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Boston Bombing: Thoughts on the Media Response

Posted by on April 17, 2013 2 comments

UPDATE: As I was writing this, some images have come out showing the potential suspects in the bombing.

Infowars.com also reported on these images. The one that gets to me is the one where one of the suspects is standing next to what appears to be an authority figure.

A lot of people have given their two cents on this issue and I will use this space to provide my own thoughts on the matter. Before I begin, I would like to say that this is a very sad event and just like many of these tragedies, I believe it’s more proof that evil does exist in this world. No other animal on the planet willingly seeks to harm of others of its own kind; that’s an exclusive trait to humanity. More evidence for the reality of sin in the world. My prayers are with all those people who were affected by this event.

A very interesting phenomenon has been happening in response to this event. The media has actually paid a lot of attention on conspiracy theorists. I actually believe that this might be part of the Great Plan perpetrated by the elite members of society. It’s sad but true. Another division is being made. Instead of just the elephants and donkeys, now there’s a third group…the conspiracy theorists.

I will admit that while I consider myself someone who is a conspiracy theorist, I am disappointed at the bandwagon folks who took no time to point a finger at the “government” being responsible for this event. While I don’t necessarily disagree, I think it’s important to not come to any conclusions too quickly. And I also believe that’s a bit more complex than simply saying, “The government did it.” And of course, the attention is high on the man who purchased the website domain bostonmarathonconspiracy.com even making fun of the conspiracy theorists.

In this blog post, I will take a look at the four groups currently being touted as the potential responsible agents for this tragedy. And because I was a sociology major, I will take a step back and render each one of these things from a sociological perspective. My bias is of course that I am a Bible believing Christian who happens to have interest in Biblical prophecy which includes the topic of conspiracies. Here’s an article I wrote called The Christian Conspiracy Theorist that goes over some of the ideologies of this position.

These are the four groups being targeted as potential suspects according to the mainstream media.

1. Islamic terrorists: What’s sad is that a fellow who was reported to be a suspect early on was a Saudi National, 20 years old, who was tackled by someone right after the explosions. Any time something like this happens, anyone from middle eastern origin is going to be seen as suspect and it’s very unfortunate. It’s one of those sticky issues because on one hand, the person who tackled him was probably thinking he’s doing the right thing. On the other hand, this could be a disaster as far as discrimination is concerned. The larger issue is that if Islamic terrorists were responsible for this, then what’s the purpose or agenda behind it? Well, perhaps it is to perpetuate the fear of the middle east and the threat they allegedly have on American citizens. Let’s remember that what we’ve been told about the people in the middle east through the main stream media, especially after 9-11 is heavily one sided and even down right deceptive. Are there Islamic terrorist groups that hate the U.S.? Sure. But one has to ask, how are these groups being funded, what is their true agenda? And then also, just because this terrorist group is out to get America, does it mean all people from the middle east agree with them or are part of the agenda? No.

2. Right wing fundamentalist: This one is certainly strange. Many of us who are part of this community could be labelled just that and I’m sure in the same way the “terrorist” from the middle east were shaded as evil or dangerous after 9-11, many Christians will also be labelled that soon. This has been in the works for a while now. Groups like the Westboro Baptist Church, who have allegedly already made plans to picket the memorials of the lost lives of the Boston explosion are serving to help create this perception that all Bible believing Christians are like them. It’s no surprise on one hand, but on the other, I think this has more of an impact on how the church in general in America should respond. In my personal life, I have seen the church institution for what it is; a business, piggy backing on a message, the Gospel, that is the most powerful and freeing message for all of humanity. And while I get that we all need to eat, corporate church takes it to another level.

3. The Government: This has been included in the list I believe to simply to bash the conspiracy theorists. Ironically, I heard on my local radio station here which is a big outlet (southern California) mention the name Steve Quayle, and then proceeded to bash his thoughts that this has something to do with the dropping prices in gold. As I mentioned, many conspiracy theorists are quick to point a finger at the government and call this a false flag event. I wouldn’t be surprised and in fact, I believe it’s closer to the truth than options one or two. But even as someone who has studied conspiracies myself, I’m not going to jump to conclusions without seeing all the evidence. There are some strange things that have popped up, such as the Illuminati card and even an alleged Facebook page that was made two days before the explosion. I’m sure more will come. The challenge here is that this not only creates a bad rap for the conspiracy circles, but it also could be another form of division as part of the Great Plan of the elite. In other words, no longer is America a battle between right wing and left wing, or elephants and donkeys; now there is a third party…the conspiracy crowd, and they are irrational and dangerous. And as I mentioned above, I am a bit saddened by the people who were so quick to point to the government, even though I believe it’s closer to the truth. And of course when I say “the Government” it’s far more complex than simply those people in office colluding behind closed doors. This goes much deeper behind the veil.

4. Lone nut: This one is pretty self explanatory but still has the stench of some kind of greater agenda. If this lone nut got the information about how to make the bombs off the internet, well we need to lock down the internet. If this nut was making a statement about gun control, well then we need to lock down guns. In other words, regardless of the motives, this can be used to further convince the American population to give up their rights in exchange for security. Of course this can apply to all of the options here, but I chose this suspect in particular because I believe the fear that will be externalized of a home grown terrorist might be the tipping point needed to take the next step in a lock down.

Again, no matter what the truth is, I believe it’s part of a greater agenda. But there is an even greater agenda than the royal class elite who may be pulling the strings behind the curtain, and that’s the agenda of God.

From my worldview, it’s true that nothing happens by accident. And in the bigger scheme of things, even tragedies such as these can be used for the ultimate good of God. Let us remember that God makes all things work for good.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

We know how tragedies bring a nation close together. And while the wiles of the devil continue to seek whom he may devour, we as followers of Jesus are committed to bringing salt and light into the world that is so full of darkness.

So in conclusion, while I think it’s important to be watchful and take in the information we see on the news and other media sources with discernment, the more important factor is to use this as an opportunity to let the love of God shine through us. I believe such things were already demonstrated in many examples after the tragedy, regardless of one’s religious or spiritual worldview. The many people who ran in to help the victims of this crime were reflecting the attitude of Jesus Christ; the ultimate servant who died for our sins and rose again.

 

Suspending Disbelief

Posted by on April 5, 2013 1 comment

This blog has been largely ignored and it’s time I get back on since there’s a lot to get off my chest. For starters, I am going to begin posting interviews and episodes of Canary Cry Radio along with some more thoughts and commentary exclusively for the blog.

Canary Cry Radio Interview with Brian Godawa

I got to have a great conversation with award winning author and screenwriter Brian Godawa. He is the author of the Chronicles of the Nephilim, a fast moving fantasy-fiction that portrays a deeper understanding of the Old Testament characters through the use of fiction. Some of these ideas don’t jive with what Christians traditionally understand about topics regarding what I’m going to call the Nephilim Paradigm (N.P.). The storyline, characters, places, and situations are drawn from the Bible and other Ancient Near East scriptures. But the great thing is that this platform allows for the discussion to take place about the NP in a non-intrusive way.

In 1817, Samuel Taylor Coleridge coined the phrase “suspend disbelief” while describing his approach to poetry. This is great description of what I believe is a healthy practice to do in proper context because we as humans tend to do this anyway. We as humans have the insatiable urge to entertain ourselves. We do it as a means of comfort and relaxation. An escape from the real world. In fact, this mode of thinking is precisely what I believe author Neil Postman in his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death was describing; A world in which is not threatened by scarcity, but rather “drowned in a sea of irrelevance.” This is the very crux of the satanic temptation; being financially free to have all the time to do what “I” want to do. The scary thing is that it has permeated the church!

So it should be no surprise that on the day Obama calls for a brain mapping project a majority of Christians yawn and carry on with their own daily agendas. I know that sounds mean but it’s simply my reflection of some personal experiences. In fact, to comment on this matter, I don’t believe a majority of Christians are ignoring such issues on purpose. I believe the platter upon which the traditional Protestant Christian view has been served was missing a vital piece to the puzzle and it starts with Genesis 6 and the N.P.. Because of the this flaw, Christians don’t particularly know or understand how to deal with topics like bran mapping when it hits the wires. This loss for any sense of understanding leads to complacency which is why I think many Christians simply brush off these issues.

But there is something brewing that both myself and others are beginning to see. A sort of revival that is largely driven by internet ministries. A movement of young people who are able to consume the N.P. largely because they have grown up in a society where suspending one’s disbelief is a pass time. The downfall to this of course is that they are constantly distracted and indoctrinated into poor theology and occult philosophies. The upside is that they can take in the N.P. without too much prejudice. In just the last several months, I have had many people contact me with stories of how the topic of the sons of God and the Nephilim brought them back to the church, the Bible, and Jesus. Not only is it “new and exciting” but I think it’s precisely the kind of topic that resonates because it’s true and it helps people understand the Bible and God better.

There is a profound connection between the world we live in now, the largely forgotten ancient history of man, and what the Bible reveals to us regarding this massive epic we are a part of. This is a point I would like to press upon. Our history is far more fantastic then we ever thought. And God’s story is far more powerful and epic than than our own individual lives.

Our own individual lives are a mere hair on the brush that God is using to paint His masterpiece. Even the most painful and tragic moments we all experience are somehow being made into an integral part of the entirety of God’s epic. But we must shift our thinking from focusing on what God can do for us (which is still important: healing, comfort, wisdom, etc), and ask what God’s will for us is. Okay, a little Kennedy there; but you get the point. I believe we are in a time where we will witness a revival in the interest of the Bible and Jesus due to the rise of watchmen all over the planet. But it is my contention that this will have a dark side to it as well. What we read in Bible prophecy is unsettling to say the least.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 says: “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, hunless the rebellion comes first, and ithe man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction…”

Of course the word there translated “rebellion” is in fact apostasy:

GK G686 | S G646   ἀποστασία   apostasia  a falling away, a rebellion, apostasy

Surely a rebellion against the truth has been a part of society throughout history, especially since God Himself became a man two millennia ago. But this falling away has something else that is associated to it.

We read in Revelation 16:6, 17:6, and 18:24 about the blood of the saints. Without getting into a deep word study, most scholars agree that this is the blood of martyred in the end times by the Antichrist. While pretribulationists submit the idea that this will only apply to those who becomes believers after the rapture, I believe instead that this is going to be the ultimate manifestation of evil and hate against the truth where millions of believers across the planet make a stand in the name of Jesus, only to lose their lives. It takes a particular mindset to arrive at a place where one is willing to give up his or her own life for the sake of defending a belief. But what I believe we may be seeing in the rise of watchmen across the planet, is just that; a generation who is going to be the most on-fire disciples in human history who make the ultimate stand against the wiles of the devil. And so what we may be seeing in the near future, sadly, is the further separation and distinction between being true disciples of Jesus, and those who are only selling Jesus as a brand. In fact, it may come to pass that even the ecumenical institutions themselves will play a role in drinking the cup of iniquity. But some words of encouragement from Paul:

It says in Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

I went all over the place today. Let me tie this all back to the Brian Godawa interview. I think what Brian is doing has a role in this larger endeavor. Science-fiction-fantasy of the Old Testament; simply brilliant. The N.P. requires one to suspend disbelief and because we live in a generation that does so on a regular basis, it’s a great time to be injecting truth into this medium. In fact, what I find interesting is that packaging God’s epic through science-fiction-fantasy is actually reducing the level of reality that God’s word gives us so that it can be ingested slowly. Again, it seems that because God is so good, truth is far stranger than fiction.

UPDATE

Spiritual warfare is real. As I had about 30 minutes of AODII (Age of Deceit II) completed on my Macbook Pro, something happened last week, my worst fears. My hard drive failed. Not great for a laptop that’s not even a year old. And while I certainly ran it hard with all of my applications, it should not have died so soon. But I wouldn’t mind so much unless a lot of my work was saved on it…which it was. I lost many pages of writing I had done in preparation for the conference, AODII, and books and articles I have been working on. On one hand, I was naive to think my hard drive would last a year without having to back it up. But on the other, I believe this is just a hit from the enemy and doesn’t deserve the kind of anger and disappointment I would normally be subject to under such circumstances.

The positive thing is that I am back up and running, and I am starting over with the film and all of my projects. My prayer is that God will make all this work even better than what originally would have been had  this not have happened. Thanks to anyone who supported me through prayers and donations to get things up and running again.

Hater Blogs

Posted by on February 19, 2013 4 comments

THE CONFERENCE

Douglas Hamp and I have been trying to get a local prophecy conference going for about a year now. After being turned down by several churches, we finally found a church that was gracious enough to open up their space for us. So in about a month, LA Marzulli, Doug Hamp, and myself will be holding the first of what we hope to be many more local events that we named The Prophecy Forum. The event will be held at the Hosanna Chapel in Bellflower California on March 15-16, 2013. This will be my first public speaking venture. I’m anxious, excited, and nervous all at the same time. The great thing is, it has truly accelerated my research for Age of Deceit II, which I thought I had done about a month ago. I remembered that research never “ends” but that the production of a film like Age of Deceit only comes when I personally cannot contain the information any longer. I think this second film will be just the same. But let me get on to the real reason why I made this post.

DISCERNMENT

The word discernment in the Biblical term simply means the ability to differentiate between Godly and ungodly things; good and bad; truth and false. For many who are called to be watchmen, it’s important to understand that part of our job description is to watch and warn. This requires a great deal of discernment because today, things that are Godly and things that are worldly are both packaged and sold in the same mold. A recent blog post by marc5solas titled “Top 10 Reasons Our Kids Leave Church” summarizes it best when Marc reveals the number 10 reason our kids leave church as “Being ‘Relevant’”. Quote;

“You didn’t misread that, I didn’t say irrelevant, I said RELEVANT. We’ve taken a historic, 2,000 year old faith, dressed it in plaid and skinny jeans and tried to sell it as “cool” to our kids. It’s not cool. It’s not modern. What we’re packaging is a cheap knockoff of the world we’re called to evangelize.”

I couldn’t agree more. The problem is that this glaring and obvious deficiency in the institution of church has not only helped bring about so much of the falling away, but it has also kept at bay those who study prophecy, who are genuinely concerned of the times and who are good Bereans. While the debate of “how to do church” will go on until Jesus returns, our current fallen state can’t help but build walls. Since we know that the love of money is the root of all evil, it’s no surprise that the bigger any given religious institutions gets, the more susceptible to corruption they become. So please don’t think I’m pointing the finger because I am not. I understand that we are all fallen. The scary thing is that this division doesn’t stop between Christians who are sounding the alarm about the current state of our world and the Christians buying into the current culture.

HATER BLOGS

I’ve recently been faced with blogs and emails concerning the demonizing of several people I consider friends and colleagues. I don’t want to mentions names or the titles of the blogs here but I think it’s important to address the over arching issues. In a nutshell, within the community of watchmen have emerged a small bundle of folks who ironically call themselves “watchmen” warning against others of their very own community. At one level, I don’t mind this type of opposition since I believe in healthy debating, conversations, learning, and growing as a family in Christ; iron sharpening iron. However, when they begin to question one’s salvation, that’s when I feel the need to speak out.

I simply have to ask, where are these folks grounding their theology? When you read their beliefs and “abouts”, it seems pretty clear that they are fellow believers in Christ. I think a majority of the believers who read their statements of faith would agree. So what goes wrong? I believe it is a couple things. First, it’s the notion of challenging established orthodox doctrine as defined by this individual. Even within the institution and scholarly conduct of handling theology at the highest echelons, I don’t believe there are any doctrines other than the Gospel that have the complete and total agreement of all its peers. My point is that defending a view, especially when it’s non-essential to the Gospel of grace, and calling out a fellow believer as heretical does nothing good for the Lord. Then again, the Lord uses all things for good. So even the most vile comments towards a fellow brother will somehow by the grace of God have an end result of goodness.

Secondly, theology is a privilege for those of us who study the Word and are blessed to be re-presenters of His eternal wisdom. By default, we as believers all share an exclusive truth claim in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As I mentioned, anything outside of that should not be used as a point of contention to call someone a heretic or to shun them. Theology is a tradition that goes back as far as man can remember, and to assume you know someone’s heart based on something in their teaching is both divisive and unnecessary. To raise objection of a particular point in someone’s teaching and addressing that single issue alone would be, in my opinion, the better way to handle it.

The bottom line is that these bloggers are jumping from these particular points of contention and concluding that thus these teachers, researcher, authors are heretical; wolves in sheep’s clothing. This makes no logical sense, or Biblical sense to me. We don’t know a man’s heart. To declare that you do would be declaring yourself God and that’s the worst blasphemy of all. I’m afraid that this kind of “jumping to conclusions” thinking is a slippery slope that can cause these fellows who accuse to fall into the same pit they believe they are pointing out.

I think these bloggers should revisit some basic teachings of Jesus. Remember in the book of Matthew, chapter 7, Jesus says this:

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

I think it applies here. Oh, and what about this one from the book of John, chapter 8:

“He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone”

And then there’s Paul’s teaching in Philippians 4 when the two fellow believers were arguing over an issue, he told them:

“I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.”

I simply would like to invite anyone reading this into prayer and ask God to give us the patience, wisdom, knowledge and comfort within the family of God so that we can work together to be salt and light unto the lost world. Because ultimately, that’s why we are here. If I can speak to them personally, I would say “I disagree with your methods and conclusions, but I respect your passion for the Lord, so keep doing what God is leading you to do because ultimately it’s His will that will be done.”

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