Agabus

We do not know very much about him except that he was one of the saints of the early church (Acts 11). Agabus had the great opportunity afforded to very few men: friendship with Barnabas and the Apostle Paul. It was at Antioch, one of the great cities of the Middle East, even greater than Athens, that we find these three...where Christ's followers were first called “Christians”. Agabus prophesied a famine throughout the world...a lesson to Christians for time and eternity: God does not have a watch, does not own a calender, things prophesied may not happen right away, but they always happen. It was during the reign of Emperor Claudius, about 10 years later (45 AD), that the famine came, giving Christians the opportunity of sharing themselves and their treasure with others.

From that time until this, what would the world be like if it had not been for Christian saints sharing themselves and their treasure around the world? No respectable, honest atheist can deny that it has been the Christian who has made the difference in the world's history. Pitiful if the fulfillment of the world's needs depended on atheists, just imagine what the world would be like if not for Christians? Christians in America send out 90% of the world's missionaries, much of the largess of the world is sent by Christian organizations (denominations, Salvation Army, Roman Catholic Church).

On this side of the Cross, starting in the first century, it was the Christians who retrieved so many thrown-away babies (at a time of Roman decadence and sexual promiscuity, birth control limited to sponges with vinegar, new born babies were just thrown into the streets or under bridges). It was the new Christians who adopted unwanted babies, cared for the needy and the sick.

In America, the Christian church built the early colleges and universities (Harvard, Princeton, Duke, Furman, etc.) the Christian church, particularly the Catholic church, built hospitals in every crossroads...orphanages, nursing homes. It's tragic that with the take-over of the greatest healthcare system in the world, Obamacare will put an end to this system. Most Catholic hospitals will close because God's work and that of Satan cannot mesh. Do you actually expect pro-life Catholic hospitals, with their pro-life professionals and staff to commit murder (abortion and euthanasia)?

As with every aspect of government control, the number is 10 years. The most despicable aspects of government control do not develop over night, it takes about 10 years for it to flourish, to mature in all of it heinous, odious captivation. 10 years, it usually takes 10 years for every legislative paradigm/tragedy to develop. Check it out, TSA, FDA, Homeland Security. In a few months, in September, we will remember 9/11...over 3000 Americans killed in the Trade Center disaster in New York City. As the black woman who worked for me danced around my house, celebrating the tragedy because she so despised the people of New York City—where she had lived for awhile—I predicted that day that the world would be hardly recognizable 10 years later...and so it is, 10 years later, the entire world in economic catastrophe.

10 years is a small notch in the continuous parallel of history, but in these past 10 years since 9/11 we have seen “supposed” intelligent world leaders yield to the ineptness of fear and fear-mongering. The entire Middle East is a cauldron of vindictiveness inflamed through the “oil” of greed. Middle East oil is so valuable because it is near the surface, the Sheiks there became more rich than Midas when oil was less than $5 a barrel. Everywhere one finds a “patch” of oil (Libya, Sudan, Yemen, etc.), “fisticuffs” between the hoarders and traders ensues. There is no greed like the greed for oil profits, unless greased by those of opium poppies such as found in Afghanistan. In 10 years, we have seen Afghanistan become the world's greatest producer of heroin...traffic lines from the poppy fields of the Middle East to the corn fields of western civilization.

In 10 years, we have seen stable, mongrelized tyrannies (Egypt, Tunisia, Iran, Turkey, etc.) turn into bastions of protestations and actual civil war. Religious zealotry used in such places as Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, to whip up contempt for the rest of the world. In the next 10 years we will see famine such as Agabus prophesied for the world at the time of Claudius, just 2000 years ago. It does not take the meltdown of many nuclear reactors, the accumulation of radioactive material on plant life to destroy animal husbandry and agriculture.

I have been amazed, during my long life of world travel, to witness the intelligence of many youngsters. Pray that recent highschool graduates, 17-18 year olds, will get a vision of what is going on in the world. After all, it was from the 7 sons of Jesse that the prophet Samuel picked the youngest, David, a beautiful young boy (1 Samuel 16). At 17, David slew the giant Goliath, at 30 he became King of Israel, still until this day, the greatest leader of Judaism. It was at 17 that Joseph, the least predictable one of Jacob's 12 sons, was prepared to become a great leader. He stood before Pharaoh at the age 30 and gave the plans to save the entire world from starvation (Egypt, at that time, the superpower of the world).

America, like most of the world, has become one large Ponzi scheme. Unprepared for famine, nothing saved for a “rainy day”...disaster, warfare, terrorism, or natural acts of God (earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, drought), where will we turn?

The world, the flesh, the devil has spit in the face of Almighty God, killing his youngest and most innocent through abortion, his oldest and most faithful through euthanasia. The world has shown spite to the decency of marriage, even the sanctity of the church pulpit (homosexual priests and bishops) through the homosexual agenda. It has taken just 10 years for the gay agenda, the Antichrist antics of pluralism, despotism to take-over media, education, political entities. We are bound to have young people, recent high school and college graduates, those from age 17 to 30, who, like other great historic world leaders, are competent enough to dig out the knowledge, and dig into the time required for renaissance.

Maltese Falcon

#663

Malta is located in the Mediterranean Sea, north of Tunisia and south of Sicily. With a population of less than half a million. Like most Mediterranean islands, a place of pastoral beauty. The thing I remember most about Malta, arriving by plane and leaving by ship all the doors on the homes have a unique door knocker.

Malta is best know because the Apostle Paul was ship wrecked there. In 1930, Dashiell Hammett, one of the world's great authors wrote a detective story entitled “Maltese Falcon” The story involves Sam Spade, renowned detective, the detective by which all others are compared, and his experiences on Malta. Since then, movies have been made involving the island.

Malta has come into the news recently with the expose of pedophilia among Catholic priest. Pope Benedict XVI went there last week to quail the storm of antagonism towards Catholicism and to show interest in those affected. St. Malachy (1094 - November 2, 1148), first Irish saint to be canonized, prophesied about the 112 popes of history. Pope Benedict is the 111th pope. St. Malachy had prophesied concerning the 111th pope and an olive branch. It seems the prophecy is correct because the symbol for the Benedictine order of priest is the olive.

A recent lawsuit has unearthed files about 200 deaf boys molested by a Catholic priest in Wisconsin. News reports state that the Bishops had warned the Vatican about this problem. Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI and other Catholic officials tussle over whether the priest in charge should be disciplined or the church protected.

Similar reports have surfaced involving a school for the blind and the pedophilia and molestation by priest in England. Reports have come to the attention of the public from Ireland, Germany, Italy, and France. Like the Apostle Paul, on a ship in the Mediterranean, wrecked on Malta, the Pope and the Catholic Church are wrecked by these reports. Perhaps, on Malta, the Pope, like Paul, will show his ability to be a shepard of the flock.

In this time, in history, when the church, when Christianity is so defiled by the world, the flesh, the devil, it is more important than ever that the Pope, the largest denomination in the world which he represents draws upon the “Pray Power” of Christians around the world to put a hedge of protection around the faith once delivered to the saints. Don't depend on the New York Times or the secular press to defend God's mission for the Christian church or its followers. Without God, you can not know God. Those who know God, know there has always been imposters in the ranks. Jesus had 12 disciples, one of those betrayed him for the price of a hog (20 pieces of silver) With the exception of his mother, one devoted disciple (John the Evangelist) and a few others, all fled at his crucifixion. In 40 A.D., there was few “faithers” around the Mediterranean Sea. Paul was sent to preach to the Gentiles. For those that do not believe in God, the greatest evidence of God's power is the way his church and mission has grown, in spite of Satan, The imposters, even in the church, around the world. There are about 50,000 catholic priest in the catholic church, only a small percentage have been accused of anything. From the beginning, some priest, even popes married but most have been celibate. We know that some priests, like doctors, lawyers, farmers, etc... have not been sexually pure. Even some bishops, popes, and even saints have probably been impure but, God has the power to cleanse all of us from all unrighteousness. Like Naman, we must have the faith to believe in his omnipotence. (2nd Kings 5:11)

We don't need a Maltese Falcon detective, Sam Spade, the New York Times, or anyone else, to tell any believer that unbelievers can always point out hypocrisy. Unbelievers recognize hypocrisy more than they recognize anything else. Unbelievers will never tell anyone, particularly each other about the good that the Catholic church or any other Christian church has done in the world. Think of the universities, hospitals, children's homes, benevolence of every type taken on and carried out by Christians. When was the last time you saw any Atheist group doing anything for anyone? How many Atheist groups went to Haiti after the earthquake... How much money did they give? It is the God inspired, faith groups, around the world, who are always in the forefront. Even though many in the ranks are not perfect, many in the ranks try to hold onto the world with one hand, Christ with the other.

One museum in Florence Italy contains one station, the magnificence of the statue of David by Michelangelo. The most preached, memorized scriptures in God's Word comes from the Psalms of David. David was the first “pizza delivery boy” The Israelites were in battle against the Philistines and the giant, Goliath. The young boy David, son of Jessie, future King of Israel, father of Solomon, went to the front lines to deliver cheese to his brothers. There, the young boy volunteered to go up against Goliath. The nine foot tall giant who had the Israel army cringing in fear. King Sal, chosen king because of his tallness reluctant for David to do anything... “Why shouldn't this young boy go back home?” Sal, seeking to appease the boy, offered to let him use his armor against Goliath. We can realize David's problems with armor of such a tall man. Rather, David using the weapons he knew best, a sling and some stones, felled the giant and with the giants own sword cut off his head. A recommendation to Pope Benedict, the Catholic church, the Christian church and all denominations around the world. There are tall, well financed giants of Atheism waiting and wanting to defy God's church and God's power. Use the weapons with which we are familiar. The weapons on which history through promises and prophecy has taught us are reliable faithfulness, integrity, holiness. We can be giant killers through the greatest power the world has ever known, the very power that put the universe into place, the very power that raised Jesus from the dead, the very power that enabled Jesus to feed thousands from a small boys lunch, Peter to raise a cripple laying at the temple gates for 40 years, the power that has brought Jews back to Israel from all over the world and made this, God's evidence of history the dominate force in all world political activity. Even the “Maltese Falcon” detective could comprehend this. The power of prayer will change anything we know what sex can do, we know what armies can do, we know what the church can do, it is time for us to use our greatest force for good, the power of prayer then we have what God can do.

Heuristic

An unfamiliar word to many persons is the word heuristic. The definition is an adjective for experience-based techniques that help in problem solving, learning and discovery. Using this definition, it could apply to almost anything anyone encounters in daily life, because life, other than being a hectic interlude in an otherwise peaceful non-existent, is certainly a continual experiment with everything around us.

When I consider experimentation, I think of the hands because, as a totally blind person for most of my life, I depend on my hands for everything. I walk with my hands inside the house, I go from place to place just touching familiar objects. Outside, a white cane with one hand, assists with my other senses in guiding me from place to place. Inside, I keep radios on all over the house to help in my direction. Outside, I listen for traffic sounds, wind sounds, even animals such as birds and dogs assist me in my guidance.

Anyone can be successful, when everything in life goes well, in this heuristic experimentation, just by using the senses you have available. It is not difficult to be successful if you are blessed with every fortune, looks, health, wealth, and wisdom. It is when you have been disabled in some manner that your true character shines forth. Erma Bombeck said, “Don't confuse success with celebrity, just think of Madonna and Helen Keller”.

Mahalia Jackson, with her powerful voice is the first Queen of Gospel Music. She recorded about 35 albums (mostly for Columbia Records) during her career, and her 45 rpm records included a dozen "golds"—million-sellers. She experienced every discrimination of a large black woman, that never lessened her Christian faith. Perhaps her greatest, most unforgettable appearance was at the funeral of Martin Luther King. Though totally Christian in everything she did, she was constantly ill. It was said that she did not have the discipline to control her appetite. That her marvelous hands were always putting food in her mouth. Food which she did not need, which only attributed to the many sicknesses and her subsequent death.

Hands are so important when it comes to the healing arts. The “laying on of hands” is as important in the doctors routine as is the spiritual, doctrinal, release. I never had a patient that I did not take their hands in mine as a sign of assurance and interest. How often, I have been to a doctor that never touched me. In talking with visitors, whether in the living room or the dining room, I always take their hand in mine as a sign of love and HEALING. For a female, I will often take her hand and kiss it before I let go. This is not a useless, self-serving gesture, but a genuine attitude of servanthood.

Since 2001, 9/11, the country has been gearing up for a pandemic (remember the anthrax scare). The World Health Organization dancing to the tune of the Bilderberger and Illuminati eugenics crowd, is gearing up for a REDUCTION in population. It is believed that the H1N1 flu scare is the appropriate vehicle. The laboratory armored virus from the 1918 epidemic, plus the recent bird and swine events, has produced a mutation which has the ability to to scare and degrade populations all over the world. As the genetic, engineered modifications in fruits and vegetables (seedless grapes, tomatoes etc.), are drastically harmful to your human body, so the engineered vaccines can be deadly. Particularly when, in the human body, the best mutation medium known to science, an epidemic leading to the quarantine of large sections of populations is entirely possible.

The news media is “indoctrinating” the populous into a syndrome of fear. The first vaccine involved small pox by Edward Jenner. It is believed to have led to more syphilis throughout the world. Guerrilla warfare, whether fighting terrorist or disease, is always an ambush position. We learn the powerlessness and insanity of guerrilla warfare in Vietnam. To see it extended to its incredible verisimilitude in the terrorism warfare of ethnic cleansing and religious imposition in Iraq.

Politicians have suggested that a czar from each nation be appointed in a committee type synthesis to handle this epidemic. As in North Carolina, where the first woman governor appoints blue ribbon committees, aimed at every problem. Politicians need to be reminded that Christ never appointed a committee to do anything, He always called upon a man. A totally yielded man plus God, is always the majority and history has shown that such a man is capable of any feat or fight. Such a man does not get his discipline and devotion out of books, but has an immunity which only comes from spiritual aspirations.

David did not get his bravery, all of a sudden in the mountains on the battle fields as the Israelites faced the giants. David's devotion, willingness and ability, had been gained earlier so that he had no hesitation at all to face the giant Goliath. History books are full of such men, even Holy Scriptures (Hebrews 11). David used smooth rocks and a good sling shot to defeat Goliath. Noah used his hands for 120 years to build an ark that would preserve animal life from the flood. Moses used his hands and a rod to defeat the Egyptian army and lead a Hebrew nation from slavery to earned obedience.

This nation, the patriots who have defend it and who defend it still, having set our course, will not turn back in spite of enemies, foreign and domestic, microbiology, contrived or accidental.