Confusion between crime and punishment

I have written a few articles on the subject of punishment for an offense, focusing on capitol punishment for murder. In response to the article many people have commented that crime and punishment are one and the same, when in fact, they are very different. Since we live in an age of relativism I am not surprised that many do not know the difference between crime and punishment. If you want to believe that crime and punishment are one and the same then you can and it is correct, that is, if you believe the lie of relativism. If you have common sense and realize that there is right and wrong then you will quickly be able to distinguish the difference between crime and punishment. For those of you who do not know the difference, let me see if I can clear things up for you. Before I begin I would like to quote from the Bible about how people in an age of relativism think.

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools (Romans 1:21-22)

Is one life more valuable than another?

I went to teach at a college dorm last Tuesday night and was shocked by what occurred. First of all, many of the dorms in Moldova use the co-ed staggering method of housing. For example, a dorm with 6 floors will have a girls floor followed by a guys, repeating the same pattern all the way to the top floor. From talking with a few former college

Teaching the Word of God in the college dorm rooms of Moldova

As I write this post several of the young people from our youth group at our church “Good News” are in a dormitory with 4 floors teaching simultaneous Bible studies on each floor. My wife, Elena, is there with them to help. In all, some 400 students will study the Holy Scriptures over the next hour. Many, if not most or all, of the students are nonbelievers, studying the Scriptures for the first time in their

We are back in Moldova (again)

It was a long trip yet we made it. I am not referring to the trip to Moldova across the ocean. I refer to the trip that we made from Romania. It was a long road but beautiful. There was snow in the mountains. Anyway, we are back in Moldova so thanks for all who have been praying for us. Keep up the good work. We are excited about the Good News church plant and working with students once again. We will keep you updated as things progress.

The Pro-death liberals strike again!

It is bad enough that pro “deathers” support the murdering of innocent babies in their mothers’ wombs but they have taken their diabolical actions even further. Now they seem to think that it is o.k. to murder people just because they do not like the signs that they display or the views that they hold. Read this article to see how low liberals view life in this country and around the world. I really believe that if abortion were illegal then we would not have to

Why is this not taught in Public Schools?

This is why "real" American history must be taught in schools! If you are a product of American Public schools as I am then you will probably, like me, want to know why this was conveniently never mentioned in all your years of schooling. Watch carefully and pay attention, then look up the facts for yourself. It is eye-opening. I am not a Republican by the way so I have not agenda to promote.

A little more info for your viewing pleasure.

Moldova Mission Trip 09

Elena, Abigail, and I just returned home from a 20 day mission trip to our beloved Moldova. It was an amazing experience. We want to thank all of the wonderful people who prayed for us as we traveled and served the Lord by serving the people of Moldova. We traveled with 3 ladies from the St. Louis area who went with us for the first time to Moldova. They were real troopers. One of the ladies celebrated her 80^th birthday while in Moldova. I would like to give you a short update on the trip.

Abigail did great on the planes. The only time that she got “upset” was during the flight over the ocean. She cried 2 times during the 9 hour flight (which I thought was great). When we arrived in Moldova we had a few hours of travel and then we were able to go to bed. Since Abigail slept a lot on the plane and on the ride to the camp, by 2am she was wide awake, jumping on the bed while mommy and daddy were trying to get some much needed sleep. She played until 5am before finally falling back to sleep. We were zombies the next day as you can imagine. She adjusted but as soon as she adjusted to the time change she got sick, running a high fever.

Biblical Prophecy and Daniel IV

As I wrote in the previous article we will gain further insight into Daniel 7 when we look at the New Testament book of Revelation. The book of Daniel lays the blue-print of Biblical prophecy or the skeleton while Revelation adds the meet to the bones. Let’s take a look at a few passages from Revelation to see what further insights we can gain. Revelation 13:1-9 is the first passage that we will consider. Before we begin, as a way of review, let’s compile what we have learned so far.

Biblical Prophecy and Daniel III

As we continue to look at Daniel we will learn some new insights from chapter 7 that further explain Daniel’s dream about the 4 beasts that coincide with the 4 parts of the statue from King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel chapter 2. In verses 15-22 of chapter 7 we will gain further insight about the kingdoms and what is to come.

“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. “I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. ‘But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’ “Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates. “I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.

Biblical Prophecy and Daniel

I would like to look at the Biblical book of Daniel. Many people have many different ideas about the account of Daniel. As with any prophecy the reader must understand a few very important rules to keep in mind while studying Daniel. This will not be exhaustive but I would like to share a few. First of all, the reader must realize that the writer of the prophecy can either be talking about 3 major groups of people; the Jews, the Gentiles, or the Church (made up of Jews and Gentiles). Sometimes the author can speak of the 3 different groups all in the same chapter so you must pay close attention to the words that are used along with the context to determine which group is being spoken of. In Daniel there are 2 of the major groups mentioned; the Jews and the Gentiles. Another key rule to remember is the time that is spoken of. Sometimes the writer refers to his own time, while at other times he speaks of the immediate future or the distant future. Sometimes he mentions the first coming of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) or the second coming of the Messiah (when He sets His feet on the earth for the second time and not to be confused with the rapture, when He will return to take the Church but not set foot on the earth). Keeping these rules in mind let’s take a look at the major prophecies mentioned in Daniel.

1. Daniel finds himself a slave in the Babylonian empire in the service of King Nebuchadnezzar and he (Daniel) trusts in the Lord through this difficult time. Many people seem to think that if God allows something negative to happen to them that they have license to turn their back on God and do whatever that they want to do. Daniel was a boy/man of principle and even when his life was turned upside down he remained faithful to God and served Him diligently. During Daniel’s time in Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that neither he nor his wise men of Babylon can interpret. Daniel