At times when we think honestly, if we stop deceiving ourselves, we are forced to admit that life per se can become an unmitigated horror. Not only are we threatened by wars, financial shifts and joblessness, the calamities of nature and narcissistic manipulators, the very earth itself treats us with supreme indifference. The beautiful and productive world we inhabit slowly but surely converts every plant that sprouts a stalk and each creature that draws a breath into fertilizer to feed yet another doomed generation.

A few men and women are universally successful but such superior seeming geniuses usually lose so much empathy for we lesser souls that their relationships become selfish and self-defeating. Many end up alone and unloved, in a prison of their own making, as Michael Corleone did in The Godfather. As an ancient African-American gospel song laments, life is plagued with sorrows, complications, and defeats for every person.

Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen — Nobody knows but Jesus.

We really are finite beings trying to prosper in a dangerous world, beset consistently by the tragic human quartet of suffering, rage, guilt and death. George Santayana, the brilliant Harvard philosopher wrote;

Life is neither entertainment nor a feast but a predicament to be resolved in the face of enormous difficulties.

Most of us do indeed live out at least some portions of our lives in quiet desperation. As many as one person in ten suffers from serious mental or spiritual health disorders at times. In addition, we are all caught up in the existential frustrations of life virtually all our days. One has to have spent the last few decades on the dark side of the moon or be a reactionary politician or a fundamental clergyman to look into the average person’s future with a great deal of confidence.

THE ATHIEST’S ENIGMA

During my half century of psychospiritual research, one complex puzzle emerged from the writings of men and women like Soren Kierkegaard, Carl Jung, Karen Horney, Otto Rank, Laura Perls, Abraham Maslow Melanie Klein and many others. Some of them started as agnostics or atheists who like Sigmund Freud thought God was a security myth. Some wrote that religion is a fraud, worship and prayer naively subjective and faith hope and love meaningless illusions. I understand their skepticism. How could any serious scholar want anything to do with the state controlled churches of their day — or the swiftly emerging fundamentalist state church of America of our time, as the clergy pandered to the wealth and betrayed families into poverty and slaughter in religious and financial wars? Nevertheless, as they matured personally and professionally, when everything psychological had been researched, after they’d reached the upper limits of psychotherapy, the incredible insights in the following paragraph appeared regularly in many of my most influential scholars’ lectures, therapy sessions and books. They were in effect saying:

To mature beyond neurotic anxiety, to cope with existential alienation, to live purposefully and win consistent satisfaction in a complex world, each person must develop a faith as if God were real. We secular scholars can find no God — religion probably panders to human weakness, prayer and worship are frauds. Nevertheless, to avoid crippling our souls, we must assume that God exists and offer credence to this assumption because doing so gives us a crucial sense of security in a dangerous world. We can then live with the illusions of faith, hope and love that is essential for a meaningful life.

Oh my — how wondrously droll, how deeply self-serving, how terribly convoluted! Fortunately, there is a much better way, for according to William of Occam, with all factors being equal, the simplest solution to a problem is usually the best one. Soren Kierkegaard, the always brilliant and forever relevant godfather of modern psychology, the most equal of my score or so authors, along with Ernest Becker and Viktor Frankl, saw life more clearly than most. The Danish philosopher of the First Industrial Revolution, when writing about satisfaction reported;

The only way we humans can find contentment in an industrial society is through a self-transcending faith in God that lifts us beyond a fearful, frustrated and meaningless existence.

You must understand this;

I examine those aspects of human personality and experience that are filled with painful and self-defeating elements. It is worse than useless to ignore our problems when every daily newspaper exposes us to a flood of human disasters. Nevertheless, my approach is spiritual and positive when followed through to the end. You must peer into your souls, balance knowledge and wisdom, psychology and philosophy and the earthy elements of psychotherapy with the cosmic elements of worship — in order to deal with human suffering and to make life come out well along the way. I use the term psychospiritual with a full understanding of its dual implications of emotional and philosophical elements.

THE CONTRITE SPIRIT

The next astonishing consensus to emerge from my brilliant psychological giants is the necessity of a personal awakening in the deliverance of one’s soul.

To resolve our spiritual difficulties, to succeed in our quest for our soul’s liberation, we must successfully pass through the major emotional crisis of human deliverance. During this conflict, the soul with its unconscious scar tissue; repressed, anxious, subjective and frozen at the core of its being, must surrender itself. Selfishness must yield to generosity. We must mature beyond the immature attitude of I – Myself Alone. The seeker after freedom, to use St. Paul’s concepts, must nurture a contrite attitude in order to regret and abandon personal selfishness. In psychoanalytic terms, the self must sacrifice the ego in order to become free of its tyranny. Only after we have removed our emotional armor, have matured beyond egoistic self-deception and often gone past the assistance psychotherapy can give us to connect consciously with God, can we find deliverance. We have too many primitive homosapien traits to break free in our own determination. We need assistance to mature beyond our posturing and pretension, past our repressed killer-ape paranoia and nagging anxieties, beyond our compulsive defenses. We must abandon such baggage to escape through the prison bars we ourselves have erected for ego protection against our anxiety and guilt. Only then can we find the courage, knowledge and wisdom to become spiritually and emotionally free as Jesus, St. Paul, Augustine, Martin Luther King and Sister Theresa among many others were liberated souls — were Kierkegaard’s Knights of the Spirit.

Our search for freedom via the repentance of our failures, with sincere contrition, creates several crucial questions to be answered as we seek liberation from our homosapien anxiety and rage through faith and self-awareness. We must ask ourselves;

How can I end my self-defeating ego defenses, remove my emotional and cultural armor to become the loving parent, supportive spouse and faithful friend I yearn to be?

How shall I courageously stand in my quaking and bleeding nakedness –
my ego crying out for esteem regardless of who is abused, without being overwhelmed by the cruelties of life?

How can I, a mere mortal already living under a death sentence, in a prison of my own making, successfully make my way through this confusing maze of suffering, rage, guilt and death that is the unavoidable tragic quartet of existence?

FOREVER BECOMING

I wish I could tell you that my special scholars identified two or three shortcuts to soul liberation that shall sweep you into satisfaction all the days of your life. It would also be wonderful if each person could make a single emotional adjustment, like the religious experience called being born again, which is expected by many to guarantee forever each believer’s spiritual condition. I recall, during my youth in a fundamentalist revival meeting, an enthusiastic young evangelist begging us to come forward to shake his hand and accept Christ as our personal savior. That would, he assured us, take us straight to heaven regardless of where we strayed or what sins we committed later in life. He pleased some rebellious adolescents greatly but horrified our parents by saying;

Come and shake my hand, signifying your acceptance of Christ, and then it doesn’t matter whether death overtakes you drunk in a saloon or from the arms of a harlot — you shall have been saved, you will go directly to heaven for an eternity with Jesus and with God our heavenly father.

I remember my father grumbling aghast to my mother;

What is that idiot teaching our teenagers — that living a spiritual life gives them license to immorality and sin, to drunkenness and adultery, if you first get saved? He’s a loony. Not only must you talk the talk; each Christian must walk the walk. You must run the race through to the end!

Dealing successfully with life and its problems, with our secret yearnings, is much like following a twelve-steps program for drug addicts. It is never a one-time event such as being saved through a simple mental assent. Human nature is too complex for so simplistic a deliverance, although as a crucial aspect of God’s grace, it must begin with contrition and a connection with the Cosmic Creator. Given the fact we are subjective and finite creature-selves, frequently in conflict in an imperfect world, our psychospiritual health is always a life-long project we must accept and follow through to the end. Of course that creates a problem for many because we are such impatient souls. We are indeed attracted to quick fix solutions whether in religion, industry, education or our personal lives. Even more, we really want to pretend nothing is wrong and then when we are forced to face some unpleasant reality, we usually call in a specialist, have the expert do the quick fix and write out a check.

Psychospiritual healing doesn’t occur that way — it is a process that always extracts a price and often draws blood. Life becomes really satisfying through psychospiritual maturing and no one grows up in a few weeks or months. We mature and nurture ourselves in stages and while others can help, as with Alcoholics Anonymous, you have to very much want to rid yourself of your conscious and unconscious methods of avoiding personal responsibility before you get free.

Through this series of reports, I shall be dealing with some of the common defenses humans use to feel good about ourselves in a difficult world where life is often nasty, brutish and short. These include keeping secrets from ourselves (repression) — pretending that unpleasant things didn’t occur or really are not that bad (denial) and keeping existence simplistic (avoidance). This leads to yet another paradox.

Given the challenging nature of life, while we cope with the tragic quartet of suffering, rage, guilt and death, we try to protect our egos in our search for satisfaction, Of course, we all need some defenses to avoid severe anxiety that would render us unable to function. On the other hand, when we use too many ego defenses, they play havoc in our families, companies, churches and communities. Prospering without falling into despair is somewhat like balancing along a tight rope. We live on a continuum between neurotic domination and crippling isolation and we must strive every day to make life come out right. Much as a recovering addict must deliberately choose each morning to remain sober even as his or her many insecurities are clamoring for counterfeit liberation.

Life in the raw is often too painful, too dangerous to face without pretensions, ego games and hidden secrets. In fact, we learn early in childhood that some very nasty things happen to everyone — that life is fatal in the end with no one getting out alive. Just last week as I write this, a darling little second grade girl in our community slipped on ice while running after a school bus and was crushed in front of many of her schoolmates. It was devastating to them and I wept as I thought of the precious little life cut short in the terrible accident.

To pretend that life is a rose-garden is nothing but self-deception and denial. Therefore we must learn how to cope with the reality of existence that is often very hard to bear without fleeing from reality by becoming neurotic. Unfortunately, reality is so terrible a burden to lay on us as children, while we are learning who we are, where we belong and what life is all about, we all use some self-deceptive repression and denial. The key is to keep them from dominating our choices. We must learn how to cope successfully with life’s tragic quartet and then work at it regularly. It has become obvious that the great human problems of our era no longer come from the forces of nature but from within ourselves. Wars, hunger for half the world’s people and even global warming are human created conditions. As the great philosopher Pogo Possum (a k a Walt Kelly) said, We have met the enemy and he is us. We are finite beings who simply cannot find redemption and liberation through only our own wisdom and courage. With our psychological unconscious scheming selfishly to dominate others, or conversely, yearning for some successful person to assume our responsibility for life, we lack the spiritual resources to pull it off in our own strength. Fortunately, we can find self-transcending liberation, as reported in the Atheist’s Enigma and a Contrite Spirit, when we are connected consciously with God. As Pope John Paul II has consistently said:

We cannot be good without God.

To which I add;

We cannot even feel consistently satisfied about ourselves and our achievements without a spiritual connection that lifts us beyond our own anxieties and failings.

About the Author

Jard & Roberta DeVille; published psychology books, seminars & psychological assessment instruments. NICE GUYS FINISH FIRST was a best seller. He & Roberta wrote ‘Lovers For Life’ and other courses/books together.

Visit http://www.fulfillmentforum.com for Free E-Book Courses and E-Biz Tools.

Believe in yourself first

Are you wondering if online dating is for you as a Christian woman or man? Have you almost given up hope of finding that perfect partner for your life?

As a Christian, it is important to remember that God has a plan and a purpose for our lives (Jeremiah). He wants far more for us than we want for ourselves.

The Bible says “Love your neighbour as yourself” – which clearly means that we have to love and care for ourselves first, before we can truly love anyone else.

Traditionally, Christians, and often women, have had a priority list that looks something like this:-

1. God
2. Husband/wife
3. Kids
4. Family/parents
5. Work
6. Church
7. Myself & my own needs

Don’t be fooled – this may feel like the “Christian” thing to do – but this is not God’s model for success.

Yes, we are called to serve, but not at the cost of sacrificing ourselves utterly. Jesus met his own needs for food, shelter, quiet times away with God – he didn’t try to go all out without making time for the important things which enabled him to carry on.;

A Christian priority list should read more like this:-

1. God
2. Myself
3. Husband/wife
4. Kids
5. Family & friends
6. … you get the idea!

Don’t let any man or woman define you – instead, know who you are in Christ.

If you are looking for meaning & purpose, you will not find it in any one person, except in Jesus alone.

These priorities will help you when you find your marriage partner. So often in marriage, mistaken priorities can lead to the destruction of a marriage. Your ministry and your job should come after your husband or wife. Don’t put your ministry or career before your partner – they don’t depend on you anyway – they depend on God. Your partner and children need you today, your ministry or career will wait tomorrow. (Remember, no-one is every known to have said on their deathbed that they wished they’d spent more time at the office!)

Remember, “be kind to yourself” . Be involved in activities outside of your work and relationship, keep your friendships, have interest, care for other people.

If you can be confident that you are loveable, then you will have the confidence to be yourself in a relationship and still expect to be loved. This is the first step to starting a successful and lasting relationship.

You can sign up for free dating tips at 1st Christian Dating Services

This article was submitted by Jennifer Carter, owner of 1st Christian Dating Services

Jen has been involved in online christian dating for over two years and has first hand experience of finding that someone special on the internet.

To read more about christian dating services, visit christian dating services

“People on this night are going to be on several different levels. No doubt we are on the lowest level, so we are hoping in this night to attain the honor and illumination granted in it. When we reach a higher level and as it is a holy night in the heavens as well, we will begin to sense something [of the great power being manifested] on this night. Whoever is at the highest spiritual level must be present for this night in the Divine Presence of the Lord.” http://www.crescentlife.com/spirituality/laylat_al_qadr.htm

“Sources in the defense establishment believe tomorrow will be the day on which the Palestinians will ask to disconnect Arafat from life support and announce his death. Tomorrow night marks Lailat al-Kader, the night Muslims believe God revealed the Koran to the prophet Mohammed. The death of the Palestinian leader on that day will, therefore, be symbolic.” http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498629.html

“The bill specifically forbids Arafat from being buried anywhere in Israel. “Because of his disease,” the bill reads, “the State of Israel allowed Arafat to leave for the sake of medical treatment. This bill requests a ban on his return to Israel or to the Palestinian Authority areas, whether to stay or to pass through. The bill also wishes to prevent his burial in these areas, lest the site turn into a pilgrimage attraction, a symbol, and a source of inspiration for the war against Israel’s existence.”" Arutz-7 news: Tuesday Nov 9, 2004

“”We chose Ramallah because it is close to Jerusalem, where we are hoping to bury him in the near future,” said Hassan Khraisheh, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council and member of a special committee entrusted with overlooking the funeral arrangements. Palestinians said that after Arafat would be buried there, a mosque and monument would be built inside the compound.” http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/P rinter&cid=1099973628375&p=1078113566627

“Sha’ath said there is no talk of removing Arafat from life support. “We are not really believers in euthanasia. The man is not suffering; he is in a coma … It’s out of the question that anybody is thinking of taking any such decisions,” he said.” http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/09/arafat/index.html

Waiting till the Night of Power to pull the plug on Arafat’s life support would have effectively placed him on the “highest spiritual level” quoted above, and therefore, “in the divine presence of” allah. However, as the PA officals didn’t remove his life support, even his burial in Ramallah, complete with a mosque and monument to boot, will do one of two things in the minds and hearts of Muslims worldwide who revered Arafat in this life.

1) Arafat will be elevated to prophet status, and his teachings, sayings, decrees, etc, spread throughout the Islamic world, and be followed even more devoutly than in his lifetime. Thus ensuring PA leadership, that their goals to wipe out the Jews and Christians wherever they may be found, will be carried out in even greater numbers, dedication, and determination than in the past.

In this situation, pulling the plug on Lailat al-Kader would have been a ploy to ensure that policies, goals, ideology, and commitment to Arafat’s cause is further entrenched and carried out. Such a ploy would have taken advantage of Muslim thought and desire on this day, and basically forcing what many call “the new Islam” down everyone’s throat, as refusal to honor a prophet brings harsh discipline.

Burial complete with mosque and monument will very likely do the same thing in the minds of the moslem people, as not only will they come to mourn, but also come to worship.

2) Arafat will receive the burial fitting for a prophet, and many will come merely to mourn his passing, but no elevation to prophet status will occur.

This is less likely to happen, as in order to have his death be symbolic on the night of Lailat al-Kader, moslems would have to admit that Arafat was spoken to by allah himself, and that his death is a sign that his words are to be whole-heartedly honored and obeyed.

It’s bad enough that the IDF is bracing for riots and increased violence in PA-controlled areas following the news of Arafat’s death. But to have millions of moslems suddenly claim Arafat as a prophet will make matters worse for Jews, and Christians around the world. It’s already bad enough that a BBC reporter cried over his release to a Paris hospital. The added sympathy, honor, mourning, and allegiance to his teachings will only congeal supporters world-wide as well.

I see therefore, a potential polarization of East versus West, of People of the Book versus Islam in the coming days. Saudi Arabia is already treating the war in Iraq as a holy war. PA-bred terrorists are already in Iraq killing Americans and other national groups the same way they’ve been killing Jews in Israel for years.

Arafat is not another Louie Riel(http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Pa rams=J1ARTJ0006837), to be decried, then enshrined, then decried, then a statue built, repeatedly going from hero to villain and back again. Arafat, plain and simple, is a villain on a massive scale. He will be a hero to the strain of Islam he revived and its sympathizers, and a villain to those who don’t adhere or sympathize with his ways and teachings.

I say be watchful in coming days. Whether intended by the PA leadership or not, Islam may have just turned a corner. Jews and Christians beware.

The proponents of “Scientific Creationism” are quick to point out that God requires Christians to believe the Word of God when it comes in conflict with the words of men. And here they have said well. But what happens when we apply this standard to “Scientific Creationism” itself? Uh-oh. They weren’t counting on this. So let’s start the counting:

Scientific Creationism Error #1:

Turning the Word of God found in Genesis into a “scientific model” is a strictly forbidden practice in Scripture. This is because models remain fallible (might be false); Scripture cannot be false; it is infallible. Models are to be tested; the Bible is not. It is written: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Testing Scripture (unless you are judging one Scripture by another) falsely presupposes there exists a standard for truth HIGHER than Scripture somewhere outside Scripture. Thus, scientific creationism actually promotes the very problem it purports to solve in opposing evolutionism. It accidentally fosters the idea that the words of men (some standard other than Scripture itself) must be used to test the Bible.

Scientific Creationism Error #2 — It promotes the fallacy of division. God gave the Scripture to be taken as a singular unit, where any one part is to be understood ONLY in the context of ALL of the other revelation given, not one piece by itself. This is the lesser doctrine of the reformation known as “Tota Scriptura.” And the Westminster Confession of Faith marvelously names the integrated unity of Scripture “The [mutual] consent of all the parts.” Yet, Scientific Creationists ignore the “irrefragability” and absolute integrity of Scripture (wherein the same Holy Spirit speaks throughout) by making a “model” of a small part of Genesis — perhaps the first 10 chapters — in isolation from the rest of the Scripture.

This falsely ignores what is called the “analogy of Scripture,” and fails to do justice to the fact the the Bible has the consent of all the parts. In contrast to this, Jesus said, “And the Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:30).

Scientific Creationism Error #3:

It promotes the use of multiple final authorities in matters of knowledge. Scientific creationsts often contend that both science (meaning THEORETICAL science APART from a biblical warrant) and Scripture can yield knowledge independently of one another. Sometimes they do this by using a “two book metaphor,” where supposedly the “book of nature” tells us about the real world outside the narrow domain covered by the biblical record, and the Bible tells us about “matters of faith” in the “book of faith.” Scripture says, “There is no authority EXCEPT that which comes from God” (Rom. 13:1). And knowledge that can oblige others to believe or act (obliging knowledge) is a matter of authority. And again, “NO one can serve two masters.” The Bible affirms that the God of creation wrote the 66 books of the Bible and that it speaks with final authority on all matters of faith and knowledge. There is no “book of nature” which has authority to declare what is true about the world APART from a biblical warrant. Special revelation finally declares the content and character of natural revelation.

Moreover, the history of science shows that theoretical science cannot yield knowledge about what the universe is really like because the truth-status of its successful theories flip-flops over time. In the theoretical sciences, what is true today probably will be false tomorrow. This, of course, means the theory in question never was true in the first place. But “the Word of the Lord stands forever.” One historian and philosopher of science, Dr. Larry Laudan (Science and Values) catalogued over 33 different “absolutely proven” or “highly succcessful” theories that later turned out false.

Scientific Creationism Error #4: The fallacy of Affirming the Consequent. One commits this fallacy when he reasons upon any subject in the following manner: If A is true, then B is True; B is true, therefore, A must be true. This is a formal fallacy, meaning that it matters not at all what the content of the propositions (dubbed “A” and “B”) are; it is the FORM of the argument that makes it fallacious.

Here is the relevant example followed by — get this — ALL SCIENTIFIC MODELS, when one uses predictive ability to prove “veracity of theories:”

If my model is true, when should expect to find X, Y, Z. We did find X, X, Z; therefore my theory (or model) is true. This follows the pattern, “If A, then B; B, therefore A, and so it affirms the consequent.

A brief example might highlight this problem: If Iraq attacks the United States, the United States will invade Iraq. The United States did invade Iraq, so that means Iraq attacked us. As is obviously the case, the U.S. might invade Iraq for a whole host of other reasons (e.g. “Iraq attacked Kuwait,” “Saddam didn’t listen to the U.N.’s demands,” or “Saddam is an idiot”). And Iraq attacking the U.S. – since it never happened — obviously is not related by logical necessity to the idea of the U.S. invading Iraq.

Other biblical and logical errors dot the creation science (as well the evolutionistic) landscape. But these should suffice for a short article. For more on a related topic, see Carson’s article entitled, “The Galileo Conspiracy: 5 Questions Your Science Professors Hope You Never Ask.”

By now, the reader may be wondering, “How could anyone ever come up with something so fallacious and counter-biblical as “Scientific Creationism,” and still manage to convince so many Christian people that this is what the Bible teaches? You’ll never believe this, but I was wondering the same thing.

Carson Day has written some 1.3 gazillion articles and essays on all manner of diverse topics. These aim to glorify God and offer people real help to live wisely and well. You can visit Carson’s websites at http://ophirgold.blogspot.com (The Omniblog, where Carson blogs everything) or http://extremeprofit.blogspot.com (Carson’s Day Trading Outpost). Thanks for stopping by.

As I was doing my studies, the Lord put something on my heart that really took me by surprise. He dropped a little bit of revelation knowledge into my mind, and it took me on a great ride. In this Newsletter, I want to share with you what the Lord has showed me. In no way is this a complete study of this subject, yet I do believe that this is a core teaching on the subject, and that the understanding of Christ is deeper then most believe.

Let’s open this study with Hebrews: 1:1-2:

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, [2] in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

The part that we won’t to look at is in verse 2 “He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” As I was reading this the Lord dropped in my thought that as I said early really shook me. That according to Hebrews, God made the whole world through Jesus. Now that’s not that big of a thought, but when God showed me this in the bible that is what God me excited.

I believe we all can in a way comprehend this, but what I couldn’t comprehend is how this is done. At least according to my time framed thinking. See as I seen it, Jesus was alive about 2000 years ago. So how did he create the whole world? Even with thinking out side of the box, in the spiritual realm I still had trouble. If Jesus was in his spirit form, then he already excited long before 2000 years ago. So how could he of been created on earth? So I always took Hebrews, 1:1-2 as absolute truth, but never really took any serious thought about it.

Taking Hebrews 1:1-2 into consideration, lets look at John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. [4] In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5] And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Here we have a similar scripture as Hebrews but this time we have a little bit more information to the mix. Now we see that the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
No doubt that this is Jesus. So Jesus was the Word of God, and created all things. Now we are getting some where, I can see that. But still there is one more thing that it says about Jesus. That In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness.

Jesus was the Light that all things were created in. according to Hebrews 1:1-2 and John 1: 1-5. On a spiritual side this is absolutely easy to understand, but how about the physical? This is still the problem with me; Jesus in the spiritual is easy for me to understand, but not the physical, where in the bible does it say that he was ever a physical light and created things?

Until the Lord dropped this into me, this is as far as I could get on this subject. They were no real proof of this. Well let’s take a look at

Genesis 1:1-5

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. [3] Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. [4] And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. [5] And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

This is the answer to Hebrews, and John. Gen 1; 3 Then God said “Let there be light” I know what you are thinking, Brother Daryl, this was the sunshine. Well that’s what I had thoughts for years, and in fact I really didn’t even question that scripture at all. But when was the sun and moon created?

Genesis 1:16-19

And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. [17] And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, [18] and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. [19] And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

On day 4, the sun and moon was created. So this means that there was a God given light for the first few days, and it never says that this light has gone away. In fact,

Hebrews 1:3

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;

We see that Jesus is upholding all things by the word of His power. It is the light of Genesis that we see Jesus in the physical creating all things. In the Light of Jesus all things were created, and in the light of Jesus he is upholding all things today.

Not only do we see this light of Jesus in Creation but we also see it in the book of Revelations:

Rev. 22:5

And there shall no longer be any night; and they shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever.

O Glory to God, how awesome is this. To actually see a scripture come to life. It took a movement of God to show me, but thank God he did.

Please, I beg you to study this yourself, and you will see Jesus in his awesome presence in every aspect of God. Remember Jesus is the outshining of God. We could say it like this. The sunlight is the brightness of the Sun; the light that it gives shows its wonder and power. So is the light of the Son, showing Gods glory in his light.

Daryl Frisbee Covenant Ministries:
I have started this Ministry to help the children of God, to understand who they are in Christ. I have studied the topic of “Covenant” for over 4 years. I will show you, how to apply this covenant you have with God, in your everyday life. Topics of Prayer, Healing, Faith, Covenant, The Authority of the Believer, and more can be found on my website. These topics are in written Text Lessons, Audio Sermons, and Video Feeds. So come and learn your wonderful Covenant you have with your God.

http://www.dfcm.org

In this study we are going to look at tongues. Many churches use tongues in their worship but is this what God wants?

1 Corinthians 14

1) Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.

2) For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

3) But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

4) He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.

5) I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.

6) Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?

Paul tells us he wishes that we all spake in tongues but rather that we prophesy. Why is this? He that speaketh in tongues speaketh not unto men but unto God. This does not edify the church. it edifies the man. We go to church to worship God not to elevate ourselves.

Another problem with speaking in tongues in a church setting is that when it is done it is rarely done in the proper manner.

26) How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

27) If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.

28) But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

When you do speak in tongues it should be two or three at the most and it should only be done if there is someone who can interpret. If you have no interpreter you should be silent. This rarely ever happens. If you speak in tongues and do not follow this guideline you are in error.

What are tongues anyway? Tongues are a discernible language. A tongue is not gibberish of garbled words. Gibberish only causes confusion, God is not the author of confusion.

33) For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

The two words that are translated tongues in the New Testament are.

Glossa – a language; one naturally unaquired (a foreign language) Heteroglossos – man of other tongue

In most places where tongues are discussed it means a foreign language. This is why Paul said he spoke more tongues than all. He spoke many languages.

18) I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:

19) Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.

20) Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

Notice he says in the church it is better to speak five words with understanding than ten thousand in a tongue nobody understands. Speaking in a manner nobody understands is of no benefit.

21) In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.

22) Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

23) If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

24) But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:

25) And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

Here we are told why we should not speak tongues in the church. If an unbeliever comes in he will think your crazy. That person didn’t have the chance to receive God’s word because you are speaking gibberish. However, if you prophecy an unbeliever coming in is convinced of all because you are in harmony. Tongues do not belong in the church unless you’re teaching peoples of another language. Then it should only be done with an interpreter so all are edified.

Acts 2

1) And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3) And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4) And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5) And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6) Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7) And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

I know it is commonly taught that those who are speaking in tongues are filled with the Holy Spirit. I am not denying that the tongues that were spoken on the day of Pentecost were of the Holy Spirit. However, when these tongues were spoken every man heard the tongue in his own language. It wasn’t a foreign language like Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 14:18 or a bunch of gibberish that no one could understand. What we see today does little more than elevate the person who is supposedly filled with the Holy Spirit. Obviously they are not or everyone would know what they are saying. This is a very simple teaching that everyone can understand. We hope you have found this study helpful. God Bless!

This article courtesy of The Rapture Rebuttal www.rapturerebuttal.com

“People on this night are going to be on several different levels. No doubt we are on the lowest level, so we are hoping in this night to attain the honor and illumination granted in it. When we reach a higher level and as it is a holy night in the heavens as well, we will begin to sense something [of the great power being manifested] on this night. Whoever is at the highest spiritual level must be present for this night in the Divine Presence of the Lord.” http://www.crescentlife.com/spirituality/laylat_al_qadr.htm

“Sources in the defense establishment believe tomorrow will be the day on which the Palestinians will ask to disconnect Arafat from life support and announce his death. Tomorrow night marks Lailat al-Kader, the night Muslims believe God revealed the Koran to the prophet Mohammed. The death of the Palestinian leader on that day will, therefore, be symbolic.” http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498629.html

“The bill specifically forbids Arafat from being buried anywhere in Israel. “Because of his disease,” the bill reads, “the State of Israel allowed Arafat to leave for the sake of medical treatment. This bill requests a ban on his return to Israel or to the Palestinian Authority areas, whether to stay or to pass through. The bill also wishes to prevent his burial in these areas, lest the site turn into a pilgrimage attraction, a symbol, and a source of inspiration for the war against Israel’s existence.”" Arutz-7 news: Tuesday Nov 9, 2004

“”We chose Ramallah because it is close to Jerusalem, where we are hoping to bury him in the near future,” said Hassan Khraisheh, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council and member of a special committee entrusted with overlooking the funeral arrangements. Palestinians said that after Arafat would be buried there, a mosque and monument would be built inside the compound.” http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/P rinter&cid=1099973628375&p=1078113566627

“Sha’ath said there is no talk of removing Arafat from life support. “We are not really believers in euthanasia. The man is not suffering; he is in a coma … It’s out of the question that anybody is thinking of taking any such decisions,” he said.” http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/09/arafat/index.html

Waiting till the Night of Power to pull the plug on Arafat’s life support would have effectively placed him on the “highest spiritual level” quoted above, and therefore, “in the divine presence of” allah. However, as the PA officals didn’t remove his life support, even his burial in Ramallah, complete with a mosque and monument to boot, will do one of two things in the minds and hearts of Muslims worldwide who revered Arafat in this life.

1) Arafat will be elevated to prophet status, and his teachings, sayings, decrees, etc, spread throughout the Islamic world, and be followed even more devoutly than in his lifetime. Thus ensuring PA leadership, that their goals to wipe out the Jews and Christians wherever they may be found, will be carried out in even greater numbers, dedication, and determination than in the past.

In this situation, pulling the plug on Lailat al-Kader would have been a ploy to ensure that policies, goals, ideology, and commitment to Arafat’s cause is further entrenched and carried out. Such a ploy would have taken advantage of Muslim thought and desire on this day, and basically forcing what many call “the new Islam” down everyone’s throat, as refusal to honor a prophet brings harsh discipline.

Burial complete with mosque and monument will very likely do the same thing in the minds of the moslem people, as not only will they come to mourn, but also come to worship.

2) Arafat will receive the burial fitting for a prophet, and many will come merely to mourn his passing, but no elevation to prophet status will occur.

This is less likely to happen, as in order to have his death be symbolic on the night of Lailat al-Kader, moslems would have to admit that Arafat was spoken to by allah himself, and that his death is a sign that his words are to be whole-heartedly honored and obeyed.

It’s bad enough that the IDF is bracing for riots and increased violence in PA-controlled areas following the news of Arafat’s death. But to have millions of moslems suddenly claim Arafat as a prophet will make matters worse for Jews, and Christians around the world. It’s already bad enough that a BBC reporter cried over his release to a Paris hospital. The added sympathy, honor, mourning, and allegiance to his teachings will only congeal supporters world-wide as well.

I see therefore, a potential polarization of East versus West, of People of the Book versus Islam in the coming days. Saudi Arabia is already treating the war in Iraq as a holy war. PA-bred terrorists are already in Iraq killing Americans and other national groups the same way they’ve been killing Jews in Israel for years.

Arafat is not another Louie Riel(http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Pa rams=J1ARTJ0006837), to be decried, then enshrined, then decried, then a statue built, repeatedly going from hero to villain and back again. Arafat, plain and simple, is a villain on a massive scale. He will be a hero to the strain of Islam he revived and its sympathizers, and a villain to those who don’t adhere or sympathize with his ways and teachings.

I say be watchful in coming days. Whether intended by the PA leadership or not, Islam may have just turned a corner. Jews and Christians beware.

First of all I would like to state that I believe all religions are bad for humanity and they should be erased from the planet. It is inevitable that sometime in the far off future there will be no religion on the planets amongst human beings, as we will grow out of that.

However currently we have many religions, which are problematic and they are busy forcing their will on large population bases. Now then, I have been critical of every religion known to mankind and I have not individually singled out any single one as being evil or any such thing.

In fact I believe all religions are probably evil but then again so is mankind as we have studied some of the characteristics within us that are not so pleasurable to discuss. Now then, lets discuss the Muslim religion and Islam.

The Muslim religion is extremely problematic in that they wish to self segregate themselves from the rest a world and believe that they are right and everyone else is wrong. It is unfortunate that a group of Muslims within the religion go out of their way to recruit people to join groups of murdering squads called international terrorist cells and the Muslim religion itself will not enforce these bad guys.

That is not say that all Muslim religious followers support international terrorism, but if they do nothing about it then in any way they are condoning it. This cannot be allowed and needs to stop. Those who are Muslim should not self-segregate from the rest of the world and they should understand that if we do not work together in cooperation that there will be a backlash and turning point.

Such a situation will hurt their cause and their families. All religions should be stopped and if the Muslim religion is the last religions standing then of course those folks have the most to lose as the rest of mankind progresses into the future and leaves them behind. Please consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Matthew 5:17, 18

The common concepts about the end of the world are worlds apart from the meaning taught in the gospels. For example, take Matthew 5:17, 18. “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”

To destroy the law and the prophets would be to ruin their credibility. The prophets claimed to be spokespersons for God, (2 Samuel 23:2). The credentials for a true and false prophet are clearly stated in Deuteronomy 18:18-22.

Simply put, a true prophet is one who claims to speak in the name of God and the thing which is prophesied comes to pass, as and when he said it would.

A false prophet is one who claims to speak in the name of God and the thing spoken does not come to pass. In Moses’ words, the prophet has spoken presumptuously and no one need fear him.

Thus to destroy the law and the prophets would be to render ineffective their credibility by clearly demonstrating that their words failed. Elijah did this in open public debate with the false prophets of Baal, (1 Kings 18:20-40).

Till Heaven and Earth Pass

Christ promised that one jot or tittle would in no wise pass from the law till all were fulfilled. This means that everything prophesied in the law and the prophets had to come to pass. God’s integrity and that of all his prophets were at stake. It’s a serious issue to Bible students and to Bible critics alike.

Both the law and the prophets prophesied, (Matthew 11:13) . Nothing could fail. In fact, it was easier for heaven and earth to pass than for the law to fail, (Luke 16:17). Hence, the Lord’s words, “till heaven and earth passed, one jot or one tittle would in no wise pass from the law, till all were fulfilled.”

The Two Requirements

One requirement for the law to pass was the passing of heaven and earth. The second required all things to be fulfilled. Without both, neither could be accomplished.

The question arises, what is meant by the passing of heaven and earth? Surface readers immediately respond with the literal heaven and earth, that is the globe and physical world in which we live. Such reasoning is that of Adventists who hold the law as binding today. But what will we do with the animal sacrifices and all the rituals of Judaism?

Further, both the law and the prophets prophesied Jesus’ return (Daniel 7:13), the resurrection (Daniel 12:2) and the judgment, (Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:23; 2 Corinthians 5:10)

For the new testament writers they saw the end of the world as having come upon them, –in their day, (1 Corinthians 10:11). Likewise, they saw the law, i.e. the Old Covenant as having waxed old as a garment and as being nigh unto vanishing away, (Hebrews 8:13). For them, both the law and the heaven and earth were coming to an end.

While most of us look to end life on the planet in some crystal-ball-like vision the apostles and prophets saw an event in the first century, which marked the end of both, namely the overthrow of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. See Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

Their words, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near…For these are the days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Should someone miss that reference, the writer punctuates it with the following. Assuredly I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away, till all these things take place.

Thus the law was not destroyed, but fulfilled. Heaven and earth as used in the scriptures for the law and in eschatological texts for Judaism, passed. Christ returned and the kingdom came, all within that first century generation. To conclude otherwise, makes God a false prophet.

William Bell is a public speaker and author of the Re-Examination and other books, writings and audios on Covenant Eschatology. Visit: http://allthingsfulfilled.com

With apprehension, Odom and Chevva approached the spot indicated by Logos. Clad in the leaf aprons, they lifted their guilt-lowered eyes, and were astounded by the scene before them. Trussed on a large, flat-topped rock was a lamb – a pure-white yearling, – uttering no sound. The couple never had seen any creature so handled. The animal was obviously uncomfortable on its stone bed.

Logos stood at one side of the rock, facing them. The ethereal presence of the Ruah occupied the other. Behind the stone was Jehovah, a long, narrow, fine-pointed, slate blade in His right hand. The sight of the blade sent the unfamiliar sensation of cold shivers tingling along the spines of the First Couple; something terrible was about to happen!

From the beginning, Odom and Chevva never doubted the love of The Three. And, though they understood they were still loved, from the moment they ate of the Forbidden Tree, an alien emotion dominated them. It was internalized by horrible sensations of impending doom that discomfited the fellowship they always had enjoyed with The Three. Somehow, a veil seemed drawn between them and The Three, who now appeared inaccessible.

Turning towards the lamb, Jehovah pulled back its head with His left hand. Still, the lamb continued its silence. Jehovah plunged the blade into the stretched-out throat and, with a forcible backward tug on the head, he made a deep, slashing cut that instantly severed the jugular. The lamb convulsed, heaving against its trusses, its eyes rolled back into their sockets. With a gurgle, tongue lolling from one side of its wide-open mouth, the dying creature desperately – vainly – attempted to draw air. From the wound, the pulsating heart pumped blood mingled with red froth, spurting the gore to the cold, gray surface of the execution stone.

Legs rendered incapable of supporting her petite frame, with a soft moan, Chevva sank to the ground, her long, raven hair blanketing her trembling form. Hands hiding her face, attempting to erase the horror, she lay curled on her side, sobbing.

Odom also was profoundly moved by the spectacle. Wave after nauseous wave of revulsion surged through his being, their sequences seeming to correspond to the pulsating, red fountain issuing from the lamb. He quaked uncontrollably; only by clinging to a nearby tree did he prevent himself from joining Chevva on the ground. Face ashen, stomach in revolt, he clung to his support desperately, eyes riveted on the lamb.

Finally, with a last convulsion, the creature lay still in the widening pool of its blood. Reflecting a deep crimson against the gray of the stone, the gore crept over the edge, widening into multiple streams that, descending the sides, flowed down to soak the ground.

Anguished gaze still transfixed by the sight, Odom’s mind struggled to comprehend the horror. What happened to the lamb? A strange, profoundly uncomfortable sensation rose from the deepest well of his being; desiring to flee, he couldn’t move.

Finally, with a great effort, Odom managed to tear his gaze from the lamb and set it on The Three. He sensed an ambiance of such profound compassion that, with remorseful tears, he joined Chevva on the ground. Penetrating through his mournful sobs, Logos said, “Do you see, Odom? Do you see, Chevva? This is death!”

Jehovah again raised his right arm, forefinger extended heavenward. Slowly, he lowered it in an unbending arc, indicating the lamb. Descending the sky, a brilliant flame struck the carcass, entirely consuming it.

Two more lambs suffered execution, but were not burned. Then Jehovah spoke, sorrow freighting his voice, “Your transgression has caused this. You have broken the commandment, and now you have learned what death is. As are these lambs, so should you be; they died because of your transgression.

“You have seen these creatures severed from the source of their lives. Thus has your disobedience severed you from the source of your lives – your communion with The Three. You have died, and through you, your race also has died. Though you still exist, you are dead, but you may live again.

“To live again, your race must observe this Memorial throughout all their generations, until he who has done no transgression comes. He is perfect in his obedience. He is my lamb who shall offer himself for you. With his blood, he shall purge your transgressions that you may live again. Those of your race who receive him also shall live again.

“The blood of these innocent Memorial lambs hides your guilt from my sight, but only until my lamb is sacrificed. His blood shall thoroughly purge those who receive him from their transgressions. Until he comes, you must do as you have seen me do, and your seed after you also must do so, that you may live again.”

When Jehovah finished speaking, he began skinning the remaining carcasses. When the grisly task was completed, he summoned the couple and held out the fleeces still stained with blood. Cringing back, Odom and Chevva refused to accept them.

“Take them! Wash them in the stream! The red stains are from the blood. Cleanse the fleeces thoroughly and return to me. Don’t dawdle. Work quickly and hurry back.”

The First Couple backed away, but no reprieve came from The Three. Gingerly holding their malodorous burdens at arm’s length, they headed for the nearby stream.

“Man has become as one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not partake of the Tree of Life and live forever in his transgression,” Jehovah said.

Yes, Odom and Chevva must leave the Garden Reserve,” agreed Logos, “but they shall attempt to return.”

The Ruah said, “I have summoned one of the Shining Ones for that reason. Odom and Chevva indeed will seek to return to the Garden Reserve, but the Shining One shall prevent it. The time will come when Odom’s race shall partake of the Tree of Life, but not now.”

The First Couple returned from their chore and handed the skins to Jehovah. After inspecting them, with infinite precision, he tailored one into a garment obviously intended for Odom. He finished it, laid it aside and fashioned another in Chevva’s size. Logos then presented Jehovah’s handiwork to The First Couple.

“Remove your aprons of leaves; wear these.”

Odom grimaced, but dared offer no protest. Chevva, remembering the recent bloody condition of the skins, balked.

“Please let me keep the one I have.”

“You must wear the coat Jehovah provides; your covering is inadequate. It soon will wear out. The Three disapprove of it. Remove your apron of leaves and put on the coat Jehovah prepared.”

“Yes, you must wear the coat,” The Ruah said.

Reluctantly, Chevva joined Odom behind a clump of trees. Both returned in obvious discomfort.

“Please, Logos, this coat is so uncomfortable; it’s very stiff. Let me wear the apron,” Odom begged.

Chevva nodded. “Yes; please let me wear my apron, too. This coat scratches my skin and it smells awful. “

Jehovah shook his head.

“You will grow accustomed to them. The smell will wear off.”

“But why do we need these in The Garden?” Odom inquired.

Jehovah said, in a tone tinged with sorrow, “You shall no longer be in The Garden. You must depart now; you cannot remain here.”

Chevva took on a look of stunned disbelief; Odom groped for words.

“B…B…But, th…th…th… this…!”

“You must leave The Garden Reserve,” interrupted Logos, “You believed the lies of Lucifin the Deceiver, and disobeyed the commandment of The Three. You no longer can remain here.”

The First Couple turned to flee, but The Ruah captured them. “You cannot remain here. Your disobedience has disinherited you, but someday The Promised One shall come. He shall regain your inheritance for you. Come, you must leave.”

Logos carried Chevva bodily, as she kicked, screamed and pounded his back with her fists. Odom also resisted vehemently, but was pushed along between Jehovah and The Ruah. With resolute firmness, The Three delivered them at the gate. Waiting there was one of the Shining Ones who, previously had been with The Three on their frequent visits to the Garden. Now, however, he held a long, flaming device, the likes of which Odom and Cheeva had never before seen. After The Three deposited them outside The Reserve, the Shining One positioned himself before the gate, his flaming instrument oscillating in all directions to block their re-entry.

The Three vanished, leaving the pair standing before a thick, thorn-vine wall that separated The Garden Reserve from its surroundings. This was the first time the First Couple had been outside The Garden Reserve. Screaming with terror, Cheeva darted toward the Shinning One, bent on running past him into the still open gate. The Shining One aimed his instrument at her and a small bolt of light jetted from it. It struck Cheeva on one of her legs, sending her sprawling to the ground. She made another attempt, with the same result, and then crawled on her hands and knees to join Odom.

Trying to control his panic, Odom sat cross-legged under one of the numerous clusters of trees that receded from the surrounding forest. He felt abandoned, forsaken and vulnerable.

“We can never get past him, Cheeva. It makes no sense to try again. Lie down and get some rest, for we must leave this place soon.”

Chevva placed her face on her arms and cried herself into an exhausted sleep.

Through his daze, Odom noticed that, beginning at the gate, the barrier stretched as far as he could see in both directions. Composed of thickly woven thorn-vines, its height did not appear insurmountable. He thought of going further down its vast length, away from The Shining One, hoping he and Chevva could climb over it. Then a strange phenomenon caught his attention – a glow that covered the entire surface of the barrier. Pulsating from dim blue, it increased to intense red, and then diminished to blue again. In continuous sequences it pulsed until, from one of the trees, a small monkey – one of a troop of monkeys attracted by the recent strange events – attempted a leap to the barricade. When its reaching fingers entered the mysterious luminescence, the glow intensified to a brilliant white. At the contact point, a splashing explosion of multi-colored flashes repulsed the unfortunate creature, hurling it backward to the ground. In screeching terror, its fellow troop members swung a disordered retreat into the forest, abandoning their stricken companion to its fate.

Odom, all thoughts of scaling the wall seared into oblivion, sat staring at the limp creature. At first he thought that, like the lambs, the monkey had suffered death. But then the creature began to move its head from side to side, slowly at first, then more rapidly, as though attempting to clear its senses. Regaining its feet with a stagger, it stood dazedly, arms hanging limply, head rhythmically nodding on its chest. Finally, hands dragging the ground, it weakly limped into the forest, disappearing from view. And, with it, went Odom’s hope of regaining his former paradise.

The sun was arcing into evening before the man rose from his resting place under the trees. Softly, he shook his mate awake. The woman, stupefied by the day’s events, appeared muddled and hopelessly exhausted. Even the incident of the monkey had not wakened her. Kneeling, the man helped her to a sitting position. With a delicate embrace, he lifted her to her feet.

“Come, Chevva, we must find shelter; darkness is falling.”

Slowly, clinging to each other for support, the dejected, desolate pair departed the vicinity of The Garden Reserve to locate shelter. Reaching the forest’s rim, they stopped and, before entering the shadowy gloom, both turned to gaze again at the impenetrable barrier that, glowing eerily in the shadowing dusk, separated them from the joys they had known. Reluctantly, they turned and entered the obscurity, yearning for that New Day, when The Promised One – Jehovah’s Lamb – would be offered, that we may live again.

-30-

© Josprel (Joseph Perrello)

josprel@verizon.net

Josprel is an ordained minister, who resides with his wife, Maria, in Western New York. Though brought up in a religious family by devout parents, he abandoned religion at an early age, not returning to it until several years later. He served three years in the Far East with the U.S. Air Force. He then was separated from active duty and placed on a ten-year reserve status. He studied for the ministry under the G.I. Bill of Rights, and holds a master of theology degree. During his many years of ministry, Josprel has pastored three churches, including one in Attica, New York, the location of America’s most bloody prison riot. Together with other pastors in the town, he counseled the families of the prison security officers being held hostage by the inmates. Shortly after the riot was quelled, the Attica Prison administration asked Josprel to conducted weekly three-hour Bible studies for the inmates. These studies lasted for some four years.