The Ransom Was Paid

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son,that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Mark 19:45)

"...you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Only God knows exactly the full price of the ransom that was paid....

On the one hand, Christ paying the ransom price to liberate us from enslavement to sin, Satan, and death (which is the heart of the gospel) is the ugliest, most obscene act ever committed. The infinitely pure, precious, and morally beautiful Lord of glory was brutally beaten and shamefully murdered--and that is just the tip if the iceberg, as we shall see.On the other hand, the self-humiliation involved in this Ransom was the most beautiful act of love ever committed.

Some folks have this notion that Jesus was the one who persuaded the reluctant Father to "let" Him come and  save us.You know, the "mean/vengeful" God the Father of the Old Testament..... No! Who sent the Son? According to John 3:16 the Father did! "God (the Father) so loved the world  that He SENT..."

In John 17,  from eternity past, God the Father and God the Son joyfully agreed between them that the Father would give the Son a gift......a gift the Lord Jesus eagerly anticipated--A Bride!

But "curious" gift....His Son would have to pay for it...and what a price indeed.(Please see vvs 2,6,9,12 for wonderful truth of the Father giving the Son a gift!)

They agreed that Jesus would pay the ransom for those who hated them. This is holy ground upon which we now stand, and I pray for the words to express such indescribability.

Ransom, as defined in my dictionary, "something paid or demanded for the freedom of a captured person...to free from captivity or punishment by paying a price." The Exodus from enslavement in Egypt is a picture of the Greater Exodus--where the ransom is paid to liberate us from bondage to sin, Satan, and death.

Scripture repeatedly speaks of us being sold into slavery to sin, Satan, and death. Starting in Genesis 3 (where all 3 are introduced) to Revelation, we see God dealing with that triad of captors, and overcoming all three.

Before we talk about WHAT was paid, let us look for a moment to WHOM the ransom was paid. A number of early church fathers, and up through the medieval times, many thought that the ransom was paid by God to Satan.  The so-called "Ransom to Satan theory of the atonement", was based on the notion that the death of Christ constituted a ransom paid to Satan, in order to cancel the just claims Satan had on man.

How awful!! Thankfully, Anselm and others saw how incongruous this notion was with the bible and the nature of God. The clarity of thinking and teaching of Luther and Calvin rediscovered the pure gospel after the gospel itself was in chains for 1,000 years. Satan was to be pummeled, not paid, in this grandest of ransoms.God is the Creator of the entire cosmos and its owner and sustainer. God, not the Evil One, is the aggrieved party, who owns all...and God is the One that we have committed cosmic treason against.

That God did not provide a ransom for fallen angels, as He has for fallen humans, surely indicates that His redemption of us was/is entirely of grace and mercy (grace--receiving what we do not deserve,  mercy--NOT receiving what we do deserve, eternal damnation) Both God's love and justice are at the heart of His ransom of us. In .Deuteronomy 9 Yahweh reminds us that His choosing of Israel was entirely gracious. And He loves us, not because of any good He saw in us (we were  His enemies Rom. 5:8)) but because He chose to love us. Why? Because He loves us. Why? Because He freely chose to love us....we cannot go back any further! We can only bow before the Lord in worship.

However, once the Holy Lord freely chose to redeem and save us,He faced a divine dilemma  His nature NECESSITATED the shedding of His infinitely precious blood. That is, I say with respect, God was faced with a dilemma--He is all-powerful but that does not mean He can do everything. He cannot just wink at sin. His perfectly holy nature  made the atonement absolutely necessary...there was no other way. Don't you think He would have done so if it were possible, given the horror and dread Jesus felt in the garden, in anticipation of the unspeakable horror of the cross?.

Perhaps you have heard the phrase, "a kings ransom."  Simply a colorful way of referring to a whole lot of money! But suppose a king had been taken hostage. The more power, authority, and dignity the person has, then the higher will be the ransom price for his release. Thus, a kings ransom is required to pay the ransom of a king. Jesus is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords...the God/man.We sinned against the King of Kings, and the blood of goats and bulls would not suffice.

THE RANSOM WAS PAID FOR US, and it WAS PAID BY GOD, AND IT WAS PAID TO GOD.  He wrote the check to Himself, as it were. What does that mean? In order to free us from bondage, He had to pay the penalty FOR US....TO GOD.  .Jesus' life, death, resurrection and ascension paid the ransom, which He did not owe, and which we could not pay.

What kind of "currency" did God use to ransom us?

1. Jesus lived a perfect life FOR US...He paid the ransom by earning heaven for us.

2. He paid the ransom by taking our sins upon Himself

3. The most costly aspect of the cross/ransom is what is often misunderstood the most....the primary ransom that had to be paid was the punishment for all the sins committed by all of God's people. While on the cross bearing our sin, the unmitigated wrath of the Father was poured out upon His dearly beloved Son. Human language is inadequate to adequately covey the cursed, hellish misery Jesus experienced FOR US, as our substitute. He paid in currency we shall never fully understand.

The Father punishing the Son to satisfy the demands of His holy character and holy law, is known as "propitiation"...a word every Christian should know. hilasterion--in the Greek, conveys this pacifying of God's wrath by pouring it out upon His Son. Remember it is TO GOD that our ransom must be paid--He was the party offended against, and we became slaves. We could put the propitiation, and how it relates to our ransom, this way...

God Himself, punishing Himself, in order to save us from Himself. (That is the heart of the ransom paid for us)

The cross saved us from many things--GOD'S WRATH BEING THE WORSE.

God Almighty could not have given anything more precious or costly to Himself, than what He did give, in the propitiatory death of the Lord of Glory. He gave His Son to be a "burnt offering"..He gave EVERYTHING....paid the ultimate king's ransom.

The ransom was exceedingly high...infinitely higher than any ransom ever paid by man. Captivity to sin, Satan, and death was paid for by the infinitely precious blood of the Lamb of God. The true price that was paid is known only to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

That is crux of why we must confront and oppose this notion of ghosts.The captors were specifically targeted.(sin, Satan, and death)...then the full ransom price was paid.--FOR EACH OF GOD'S CHILDREN. Is it not unthinkable that after the Lord paid such a high ransom to defeat death, we turn around and act as if nothing had happened? Death is supposed to usher us into the  immediate presence of God--that was the intention in  paying the ransom...that we would be reconciled with God.

"...through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver those who fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery." (Heb. 2:14-15)

"Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:14)

"The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (1 Cor. 15:26)

Physical death is the common lot for believers too, but it is transformed from being the "king of terrors" into being the gateway into the presence and rest of God. Physical death is abnormal, as it is the result of the fall. Like sin and Satan, believers still have to struggle with it, but as we breathe our last breath, we are done with the presence of sin, Satan and death. What God intended to be anticipated as the hope of certain reunion with Him, has been corrupted into an ongoing monster...as if the ransom had never been paid. What a wretched idea this notion of ghosts is. It belittles and denies the blood soaked Ransomer and His infinitely precious Ransom.

You've heard the truism, "You get what you pay for." The blood of Jesus is infinitely precious. Thus, we have throughout the bible, the centrality and certainty of hope. However, the notion of ghosts is a hope-killer.It belittles the heart of the gospel itself. It is a negation of the perfection of the Atoner and the atonement.

What will it take for us to take notice and make a stand? It was the realization of how "trapped spirits" threw into doubt the perfection of the atonement (the ransom did not accomplish our liberation from death) that, more than anything else, opened my eyes to how seriously dangerous this notion is...and how grievous it must be to the Holy Spirit--and why we must confront it. Thank you Lord for paying the ransom to free us from bondage to sin, Satan, and the grave.

"Seeing Ghosts through God's Eyes" (also in a Kindle edition)...please consider purchasing my book which uses science, logic, and the bible to analyze the true source of power behind paranormal activity.

Dalai Lama on Buddhist Teachings Related to the Eight Verses for Training the Mind

Copenhagen, Denmark, 12 February 2015 - A group of Danish Parliamentarians representing all eight parties present in parliament were the focus of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s first meeting this morning. He greeted them saying:

“In 1973, as I was about to set out on my first trip to Europe, the BBC correspondent Mark Tully asked me why I was going and I told him that although I was a refugee I considered myself a citizen of the world. I have a commitment to promoting human values such as love and compassion, which rather than money or power, are the real source of peace of mind. Looking inward brings inner strength and self-confidence, which enables us to work transparently, openly and honestly.”

Remarking that all human brothers and sisters want to live a happy life he teased the parliamentarians that they seemed to be human too. As a Buddhist monk he is aware of religious traditions’ common aim to help and serve humanity, which is why he seeks to foster harmony between them. He told the group that he is now fully retired with no political responsibilities regarding Tibet.

“I appreciate your support and your concern for human rights in Tibet and elsewhere in the world.”

With regard to his homeland, His Holiness expressed concern for the ecology of the Tibetan plateau, labelled by one Chinese ecologist, the Third Pole. Asia’s major rivers rise in Tibet affecting the lives of 1 billion people downstream. He hoped the parliamentarians would support experts making an objective assessment of the current ecological situation there. He also expressed concern for the well-being of Tibetan culture, which, as a culture of peace and compassion, is something China also needs. He recalled a meeting with Chinese writers and intellectuals who told him that moral standards in China were lower than they had been for 5000 years. Xi Jinping recently mentioned in Paris and New Delhi the important role Buddhism has to play in reviving Chinese culture.

Finally, he said, India and China, the world’s two most populated nations, are neighbours. As long as China views Tibetans with suspicion she will continue to station large numbers of troops there. These troops are a source of apprehension on the Indian side. Therefore, normalizing the situation in Tibet has a bearing on peace in the region.

Asked what Denmark and the EU can do to support self-determination in Tibet, His Holiness told the parliamentarians that China is increasingly important economically and militarily. There is no point trying to isolate her. Reach out, make friends, overcome her suspicions, he said, remarking that this is true of Russia too. He reiterated his judgement that censorship is wrong, that the Chinese judiciary needs to be raised to international standards, because at present no one represents the peasant farmers.

When one member of the group voiced the paradox that His Holiness counselled them to reduce Chinese suspicions and yet merely meeting with him might stoke them, His Holiness replied:

“You can report what we discussed about the environment, that we are not seeking independence, that what we seek for Tibetans are the rights already provided for in the Chinese constitution. Don’t worry, we’ve had relations with the Chinese for more than 2000 years and I’ve been dealing with them since the 1950s.”

Reaching the teaching hall once more, His Holiness greeted the crowd:

“Good morning everybody, I hope you all got enough sleep. Today, we’ll go through an introduction to Buddhism and in the afternoon I’ll read the ‘Eight Verses for Training the Mind’.”

Teaching largely in English, His Holiness said the common message of all religious traditions is love, compassion, tolerance and self-discipline, despite their different philosophical views. In answer to the question ‘What is the Dharma? What’s its purpose?’ he said it is what saves and protects us from suffering. This applies to the Samkhyas, Jains and Buddhists who have no belief in a creator and the Zoroastrians, Hindus, Jews, Christians, and Muslims who do. They hold different philosophical views because people have different dispositions. They provide different ways to strengthen and approach the practice of love.

His Holiness mentioned that one of the ways he expresses his respect for these religious traditions is, whenever he can, to visit their sacred places as a pilgrim. In such a spirit he has visited Lourdes, Jerusalem and Fatima.

He also remains concerned for the 1 billion people who assert they have no faith, belief or interest in religion. He feels they are human beings, who also wish to be happy and so need to know about inner values like love and compassion. Drawing on Indian tradition, he suggests that education can incorporate secular ethics on the basis of common sense, common experience and scientific findings.

Turning to the origins of Tibetan Buddhism, His Holiness explained that the powerful Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo had married a Nepalese princess and a Chinese princess. Both brought statues of the Buddha with them to Tibet, which sparked an interest in Buddhism. A subsequent Emperor Trisong Deutsan invited a top scholar from India’s Nalanda University to come to Tibet to teach and despite his advanced years, Shantarakshita agreed. He came and taught logic and philosophy as well as monastic discipline.

His Holiness explained that the basic structure of the Buddha’s teaching can be found in the instructions about the Four Noble Truths and the 37 Factors of Enlightenment, which are common to both the Pali and Sanskrit traditions. The 37 Factors include the 4 foundations of mindfulness, the 4 supreme efforts, the 4 means to accomplishment, the 5 strengths, the 5 faculties and the Noble Eightfold Path. He then went to some lengths to explain the Four Noble Truths with their 16 attributes.

Of the Four Truths, suffering, origin, cessation and path, the Buddha advised - know suffering, overcome its origin, achieve cessation and cultivate the path. Within that context the four characteristics or attributes of suffering are impermanence, suffering, emptiness and selflessness. The four characteristics of the origin of suffering are causes, origin, strong production and condition. The four characteristics that refer to cessation are cessation, pacification, being superb and definite emergence, while the four characteristics that refer to the path are path, awareness, achievement and deliverance. Studying these attributes contributes to wisdom, which is in contrast to the observation that the source of this body we have now is ignorance.

Corresponding to wisdom is altruism of which Shantideva advised:

Whatever joy there is in this world

All comes from desiring others to be happy,

And whatever suffering there is in this world

All comes from desiring myself to be happy.

His Holiness mentioned that the author of the ‘Eight Verses for Training the Mind’ Geshe Langri Thangpa was a disciple of the Kadampa Geshe Potowa and lived 1054-1123. He said he memorized the verses when he was young and recites and thinks about them every day.

The first verse shows that all the good things we achieve, higher rebirth, liberation or enlightenment, come about in reliance on other sentient beings. The second advises us to regard others as higher than us. His Holiness gave the example of comparing ourselves to an insect. It may be small and we may have the larger brain, but we can use our brain for extremely destructive purposes which the insect will never do, which makes us lower. Hatred, anger, and other destructive emotions arise in relation to self-centredness.

The third verse shows that whereas selfishness is harmful, altruism is mutually beneficial. However, in our daily lives we are habituated to the influence of destructive emotions. We need to tackle them so that when anger is about to arise, we pay attention and put a stop to it. The fourth verse advises that we view ourselves as the lowest, but that does not mean we should be demoralized. In combating self-centredness we need courage and confidence. What it does mean is that we should not look down on people like criminals, lepers or AIDs patients.

Verses five and six tell us that when someone criticizes us we should maintain compassion for them. We accept all the blame that falls on them and give them the victory. Similarly when those we have helped turn against us, we should be grateful to them for teaching us patience and compassion. The seventh verse sums up the method for offering benefit and joy to others. Verse eight, concerned with wisdom, tells us that although things appear to exist independently, in actual fact they don’t. When we realize this we’ll see them as like a mirage or illusion. In reference to this His Holiness remarked that when people ask him where to start to understand emptiness, he recommends they study Quantum Physics.

His Holiness recommended those who were interested in what he had taught to read the books of other great Indian Buddhist masters.

“Read them again and again. Read them and think about what you’ve read. If you are interested in the Nalanda tradition, study steadily and change will come. Study and think but don’t set yourself unrealistic expectations. Good night.”

On behalf of the several organizers Lakha Lama Rinpoche thanked His Holiness for coming and for teaching. He thanked the translators for scrupulously rendering the teaching into Danish and English and thanked all the volunteers for enabling the occasion to take place. The hall filled with warm and respectful applause.

Tomorrow, His Holiness will travel back to India.

Original link with photos: http://dalailama.com/news/post/1240-buddhist-teachings-related-to-the-eight-verses-for-training-the-mind

Demons vs. You -- You Don't Stand a Chance, Part 5

Continued from: 
Demons vs. You -- You Don't Stand a Chance, Part 1

Demons vs. You -- You Don't Stand a Chance, Part 2

Demons vs. You -- You Don't Stand a Chance, Part 3

Demons vs. You -- You Don't Stand a Chance, Part 4


Continuation of this 5 part series blog I will cover and inform all of the readers on an important aspect in the realm of spiritual warfare.  In this fifth part I continue this discussion regarding why you don’t stand a chance against a demon.  

Learning to walk righteously with God is a challenge for many people.  This can be a great fear for many people as they feel that they will truly fall short of what God expects them to be.  However, everyone has their own set of secret fears.  Thus demons know all about each of us and the fears that scare us.  They would love to use these fears against you, but the Holy Spirit will block them from doing so when you are walking righteous with God.  

Maybe they’ll get to harass you, one or two of them, but the Holy Spirit will protect you from being hit in some theological area that God knows you’re totally defenseless in.  Hence it is vital that we grow into seeing just how protective the Holy Spirit is over us.  God’s Spirit is always shielding us from 99% of what demons want to do against us. The Holy Spirit never entirely drops its guard even though as humans we drop our guard.  

Sometimes it may feel as though the Holy Spirit dropped off or away from you when a person comes under attack.  This is because even a small dose of demons is very overwhelming to feeble humans as we are nothing more than an infant in the middle of a busy highway.  God knows this about our characteristics and thus offers a shield of protection for us to hide behind called the Holy Spirit.

A good comparison about demons is to view them as powerful military tanks, like the M1 Abrams tanks used by the United States government to penetrate defensive lines of an adversary.  We humans however are like newborn kittens who are blind and defenseless, lying directly in the path of these massive tanks.  That just doesn’t seem like a fair fight because God didn’t set it up to be.  When God allowed demons to invade our world, God knew how vulnerable we were and hence God also took up the job of constantly protecting us by sending forth the Holy Spirit.

Therefore the Holy Spirit places a seal upon those who are called to Christ.  They are sealed from the attacks of the demons.  This proper sealing occurs after the tests from God have been fulfilled.  For it is written in Romans 8:16 “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”  This places a seal upon us by God that we are his.  This is a reason why the demons want to attack those who are called and sealed by God.  However, those who are not sealed by the Holy Spirit are not of Christ and do not receive the same protection.  

As God calls himself our shield and refuge time and time again in scripture.  God wants this figure of speech to really sink into us. God is our shield, and there is no power in heaven or earth that can get past Him to harm us.  It is God who wants us to know that we are His dearly loved creations who can depend on God to always be with us.  However, it is those who turn from their wicked ways that get the V.I.P. treatment from the Holy Spirit when we chose to walk in righteousness.


Too many people feel they are safe without relying upon God.  As a matter of fact they feel so safe that they truly have nothing to fear, including demons.  These people use the excuse of a “loving God” would not allow this to occur, when the sad truth is exactly that God does allow those demons to attack.  However, those who are called to Christ realize they will be tested by demons, but come under this divine grace.  

The key is the demons are not allowed touch us without permission from God.  Whatever God lets the demons achieve is guaranteed to reap a spiritual harvest down the line if we are willing to trust Him.  In my previous blogs I have stated that the demons must acquire permission from God to do this.  Thus when God removes his permission of attacking his children they must obey and failure to do so has grave consequences upon the demons by the Holy Spirit.

Hence learning from the teacher to view all demonic attacks as an opportunity to grow in the faith and to learn something from our glorious Teacher, the Holy Spirit.  In the midst of the demonic harassment, you must defend yourself by focusing intently upon God and absorbing every crux of wisdom the Holy Spirit gives us.  

We are to never venture beyond the protective boundaries of the Holy Spirit.  For the demons are terrifying and in an instant will overwhelm you.  Therefore you are to never try to start fights with them and you must stay far away from their strongholds on this earth.  As a reminder “Resist the devil and he will flee” but a better understanding is “Resist sin and the devil will flee”. 

Realize that you are totally outmatched by them and that they are totally outmatched by the Holy Spirit.  Learn to recognize God's involvement in both starting and ending a spiritual battle. Never view yourself as independent warrior or you will get far more than you bargained for.  See yourself as a little child who needs stay hidden in the safety of the protective embrace which God offers through the Holy Spirit.  Albeit you must practice focusing on God and what his great strength is about instead of thinking about ourselves. 

Learn to trust that God won’t let us be harassed one second longer than is spiritually beneficial for us to grow and learn.  Understand it is God who drives demons away from us, thus give glory to Him alone, not to angels, not to human prayer warriors or to our own faith.  We are nothing apart from God except infants on a busy highway filled with demons.

I pray this blog has been beneficial for you to grow spiritually as well as giving you a more logical approach to demons as well as spiritual warfare in which you don’t stand a chance…..

Rev. Bradley Luoma

Slender Man Epidemic

I said this would happen and it severely pains me to be right. There is so much evil in this world especially on the internet. People please be careful what you let your children do and see online. Satan was dancing over this. Two 12 year old teens kill friend as a sacrifice to " Slender Man". Who is Slender Man you wonder? (If you haven't heard) the following is from one of the many websites discussing this..

Abcnews.com reports "WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors say two 12-year-old southeastern Wisconsin girls stabbed their 12-year-old friend nearly to death in the wood to please a mythological creature they learned about online.

Both girls were charged as adults with first-degree attempted homicide Monday in Waukesha County Circuit Court; they each face up to 60 years in prison if convicted. A court commissioner set bail at $500,000 cash per child. According to a criminal complaint, the girls had been planning to kill their friend for months and finally made the attempt in a park on Saturday morning, after a slumber party.

One of the girls told a detective they were trying to become "proxies" of Slender Man, a mythological demon-like character they learned about on creepypasta.wikia.com, a website about horror stories and legends. They planned to run away to the demon's forest mansion after the slaying, the complaint said.

"I recognize their young ages but it's still unbelievable," Court Commissioner Thomas Pieper said during one of the girls' initial court appearances Monday.

The victim suffered 19 stab wounds; one missed a major artery near her heart by a millimeter, doctors told police. She was in stable condition Monday. The court documents did not provide her name.

Wow...just wow! This is disturbing. I really do not like the darkness Christ allows me to be privy to however, it's for a reason. I have warned people of this. It takes very little to open demonic doors and in this case that is proven. I truly believe no matter how false something might be, given enough attention can bring it to life. Almost like validating so much it takes on a life of its own. I can't stress this enough. The following is the warning this creepy pasta wiki website has posted.

"We are not responsible for any nightmares, loss of sleep, or any sort of mental effects you might suffer from reading the stories contained on this site. We here at the Creepypasta Wiki advise against attempting any ritual on this site and are not responsible for any loss of sanity, eternal damnation, hauntings, or imprisonment in alternate dimensions/realities/temporal locations that may occur as a result of a ritual." Seriously? Just fricking messed up highly disturbing a$$ website! Why? Just why?? The following is what they have to say about these recent events. " This is an isolated incident, and does not represent or attribute the Creepypasta community as a whole. This wiki does not endorse or advocate for the killing, worship, and otherwise replication of rituals of fictional works. There is a line of between fiction and reality, and it is up to you to realize where the line is. We are a literature site, not a crazy satanic cult."

There is another attempted stabbing posted that was motivated "so they say" by the Slender Man Meme" but I'm too physically I'll right now to go into this any further. God All Mighty please help us! Seriously, come on...I'm sooooo disgusted at all the excuses I'm hearing for this website being actually healthy. I'm not stating they intend for anyone to ever get hurt but come on. Really?? I'm baffled at the notion it's harmless. Below is more information related to yet another violent "Demonic in nature" attack...

"This time it was a 13-year-old girl in Hamilton County, Ohio who viciously attacked her own mother, slashing her face and stabbing her in the back to "please Slender Man".

"The 13-year-old wrote about and drew demons, and even created an online world for Slender Man in MineCraft."

This incident comes not even a week after "Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, two 12-year-olds from Wisconsin, charged with stabbing classmate 19 times as tribute to Slender Man."

The young Ohio girl was said to have mental issues and lay in wait for her mother. As her mother entered the kitchen of their home, the girl wearing a white mask initiated the attack. She said something about playing a role and obviously wasn't herself, said her mother.

Although shocked, it wasn't as if there were no signs as the girl was obsessed with demons and evil creature which she would write about and draw.

The Wisconson attack supposedly came after Weier and Geyser became fascinated with creepypasta.wikia.com. Actually the word pasta on the internet is often used as another term for the word 'fiction'.


Written By Jennifer Lori Auld

Os Guinness and the American Sniper...The Reality of Evil

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick;who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds." 

(Jeremiah 17:9-10)

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Os Guinness, arguably the world's most gifted Christian cultural analyst, was supposed to speak in Manhattan on 9/11 at a dinner meeting  on the topic of evil.He later wrote a book which I recently read entitled "Unspeakable"(facing up to evil in an age of genocide and terror) It is rich with insights as he himself experienced horrible suffering/evil as a boy in China. After reading his profoundly insightful and intellectual analysis of evil, I then read "American Sniper", which is an existential/visceral expose' on the reality of evil ensconced in Iraq. Today I saw the movie version, and was unnerved, as I was when I finished the book. I see these two books as the flip side of the same coin of evil. Guinness intellectually analyzes it and Kyle reveals evil and attacks it. Both are needed, depending on the circumstances and our calling. The bible speaks with such profound insights into human nature...what it says corresponds to reality on an existential and intellectual level.

Guinness states, "The events of September 11 hit America and the West at large at a time when intellectual and moral responses to evil are weaker, more controversial, and more confused than they have been for centuries. Put simply, we no longer have a shared understanding about whether there is any such thing as evil. Some question whether it is proper to speak of anyone as our ENEMY....the force of the hijacked planes  hit the Western intellectual world as damagingly as it did the World Trade Center." (pg 3)  "Many an evil would have done none of its terrible damage downstream if it had been challenged upstream at its source." (pg 14)

"Understanding, identifying, and resisting evil should be central to the examined life."(pg 14) Or the biblical life as he states later.

According to my concordance there about 450 references to evil in the bible and about 350 references to wicked/ness. There are numerous synonyms and images for evil in the bible, so it is literally riddled with evil. Recognizing the reality of evil and suffering is a crucial component of a biblical worldview. Other worldviews have a supernatural aspect (albeit tainted) but the neo-gnostic worldview which is taking the world by storm is severely deficient when it comes to identifying/dealing with evil. In Eastern thought evil/suffering is merely an illusion, which explains why countries like India have little interest in human rights. In paranormal circles, even the most diabolical displays of demonic activity are often referred to as "negative" or the like. We must challenge this sentimentalizing trend. NOW..before it is too late.

We must realize that the categories of good/bad, right/wrong, wicked/righteous are disappearing from our culturally shared vocabulary, with horrendous and practical effects.
In a section subtitled 'A cause for pause' Guinness raises four troubling facts, which I will only mention, without his brilliant elucidation.

1. The scale and scope of evil has increased in the modern world
2. Modern people have demonstrated a consistently poor response to modern evil
3. Modern people have shown a chronic inability to name and judge evil and to respond effectively ( he notes psychologism, Pollyannaism, postmodernism, and philosophy has recognized its inability to deal effectively with major issues,like distinguishing right from wrong)
4.the worst modern atrocities were perpetrated by secularist regimes, led by secularist intellectuals and in the name of secularist beliefs.

In the book/movie, it was the bombing of the Word Trade Centers that gripped Chris Kyle, a SEAL warrior, and thrust him headlong to fight the "savages" and evil in Iraq, and to protect us.I found it providential that Guinness (who experienced profound evil as a child in China) was equally moved by the horrors of 9/11 that thrust him into a 'fight' to expose the reality of evil, in an evil denying culture.While evil lies serpentine-like in all of our hearts, it becomes ensconced in certain cultures...including our own. A child being taught by his mother that it is right (as civilians) to throw a grenade at those who have come to help them, is an example of evil that has become entrenched in a society. It is still evil...even if mother/son have embraced what they have been taught.The Lord is good and will infallibly deal with mitigating factors..

Let me back up. A few weeks ago I was waiting in line at the Dollar Store and a cashier moaned out loud that some guy had threatened to kill him a few minutes earlier because he was displeased with something or another. Knowing this man from numerous other encounters, I was about to respond when the lady in front of me said, " Well, he must be psychologically imbalanced to say something like that." She repeated her comment 2 more times, as I was turning red. In a muffled voice, I simply said, why do you automatically think he is psychologically imbalanced, when he might just be evil or mean?"

Quick caveat...all of us have cracks in our psyches due to the Fall. Some of my family members have significant emotional issues..some quite serious and debilitating.Many people suffer terribly. However, when this poor man's life was threatened, and this woman's instinctive, persistent analysis was that he "must be psychologically off.." it showed how much we have lost the categories of "right and wrong"..."good and evil" and have replaced them (dismissed) with psychological dislocation. I don't have the time to deal with psychological problems as I would like.

Os Guinness wrote a book which is deeply touching and intellectually compelling. One thing he shows is how different cultures views of evil effect how they treat people. Chris Kyle noticed the same in his own warrior mentality--Christians are taught to love their enemies but many Muslims are taught to kill them. Kyle's first 2 kills were of a child and a mother who were both trying to slaughter 20 Marines with a big, yellow Chinese grenade.Our veterans face especially virulent evil and have to respond with force....often suffering the rest of their lives for protecting us.

Guinness offers three key features to a biblical response to evil and suffering.

1. Acknowledge that evil resides in each of our hearts--this includes both realism and a sense of personal responsibility....which is contrary to mistaken notions today.
2. Forgive evil-doers appropriately, without condoning evil deed. This is not weakness/sentimentalism. Rather it shows that the past is not irreversible. "This is the only hope for breaking the cycle of violence and opening the door to a very practical politics of the second chance."
3. Take a practical stand against evil and injustice, whatever the cost. There are no cookie cutter solutions here."...but the same two maxims shine through all the stories of human goodness in the face of evil:however large or small our influence, however horrendous or ordinary the evil we face, we can at least all answer for ourselves as individual forces of good 'always ready to help' and one-person dissident movements drawing our lines in the sand and announcing resolutely, "But not through me." (evil, that is) (pg 155)

Evil abounds in our daily circumstances but may the Lord shine His goodness through us, and may we (in the face of the ubiquity of evil) say, "But not through me." The gospel is the only hope for mankind, and the civility it should produce in how we differ with others.Nevertheless, overwhelming evil will not respond to appeasement...sometimes it must be met with a sniper rifle. R.I.P. Chris Kyle and God bless the many other veterans who have/are served.

"Seeing Ghosts through God's Eyes" (also in a Kindle edition)...please consider purchasing my book which uses science, logic, and the bible to analyze the true source of power behind paranormal activity.

Tibetans Openly Celebrate Dalai Lama’s Birthday During New Year

Reported by Lhuboom and Chakmo Tso for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Tibetans living in northwestern China’s Sichuan, Qinghai, and Gansu provinces openly celebrated the 80th birth year of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama this week, combining public and private observances with traditional celebrations of Losar, the Lunar New Year, sources said.

At monasteries in Sichuan’s Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) and Golog (Guoluo)Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures, participants placed life-size photos of the Dalai Lama on thrones in the monasteries’ courtyards, made offerings, and recited prayers for his long life, a local source told RFA’s Tibetan Service.

“Those taking part included both monks from the monasteries and laypersons from the local Tibetan community,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“They threw prayer leaflets in the air, conducted fireworks displays, and openly marked the 80th anniversary year of [the Dalai Lama’s] birth,” he said.

Monasteries taking part in the celebrations on Thursday, the first day of the Lunar New Year, included Se,  Nyentse, and Sumdo monasteries in Ngaba, and Jonang Kyada in Golog, sources said.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet into exile in India in the midst of a failed national uprising against Chinese occupation in 1959, and Beijing has repeatedly accused exiled Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, of stoking dissent against its rule ever since.

There was no information about how authorities responded to the celebrations this week.

Displays by Tibetans of the Dalai Lama’s photos or public celebrations of his birthday, which falls on July 6, have been met with harsh punishment in the past. In some cases, Tibetans have been detained for having photos of the Dalai Lama on their mobile phones.

Meanwhile, in Rebgong (Tongren) county in Qinghai’s Malho (Huangnan) prefecture , and in the Kanlho (Gannan) prefecture in Gansu, many observances were held in private homes, RFA’s source said.

“These were held with clear indications that the Tibetans were celebrating not only the New Year but also the anniversary year of [the Dalai Lama’s] birth.”

“This year, the number of Tibetans celebrating Losar is much greater than the numbers who celebrated during the past few years,” he said.

“Monasteries and laypeople in this region of Tibet have the unique tradition of paying special respect to their spiritual teachers when those teachers reach 80 years of age,” he added.

At Jonang Kyada monastery in Golog prefecture’s Chigdril (Jiuzhi) county this week, monks celebrated not only the 80th birth year of the Dalai Lama but also of Khenchen Kunga Sherab, the monastery’s abbot, another source said.

Sporadic demonstrations challenging Chinese rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008, with 136 Tibetans to date setting themselves ablaze to oppose Beijing’s rule and call for the Dalai Lama’s return.

Original link with photos http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/dalailama-02202015151811.html

End Of Times: Vision Of The World's End

Revelations can be a very intimidating book out of all 66 in the bible. Is very difficult to understand...all we can do is pray to God and ask him to reveal to us what he would like us to know.

Now let's discuss the book of Revelations and the end times in general.

This is a summary in the best format I can offer. Or rather bits and pieces so it's not so overwhelming or puts the brain on overload. From my point of view. I am certainly not stating this is it, no o other views are correct. This is just my humble opinion. The name of the book, Revelation, is a translation of the title in the original New Testament Greek, Apocalypsis the origin of the other name by which the book is now known, the Apocalypse. The Greek term denotes an unveiling or uncovering—thus, a revelation. A very interesting title with very interesting events to come as we are warned.

Many ask why was this book written? Well, as I mentioned above, the book's very name means to reveal —to unveil, to open to understanding what otherwise could not be comprehended. Yet most people believe that this final book of the Bible cannot be understood at all, that its language and symbols are too confusing to make sense. I can understand why. It's very intimidating.

The author of the Book of Revelation is John, who is an exile living on the island of Patmos. Many of the early church fathers believe that he was the same person as the apostle John. However, some believe the writing style of Revelation suggests that the two are not in fact the same, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, although it is possible that the author of Revelation was an apostle of John.

The Book of Revelation's apocalyptic and symbolic language has resulted in a vast array of interpretations. The events depicted are often considered to be an illustration of the early Christian persecutions, but the symbolism is also interpreted quite literally, suggesting that the Book is really about the end of the world, and that the events it describes will occur. Some Christians do not accept the Book of Revelation as canonical, and the decision to accept it in the final list of canonical books was highly controversial, according to the article "Meander Travel: Book of Revelation."

The Vision Of The World's End

Revelation is a book written to reveal the future, and Jesus Christ is the One who does the revealing: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place … Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because. of Him” (Revelation 1:1,7).
Here is the theme of Revelation—the time of the end of the age and the return of Jesus Christ to establish God’s Kingdom on earth.

John explains where he was when he received this vision of the end time: “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet” (Revelation 1:9-10).

The Lord’s day (also known as “the day of the Lord” or “the day of Christ” throughout Scripture) is the time of God’s intervention in human affairs when He establishes His Kingdom. (Plainly in this context it does not refer to a particular day of the week for worshipping God. To better understand which day God has set aside for rest and worship, please download or request our free booklet Sunset to Sunset: God’s Sabbath Rest. )
The apostle Paul, referring to this same time, says: “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3).

In another epistle Paul calls it “the day of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:2). The reason is that Jesus Christ, the Lord, intervenes in a powerful way at this time to take over the world. This is why this end-time period is called the Lord’s day.

John’s vision of the Lord’s day begins in Revelation 4: “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne” (verse 2). After describing the scene in heaven, John focuses on a scroll God holds that lists end-time events. “And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals” (Revelation 5:1).

Only Jesus Christ, called the Lamb, is worthy to open the seals and unleash these end-time events. When God the Father determines the time is ready, He authorizes Jesus to initiate the events written on the scroll. They include the terrifying end-time occurrences prophesied throughout the Scriptures to take place during the 3 1⁄2 year period.
The seven seals describe the events before and during Christ’s return to rule the earth. “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels …saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’” (Revelation 5:11-12). Here Jesus Christ is being authorized to unleash the final events and then establish His Kingdom.

The first seal (Revelation 6:1-2) represents widespread deception by a false Christianity that began in the days of the apostles (Matthew 24:4 – 5). The second seal (Revelation 6:3-4) refers to the increasing devastation caused by war as the end approaches (Matthew 24:6-7). The third seal (Revelation 6:5-6) represents increasing hunger and famines (Matthew 24:7). Other consequences of war and famine are represented by the fourth seal (Revelation 6:7-8)—such things as disease, plagues and civil unrest that kill many people (Matthew 24:7).

All of the events in the first four seals have been occurring, with varying frequency and intensity, from Christ’s time to our day. But they have greatly intensified over the last century and will grow even worse in the suffering mankind will have to endure nearer the end.

The fifth seal (Revelation 6:9-11) brings us directly to the time of the end. It acknowledges the past persecution and martyrdom of God’s servants and announces they will have to wait “a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed,” before God avenges their deaths.

In The book of Matthew 24:9 Jesus tells His followers this will be a time when “they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” He also describes it as a time of “great tribulation

THE SIXTH SEAL

The next seal describes how “powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29) after the end-time tribulation and martyrdom of the saints has begun but before God’s wrath is unleashed in “the day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31). These heavenly signs announce the beginning of the Day of the Lord.
Terrifying heavenly signs announce Jesus Christ’s direct intervention in world events to save mankind from itself. This shows that, while God has permitted the previous end-time disasters, Satan has been their driving force. Now God begins to demolish Satan’s kingdom, pouring out His wrath on a rebellious and insolent world.

“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” (Revelation 6:12-17).

Jesus described this sixth sign in His Olivet Prophecy: “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption [rescue] draws near” (Luke 21:25-28).

Consequently, in the latter part of the 3 1⁄2 years of Satan’s wrath, God will intervene, first with signs and wonders in the heavens, then by orchestrating His final punishments before Jesus Christ’s return.

Finally the seventh seal is opened (Revelation 8). It describes seven other aspects of end-time events, each announced with a trumpet blast. In the first four of these plagues God strikes the earth and mankind’s environmental support systems. The fifth trumpet’s plague inflicts great pain on those refusing to serve God. In the sixth trumpet plague, God permits an unimaginably destructive and all-out worldwide war to begin (Revelation 8-9).

With the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the Bible reveals that “the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets” (Revelation 10:7).

This mystery of the end time was briefly alluded to in the Garden of Eden and its meaning glimpsed by the patriarchs and prophets. John writes: “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’” (Revelation 11:15).

God is in control. Every prophetic detail will be carried out according to His time frame.

As Christ concluded His Olivet Prophecy in Luke 21:34-36, He warned His disciples who would live during the end time: “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Please keep in mind you know how this ends. Jesus Christ prevails and satan loses so we should feel a lot of peace and cling to the Father and His Word. It is truth. Satan's time is limited and he knows this. Like I said in my last blog fear is not of God just keep rebuking Satan and his entire Kingdom. They have absolutely no authority over your mind, body, soul and spirit and repeat that daily with authority. Only Jesus Christ resides in you and what you stand for. Just keep Jesus number one in your life and you will be okay my friends. God bless.

Written By Jennifer L Auld