Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | January 29, 2024

Longing for the New Jerusalem

A Promise of Better Things to Come!

In John 14:1-4, the Lord comforts his disciples with promises of a new home, I believe this new home is the New Jerusalem which is described in Revelation.

“14 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

We have probably all heard the old saying, “Home is not a place, it is a person!” In my experience, I have certainly found this to be true; I am home when I am with my beloved wife of over 71 years.

By God’s grace, we have shared a dwelling for the last 48 years which we call our home, but the truth of the matter is, that dwelling is curiously unsatisfying when my wife is not there! It is the knowledge of her presence that makes that dwelling my home!

As Christians, I am confident our knowledge of the Lord’s presence will make the New Jerusalem feel like our home! When we are with him, we are home! Our knowledge of the Lord’s presence in our lives makes the struggles we face in the spiritual battle much more endurable.

I have chosen Galatians 2:20 as my favorite life verse:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

By God’s grace, let each of us practice the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives, it is a vastly superior way of life!

John 14 concludes with promises of union with Father, Son, and Spirit; our eternal relationship with God is certain and secured by the power of God!

Glories Infinitely Beyond Our Ability to Even Imagine!

Image from Heavenly News with Kenute P. Curry

The Bible provides glimpses of the New Jerusalem along with the New Heaven and the New Earth which offer tantalizing previews of the glories to come. I honestly believe human language does not have the resources to fully describe the wonders we shall behold when we are there.

It is easy to imagine the difficulties a primitive native would have attempting to understand a modern metropolis using only his native language. There would be no words available to even begin to describe the strange scene. I believe the gap between where we are now and where we will be is infinitely greater!

The last two chapters of Revelation provide us with assorted images of our new home, just enough to stir up our appetite for even more information. For me, it generates excited questions on points not revealed; I truly look forward to this grand experience and rejoice in its certainty.

Sharing A Question on Which I Speculate

I have noticed in Revelation 21:22 that the Holy Spirit is not mentioned:

“22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.”

Since we worship a Triune God, I wonder why that should be. I’ll freely admit I have no answer for this but speculate on the significance of some other verses I’ve read in the New Testament.

The Lord Jesus clearly establishes the importance of the arrival of the Holy Spirit at the First Advent; in John 14:16-17 where it is written:

“16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”

In 1 Corinthians 12:13 it is written:

“13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”

Today, in our social climate, the distinctions would focus on racial groups; the results, however, would still be the same, we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit!

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 it is written:

“19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

From those verses, it would appear that Christians, collectively, are the temple of the Holy Spirit now and forever. What do you think the ramifications of those verses are in the context of the New Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit’s temple, and Christians? 

I also encourage you to rejoice in what the Lord has planned; we are given a preview in Isaiah 65:17-19, NIV which I provide as a closing thought.

New Heavens and a New Earth

17 “See, I will create
    new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
    nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
    in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
    and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
    and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
    will be heard in it no more.

Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Leave a Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | January 19, 2024

The New Jerusalem, Our Forever Home!

Two Guys Looking for Their Forever Home!

Looking for Our Forever Home

Several years ago, now, a young stray cat started showing up at our back door looking for food. Needless to say, we started giving that little fellow some food and grew concerned about his well-being. Winter was approaching and as the weather started getting colder, we were concerned about his safety at night.

He had no tags so we didn’t know if he had a home nearby and was just looking for some more food or if he was one of those cats that had no home. We kept an eye out for him and when he started sleeping on our patio, we put a big cardboard box with towels inside to help him keep warm at night.

As the weather kept getting colder and he kept sleeping on our patio, we decided we had to do something for him, so we decided to give him a forever home.

I’m happy to report our little rescue cat now has a forever home where he is safe, warm and loved!

Two Rescue Cats That Now Have Forever Homes!

A Christian’s Longing for Their Forever Home

The Bible reveals that we, as Christians, also have a forever home, a home being prepared for us by the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a time, appointed by God, that we will occupy our forever home but we can only anticipate this by faith alone.

As human beings, we are severely limited in what we can experience encased in these mortal bodies. It is vital to recognize our bodies are temporary tents which we will occupy for only a brief amount of time. Our spiritual essence, made in the image of God, is much grander than anything that would be suggested by looking at our tents. 

As Christians, the reality of our condition is fully hidden from mortal eyes; at the time of our new birth, we were indwelt by God, the Holy Spirit, making us temples of God. The glory of God envelopes us but cannot be seen by the tents we occupy.

It has pleased our Creator to make faith the guiding principle in this Age of Grace. In 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 it is written:

“6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

The entire Christian experience is based on faith; from the moment of our salvation to our last mortal breath we are creatures of faith; looking beyond ourselves to the eternal plan, formulated by God, that determines our life and destiny.

I have, for many years, rejoiced in the truths I find in Psalms 139:16 where it is written:

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

This reassures me my times are in God’s hands and I glory and rejoice in that precious thought!

An Alien Environment

Christians will live out their entire mortality phase as soldiers in an ancient spiritual conflict that has been in progress for thousands of years. We have also been entrusted with responsibilities as ambassadors and priests for our creator. 

God has predetermined the exact amount of time we will devote to these responsibilities and knows precisely the time of our recall. We can rejoice in the sure knowledge that God is working all things after the counsel of his own will and will call us home at the appointed time.

In an interesting twist, we were born on a Satanically dominated alien battlefield and have never actually seen our home; we know of our home by faith alone and eagerly look forward to seeing it in person!

I have noted, with great interest, the alien nature of this battlefield seems to increase with each passing year; there seems to be a deterioration that is steadily plunging everything to ever lower levels of sin and depravity!

This makes the thoughts of home ever so much more welcoming to me.

Next time, “Longing for the New Jerusalem”

Leave a Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | January 2, 2024

Israel, a Mystery with a Glorious Future!

Photo from “My Jewish Learning”

How Can it be That Such a Tiny Spec of Land Could be the Center of so Much Controversy?

The nation of Israel, which is smaller than the State of New Jersey, garners much more attention than most other nations around the world! What is it about Israel that causes so much excitement?

There is one sure thing that makes Israel unique, Israel is the only nation that was given its land by the Creator of the Universe; in Number 34:1-13 the land given to Israel is described to Moses by God, maps of this area are available online.

It was God’s sovereign decision to select the Jews to be his chosen people and to give them this particular parcel of land, and, as a very small part of God’s creation, I, in no way, dispute God’s right to do this. The Jews are God’s people and Israel is their land! This is God’s will and I am completely at peace with that will!

Satan, as might be expected, takes exception to God’s plan and God’s people and has attempted to persecute them during this age of God’s judgment on his people. At the First Advent, Israel rejected their Messiah’s offer of a kingdom and had him killed, instead of crowned. As a results of this rejection, Israel was temporarily set aside as God’s instrument of choice and replaced by a new dispensation, the Age of Grace, the Church Age.

This was all prophesized by the Old Testament prophets where, in addition, the time of Israel’s restoration is described. A time is coming when Israel will again be the center of God’s plans for mankind. God had promised Israel a future time when they could accomplish God’s will for them. In Daniel 9:24 it is written:

“24 Seventy weeks are appointed for your people and for your holy city to complete the rebellion, to end sins, to cover over wrongdoing, to bring eternal righteousness, to seal up prophetic vision, and to anoint the most holy place.”

The Seventy Weeks would be divided into two parts, a period of 69 weeks and the 70th week; the Messiah’s entry into Jerusalem would close the 69-week period during which Israel would be set aside and judged by God for their rejection of their Messiah.

The final 70th week would resume in the last days of the Times of the Gentiles shortly before the return of the Messiah at his Second Advent. I believe we are getting very close to those days!

A Glorious Future for Israel!

Israel’s last 7 years, also known as the Tribulation, will be a terrible time of world-wide judgment. The Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah, will bring that time of terror to a close. This will be followed by a time of restoration and begin the Millennial Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jerusalem will be the capitol from which the Lord rules for 1,000 years. This will be followed by the Great White Throne judgment where those whose names are not found in the Scroll of Life, will be cast into the Lake of Fire to burn forever. This is described in Revelation 20:11-15 where it is written:

“11 Then I saw a great white throne and the one who is seated on it. Before his face both earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Another scroll was opened too; this is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged on the basis of what was written in the scrolls about what they had done. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and the Grave gave up the dead that were in them, and people were judged by what they had done. 14 Then Death and the Grave were thrown into the fiery lake. This, the fiery lake, is the second death. 15 Then anyone whose name wasn’t found written in the scroll of life was thrown into the fiery lake.”

The Eternal State

In Revelation 21-22, we are told of the New Heaven and the New Earth and the New Jerusalem which will descend down from heaven. I’m confident there are no words in any human language that could do justice to the wonders we will behold for a timeless eternity!

There’s Still Time to Open the Door!

Eternal judgment is certain for all whose names are not written in the Scroll of Life; the good news is there is still time to know one’s name is in that scroll. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and your God and your name will appear in the scroll of life. In Revelation 3:20-22 it is written:

“20 Look! I’m standing at the door and knocking. If any hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to be with them, and will have dinner with them, and they will have dinner with me. 21 As for those who emerge victorious, I will allow them to sit with me on my throne, just as I emerged victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”

I urge you, OPEN THE DOOR, Emerge Victorious!

Leave a Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | December 22, 2023

The Christ of Christmas

For Over Four Hundred Years, God had Remained Silent!

The Prophets of Israel had not heard from Yahweh for hundreds of years; the last revelation had been given to Malachi in the 5th Century BC, then silence.

There was to be a massive change that would be made, instead of giving words of advice and instruction to the Prophets, God was going to send the Word made flesh; God would send the Messiah to take on human form and bring the good news of the Kingdom to Israel!

While there may have been silence from Yahweh, a great deal was happening that would prepare the way for the First Advent. I have used the Schofield Reference Bible from my early days at Berachah Church in Houston, Texas. On page 984, there is a summary of the 400 years of silence which has always been very dear to me; I have copied it below:

  1. The experience of the captivity seems to have destroyed the Jews’ tendency to idolatry. Their problem during the captivity, when they were deprived of the Temple and priest, was to maintain the exalted spiritual and moral ideals given them by the older prophets. Afterward, during the intertestamentary period, the problem continued. Despite the revival of Temple and priesthood, the struggle became one of preserving the prophetic faith of the Jews in the midst of outward persecution and sordid divisions within.
  2. The external means to this end was the synagogue, an institution which formed no part of the Biblical order of national life and which did not develop as a separate entity until after the time of Malachi. Its origin is obscure, but its roots may go back to the captivity when the Jews, who were without the Temple and its rites, met on the Sabbath for prayer. Such meetings, which would give opportunity for the reading of Scripture, would require some order of procedure as well as some authority for the restraint of disorder.  Whatever be its precise beginnings, the synagogue doubtless grew out of the necessities of the situation in which the Jews were placed during the closing centuries of the pre-Christian era. It served the vital purpose of maintaining familiarity with the inspired writings. Upon these the spiritual life of the true Israel (Rom. 9,6 note) was nourished.
  3. Also during this period there was created that mass of tradition, comment, and interpretation, known as Mishna, Gemara (forming the Talmud), Midrasim, and Kabbala, that was so superimposed upon the law that obedience was transferred from the law itself to the traditional interpretations.
  4. During this same period there arose the two great sects known in the Gospel narratives as Pharisees and Sadducees. (See Mt. 3,7 with notes.) The Herodians were a political party rather than a sect.

Among these people, the Jews, governed under Rome by an Idumean usurper, torn by bitter religious controversies, and maintaining an elaborate religious ritual, appeared Jesus, the Son of God, the Christ, and the Savior of the world.”

The world stage was being set by God for the massive change that was coming to mankind; the Pax Romana provided some stability while the Koine Greek provided a way to communicate.

God Breaks His Silence

The four Gospels tell the story of God’s visitation to his creation; the 400 years of silence were broken when the angel Gabriel spoke to Zachariah in the Temple:

 8 One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God because his priestly division was on duty. 9 Following the customs of priestly service, he was chosen by lottery to go into the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense. 10 All the people who gathered to worship were praying outside during this hour of incense offering. 11 An angel from the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and overcome with fear.

13 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayers have been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to your son and you must name him John. Luke 1:8-13

Six months later, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary:

“26 When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, 27 to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” 29 She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. 31 Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. 33 He will rule over Jacob’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son. 36 Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive’ is now six months pregnant. 37 Nothing is impossible for God.”

38 Then Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.” Luke 1:26-38

Although this happened over 2,000 years ago, the impact of this change still reverberates around the world today! The First Advent concluded with the Holy Spirit coming, to replace the ministry of the Son, with a ministry that is still in full effect even now!

Individual Christians have become a Temple of God, the Holy Spirit! Now, instead of a structure, the Holy Spirit indwells born-again believers! Every believer is a Temple of the Holy Spirit in this Dispensation of Grace, the Church Age!

Observing the Incarnation of God, the Son, at the First Advent!

The time for joyful recognition of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ will soon be here; this year, we observe the birth of the Lord on Monday, December 25, 2023. While no one knows the actual date of our Lord’s birth, the 25th of December is the day we observe and celebrate the event!

The fact the exact date is unknown is relatively inconsequential in comparison to the overpowering reality it happened at all! To think, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, our Eternal Creator God, was willing to join his creation by being born of a virgin woman and taking on the mortal form of his creation is impossible to even imagine!

The Impact of Christmas!

The Lord Jesus Christ was born in a manger, that he might die on a cross for the sins of the world. His death opened the door to reconciliation with God by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior!

This opportunity has divided the world into two groups; those who have received Jesus Christ as Savior and been born again by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, and those who have rejected God’s offer of redemption and reconciliation through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior!

As a direct result of this choice, the world is divided into two groups; those spiritually alive and those spiritually dead. While the entire human race, born of a human father, is born spiritually dead; God has prepared a doorway to spiritual life by receiving Jesus Christ as Savior.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!

54 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | December 18, 2023

Adventures with My Sprinkler System

Adding a New Dimension to a Favorite Tool!

Since February of 2000, we have enjoyed the luxury of a yard sprinkler system. For too many years my wife and I found ourselves outside moving sprinklers around the yard in the hopes of keeping the grass alive in Houston’s hot summers.

We had a professional company install a sprinkler system with a Rain Bird controller; this controller worked well for almost 24 years but finally failed in December of this year. Fortunately, the same installer that installed the original system was still available to install the latest model, one with a WiFi capability.

The new controller didn’t come with the WiFi module which had to be ordered separately, but, after careful consideration, I decided to order the module from Amazon. I had noticed before, that our home WiFi network didn’t really reach as far as our detached garage and knew I would have to do something to extend the network to the garage.

After researching my options, I decided a powerline WiFi extender would be the best choice for extending the network to the garage. I chose the TP-Link Powerline WiFi Extender(TL-WPA8631P KIT).

I got both of the components within 24 hours, from Amazon, and got busy to see if I could make this work. My research disclosed there were setup problems that others had encountered so I went into this prepared to deal with problems.

The Rain Bird Controller WiFi is operated exclusively by a cell phone, so I had to download and install the Rain Bird app on my iPhone. My second step was to insert the module into the Rain Bird Controller which was a simple process.

You can see the WiFi module in the lower left corner of the Controller

Just out of curiosity, I tried to set up the WiFi connection without the extender but that was not going to work, I kept getting an error warning the signal was not strong enough to complete the setup.

Since I had been expecting that, I set about preparing the Extender kit and pairing the “Adapter” (on the left in the second photo) and the “Extender” (on the right in that photo). The Adapter would go in the house, and the Extender in the garage.

I decided to select the house plug that was nearest the garage that had an Ethernet connection nearby, the Ethernet was connected to my Asus router which was subsequently connected to a fiber-optic modem and provided access to the internet.

I then took the Extender to the garage and plugged it into the outlet immediately above the Rain Bird Controller and then plugged the Controller into the socket of the Extender as shown.

At that point, the only thing left was to get it set up and operating; it turns out, that was to be the hardest part. The biggest problem was knowing which network to select; a drop-down list of available networks was shown, including neighbors all over the area so I selected my home network but that didn’t work.

I worked on it several hours, talking at length with Rain Bird tech support, who, by the way, spoke good English and was patient and as helpful as he could be; but nothing he suggested could make it work.

My wife was beginning to get hungry and wanted us to have supper, so I finally gave up on the project for the night and took the rest of the evening off.

A New Day and a New Start!

The following morning, having exhausted all of the suggestions from Rain Bird tech support, I decided to have an online chat with tech support at TP-Link. Fortunately, that turned out to be more productive as they were able to help me select the one network that would work.

What was not clear to me from their “quick installation” instructions was the WiFi output was to be found on a network I had never heard of before, “TP-Link_DOCC. I had seen that link and thought it must belong to a neighbor as it was totally strange to me; it just happened to be the one I needed and once I had chosen it, and used the password on the back of the Extender, I was suddenly connected to the internet!

After working on that job for almost a day and a half, you can understand my excitement when it was finally fully operational. Today is day four and I’m happy to report it’s still working perfectly. Believe it or not, I actually had fun solving that challenge and always appreciate a happy ending!

5 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | December 11, 2023

Our MAGA Government!

Two Factions Fighting for Control!

It is increasingly difficult to watch the news in this day and age as the infighting for control of the destiny of this country continues to play out before our eyes.

There are two distinct factions struggling to establish control over the United States; one faction seeks to restore the historic dignity and power which made this country the world’s foundation for freedom and democracy; while the other faction is seeking to establish a new-world-order where the United States is no more than a small part of a world-wide government that dispenses with national sovereignty!

Those seeking to restore the historic dignity and power are referred to as MAGA Americans meaning:

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Those seeking to establish a “new-world-order” I refer to as MAGA Americans meaning:

MAKE AMERICA GO AWAY!

Sadly, there are both Democrats and Republicans in both factions.

A One-World Government

For over 100 years there has been a movement seeking to establish a one-world government which would include the United States. A major obstacle to the establishment of this government has been the political and economic strength of the United States of America!

Systematic efforts have been put in place to dramatically reduce both of those obstacles to the establishment of a one-world government and the elimination of nationalism. These efforts have been carefully planned to influence all phases of life from childhood on to old age.

An examination of society today will reveal the results of these efforts as it bears little resemblance to the societal priorities of the past. The deliberate collapse of our Southern border and the wild expansion of our national debt are both cases in point; they are only rational from the second MAGA perspective!

The Divine Appointment of Nations

The Bible provides an explanation for the establishment of nations by God. In Genesis 11:5-9 it is written:

“5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.”

Mankind had a problem, they were all born spiritually dead and alienated from God; unfortunately, the problem still exists today. Mankind is not inherently good, but inherently bad! God’s decision to create language barriers was intended to reduce the impact of this inherent problem of badness.

Satan’s Effort to Restore the “Oneness” of Humanity

The Bible reveals the last form of government, before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, will be a one-world government under the control of the Antichrist who is, by that time, indwelt by Satan! We should not be surprised to see the efforts by Satan to create a foundation for his rule during the Great Tribulation.

Even with the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit, the Satanic influence is still substantial while Satan is “the Prince of the Power of the Air!” Ephesians 2:1-2

“2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,”

I believe we are seeing an ever-growing level of Satanic deception among those who are “dead in trespasses and sins!” Demonic influence is being manifested today, in the lives of the “sons of disobedience;” I can see no other rational explanation for what is going on; logically, it makes no sense at all!

The Catalyst for Satanic Excess

If we are living as close to the end times as I think we may be; then the world situation will continue to deteriorate at a pace known only to God. I have no idea whether we are talking days, weeks, months, or years; only God knows that and he has chosen not to reveal his timing.

There is a time coming, when God will remove the barriers to sin that have been in place during this “Age of Grace”, the Church Age; the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit will be removed when the church is caught up!

What About Born-Again Christians?

As children of God, our responsibility is to obey his commands and rejoice in the promises he has given to us. In his grace, he has revealed born-again Christians will not go through the coming judgment but will be caught up at a time known only to God. This is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 where it is written:

13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

“15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

I am comforted by those words; I hope you are too!

(Coincidentally we happened to watch the Army/Navy game just after I completed writing the above. I was very deeply touched by the opening ceremonies and saddened by the thought of all we have at stake as a nation!)

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | December 6, 2023

December 7, 1941

Photo from google.com/site/mgmartinezx/mgmartinez

“A Date Which Will Live in Infamy”

As the years pass there are fewer and fewer of us who can remember where they were and what they were doing when the bombing of Pearl Harbor was announced on the radio; I still remember that Sunday afternoon. I was an eight-year-old boy riding in the backseat of a Chevy, four door sedan, on a Sunday afternoon drive to look for campsites for the Boy Scout Troop my stepfather led. I’m sure that none of us could imagine the impact that attack would have on our country and our lives.

Although, by God’s grace, we were not as profoundly affected as many other countries around the world, it would certainly change life as we knew it. Some of the older boys that had been members of the troop would join up and never return; their lives lost on a distant battlefield. My stepfather had concerns about all of the boys that had gone through the troop and especially the boy leaders who had become patrol leaders and later assistant Scoutmasters. There were too many sad moments when we got the news that another former scout had died in the war.

War is Declared

Little time was lost in Washington D. C. in reacting to the attack; Congress was convened and President Roosevelt spoke to both houses.

Address to Congress
Requesting a Declaration of War with Japan
December 8, 1941

“Mr. Vice President, and Mr. Speaker, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives:

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that Nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American Island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our Nation.

As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

But always will our whole Nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces- with the unbounding determination of our people- we will gain the inevitable triumph- so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.”

Once the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor the United States responded on December 8th with a declaration of war on Japan; because of treaties between Japan, Germany, and Italy that meant we had declared war on all three nations. Below is a copy of the declaration of war on Japan.

Congressional Declaration of War on Japan

“December 8, 1941

JOINT RESOLUTION Declaring that a state of war exists between the Imperial Government of Japan and the Government and the people of the United States and making provisions to prosecute the same.

Whereas the Imperial Government of Japan has committed unprovoked acts of war against the Government and the people of the United States of America:

Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That the state of war between the United States and the Imperial Government of Japan which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared;
and the President is hereby authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial Government of Japan; and, to bring the conflict to a successful termination, all of the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States.

Approved, December 8, 1941, 4:10 p.m. E.S.T.”

This was a remarkable moment in the history of the United States. The country had been burdened by an economic downturn known as the “Great Depression” which had created many hardships on the American people. In addition, the Central Plains had been ravaged by a drought that was so bad the whole area became known as the dust bowl. Having been raised in Houston, Texas I was indeed fortunate to have experienced little hardship from the depression or the drought.

Fortunately, the drought was beginning to lift by the time the war started and many speculate that the Second World War was the catalyst that brought the United States out of the Great Depression.

A Time for Remembrance

Tomorrow will be December 7, 2023, let us remember the great price that has been paid that we might continue as a free nation. The old saying, “Freedom is not Free” is as true today as it was on that fateful day in 1941.

Sadly, another form of treachery has once again endangered us, now a second date that will live in infamy has been added to the history of this country and that is 911, September 11, 2001. This is another vivid reminder that our freedoms must be defended or they will be lost.

If we value our nation, it is vital we recognize the changes in tactics that are being employed by those who wish to destroy it; attacks from without and within will continue until we are willing to deal decisively with those wishing its destruction.

First published December 7, 2011; revised and updated.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | December 1, 2023

Great Reasons to Rejoice in the Lord!

Contemplation of God Brings Joy and Humility to those who Love Him!

I often think of the following portion of the words of Charles Haddon Spurgeon which he Delivered on Sunday Morning, January 7th, 1855, at New Park Street Chapel, Southwark.

“The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father. There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-content, and go our way with the thought, “Behold I am wise.” But when we come to this master-science, finding that our plumb-line cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought, that vain man would be wise, but he is like a wild ass’s colt; and with the solemn exclamation, “I am but of yesterday, and know nothing.” No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, than thoughts of God.”

These thoughts so clearly and accurately represent my feelings on the subject that I reflect on them and rejoice in them frequently. I delight in the thought of the immensity of God and my small place in his creation.

The Bible Presents a Reality that Exceeds Anything the Mind of Man has Imagined!

I am continually amazed by the Holy Bible; it’s presentation of reality is so unique that my mind reels from the implications presented there.

While the major purpose of the Bible is to explain man’s problem with sin, and God’s solution to man’s sin problem; it provides glimpses of the eternal reality in which this struggle is located. These glimpses give but a small hint of what is going on behind the scenes of the created environment which we may think of as reality.

Humanity is bound to this earth and lives within a framework of time which just happens to be unique to this planet we occupy. The Bible suggests a timeless eternity which is difficult, if not impossible, for the time-bound human to even imagine.

Timeless Eternity has no Beginning.

I find it interesting to note that neither Genesis 1:1 nor John 1:1 has an article with the word “beginning” in the original languages. No matter how far back you can try to imagine as a beginning, God was already there, God has been there eternally, no beginning and no ending!

The very concept of an eternal God is somewhere between difficult and impossible to imagine; when you add the concept of the Trinity to the mix it becomes even harder. The thought of an eternal being who has no beginning and no ending, is one in essence and three in person is totally beyond my scope of understanding!

The Bible provides no information on how long the Trinity existed before a decision was made to create; one might even suggest that long, in relation to time, is meaningless in eternity. The Bible slips us a clue when, in 2 Peter 3:8 it is written:

“8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

This suggests to me that one must see the whole matter of time from a different perspective in eternity. It may be possible, when the church is called home, that Old Testament saints will feel only a few “days” have passed since they arrived. I can imagine speaking to Daniel and being told he’s only been here a short time when I join him in heaven.

Creation, on the Other Hand, had a Beginning

I cannot even begin to imagine the Trinity’s existence before the decision to create was made; the entire universe and everything in it are the results of that decision. The significance of that statement is truly immense! The Trinity is the only true reality! I have written more on this in the essay, “What is Reality.”

I will not even attempt to imagine an environment for the Trinity before the decision was made to create; I believe our creator exists both inside and outside his creation. While an ever so tiny part of his creation can be viewed with modern technology, the eternal state is infinitely beyond anything we can see or imagine.

Spurgeon’s wording is perfect, “There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity.”

The Sovereignty of God

I find it very comforting to reflect on the fact the Divinity is working all things after the counsel of his own will. The chaos, death and destruction we are witnessing today, all have a place in God’s plan. I know how all this ends, we win, God is triumphant; sin, Satan, and death are vanquished.

While the Satanic world system, in which we live, is filling the earth with violence and death, this system has been judged by God and will reap the inevitable consequences planned for it. In the meantime, let us rejoice in the Lord and delight ourselves in the coming victory!

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4

3 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | November 20, 2023

The Deadly Dangers of Self-Righteousness!

There is a Fatal Flaw in Comparing Yourself to Others!

This past week I had the opportunity to present the gospel to an individual who simply could not understand the concept of grace. He could not understand how someone could live a bad life, receive Jesus Christ as Savior and then go to heaven.

He believed he had lived a good life, followed the straight and narrow, and deserved God’s recognition for the quality of his life. He felt this should serve as his doorway to heaven and that should be enough.

Sadly, this individual has a great deal of company as way too many are inclined to believe their works should open doors to heaven. They compare themselves with others and see their decisions and actions as superior to others they know or can imagine.

Jesus Helps Nicodemus Understand Reality

The Bible speaks very clearly to that mistaken notion in John 3 where we read of Nicodemus, a man who had every earthly reason to think well of himself, and his secret visit to Jesus Christ. Nicodemus was a respected Pharisee, a teacher of the Law, and a ranking member of the Jewish Sanhedrin.

Jesus immediately cuts to the root of the matter and tells Nicodemus:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

No reference to all that Nicodemus had accomplished or the lofty and respected positions he held in Jerusalem, just a warning that one must be born again!

Not surprisingly, Nicodemus had no idea what Jesus was talking about; equally not surprising, most people today do not understand what Jesus was talking about. The basic truth has never changed, unless one is born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God!

Works Versus Personal Sin

As an online missionary for Global Media Outreach, I encounter a lot of concern about personal sins. Those of us who love the Lord Jesus as our Savior are painfully aware of our failure to live up to the Godly standards described in the Bible.

We are assured, in the Bible, this is all a part of being a Christian; we must struggle with and seek to suppress our tendency to sin. In 1 John 1:8-10 we read:

“8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

Personal sin is a symptom of our problem, not the problem itself. There are many different sorts of viral infections which produce a vast assortment of symptoms, yet the symptoms are not viruses, just evidence the virus is present!

Personal sin is a symptom of the virus we inherited at birth, the virus is the spiritual death we inherited from Adam; there is nothing whatsoever we can do or not do that will change the fact of our birth, absolutely nothing!

WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN TO A DIFFERENT FATHER!

What we could not do, God could do for us by sending his Son to die for our sins! By simple faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, we can be born again by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, given a living spirit and a new Father which delivers us from the Adamic curse with which we were born!

The Bible strives to make this clear, in Ephesians 2:4-10 it is written:

“4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Once we are born again by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, we are adopted children of God, the Father, and become members of His family now and forever! Nothing can change that, nothing at all! In Romans 8:38-39 we are promised:

 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | November 8, 2023

Is There a Force with You Too?

Promotional Poster, TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved

I continue to be amazed by the vast assortment of notions of reality that keep circulating today; what is equally amazing is the depth of conviction held by different groups that hold a certain position.

In October of 2017, I published the following essay which is related to reality; it has recently been read by someone which caused it to surface again in my records. I had not read it for a long time and was intrigued by its applicability to today’s world situation.

I’ve made some revisions and encourage you to consider its message.

Truth is Stranger than Fiction!

As many of you are aware I’m a science fiction fan and collect both books and movies devoted to the genre. Yesterday I watched one of the recent releases in the “Star Wars” saga named “Rogue One.” One of the characters in the movie is blind and on occasion would chant “I’m one with the Force, and the Force is with me” as he encountered dangerous situations.

As usual I see parallels with Christianity in everything so this rather quickly brought my mind around to thinking on the privileged position we experience as born-again Christians. At the point of the new birth, we are joined for all eternity by the Holy Spirit who becomes one with us so in a very real sense we are one with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is not only with us but in us.

Just to be clear let us recall the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity and is eternal God who has always been and will always be; it is this eternal deity who is now one with us.

I suspect most of you are familiar with the general story-line behind the “Star Wars” movies; the conflict is between those who align themselves with the Rebel Alliance and those who are part of the “Evil Empire.” Both factions have fighters who seek to use the power of the Force which is defined as “an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together.” The Star Wars Force has a light side which is good and a dark side which is evil.

This humanistic concept of a universal force is reasonably predictable but infinitely inferior to the reality experienced by Christians who are born-again. I’ve discussed the Biblical concept of reality in an essay “What is Reality? and am amazed how distinctive the Bible is from literature written from a human perspective.

A more Biblical definition of the Force might be the creator of all living things which surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together. The Triune God is the Force which has created all things and by whom all things consist.

The Bible teaches all creation is held together by the power of one, the Lord Jesus Christ by whom all things consist (Colossians 1:15-17); it is by His power all things are bound together. In the Trinity’s deity all three persons share the same divine essence which includes omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience. While we have been made a temple by the third person (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) we are used by the second for service (Galatians 2:20).

It Gets Stranger Still

In addition to the amazing things that have been done to the born-again Christian there is yet another that is even more unexpected, full adoption into the family of the Trinity! In Romans 8:15-17 it is written:

“15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”

I find it of great interest to note the particular Aramaism used for father by Greek speaking Jews, abba, Ἀββᾶ; is an affectionate term that “was also used as the term of tender endearment by a beloved child.” God thinks of you as a beloved child; how do you think of God? As a born-again Christian you are now a very real part of God’s eternal family and always will be; there is no way we can even begin to comprehend how enormous that is but we can and should let it be a source of great joy and comfort as we face the trials of life.

There is a Dark Side as Well

We live in a world which is subject to the Satanic world system; Satan is the prince of the power of the air on this spiritual battlefield called Earth. To make matters worse, we have a sin nature within us which we inherited from Adam.

All human beings who have not been born-again are controlled by their sin natures and respond to Satanic influence spread by demons. We are seeing this all over the world today at all levels of society. The forces of evil are with those who have rejected Jesus Christ as Savior!

May the Force be with You!

As a science fiction fan, I have encountered a wide variety of worlds and universes as devised by the mind of man. While some of them have been entertaining and a few of them highly imaginative none of them have even begun to approach the totally incredible universe in which we actually live. The true reality in which we find ourselves is vastly more unexpected and alien than anything devised by the writers of science fiction and fantasy.

While I have read many volumes of science fiction and fantasy, I have never encountered anything that even begins to compare to the Bible. Whereas I have found it easy to spot the human mindset in fiction I have found it to be absent in the Bible. In the most respectful sense possible the Bible is non-human in its perspective on life and living; this is one factor that has made it easy for me to believe in the divine inspiration of the Bible. The Bible is a divine book, not a human book!

We do ourselves a shocking disservice when we neglect the truths revealed in the Bible; we do ourselves a further disservice when we fail to apply these truths to our lives each and every day. Let us learn to faithfully observe the commandments of the Lord and apply them to our lives; by doing this then we can affirm with complete confidence and joy:

“I’m one with the Force and the Force is with me!”

Leave a Comment

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »

Categories