My Personal View of Current Events

I have long attempted to tie my study of Biblical prophesy to events we experience in everyday life. Lately, these events have led me to study extensively the teachings in the book of Daniel and the words Jesus gave us concerning his second coming. I do not consider myself a prophet, but I do know that God speaks to me, as He does to us all.

A Brief Bio

At the age of 25, shortly after the birth of my third child, I had just finished a moment of quiet private prayer before going to bed one evening. The room with the most brilliant light imaginable. I had to hide my face. Then a voice that shook me to my very core shouted, "Michael, it is time, I will have you go forth and do my work." I knew what that meant but I had no idea how to fulfill the mission.

I spoke to my Pastor the following day and we agreed I should begin seminary courses via correspondence through the Southern Baptist Convention. I found this wonderfully fulfilling, I filled pulpits around eastern Ohio, taught Sunday school, became a Deacon. When we moved to Columbus I continued my preaching whenever possible by filling pulpits and teaching Sunday school. However, I felt God leading me down another path, as though the "pulpit" was not where He needed me. I felt conflicted and became admittedly frustrated. My seminary courses fell by the wayside after 3 years, my Bible study became basically an argument between God and I; He was going to have to prove things to me. Fortunately, over the past 25 years, He has! He has shown me the work He intended me to do, I embrace it daily even though my stubbornness kept me away far too long.

The Present

Recently, I felt compelled by God in a dream three nights in a row ( I'm BIG on the 3 in a row thing) to renew my study of prophesy in the Book of Daniel. I half-heartedly poked at it in a blog post here in 2009: http://buckeyemike-theramblingsofarowley.blogspot.com/2009/09/time-travel.html .
The date March 1, 2013 was constantly implanted in my mind, I wrote it down several times over the course of 5 days while reading Daniel. Then it struck me to apply the days of days Daniel spoke of concerning the desecration of the sacrifice in the Temple...1290 days. Going backward from March 1, 2013 to find the day that "the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up" (Dan. 12:11) results in August 19, 2009.

August 19, 2009

One month before the beginning of Rosh Hashana, President Barack Obama held a teleconference with about 1,000 Jewish rabbis asking them for their help in supporting his health care plan which would be headed for a battle in congress during the Jewish holiday. During this conference, the president quoted the Unetanneh Tokef , the prayer of Rosh Hashana: 

"On Rosh Hashana will be inscribed and on Yom Kippur will be sealed how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created; who will live and who will die; who will die at his predestined time and who before his time.”

 Notice, in asking for support from Jewish rabbis for his sweeping healthcare reform which pervades our freedom of control over our own choice to care for ourselves, he uses a reference from one of their prayers where God's people are praising HIM, rejoicing in HIS power to decide who lives and who dies, and when, and not one of them notices or takes offense!

Granted, these are American rabbis. However, not a single report from Israel came of this event. The most powerful man in the world, who I argue is a Muslim (facts I have in abundance), quotes only the reference in a prayer about "who will live and who will die" while drumming support for a socialist healthcare bill as though he were the one being praised in the prayer. That friends is an abomination! (or as I refer to it, an Obamanation)

Footnote

I reference my thought on Obama's muslim faith. Here is a tidbit, although circumstantial; enlightening:

10 Quotes by Barack Obama about Islam

#1 "Islam has always been part of America"

#2 "we will encourage more Americans to study in Muslim communities"

#3 "These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings."

#4 "America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings."

#5 "So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed"

#6 "Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity and racial equality"

#7 "As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith."

#8 "I look forward to hosting an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan here at the White House later this week, and wish you a blessed month."

#9 "That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn’t. And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."

#10 "I also know that Islam has always been a part of America’s story."

     Pretty positive all the way through...

10 Quotes By Barack Obama About Christianity

#1 "Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation"

#2 "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation."

#3 "Which passages of scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is OK and that eating shellfish is an abomination? Or we could go with Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith?"

#4 "Even those who claim the Bible’s inerrancy make distinctions between Scriptural edicts, sensing that some passages – the Ten Commandments, say, or a belief in Christ’s divinity – are central to Christian faith, while others are more culturally specific and may be modified to accommodate modern life."

#5 "The American people intuitively understand this, which is why the majority of Catholics practice birth control and some of those opposed to gay marriage nevertheless are opposed to a Constitutional amendment to ban it. Religious leadership need not accept such wisdom in counseling their flocks, but they should recognize this wisdom in their politics."

#6 From Obama’s book, The Audacity of Hope: "I am not willing to have the state deny American citizens a civil union that confers equivalent rights on such basic matters as hospital visitation or health insurance coverage simply because the people they love are of the same sex—nor am I willing to accept a reading of the Bible that considers an obscure line in Romans to be more defining of Christianity than the Sermon on the Mount."

#7 "I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell. I can’t imagine that my God would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity. That’s just not part of my religious makeup."

#8 "Those opposed to abortion cannot simply invoke God’s will–they have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths."

#9 On his support for civil unions for gay couples: "If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount."

#10 "I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people."

Does he sound like a Christian? I am not a judge, God will judge him. I have to live with him therefore I need to make a determination whether I trust his judgement to lead my nation. I pray God will give me wisdom to do so. This man speaks so clearly it seems God uses his voice to slap me upside the head!

  

Safety 3rd!

I am not gullible enough to believe I had seen all possible insults to the American people from Obutiknowimright, but, seriously? The decision was made to cut defense spending, it seems the dollars just aren't in the budget to maintain the safety and security of our nation, while those who live to see Americans die are beefing up and raising funds by the billions. 500,000 troops will no longer protect our freedoms, at home or abroad. Arguments can be made for either side of the issue, but the insult to you and I is that somehow enough money has been scrounged up to increase entitlement spending, especially "healthcare". Let's face it, tough decisions have to be made to put the budget back on track, cuts are necessary. So let's look at this chart.

Notice how the red and green keep going up...alot, and the others gradually fall. Protection and Defense spending drop almost as much as Healthcare and Pensions rise. I've got an idea how to cut Pensions; pay attention Congress; but that's another blog. Something to look forward to... when the bad guys come and do us harm, the government will take care of illegal immigrant medical bills and retired congressmen will still get paid. Relieved? Illegal aliens 1st, retired still-not-working-for-me politicians 2nd, your safety 3rd.

Then we have the Chevy Volt, manufactured by GM (Government Motors), and in effect already owned by every taxpayer. Did you get yours? Obutchangeisgood bailed the company out with our money, hopped in one of these cars touting it as the green saviour of the U.S. auto industry, and unleashed another Obamination. The thing catches fire, even weeks after an accident. Now we have to bring them all back, spend our money to fix them, and then convince ourselves to buy one. Can't afford it? Well we have a solution for that too. We subsidise your purchase with an $8,000 tax credit! Now all you need is the other $35,000. No problem.

Need-to-spend-a-trillion-dollars 1st, hurry up and look good 2nd, your safety 3rd.

On a more serious note, a navy SEAL in California is on life support today after holding a pistol he thought was unloaded to his head and pulling the trigger. The best training in the world will not save us from our own carelessness. Safety 1st, 2nd, and 3rd!

Dear Eric

I understand you are somewhat upset that a few people may want you to resign your position as Attorney General of The United States because of your race. Let me see if I might clear this up a bit for you...

As Attorney General, you are charged to enforce the laws of this country. I hope you understood this when you swore the oath of office. Currently, selling mass quantities of firearms which knowingly will end up in the hands of drug cartels is not legal. You are tasked to prosecute those responsible for these acts. Instead, you chose to direct your subordinates to "encourage" such transactions contrary to the objections of the dealers selling the firearms in an effort to influence public opinion regarding gun control laws specifically aimed at limiting rights guaranteed us by the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Remember that piece of paper, mentioned in that oath, the "preserve, protect, and defend" part?

The American people trust you to enforce our laws, not change them at will. Your duty as such would now involve prosecuting any and all of your staff who knowingly took part in these illegal activities, and actively pursue any leads which may lead to the recovery of those firearms which may now be ILLEGALLY in the possession of criminals. To diminish any rights granted citizens the freedom to bear arms and LEGALLY defend themselves from the criminals YOU armed would be a travesty.

Now, let's review... you, top cop, enforce laws, defend constitution, protect citizens from criminals not arm them. Hmmmm, I believe if I presented the facts to someone who had lived in total seclusion for the last 50 years who had absolutely no knowledge of you, they would also call for your resignation. The color of your skin does not determine the makeup of your character, your actions have revealed yours.

"X" Marks the Spot

I've never been known for my lack of opinions, but I normally show great restraint in taking any sort of rebellious action to get my point across. I'm praying right now for the courage once again to stay my hand. I do believe it may be time to arm myself with a Sharpie and a can of spray paint, and look for the "X" in front of "mas". It needs to go.

I have never heard the story of the nativity of "X", this is, as far as I know, a letter. Writing came about with the later Mesopotamians when they converted earlier Sumerian pictograms into cuneiform. I don't think that calls for much celebration, let alone a religious holiday.

OK, so the origin is Greek. "χ" and "ρ" were used in ancient abbreviations for "Χριστος" (Greek for "Christ"). I do not spell my name "Μιχάλης", or abbreviate it "M", it is Michael. I don't speak Greek, if you do I apologize.

I know, Sharpies and spray paint may seem extreme, but I believe my Saviour should have His name written fully in the native language of the country in which any printed material is displayed out of honor for the Sacrifice He so selfishly made for us all. His name is Jesus Christ. We are celebrating His birth.

Call the holiday "Jesus-mas", "Jesus Christ-mas", or "Christmas" and WRITE it that way. I only ask these two simple favors; please keep me away from all the "X"s, Sharpies, and spray paint for the next few days, and please keep Christ in your heart as we celebrate the birth of our Living Saviour!

The "Character" of a Man

Been a while, and I'm getting a bit antsy. Time to vent...

That this great nation founded on the principles of free speech, liberty, and open debate, is a model which we should all relish. I am grateful healthy debate can take place among my family and friends without my head being removed from my torso as it would be in times past. I started a debate with an email that was seemingly full of “lies”, however, nothing stated in the body of the email was indeed a claim that Obama did not attend Columbia, the statement at the very beginning and end could have been omitted though. What ensued was a very pleasant dialogue for several days which was quite encouraging to read. It also made me revisit the way I think about the man.

I don’t agree with many people’s politics, sometimes I change my own mind, we have that right too. My problem with this president is his complete lack of openness, or unwillingness to be open, with the people he represents, which to me is the epitome of character. We all have character flaws that make us who we are, admitting those gives us integrity. I find his lacking. That disturbs me. He may be a good man, good men are willing to expose not only their strengths, but their weaknesses as well.
- Why is he so unwilling to reveal his transcripts from Occidental, Columbia, or Harvard? Bad grades? Who cares! Bush had bad grades, drank his way out of Yale! We all know that story, nothing to hide there.
-After becoming a U.S. Senator in 2004 and supposedly having supplied proper citizenship documentation at that time, why did his staff not apply for a duplicate short form copy of his Hawaii birth certificate until 2007, and refuse to make it available to the public until 6 months after the election? They had plenty of time to acquire a photostatic copy of the original long form certificate before his senate campaign. And yes the long form would need to be on file for the registrar to legally issue the duplicate short form. OK, it is real, he is a citizen, WHY IS HE HIDING IT? I DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT! If I were running for President of the country I hold so dear to my heart, and the people I am about to give my all to would ask if I am truly one of them, I would shout it from the top of the Capitol Building with my birth certificate in hand for all to see with my chest swelling with PRIDE!

The original email stated that it is interesting that we know less about this man than any President in history. Why? The media which normally would have had a field day by now has come up with nothing. Maybe the guy truly was a saint (even though the coke and pot he admitted to using at Occidental had to cause at least a little mischief ). No girlfriends? Even the Snopes links my son sent mention 9 friends over 6 years by name, and I believe only one was female (no assumptions intended). They were asked not to speak because most were Muslim (beside the point). Even the USA Today article refers to the Obama campaigns refusal to speak about his years at Columbia. Why? What about the years teaching and working in Chicago, no friends, no social life? The Wikipedia article on him is even less insightful, he went to school here, travelled there. Compare it to Bush’s Wiki, actually pretty funny in places, and pretty disturbing in others to be honest, but at least thorough.

Politics aside, I find it difficult to trust a man who WILL not look us in the eye and answer a simple question without hesitation. And I am sure that if this President wishes to earn my trust, he will stop standing in shadows tossing tidbits and allow me to know his character in the way I have known all the other leaders of my country, with openness and honesty.

Liar, Liar!

I need to tell my grandsons they should watch to whom they use the phrase "liar, liar, pants on fire". They stand a real chance of being labeled racist. I could, I suppose, teach them to say " I strongly oppose the statement you have made, believing the facts lack validity based upon your recent actions; this could result in the spontaneous combustion of your slacks." Appropriate?

ACLU

When are we going to stand up to this insidious organization and put a halt to their outrageously frivolous lawsuits? The latest... a cross erected in 1934 to honor WW1 veterans erected on Federal land is currently covered with a box! The ACLU filed suit in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals (the most liberal in our country) that it violated separation of church and state. That court ruled it would be covered. The case is now being heard in the Supreme Court of the United States. HUH?

When did it become illegal to honor our fallen heroes? Who has protested that a cross on a hill offends them? The Supreme Court is now in a position to decide if we, as a nation, are going to be permitted to express our religious freedoms at all. This will open the door to all types of religious repression. Churches will be removing crosses from public view, as well as the Star of David from temples, and Crescents from mosques. Our freedom of Religion is being eroded!

Arlington National Cemetery is dotted with the memorials of fallen heroes who gave their lives in service to our country. Each is marked with a symbol of their individual faith,; Christians, Jews, Muslims, and more (http://www.homeofheroes.com/gravesites/arlington/0_arlington_emblems.html); buried side by side. These symbols of America's promise to allow each of us to celebrate our religion freely is in danger of removal. We cannot stand by and watch the desecration of the final resting place of these fallen heroes.

I am a Christian. No one will take my cross, I will bear it with my Savior! You must decide who will defend your religious freedom, I know my Lord will help you if you want Him to!