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.
2013 Resolutions
DECEMBER 21, 2012 LETDOWN
I haven’t made a blog post in a couple months so I decided to put something together here. The “end of the world” came and went without a hitch. No catastrophe, no UFO disclosure, no ascension into a higher spiritual dimension etc. I found several forums where the new agers were apologizing for the lack of events. They held onto their sentiments that ascension will still happen, and some even went as far as to suggest that it was the “evil spiritual forces” who held back the ascension. Needless to say, the new age teachers and preachers took a major hit with this one. Hopefully, guys like David Wilcock and Michael Tsarion will publicly retreat from their positions and new age teachings. I can only pray that those who have been duped by the 2012 hype will repent and come to the Lord Jesus Christ where truth over rides the sensational. That being said I want to list the resolutions I have for this year.
RESOLUTIONS FOR 2013
Life took on a couple unexpected turns this last year, some were good and some weren’t but I am confident that the Lord is going to provide the things myself and my family needs in order to continue to do the work that glorifies Him! Before I go on, I do want to link to the radio show that occupies most of my time during the week. I am the sound engineer for a radio show called Live Boldly with Kenton Beshore. Kenton is the senior pastor at my church, and while I don’t agree with every point of theology with Kenton or the church, I am grateful that he has given me the opportunity to have a day job with this ministry. He is the pastor that God used to speak directly into my heart when I was saved, and so his style of teaching is great for new believers and seekers.
A couple highlights from this past year. First, the start of the podcast Canary Cry Radio which has turned into a kind of garage-band style ministry. I say garage band because myself and my co-host who goes by the name “Basil” started this thing not knowing what we were doing. Luckily, Revelations Radio Network and Chris White were cool enough to pick up our feed and thanks to them, we had an immediate audience. We’re still trying to find our way with this thing, but luckily, we’ve been blessed to interview some spectacular guests who have made the show much better than it really is. I am hoping and praying that this podcast continues to grow and reach people who are seeking answers about the world from a Christian worldview. My resolution for this year is that we would double our audience. Of course this is more of a logistical goal and less of a resolution on the surface, but really it’s the back end research, editing, booking, promotion, and all the time and effort that goes into it that can be a struggle sometimes. This is not because I don’t want to do it since this is something I love to do, but it’s because certain things need to get done to take care of the family. Nevertheless, I resolve to make sure I manage my time better to make Canary Cry Radio that much better this year.
The second highlight was hitting a million views on youtube for my film Age of Deceit: Fallen Angels and the New World Order. I’ve been working on Part II and so my goal is simply to release it this year. The second time around is definitely more challenging. Knowing there are expectations is a little different. But I am up for the challenge and I have some great information that I will share in the second documentary that, Lord willing, will be done sooner than later.
My last resolution is simply to spend more time in the Word. I think I did a pretty good job of it last year, but I am really encouraged to study the Word much harder this year. Not only do I have a one year Bible plan, but I have been inspired by the likes of Dr. Mike Heiser and other academic scholars in the field of Biblical study to really dig in and get more familiar with the Word. I believe this is the most important resolution for me.
Q & A on Youtube
Another resolution of mine is to get back to blogging at least once a week. I realized last week, that the amount of writing I do in responding to questions I get from people is enough to make posts at least a couple times a week. So instead of only writing when I am inspired, I resolve to stick to a plan and write not only on topics that pop up, but to post them here so that people who may have similar questions can come here and get their answers.
I recently had a guy named Ricky message me on youtube with a slew of questions. Here’s the conversation:
Ricky: “i was curious about the fact that If god does not allow sin in his presense how coud anyone be in his presense? were adam and eve in his presense after they sinned? The serpent/satan was also. im asking how this was possible? And did enoch get taken to heaven? And do you believe that animals go to heaven?And does being without sin mean you have moral perfection? sorry for asking multiple questions, but i am very curious about this topic and wanted to know. God bless!”
Me: ”Hey Ricky, Great Qs.
If god does not allow sin in his presense how coud anyone be in his presense?
God is the Creator of the universe. He can leave His place of residence and be in the presence of sin. But heaven (God’s home…and our home) is reserved for the sinless. Now since we are all sin filled, we need Jesus to cover for our sins. That’s why He died on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross, your sin was nailed to the cross along with mine. Without Jesus we could not get into heaven.
were adam and eve in his presense after they sinned?
Yes. It’s clear in the book of Genesis that God walked among them. Now the difference is, Eden is not the same as heaven. It WAS however, heaven on earth. The world of the spiritual and the world of the physical were once one (Eden). Although Eden was heaven on earth, it was not Heaven where God dwells. When we got kicked out of the garden, we lost the open communication with the spiritual world.
The serpent/satan was also (in the presence of God). im asking how this was possible?
The serpent wasn’t a snake. The proper translation is “Shinning One.” In any case, Satan is a spiritual being. Like I mentioned, the world of the spiritual and the world of the physical were once open.
And did enoch get taken to heaven?
Yes I believe Enoch was taken to heaven. (Genesis 5:22)
And do you beleive that animals go to heaven?
I’m not sure. I think animals have a spirit, but no soul. We are told that animals will get along in heaven, so I think it’s possible. But I think what we will see is that there will be, for example, dogs in heaven, and while they’re not the exact dog you might have owned, because this dog would have the spirit of the dog, your dog will be represented. I hope that makes sense.
And does being without sin mean you have moral perfection?
Yes, but that’s something no one on earth can attain…Jesus was the only sinless one. We all fall short to the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We do our best to live a life pleasing to God, but ultimately, no amount of good works is what saves us. It’s Grace by faith that saves us. In other words, not our doing, but Gods. Also, since God is the one who wrote the moral law, and we are created in His image, we know in our hearts what’s right and wrong. We don’t always act according to that though and things like pride get in the way.
I hope this helps. I think if you do a study on the three heavens, it might help you understand as well. In short, the first heaven is the atmosphere. The second heaven is where I think a lot of angels and spiritual beings live. The third heaven is where God is.”
Ricky: “Very Very satisfieing answer! Thank you for clearing up some of these things. Sorry but im gonna ask more questions. You said Eden was heaven on earth, and thats what i thought. At this time was the third heaven separate and were adam and eve seeing the son/jesus in eden, but not the father? was god sitting on his throne in the third heaven while at the same time dwelling in eden? sorry still a bit confused on this one. I know jesus was sinless. But would it be accurate to say all the good angels in heaven are also sinless? but then are those angels morally perfect, or as good as god?”
Me: “You’re a thinker. I like it.
It’s difficult to really answer some of these Q’s adequately (and you’ll see why) but I’ll do my best.
At this time was the third heaven seperate?
The third heaven is not a “place” like we would think of it. So I can’t say “it’s not here” or “it’s there” or whatever. It’s not some place in the Universe where we can point to on a map. So in that sense it’s separated. Eden, being heaven on earth, was basically a physical manifestation from the spiritual world, so while the spiritual world was part of Eden, I wouldn’t say it was where God “resides” although He did interact much more openly in Eden with His creation.
where adam and eve seeing the son/jesus in eden, but not the father? was god sitting on his throne in the third heaven while at the same time dwelling in eden?
Well, this requires a grasp on the Trinity. The trinity says that the Father, Son, Holy Spirit are three persons with one essence. In other words, they’re not separated, they’re one. So I think when Adam and Eve were “seeing” God in the garden, they were seeing a pre-incarnate Jesus. But that doesn’t mean the Father is somewhere else. The Father is there in the garden as Jesus. But The Father is not physical, He’s the author of it.
To elaborate, when you say “God sitting on his throne while at the same time dwelling in Eden” it presupposes that the Father is physical as we would understand, and Son are separate. Again, they’re not. So while the Father sits on the throne, that’s not a physical throne somewhere in the Universe. But the Father was on earth, as Jesus.
But would it be accurate to say all the good angels in heaven are also sinless? but then are those angels morally perfect, or as good as god?
The good angels in the spiritual world are sinless. However, they aren’t “perfect” in the most pure sense of the word. They are perfect for their purpose. This has to do with what’s called the Ontological argument for the existence of God. Think of the most perfect being, and that’s God. Angels, while perfect and sinless, are finite, cannot create a universe etc. So while they are perfect for angels, they’re not ultimate perfection. That’s reserved strictly to God. The analogy I would use is this: think of a screw driver. When you have a “perfect screwdriver” it’s one that fulfills its purpose…help screw in a nut. But the screw driver isn’t perfect for building an entire car etc.
And same goes for morality. Angels are morally good, but I think it’s because in the spiritual world, “good and bad” or “right and wrong” are very clear. Part of the effects of the fall of humanity is the confusion of this clear distinction. While we can tell in our hearts what’s right or wrong, we’ve gained the ability to rationalize something that’s wrong and make it seem “right.”
That’s why the world has the problems it does and morality seems to be relative. But really, I think we can show even philosophically that objective moral values and duties do exist. Again, hope it helps.”
CONCLUSION
I know some of you would probably answer these things differently, and I’m open to hearing how I could have addressed some of these matters from a different angle. But I love answering questions like these because not only does it make me think, it helps others and that’s what I love doing.
Thus, as a final resolution, I resolve to be diligent and obedient to the Lord this year so I can encourage others to study the Word so we can all grow and learn together.