Defiled

 "Then the priest shall command that the house is emptied before he examines the house itself, in case what is the house is what has caused the pollution". Leviticus 14:36.

In the first season (entitled 'Signs and Portents'... more on that later) of the Science Fiction show Babylon 5, there is a troubling episode entitled Infection. A group of archaeological technologists from earth have uncovered a cache of bio-machines from a long dead culture and bring them aboard the space station. Here, these machines merge with one of the team members and re-produce an ancient warrior whose primary goal was to rid his world of anything alien and intrusive. Unfortunately, the A I program has a very exact definition of what is acceptable, and everything living that does not fit this criteria is instantly deemed "impure" and therefore must be exterminated.

Thankfully, the commander of the station (in very Captain James T Kirk fashion... had to get that in) finds a weak spot in the program, and exploits this to shut-down the bio-weapon. The leader of the expedition and the artefacts are then returned to earth for an official enquiry... but strangely, they vanish amidst government red tape.

The season is called 'signs and portents' because all of these manner of incidents are the glimpses - the signs - of what is coming... a cosmic war with all-encompassing consequences.

The 'signs' of the times we now face are most certainly resonating with the basic story and consequences of this tale.

This week, Saudi Arabia made it illegal to do almost anything outside your own home - including taking a child to school or visiting a shop - unless you provide proof of double vaccination. A country which still practices various austere punishments for minor crimes, no doubt, has no issue prescribing such 'purity', but a reporter in the Washington Post stated that such a law was the most "progressive" legislation he had ever witnessed, putting the regime far ahead of the West, which should clearly learn from this and quickly follow the example.

Our gradual encroachment here of 'jab required' policy hasn't quite reached that point as yet (the UK Government clearly aren't as up front in respect to their hypocrisy as the President of France), but it's now clear what the 'direction of travel' on all of this is to be - holding to a different position on the current vaccination program to the powers that be is not acceptable, so our PM can state "ALL must be jabbed", as he signs up to an accord to see the entire globe injected with an experimental vaccine by 2022.

In the days of settlement into the promised land, the Lord makes it clear to the people of Israel that when infection breaks out either in a community, or livestock, or in a property, it's essential, to reach a remedy, that the genuine cause of the problem is identified and dealt with.

We would have appeared to have reached a point here in the UK where the present biological threat is in recession (the winter flu season may well be another story), but what this has left in its wake, due to the manner of analysis and 'containment' employed by our authorities, is a far more dangerous and disgusting viral contagion - one which has poisoned the attitudes and behaviour of many to believe that the only way to achieve purity for the future is to expunge or at least ghetto those who are now viewed as nothing more than a cause of infection.

As our venues (and, perhaps far more worrying, our employers) begin to excise those who are defined as the 'unclean' of the hour, those doing the expelling need to be deeply concerned, not only because of the inherent wickedness that history shows us is endemic to such a process, but because once this is implemented, you can be certain it won't be too long before other groups become equally seen as not 'good' enough due to some trait that becomes vile.

Woke culture is truly incapable of allowing any room for mercy or forgiveness... that is the ideology that is now upon us.

Reject what is evil. Hold fast to what is good, whatever the cost.

Necessity

 "And there was a woman who had an ongoing discharge of blood for twelve years, who spent all her money on physicians, but had not been healed by anyone". Luke 8:43.

'No one knows where this goes next', said a government minister this week, seeking to summarise the current national situation. Projections rise and fall, comments ebb and flow, but it's all tired rhetoric after the event. The ship of state, the vessel defined as "society", has been substantially holed below the water line, and the appearance of calm continuation at the helm comes via a staunch refusal to see the absolute hell below decks, where commands to follow-through on behaviours which have become increasingly heinous in the flooding, are beginning to bring the whole enterprise to a grinding halt.

The central denial is easily justified - it's all because of the pandemic, it's said, that we're in this mess. Once everyone is 'on board' with the message (vaccination, vaccination and, oh, vaccination), everything will be just peachy. Well, the trouble is that 9/11 and the '08 world economic crash have absolutely nothing to do with coronavirus, but both massively adjusted the political and social norms of the West. The reasons we're here have just as much to do with what followed such liquifying moments as our more recent policies. All of this contributes to a realm severely haemorrhaging it's prior strengths and certainties.

With that in view, let's come to the text.

Luke's narration about this woman in deep need speaks directly in our present moment in a manner we all should heed.

The wounded are everywhere -  you, me, our neighbour, and especially those who believe they are "in no need of physician". The malady which inflicts our world  matched the 'unstoppable issue' Luke's narrative brings into the orbit of Jesus - we like the women in this incident, are all equally incapable of staunching the loss of personhood we should essentially contain, purely because of the prison that now defines us within. The tragedy is when we define such a crippling condition as perfectly fine, even though it's sure to end us. Pride shackles us to such venom so we become incapable of seeking true antidote to our appalling ill.

The figure in this story knew she was far from well, and had lost her wealth in a search for a remedy amongst those who she hoped could heal her world. Some know, in this world's better days, that they need to match such a search. People often place faith in what's promised or provided by 'experts' because they long to be safe and whole, but when what is given cannot actually end the uncertainty and dismiss the trouble, what then?

Medicine has come a very long way since the time of this occurrence, but the essential corruption in us has not changed at all, and tragically, all too often, this poison can become the source for all manner of evil, even to the point where men proclaim they mean well when they are bent only on doing nothing but harm.

This woman reaches out beyond the bounds of the bustling crowd to connect with a life beyond what was bestowed by convention and social norms. Her uncleanliness could not hinder a faith that pierced such moral constraints.

Faith, raw and total, cannot be hindered - the consequence of its action is instantaneous, and there, amongst the throng, Jesus knows He must address the one who is the recipient... for our benefit.

The healing has been completed rapidly, but Christ calls attention to it, not because there was any doubt, but so His work may be known publicly. It is only when the whole truth is evidenced in this fashion that a greater healing is encountered.

In this instance, Christ is shown to be one who could provide what no other could - an end to continual suffering and exclusion, purely by the woman recognising His unique exclusive virtue over what had befallen her.

In our present day, we are continually told that particular 'remedies' are the exclusive, universal means to health and safety for all, but in truth, whilst they may indeed alleviate a measure of immediate troubles, they often do so riding upon a pretence that the haven they provide will be a panacea of protection when all ascribe to their requirements. What place, then, for a saviour like Jesus, who reveals where such measures leave us crippled and so He calls us to something eternally certain amidst our raging world.

So, here we are, amidst the numerous currents of the time, no doubt affirming and rejecting in varying degrees the actions and statements of the day, bustling along like that crowd surrounding Jesus when this woman came...

but will we connect to what is deeper... what is  necessary.

My thoughts scrawled here will pass, as will these few lines, lost to all before to long, no doubt, but this moment we have viewed together - of astonishing transformation, evidenced on a day so long ago, will ripple into eternity. That is the manner of the encounter God is seeking for us all, as we meet His unique, transforming, eternal Son.

Hatun

 "But God forbid that I should glory, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ". Galatians 6:14.

It has been several centuries since Christians were martyred for their faith in England, but we came very close to it again this past weekend.

Hatun, as seen here, is recovering well, and clearly, is not fearful of those who have sought to harm her - the love of Christ constrains her to continue to speak to those who wish and act to bring ill upon her.

Speakers Corner is a mixed blessing - (I spent time witnessing there in the 1990's) - especially in a time when those seeking to speak truth are so poorly treated not only by those who do harm but by the policing of the locality.

Please pray for Hatun, and that God will use this event to open many hearts to God's great love and mercy.

Realisation

 "Without a vision, the people perish" - Proverbs 29:18.

"Man does not look into the face of the Gorgon and live!" Morpheus - Forbidden Planet.

C O R R U P T I O N

What happens to those who obtain exactly what they think will 'make' them? When you have gained 'the whole world', so to speak, and there would appear to be no one or no force to block you from indulging your desires and imposing your will, regardless of cost. What next?

Perhaps we could once imagine that such would only need to trouble us in respects to realms such as fiction or history - a distraction for a good novel or a boisterous examination of the past, but such contrivances belie an ignorance of the times.

Ours has been an age of despotism and consequential misery. We have merely lived in a "pause" in that litany of fire, thinking ourselves to be perfectly justified to pursue care-free, self-determined goals, not ever pausing to reflect on the events that lead to our belief that life was plentiful and easy.

We determined to do what pleases us, never evaluating the real cost of what places us here, or what such 'liberty' would require later.

The fundamental splitting of the world, between those with power and those who have none, is now upon us. The 'good' days of what was viewed by many of us as 'common' culture are rapidly fading behind the closing curtain that heralds the emerging age of strict control.

If we consider the loss of so much (health, education, prospects, opportunity, genuine well--being) that has unfolded and is being imposed upon us, then we begin to comprehend the depths of our folly.

The institutions established for the flourishing of society have become prostituted to the twin evils of personal greed and gain. The realms of finance and the departments established to regulate such became dens of usury and avarice decades ago, allowing those presiding to protect themselves from the recrimination due and promote their insatiable empires at will whilst the lives of millions have become devastated.

All of this was so prior to the 'plagued' recent days, but now, the wake of this carnage has become amplified into the realms of civil rights and social control in a fashion not seen in Europe for nearly a century.

The consensus has always sought to focus our attention on the necessity of 'protect and survive' policy in respect to threats deemed 'manageable' by their program if we all played our part - did our 'bit' by giving up more and more for longer and longer. This has merely allowed the oligarchs to triple their wealth and keep the few voices of concern 'fact-checked' off the mainstream.

The last days of Rome faced similar social and economic strains, but closer to home, the downfall of the West in the Wall Street crash, the years of depression, miserable for all but those rich enough not to worry, also bears upon this moment. As with then, these days may 'roar' with the noise of rising apocryphal tyranny.

What should trouble us most is if the 'reset' becomes all, who is there to rescue us from such global ravages? If, as appears likely, the entire world subjects itself to the ascendancy of such powers as those demanding a total control, where can we access levers to re-gain freedom?

R E M E D Y

" I am the Lord that heals you". Exodus 15:26.

"Why, in the face of entropy, in a universe in which ultimate degradation of matter and energy leads to a state of inert uniformity... why in the face of that is the story of the world always more differentiation, greater hierarchies, exquisite patterns and gorgeous forms? God has built into everything He has made a yen to make an offering of itself - an insane craving to make things more complicated just for the sheer pleasure of doing so". Robert Farrar Capon - Priesthood.

When life becomes about oblation - giving ourselves to the genuine joy of another - then we draw the venom of the lie of self-deification.

The longing within for genuine significance may be stifled or left unfulfilled in many today, but it remains none the less. What is required is a means whereby this becomes deemed imperative to us all again.

Perhaps the spread of a common austerity will prove to be the very framework whereby we begin afresh to hunger and thirst for righteousness beyond ourselves.

O B L A T I O N

"To the pure, all things are pure". Titus 1:15.

The prize is indeed to aim beyond ourselves (our selfish conceits) by catching sight of the one who is the 'image of the invisible God' (Colossians 1:15). What is eternally transcendent is made evident amongst us in the humanity of Christ, who oblates Himself, 'full of grace and truth' (John 1:14 - hence John beginning the story at Jesus's baptism with the testimony of another).

The view of the Apostle in Romans 14 (verses 13-18) presents a liberty where all is 'clean' because all, creationally, is the Lord's - and we have been called to participate in such a high vocation via our priesthood.

N E C E S S I T Y

"You desire truth in the innermost being". Psalm 51:6.

One of the most painful afflictions of the recent days has been seeing so many choose to evade or dismiss the unfolding situation in respect to what has been implimented and required as either 'miss-read' or inconsequential, preferring to accept the official narrative whilst those urging a heeding of actual truth have been marginalised and often cast aside as irrational.

The first casualty in such terrible moments is always the uncomfortable truths of the hour, but this must be the first treasure recovered if we are to see health again.

The full truth about the various torturous errors and intentional decisions implemented by those in power are now beginning to become evident, and it is vital that these are told and understood widely. We do neither ourselves or others no favours by burying such materials away from general examination - such actions are contrary to what is vital for being part of each other.

From the moment Christ came into conflict with the authorities of His day, He spoke clearly to His disciples of where this would lead. They could not comprehend what He said, but it was what unfolded.

This past few weeks has seen a growing political justification for the manner of authoritarian control that the implementations of the last sixteen months allow, and the voices which warned of this are becoming increasingly vindicated.

So, let me conclude with a brief overview of the various intrusions into social welfare - their general effectiveness and their consequences upon us.

1.PCR / Track and Trace.

All that now needs to be said about the latter of these is review the impact of the last few weeks. All that needs to be said about the former is that the inventor himself stated that the test simply wasn't designed to be used in the fashion it is currently being employed, as the results will often be faulty. Think about how much disruption has and is being caused by the absolutist implementation of just these two devices.

2. Masks.

The debate, if there ever was one, is over. Over 30 independent studies now show that the preventative results produced by such a practice are without medical significance, and around another 14 have shown such masking may increase infection levels.

3. Lockdowns

Whilst the argument continues on whether they should have been used, there is no question in respect to the breach of people's basic rights, or concerning the extensive collateral damage in large sections of society and civil structure. The price may indeed have been far too high.

4. Vaccinations/Passports

These are the two realms, long term, where we may see the greatest damage of all, both within the individual (due to the nature of the medication) and in a forced apartheid in society as a whole.

5. Political autocracy.

A state of emergency allows a small group of people to determine the ongoing situation for the majority. Whilst these powers appear to have been reduced at present, three government acts currently making their way into legislation will make the pandemic authorties claimed by cabinet in 2020 permanent.

These are:

The Police, Criminal, Evidence and Courts act, which will effectively end open free speech (public protest, speaking and demonstrating).

The Online Safety Act, which would empower the government to require the major social media companies to monitor and vet your internet activity, and

The Press Reform Act, which would make news items derived from "ethically questionable" sources open to Government prosecution.

When combined, these new powers could be used to effectively silence or prevent free speech entirely.

When such powers are married to the widespread use of covid papers, new social credit apps (with health reward schemes) and virtual currency, we will have taken all the key steps towards the manner of social regulation employed in the socialist regime evidenced in China.

As theologian Peter Leihert stated in a recent evaluation of our present situation, "Vaccination is now a sacrament, a baptismal purification in our society - a eucharistic emblem of 'belonging' - the righteous are justified by jab".

C O N C L U S I O N

From the moment churches commenced closing their doors back in March 2020, I made it clear that what we were dealing with here was not a moderate response to a virus, but a Gospel issue of the manner dealt with by the Apostle Paul in Galatia. The events of the last few months, as certain 'requirements' have only worked further into Christian life and activity, have only underlined that conviction.

We need to end our bondage to such "laws" and re-affirm our freedom in the eternal life from above.

The mystery of the Word made flesh is our touchstone, our bedrock, and only this can feed and water us through this wilderness.

B O O M !

 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might... that you might be able to stand against the schemes of the devil". Ephesians 6:10.

What happens when God truly takes hold of a man and mantles him in 'meekness'? This is a little gem that truly gets you thinking...

A small bag of goodness

 "Your lips cry nectar, my love - honey and milk are found on your tongue... how much better is your love than wine!" Song of songs 4:10 & 11.

Recently, I posted a wonderful lecture by Dr Hugh Ross on the depths of wisdom contained in the book of Job. Here's another great video by him in conversation with Michael Heiser on the issue of life in the universe.

Some of us have been seeking to underline the fact that when it comes to reliable and candid science on the current crisis, there is and always has been a viable, insightful alternative to what has been deemed the mainstream, and that using such an insight allows us a means of analysis which provides genuine and somewhat disturbing perspective into what's unfolding. This excellent piece on the issue helps to do just that.

Christian oversight - when is it a blessing, and when does it become an issue? Nicely unpacked here by Doug Wilson.

And finally, a little sweetness and richness from the Good News that is ours in the Gospel.

Enjoy!

T H R E S H O L D

 "Then the Lord said 'do not come near - remove your sandals, for the place on which you stand is holy ground'". Exodus 3:5.

A very vivid recollection from childhood is the moment that Lucy, pushing her way through the coats in the wardrobe, suddenly finds herself standing in place of trees and snow. Like Tom in that 'other' garden, available only after midnight, Lucy quickly finds herself embroiled in the extraordinary events of another world, and yet, these unexpected things,  are clearly of interest in some fashion to the narrative of her own kin - 'sons and daughters of Adam and Eve', as her first conversation will reveal.

Lewis' opening here is vitally magical and enchanting, beckoning us forward, but we quickly discover that all is not well in this 'other' place which enthrals us. Beneath the apparent beauty and stillness there lies a grave, murderous danger.

Winter has become permanent, and, as Lucy's own brother will discover, the malevolence behind such bondage will do anything to keep the inhabitants of Narnia literally frozen to maintain sway and dominion.

The arrival of Lucy, however, is not the only good news. She and her brothers and sister will bear witness to the breaking of tyranny because of the return to this imprisoned domain of the true King. He will break the tethers of slavery to merciless submission by being broken for all. He will shatter the altar of law by displaying a life above and beyond the powers of wickedness, fear and death.

Such is the one true story.

The past 16 months have been a season of such a winter queen. Those who govern have empowered numerous bodies and methods to envelop all of life in crushing layers of fear so that any normal behaviour was simply qualified as heinously wrong.

Life, quite literally, became frozen as it was locked-in to a comprehensive regime of restraint. How deep this has become can be seen in the general reluctance to put aside impositions, even when permission has been granted to do so, and in the fact that the authorities have admitted that they have no scheme for seeing what was (prior to March, 2020) be so once again.

During these times, the church has, at best, played the role of a lone fawn, living in the hope that something might happen, but incapable of acting in a manner that would bring what is necessary for health. As with the character in Lewis' story, the mainstream churches have actually worked in a fashion to woo and calm the majority of church-goers into a place where they can be 'collected' by the narrative, but lately, one or two have seen the folly of such choices as they themselves have comprehended the full ramifications of where this leaves all of us.

In the war for the dying children of Adam, there can be only one true place of safety - a single haven that will take us home. We may indeed, now, partake in struggles and conflicts against more than flesh and blood, but the victory was won at that broken altar, that cursed tree, where the blood of the King secured victory.

Christianity revolves around a fundamental truth - that death is the only gateway, the exclusive threshold to resurrection and participation in immortal redemption. We die with Him, but that essential crucible means that in God, all of life becomes eternally sacred.

We are not given over to a mind-set of fear, that we should be driven by blind dread into what to do.

What now, then should we be doing in respect to ineffective face-masking, troublesome social distancing and failing (see the double-jabbed death rates) vaccines?

All will fail, but the roar of the Lion-Lamb of Judah, calling us through death into life.

Dependancy

(A few thoughts).

"Peace, through the blood of His Cross". Colossians 1:20.

When was the last time you heard a distinctively Christian protest song?

I'm referring to something like this or like this?

Those who are loved, Jesus states, will be rebuked and disciplined (corrected - Revelation 3:19). "Judgement" (proper discernment and its ramifications) begins in God's house and extends from there (1 Peter 4:17) - righteousness will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. 

We become people who are content with the present when we cease to examine and question what is actually taking place... There are consequences.

Complacency brings delusion. We settle into the notion that we are doing well when in truth we are garbed in compromise.

Perhaps the most terrifying manner of judgement is not when we suffer because the world wishes us silent, but when we are mantled with the notion that all is well- that we have and are doing 'enough' to simply remain where we are.

How does Christ Himself respond to so feeble  a conclusion? - Revelation 3:15 is how!  We can so easily become a people defined by such stupor, ripe for divine disdain and disgust.

Perhaps it's no surprise that the protest songs I mentioned above were written in the seventies. 

The cost of our redemption was total war (Genesis 3:15). Our reconciliation was birthed in the shedding of royal blood and the rending of the most righteous flesh.

Today, the threats are defined as those which intrude upon our "equilibrium" rather than those which would draft us into full armed conflict, but beyond the bounds of our own perceived safety, the costs to many are just as high.

We so often act to keep ourselves 'distinct' (remote) from a true refining of our thoughts and deeds, from a repenting that would drive us away from what is all too comfortable... too familiar.

Fellowship with God as Job, Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Moses and so many others discovered, requires an intimacy that exposes us to a 'fire' and a fellowship that is truly dangerous! (Hebrews 10:31), but the alternatives are eternally deadly.

Perhaps it's time for the church to find it's 'protesting' voice once again.

A final thought here, from the world of diet...

"Health fundamentalists of certain types no longer see food as something desirable or even necessary, but merely as a threat to longevity, and there lies a 'conspiracy' to kill us. Good cooking and eating are simply not 'sentimental' in this manner - they require a knowledge of cultivation of nutrition and genuine personal and social well-being being done well- deriving from good use of the larder, the kitchen and, above all, hospitality via genuine etiquette" (Faking it).

In truth, then (to borrow from Robert Farrar Capon), what the church needs right now is a decline in the triumph of diversion and a renewal of the art of oblation... in all things.

Selah.

 

Undone

 (A eulogy for today).

"A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation,Rachel weeping for her children, she refused to be comforted, because they are no more". Matthew 2:18.

Imagine for a moment that you're back at the cusp of the 21st century. Someone you don't know approaches you, looking somewhat troubled, and tells you that in a couple of decades, you'll be buying many of your goods from China, and that this won't happen at your local store, but through a virtual ordering system in America, where a small group of businesses will run most of the world's key media.

You, no doubt, are a little taken aback at such pronouncements, but this strange moment hasn't ended. Your 'visitor' proceeds to say that the day will also arrive when the government of your country will require those deemed 'key workers' in particular places and vocations to be injected with an experimental medicine by Law. Failure to comply will result in the loss of their employment, not to mention a stigma expressed in society due to a fear of "them" being without said experimental medicine.

So, you're now heading for the door, defining your strange assailant as clearly in need of some serious assistance...

When stated like this, it really hits home, because of course all of this is now very much part of what passes for 'the norm' today.

It didn't all start twenty odd years ago. The blood-drenched "modernism" of the French Revolution was the ground in which the seeds of our present decimation really found the conditions necessary to thrive. Proceeding, like the malevolent 'red weed' in War of the Worlds to then crawl and choke every channel of health, uprooting and subverting order in the West, its latest and most acidic incarnation is now evidenced in the 'woke' culture.

Christianity succumbed in the 1950's and 60's, as scripture was substituted wholesale for doubt across the entire spectrum of theology. As the church crumbled, society sunk beneath the deluge of indulgence breaking every moral taboo, not privately but openly, celebrating such in the arts and in shearing forces at play that brought the fragmenting of the cohesion of family life. Business became the realm of greater and greater risk for fast profits, and in all spheres, individual pleasure became the key imperative.

I write this not to give some history lesson, but to remind us, myself included, why we are here. We are truly the children of these times.

The foundation of 'rock' (God-defined identity) of prior times is now a broken, crumbling mess of empty, destructive darkness.

The basis of such evil is clear. As the Canaanites sacrificed their offspring to Moloch, my generation has sacrificed the unborn on the altar of 'medical' procedure (where the 'preference' of the "mother" is upheld over the rights of the child). As shown in the purging of the unwanted in Germany's T-4 "hygiene" units, any society which chooses to shed such blood is marked as fit for only one destination - Gehenna.

It really was only a matter of time before we reached the point where such abominable 'rationality' was applied to all, for all will become marked with the same value required to be complicit, or will face exclusion and purge.

I find myself deeply undone by developments today. I have known moments of great distress for these times, but, in truth, I have been too readily distracted and often, too afraid to speak as clearly and as urgently as required. I freely admit my being too complicit in these rebellious years and can only pray for grace and mercy in these times of need.

Seeking aid from beyond ourselves - the overshadowing of the Most High - is all we can do. The Lord will indeed come soon with ten thousand of His own to judge and to save, and we must surely make ourselves ready.

This era tells us exactly why we are a faith of "Christ Crucified". At the cross, outwardly, Christ expiates the ruin of sin, whilst, in parallel, amidst apparent weakness and failure, He breaks the strength of every principality against Him, and thereby destroys fear and death.

Now we see why His coming was marked with the cry in Ramah - evil can do nothing but destroy. Only Christ brings life.

The night is surely upon us, but will pass. A bright and unending day is fast approaching! Let us, weary of the times, cast off what is dark and clothe ourselves, exclusively, in the perfect, spotless splendour of His righteousness.

The Worst of Times...

 "As it was in the days of Noah"...  Jesus.

Whether we're talking about dark matter, exotic particles, Unidentified Ariel Phenomena, or Fallen Angels, this world we inhabit is simply far more strange than we usually bring to mind, so talking about things beyond the norm isn't something you come across all the time, even in church... and 'the days (age) of Noah'?

It's one of those periods that Christians rarely like to talk about, principally because it opens a 'whole other chapter' when it comes the really bizarre events that have unfolded in respects to the history of our race and our world, but it's imperative to unpack what's there. Thankfully, some have awoken to the significance of what's spoken about in those opening verses of Genesis chapter 6 (see Dr David Rohl's "The Lords of Avaris") and, occasionally, a Christian theologian comes along who says, 'we really need to tackle this head on'.

This talk is an excellent presentation by Doug Wilson, not only on what happened back then, but the ramifications for today.

"Pharmakia"

 "They wore breastplates the colour of fire and sapphire, like sulphur, and the heads of their beasts were like lions - fire, smoke and sulphur expelled from their mouths".

Revelation 9:17.

The movie Thirteen Days is a favourite of mine. It tells the story of the Cuba Missile Crisis, when the United States found itself facing a possible nuclear strike - literally within a matter of  days.

Most of the present generation do not recall the genuine fear that was generated in the Cold War era, generated by the horrors which had been evidenced in the concluding days of the second world war (the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the 'liberation' of the German concentration camps).  As Dr David Berlinski notes in his recent book on Human Nature, such evil was made possible in the prior decades by humanity's mechanisation of war, which allowed the carnage to become so much more total (encompassing civilian populations as well as the militia), and bringing about the nightmare of 'modern' annihilation.

The 1930s laid the key discoveries for nuclear weaponry. The early 1900s had seen the same deployment of science to create the likes of mustard gas to be employed to bring tortuous death. These indeed, as John notes, were clearly the 'deadly smoke released from the bottomless pit of the great furnace' which releases all manner of evils upon the world.

Which brings us to this present moment - a day when the 'civilised' world (the UK, America) is seeking to introduce (or has passed) laws that will allow the termination of a child in the womb up to the very moment of birth.

The Apostle notes in Revelation 19 how mankind which has not been 'killed by plagues' and is not 'sealed' (as God's own) will give itself over to "worshipping  demons" found amidst the idols of "silver and gold" (wealth) and "stone" (construction - industrious expansion of business) and "wood" (pragmatism) which are entirely 'blind' when it comes to the actual objectives intended for life and human culture (19:20). These are a generation of souls who 'do not repent of their murders or their "sorceries" (Pharmakia - use of drugs) or their sexual immorality or their thefts" (vs 21).

Let me be clear here - scripture does not teach that medicine in itself is evil. There are plenty of incidents in scripture where medicinal solutions are recommended and clearly used to remedy bodily troubles (see Job 2:7,8, Jeremiah 8:22, 2 Kings 20:7, Proverbs 17:22, Luke 10:34, 1 Timothy 5:23 as examples) - indeed, it's clear that such aids and wisdom are provided by God for our healing (Luke 5:31), but what the modern world so clearly shows is just how easily and readily the perverse and corrupt nature of men can turn what is meant to be for our good (Physics, Chemistry, etc) to devices for abominable evil.

John informs us that this will most certainly be the case when, in the latter days, men will respond to the evil rising from the pit by engaging in 'sorceries' (use of drugs) to 'worship' the demonic via their vain and empty ideologies which are manifest in their supposed pragmatism and wealth, but in truth are entirely wicked.

Which brings us to our present situation.

In 2020 we witnessed the deployment of a particular global 'solution' to a virus - an MRNA vaccine that was entirely new and revolutionary in the manner in which it would remedy the problem. Urgency to deal with the threat allowed this to then become deployed whilst by-passing many of the standard requirements for such a medication, and it wasn't long before this began to raise questions and then concerns amongst those who work at some of the highest levels in their scientific fields.

The situation, in medical terms, has not changed since the data collated from the early outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship back in March last year - those who are vulnerable to death from the virus are, generally, over 70 years of age and commonly suffering from other ailments which marry to the infection and bring death. People under that age who are generally fit and in good health may suffer a weak or severe infection, somewhat akin to flu, but in most cases, this will not kill them, and will bring immunity to further outbreaks. The variations we have seen may be more adept at spreading themselves, but they are presently bringing essentially the same results.

The response from Governments has been to deploy vaccination, not only to the most at risk sections of the population, but to ALL adults (and, it would appear, on to children as well). This is in spite of the fact that there are clearly large swathes of people who have already been infected and survived, and that there is also a number who already have natural immunity, so why take this route?

The funnelling of everybody into a single track through fear and manipulation has been telling  -this approach is not accidental. Media has been quick to shut down any and all dissenting voices, however clear and informed they may have been, to allow only one appropriate response - one option of treatment and cure - to be allowed amongst us. This, clearly, is to facilitate big business and stimulate huge profits for the pharmaceutical industry. It all comes at the expense of personal freedom.

These last few months have brought evidence of blood clotting, heart inflammation, possible fertility troubles and deaths in respect to our new vaccines in small numbers of cases (not to mention a 40% drop in efficacy noted in Israel this past week), and that is just in the short-term. What will the long-term consequences of having vast parts of the world receiving such a measure be? It is currently impossible to say as no research exists to support any claims, but judging by the growing issues already evidenced, there are clearly going to be concerns at the very least, especially as this 'new' method is employed in other ways (such as flu vaccinations).

In his book That Hideous Strength, Melvin Tinker writes to inform the church that the 'barbarians' (those who are seeking to actively promote and employ an anti-christian approach to the panacea of life) are not only at the gates - they are 'inside the city' and have pillaged and raped our culture of its Christian presuppositions.

What should trouble us most about the present crisis is not only the global employment of an inadequately tested vaccine, but the beliefs, intentions and ambitions which have fuelled and allowed such a response to become mainstream. The Church especially should be seeking here to 'prove all things, and to hold fast to that which is good' (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

The Lord alone is our help, our health and our salvation (Psalm 27:1) - he grants us what is necessary to live well and with purpose, employing His gifts rightly. That is the manner of wisdom we require right now - see the dangers, and walk closely with God.

Let us desire, seek and pursue to be such a people.

D O N 'T

"O you foolish Galatians - who has bewitched you?"

Paul - Galatians 3:1.

I'd only been on the bus for a minute when the nature of the problem appeared - a long (and lengthening fast) line of traffic snaking past a cordoned area of road where the accident had happened. "We'll be here for a long time", I thought, but then, the bus suddenly veered down a side road to take us past the queue. We arrived at the opposite side... to discover we'd dodged a secondary problem - all the traffic lights on the roundabout were also out, meaning the entire flow of some six roads on to the spot was a free for all.

I found myself really thankful for a driver who knew what he was doing.

The above event from today is a great analogy for the last 15 months.

We've been 'stuck in traffic' - fear, intimidation and inaccuracy. Our Mainstream Media simply isn't talking about what all of us need to know.

It's lead us to the point where something like this could be prayed in church this previous Sunday (as being the norm):

"Help us play our part (in dealing with the virus) by continuing to exercise caution, but also to overcome any fear, by facing up to the reality that if we seriously commit to becoming doubly vaccinated, we make ourselves and others safer".

In a week when Israel has reported a 40% drop in efficacy in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, seeing hundreds "doubly vaccinated" returning for help, does this 'serious commitment' really give us comfort or aid?

In a week when the UK has now released the same warning as the FDA in America about these vaccines, that they can be responsible for heart inflammation and may cause permanent damage, how does such 'devices' as "dubious at best' vaccinations bring an end to suffering and fear?

Just take a look at this graph, based on the latest ZOE data:

Notice that after a steady rise in infections amongst the non-vaccinated in the country the last few weeks have seen this level off, but the level of re-infection amongst the 'properly vaccinated' is steadily increasing. How can this be happening if the vaccines are such an effective answer?

Ignorance is everywhere.

I had another great example of this on You Tube this week. Someone sought to throw a BMJ reference at me concerning the efficacy of the incredibly safe, Nobel-prize winning drug, Ivermectin. Totally ignoring the results of some 60 trials of this drug's effectiveness in numerous locations across the world, the writer thought one word from the 'mainstream' was enough to silence any favourable research! That exact lie was broadcast again by the BBC today.

It's so past time that we were accurately told the truth on the issues of policies like lockdown's, masks and PCR tests.

So, where IS the "church" in all this? Well. according to Justin Welby and associates (Bishops), the focus now has to be folding the current focus of parishes in favour of a new project. As in the pandemic, the focus of 'ministry' will not lye with those who are currently "flocked", but in the multitudes they are aiming to attract who in turn will become, effectively, cult "programmers" to bring in multitudes more. The problem, of course, is that Jesus isn't all about numbers, but seeing disciples in this life who really know Him and God's astounding grace in sending Him to and for us.

This is clearly Anglicanism's part in the "Great Reset" - to set the church to becoming a proselytisation factory.

What angers me the most about all of this is last year, when I sought to express my concerns about where all this (the crisis) was going, I was told I was being "too political" in my worries and expressions, and yet here is the 'church', professing government policy as the 'safe haven' for it congregants, and watching as the church itself becomes hobbled into one single program.

We have entirely lost the plot.

"Amusements"

 "But perhaps the most important thing of all from the modern agents of propaganda is cinema... leading to almost world-wide uniformity. The great majority of the young in modern civilisation derive almost their ideas of love, honour, ambition and priorities (clothing and the like) from the evenings spent in what Hollywood defines for them as good. I doubt whether all the messages of churches or the hours spent in education combined have anywhere near as much influence as the visual media on the minds of  the young. The producers of such content are the high priests of a new religion.

(One) result is the defects of our new system are only noticed by a very few who are willing to spend their leisure time in pursuits other than amusements - these are, of course, a small minority and are, therefore, negligible".

Bertrand Russell - The Scientific Approach.

"We are not ignorant of his (the Devil's) devices".

The Apostle Paul.

Some years ago, I was required to attend a training course at a prior job on the subject of developing personal confidence at the workplace. Most of the course was pretty straightforward, but the focus of the final session was to be a teaching of the techniques of visualisation, in order to bring about 'inner health and healing'. Thankfully, I'd read up on this a few years before and how it had been tragically employed in the church as a technique to bring prosperity and positive mental attitude, and it was clear the it's roots were far from Christian.

I sat the session out, but wasn't surprised when one of those participating had a very adverse response as certain painful memories were encouraged to be brought to the surface. 

When the course was finished, I expressed my concerns to management, and an enquiry decided that such a technique shouldn't be used in future. I also had a candid discussion with the tutor, and wasn't surprised to discover that she had a active interest in the occult and had learned this particular technique from various esoteric sources she'd read and encountered.

The truth is, very little in this life really leaves us 'passive'. Sure, passivity is a "nice" avenue to implement in scenarios like the one I've just outlined (if you have certain goals in mind), but all it actually does is lower our defences to allow things to just 'flow' right on in and take us into a supposed 'wonderland' without responsibility.

I learned in my teens, through a doorway opened by engaging with Yoga, just how dangerous such passiveness can be.

It's easy for us to look at Bertrand Russell's observations above and seek to by-pass what they're really saying (and this is from someone who loves movies), but if we miss 'the wood from the trees' here, we're in real trouble. 

Hollywood wants us to believe (as does You Tube, Facebook and the like) that it really doesn't have an ideology - at least one that's going to cause you any harm - but that's a total lie, and one we neglect at our peril.

So, here's the big test - what do you do when someone comes along with some measure of 'authority' (acceptance) and asks you to do something, to participate in something, that they promise is for your good? Do you just go along with what's said, or do you say you want to spend time looking at what's being offered in a more objective fashion? Do you, in other words, just jump at something because it sounds good, or do you thoroughly weigh up what's there?

A film or show can allow an  'escape' for a while, but is there more going on with what we're investing our time and money into than just straightforward amusement?

The telling consequence is how such engagement shapes our behaviour, modifies our thinking to condone or at least accept certain "norms" as acceptable, even good, when we know they're actually seriously harmful in respect to distancing us from God's good intents and purposes. Over time, they can subtly shift our beliefs and desires to drive us along by something distant to God's radiant righteousness evident in Christ Jesus.We should never forget that there's a big part of us - the old Adam - which is entirely on board with that kind of departure!

The test here isn't just with respect to the things that are blindingly obvious - being promiscuous in respect to what we eat, indulge or who we are intimate with - the lies, remember, are usually coming down from those in authority, who are merely using various means (be it Amazon, Netflix or even the health service) to employ what they have devised as 'good' for you.

All of this, then, can be poison, and we need to handle what's going on around us right now with a very great deal of care, for there are real dangers here.

Conformity, of course, doesn't have to be just a 'positive' scenario. Back in the late 1930's, as the world was rushing towards the nightmare that was a global war, an American radio company based in New York decided to perform a contemporary rendition of H G Wells' novel, the War of the Worlds. The broadcast was so convincing that before the players had concluded the first act, parts of the country had been brought to chaos through the fear it had generated that an actual invasion was taking place. In like fashion in the same city, there was a total loss of power for some 13 hours in 1965, resulting in looting and chaos amongst some 80,000 people there, and some 3 million in the entire affected region.

Like a drowning man, fear drives us to grasp for answers, and if they are wrapped in the oh so familiar wrapping of modern 'science' (technology or medicine), we welcome them with open arms... and omit to stop, to examine, to reflect.

The church has chosen to built its position in the current crisis right here - no deep reflections by the majority of leaders or parishioners - the many years of 'hearing' what is being stated about what's best by the 'entertainers' have soaked in, and now, we are merely on board with whatever's passed down, even if it means seriously impeding what the church is actually meant to be about.

So, to draw a few conclusions...

Life is, generally speaking, a minefield.

Look at the troubles any saint worth their salt had to navigate in respect to external (worldly) and internal (church) matters, and you'll see the same truth over and over again - life is presently riddled with dangers, that, upon contact, explode and cause us real and often terrible damage.

We cannot escape these troubles (Jesus promised they'd be there), but we can seek to engage with them with wisdom and discernment, caring for ourselves and others as we do so.

The problems truly become endemic when we fail to give the measure of consideration essential to de-fusing what's before us, so we can escape the collateral damage. Negligence results in severance and suffering.

Much of the present situation is saturated with fear, and much of what has been done has been implemented and worked through on the basis of that condition. This is a cycle that needs to be broken, and Christians, who understand that life is about a perfect love that expels such paralysis need to be first in line to show that there is a way out of this current nightmare - that neither life or death, or things present or things to come, or peril, or nakedness or sword can ever sever us from the magnificence of the love that has been so bountifully lavished upon us by our Heavenly Father in the giving of Christ Jesus.

The world so deeply needs that mercy right now.

Right...

 "Common Sense addressed to the inhabitants of America" on a range of subjects was the document that crystallised all the ferment and angst that had been justifiably rising for several years amongst the new world colonists who found themselves being arbitrarily subjugated to assumptions that left them defined as surfs and not people with dignity.

The rule of law, in effect, was subjected to a range of new requirements that left the people burdened with demands that were far above and beyond the rights and agreements established between the accepted authorities in England and those expected to live by these beyond those shores.

As Douglas Wilson points out in this informative reflection on the American struggle for independence, this wasn't a revolt - it was a break with tyranny, and it was entirely different in tone and intent to the French Revolution because of that.

The 1700's show us that when men are placed in a constant state of despotic control (as had been the case with the English under various Stuart Kings), then the moment will come when they, to break injustice, will rise against this.

The events and results witnessed in America's struggle to retain the freedoms that had been given and then abused by the British are truly worth considering in this present moment. They speak so well not only to what transpired at that time, but the social and political undercurrents now at play amongst us.