Which Religion is the Peaceful One?

One objection I often hear from atheists is that Christianity promotes war. People claim that most of the wars in the world were started by Christians. But is this really true? And which sort of "Christians" waged war?

This assumption of Christian culpability is based on an erroneous belief that all who call themselves Christians are Christian. The truth is  that genuine followers of Christ obey his commandments. The second-most important one is given by Jesus in John 13:34 (BBE). "I give you a new law: Have love one for another; even as I have had love for you, so are you to have love one for another."

But somebody might ask, "Don't all religions teach that?" It is true that religions teach that one should love their families and friends. But Christianity goes much further by teaching we should love our enemies. As Jesus said in Luke 6:35 (BBE), "But be loving to those who are against you and do them good, and give them your money, not giving up hope, and your reward will be great and you will be the sons of the Most High: for he is kind to evil men, and to those who have hard hearts."

"But what about the crusades?" somebody will ask. Those happened two-hundred years after Islamic warriors invaded Europe. Many Christians were martyred for their faithfulness to Christ. And while many Christians went to help their siblings, others were unconverted glory-seekers. They lacked the love of our Saviour.

We know also that the Inquisition and the wars between Catholics and Protestants were political. In fact, many martyred saints who were called apostates were actually true followers of our Lord. As Jesus aptly put it to his disciples in John 16:2 (BBE), "They will put you out of the Synagogues: yes, the time is coming when whoever puts you to death will have the belief that he is doing God's pleasure."

Christ also gave a parable about a farmer whose field was contaminated with tares. Matthew 13:37 and 38 (BBE) says, "And he made answer and said, 'He who puts the good seed in the earth is the Son of man; And the field is the world; and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom; and the evil seeds are the sons of the Evil One;'"

So we know that our churches are infiltrated with false Christians. They do their best to make us look our worst. I'll write about this in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Far too many churchgoers aren't born again and therefore they sin out of the sight of real believers.

On Thursday, I'll post about what it means to be born again.

Saturday Song: Chad and Jeremy, "A Summer Song"

What a joyous and pleasure-filled time summer is. Even with the bugs and heat, we still enjoy being out and about as we cram in as much recreation into our days as we can.

One song which brings back the carefree days of summers is this one by Chad and Jeremy. Though there is the lament in the song of not wanting to see a friend go, it still paints images in my mind of people and parks.

Listen to this beautiful summer classic here.

Because we live in a fallen world, we experience a mixture of God's goodness and Satan's wickedness through his causing Adam and Eve to sin. Even so, Psalm 74:17 (BBE) declares, "By you all the limits of the earth were fixed; you have made summer and winter."

For residents of the Middle East, summer is a dry time. As David wrote during one of his dry times in Psalms 32:4 (BBE), in reference to being unforgiven, "For the weight of your hand was on me day and night; my body became dry like the earth in summer. (Selah.)"

Christ used the analogy of trees in summer to describe the time of his coming judgement on the world in Mark 13:28 (BBE) which reads, "Take an example from the fig-tree: when its branches become soft and put out their leaves, you see that the summer is near."

This is all the more reason that we must be diligent to rid ourselves of both sin and sloth. As Proverbs 10:5 (BBE) counsels us, "He who in summer gets together his store is a son who does wisely; but he who takes his rest when the grain is being cut is a son causing shame."

Jesus was a wise son of his heavenly Father. He knew his time of ministry was limited. After answering his disciples regarding a blind man whom he healed, he said in John 9:4 (BBE), "While it is day we have to do the works of him who sent me: the night comes when no work may be done."

So we see that when good times come, we must make the best of them. Judgement is coming on this world and we've been tasked to warn people about it. If we don't, we're like that lazy farmer's son who goofed off during the harvest.

On Monday, I'll post about which religion is the peaceful one. Some atheists say that Christianity started most of the wars in history.

The Female God Error

Another heretical teaching by those who doubtless have never read their Bibles is the idea that God is female. Even a cursory reading of Holy Scripture disproves this notion.

So why is God portrayed as male? After all, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in John 4:24 (BBE) that, "God is Spirit: then let his worshippers give him worship in the true way of the spirit."

God is portrayed as a loving father because that's what we can most easily relate to. As Psalms 68:5 (BBE) says, "A father to those who have no father, a judge of the widows, is God in his holy place."

Jesus often called God his father. When people followed him for the free food he provided them, he said in John 6:27 (BBE) that they should, "Let your work not be for the food which comes to an end, but for the food which goes on for eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you, for on him has God the Father put his mark."

Paul also amplified this concept in 1 Corinthians 8:6 (BBE) that, "There is for us only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we are for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we have our being through him."

Peter was an eyewitness to God calling Jesus his son. We read in 2 Peter 1:17 (BBE), "For God the Father gave him honour and glory, when such a voice came to him out of the great glory, saying, 'This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"

Even correction is an attribute of fathers, though mothers also correct their children. Psalms 103:13 (BBE) states, "As a father has pity on his children, so the Lord has pity on his worshippers."

How wonderful it is that God isn't some distant figure but he's the ultimate father figure. I'll point this out in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? So many people miss this or can't understand this wonderful truth.

On Saturday, I'll feature a song about most everybody's favourite season.

The Pacifist Error

Some people, who call themselves Christians, make the mistake that God never wants them to fight in a war. They misread verses like Exodus 20:13 (BBE) which states, "Do not put anyone to death without cause."

As I've pointed out before, murder is the killing of a human without just cause. It's up to appointed judges to administer justice, as Deuteronomy 16:18 (BBE) prescribes. "You are to make judges and overseers in all your towns which the Lord your God gives you, for every tribe: and they are to be upright men, judging the people in righteousness."

Paul also affirms that governments and judges are put in place by God to deal with the unjust. Romans 13:3 and 4 (BBE) declares, "For rulers are not a cause of fear to the good work but to the evil. If you would have no fear of the authority, do good and you will have praise; For he is the servant of God to you for good. But if you do evil, have fear; for the sword is not in his hand for nothing: he is God's servant, making God's punishment come on the evil-doer."

War is also justified when rescuing captives. As Genesis 14:14 to 17 (BBE) describes, "And Abram, hearing that his brother's son had been made a prisoner, took a band of his trained men, three hundred and eighteen of them, sons of his house, and went after them as far as Dan And separating his forces by night, he overcame them, putting them to flight and going after them as far as Hobah, which is on the north side of Damascus. And he got back all the goods, and Lot, his brother's son, with his goods and the women and the people."

Some unlearned people figure that the Bible teaches genocide and that any one following its teachings is in favour of mass murder. This is false. The battles Israel fought were for that time only. Exodus 23:29 to 31 (BBE) shows that God let Israel drive out the Canaanites until they reached his prescribed borders. "I will not send them all out in one year, for fear that their land may become waste, and the beasts of the field be increased overmuch against you. Little by little I will send them away before you, till your numbers are increased and you take up your heritage in the land. I will let the limits of your land be from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the waste land to the river Euphrates: for I will give the people of those lands into your power; and you will send them out before you."

In fact, the only instruction for Israelite soldiers was listed in verses such as Numbers 31:19 (KJV) which says, "And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day."

I could write so much more on this topic alone. Instead, I'll save it for my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Many people hear lies about God and reject the gospel because of ignorant teachers. May the Lord use the work of my hands to direct them to the lover of our souls.

On Thursday, I'll discuss why God is portrayed as male in the Bible.

0Saturday Song: Gordon Lightfoot, "Black Day In July"

The world sure seemed to me to be in turmoil back in the late sixties. Race riots and anti-Vietnam-war protests gave me the impression that the world was tearing itself apart. Added to the feeling of impending doom were underground nuclear bomb tests and the arms race between America and the Soviet Union.

Gordon Lightfoot immortalized the atmosphere of Detroit's riots with his ballad which became a hit in July of 1968.

Listen to it here:

We who place our trust entirely in Jesus have a different view of history. After our Lord laid out the events of his journey to the cross, he comforted his disciples. John 16:33 (BBE) is also our assurance of who's really in control of this planet. "I have said all these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble: but take heart! I have overcome the world."

Christ also reminded his disciples of his mastery of the future in Matthew 24:30 and 31 (BBE). "And then the sign of the Son of man will be seen in heaven: and then all the nations of the earth will have sorrow, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

But some folks might say that it's all fine and dandy for the future but what about today's troubles? Our Master assured his disciples, and us by extension, not to worry about whatever wicked people will do to us. Matthew 10:28 and 29 (BBE) reads, "And have no fear of those who put to death the body, but are not able to put to death the soul. But have fear of him who has power to give soul and body to destruction in hell. Are not sparrows two a farthing? and not one of them comes to an end without your Father:"

How wonderful then that whatsoever worries us is also known to our heavenly Father. We can take our concerns to him in prayer and leave those matters in his capable hands.

On Monday, I'll post about the error of pacifistic rejection to fight in wars.

God's X-ray Vision

I'm sure we all have read books or seen movies about crime fighters with super powers like the ability to see through walls. This isn't an original concept since God sees all. Trying to fool God is like hiding behind a barbed wire fence.

Our creator knows our thoughts and desires. As he said in 1 Samuel 16:7 (BBE), "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not take note of his face or how tall he is, because I will not have him: for the Lord's view is not man's; man takes note of the outer form, but the Lord sees the heart.'"

And King David, whom Samuel was directed to choose as the next Israelite king, also understood this. As 1 Chronicles 29:17 (BBE) reads, "And I am conscious, my God, that you are the searcher of hearts, taking pleasure in righteousness. As for me, with an upright heart I have freely given all these things; and I have seen with joy your people who are here to make their offerings freely to you."

People foolishly think that the cover of night will hide their wicked deeds. But Job 34:21 and 22 (BBE) proves them wrong. "For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps."There is no dark place, and no thick cloud, in which the workers of evil may take cover."

God's Word is also his X-ray machine. Hebrews 4:12 (BBE) penetrates right to the core of our beings. "For the word of God is living and full of power, and is sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting through and making a division even of the soul and the spirit, the bones and the muscles, and quick to see the thoughts and purposes of the heart."

And as we read in Isaiah 29:15 (BBE), God can't be fooled. "Cursed are those who go deep to keep their designs secret from the Lord, and whose works are in the dark, and who say, 'Who sees us?' and who has knowledge of our acts?'"

How wonderful it is for those who love God that he knows what we think and feel. But how alarming it is for those who harbour wickedness in their hearts. I'll point out this X-ray vision ability God has in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? People think they're good enough to be in the Almighty's presence in the filthy rags of their unrighteousness but they're not.

On Saturday, I'll post about one of America's most troubling times. It sure did look like the nation was on the brink of destruction.

Were the Proverbs About Christ?

A preacher named Voddie Baucham spoke in one sermon about the book of Proverbs being all about Christ. I doubted that until I read Colossians 2:1 to 3 (BBE) which reads, "For it is my desire to give you news of the great fight I am making for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen my face in the flesh; So that their hearts may be comforted, and that being joined together in love, they may come to the full wealth of the certain knowledge of the secret of God, even Christ, In whom are all the secret stores of wisdom and knowledge."

Voddie pointed out that since all wisdom dwells in Christ, all the references to the wise son or man refer to Christ. Being perfectly righteous, Christ fulfills all the proverbial sayings about Wisdom.

But some smarty-pants person might ask about Lady Wisdom. How could she represent Christ? The truth is that she doesn't. This woman is a literary device which shows us how valuable wisdom is.

As for the fool, that's us. One example of this is Proverbs 11:29 (BBE) which says, "The troubler of his house will have the wind for his heritage, and the foolish will be servant to the wise-hearted."

In my How I Was Razed memoir, I wrote about how I foolishly turned my back on God due to the lies a cultic church taught. It took the loss of my house and a bad condo deal to make me realize my folly.

And which one of us can boast of never despising wisdom? Proverbs 1:7 (BBE) condemns all of us. "The fear of the Lord is the start of knowledge: but the foolish have no use for wisdom and teaching."

Certainly we were unwise rebels as children. Proverbs 22:15 (BBE) reveals this. "Foolish ways are deep-seated in the heart of a child, but the rod of punishment will send them far from him."

Only the Trinity possesses all wisdom. As we read in Jude 1:25 (BBE) about the complete wisdom of our Master. "To the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, let us give glory and honour and authority and power, before all time and now and for ever. So be it."

I also apologize to those who are awaiting my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? I'm not used to writing in a didactic style so compiling my book is becoming difficult. Even so, I hope to have time this summer to buckle down and edit it.

On Thursday, I'll post on the subject of God's X-ray vision.

Saturday Song: Badfinger, "It's Over"

I'm certain that any child would say that summer holidays are the best. For two whole months, there's no getting up early and going to school. Families usually plan their vacations for July or August since their children are out of school. And judging from all of the folks I know, the summer is when great family memories are made.

The British band, Badfinger, recorded a song about returning home. It resonates with me since I was sent to a residential school for blind and deaf children for six lonely years. Leaving that sterile institution for the freedom of summer vacation each June meant so much to me.

Hear Badfinger's song here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mezhl2erFbc

A day will come when our enforced stay on this planet will be over. For many of us, our exit will be through the door of death. And unlike the folks who aren't believers in Christ, we don't fear it. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21 (BBE) that, "For to me life is Christ and death is profit."

Neither was Peter afraid of death. He wrote in 2 Peter 1:14 (BBE), regarding his decease, "For I am conscious that in a short time I will have to put off this tent of flesh, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me." He referred to what Christ told him after he rose from the dead.

But there are some of us who will be privileged to see Christ return in our own lifetime. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17  (BBE), "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are still living at the coming of the Lord, will not go before those who are sleeping. Because the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a word of authority, with the voice of the chief angel, with the sound of a horn: and the dead in Christ will come to life first; Then we who are still living will be taken up together with them into the clouds to see the Lord in the air: and so will we be for ever with the Lord."

Either way, we are assured of paradise. As Jesus told his disciples in John 14:2 (BBE), "In my Father's house are rooms enough; if it was not so, would I have said that I am going to make ready a place for you?
"

How wonderful then that we are headed for such a blissful rest. Life can be hard but we will receive our reward when we go to our eternal home.

On Monday, I'll tackle the subject of a startling fact I learned from an American preacher currently living in Zambia.

Do the Gospel

No, this isn't some new dance craze. I'm referring to the proof of salvation. So many churchgoers have never surrendered their lives to Christ. How can we recognize them? Here's how.

James 1:22 (BBE) exhorts us not to be listeners to the gospel, "But be doers of the word, and not only hearers of it, blinding yourselves with false ideas."

And here's how we recognize somebody who's truly born again. James 2:14 to 17(BBE) directs, "What use is it, my brothers, for a man to say that he has faith, if he does nothing? will such a faith give him salvation? If a brother or a sister is without clothing and in need of the day's food, And one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warm and full of food;' but you do not give them the things of which their bodies have need, what profit is there in this? Even so faith without works is dead."

I need to point out here that works won't save a person. Only the grace of God through Christ does that. Christ likened actions to fruit. He said in Matthew 7:15 to 17 (BBE), "Be on the watch for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside they are cruel wolves. By their fruits you will get knowledge of them. Do men get grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree gives good fruit; but the bad tree gives evil fruit."

We also see the effects of salvation in Luke 19:8 and 9 (BBE). "And Zacchaeus, waiting before him, said to the Lord, 'See, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone wrongly, I give him back four times as much.' And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, for even he is a son of Abraham.'" Christ meant he became a child of faith.

But some people who claim to be Christians will actually end up in hell. Ponder what Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 (BBE). "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will go into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the pleasure of my Father in heaven."

John 6:28 and 29  (BBE) answers the next logical question. "Then they said to him, 'How may we do the works of God?' Jesus, answering, said to them, 'This is to do the work of God: to have faith in him whom God has sent.'"

Some folks might say that this is too easy. Why should it be a hard thing to believe how easy it is? I'll be answering that question in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? On Saturday, I'll post about the joys of going home and the ultimate destination of Christ's followers.

How We Christians Stay Connected

Just as we take being constantly connected to the Internet for granted, we also take our connection to our Lord and Master as a given. Like 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (BBE) says, "Keep on with your prayers."

Praying without ceasing doesn't mean we must be on our knees all day long. It's the attitude of knowing Christ is always with us and all we need do is pray and trust in him. When Jesus said he would return to his disciples in a little while, he commanded them in John 16:23 (BBE), "And on that day you will put no questions to me. Truly I say to you, Whatever request you make to the Father, he will give it to you in my name."

Christ also promised his disciples, and us by extension, in Matthew 28:19 and 20 (BBE), "Go then, and make disciples of all the nations, giving them baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to keep all the rules which I have given you: and see, I am ever with you, even to the end of the world."

In the old days of the Internet, people had to use their phone lines and a modem to connect. It was slow and often unreliable. Downloading files was the same way.

So it was that the Spirit of the Lord would come on certain people and then leave. As the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 20:14 (BBE), "Then, before all the meeting, the spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and one of the family of Asaph;"

Sometimes the Spirit of the Lord stayed with people while departing from others. We read in 1 Samuel 16:13 and 14 (BBE), "Then Samuel took the bottle of oil, and put the oil on him there among his brothers: and from that day the spirit of the Lord came on David with power. So Samuel went back to Ramah. Now the spirit of the Lord had gone from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord was troubling him."

But praise God that we need not worry. The Holy Spirit, also known as the Spirit of the Lord, is our seal of salvation. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:13 (KJV) "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"

What a joy it is then that we are always in touch with our Master. He, and the two other members of the Trinity, are with us always. And nobody can rob us of them, as I found out personally.

I'll be writing more about the permanent connection we have with the Trinity in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Unlike unconverted sinners, we have the astonishing privilege of being joined to the creator of the universe.

On Thursday, I'll be posting about something that sounds like a new dance craze. It's in fact the sign of a person being truly born again.

Saturday Song: Blue Cheer, "Summertime Blues"

I was too young to remember the original version of this Eddie Cochran classic but I well remember Blue Cheer's version. That band took the song of teenage frustration about working all summer to a whole new level. I cranked up the volume on my transistor radio whenever I heard this song.

Watch the band perform this song here:

Work has a long history of not being enjoyable or easy. This started when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Genesis 3:17-19 (BBE) reads, "And to Adam he said, 'Because you gave ear to the voice of your wife and took of the fruit of the tree which I said you were not to take, the earth is cursed on your account; in pain you will get your food from it all your life. Thorns and waste plants will come up, and the plants of the field will be your food; With the hard work of your hands you will get your bread till you go back to the earth from which you were taken: for dust you are and to the dust you will go back.'"

But as I found out when I had my first job as a dish washer at the CNIB cafeteria, getting a paycheck for the work I did felt exhilarating. The job wasn't fun but I did get paid.

Some workers weren't so fortunate. We read in Genesis 33:41(BBE) how Laban kept changing Jacob's employment agreement. God came to his aid, as Jacob said in Genesis 31:38 (BBE), "These twenty years I have been in your house; I was your servant for fourteen years because of your daughters, and for six years I kept your flock, and ten times was my payment changed."

In the end, Jacob came away with more goods and servants than if the Lord hadn't blessed him.

Being forced to slave for others is the worst form of work. As the children of Israel found when the Egyptians made them slaves, all they gained was their daily food and lodging. Then God sent Moses to liberate them but Pharaoh made their work more grueling. As he said in Exodus 5:9 (BBE), "Give the men harder work, and see that they do it; let them not give attention to false words."

Of course physical work isn't the only sort of labour people do. Some assume that they must do enough good deeds to enter heaven. But Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 (BBE), "Come to me, all you who are troubled and weighted down with care, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and become like me, for I am gentle and without pride, and you will have rest for your souls; For my yoke is good, and the weight I take up is not hard."

How wonderful then that we will have rest, even in this irksome world of wickedness. And our Lord hasn't forgotten us but continually advocates on our behalf in heaven.

On Monday, I'll be posting about the bad old days of dial-up Internet verses how we're now connected automatically. It relates to the way the Holy Spirit is always in us whereas people just had the spirit come upon them occasionally in the Old Testament times.

The Christian View of Liberty

Americans make much of their liberty. On July fourth, patriotic folks shoot off fireworks and celebrate another year of freedom. And while they celebrate independence from a tyrannical foreign power, we believers celebrate our dependence upon the King of Kings.

But how can subservience to a king free us? Sin is what rules our world at present. Jesus himself answered that question when he confronted the Pharisees. They thought they were free and were Abraham's children when they actually were in satanic bondage. John 8:34(BBE) reads, "And this was the answer Jesus gave them: 'Truly I say to you, Everyone who does evil is the servant of sin.'"

Worldly folks figure we live drab and tedious lives. If only they could know how we rejoice in God's provision of salvation from the tyranny of sin. Romans 5:1 and 2 (BBE) say, ""For which reason, because we have righteousness through faith, let us be at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; Through whom, in the same way, we have been able by faith to come to this grace in which we now are; and let us have joy in hope of the glory of God."

Better still, we become adopted children in the royal family of Christ. As Paul explained in Ephesians 1:4 and 5 (BBE), "4   Even as he made selection of us in him from the first, so that we might be holy and free from all evil before him in love: As we were designed before by him for the position of sons to himself, through Jesus Christ, in the good pleasure of his purpose,"

Moreover, we give all that we are in exchange for all that Christ is. Hebrews 9:16 and 17 (BBE) explains, "Because where there is a testament, there has to be the death of the man who made it. For a testament has effect after death; for what power has it while the man who made it is living?"

Since Jesus died, we gain all that he has bequeathed to his adopted children. And since he lives, he enjoys it all with us. Revelation 19:6 and 7 (BBE) describes this joyous occasion when the Bride, meaning all of us believers, will be married to the Lamb of God, meaning Christ. "And there came to my ears the voice of a great army, like the sound of waters, and the sound of loud thunders, saying, 'Praise to the Lord: for the Lord our God, Ruler of all, is King. Let us be glad with delight, and let us give glory to him: because the time is come for the Lamb to be married, and his wife has made herself ready."

So we understand that what sinners consider bondage is actually liberty from the hellward spiral of the world. Knowing these glorious facts, how can any believer in Christ stay silent? This world will pass but Christ's rewards are eternal.

This and much more will be in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Worldly folks think they're free but they're in the worst bondage imaginable.

On Saturday, I'll post about the summertime blues teenagers get when they have to actually work for a living.

I Still Call It Dominion Day

In spite of the Canadian Government calling Canada's day of confederation Canada Day, I still like the old name much better. We Canadians used to celebrate Dominion Day before Pierre Trudeau's Liberals gave it the tacky name it now has.

The word "dominion" is used many times throughout the Bible. Genesis 1:26 (BBE) tells how God gave us the job of managing his creation. "And God said, 'Let us make man in our image, like us: and let him have rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every living thing which goes flat on the earth.'"

The founders of Canada wanted to keep this thought in the minds of the citizenry by inscribing Psalms 72:8 on the base of the Parliament building. The Bible in Basic English renders the verse as, "Let his kingdom be from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth."

This also was a reminder to Canadians that Christ is the ultimate king and our laws are based on his teachings. Sadly, people ignore and reject him, making up their own laws.

We also read in Psalms 145:13 (BBE) that God's dominion is eternal. "Your kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and your rule is through all generations."

And what a joy it is that death has no power over our Master. Romans 6:8 and 9 (BBE) states of him, "But if we are dead with Christ, we have faith that we will be living with him; Having knowledge that because Christ has come back from the dead, he will never again go down to the dead; death has no more power over him."

Because he rose from the dead, we also rejoice in the promise of our own bodily resurrection. Revelation 20:6 (BBE) promises, "Happy and holy is he who has a part in this first coming: over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will be ruling with him a thousand years."

I personally suspect that people want to erase biblical knowledge from the citizenry so that they'll only trust in human dominion. We read countless times in the Bible how those attempts failed. This is one point I hope to make in my book called You Think You're Going to Heaven?On Thursday, I'll post about American liberty and the freedom we believers have in Christ.

On Thursday, I'll post about American liberty and the freedom we believers have in Christ