Introduction Richard Dawkins, a prominent British biologist and atheist, believes that complex things appear to be designed for a purpose, but are not. [1] Authors such as Dr. Steven C. Meyer (Return of the God Hypothesis), Professor John Lennox (Cosmic Chemistry: Do God and Science Mix?), and Dr. James Tour, et all (Mystery of Life’s Origin) have written books providing ample scientific and philosophical evidence that complex things are, in fact, genuinely designed by an intelligent designer, not just appearing to be so. When and how did science replace God? Before science offered “real explanations” of how life began and evolved to its present state, humanity relied on belief in God. As knowledge grew, God became unnecessary. How did this happen? The earliest pioneers of modern science didn’t see their work as a replacement for God. Modern science was not born in opposition to belief in God; the pioneers of modern science saw their work as revealing Him. Isaac Newton, who is regarded as one of the greatest scientists in history, believed the order of the universe reflected divine intelligence: This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being. [2] Robert Boyle, one of the founders of modern chemistry and a pioneer of the scientific method, saw science as a means to honor God: The study of nature is a duty we owe to God. [3] These early scientists believed nature was understandable and discoverable only because it was created by an intelligent, rational mind. Their faith inspired their work rather than hindering it. As science advanced during the scientific revolution, its success led many thinkers to assume that material explanations were sufficient for everything. In his book cited above, Dr. Meyer explains how this philosophical shift occurred: The success of mechanistic explanations led many scientists to assume that matter and energy alone could explain all of reality. [4] In other words, the existence of God wasn’t disproven by scientists; His existence was simply deemed unnecessary. This assumption took root in scientific circles during the Enlightenment and shaped modern materialism. Challenges to the assumption that “Science has explained God away.” The following three recent scientific discoveries undermine this assumption. Philosopher of science Stephen C. Meyer discusses these discoveries and their implications in his book Return of the God Hypothesis. 1. The universe had a beginning. The Big Bang confirmed that the universe is not eternal. The discovery that space, time, matter, and energy all came into existence at a definite point in the past counters the idea of an eternal, unchanging cosmos, suggesting a transcendent cause. 2. Life exists only because the universe is governed by precise, physical laws, making chance explanations highly implausible. 3. The complex information in DNA points to a conscious mind. Naturalistic mechanisms alone cannot adequately explain how complex biological information arose. We have never observed information arise from purely material processes without the involvement of a mind. [5] Inference to the Best Explanation Using philosophical reasoning, Dr. Meyer argues that the God hypothesis — a personal, intelligent Designer — is the best metaphysical explanation for what we see. An all-powerful, intelligent, spaceless, timeless, immaterial, and personal Creator is a far more coherent explanation of life than materialistic alternatives. The central thesis in his book is that scientific data doesn’t undermine belief in God; rather, as scientific knowledge and understanding deepen, theism becomes a stronger and more plausible explanation for why the universe exists as it does. As mathematician and philosopher John Lennox explains, biological systems do not merely show complexity; they show language (which always comes from a mind). In his discussions and books, he emphasizes that human reason and the intelligible nature of the universe (e.g., mathematical laws) are consistent with the belief in a Creator who designed a universe that can be studied and understood. Science explains how things work; it does not explain why they exist. [6] Like Dr. Meyer, Professor Lennox argues that chance lacks creative power! He insists that a purely materialistic worldview struggles to account for the coherence and order we observe. He asserts that theism provides a framework that makes sense of both scientific knowledge and the deeper questions of meaning and purpose. Self-creation is logically impossible. Something cannot create itself. [7] Conclusion Life contains coded instructions, best explained by intelligent design. Faith and reason can be reunited by explaining reality in terms of both how and why God, as the mind behind DNA, explains both order and intelligence. A personal, intelligent, purposeful Creator revealed in the God of the Bible uniquely explains: Creation from nothing Order and rationality Moral meaning and human dignity Belief in the God of the Bible is not a relic of the past. It is increasingly consistent with the best scientific evidence we have. Science hasn’t disproved the God hypothesis; on the contrary, it has brought it back with a profound force. © Debra Hodges Resources: Wikipedia contributors. (2025, December 17). The blind watchmaker. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blind_Watchmaker Isaac Newton, Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/newton/ Robert Boyle, The Christian Virtuoso https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/boyle/ Stephen C. Meyer, Return of the God Hypothesis (HarperOne) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/return-of-the-god-hypothesis-stephen-c-meyer Stephen C. Meyer, Return of the God Hypothesis John C. Lennox, God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? (Lion Hudson) https://lionhudson.com/gods-undertaker/ John Lennox, God’s Undertaker

Short Version The Gospel of Matthew is the opening of the New Beginning, just as Matthew 11:13 says: “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” His genealogy is the ultimate example of that old proverb: “If you want a job done well, you have to do it yourself.” I’m not foolhardy enough to put words in God’s mouth, so the best I can do to make sense of what begins unfolding in the Greatest Story Ever Told is this: “I’ve given you your chance. You’re not as good as that con‑artist Satan has deceived you into believing. You’ve failed. You’ve suffered enough. I’m coming to rescue you Myself.” God opens the last part of the Narrative with a declaration of how faithful and merciful He is. That alone should set the mood for reading the Bible. The Wood and the Trees There is so much petty argument about the genealogies in the Gospels. A previous post, How Many Genealogies Does Jesus Have?, shows that both Matthew and Luke give valid genealogies of David’s two sons, Solomon and Nathan. And Nathan’s is the authoritative one. But what, then, is the purpose of Matthew’s genealogy? Here is Matthew’s genealogy compared to the records in Chronicles. You can see that Matthew is giving a genealogy of the Jews. Abraham, the first Jew, was originally a Gentile. The green highlights show the discrepancies between the Chronicles record and the Holy Spirit’s list in Matthew. Why don’t they match? Surely that’s another “error” in the Bible. No. It is up to the Holy Spirit to decide who gets erased from Christ’s biological lineage. The reasons for the omissions are in the Old Testament if you care to look. If you don’t care to look… well, that’s your choice. Some of the surprising names involved are Manasseh, Jehoiakim, and Jeconiah. Their stories explain everything. Some Family Secrets Stay in the Closet Adam, who had a personal, one‑on‑one relationship with Jehovah Elohim, still sold his soul to the Devil because he didn’t believe what God said on those sublime afternoon strolls. Abraham, who did believe Jehovah, still couldn’t redeem what Adam had thrown away. Samson, the physically strongest mere mortal (yes, I know he’s not in the genealogy), couldn’t fix it either. David, the man after God’s own heart, had blood on his hands, and the kings who followed him were truly wicked. Even the best of them was bad. Yet Jehovah remained true to His promises. That alone is an encouragement to anyone who professes the Name of Jesus. Then came Solomon, the wisest mere mortal, who made a dog’s breakfast of the whole thing. The Women in Matthew’s Genealogy Matthew does something radically unusual for an ancient Jewish genealogy: he includes women — five of them. Leaving Mary aside for the moment, the others all come from the wrong side of the tracks. Tamar (Genesis 38) began a line of bastards. Rahab (Joshua 2; 6) was a lady of negotiable virtue. Ruth (Book of Ruth) came from the wrong family. And those are the successes in the list. But haven’t you missed one? That intriguing woman is “the wife of Uriah” (2 Samuel). Everyone with even a smidgen of biblical knowledge, or who watched the 1951 Susan Hayward/Gregory Peck movie, knows that Uriah’s wife was Bathsheba. Yet the Holy Spirit did not give her the courtesy of a name here. Names matter in the Bible. Something more is going on there than meets the eye. That’s something you can cogitate on for yourself. The Subliminal Message God opens the next part of the narrative with a declaration of how faithful and merciful He is. Satan is a con‑artist. Humanity could not look after itself. Immanuel was necessary. Christmas is the new beginning promised in Jeremiah 31:33 and 32:40. God did not forget. If that is not a reason to celebrate, what is. But Mary Can’t be Ignored Mary and Joseph would have ended up in Bethlehem regardless of which genealogy you favor. Both Jacob (Matthew) and Heli (Luke) lead them there. Mary was in the line of David by both blood and marriage. In Bethlehem, she was among family. Yet no one would, not could, but would, find room for her, even though she was with child, supposedly the epitome of social status for a Jewish woman. Why would that be? The post Illegitimate Skeletons in Messiah’s Family Closet shows that Mary was a gutsy girl. Someone to be admired. Not worshipped. © Brad Banardict ネ Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Exploring Scripture. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

I have a thing for words; words are fun, they are creative outlets. I use words in my everyday vocabulary that make people look twice at me all the time. I truly believe words and names are important, otherwise why were we given speech by God in the first place? And when a word from the Bible gets stuck in my head for days, I must investigate why. Hebrew to Greek. Machah: To wipe, blot out, obliterate (Hebrew) “But now, please forgive their sin — but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.” Exodus 32:32–33 Exaleiphó: To wipe out, to blot out, to erase, to obliterate (Greek) “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5 “Blot” Wasn’t Chosen Casually. One thing I noticed right away, and want to convey, is that this word, in Hebrew or Greek, has many individual meanings. But put together, these meanings reveal a more profound and painful final action. We know the Holy Spirit was heavily involved in the Bible being written, but I also believe, despite glitches, personal choices, and knowledge unknown at the time, that the Holy Spirit also had a hand in corralling humanity as they translated it, hence why we have such good translations. “Blot” was chosen to make us see, literally, the act of our name being erased, wiped out, poof, obliterated. It calls up an image of ink on paper being smeared, but ink still left to remind our Father that a name was once there. That is a conscious choice to make that ☝️happen. So, I’m still sitting here contemplating that word, the finality of it, the seriousness of it, and the fact that there is only one Book of Life at the end. And then something occurred to me: all our names were already written in that book from the moment we were a mere twinkle, and that means something. A big something. Look again at Exodus closely: “But now, please forgive their sin — but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.” We were written in the Book of Life from the moment He knew us. He didn’t decide who was worthy or loved later on; we are already there. He excluded no one. We are the only ones capable of doing that. We force His hand. And when that happens, He has to open that book and blot out a name that was once lovingly written there. Jesus wept. Do you really think God doesn’t when that happens? © Jane Isley

We live in an age where the danger to our faith isn’t just persecution, it’s also persuasion. Every day, believers are invited to bow, and many do. Scripture has warned us that this isn’t a new concept. The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego serves as both a blueprint and a wake-up call for our time. More Relevant Than Ever Before. “Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.” Daniel 3:7 The key phrase in this passage is, “all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped.” While Babylon didn’t have census records as we have now, history and archaeology allow us to estimate the population of Nebuchadnezzar II’s kingdom. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were taken captive (along with Daniel) around 605 B.C., during the rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (Chaldean Era). Although short-lived, lasting from 539 to 626 B.C., it had some umph. Archaeologists believe the city of Babylon itself housed between 150,000 and 200,000 people, with some estimates reaching as high as 250,000. When the surrounding territories are included, the empire’s population is estimated to be around one million. Think Delaware, Montana, or Rhode Island-sized population. The Portal of Knowledge For the point I’m about to make, I’m focusing just on the city of Babylon, where the three stood before the king. The estimated range of 150,000 to 200,000 is more than enough for my purposes. “ALL the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped.” Seems Impossible. But is it, though? (Also, I’m not saying everyone there was a believer; that's not the point, the point is they all went along despite their individual beliefs.) Look at our nation today and the societal upheaval and dry heaving that we have experienced in the last few years. How quickly so many have bowed down to inclusiveness, political agendas, and, in many cases, efforts to rewrite Scripture so that everything receives a “thumbs up” from God, somehow to enter heaven’s gates. You’ve probably guessed where this is going, at least I hope so. When Scripture says, “all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped.” God is trying desperately to show us and warn us of something here. Most people don’t resist pressure for very long, if at all. Standing alone requires courage, and many simply won’t do it. So these people all bowed, a public gesture that said, “I’ll go along.” Think Mob Mentality, “the phenomenon where individuals in a group often adopt behaviors and attitudes that differ significantly from their own personal beliefs or morals.” Then History Gives Us These Three. Contemplate this situation for a moment; three out of, say, 150,000 people, using the conservative estimate for those who might question whether everyone actually bowed or if there were really that many people there. 3÷150,000=0.00002 That's only 0.00002% of the population. If you’re wondering, that's not an error. I tried 5 different sites to create this pie chart. It’s not even a literal speck in a sandbox, and that pie chart uses the lowest estimate, 150,000. Statistically speaking, not a lot of people are going to make it into heaven. That’s why Revelation tells us of only one book of life versus all the other books at judgment. In this situation, we see just one man, King Nebuchadnezzar, build an idol, call together the higher-ups, demand the people bow, cue the music, and bam, just like that, all but three fell down and bowed. No questions asked, no faith fought for, no battle of the wills, just fallen people. That Golden Image Has Never Gone Away. It just changed shape. Today’s idols may not be gigantic golden statues in the middle of a city, but they are no less visible. An idol is anything people elevate above God, anything they trust, want, obey, or fear more than Him. Money, careers, reputation, power, fame, patriotism, sexual identity, the “my truth” mentality, comfort, entertainment, etc. These are some of the things people pursue, protect, and prioritize at all costs. They believe these things promise security and fulfillment, but when they take the place of God, they become idols. They come in all shapes and sizes, so don’t be fooled. When the Music Starts. The question has never been whether the crowd will bow. Scripture and history have already answered that for us. The question is whether you will stand. Will you be able to stand firm when that furnace heats up? When obeying God costs you your reputation, your career, your relationships, your comfort, maybe even your life? Will you hold fast or blot out your own name? Faith Stronger Than This World. “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:17–18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted God. They stood firm because their faith WAS GREATER than their fear, that crowd, and that idol. They knew the outcome if they died that day. So do we; there is no excuse, just choice. Him or bow down, simple as that. We have the Bible, we have His promises to the faithful, we have the book of Revelation, and we know He kicks butt and has made a home for us. “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21: 2–5 Whatever the cost, I hope I see you in heaven. © Jane Isley

As I was meditating on Psalm 40:12–13, these words captured my heart: "For troubles without number surround me;my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.They are more than the hairs of my head,and my heart fails within me. Be pleased to save me, Lord;come quickly, Lord, to help me." One phrase stopped me. “Be pleased to save me, Lord.” It almost sounds strange, doesn’t it? Why would David ask God to be pleased to save him? Why not simply say, “Save me”? And if God truly is the One who works in us “to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13), then why does He ever wait? Why doesn’t He strengthen our will from the start? Why does He sometimes allow us to sink so deeply into weakness that hope feels distant? The more I thought about the words “Be pleased,” the more I asked myself: who else would be pleased to see me saved? The answer was painfully clear. Me. That’s when it clicked. When I’ve cried out to God for help, I realized I wasn’t always longing for holiness; I was longing for relief. I wanted to feel better. I wanted my sense of moral stability back. I wanted to see a “righteous” version of myself again, the me who felt full of grace, the me who felt holy, strong, capable, and spiritually okay. This is what hidden self-righteousness does to us. It makes our prayers sound spiritual while quietly centering everything around “me.” It can appear like we want God to be pleased, but deep down we mostly want to be pleased with ourselves. We want to feel righteous again. We want our inner comfort restored. We want God’s help so our own sense of moral comfort can be restored. It takes spiritual maturity to love God for who He is, even when He does not make us feel righteous in the moment. Maturity is when God becomes lovely in Himself, not only when He makes us feel good about our spiritual condition. That is what makes David’s prayer so powerful. His cry is not simply, “Lord, rescue me so I can feel better.” It is, “Lord, rescue me in a way that pleases You.” He does not want deliverance that restores his pride. He wants deliverance that glorifies God and humbles his heart. He wants saving that leads to worship, not saving that leads back to self-confidence. So why does God sometimes let us feel the full weight of our weakness? Not because He is cruel.Not because He is distant.But because He is forming humility, not just “good” behavior. If He rescued us too quickly, we might enjoy freedom without learning dependence. We might walk in outward obedience while still loving ourselves more than we love Him. We might crave the feeling of righteousness rather than craving God Himself. Sometimes God lets us feel lost so that when He saves, our response is gratitude instead of pride. Then obedience flows from humility instead of ego. Sometimes He allows the struggle not because He refuses to help, but because He is teaching us to love Him more than we love feeling righteous. He is shaping hearts that want Him more than comfort, more than moral success, more than self-approval. Next time you ask for His help, remember to place His pleasure above your comfort. Seek His will before your relief. Let that be the posture of your heart: “Be pleased to save me, Lord. Come quickly to help me.” © Mikiyas Astatke

“[…] The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.” Gen 6:15–17 Well, For Sure, We Know It Was Big And honestly, that is about it, other than the decks, pitch being used, door placement, and gopher wood, which, btw, the word “gopher” is a hapax legomenon (all I see is Dr. Suess when I see that word) because that’s the only time that word is used in the Bible, ever. So we don’t actually know what type of wood would be in today’s world. Based on the passage, it could possibly be a giant rectangular barge-like structure, given the dimensions provided. However, it could also have had a round-ish shape, as indicated in verse 14, where the word tebah is used. Why this is interesting is that in Exodus 2:3, the same word is used about the basket Moses was laid in, indicating the possibility of a rounded shape. Kentucky, USA In Kentucky, someone actually built the ark based on the given dimensions and standard knowledge of ships, measuring a whopping 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high. wikipedia.com Next, I created an image in chatGPT with dimensions and a comparison to the Titanic if it were built more rectangular (barge-like) shape than a traditional ship design. Why None Of That Matters Well, yes, it does matter to a point, don’t me wrong on that, but not as much as it should, at least not at first. Let me explain. Whether the Ark was a rectangular cube thingy, more ship-like, or a gigantic barge, there’s one small but huge phrase that is often overlooked in all of this debate, and I think it needs to be read, thought on, and acknowledged first before you do a squirrel dive into the science behind the Ark. “Then the Lord shut him in.” Think about that for a moment. Noah was instructed to build ONE door on the side, and when everybody was inside, He shut him in. No matter the shape of the Ark, God took it upon Himself to shut Noah in and protect him and his family. That door was the only door for people to enter. Noah was righteous before God; he had immense faith and showed that by building the ark as instructed, which you have to admit was probably a lot to take in when He got these instructions and knowing what it meant. There Was Only Ever One Door Anyone could have walked through the door and been saved from the flood, but they didn’t by choice. In 2 Peter 2:5 we learn that Noah was also a “preacher of righteousness .” The Bible doesn’t point something out for no reason; Noah would have been preaching salvation and about what was coming. So, why did God “shut Him in?” A couple of reasons actually for us to see and understand, and yes, you can have a couple of answers for one thing that are all equal in meaning. To display His sovereignty and judgment. To keep that world out, the people made their choice. Safety, waterproofing, and it demonstrates His protection to those who choose Him. Sometimes God closes doors because He is choosing to shut certain things out. (figurative) The people knew what Noah was doing; you don’t start chopping down that many trees in your backyard and not have the neighbors notice the giant boat getting built in your backyard. So while all the studies, debates, and science out there are absolutely fun and amazing to read about the Ark, that fascination should not overlook or replace studying everything else being said to us about that time in history, and how big was Noah’s ark is a question that ultimately points us back to what Scripture emphasizes about God’s protection. Enter through that door today, while it is still open. © 2025 Jane Isley Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Exploring Scripture. Sources, References & Reads: Genesis 7:16  Genesis 6:10–20 Patterns of Evidence   Was the Ark Sea worthy? Answers in Genesis: Thinking outside the box. Biblical Thoughts — For God’s Glory: Ark of Noah Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

By guest author Pastor Rich Bittermen The bell tower threw a long shadow across the quad.Flyers flapped on a corkboard…movie nights, climate rallies, and three printed rainbows promising “safe space, no shame.” A freshman in a hoodie stood there for a moment, thumbing through his phone. A headline blinked up from his screen:“1 in 5 Gen Z now identify as LGBT.” He didn’t flinch. He just shouldered his backpack, tucked the leather Bible deeper inside, and kept walking. A New Normal That Isn’t According to Gallup, 7.2% of all U.S. adults identify as LGBT. But among Gen Z, those born after 1997, that number has surged to 19.7%. Almost one in five. Not claimed in passing, but embraced, published, and pressed into every layer of public life. These are not secret sins or silent struggles. These are banners now, waved from classrooms, streaming platforms, and TikTok timelines. What once whispered from shadows now demands celebration in the streets. But the Word of God has not moved. It sits where it always has, solid and unblinking, like a stone in a river while the current rushes past in protest. So we must speak. Not with outrage, not with distance, but with urgency and tears. Behind Every Number, a Name A young man once sat across from me in the quiet of the church office. He stared at his coffee but never drank it. The Styrofoam cup trembled slightly in his hand. “Pastor,” he said, “do you think I’m ruined?” That’s what this conversation is really about. Not Gallup charts. It’s about souls. Souls who wonder if the gospel is big enough to reach them. Souls who are being catechized by a rainbow-washed world that says: “This is who you are. This is your truth. This is love.” We must be clear: not every person who feels this temptation commits this sin. And not every person who struggles in silence has been discipled in truth. But everyone, everyone, needs a gospel strong enough to save, and a church willing to sit with them long enough to show them Jesus. Temptation Is Not Identity Let’s make this unmistakably clear: Temptation is not identity. Inclination is not destiny. To feel a pull is not to be condemned.To practice the act is to disobey God. The Bible defines sin not by what we feel, but by what we do. Homosexuality, like adultery or drunkenness or greed, is a behavior that God condemns…not a personality trait, not a quirk of biology. Some are more inclined to it, yes. Just as others are more inclined to rage or addiction. But no one is born bound to sin. The gospel breaks every chain. The World Redefines; God Restores A culture that removes sex from covenant and morality has nowhere left to stand. Once sexual desire becomes a consumer product, no more meaningful than choosing carrots over Brussels sprouts, then marriage collapses, families fracture, and civilization forgets how to blush. Rome fell that way. So did Babylon. So, quietly, are we. When God’s design for sexuality is abandoned, what replaces it is not freedom but confusion. Not joy, but a restless ache that success and slogans cannot touch. The Ache Behind the Applause You’ll hear it said that the LGBT community is vibrant and strong. That they’ve found their place. That they’ve claimed their pride. But I have seen too many behind closed doors, long after the parade has ended, to believe it. They carry the ache of being misunderstood. The shame of wanting what they know to be wrong. The fear of growing old and being alone. What looks like celebration is often a cry for belonging. What sounds like confidence is often the soundtrack to an identity that will not hold. Romans 1 tells us plainly that when men and women trade God’s design for their own passions, there is judgment, but not just judgment in the future. The judgment begins now, in the form of confusion, futility, and the darkening of the heart. They are not just sinning.They have been sinned against. Such Were Some of You And yet this is not the end of the story. Paul writes to the Corinthian church: “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality… will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you.But you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”-1 Corinthians 6:9–11 Some of them had been practicing homosexuals. Others had been caught in adultery, drunkenness, covetousness. Paul doesn’t separate them into levels. He simply points to the blood of Jesus and says: Washed. Sanctified. Justified. That is what the gospel does.It doesn’t sweep your past under a rug.It scrubs it clean.It doesn’t leave you nameless.It gives you sonship. That young man in my office? He’s not ruined. He’s redeemed. Friendship Is Not Fornication One of the great lies of our age is the confusion between intimacy and impurity. The world cannot imagine two men being close without being lovers. It cannot picture two women walking through sorrow and joy without assuming sin. But the Bible gives us David and Jonathan, a friendship so deep, so loyal, so bonded, that David would later write: “Your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women.” -2 Samuel 1:26 Not a hint of sin. Just God-given friendship.We must recover that category in the church. Deep, holy, covenant friendships that fight loneliness without fueling lust. Real companionship that welcomes a third person into the fold instead of shutting the door to protect hidden sin. When two walk together in Christ, and a third comes bearing the same heart-they are welcomed. That is friendship.When a third comes and is resented, resisted, and feared-lust may be lurking. Repentance Means Quit The message of Christ is not tolerance. It is transformation. The call is not to manage our sin.The call is to kill it. “Cease to do evil. Learn to do good.”-Isaiah 1:16–17 Repentance means quit. Quit now. Quit forever. Not by might. Not by therapy. But by the Spirit of the Living God. Do you feel powerless? Good. So did the man with the withered hand. Jesus said, “Stretch it out.” And when the command came, the power came with it. So it is with every sin. The moment you decide to obey, Christ supplies the strength. Avoid the places. Cancel the subscriptions. Confess to someone in the church who will hold you up with truth and love. Step into the light and let the light burn clean. For Parents Who Are Afraid To the mother reading this with tears…To the father who’s too broken to speak…You are not alone. Your child may be caught in this storm, but God is not blind and He is not finished. Do not compromise. But do not stop praying. Do not cut off the phone calls. Be the one who always answers. Be the one who keeps a chair at the table. Truth and love are not opposites. In Christ, they are inseparable. For the One Still Struggling If you feel the pull of same-sex attraction and wonder if there is a place for you in Christ-The answer is yes.If you have committed the act and wonder if grace can still reach you-The answer is yes.If you have fought the same temptation a thousand times and failed again-Come to Christ. He knows temptation. He felt it. He did not yield. And now He gives mercy to the tempted. “We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses.” -Hebrews 4:15 He knows the exact shape of your ache.He knows what your tears taste like.And He’s not ashamed to call you His. A Call to the Church Do not flinch. Do not soften what Scripture has made clear. Do not smirk when others weep. Do not grow distant from those who struggle. The harvest is full of strugglers. The pews are not pure. We are all people being saved from something. This is not the hour for moral pride. It is the hour for gospel courage. Eternity Is Not a Theory One in five Gen Z now identify as LGBT. But behind that number is a soul. And that soul will live forever. The rainbow will fade. The slogans will age. But the Word of God will still be open. And the blood of Christ will still be enough. So we preach. We counsel. We cry. We repent. And we welcome. Because we were washed. Because we were sanctified. Because we were justified. And now we walk together toward the throne. © Pastor Rich Bitterman Originally published at https://richbitterman.com on September 3, 2025.

Photo by Chaozzy Lin on Unsplash Introduction I don’t usually watch “R-rated” movies, but I made an exception to watch this one because I was intrigued by its plot of rebellion, revenge, and justice. If you plan to watch this movie, you will need to use VidAngel (a streaming service linked to other platforms like Netflix that allows you to filter content) to block profanity and be aware that there is quite a bit of violence, especially at the end. Let’s examine how this movie parallels today’s social and political issues. Background This movie was released in 2006. The first scene shows an audience of townspeople staring at a man about to be hanged on the gallows. It turns out he is Guy Fawkes, a co-conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot who was caught trying to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London on November 5th, 1605. I learned about the Gunpowder Plot after watching the movie because I wanted to understand the historical context it was based on. It was a conspiracy led by English Roman Catholics who tried to assassinate King James I and restore Catholic rule in England. The failure of the plot is still celebrated today with bonfires and fireworks on Guy Fawkes Night. “V” is a masked vigilante whose own quest for vengeance against the oppressive “Norsefire” regime was inspired by the Gunpowder Plot, which was an attempt to bring down a tyrannical government. Just as Guy Fawkes became a symbol of defiance against oppression, “V” represents the oppressed masses and their suffering under the current government’s harsh rule. He was tortured at Larkhill, a concentration camp where people were experimented on in a secret program to create a weaponized virus. He escaped when a fire destroyed the premises, disfiguring him permanently, and instilling in him a broiling vendetta to bring down the government that experimented on him. A Foreshadowing of Christian Persecution Today This movie powerfully depicts what happens when a society abandons truth, rejects God’s authority, and replaces moral conviction with state-controlled ideology. Many believers see in the film a symbolic warning about how persecution can grow in a culture based on Humanism that drifts away from biblical foundations. The totalitarian regime “Norsefire” attempted to shape every aspect of its citizens’ lives, their thoughts, speech, morality, and identity. In Scripture, any authority that seeks to replace God ultimately becomes oppressive (see Daniel 3; Acts 5:29). Some Christians see a parallel in today’s governments. When governments or institutions claim the right to redefine morality, biblical conviction becomes countercultural, unpopular, unwelcome, even hated. People who spoke the truth were mocked, censored, or imprisoned. Jesus warned His followers that the world would reject truth and hate those who bear witness to it (John 15:18–20). For many believers, the movie echoes the growing cultural pressure to remain silent about biblical teachings on sin, righteousness, and salvation. The government redefined morality to fit its cultural ideology. They determined what was “acceptable” and punished anything that contradicted their narrative. They maintained power by weaponizing fear, fear of disease, terrorism, social instability, and “the other.” The state manufactured crises and then positioned itself as the sole source of safety. (Doesn’t this sound familiar?) Isaiah 5:20 warns of a time when people will call evil good and good evil. Moral disagreement turned into moral condemnation in this film. This should be a wake-up call to Christians not to let fear rule them (2 Timothy 1:7) nor let it suppress their faith. The film’s central question, which remains deeply relevant today, is: How much freedom are citizens willing to trade for the promise of safety? Religious conviction was targeted, and religious groups were quietly removed, marginalized, or criminalized. This reflects a spiritual truth: wherever Christ’s lordship is rejected, hostility toward His people tends to follow (2 Timothy 3:12). While full persecution varies by country, the film reminds believers that spiritual opposition often begins not with violence but with subtle exclusion. Tactics of Control In the film, the media was manipulated and controlled through the government’s propaganda network, “The BTN”. Stories were rewritten to suppress dissent, and citizens received information designed to distract or deceive. In today’s culture, the struggle over truth has intensified, especially with the Humanist battle cry, “Truth is Relative.” The government used surveillance technology to track individuals and collect data to stave off dissent. These tactics parallel current technologies, which continue to erode individual privacy. Today’s digital systems provide unprecedented data about individuals: location tracking, biometric databases, predictive policing algorithms, and AI-driven monitoring. Governments and corporations alike possess capabilities that far exceed what the film imagined in 2006. The film contains an element of romance in the character of Evey, a young woman rescued by “V” from thugs at the beginning of the movie. She learns through her relationship with “V” that apathy and fear enable tyranny. She sees ordinary citizens tolerating government abuse because they feel that resistance would be dangerous or futile. Conclusion Nearly two decades later, the film’s themes feel uncomfortably familiar. In this film, we see how fear is used to maintain government control, and the question of trading security for freedom is posed. V for Vendetta doesn’t predict the future, but it reflects a biblical pattern: when truth is suppressed, when power replaces God, and when fear governs a culture, persecution is never far behind. This film inspires me to stand firm, speak truth in love, and remain faithful to the Gospel, even in a world that may grow increasingly hostile to it. © Debra Hodges

When God listens in, and when He moves on. Picture this: you and a friend are sitting at your local coffee shop, catching up on each other’s lives. Who would be secretly listening in on your conversation? Not the barista behind the counter. They are too busy. Not the businessperson furiously clicking away at their open laptop. Perhaps the nosy person at the table beside you is pretending not to, but furtively leaning your way. Photo by Hümâ H. Yardım on Unsplash But what about God? Is there a time when He would be clandestinely listening to your conversation? When would He hear a few of your words and leave? And when would He pull up a chair and intently take in what you are discussing? First, can God listen to our conversation? Of course. Here’s what David wrote: “Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?” Psalm 94:9 NIV The New Living Translation states it this way: “Is he deaf — the one who made your ears? Is he blind — the one who formed your eyes?” Why would God visit a coffee shop? There are 8.2 billion people on Earth today, and 38,000 coffee shops worldwide. Since I live in the US, there are over 22,800 Java joints for Him to pop into and listen to Table #4. There is only one reason for Him to visit yours and not bounce to the next. It’s not for the prayers. Yes, God hears your prayers. “Father God, please bless this half-caf skinny mochaccino to the nourishment of our bodies, Amen.” He loves our thanksgiving acknowledgements of His provision. But prayers come to Him. Three times in Revelation, John wrote that the prayers of the saints are offered as a sweet savor to God. (5:8, 8:3, and 8:4) When we pray, it’s like God just drove by a bakery or a barbecue restaurant. He loves the scent. “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers.” 1 Peter 3:12 But I’m not talking about our prayers. What about our daily conversations? Would God listen to the casual chats between you and your Christian bro or faith-filled gal pal? Yes. The proof comes from the Hebrew scriptures. “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.” Mal 3:16 The King James version says they “spoke OFTEN to one another.” Not to God. To each other. And how does God respond? He pulls up a chair and listens. Yes, He hears your prayers. But He also listens to your conversations with other believers. If it’s grumbling and complaining, He moves on. He’ll bounce if it glorifies doubt, fear, hate, or deconstructionism. There is not much whining in the presence of a holy and mighty God. If your conversation brings Him glory, He will listen and take notes. He wants it written down for eternity. “In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.” Mal 3:15 NLT There is a heavenly scribe taking notes and recording the minutes from your meeting at a coffee shop. The Message Version puts it this way: “Then those whose lives honored God got together and talked it over. God saw what they were doing and listened in. A book was opened in God’s presence and minutes were taken of the meeting, with the names of the God-fearers written down, all the names of those who honored God’s name.” Who knew so much of the spiritual realm engaged in a group sitting in the corner booth, sharing a blueberry muffin, and talking about how God is showing up in their lives? God loves those gatherings. It’s why Jesus said: ”For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Mat 18:20 He doesn’t specify the location. He loves the gathering, the camaraderie, the fellowship, and the friendship. He starts taking notes if the conversation turns from politics and Netflix to Him. What Are Holy Words That Please God? You might think the next meet-up must look like a Pharisee convention. Nope. God delights when we dump the funk on our accountability partner. Our honesty and transparency about our lives will bust hypocrisy. The many scriptures about confessing secret sins to one another show how powerful a coffee shop meeting can be. What happens to the meeting notes? They are read back at the judgment. Most Christians fear the part about giving an account of every idle word at the judgment. (Mat 12:36) We’ve all been stupid with our mouths. But have you considered that every prayer at a meal, every “thank you” at narrowly avoiding a car accident, and every “God bless you” to a frazzled cashier will also be read back and rewarded? Books? Plural? Here’s where the “Book or Remembrance” will come into play. Most Christians know that when we devote our lives to Jesus, our names are written in “The Lamb’s Book of Life”. But that is not the only opened book. “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” Rev 20:12 Yes, dear friend, the “Book of Remembrance” is opened, and your reward is great because you met at a coffee shop and honored the One who created you. You might have thought it was just two friends catching up. But it was a powerful spiritual moment that affected your eternal destiny and reward. Here’s the rest of the story. The following two verses say: “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” Mal 3: 17–18 NLT The NLT calls you His treasured possession. Other translations call you His “special treasure” and “jewels." Never underestimate the value of your chats. Many have entertained angels unaware. (Heb 13:2) And the God of the universe just might be smiling as He listens to your conversation. © I.M. Koen Stay tuned for part 2, “God and IKEA trains.” I’ll tell you how I learned this lesson. It wasn’t in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount. It was in a child’s bedroom in Denton, Texas. Thank you for reading this. May God reveal to you how precious you are to Him. And may you never forget how much you are loved. You sit protected and cherished among God’s special treasures. You are loved! -Issachar You might also enjoy reading: Jesus Wants to Make You Breakfast. Speaking These Four Words Can Kill You. What a Megachurch Can Learn from the Marines.

The First Instructions About Prayer. There have been a number of my Medium buddies going through some tough times. I don’t pretend to know why God just doesn’t do a better job of things. But I know it must be the best way because it has cost Him so much. But the Holy Spirit has left exquisite pearls of Wisdom in His Word, waiting to be found, which show that He is not a boring Teacher. He gives instruction on Prayer which show that He is the consummate Lateral Thinker. unsplash.com How? The Lord shows things first in the natural then in the spiritual so that we get some comprehension of what He is doing outside our spectrum of sight and sound — as is written in 1 Corinthians 15:46–47: However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterwards the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. On the topic of Prayer, there are a number of verses which liken the Prayers of the Saints to being a Sweet Savour to the Lord. One example that the prayers of the Saints are Incense to the Most High is written in Revelation 5:8: Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. The recipe for the incense is written in Exodus 30:34–35: And the Lord said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. A teaching by a Messianic Rabbi (Orthodox trained), Dick Reuben, describes the constituents of the recipe given by God. Stacte — it came from the resin of a pine tree. It was not difficult to collect — it came freely. This speaks of how God wants our incense to be given — freely and spontaneously. Onycha — Came from a particular shellfish. The shellfish was located deep in the ocean, and the men had to let down their nets to collect it. This speaks of how our prayer, worship and praise must come from the very depths of our heart, not because we are being pressured from the worship leader, but because we want to. Galbanum — Collected from the myrtle tree. The limbs were broken and the men would come back the next day to collect the sap that had issued forth from the broken area. This speaks of how our prayer, praise, worship, and intercession must come out of our brokenness. Frankincense — Collected from a tree that is split in the twilight hours of the evening. Nothing happens during the night, but in the early hours of the morning the resin begins to weep. The resin is the Frankincense. Out of our piercing and sorrows in the early hours of the morning comes our prayer, praise and worship and intercession. The Rabbi does an experiment to show that the chemistry is delicate. He grinds up the constituents (Of course, this is not exactly to the proportions given in Exodus 30. That is expressly forbidden by the Lord on the pain of death.) and tries to ignite the mix — to no avail, no matter how much heat is applied. But there is a commonly unnoticed component which is sitting in plain sight in the Written Word of the Living Word of God — salt. When a critical amount of salt is introduced into the mix it ignites easily and the Sweet Savour rises to fill the room. Obviously it is a vital ingredient which must be present. Salt –It is written in Matthew 5:13: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Just as obviously, it is the prayers of salty Saints that attract God’s attention. The chemical structure of common salt (the context of the scriptures make it clear that the compound NaCl is the material being mentioned) is such that if another element is added it is no longer NaCl. The only way for salt to lose its saltiness, therefore, is by dilution. Two polar extremes of dilution are pure rain water and raw sewerage. One of these is less palatable than the other but that makes it the least dangerous because it is immediately recognised and spat out. However it is possible to gradually dilute with more and more rain water until the saltiness is lost, unnoticed. When the Disciples couldn’t cast out the demon, Mark 9:14–32, Jesus demonstrated that the way life is lived between prayer sessions is much more important than the eloquence of the prayers spoken — after all, He knows what you’re about to say before you do. Often the salt comes from the trembling prayers spoken through tears. But remember it is written in Psalm 56:8–9: You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me. And in Joel 2:25–27:So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten. The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of My Church: I am the Lord your God And there is no other. I will never reject My People. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime. If you have seen something you like, I encourage plagiarism. So, always check everything I say first, then please re-cycle, re-brand, re-structure, re-issue, re-label, or regurgitate in any manner you please. No need to acknowledge me because it is the Holy Spirit Who holds the Intellectual Rights. All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.) © ネ