the Temple were basically destroyed. The siege recorded in several books of Bible tells how King Nebuchadnezzar also took tens of thousands of Jews into captivity. According to the team, made up of archaeologists from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC) and Israel’s Haifa University, they discovered several evidences of the attack including a layer of ash indicating a massive burning and more importantly Scythian arrowheads that were used by Babylonian soldiers. Since the Babylonian arrowheads were mixed in with the ash it is strong evidence the burning was associated with Babylon’s attack on Jerusalem. They also found evidence of houses being left in shambles which again would be expected after the city was taken. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, UNC professor Shimon Gibson stated: “They (Scythian arrowheads) were fairly commonplace in this period and are known to be used by the Babylonian …

The futility of worry

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A recent study by researchers from Penn State exposed the futility of worry in a very “odd” way, that seems to confirm an equally “odd” statement that Jesus made about worry. Worry is a very destructive force and if we don’t control it, worry can actually cause physical damage to our bodies, in addition to the emotional stress that can lead to such things as depression. According to an article on WebMD, unchecked worry can cause the release of stress hormones such as cortisol. These hormones are released during times of extreme stress. The release of these hormones fill the body with the extra energy required during times of acute danger. However, if there is no physical release (fight or flight), these hormones sit unused and over time can potentially damage our bodies resulting in heart and digestive problems and even affect our memory and immune system. So what did those Penn State researchers uncover? Well they studied 29 people who have a serious anxiety disorder. These were top-level worriers. For one month these people …

Sometimes there is more than one right way of doing things

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Many, many years ago, I think it was sometime during the Pleistocene age, I was working with a political party, and my boss gave me some advice that has stuck with me for years. He said: “Dean, there is more than one right way of doing things.” As Christians, we tend to fall in the trap of thinking there is only one way of doing something, God’s way, often cleverly disguised as our way. Now there are certainly things that we need to be dogmatic on including the Deity of Christ, the supremacy of Scripture and morality. But there are a few elements of the Christian faith where there is clearly more than one right way of doing them. One of those is whether to honor Sunday as the Lord’s Day. I was reading an interesting article on CBN, about Chick-fil-A and the company’s decision to close on Sunday. The company is owned by the Cathy family, devout Christians, who have publicly supported traditional values. Despite being closed one day a week, it is now …

Passing on iniquity for four generations?

Maldiciones generacionales: Parte 2 – Durante cuatro generaciones

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English version: Generational curses: Part 2 — For four generations En mi primer artículo sobre maldiciones generacionales , miré un verso en Éxodo 20: 5, donde Dios prometió castiga la maldad de los padres sobre los hijos. 5No los adorarás[a] ni los servirás[b]; porque yo, el Señor tu Dios, soy Dios celoso, que castigo la iniquidad de los padres sobre los hijos hasta[c] la tercera y cuarta generación de los que me aborrecen, (Éxodo 20: 5 LBLA) En ese artículo, discutimos cómo la maldad (en hebreo awon) y no el pecado (chataah hebreo). La diferencia entre las dos es que mientras que el pecado se refiere al acto, maldad se refiere a una adicción al pecado. De la misma manera que los niños heredan el pelo rojo y pecas de sus padres, también heredan características espirituales. En este artículo, quiero hablar sobre el tercer principio que se señaló en este verso que maldiciones generacionales pueden transmitirse hasta cuatro generaciones. En mi primer articulo, he citado un artículo publicado en The Globe and Mail que hablaba sobre …

One Christian’s view of the death penalty

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Several years back, I was talking to a friend who asked me why the Bible supports the death penalty in the Old Testament (Numbers 35:16-17), while Jesus states in the New Testament that we need to forgive and even love our enemies (Matthew 5:44-45; Matthew 6:14-15). To him it appeared like a contradiction. How could Jesus exhortation to forgive in any way support the death penalty? It was a valid observation. Two recent media stories may help explain what appears to be a Bible contradiction. According to Religion News Service, the Rabbi of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue is calling for mercy for a mass shooter who killed 11 members of the congregation in a murderous antisemitic attack on October 27, 2018. The media are reporting that the social media accounts of the alleged killer, Robert Bowers, had several anti Jewish statements in some instances referring to Jews as “filthy evil.” Bowers pleaded not guilty to the mass murder. In a letter sent to the state’s attorney general, Rabbi Johnathan Perlman and his wife Beth …