Stability For Our Time

Stability For Our Time http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/ Wisdom Requires Knowledge and Understanding en rhailey@shotsacrossthebow.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-17T00:44:32-05:00 “New Testament” Christians http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/new_testament_christians/ http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/new_testament_christians/
Folks, if you call yourself a New Testament Christian then you are telling yourself a lie. You are deceived and there's no getting around it.

The New Testament is firmly rooted in the Old Testament, and just like a tree, if you cut off the root, the trunk will fall.

There's a bunch of folks running around right now trying to "reinterpret" Jesus Christ. They pay close attention to the New Testament, particularly the recorded words of Jesus, and use that limited scope to prove that Jesus of Nazareth was only a man, and not the Son of God. And by narrowing their focus, they make a pretty strong case. If you neglect all of the prophecy in the Old Testament, the hundreds of verses that predict the time of His birth, His purpose, His career, and His death in exquisite detail, it becomes much easier to discard the miracles Jesus' performed as simple folk tales. It is only when you place Jesus' life in context of Old Testament prophecy that you discover the incontrovertible truth that He is God.

Here's a simple example. We've all heard the story about the Three Wise Men:

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”
9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

There's a lot going on in this story that most of us rarely take the time to appreciate. First of all is a simple but profound question: How did the wise men know what the star represented? Apparently, they read the Scriptures because Numbers 24:17 gives an answer:

I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;

When Herod wanted to know when and where the Messiah would be born, he asked the Pharisees and they quoted the Old Testament, in this case, Micah 5:2

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.

This leads us directly back to the first prophecy in the Bible, Genesis 3:15, which predicts the coming of a Messiah, Jesus Christ, the "seed" of a woman.

The point is that if you remove the prophecy, the birth oif Jesus becomes just another birth, with no significance attached. However, knowledge of the Old Testament, the Scriptures, tells us that the Jews knew where their Savior would come from, and when. IN fact, the knowledge wasn't all that esoteric if wise men from another country knew of it.

Which brings me to a kind of interesting point. How did the wise men from the east know of a Jewish prophecy, and come to take it seriously enough to undertake a long journey to a small town in a backwater country, bringing with them fine gifts? Let's take a look at Daniel 2:48:

Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great o gifts, and made him ruler over the whole p province of Babylon and q chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

There's that phrase, 'wise men' again. What makes this really interesting is that the word magi is a Greek transliteration of a Babylonian word.

And to close the circle, if we look at a map, what country lies directly to the east of Israel?

Babylon.

Was Daniel taken into captivity, then given authority over all the magi of Babylon, just so that hundreds of years later, a group of Magi would recognize the significance of a star appearing in the sky at a precise time?

More importantly for the sake of this discussion, when we understand the prophetic accuracy of the Old Testament, we gain a richer understanding of the nature of Jesus of Nazareth. He was not a random child born on a random day. His birth was foretold in exacting detail centuries beforehand. For this reason alone, the Old Testament is vital if we want to understand Jesus and His message to us.

But there is another, deeper reason...Jesus told us to study the Old Testament.

He told us to study the Scriptures, and those Scriptures are none other than what we call the Old Testament. He told us that the Scriptures were all about Him. He told us that He did not come to replace the Law, but to fulfil the prophecies of the Law. He told us that the Law would stand unchanged and immutable until every bit of it was fulfilled. He quoted frequently from Scripture, using it to teach His disciples. In short, the Old Testament formed the core of His ministry. How then can any of us say that the New Testament is more important than the Old?

It's a deception.

One more proof.

Many New Testament Christians point to the Sermon on the Mount as where Jesus replaces Mosaic Law with the "New Law." They quote Matt 5:38-41:

38 “You have heard that it was said, y ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

They say that Jesus is directly replacing the Law of the Prophets. Oddly, they completely ignore what He said in the very same speech:

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
19 therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven

.

How can we reconcile this seeming contradiction? New Testament Christians just shrug it off. Biblical Christians realize that in His examples, Jesus is not talking about ignoring the Law, but about leaving the punishment to Him. If we want to know His mercy, then we must show that mercy to our fellow men. Following the Law is a matter of the heart, not the body. Jesus excoriates the Pharisees, who followed the letter of the Law with great diligence, but completely ignored the Spirit of the Law. They complied out of obligation, and in search of power, not out of true love and devotion.

When asked later what the greatest commandments were, he replied from Scripture, not some new law.

35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
38 This is the great and first commandment.
39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18

Jesus points to these two Old Testament Commandments and tells us straight out that these are the keys to all of the Law and Prophecy in Scripture. Think about that for a moment. Jesus said straight out, with no equivocation or misdirection or ambiguity that all of the Law rested on these two verses from the Old Testament.

And some of us in our arrogance try to tell ourselves that the Old Testament isn't really all that important anymore; we're "New Testament" Christians.

Like I said, I was there once. Fortunately, I've been given the grace and knowledge to see through that deception.
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Link to post]]> Christianity 101 2010-03-17T00:44:32-05:00 Turnabout is Fair PLay http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/turnabout_is_fair_play/ http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/turnabout_is_fair_play/
I propose that if they do this, the rest of us pretend we paid our taxes.

This Congress is so bad that Monty Python couldn't make fun of it.
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Link to post]]> Personal 2010-03-16T23:32:20-05:00 A Preview of ObamaCare http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/a_preview_of_obamacare/ http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/a_preview_of_obamacare/
This government that first tied medicare rates to a completely unrelated economic indicator, and then was unable to cut that tie is the same federal government that wants to manage all health care provision.

You'd have to be certifiably insane to want to let these clowns dictate when and where you get your health care.

I don't care whether they are Democrats or Republicans, the federal government is incapable of running any business or industry. We admitted as much when we elected a man with zero executive experience to the Presidency.
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Link to post]]> Personal 2010-03-01T22:41:11-05:00 Why I Got a Gun Permit http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/why_i_got_a_gun_permit/ http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/why_i_got_a_gun_permit/
Finally, we're number one in a category we can be proud of!

I have an HCP, as does my wife, my brother-in-law, and my mother. My pastor, his secretary, and several members of the church board, as well as a substantial portion of the congregation all have HCPs.

Why do we all feel the need to carry a gun? Well, while I can't speak for all of them, I can tell you why I got a permit, and why I carry pretty much everywhere I go.

First, as a man, a husband, and a father, it is my duty to protect my family. And before you ask, no, it isn't the job of the police. Police don't prevent crime, they respond to it. Police come after the burglary, robbery, rape or murder, gather evidence and try to catch the guy who did it.

That's too late.

My job is to make sure the son of a bitch can't murder, rob, or rape any member of my family, and I will use any tool available to do so. While I agree with my non violent friends that evasion, distraction, and other less lethal means should be part of any defensive plan, I believe that it is also necessary to have offensive tools must also be a part of any strategy, and that includes weapons.

I have an HCP because while openly carrying a long gun is legal, it's bound to get you talked about. A handgun can be carried discreetly, which is not only a tactical advantage, but helps keep the sheep calm.

Second, if you read the second amendment, and place it into context, what it says is that not only do we have the right to arm ourselves, we have a duty to do so. When the Constitution was written, we had no standing army. The militia was the primary defensive force of the States, and was composed of all able-bodied male citizens. Members of the militia were expected to arm and equip, AKA regulate, themselves.

While I can and have armed myself with long guns, hand guns are an essential part of the package, as are various other weapons.

Third, one of the ironies of life is that an armed and prepared man is less likely to be attacked than an unarmed, unprepared man. The two walk differently, and carry themselves differently. Predators recognize victims; anyone who has gone to the trouble of arming themselves, and learning how to defend themselves no longer walks like a victim. Criminals will choose easier targets.

Finally, I have the right to defend myself. I was working the back shift in a Maryville convenience store when I was robbed by a guy with a gun. As I handed him the $40 in the register, all that kept going through my mind was that my life was in his hands, the hands of a doped-up two-bit thug.

Folks, that's not a happy realization.

Now there are some who would focus their fear on the gun, but I'm smarter than that. The gun was just the tool; the threat was the zombie behind the gun.Fortunately for me, whatever passed for a brain in this guy's head forgot how to pull the trigger, and he stumbled off into the night, leaving me with an empty register and full britches.

Needless to say, I left that job.

And the britches.

I didn't get a carry permit right away, but I knew I would never allow myself to get into a position where some random thug could hold my life in his hands.
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Link to post]]> Guns 2010-02-23T05:12:00-05:00 I Agree With Obama http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/i_agree_with_obama/ http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/i_agree_with_obama/
Nuke plants are clean, safe, and efficient. And before you ignorant hacks try to shout "Three Mile Island!" and "Chernobyl!" you might want to educate yourselves on what really happened, why it happened, and why it isn't a concern for the AMerican power program. Yes, it will take a little bit more work than watching a marathon of The China Syndrome, but wouldn't you like to have a few facts to back up your argument?

The fact is that at Three Mile Island, everything that could go wrong did, including operators who failed to recognize the signs of a bubble in the core, and a progressive coolant leak. Despite these major failures, nobody, not even the people on site, received a lethal dose of radiation. The highest dose received by any worker in the plant was about the equivalent of a heart angiogram. The Chernobyl plant had a problem due to a poor design, unapproved test procedures, and the Soviet Union's disregard for standard safety features, like a containment building.

Here's a clue. The US Navy operates dozens of nuclear reactors all over the country. These reactors have been on-line and running for years, operating under extreme conditions, going through major transients on a daily basis, and the NAvy's safety record is without a blemish.

These are 19 and 20-year-old kids running those reactors folks. If the Navy can do this with kids straight out of high school, well, surely Commonwealth Edison can do it with these same highly trained folks when they finish their service.

As for waste, the technological problem is solved; we're still fighting a political battle. Yucca Mountain has been studied every way it is possible to study. Unlike Global Warming, the data is widely available to all interested parties and to date, not one has found significant error. Waste stored at Yucca Mountain will not propose a risk of serious dose to the public for the next 1,000,000 years.

But hey, why let the facts get in the way of a little electioneering. President Obama tried to de-fund Yucca Mountain, claiming that it was no longer an option., an apparent bone to Sen Harry Reid. President Obama was overridden, but funding was reduced to its lowest level in the history of the project. Just like they did with the Clinch River Breeder Reactor, ignorant opponents are trying to strangle the project in red tape.

Solar power is decades away from being a viable source of the large quantities of energy we need. Geo thermal is a pipe dream right now. Hydro power is about tapped out; all the best spots are already taken. Wind power upsets almost as many wealthy liberals as nuke power because it might spoilt their expensive beach front views.

If you want to stimulate the job market, how about spending some money on jobs that will last for decades after the stimulus money runs out?. Our existing nuke plants have had their lifetimes extended multiple times and have operated for far longer than their design specs. We need new plants to replace our aging ones and even more new ones to augment their output. Besides the construction jobs, we'll have operating jobs, maintenance jobs, radcon jobs, safety jobs, manufacturing jobs, and waste disposal jobs. For every dollar spent in the original investment, we'll see a return of hundreds of dollars in job creation and clean power production.

Nuke plants. They'll bring jobs, energy independence, and greenhouse gas reduction. Oh, and cheap electricity for hundreds of years.

I just hope Obama doesn't change his mind on this one.

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Link to post]]> Personal 2010-02-23T05:01:04-05:00 Why Many Immigrants refuse to Learn English http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/why_many_immigrants_refuse_to_learn_english/ http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/why_many_immigrants_refuse_to_learn_english/ Peter ran fast while Paul stood fast and Mary wiled the time away by going on a fast.
Wouldn't it be odd if Bea was stung by a bee at the spelling bee?
Have you ever seen a Bass sing bass?
The north winds buffet the sides of the dining hall as we eat a delicious buffet.
The two dressers were too close to close the door.
I am content with the content of the contract.
I refuse to handle your refuse. You're going to have to take out your half of the trash.
Her tears tear at my heart.
With a light heart, I told her to turn left at the light, but she turned right instead and went right to the right address, which just wasn't right.
I still think he should have stood still while I emptied the still.
I've resigned myself to resigning as president, unless you resign the contract to finance the company.
On this present occasion, I am honored to present you with this present.
The clumsy waitress spilled pate on the bald pate of the governor.
A millisecond is a minute part of a minute.
When the dove came back, Noah's sons dove off of the ark.
Bacteria multiply by dividing, which works in biology class, but not so much in math.
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Link to post]]> Just for Fun 2010-02-22T05:00:55-05:00 Important Safety Tip. Thanks, Egon. http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/important_safety_tip_thanks_egon/ http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/important_safety_tip_thanks_egon/
That is all.
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Link to post]]> 2010-02-19T17:24:23-05:00 For the Skeptics http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/for_the_skeptics/ http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/for_the_skeptics/ Here's proof.

75% of independent voters approve of the Tea Party movement.

Independents made the difference in 2008 and it looks like they'll make an even bigger difference in 2012. The candidate who can tap into that growing sense of dissatisfaction will ride it to victory regardless of his or her party affiliation.
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Link to post]]> 2010-02-10T00:06:39-05:00 The Tea Party Surprise http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/the_tea_party_surprise/ http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/the_tea_party_surprise/
I've been to a couple of Tea Party events and talked with the people there.

Sure there are hard core conservatives there, but there's also a lot of libertarians, and not a few moderate Democrats. I've seen a lot more G.O.O.O.H stickers and badges at these events than GOP, and an awful lot of sensible cars with Obama stickers on them.

People are pissed at the government and politicians in general, and a lot of them are in the mood to toss the whole lot of 'em and start over. Stalwart party apparatchiks on both sides of the aisle don't want to admit this, but the possibility of a true third party coalescing around the dissatisfied Tea Partiers is getting stronger all the time.

If we see a lot of upsets in the upcoming elections, with lots of new faces in the House and the Senate, regardless of whether there is an R or D after their name, the stage could be set for a very interesting 2012 campaign. Just consider that 16 men from both parties took the Senate hostage and forced through a compromise energy bill that neither the Republicans nor Democrats liked. Now consider what could happen in an evenly divided House and Senate if instead of an as hoc coalition forming in one chamber, 30-40 Reps and 15-20 Senators all formally committed to a new third party. If there were enough to prevent either Dems or Reps from holding a majority, well, all of the sudden, a vote for a third party candidate wouldn't be wasted, would it?

It could happen. There are a lot of blue dog Democrats feeling a lot of heat over Obama's administration, and with Scott Brown's example to follow, a conversion to a new party that taps into voter anger might be a pretty sound strategeric move.

It's going to be fun to watch for the next couple of years.
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Link to post]]> 2010-02-09T04:20:09-05:00 The Tebow Commercial http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/the_tebow_commercial/ http://www.stabilityforourtime.com/index.php/stability/comments/the_tebow_commercial/ ...
Link to post]]> Natural Philosophy 2010-02-08T16:40:24-05:00