A Time to . . .

Verse of the Week

Teach me and I will be silent; and cause me to understand in what I have erred.

(Job 6:24)

Thought for the Week

If only mankind would listen. There is no doubt that knowledge and technology have exploded across the globe during the last century and some have equated this with progress. Yet with the unprecedented number of deaths in the last century from war, genocide, democide, famine, etc it makes one wonder why anyone would call it progress as well as giving one cause to pause and wonder how and why this could all happen.

The why seems simple enough - Satan and his evil machinations. With Satan's influence it seems man and evil are bound together like hand and glove. Then again gloves allow each digit to operate individually as well as to be individually encased so perhaps foot in sock is a better analogy. Evil it seems often flourishes best in a collective setting rather than an individual one - consider "mob mentality", "herd mentality", etc. In the war against evil we are all "socked" in by the evil around us and many are too engrossed in their own battles to offer aid to their neighbor - which leads us to the "how this has happened"

The how seems to be fairly simple too - death from disinterest or self-interests. Apathy is Satan's greatest defensive measure as it deters the collective will to act against evil. Sadly, though we are collectively surrounded by evil, most folks just "go along to get along" and are content as long as they have their own little space for wiggle room. And therein lays the danger because socks are a far more dangerous environment than gloves - consider the problem of athlete's foot but who has ever heard of athlete's hand. One dirty digit places us all at risk of succumbing to the fungus of evil that surrounds us.

The evil ones among us, like Satan, are knowledgeable about the Bible and are adept at citing Scripture in support of evil (e.g. Matthew 4:6); and, like Satan (and the mainstream media) they tend to pull things out context to suit their own views (e.g. Matthew 7:1/5). Knowledge, in and of itself, is neither good nor evil: The application of knowledge is; and, practically every bit of knowledge man has gained, even that designed for good, has been twisted to serve an evil purpose. This is in essence from a lack of wisdom - as if knowledge and wisdom held a relationship of inverse proportion and the more knowledgeable man becomes the more absurd he behaves.

The Word teaches us that fear (reverence) of YHWH is the beginning of both knowledge (Proverbs 1:7) and wisdom (Proverbs 9:10, Psalms 111:10). From almost the very beginning man has sought knowledge at the expense of reverence and wisdom. Just as man's knowledge has grown exponentially during the last century so too has his reverence for his Creator decreased. Is it any wonder that wisdom is so lacking?

To understand and gain mastery in any endeavor, whether it is in a scientific field, a sport, a skill, etc., one must first learn, and then always apply, the basic fundamentals. Man, in his attempts to understand and gain mastery over himself and his environment, has strayed from the basic fundamentals - how and why he came to exist.

Man was created by and for YHWH. This knowledge, and the wisdom it brings, is the only source of protection from the evil that surrounds us. It is a vaccine against the rabid evil that is engulfing all of mankind. A person vaccinated against rabies may be safe from rabies but they are not safe from attack from an infected rabid person. The more people vaccinated the greater the level of individual protection. Have compassion on your fellow man, get involved, and help spread this knowledge, this understanding, this wisdom, before it is too late.

So let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father in Heaven.

(Matthew 5:16)

Quote of the Week

Little did we guess that what has been called the century of the common man would witness as its outstanding feature more common men killing each other with greater facilities than any other five centuries together in the history of the world. -- Winston Churchill

Comment:

There is an old adage that says "hope for the best, prepare for the worst". We should never underestimate man's cruelty to man. History shows evil is increasing in its frequency, intensity, and scope. The children of YHWH hope for Jesus' quick return; but, we must be prepared to endure.

PS

- Churchill also said, "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else." I fear America's will to do the right thing has become so diluted by Muslims from the East, Catholics from the South, and homosexuals/liberals from within, that doing the right thing has become a thing of the past.

Did You Know

Democide: any murder by government - by officials acting under the authority of government. In the last century there have been an estimated 250 to 300 million deaths by democide. Comment: This also happens to be the estimated population of the entire world when Jesus was crucified (all these numbers are depending upon the source, of course).

Genocides from 1900 to 2000 claimed an estimated 45 to 50 million lives. Comment: This is a little more than the number of military deaths due to war over the last century.

Global death from famine in 2000 was about the same ratio wise as it was in 1900 - about 3 per 100,000 people. Comment: Deaths from famine seem worse today because the population is greater - from just over 1 billion in 1900 to almost 7 billion in 2000 - so the number of deaths in 2000 were higher even though the ratio was the same (1900 versus 2000). Note also that this varies widely, for example death by famine during the last century peaked in the 1920's at 814 per 100,000.

Back in the 1960's a Norwegian statistician added up all of the wars through history. The total was 14,531. Comment: There have been more than 264 wars recorded in the last century. That would be about a 10% increase over the average of 242 (14,531 divided by 60 centuries of recorded history).