Sweet Dreams

It is my fondest dream that the world will learn to live in peace.  No one wants peace more than I do.  In an age when the threat of a nuclear holocaust is a horror that, to preserve our sanity, we choose not to think about, peace is the dream of every sane person.  We pray for it, we wish for it, and we dream of it.  We yearn for a world where our children will not experience war.

In 1950, a singer and song writer named Ed McCurdy wrote and recorded a song that became an anthem for the peace movement a decade and a half later.  It has been recorded by a lot of people, including such diverse artists as Joan Baez and Johnny Cash.  In 1964, Simon and Garfunkel released an album called, Wednesday Morning 3 AM, and I bought the cassette tape at the PX in Stuttgart, West Germany in 1972.  The song was on that album, and that was how I learned of it.

It pulls at what we want in our hearts to be true.  The Germans would call it "Ein Wunschtraum" (a dream of a wish or a pipedream).  So far, it has only been a pipedream.

Last Night I had the Strangest Dream

 

Last night I had the strangest dream
I ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war

I dreamed I saw a mighty room
The room was filled with men
And the paper they were signing said
They'd never fight again

And when the papers all were signed
And a million copies made
They all joined hands and bowed their heads
And grateful prayers were prayed

And the people in the streets below
Were dancing round and round
And guns and swords and uniforms
Were scattered on the ground

Last night I had the strangest dream
I ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war

https://genius.com/Simon-and-garfunkel-last-night-i-had-the-strangest-dream-lyrics

You may ask, “When will war ever end?”  The Holy Bible says it will, and it tells us when.  Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) There will be war until He establishes His Kingdom for 1,000 years after His Second Coming. (Matthew 24:3-14)  During that 1,000 years there will be peace.

War is a thing of Satan.  After the 1,000 years is finished, the Devil will be released from his prison, and he will cause the unsaved of those born during the 1,000 years to rebel against God one last time.  Jesus will defeat them all and throw them into hell.  Those that truly belong to Jesus will then live with Him forever. (Revelation Chapters 19-22)

There will be no more war after that, or death, or sickness, or pain, or tears. (Revelation7:15-17, Revelation 21:4) There will only be inexpressible joy in the Glory of God’s presence.

 

 

Evidence of Chinese Military at Wuhan Institute of Virology

In an Epoch Times* article, Nicole Hao reported that a project team from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) working at the Wuhan Institute of Virology from 2012 to 2018 included members of the Chinese military. The article reported that the leaders of the Communist government in China have denied any connection between the controversial lab and the Chinese military.

The article cites the U.S. State Department as the source of information that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was engaged in research for the Chinese military since 2017, and that workers inside the lab became sick in 2019, prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, with symptoms that may have been caused by the Coronavirus or other common seasonal illnesses. Ms. Hao’s article says that, according to the State Department, a virologist at the lab named Shi Zhengli has denied any connection to the military and that any lab workers got sick.  Dr. Shi is the director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. [1]

If possible, the information in Ms. Hao’s article should be corroborated by other sources before it is used in decision making.  However, it adds to the mounting evidence that may persuade one to believe that the government in China sponsored cooperative research between its military and the Wuhan Institute of Virology to develop biological weapons, and that the Novel Coronavirus spread from the lab to the surrounding population.

Regardless, the Chinese Communist Party is directly responsible for allowing COVID-19 to develop into a world-wide pandemic.  The best way to prevent this from happening again is for the United States and the world to sever all commerce with China, and to severely limit diplomatic and cultural interaction with China, until the Communist government of China turns from the aggressive path they are on and becomes a responsible citizen of the community of nations.

*By way of full disclosure, the Epoch Times is opposed to the Chinese Communist Party and is backed by a religious group that has been persecuted in Communist China (Falun Gong).  With that said, I have found the articles in the newspaper to be factually accurate, and I believe it is a valuable resource for information that is not being reported by the “mainstream media.”

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[1] Hao, Nicole. “Evidence Reveals That Military Team Collaborated With Lab in City Where COVID-19 Pandemic Originated.” Epoch Times, 3 May 2021 Updated: 7 May 2021.

 

It's All God

God’s grace (unmerited favor or mercy) and holy living (good works) are a “one - two punch.”  They go together.  We cannot be good enough in our own strength to earn salvation.  In our old sinful nature, everyone sins and falls short of God’s righteous standards. (Romans 3:23)

When we accept the gift of salvation, however, God will cause us to want to live holy lives, and He will give us the strength to do it. (Philippians 2:13, 2Corinthians 5:17-21) Good works are not the cause of salvation, they are the result of it.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds.

(Titus 2:11-14 NASB) * 

… to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to slander no one, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing every consideration for all people.  For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.  But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

(Titus 3:1-7 NASB) * 

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

(Ephesians 2:8-10 NASB) *

 Please, ask Jesus to save you today.

  

*  https://biblehub.com/nasb

 

 

Then, Now, and Soon

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.” (Ezekiel 34:1-10 NIV)

It seems that some things never change. These passages from the Book of Ezekiel date from the 6th Century B.C. (about 2,550 years ago, give or take a few). Today, leaders still use their positions for personal benefit, at the expense of those they have been given to care for. Ultimately, their misdeeds will lead to their destruction. 

 

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.” (Ezekiel 34:11-16 NIV)

As in the years following the Babylonian Exile, God has again gathered the Israelis back to the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (a.k.a. Israel).  Many believe that this is a sign that the Day of the Lord will soon begin.  Jesus thought of Himself as The Good Shepherd, and of His people as His sheep. (John 10:1-18) The Book of Revelation (Chapter 20) promises that, at His Second Coming, Jesus will rule the world as Messiah for 1,000 years.

Do you want to be part of His Kingdom, a kingdom of justice and peace?  Would you like to rule and reign with Him?  You can bask in the Glory of God’s presence forever in a heavenly bliss that we are not now able to comprehend.

A righteous life is the result of salvation, not the cause of it.  Eternal life in heaven cannot be earned.  We are not able to be good enough to earn our salvation.  Jesus paid the price of your admission to His Kingdom.  You just need to believe that what He did was sufficient, repent of your old sinful way of life, and ask Jesus to be your Savior.  He will live in you, and you will be in Him.

After that, find a good church that believes and teaches the Holy Bible and only the Bible.  Learn His ways.  Then, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus.

Standing Strong

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.  (Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT)

 

*  https://biblehub.com/nlt/ephesians/6.htm

 

You Broke Yet?

Yesterday, I filled my pickup with “midgrade” (89 octane) gasoline.  I paid $1.06 per gallon more than I paid before 20 January 2021 when Joe Biden became President of the United States.  Mr. Biden has been in office for about 100 days.  That means the price of my gas has gone up over a penny a day, during Joe Biden’s presidency.  If that rate continues, we will be paying about $4.92 per gallon on 20 January 2022.

Of course, I am speaking hypothetically.  There is no way a guy like me can predict how much gas will cost a year from now.  All I can do is ask, “Hey, how’s that Democrat thing workin’ out for ya?”

The Mask

Here in the United States, we have been coping with the COVID-19 pandemic for over a year.  Yet, we are still arguing amongst ourselves about masks.  Some want wearing masks in public places to be mandatory.  Others want it to be left to the discretion of each individual.  Children seem to be the least at risk, but some schools are mandating that they wear masks to school.  Parents are making impassioned pleas to school boards to do away with mandated masks.  A family was recently removed from a passenger airplane because their two-year-old child was not wearing a mask. Unbelievable!

The state of Texas has filed a lawsuit against President Biden for jeopardizing public health by failing to enforce to enforce federal laws resulting in the illegal entry into the country of migrants, some of whom have COVID-19.  However, in a recent virtual meeting with the leaders of other countries, President Biden was the only one wearing a mask … as if the bug could be spread online.  Who said the President needs to be consistent?

The argument is spreading to immunization.  Should it be mandatory for every American to be vaccinated against COVID-19?  Can people be trusted with the freedom to make their own decisions about their health? *  On her TV program, Sovereign Nation, Michelle Malkin recently pointed out that (regarding abortions) “My body, my choice!”  has been the liberal battle cry, and now it is the liberals who are trying to force everybody else to wear masks and get vaccinated.  Is it really a public health risk if some citizens opt out of vaccination?  Is there research evidence to prove that?

Listen!  Do you hear the laughter of the Chinese Communist Party? Are they able to believe their good fortune that they could divide us so easily by accident? (Or did they purposely infect the world?)  Since we are so easily divided, must they not be thinking of ways to divide us on purpose?  You do not need to strain your brains, Chi-coms.  We Americans are so foolish that we divide ourselves!

As a nation we need to be looking for the answers to better questions.  Why were the Chinese changing the relatively benign coronavirus into a nasty, virulent pathogen like the novel coronavirus?  How did the population of Wuhan, China become infected?  Why were people allowed to flee Hubei Province, spreading COVID-19 worldwide?  Why did the Chinese Communists try to cover it up?  Why was the United States providing funding to a laboratory in China (Wuhan Institute of Virology) that was possibly researching biological weapons?  Was it so that we could have observers on site?  If observers saw biological weapons being developed, then why were no efforts made to stop it?  What are we doing to try to prevent this from happening again?

What would we have done if the Chinese had dropped nuclear weapons on San Francisco and killed 500,000 of our people?  What if they said, “Oops, it was an accident?” Would we have believed them?  Would we have replied, “That’s okay, just don’t let it happen again?”  With Joe Biden in charge, who knows?

I say it is time we stopped bickering and started dealing with Communist China.  I have previously advocated that we begin a gradual, planned disengagement from Communist China on all fronts … economic, political, cultural, diplomatic, and so forth.  Since President Biden took office, however, their behavior has shown that they intend to push whenever they see weakness.  The Chinese Communists have learned nothing and have no remorse.  Therefore, I think we need to step up the pace of disengagement.  If they dislike us so much, let them learn what it is like to live without us … and soon.

Please email, write and call your Senators, Congressmen, and the President.  In 2022 and 2024, please vote for candidates who support a strong stance against Communist China.

 

*  In the interest of full disclosure, my wife and I wear masks in public places.  We use germ goop on our hands whenever there is the slightest risk of exposure to ourselves and others.  She is fully immunized, and I am getting my second shot in a week.  We are not necessarily advocating that others do as we have done.  We are taking preventive precautions because we are both over 65 years old, and we both have chronic health problems that would make it bad for us if we contracted COVID-19.  It makes good sense in our case.