What is Faith?

Ron Jones — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 12:01:00 +0000

Do you believe in God? And... does it matter?

Beyond the transparently absurd claim of abiogenesis in the face of DNA evidence, by so-called scientists who should know better...(the mathematical odds against abiogenesis are quite high)....

...The claim that "15+ billion years ago, there was [almost] nothing. Then, it exploded. And from those ashes, eventually, arose water and life."...

...Can only be repeated with a straight face by someone who doesn't know any better, standing in front of children who haven't heard any different.

Honest scientists will admit that there are "initial condition problems" with the big-bang model (a non-trivial understatement). As well as "gravitation problems" with the indefinitely old universe, not to mention assumptions about temperature that are unobservable. Deeper problems with current models are exposed when we understand the non-locality of subatomic particles.

I am fond of a quote by Nobel Laureate Neils Bohr, who said "if quantum mechanics hasn't profoundly shocked you, you haven't understood it yet."

Simply put, any theory of origins is eventually reduced to one fundamental foundation: interpretation of facts based on one's faith.

Still more niggling little anomalies about our allegedly physical universe:

The speed of light as a non-constant
Quantization of the redshift
Changes in Plank's Constant
and others

Are discussed more competently by Setterfield.

What, then?

After many years of research, I have come to the conclusion that the only paradigm within which the universe (and my existence) fits logically, is the Biblical one.

However, for this Biblical paradigm to be reasonable, it must be accepted in toto, without reservation.

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." ~Hebrews 11:6

Faith amidst such evil?

There is so much hate, so much evil and oppression in this world, that only the willfully blind can ignore it. I once saw a popular bumper-sticker that read "if you aren't outraged, then you aren't paying attention."

Most people I meet who have awakened politically, are aware, if only peripherally that world events are progressing as if being directed according to plan, towards a predetermined goal.

A conspiracy?

Conspiracy theorists have never come to a consensus on what the "big plan" is. But, if they did, it would probably go something like this:

'Evil men want to rule the world. hence, they have decided to eliminate national sovereignty, reduce the population by a large percentage, and force the remaining masses to live in tightly cramped cities, producing the luxuries to be consumed by an elite few... who will live in luxury amid the mountains, meadows, and rolling hills of the remainder of the earth, as befits their station.'

The problem with these theories is that they do not take into account basic human nature; and the fact that there is no honour among thieves and murderers. Not to mention the fact that the oft-maligned "bell-curve" (a.k.a. "normal curve") as applied to human intelligence is indisputable. Some folks are smarter than others. But no human being is so vastly superior in intellect to everyone else that (s)he can beat "the invisible hand."

The most logical answer is that there are 'more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Whether you call it alien, EBE, or "other."

The Biblical Account

All of the things I have mentioned so far, have been documented by the Bible.

There is a creator. An individual entity named Jehovah (whom we call God). Who created the universe, and all that exists therein, with a word.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²The same was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴In him was life; and the life was the light of men." ~John 1:1-4

Jehova's 'adjutant,' a Cherub (angel) named Lucifer, who was close to the throne began to want it for himself, and he rebelled.

"¹²Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. ¹³Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. ¹⁴Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. ¹⁵Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." ~Ezekiel 28:12-15

Lucifer decided he wanted to ascend to the throne. The account of this is given in Isaiah 14:12-14. Lucifer developed a 5-point plan to take over God's kingdom:

I will ascend into heaven
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds
I will be like the most high

He [Lucifer] convinced Eve (and, as a consequence, Adam) that he could offer them:

Immortality ("Ye shall not surely die:...")
Illumination, or secret knowledge ("...for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened...")
Apotheosis, or godhood ("...and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.")

These claims have been made by the mystery religions throughout the history of the world. From Babylon and Egypt, to Greece and Rome, Bavaria, London and Washington, the Order of Perfectibilists, Rosicrucians, Freemasons, and etc.

The Enemy of Freedom

Lucifer convinced 1/3 of the angels in God's empire to join with him in rebellion against the most high. How do we know this? See Revelation 12:4.

The enemy is not the communists, the nazis, the mohammedans... any race of people, any socioeconomic class ("the blacks," "the jews," or "the international bankers"). All these groups of humans fall within the same bell curve.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." ~Ephesians 6:12

For a specific example of what this means, see the book of Daniel, chapter 10. The angel Gabriel is delivering a message to Daniel, and in the course of conversation, remarks (in verse 13) that the prince of Persia had made it difficult for him to get through enemy lines to deliver his message. However, Michael (identified in Jude 1:9 as the archangel) a "chief prince" (Danel 10:13, 10:21, 12:1) of the Jews came to help him [Gabriel] and was still holding the line for him.

After delivering his message, and before he leaves Daniel, Gabriel makes a cryptic remark that helps to put the players into context:

"Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come." ~Daniel 10:20

This account was written during the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia. However, the prince of Grecia, Alexander the Great would not come along to conquer the Persian empire for another 200 years.

Gabriel was referring not to princes of this world, but angelic princes... and NOT good ones!

These entities (angels) do not occupy our dimensionality (See II Kings chapter 6, and Ezekiel chapter 1 for greater detail on the physical manifestation of these entities. Today, we refer to them as UFO's.

Back here on Earth

The "Newage" (rhymes with 'sewage') movement still pushes the same old lie that Lucifer sold Eve in the garden, and that the mystery cults have been pushing for thousands of years.

To wit, "if you complete the sacred mystical rites (...seven steps...seven Mithraic rites...seven sacraments...seven chakras...etc, ad nauseum), you will achieve illumination and find the divinity within yourself. Once you achieve this "christ consciousness," you will "ascend to a higher state of existence."

Reminds me of a phrase we used to use back during my days in the Marine Corps. It's not repeatable in mixed company, but the acronym is "SSDD."

What's Next?

Lucifer, now known as Satan, (a.k.a. Sanat Kumara, Sananda, etc) and his army of angels, has not yet been thrown out of heaven. They still have access, and even appear before the throne of the most High God (See Job chapter 1 and 2). However, there is a war coming in the realm of heaven:

"7And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." ~Revelation 1:7-9

The Newagers will try and tell you that 'soon, very soon, our "space brothers/ascended masters" will return, and come down to help us take man into a new age of peace, love, and enlightenment...

...but the truth is that they aren't "coming down" ...they're going to get kicked out of Heaven and cast down to Earth!

Revelation 12:7-12 gives the heavenly account of this coming war. Revelation 6:12-13 (the sixth seal) gives the perspective of those on earth. Then... in Revelation 9:1, we see Satan (the star) himself falling from heaven (our three dimensional world), and lets loose the angels who sinned (Genesis 6:1-4, Job 4:18), and are currently chained up in the bottomless pit (Abyss, or chao) (II Peter 2:4-5, Jude 1:6-7) with their king (Abaddon, Apollyon).

You have been warned

Jesus warned us in Matthew 24 and elsewhere that when they say 'Christ has returned, and he's in the desert, or in a secret place, waiting for the right time to appear'... DON'T you believe it!

It is a setup. The real Jesus will be back shortly thereafter, he will appear in the clouds, and the whole world is going to see it at once.

"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." ~Matthew 24:27

"For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day." ~Luke 17:24

What about the "mark of the beast?"

"¹⁶And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: ¹⁷And that no man might buy or sell, save he had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." ~Revelation 13:16-17

Popular novelists aside, the Bible does not say he forces them to take the mark. It says he 'causes them to receive it." I understand that to mean people will want it. It will be something that they'll be clamouring for.

This is speculation, so I am prepared to adjust or abandon it on Biblical evidence, but only Biblical evidence. Look around you... How many 'medical miracles,' 'recent innovations,' 'biotech developments' "in the development pipeline" (in addition to ordinary snake-oil)?

I cannot prove it Biblically (yet), but I suspect that this "mark of the beast" may be something like recombinant DNA (3rd strand of DNA, trans-humanism, etc). Literally, the DNA of Satan himself.

The main reason I hold this view is twofold. First, is God's promise to those who believe him.

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" ~John 1:12

"12That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13In 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, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." ~Ephesians 1:14

The second reason I hold this view is that Satan usually has a perversion, a cheap knockoff of that which is Godly and Holy.

How do you think most people would react if our "space brothers" or "the ascended masters" made contact, and as a 'show of good faith' were to offer a leg-up on the next step of man's evolutionary development?

They DID after all plant our DNA here millions of years ago... right?

But How?

Imagine a "magic pill" or injection (the "silver bullet" that everyone wants to buy) that grows hair, makes you thin, young, attractive, virile, and prevents sickness and disease... the only catch, is a small "correction to your DNA" that must be made to 'upgrade you' so that you can take advantage of this opportunity.

Oh, by the way... you don't HAVE to accept their gift of love. But those who do not will be deemed "separatists" who are against unification of mankind under the banner of peace, love, universal brotherhood, and enlightenment. As a consequence, you will not be permitted to take part in the new economy (i.e. buy or sell).

"He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." ~John 12:25

"If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." ~I Corinthians 3:17

I Believe

Every doctrine of Bible Christianity has its foundation in the first 11 chapters of Genesis. If you reject Genesis as a historical account, there is no need for the rest of the book.

"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth." ~Genesis 1:1

"For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it" ~Exodus 20:11

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" ~Romans 5:12

"The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it?" ~Jeremiah 17:9

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but howto perform that which is good I find not." ~Romans 7:18

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." ~James 2:10

"For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." ~Romans 6:23

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without the shedding of blood is no remission." ~Hebrews 9:22

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." ~John 3:16

"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate." ~Hebrews 13:12

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." ~Revelation 1:5

"⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." ~Romans 10:9-10

God draws pictures for us in his word in order to illustrate his point. Salvation requires no bowing, scraping, genuflection, meditation, penance, payment, purgatory, baptism or sprinkling. This is illustrated in the plainest possible terms by Luke 23:39-43. The thief on the cross, who was strung up, stripped of all dignity, unable to bow, to pay, to make a sign or be baptised; confessed that Jesus was Lord and believed that he would arise from the dead ("Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."). Jesus accepted him as he was, and promised that "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

What does he want from us?

"³²Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my father which is in heaven. 33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. ³⁴Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. ³⁵For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. ³⁶And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. ³⁷He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. ³⁹He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." ~Matthew 10:34

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." ~John 13:34

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." ~I John 2:15

"¹⁵I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. ¹⁶So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." ~Revelation 3:15-16

"That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" ~I Corinthians 2:5... and what is the power of God?... The BIBLE!

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." ~Romans 1:16

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong." ~I Corinthians 16:13 ("quit" as in to acquit or conduct)

"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." ~II Timothy 3:12 (not some, not most, but ALL).

The Jones Family

What is Faith?

What, then?

Faith amidst such evil?

A conspiracy?

The Biblical Account

The Enemy of Freedom

Back here on Earth

What's Next?

You have been warned

What about the "mark of the beast?"

But How?

I Believe

What does he want from us?

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