Scientists Learn How To Stop Cell Death?
It has recently been reported by several news outlets that scientists may have discovered a means of preventing cell death. Since I am neither a scientist, nor a particularly intelligent layman, trying to read (and understand) the original research paper was an exercise in futility.
I am not interested in dissecting the scientific merits of the research itself, but would like to conduct a little thought experiment regarding how this discovery may relate to a biblical worldview of God’s sovereignty, immortality, and the ultimate end of all things here on Earth.
God’s original design for mankind was for us to live forever, with Him. Our bodies were intended to be immortal, without blemish or decay. And although our sin has destroyed that original design, bringing death to all of us, the desire to return to that immortal status has been ingrained in our psyches from the beginning.
From searching for the mythical fountain of youth, to this recent discovery that will supposedly prevent the eventual death of our cells, humanity has continuously tried to validate and make true the first lie ever recorded in human history: “You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4)
Adam and Eve both believed that lie of Satan long ago. Many atheist scientists today believe they can make good on that wicked promise. The search for immortality has never ceased and now some scientists believe we may be closer than ever to realizing that hope of hopes.
Attempting to play God themselves, many scientists believe they can solve the death problem outside of God’s only prescribed method (repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone). Could it be that the Lord may eventually grant them the power to prevent natural death?
That is where this thought experiment comes in. Note that I do not presume to speak for God, unless I am directly quoting His Word. I also do not presume to know exactly how the end times will shake out; that is not for any of us to know in great detail. But God has given us a pretty clear roadmap of the things that are yet to take place in this world.
In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John relays to us what the Lord has revealed to him:
📘 … in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
Revelation 9:6 (ESV)
While this certainly could be God Himself miraculously sustaining their lives, forcing them to live through the judgments He is pouring out upon a rebellious people, might it not also be Man’s crowning achievement coming back to bite him?
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31) The people on Earth at this time will be experiencing, first-hand, the undeniable wrath of God. They will want nothing more than to escape that judgment and will cry out for the mountains to bury them (Luke 23:30).
Could it be that these days could find Man rejoicing at their own cleverness at defeating death only to have that immortality they so vehemently clamored for is now their greatest curse?
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked…” (Galatians 6:7) The writer of Hebrews makes it very clear that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment“ (Hebrews 9:27) because of our sin against God. We cannot escape that, no matter how hard we try or how far we advance our scientific endeavors.
But what if, in a devastating twist of irony, the Lord allows Man to think he has cheated death, only for that arrogance to be repaid in such suffering from which they can no longer escape?
📘 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. … Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men!
Psalms 9:15-16, 20
Of course, God has always held the issues of life and death in His hands alone. No one who has ever lived has died before or after the exact point that God has determined. That will not change in the last days either; the Lord will ultimately get the credit for every premature death or prolonged life of His created beings.
Getting Back Into It
Has it really been a year and a half since I last posted? Indeed!
It is not for a lack of topics to discuss or even a desire to do so. On the contrary, the past couple of years have seen an almost-daily flood of newsworthy (and often cringeworthy) events about which I have plenty to say. Unfortunately, it has been overwhelming to the point that I had pretty much given up on trying to keep up with it all in blog form.
When you want to write about everything, it’s hard to write about anything.
This blog never had a big audience (in fact, I do not think it’s ever gotten any visitors other than my wife) and that can be a little discouraging.
But if I can convince myself that I do not need to write newspaper-worthy content, or hit a certain word count, perhaps it will again be a good outlet for my personal thoughts? Sort of like a public diary that no one reads. 😀
So I am going to try and get back into writing here. Perhaps just a quick thought or two when the mood strikes me.
Will Civil Disobedience Lead to Persecution?
Note: Throughout this post, I will be referring to “Christians” in a broad sense, to mean anyone claiming to adhere to the Christian/Catholic faith. This would certainly include many who have not come to a genuine saving faith in Christ. The world at large makes no distinction so neither shall I in this post.
There can be no doubt that God has His hands all over this pandemic situation. He is in the sickness and in the health. God’s mighty hand is orchestrating everything at all times. His ultimate plan will come to completion at some point, regardless of how we choose to live our lives.
Throughout the day, I’ve been thinking about the concept of civil disobedience and about when it is or isn’t appropriate for Christians. I do not plan on making a judgment call on that in this post, but the topic lead me to consider a potential result of Christians rebelling against the lockdown and social-distancing orders.
I am no prophet, but perhaps God will use their disobedience to usher in the widespread persecution in the U.S. that we know will come eventually. After all, from the world’s perspective, it is predominantly professing Christians (whether individually or in collective groups) that are ignoring the orders and continuing to meet, gather, etc. It is the Christians pushing to reopen the churches (or just refusing to close them in the first place). It is mostly the Christians who are refusing to wear masks in public, against the wishes of the government (and most of the world).
And, therefore, it is mostly Christians who, again from the world’s perspective, are endangering the population by allowing the virus to spread farther and wider. Christians will offer a multitude of reasons for their civil disobedience, including the clear biblical commands to gather in worship, to reach out to the lost, or even just the fact that God is in control of the virus so they have no fear.
While many of the reasons Christians cite for their actions, I am convinced that all the world sees is that this particular religious group is threatening the health of every man, woman, and child in the country.
All that is to say that I wonder if this may not be the catalyst that our government may use to issue new legislation aimed directly at Christianity and its followers. Could this be how the government gets away with passing laws requiring all churches closed permanently? Perhaps restaurants will now have a legal reason for banning Christians from walking through their doors? Maybe eventually outlaw the Bible that “obviously” teaches Christians to spread the virus around?
After all, if the majority of the country is constantly having their fears stoked by the media and they see a specific group of people making it worse, would they not also call for such actions to be taken? Did not much of the early persecution begin with Emperor Nero falsely accusing the Christians of starting a fire?
Now, obviously, I know there would be a tremendous amount of backlash among many citizens and a few politicians, but let’s not forget: the DNA of our leaders is no different from the DNA of those leaders in China, North Korea, Nigeria, or Nazi Germany (who falsely accused the Jews for their loss in WWI) for that matter. There is no reason for us to believe “it could never happen here.” It can and it will. It is only a matter of time. We just need to be prepared for it and pray for the Lord’s grace to accompany us at the time.
Again, the goal of this post is not to pass judgment on anyone (I’ve already made my viewpoint on the subject pretty clear) and I know that many God-fearing Christians will come to different conclusions. I’m just always watching what is going on in the world and thinking of how God may be using the events to further His agenda for the world.
Whatever side of an issue you fall on (regardless of the issue), please remember that the world is hurting. They are frightened and lost and in need of a savior. Please remember to be loving, kind, and compassionate, even as you go about your daily business!
Stay safe and God bless you all!
Random Rant: Why Aren’t Christians Obeying?
I am getting really sick of Christians ignoring the stay-at-home orders simply because they feel like it.
I don’t care if you’re bored, annoyed, or upset about the order. That fact is, you’re professing Christ with your tongue yet defying Him with your actions.
1 Peter 2:13-14 says we are to “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”
Romans 13:1-2 commands us to “be subject to the governing authorities” and explains that God Himself put them into place for his purposes. When you ignore their authority, you are “[resisting] what God has appointed.”
Just look up all the teachings regarding the relationship between masters and servants. Even Daniel submitted to the King’s authority up until the point doing so would have been sinful.
Staying at home is NOT sinful in and of itself so you have no excuse for rebelling against the authority God has placed over you.
Not only that, but it is you, and others like you, who are causing states to push for tighter and tighter lockdowns and pushing out the end dates.
And furthermore, what kind of a witness for Christ are you being? If you’re shaking your fist at the government and shouting “I will not comply,” what does that say to the rest of the world?
The world is terrified right now and without hope. They want the virus to pass. Right or wrong, most of the world sees the lockdowns as the best steps to take to end the crisis quickly. And what do you do? You have parties. You meet with others publicly. You show the world that you do not care about them or their fears. You are saying to the world that your comforts and your hobbies are more important to you than their health and safety.
We can argue all day long about the validity of the crisis and who is to blame and who is politicizing things and how unfair the Executive Orders are, but these facts remain: The Governor has told you to stay put. God has told you to obey the Governor. You, as a Christ follower, have repented of your sins and told God you would follow Him.
So do it! Yes, this is a hard time for all of us, and I absolutely agree these orders are ridiculous and unconstitutional. I know that a lot of people are hurting financially and this whole thing sucks for our economy. But I’m not talking about how I feel about it or how you feel about it; what has God clearly TOLD us to do?
And if Christians can’t even endure staying in the safety of our own homes, how on Earth do we plan on enduring real persecution when it comes?
I’m sorry if this rant offends you and perhaps I’m writing too much out of emotion, but I’m seeing way too much going on that I truly believe casts a very poor reflection on our Savior and I had to speak up.
Are You Afraid Of Dying?
I posted this as a comment to a Facebook post last night and it has since been removed by the admins, but I believe in the message. Here it is, without need of context.
Regardless of who has and who hasn’t gotten COVID-19, there’s still one nagging fact that few people talk about: we’re ALL going to die eventually of one thing or another.
What happens then? Why do we all have such a fear of death? If we’re all just here to eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die, then why so much fear and uncertainty about COVID?
The fact is, we all fear death because deep down, we all know that death isn’t really the end for us. It can’t be. We all know we will eventually stand before the one who created us (call it God, Creator, higher being, whatever), and have to give an account for our lives.
The fact is, we were created by God to serve as representatives of Him on Earth. He gave us a very small set of moral laws to obey and we’ve broken every one.
People are NOT generally good inside. We’ve all lied, stolen, cheated, used God’s name as a cuss word, lusted, etc. These are the very things God has commanded us NOT to do, and He even gave us a conscience to convict us whether we’ve read His law or not. We have no excuse.
And worst of all, God says that we “shall have no other gods before [him]” or “bow down to them or serve them.” And yet we all have. We have bowed down to our jobs, our sports teams, our money.
So because we’ve broken God’s laws, we are will stand before His courtroom when we die, already condemned and deserving His wrath and punishment. We will be cast into hell (God’s prison) as the vile lawbreakers that we are.
“But God is a loving God” and “no good God would ever send anyone to hell!” Yes, God is a loving God, but He’s also a just God. We would never allow a judge on Earth to look at a rapist and say “I’m a good judge so you’re free to go.” That would make God a corrupt judge!
No, God is a righteous, holy, fair, and just God and He therefore MUST punish sinners (those who’ve broken His laws).
“For the wages of sin is death.”
But what, then, about God being loving and forgiving and merciful? Well, we’ve already established that a good judge cannot let a criminal go free just because they are loving. A crime must be paid for; there is a fine to be paid.
That is why God, in His infinite love, provided a way for your sins to be paid for. Jesus Christ, God’s own son, came to Earth about 2,000 years ago and he lived a life of complete obedience to God’s laws. As an adult, he was arrested and murdered, being hung on a cross. While Jesus was on that cross, God poured out all the wrath and punishment that we deserve onto Jesus. In essence, Jesus stepped into the courtroom and declared “This man is guilty, but I will pay his fine for him!”
When Jesus died, all of our sins were transferred to HIS account, so to speak.
But Jesus did not stay dead. If he had, there’d be no reason to believe that God accepted his payment. Today is Easter, you know! On the third day after Jesus died, He proved His message by raising himself from the dead. Over 5,000 people in history witnessed this! His resurrection proves that God accepted his sacrifice.
And now, Jesus has returned to heaven and another transaction took place. Not only did Jesus take our sins upon himself, but He also credited His perfect life to us. That is, the perfect obedience of Jesus was transferred to OUR account. So now God can look upon us and forgive our sins (since they’ve been paid for) and welcome us into heaven when we die!
God has one stipulation for this transaction to take place, however. He commands us to repent (a religious word meaning that we “turn away” from our sins; stop loving them) and trust that Jesus sacrifice on the cross was sufficient for our forgiveness.
If you will do that, if you will cry out to Jesus and ask for his forgiveness, he will grant it to you and you’ll no longer have this fear of death!
I know this has been a super long comment and it likely will be deleted soon, but if you’ve read this far and still have questions, please reach out to me. I will be happy to talk about it more and show you, from God’s own words, how you can be forgiven.
Repent and believe this good news!
When Government Goes Too Far
What should be the Christian response in the face of a government overstepping their bounds? Do we fight back like the rebels did during the Revolutionary War? Do we lay back and let them abuse us?
If only the Bible had an answer. Oh wait…
📘 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
Romans 13:1-2
What does that mean? Well, it means the Governor Whitmer was put into her position BY God Himself! She is the right person, at the right time, for the right purposes, according to God’s plan!
We are to submit to our government in all things, even if they go against what we believe in. The only exception is if that government is calling on you to sin against God. Then we refuse; but there is still no call in Scripture for us to fight back.
If the government is abusing us or persecuting us, regardless, I believe Scripture is clear: submit to their authority. If they command you to sin, refuse and accept whatever consequences that brings.
I guess my overall point is this: If you refuse to obey the government that God has commanded you to obey, you are not being a freedom-loving American; you are being sinful. So stop it! And repent.
I don’t care if you don’t like it or if you’re bored or if you feel the Governor lacks the right to order such a thing. God has commanded you to submit to our government’s authority. Period.
The stay-at-home and social distancing orders are not forcing you to sin or requiring you to disobey the Lord. So just stay home, as ordered, unless you have a valid reason to go out.
When the government whom God has raised comes to take your guns, I implore you to hand them over without a fight. I don’t like it; I hate it, in fact. But I will comply because the Lord has told me to comply.
All this is not to say that we should not defend ourselves or our families. I know it’s a hard balance to strike here, but when Jesus tells us to “turn to him the other [cheek] also” in Matthew 5:39, he’s only referring to persecution, not self-defense. We are allow to defend ourselves and our families, even with lethal force, if necessary.
But if it not currently an issue of life and death, just obey the Lord and submit.
Maybe this will be good practice for turning the other cheek once the persecution reaches us here in the US?
Whew. I know this is tough; we live in a fallen, broken, wicked world. We have so many things going on and it’s only going to get more chaotic as time goes on, but we have a God in Heaven who is mighty in battle, powerful to save! Rest in that
Priorities Changing
The older I get, the less I’m concerned with life.
“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”
Seriously. I have a good job (that still considers me “essential”). I have a beautiful and loving wife. I have a family that cares for one another.
I currently have food to eat, money to give, and a life to live. But what happens when all that is gone? What happens when I’m hungry, poor, and alone?
I’ll tell you what happens. Nothing. Nothing changes. If I be afflicted with Covid-19 or not, if I run out of ramen noodles and resort to eating bats, if I can no longer find a toilet that flushes or a way to cleanse my nether regions….
The fact is, the biggest problem I will ever face in my life has already been dealt with. What is that big problem? That problem is sin.
That might be a cliche religious word, but it still has weight. The fact that I am a deceitful, lustful, selfish, and vile man is so self-evident, no one that’s ever met me would attest to the contrary.
But no matter how much I’ve spit in God’s face, no matter how many times I’ve decided my way was better, no matter how often I’ve judged God for being “unreasonable,” one fact remains: I have broken His laws; I have sinned against Him; I have made myself to be more righteous than He is.
That is the most pressing issue facing my life today. That one day I will die. And when I die, I am going to stand before a righteous and holy God and have to give an account for every snide comment I’ve offered, every time I’ve looked at a woman with lust, every time I’ve lied, every pornographic image I’ve enjoyed, every wicked thought I’ve ever had. I will have to try and justify such things to the God who created me.
And so will you!
But neither of us have any defense. We will both stand before that judge, guilty as charged, with evidence we could never hope to refute. That our biggest problem.
And yet, that problem has been dealt with. For I have an advocate, a defense attorney, who will stand in that courtroom and declare before the judge: “My client is guilty as charged, but I will accept his sentence myself! Punish me. Throw me in prison in his stead. I will pay the price!”
This advocate, this Jesus Christ, will speak to His father, the almighty judge of the world, and declare: “Set Nathan free. I have already paid the price for his sins; I have fully obeyed your Law on HIS behalf! He is free to go; his fine has been paid!”
Oh, what a beautiful and blessed being this Jesus is! I care not what happens to me during this trial of Covid-19. A mere virus has no power over my Jesus.
Please, if you do not already know who Jesus is, or even if you’ve heard his name yet dismiss him as religious mumbo-jumbo, reach out to me. Let me show you, logically, how real his love is. Jesus is not some mythological being created in the imagination of men…he is more real to me than the air that I breath.
Cry out to the Lord. Repent of your sins. And cry out to the Lord until he has saved you.
The Never-ending March of the Liberal Agenda
Hurricanes and God’s Sovereignty
- God is in control of the weather.
- God causes hurricanes and all natural disasters.
- He wants lost sinners to repent and turn to Him in faith.
- He loves His children (Christians) and works all things for their good.
- Christians are not being punished for their sins; that cost has already been paid by the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
- God uses natural disasters in the lives of Christians for either discipline or spiritual growth.
If you have suffered from a hurricane or any other calamity, repent and praise the Lord Jesus for His power and majesty. Glorify the God that causes the rain to fall upon the just and the unjust alike. Seek the Lord Jesus while He may be found. Cast yourself upon His mercy and love and rest in knowing that He is the one that designed your darkest hour.
New Christmas Classics
… that you’ve never heard.
I have been toying around with the idea of this post for several years but just never got around to it.
We all know and love the classic Christmas hymns of old; O Holy Night, Silent Night, Angels We Have Heard On High, etc. But there are many, many modern songs that tell the story of Christmas just as well, if not better.
I haven\’t scoured the world to find the best, but here are some of my personal favorites that you may not have heard.
1) Kutless – This Is Christmas
Kutless has consistently been one of my favorite Christian rock bands. Unlike some other heavyweights in the industry, I have found Kutless to be fairly consistent in their theological soundness. They are thoughtful in their lyrics and have a great sound.
This Is Christmas is from one of their Christmas albums and asks the simple question, \”What Is Christmas?\”
The Unworthy Prodigal 