X-MARINE
He who studies history shall know the future for all things come full circle.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
An F/A-18 Hornet from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) escorts a Russian Tu-95 Bear, long rang bomber aircraft on Feb. 9, 2008 south of Japan. The bomber neared the vicinity of the carrier resulting in the fighter intercept. Nimitz was transiting through the Western Pacific on a regularly scheduled deployment when the incident occurred.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Why I Believe In Christ
I have been asked on sundry occasions why I believe in Jesus Christ. This is a fair question considering that God is invisible and it has been a long time, some 2000 years, since Christ walked the earth. Is it "blind faith" or is there proof that God exists?
1) Eternal Truths - Christianity contains in it the eternal truths that have stood the test of time. More specifically, the gospel of salvation by Grace is one of those everlasting doctrines that no religion may duplicate. The power of God to free us from the tyranny of salvation by works is the greatest example of freedom in both a spiritual and physical sense. In fact, this doctrine preceded Christianity in that Abraham was considered the forebearer of salvation by Grace. He believed in the Lord and God imputed to Abraham divine righteousness. This imputation of God's righteousness activated by faith in the Lord is the foundation of spiritual freedom which in turn leads to physical and political freedom in time. And really, mankind has had this message since time immemorial starting with Adam and Eve. Its just that today Christianity embodies this truth at the institutional level more than any other organization extant today.
2) Science- if the Word of God is true, and it is, then the sciences should be able to confirm the veracity of the Bible. Astronomy, genetics, biology are all revealing more and more that a designer has been here before us and that we are not alone. Adam was the first scientist as God allowed him to name the animals in the Garden and in this we see that God encouraged an inquisitive mind to seek out and understand his physical universe. I am not the least insulted by a scientific consensus that is entirely atheistic. The facts are the facts regardless of the theories that the scientific community insists on imposing on everyone else at the expense of common sense. Their godless priesthood will be exposed by science itself as the secular con artists that they are by members of the scientific community themselves who rely as much on integrity as on the obvious facts that lay before them to dispel the myths of a Godless universe.
3) History - this is one area of study that can be at times more art than science. However, historical facts cannot be ignored even when they are viewed with the skewed lenses of bias and subjectivity. In fact the greatest example of historical reality that points to the God of the Bible is the existence of the Jews in general and the restoration of the nation of Israel in particular. There has been no other people on earth today that have maintained an unbroken line of tradition, genetics, linguistics, law, and religious ritual as the Jews of Israel. This is one stubborn historical fact that should not be ignored by students of history. This Israeli exception upon history cries out for recognition and in time will receive what is rightly theirs: respect. Yes, there are other great civilizations that have existed for a long time however time has changed these people and they are not the same in tradition, language, culture ex cetera. The Jew on the other hand has maintained a historical consistency that has defied logic to the point that we must honestly conclude that the God of the Bible who is the God of the Jews and who is also the head of the Church must be real and tangible.
4) Prophecy - the most misunderstood but most important aspect in believing that God exists. You might think of biblical prophecy as a leading indicator of the existence of God just as history is a lagging indicator of the reality of God. All prophecy in the Bible was revealed to the Jew and to the Jew only. Even though Christianity divides the Bible between an old and a new testament the prophecies contained therein are all complimentary to each other. The prophecies revealed to Daniel while in Chaldean captivity are congruent with the prophecies revealed to John on the Isle of Patmos in the book of Revelation at the beginning of the Church Age. And per Revelation, the "testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy". In fact it was Jesus Christ in the garden of Eden that predicted his own victory over Satan at Golgotha when Christ would come "in the flesh" and die for all humanity as this strategic victory was the proverbial mortal head wound suffered by Satan when all the devil could do is perry with a strike against his heel; for even though Christ was murdered on the cross at the behest of Satan, Jesus Christ defiantly rose from the dead 3 days later victorious in life everlasting. Adam and Eve would never see these events unfold in their lifetime and yet this was the hope of glory that God promised to them while they were yet being excommunicated from the presence of God as punishment for their disobedience to him in the Garden. What does prophecy hold for us today? The return of Jesus Christ in the flesh! And as it was in the past so it will be in the future: the world will seek his destruction. But they will not succeed for he will return not on the back of a donkey but in the saddle of a great war horse! And the armies of Christ will follow! Thus, as the current historical trends take shape we see before us like a mountain rising out of the clouds the accuracy and the truth that Bible prophecy reveals to us that there is a God. Woe to them that ignore Bible prophecy friend and foe alike.
These are the main reasons why I believe in Christ. I hope I have demonstrated that this is not some blind faith but rational, thoughtful and logical deductions taken from my surroundings. My fealty to Jesus Christ is not some blind leap into the abyss but a thorough recognition that there is a God and this God is the one spoken of in the Bible. Just as scripture says there is only one name under Heaven given unto men by which they must be saved and that name is Jesus Christ.
1) Eternal Truths - Christianity contains in it the eternal truths that have stood the test of time. More specifically, the gospel of salvation by Grace is one of those everlasting doctrines that no religion may duplicate. The power of God to free us from the tyranny of salvation by works is the greatest example of freedom in both a spiritual and physical sense. In fact, this doctrine preceded Christianity in that Abraham was considered the forebearer of salvation by Grace. He believed in the Lord and God imputed to Abraham divine righteousness. This imputation of God's righteousness activated by faith in the Lord is the foundation of spiritual freedom which in turn leads to physical and political freedom in time. And really, mankind has had this message since time immemorial starting with Adam and Eve. Its just that today Christianity embodies this truth at the institutional level more than any other organization extant today.
2) Science- if the Word of God is true, and it is, then the sciences should be able to confirm the veracity of the Bible. Astronomy, genetics, biology are all revealing more and more that a designer has been here before us and that we are not alone. Adam was the first scientist as God allowed him to name the animals in the Garden and in this we see that God encouraged an inquisitive mind to seek out and understand his physical universe. I am not the least insulted by a scientific consensus that is entirely atheistic. The facts are the facts regardless of the theories that the scientific community insists on imposing on everyone else at the expense of common sense. Their godless priesthood will be exposed by science itself as the secular con artists that they are by members of the scientific community themselves who rely as much on integrity as on the obvious facts that lay before them to dispel the myths of a Godless universe.
3) History - this is one area of study that can be at times more art than science. However, historical facts cannot be ignored even when they are viewed with the skewed lenses of bias and subjectivity. In fact the greatest example of historical reality that points to the God of the Bible is the existence of the Jews in general and the restoration of the nation of Israel in particular. There has been no other people on earth today that have maintained an unbroken line of tradition, genetics, linguistics, law, and religious ritual as the Jews of Israel. This is one stubborn historical fact that should not be ignored by students of history. This Israeli exception upon history cries out for recognition and in time will receive what is rightly theirs: respect. Yes, there are other great civilizations that have existed for a long time however time has changed these people and they are not the same in tradition, language, culture ex cetera. The Jew on the other hand has maintained a historical consistency that has defied logic to the point that we must honestly conclude that the God of the Bible who is the God of the Jews and who is also the head of the Church must be real and tangible.
4) Prophecy - the most misunderstood but most important aspect in believing that God exists. You might think of biblical prophecy as a leading indicator of the existence of God just as history is a lagging indicator of the reality of God. All prophecy in the Bible was revealed to the Jew and to the Jew only. Even though Christianity divides the Bible between an old and a new testament the prophecies contained therein are all complimentary to each other. The prophecies revealed to Daniel while in Chaldean captivity are congruent with the prophecies revealed to John on the Isle of Patmos in the book of Revelation at the beginning of the Church Age. And per Revelation, the "testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy". In fact it was Jesus Christ in the garden of Eden that predicted his own victory over Satan at Golgotha when Christ would come "in the flesh" and die for all humanity as this strategic victory was the proverbial mortal head wound suffered by Satan when all the devil could do is perry with a strike against his heel; for even though Christ was murdered on the cross at the behest of Satan, Jesus Christ defiantly rose from the dead 3 days later victorious in life everlasting. Adam and Eve would never see these events unfold in their lifetime and yet this was the hope of glory that God promised to them while they were yet being excommunicated from the presence of God as punishment for their disobedience to him in the Garden. What does prophecy hold for us today? The return of Jesus Christ in the flesh! And as it was in the past so it will be in the future: the world will seek his destruction. But they will not succeed for he will return not on the back of a donkey but in the saddle of a great war horse! And the armies of Christ will follow! Thus, as the current historical trends take shape we see before us like a mountain rising out of the clouds the accuracy and the truth that Bible prophecy reveals to us that there is a God. Woe to them that ignore Bible prophecy friend and foe alike.
These are the main reasons why I believe in Christ. I hope I have demonstrated that this is not some blind faith but rational, thoughtful and logical deductions taken from my surroundings. My fealty to Jesus Christ is not some blind leap into the abyss but a thorough recognition that there is a God and this God is the one spoken of in the Bible. Just as scripture says there is only one name under Heaven given unto men by which they must be saved and that name is Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The Meaning of McCain
Why did John McCain win big last night on Super Tuesday on the road to the Republican nomination for President? Because he was the next best thing in a field of moderate to leftwing Republicans. Mitt Romney in spite of right-wing talk radio (Catholics for Romney) still couldn't pull it out in the states he was counting on such as California and various other states in the South. Catholics for Romney are only fooling themselves if they think that Mitt is somehow better than McCain when it comes to conservatism.
The country may have a conservative culture however we can see how the institutions of America are quite leftwing or moderate at best. John McCain thusly appeals to those who reside in these institutions (military, government, judiciary, academia, business) and the rank and file who work in these institutions are therefore attracted to McCain. Was Ronald Reagan any different? If you are honest about Ronald Reagan, that is, focusing on the politician and not the orator then we can see how moderate President Reagan really was during his rule. Government expanded under Reagan, America ran away from terrorism in Lebanon, Amnesty for illegal aliens was signed into law, and the culture remained pretty liberal in spite of the conservative voice in the White House.
Is John McCain a heretic of conservativism? No! A thousand times no! He is very much in the mold of Ronald Reagan the politician, however, talk radio is bashing McCain because of past leadership battles with President Bush. You will note McCain has continually been attacked by Rush Limbaugh since 2000 when he first ran for President. The reason for this is due primarily to the Republican Party wanting another Bush in the White House and thus unleashed Rush on McCain. This time around, Mitt Romney who was a Bush (Jeb) favorite, was the anoited Bush nominee and Rush Limbaugh therefore was unleashed on him again however will little or no effect. Sadly, other radio hosts who should have known better also went along at the last minute to pour gasoline on the fire of McCain's bonfire such as Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin and so forth.
We conservatives must come to grips with the obvious facts that lay before us: America, like the world, is slowly being transformed by Babylon the Great. We are more hedonistic, hellenistic, lascivious, socialistic, and sadly, anti-Christian. We conservatives have failed to retake the institutions that can actually make the necessary changes to America and lead us to greatness based on independence politically and spiritually. We have failed to convince the elites of this country in the efficacy of limited government and conservative principles. Because of this failure to seize the highground, we have been left with a McCain for good or for ill to battle the greatest American socialist that stands before us since President Johnson and perhaps even FDR: Hillary Rodham Clinton. I ask my fellow Republicans to accept this fait accompli and due their duty and vote for the presumptive heir in the Republican Party not so much for McCain but for the Republic.
May God have mercy upon our souls.
The country may have a conservative culture however we can see how the institutions of America are quite leftwing or moderate at best. John McCain thusly appeals to those who reside in these institutions (military, government, judiciary, academia, business) and the rank and file who work in these institutions are therefore attracted to McCain. Was Ronald Reagan any different? If you are honest about Ronald Reagan, that is, focusing on the politician and not the orator then we can see how moderate President Reagan really was during his rule. Government expanded under Reagan, America ran away from terrorism in Lebanon, Amnesty for illegal aliens was signed into law, and the culture remained pretty liberal in spite of the conservative voice in the White House.
Is John McCain a heretic of conservativism? No! A thousand times no! He is very much in the mold of Ronald Reagan the politician, however, talk radio is bashing McCain because of past leadership battles with President Bush. You will note McCain has continually been attacked by Rush Limbaugh since 2000 when he first ran for President. The reason for this is due primarily to the Republican Party wanting another Bush in the White House and thus unleashed Rush on McCain. This time around, Mitt Romney who was a Bush (Jeb) favorite, was the anoited Bush nominee and Rush Limbaugh therefore was unleashed on him again however will little or no effect. Sadly, other radio hosts who should have known better also went along at the last minute to pour gasoline on the fire of McCain's bonfire such as Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin and so forth.
We conservatives must come to grips with the obvious facts that lay before us: America, like the world, is slowly being transformed by Babylon the Great. We are more hedonistic, hellenistic, lascivious, socialistic, and sadly, anti-Christian. We conservatives have failed to retake the institutions that can actually make the necessary changes to America and lead us to greatness based on independence politically and spiritually. We have failed to convince the elites of this country in the efficacy of limited government and conservative principles. Because of this failure to seize the highground, we have been left with a McCain for good or for ill to battle the greatest American socialist that stands before us since President Johnson and perhaps even FDR: Hillary Rodham Clinton. I ask my fellow Republicans to accept this fait accompli and due their duty and vote for the presumptive heir in the Republican Party not so much for McCain but for the Republic.
May God have mercy upon our souls.