Blog | Reproach of Men

Bugs

Sometimes, “Default” is really the only way to really make something work. Since I use WordPress, and it is “free” all the responsibility for making sure it works correctly falls upon my shoulders. I must do all the testing, all the modifications, and if I mess it up, then I have no one to blame but myself.

So it is with “permalinks” and changing them. I thought it would be somewhat better to change the permanent links to the articles to make them a bit more friendly (instead of just numbers), and instead, I found out that it rendered most of the blog inaccessible. I found “404 – page not found” errors on almost all the blog.

Sigh, grumble.

Convert back to “Default” link structure.

Guess I will bring it up to the authors and creators of WordPress and see what they say.

At least the blog is now accessible again.

Remember, nothing is ever actually “free.” Someone, somewhere, at some time, must bear the cost.

BTW, this goes for salvation too. It may be free for us (and it is), but it cost the Lord Jesus Christ beyond our understanding and comprehension.

Next time someone someone says something is “free,” kindly let them know that nothing is ever truly “free.”

Cowardice

Not that I agree with John Hagee or his doctrine (because I don’t), but when he described the Catholic Church as the “great whore” of Revelation, he made a statement that, in accordance with the Roman Catholic’s bloody history of persecution, fits the Catholic Church rather well. The problem is that Roman Catholic persecution was not confined to Jews. No, they decided to viciously persecute anyone they labeled a “heretic.” This persecution was not limited to individuals, but was applied to any group that would not submit to the “authority” of the Roman Catholic Church.

The problem with this persecution was that it was not the mild persecution that some folks in modern America have endured. Rather, it was along the scale and scope of what the U.S. Government did to the Branch Davidians at Waco, Texas. Actually, in reading the various historical accounts, it was much worse with whole villages and towns slaughtered simply because the Pope decided they needed to be wiped away for their supposed “heresy.” However, since the Pope had no armies of his own, he engaged and coerced the secular rulers under his influence to do the dirty work for the Catholic Church.

Now, Catholics can deny this and cry foul all they want, but their history is plain. So plain that even one of their own admitted to it.

“Were it not that the baptists have been grievously tormented and cut off with the knife during the past twelve hundred years, they would swarm in greater number than all the Reformers.” (Cardinal Hosius, President of the Council of Trent: Hosius, Letters, Apud Opera, pp. 112, 113.)

Make no mistake, when the Cardinal states they persecuted with the “knife” he is not being flippant. (more…)

A Departure: Part II

This is the third article in a series that begins with A Common Approach. This series addresses how the LORD God has dealt with His people, the Jews. This series addresses the departure of the Jews from the word of God into Judaism. It particularly focuses upon the LORD’s dealing with them in the 20th century. This series is continued with the post A Departure, Pt. III.

In the previous posts it was outlined how the Jews had departed from the doctrine of Salvation by grace through faith in the Messiah to come. Moreover, this salvation required no works of righteousness, but was and is wholly dependent upon the work of the Messiah to come. It was also detailed how this information was available to everyone, all the way back to Adam and Eve after the fall. In tracing this back, I began with the testimony of Job, who was a contemporary of Abraham.

In the passage from Job, chapter 19, Job testified that he had a Redeemer, and that Redeemer was alive, and would one day walk the earth. Moreover, Job testified that he would indeed see his Redeemer with his own eyes one day, even though his body would be destroyed in the grave. If we understand the doctrine of the resurrection, we should certainly understand this is what Job is referring to, and that Job had a good understanding of most of the doctrines we know of today.

Additionally, Elihu testified to Job and his three friends of the salvation God offers to everyman, and that salvation is effectual upon repentance. Moreover, Elihu revealed that the troubles of an individual’s life are frequently due to the LORD God trying to show man that pride does not profit, and in fact will cause one to go to the grave without the ransom being applied to their life, and thus that individual ends up in Hell. In short, young Elihu preached the Gospel.

However, the book of Job is not the only place in the Old Testament where we find the Gospel preached. If we go back to Genesis we find several instances where the terminology used plainly indicates salvation by grace through faith in Christ (or the Messiah) to come. If really won’t matter much where we begin, so I choose to begin with Noah and the testimony of the LORD God about Noah:

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:8)

The Scripture testifies in the verses leading up to this that all the earth had become utterly wicked “and that every imagination of the thoughts of his (man’s) heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5b) But Noah chose to believe God and thus grace was bestowed upon Noah. Of course, we would have to ask what Noah believed and what caused God to bestow grace upon him. However, that answer is quite simple so long as we do not take this passage in isolation and look at the totality of Scripture concerning those who are justified before God. Certainly then, we could understand that Noah would have known what the LORD told Adam and Eve in the Garden after the fall:

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:14-15)

And Noah would certainly know of the proper offerings and what they meant, as the correct (acceptable) offerings were made by Abel:

And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. (Genesis 4:3-5)

We can then understand that Noah knew all this, as Noah himself offered up acceptable offerings after the flood:

And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. (Genesis 8:20)

If we then put together the above bits of information, we can see the LORD had specified a certain specific type of offering that required a blood sacrifice of a certain sort of animal that was counted as being “clean.” This takes us to the Levitical sacrifices that were required of Israel:

When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty; Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish: And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD: it is a sin offering. And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering. And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him. (Leviticus 4:22-26)

If we care to observe, we find a commonality between Abel’s offering, Noah’s offering, and the Levitical sacrifice that was commanded above. The common elements were that the beast was to be a “clean” beast, the fat was to be offered, and it was always to be a blood sacrifice. Thus, the concept that a certain type of worship was acceptable to the LORD God was known from the very beginning, and was not specific to Israel. However, by all accounts, that was not what justified Abel, Noah, Abraham, Job, or anyone else throughout the Old Testament. What we find in Genesis tells us that being justified before the LORD God was the very same thing it is today, in that the Scripture testifies of both Abraham and Jacob and how they were justified:

And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:2-6)

If we note the last sentence in the above passage, we find that simply believing the LORD God was cause for God to justify Abram (Abraham) in His sight. Because Abram believed and trusted the LORD God, the LORD God did for Abraham what He also did for Abraham’s grandson Jacob:

And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. (Genesis 48:14-16)

In Israel’s (Jacob) blessing of his grandsons, he testifies that God redeemed him from, not some evil, but all evil. In so doing, Israel bears the same testimony as Job, Noah, Elihu and Abraham. In each case, they testify of a redeemer, a ransom being paid for them, and that they were made right before God. Plainly, God counted Abraham righteous, Israel testifies that he was redeemed from all evil, Noah walked in grace before the LORD continually, Job knew that he would one day stand face to face with his Redeemer, and Elihu testifies that if one repents, then the LORD God delivers him from going to the pit, and gives that person the LORD God’s own righteousness. Clearly, these all speak of justification before God without works, and salvation by some other means than blood sacrifices and worship services, no matter how detailed and carefully done.

Before continuing on, there is a point the LORD God wished for Israel and all the world to consider, which He delivered through the prophet Isaiah. We would do well to consider it today:

Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:20-22)

Security

I have had to take a slight hiatus due to security concerns over this blog. I have a non-standard install and that doesn’t help any at all in trying to secure things. However, in checking the normal security items, the blog seems pretty secure. Nonetheless, someone created some strange links to posts that I could not quite figure out what they were doing, or why.

So, hours were spent trying to learn everything I could about php hacks, SQL injections, and WordPress security issues. Hence, no articles were posted and little to no work was done on the rest of the websites. I would hate to think that I would have to create a virtual Fort Knox to simply publish on the web without constantly fighting intrusions. However, that is a sign of the world we live in. There are far too many people who delight in creating evil. After all, there is really no point in hacking a blog. There is no point in spreading spam everywhere either. Yet, individuals insist upon doing those very things.

Anyway, things should return to a more normal schedule this week.

A Departure

This post is the second in a series about the LORD God’s dealing with His people, the Jews. This series addresses the departure of the Jews from the word of God into Judaism and how the LORD God has dealt with them, particularly in the 20^th century. The next post in this series is A Departure, Part II.

A couple of days ago I wrote a post detailing the common logic underlying four distinctively different religions: Mormonism, Hasidic Judaism, Dialectical Materialism, and Taoism. What should have been plain from the quotations given is summed up by the following:

Good and evil are intricately intertwined such that good (righteousness) cannot exist without evil (unrighteousness) and unrighteousness cannot exist without righteousness. Moreover, in all good there is some wickedness and in all wickedness there is some good.

Now, the only distinction that could be drawn between the four religions would be between Dialectical Materialism and the rest. But that distinction exists only due to Dialectical Materialism being focused solely on the physical world and denying the existence of anything spiritual. But the underlying logic of intertwined opposites is central and core to Materialism just as it is with Mormonism, Taoism and Hasidic Judaism.

I ended the post with a quote from Proverbs as it highlights a grave problem man has:

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25)

This is the problem when man uses his physical senses and reasoning to determine what is right, and how the world functions. Moreover, we take these observations, draw conclusions about the world we inhabit, and then apply those conclusions to understanding the very nature of God.

Now, I was not and am not surprised about three of the four religions named above having the same common logic about the world and God, and how everything works. What surprised me was finding that same logic in Hasidic Judaism. After all, unlike the other three religions, Judaism has long had the Scripture (more…)

Website Changes — Hymn format

The formatting of the hymns have been seriously upgraded and changed. The layout is now fixed-width even for standards compliant browsers as this particular type of document seems to do best in a fixed-width layout.

You can access any one of the hymns currently on the website through the Hymns and Music page. Or, you can go directly to one of the hymns I like very much:

Abba Father, We Approach Thee
O For a Shout of Joy
I Am Standing On the Word of God
I Send the Joys of Earth Away

I could add more, but there is no point in putting the entire list on the blog. Please enjoy the hymns and let me know what you think of the new format.

A Common Approach

This post is the first in a series on the LORD God dealing with His people, the Jews. This series particularly focuses on the LORD’s dealing with them in the 20^th century. This series takes a scriptural view of God’s judgement and how He views Judaism, which is a deviation from the truth of the word of God. This post is continued with the post A Departure.

I don’t generally watch documentaries any more. However, when it was expressed to me that a documentary existed concerning the Holocaust and what happened in Eastern Europe, particularly the Ukraine, I wanted to see it. My interest was moved by two things:

First: what happened in Eastern Europe is not well known as that was Soviet territory for the longest time. The destruction of the peoples of Eastern Europe, particularly the Jews was not allowed to be told by the Soviet Union, and thus was almost lost. It is essential that we remember that man is a brutal, evil creature, and this does remind us of that.

Second: The documentary focused on the particular sect of Judaism which was predominate in this region — Hasidic Judaism and its effect upon the people. It was an opportunity to understand the mindset of a people that did not seem to grasp the danger of the Nazi regime.

After being told about the documentary, I watched it. Fading Traces is an eye-opener on a level that I find hard to describe, except to say that I now know why certain events took place in history. However, this understanding is only realizable through the Scripture and understanding the judgement of God, and why it comes. For that, a study of the Old Testament is essential. It is in the Old Testament where we learn how the LORD God deals with nations.

However, before going further into that, which I will in later articles, I discovered a commonality between several different religions. Now, I knew that a common logic exists between Mormonism, Taoism, and Dialectal Materialism, but I was surprised to find another religion having that same common basis — Hasidic Judaism.

What is presented hereafter are quotes from each of the above named religions (yes, dialectical materialism is a religion) and their core logic. Please understand, this is NOT what the Bible teaches about LORD God and His intrinsic righteousness. Rather, all these religions make God no better than man, and are blasphemous.

Mormonism
2 Nephi 2:10-12
10 And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement—

11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.

12 Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.

Hasidic Judaism (Founded by Baal Shem Tov)
4. Having no [divine] source, evil does not come down from heaven. Nevertheless, evil that exists has an inner power giving it life. And this [inner power] is total goodness. So if you look at the inner aspect of evil, you will only see the good in it. ((The Ten Principles Of The Baal Shem Tov))

In all that is in the world dwell holy sparks, no thing is empty of them. In the actions of men also, indeed even in the sins that a man does, dwell holy sparks of the Glory of God. ((The Baal Shem Tov))

(2) In the story of creation it says, “Indeed, it was very good.” But in the exhortation of Moses it says, “See, I have placed before you this day life and good, death and evil.” But from where has evil come? The answer: evil, too, is good; it is the lowest rung of perfect goodness. If one does good, then evil too becomes good; but if one sins, then it becomes really evil

[INTERPRETATION: God is the creator of all things, and in all things is trapped a Holy Spark, yearning to return to its unity with Him. As with the Tao — in which there is Yin in Yang, and Yang in Yin — there is good in evil and evil in good, and only the preponderance of one over the other differentiates them. Therefore, one cannot perform a “good” act without liberating from it the “evil” it also contains; similarly, one cannot turn from evil without liberating the good trapped within it.] ((The Baal Shem Tov page))

Dialectical Materialism (the root of Communism)
Fredrick Engels — Dialectics of Nature
“Motion is the mode of existence of matter. Never anywhere has there been matter without motion, or motion without matter, nor can there be.”

“Change of form of motion is always a process that takes place between at least two bodies, of which one loses a definite quantity of motion of one quality (e.g. heat), while the other gains a corresponding quantity of motion of another quality (mechanical motion, electricity, chemical decomposition).

“Dialectics, so-called objective dialectics, prevails throughout nature, and so-called subjective dialectics (dialectical thought), is only the reflection of the motion through opposites which asserts itself everywhere in nature, and which by the continual conflict of the opposites and their final passage into one another, or into higher forms, determines the life of nature.” ((Dialectical Materialism))

Taoism
The Yin Yang symbol:
This is a well known Taoist symbol. “It represents the balance of opposites in the universe. When they are equally present, all is calm. When one is outweighed by the other, there is confusion and disarray.” 4 One source explains that it was derived from astronomical observations which recorded the shadow of the sun throughout a full year. 5 The two swirling shapes inside the symbol give the impression of change — the only constant factor in the universe. One tradition states that Yin (or Ying; the dark side) represents the breath that formed the earth. Yang (the light side) symbolizes the breath that formed the heavens.

However, since nothing in nature is purely black or purely white, the symbol includes a small black spot in the white swirl, and a corresponding white spot in the black swirl.

Ultimately, the ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ can symbolize any two polarized forces in nature. Taosts believe that humans often intervene in nature and upset the balance of Yin and Yang. ((Taoism))

Chapter 1
The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth. The named is the mother of myriad things. Thus, constantly without desire, one observes its essence. Constantly with desire, one observes its manifestations. These two emerge together but differ in name. The unity is said to be the mystery. Mystery of mysteries, the door to all wonders. ((Tao Te Ching))

Surely one must be moved to question why such supposedly different religions would all have the same common basis for their belief. After all, on the surface, each of these religions seem quite at odds with each other. Perhaps I will leave it with this admonition from Scripture:

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25)

Agony

Today, the Associated Press reported on the flood conditions in Eastern Arkansas and the Delta areas of Mississippi and Louisiana. ((Mississippi River flood dooms promising year for farmers)) This really is no surprise to me as where I live are the headwaters of the White River that flows into Missouri and then back into Eastern Arkansas before joining the Mississippi River. In the past month and a half, we have had three or four major rainstorms and some tornados. The tornados didn’t do near the damage the rain did. All three branches of the White River, the Main, Middle and West forks of the White river all went out of their banks in every storm. The worst was about three weeks ago.

However bad it was here, our problems were only temporary as the rivers were back down within 24 hours of the end of the storm. Yes, pretty severe damage was done to some areas. Roads were closed and bridges had to be checked. We lost a couple of individuals in the storms due to the combination of high water and a low water bridge.

It is downstream that the problems magnified. First they had to open the floodgates of Beaver Dam. That caused severe flooding downstream of the dam. However, it was either that, or watch the water top the dam, which would not be good at all. Worse yet, the storms we received, the areas North and East of us got as well. So it is that North Central and Northeast Arkansas and Missouri received several inches of rain in the space of a day or so, and then received all the downstream runoff from both the White and Arkansas Rivers. (The Arkansas River journeys from Northeast Oklahoma down to Fort Smith and then travels the valley through Little Rock and on into the Delta area of Eastern Arkansas before joining the Mississippi) With both rivers in flood stage from the repeated storms, combined with the runoff from the upstream Mississippi River, the Delta is experiencing a severe flood.

Now, this is really not a new thing. Over the years this happens pretty regularly. According to the report:

“Bradway has farmed the same 1,000 acres for three decades. He’s had floods big and small in 14 of those 30 years.”

So that means that it really is not all that unusual to have floods in the Delta area. What makes it bad is the extent and timing of the flood. To begin, this is the worst flooding since 1973. The report states that the Mississippi is seven feet above flood stage:

“The river has not reached this level—about 7 feet above flood stage—since 1973.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says a total of 855,750 acres are under either Mississippi floodwater or backwater from the Yazoo River, which drains much of the board-flat Mississippi Delta into the Mississippi River. About 273,000 of those flooded acres are cleared for wheat, cotton, soybeans, corn and other crops.”

Moreover, the first of the flood hit just when the winter wheat crop was supposed to be harvested:

The flood hit just as farmers were preparing to harvest wheat and plant corn, soybeans and cotton. Some, like farmer Brad Bradway, were forced to watch as water crept inch by inch over his 110 acres of wheat until his fields sat under 8 feet of water.”

And it has caused other farmers to delay planting crops:

“Others are now stuck waiting for the water to recede and the ground to dry before they can plant, guaranteeing a shortened growing season, yield reductions and lower returns. This comes after a drought has left much of the region parched for several years.

“At one point I had 300 acres under water and 240 acres too dry to plant,” Bradway said. “What’s wrong with this picture?”“

Add to this the following:

“Input costs such as fuel and fertilizer have risen dramatically in just a few months. Diesel around Vicksburg costs more than $4 a gallon—or more than $100 per tank for the ubiquitous diesel pickup—and fertilizer that went for $68 an acre last season now runs $100.”

And this bit of gamble:

“He’s not alone. The flood has taken not only money farmers invested in the field, but much of the profit they expected. Worse, most sold their crops in advance to take advantage of prices so high few could resist.

Bradway sold 1,000 bushels of winter wheat to a distributor for $7 a bushel. When the flood took his crop, he was still on the hook. So he paid $10.50 a bushel to another distributor for wheat to satisfy his contract. He hopes to turn a profit on soybeans this summer.”

Considering last year’s bad Easter weekend freeze that destroyed crops and forced replanting (which cost even more money) this is the second year in a row that we will see shortfalls in crops from areas that normally produce in abundance.

Wonder why?

For starters, we could take into account who it is that actually controls the weather — you know, the LORD God.

You don’t suppose the LORD would be trying to get our attention do you? I think so, and in a major way. Yet, we do not see any sign of acknowledgement this is the case. Neither do we see any sign of repentance.

Now, it should be understood that the way the LORD dealt with Israel is an example of how the LORD deals with all nations. Indeed, we can see in Leviticus, chapter 18 and Deuteronomy, chapter 18 how the LORD warned Israel about taking up the customs of the heathen nations they were to drive out of Canaan. The LORD applied the very same standard to Israel that He applied to the heathen nations. He expressly told them that if they did the same things the heathen nations did, they to would be driven out of Canaan.

Just guess how that applies to us in America? The reality is that God has never held a different standard for one nation versus another. Even Israel was not, and is not exempt from The LORD God’s standards for behavior and conduct of a nation and society. The only difference for Israel was that they would never be wiped off the face of the earth (like so many other nations have been). However, the reason for this is not that Israel is special in the sense of being exempt from the LORD’s judgement. Rather it is due to the covenant the LORD God made with Abraham. Hence, Israel and the Jews have nothing to feel special about.

So then, we can take certain statements the LORD God made to Israel concerning their judgement when they departed from following Him, and apply them to us in modern day America. The only thing we cannot say is exactly how events will fall. However, we can rest assured, if we continue to violate the will of God, we will, as a nation, be destroyed.

Fair warning.

Personally, I don’t really care to be around when the LORD finally lowers the boom on America. I’d really rather not see that happen. In Amos, the LORD God gave warning to Israel about their continued unwillingness to listen to Him. I really don’t like the last statement the LORD makes through Amos. It’s quite scary.

And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. (Amos 4:6-12)

Hello, is anybody home, America? Or do you just want the agony of God’s judgement to continue?

Arrgh!!! – An Upgrade

This is one of those very rare times I actually use exclamation points.

Well, it was not the fun thing to do. However, according to the release notes the upgrade would fix a critical security flaw and various other issues. Okay. I guess I’d better do it — and soon.

Should I mention that disasters always seem to happen at the most inopportune time? I performed the steps for an upgrade of the blog software. Went to upgrade the database and everything looked okay, except all the special characters (those beyond ASCII’s 128 standard characters) were all strange when I looked at the front page of the blog. In short, it was not displaying UTF-8 encoding correctly.

Uh, not good. That means lots of work to correct the improper encoding after I log in.

I try (notice I said “try”) to log in. It takes the username and password, and then the screen goes blank, that is, white with nothing displayed. The url shows that I am still on the login page. This is really not good. I try other pages, Nope — nothing. Nada. No dice. I now have no access to the Administration of the blog.

I hate this.

Try to troubleshoot. Dump the files. Reload. Rerun the upgrade. Nope — no fix.

Change the parameters for accessing the database in the configuration file. Does it connect — Yes, it connects because with invalid parameters it won’t connect.

Okay, change the password, maybe it got scrambled during the upgrade. Okay, it changes, but still can’t login.

Get into MySQL and use phpMyAdmin and check the database. It says the database has broken links in the indexed fields — not good.

By this time, due to reading, researching, and trying different things, it’s now 0300 hrs Saturday morning, and I have to prepare for a presentation on Sunday.

Bye — it’s broke.

I’m going to bed.

Get up at 0800 hrs. Try again. Read and research some more.

By now it is 1100 hrs, and I have gotten nowhere. I even tried rolling back the upgrade. No dice. Nothing works. By now I am worried that I may have to completely reload each and every post and page — plus all the comments. In prep for this I access phpMyAdmin and backup and download the database.

I also run the repair and optimize options on the database. It says everything is good.

Strange.

How can my database be good, yet not return back the calls by the php script in the blog software. And, why am I hanging on login?

Okay, try deleting unnecessary (certain plugin) tables in the database. Still no workee. Time to quit. Got too many other things to do. Will have to wait until Monday.

Monday Morning

Can’t work on it now, other things pressing.

Finally start at about 1300 hrs. Have a thought — what if the problem lies in the way the database got upgraded? Like — maybe some of the plugin fields in the tables are causing the problem? Also, what if, since the database is already setup as UTF-8, the [define] statement in the configuration file is conflicting with the database setup? After all, all my UTF-8 encoded characters do not display correctly.

So I access phpMyAdmin again in the MySQL administration portion of the host control panel. The [Options] table has a LOT, and I mean a LOT of old plugin entries that were never deleted when I deactivated and removed them.

Clean-up time.

I get it cleaned up and reset the software version number and database version to the pre-upgrade numbers.

Get back out and change the configuration file to remove the [define] statement.

Load all new and clean files for 2.5.1

Rerun the upgrade. Look at the front page of the blog. Hey, all my extended characters look normal.

Try to log in. It takes. The page title appears at the top of the browser screen and it very nicely says [Dashboard – WordPress].

Success. Thank the LORD!

So, what went wrong?

This one line:

define(‘DB_CHARSET’, ‘utf8’);

This line created a conflict with the database setup and content and would hang the scripting software and not allow the characters to display correctly. It also wouldn’t allow access to the admin functions of the blog.

How many hours consumed by this one little line?

About eight.

However, it wasn’t all bad. I learned a lot in a hurry about MySQL database administration and phpMyAdmin. I also learned a lot about what makes WordPress tick.

I couldn’t have posted on Saturday or Sunday anyway. Saturday I was preparing for Sunday. Sunday I was two hours away at my home church in Missouri presenting the mission and ministry.

See, not a total loss. In fact, I could look at it as no loss at all – just a learning experience.

His Unspeakable Gift?

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (II Corinthians 9:15)

Judging from the way a lot of folks behave when asked about serving the LORD, you would never know the above statement is true. After all, they refuse to change their lifestyle, they refuse to serve in a proper church, and they refuse to continue learning about the things of God along with changing their way of thinking to the LORD’s way of thinking. Now, I am not talking about those who are very young in Christ and are learning what the LORD desires of them in some of the more elementary things, who continue to follow after Christ. Rather, what I refer to are those who, after they are saved, begin to rebel against putting things out of their lives, and submitting themselves to the will of God in service to Him in His church. It is as if they are not at all cognizant of what the LORD has done for them in Christ, and what it means to owe everything to the Lord Jesus Christ for the saving of their soul.

That is what brings one to consider what the apostle Paul meant when he, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, penned the statement above. For instance, what does make this gift “unspeakable?” Moreover, why should we thank God for it? And, Just what are we thanking God for?

I think it is lost on so many people who claim Christ, precisely what He has done for them, and what the gravity of the entire situation is when one is without Christ, and dead in trespasses and sins. After all, they still walked around on this earth. They still breathed air, worked a job, etc. etc.. In brief, physically, nothing changed at all. What did, or should have changed was their spiritual life. They should have experienced a radical change in their relationship with the LORD God. They should have gone from having the unease and tension of being in constant conflict with the LORD God, to having peace in their soul. Moreover, that terrible fear of death and the dread of it should also have passed away. However, since most people shove the very thought of dying out of their minds totally, I suspect this was not particularly noticed when it happened. Nonetheless, what everyone who is saved should have been well aware of, is an absolute change in where they were headed upon passing form this life to the next. Undoubtably, those who are lost do know that hell awaits them upon drawing their last breath. Even so, one who is saved ought to remember that dread and fear, and know the Lord Jesus Christ saved them from that, and their eternal destiny is with the Lord in heaven. These things alone make the gift “unspeakable.”

However, those things are not all. It was not man that was able to reach to the righteousness of God. No, only God Himself is and was capable and willing to stoop down to bring man back from the abyss, the pit that all men were destined to enter. No, all we could do is dread the day of our death. In man’s feeble attempts to appease God and make himself righteous and acceptable to God, we erred all the more. Man’s ideas of what pleases God were and are utterly skewed and far from the mark. For this alone, those who are saved by the grace of God in Christ, ought to be fully cognizant and utterly appreciative.

So then, what are we thanking God for? It is not merely that we have eternal life. It is not merely that we get to go to heaven. And, it is not merely that we allowed to fellowship with God. Don’t get me wrong, those are not “mere” things at all. Nonetheless, so many professed “believers” act as if they are, and that their salvation is a light thing. No, it is none of the above things in and of themselves, rather, it is that we are actually alive.

You see, before we came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we were dead. Yes, we walked around, talked, ate, slept, and did all those thinks that we associate with living. However, that which we do in the physical is not life, but a shadow of life. Why? Because real life is spiritual.

If we remember, it was the Lord Jesus Christ who stated specifically:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

As an aside, grammatically, the three things Christ mentions above (way, truth, life) are all addressed as singular. Plainly, it is conveyed that only one way exists to come to the Father, only one truth exists, and there is only one source of and for life — the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Thus, to physically cease to function without Christ is to be sealed forever in a state of death. Moreover, this state is not a state of unfeeling and unconsciousness in which one rests. No, the LORD God intends for everyone leaving this life without Christ to understand they have utterly disregarded His express commandment to repent and believe the Gospel. Hence, the LORD designed a place of eternal torment in which the suffering is unimaginable. Those who elect to go there will know and experience pain and agony beyond anything that can be inflicted on this earth. Moreover, it is inescapable and unending. For those who elect death, and to remain dead and without Christ, this is their expected end.

For those who have chosen to trust Christ, life is given. One is made spiritually alive and able to personally communicate with the LORD God on a one on one level without any intermediary. Moreover, this life gives access to understanding and wisdom that the world cannot know, and cannot see. Whereas those without Christ do not know, and cannot be assured of the future, the believer can be, and is assured the LORD God has all well in hand and the end will be what He states it to be. Not only this, but a promise is given to the child of God in Christ — that we can come to God anytime, anywhere, and ask whatsoever we need to know, and He will answer. In addition, we can look forward to an everlasting time of constantly learning about the things God has done. It is indeed the comfort and joy of being with the source of all life, for all eternity. On considering this, I am reminded of the passage from Colossians, chapter 2:

For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:1-3)

That alone is such a gift — to have access to all the wisdom and knowledge that exists. However, the gift the child of God in Christ has been given is indescribable. As the Apostle Paul put it:

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (II Corinthians 9:15)

This being the case, why is it some who claim to be children of God in Christ, cannot seem to appreciate it? Why is it they seem to be utterly unwilling to submit themselves to serving the LORD who has done so very much for them?

Perhaps they cannot understand how wonderful the gift is, as they have never really received it?

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Romans 8:9)