Christ On Ice? Part II

In my last post, What It Takes To Put Christ On Ice, I related the story of a study that explained how Jesus "may have" walked on an ice floe rather than on water like God's Word says. Then, I opened up for comments on what my readers thought about the whole thing. It was not until David Ketter left his two cents or three cents that anyone really hit the nail on the head: "In order to make the case, let's refer to the original story, shown in John 6:16-21. . . ." This is where the crux of the issue lies. When I first heard this story, my initial response was purely from a scientific basis: If Galilee isn't cold enough now, why are they saying it was cold enough then? But I soon realized that this is not the correct approach. Instead of looking to fallible science for the answers, we must look to God's Word: the only thing that never fails. David K. did such a good job with this that I am reposting his comment in its entirety:

In order to make the case, let's refer to the original story, shown in John 6:16-21:

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."

Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

In this passage alone, we see the key evidence aqainst the ice-theory: "The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing." Also, we can see that this ice is affected, in part, by depth. According to John 6, "they had rowed about three or four miles [out]."

So, really, it's futile to believe this idea. A more detailed account (of the same event) in Matthew 15, states:

And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind,[d] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Here, again, we have more evidence against it. Peter steps out (in faith) and seeing the wind (again, no calm water), he loses his faith and begins to sink. Jesus, coming to the same spot, pulls him up onto the surface of the water once more and helps him to the boat. The point in this? In order for the ice-theory to work, Jesus would have to be quite a manipulator of ice to move it around like that. But consider the evidence:

1) The water was rough

2) The wind was raging

3) The weather was warm enough for crowds to spend the day by him (read the first portions of Matthew 15 and John 6 and you'll find Jesus had been teaching the whole day prior).

4) Jesus was walking 3 or 4 miles out on the Sea of Galilee.

5) Peter was sinking.

Biblically speaking (and that's not taking the science into account because THAT is not my area of expertise), there is no grounding for this ice-theory in the Christian life.

Attaboy, DJ! Tomorrow (Lord willing) I will be posting on a Missing Link that has captivated the evolutionary crowd     stay tuned. In Him, David S. MacMillan III

What It Takes to Put Christ On Ice

The article started off strong.

"The New Testament story describes Jesus walking on water in the Sea of Galilee but according to a study led by Florida State University Professor of Oceanography Doron Nof, it's more likely that he walked on an isolated patch of floating ice."

In an effort to dispel the ancient "myth" of the walking-on-water account, a team of scientists has done research on what is known as "springs ice". When a salty spring flows into a freshwater lake, the heavier saltwater sinks to the bottom, creating a temperature imbalance that can lead to ice formation above the saltwater. This only occurs in calm water when the air temperature is at or near freezing. These scientists have decided that since Jesus "couldn't" have really been walking on water, he must have been walking on ice that happened to form just at the right time for this to occur. They say that the chances of this happening today in the Sea of Galilee are about "once in 10,000 years" but that the odds "might" have been higher around two thousand years ago during a "prevailing climate" - whatever that means. I will post my opinion on this startling new piece of "evidence" soon. For now, I am asking my readers to contribute their views via comment. Perhaps we can get some controversy here! To see the original article, go to www.physorg.com. In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Self Esteem Is Linked to WHAT?

The doctrine of Self Esteem has been an integral part of our schools for a long, long, time. But a study by Scientific American has found that this ideal can actually lower grades and lead to "socially unacceptable behavior", i.e. bullying, drugs, and promiscuity. Some of the most famous programs to build self esteem originated in California in the early 1980s. Of course, we know that self esteem comes from psychology, psychology from Freud, and Freud was an atheist. But that is besides the point. After all, they finally found a doctrine they could teach in school and deny that it is religion. Never mind that the Supreme Court has defined atheism as its own religion. The rationale behind the push for self-esteem programs is that people are basically good, but that since they do not "believe in themselves", from thence stems all evil in society. Or that is the way the argument goes. In a 1989 publication called The Social Importance of Self-Esteem, the statement was made that

". . . many, if not most, of the major problems plaguing society have roots in the low self-esteem of many of the people who make up society."

But the first scientific problem with this comes from the fact that "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder." A study was done in 1995 showed that there is no correlation between a person's "self-esteem" and how attractive or intelligent the person actually is. Artificial attempts to bolster someone's positive thoughts about themselves leads to dissatisfaction with other people and feelings of superiority. After all, if "social value" is not based on physical or mental characteristics, I can pass judgment on the value of anyone without any rationale. Another study done by Scientific American found that self-esteem bolsters a person's opportunity in life only so far as those around them prefer an arrogant person to an insecure person. The lesser of two evils. Researchers at the University of Kentucky found 'way back in 1987 that having high "self-esteem" hurts one's chances to successfully resolve disputes. Because a person with high "self-esteem" feels that he or she is always right, they will be more prone to sever a relationship than admit that they are wrong. It has been found that teens who have a high level of "self-esteem" as measured by current standards are actually more likely to engage in sexual promiscuity and drugs because they feel they are so "good" that nothing can touch them. Contrary to what we have been told, bullies in school and violent adults do not generally suffer from insecurity. They usually have high "self-esteem" and as a result have a predisposition to look down on everyone else because they have been told repeatedly how "good" they are. The message of humanistic self-esteem programs is that we are all basically good, so we just need to accept ourselves and this will help us accept others. But that is not what God's Word says.

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:3-11)

My favorite Christian comedian, Brad Stine, put it this way:

The first commandment God Almighty told man was: You must put Me first! You must put Me first! Then, when the Creator of matter tells you YOU matter, then you have purpose and then you have self-esteem!

In Him, David S. MacMillan III

No Other Name By Which We Must Be Saved

Lately I have been speaking with a few people who lean toward the idea that anyone can go to Heaven as long as they are sincere in their beliefs and follow their religion with perseverance. If you are a "good Muslim" or a "good Hindu" or a "good Mormon", you might make it as long as you accept that Jesus was a Prophet. So, we should never tell people that their belief system is wrong or that they are going to Hell, but at the most we can tell them "Jesus loves you!" Today I compiled a list of Scriptures that speak directly on this issue and so I decided to post them here. Generally God's Word can speak for Itself:

Ephesians 4:14-15 “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” Matthew 7:20-21 “Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” Matthew 7:15 “Do not judge or you too will be judged. . . . Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but an evil tree bears evil fruit. 1 Timothy 4:1,2 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 1 John 2:22 “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.” Isaiah 9:6 “[Christ’s] name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” Psalm 32:1 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.” Hebrews 9:22 “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.” 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” Hebrews 9:11-15 “When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 10:19-22 “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.” John 3:3,14,15 “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ … As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

Which side are you on?

In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Regenerate Our Culture: Issue 2

Creation vs. Evolution

This is the theme of the second issue of Regenerate Our Culture. Agent Tim, Karen Kovaka, Jason Braun, and myself have joined together to write four articles applying the creation/evolution controversy to our culture and our world today. This issue also premiers the official podcast of ROC: Square Talk Radio! SquareTalk is a podcast run by Agent Tim Sweetman and several other top bloggers. This is the 12^th show, but the first show that is linked together with Regenerate Our Culture. And its subject is also Creation and Evolution! The special guest is: Me! That's right, Tim Sweetman, Travis from Blogging Boy Scout, and I spent thirty minutes discussing evolution, creation, and God's Word. Check it out!. Back at ROC, I have an article that will enable to you refute any evolutionary "fact". Tim Sweetman has an excellent article on Social Darwinism and the implications of eugenics today. An essential message. So head on over to Regenerate Our Culture and take a look! In Him, David S. MacMillan III

The Theory's Guide to the Idiots of Evolution

In 1831, the young naturalist Charles Darwin sailed to the Galapagos Islands on the H.M.S. Beagle. He returned with a theory that shocked the world. In the early 1800s, genetics was basically limited to the understanding that "A tall pea plant and a short pea plant usually make a tall pea plant, but we don't know why" -Gregor Mendel. The mainstream scientific community held the misconception that reproduction did not change the descendant creature. But Darwin's observations put an end to this idea. Darwin noted that in the dryer seasons, the majority of the finch population on the islands of Galapagos had strong, thick beaks for cracking open dried-out nuts and the like. In the wet season, the average beak was generally finer and more adept to eating green vegetation. Our young naturalist supposed that perhaps the two different kinds of finch were not actually different species, but that perhaps there was but one strain of finch that adapted to changing environment. Kudos, Charley! You hit the nail on the head! Natural selection or microevolution exists due to the doctrine of "survival of the fittest". The better equipped an organism is, the more likely it is to survive and pass on its genes. The weaker genes are "naturally selected" out of the gene "pool", thus giving this phenomenon the name of "natural selection." Darwin had no concept of genes or DNA. He saw adaptation and assumed that this was a random process that was basically infinite in its abilities. Maybe, he thought, these finches and the eagles we have back home both descended from the same kind of bird-like-thing, but they have slowly adapted to become what they are today! Then the young man had a brainstorm. Or, shall we say, a braintornado. What if all the animals we see today descended from the same basic life form over millions and millions of years of adaptation! Why, this even explains away the need for God! I ought to write a book! And The Origin of Species was born, and with it the simple theory of universal ancestry and adaptation or MACROEVOLUTION. Darwin knew that he had no evidence as of yet from fossils to support his theory, but he was confident that fossils would be forthcoming as the science of paleontology grew. Unfortunately for Darwin and his theory, the study of genetics was on the forefront of scientific inquiry. And genetics showed that a "simple cell" was not simple at all. Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) defined each and every organism, and although some variation in DNA was possible, it was very limited. The natural selection Darwin had observed was the "cutting out" of inconvenient sections of the DNA that led to unfavorable traits. And cutting out bad parts cannot lead to Darwinian evolution. If a car factory does nothing but "remove bad parts", it will have rather light cars, but it will never spontaneously produce airplanes! Now, changes do occur in DNA. They are called mutations. Random copying errors. The scientific community latched on to this idea and proposed that perhaps beneficial mutations occurred that gave a particular organism its evolutionary edge. Then, natural selection kicked in and made sure that only this mutation would survive to the next generation: thus substantiating evolution! But we have yet to find a case of mutations acting in concert with natural selection to turn T Rex into a toucan or a monkey into me. And we also have yet to find a record of anything half-way to becoming something else set in the stone of the fossil record. Sorry, Charley. In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Is the Roman Catholic Church Pharisaical?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "pharisaical" as follows:

"Marked by hypocritical censorious self-righteousness."

But we all know what the key word is: "hypocritical". Today's society enjoys labeling as "pharisaical" anyone who is caught saying one thing but doing another. This is apparent whenever some famous televangelist has an affair or when a politician exploits his religious affirmations for personal gain. Pharisees definitely have the reputation of being hypocrites; in fact, Christ labeled the teachers of the law as such on numerous occasions. But just because some Pharisees are hypocrites does not mean that all hypocrites are Pharisees. And it certainly does not mean that all Pharisees are hypocrites. What is a Pharisee, anyway? The word used in the NT comes from a Jewish root word: parash. It is not surprising that the word has nothing to do with hypocrisy (after all, the Pharisees would not have named themselves "hypocrites"). Rather, "parash" means "to separate, distinguish, or scatter abroad." This came from the separation that the high-and-mighty Pharisees had from the common Israelite. In Romans, Paul explains that the Law was created to show man his sin, and thereby his inability to get to God and his need for salvation. The Pharisees should have known this; Psalm 19 says that the Law of God exists to convert the soul. However, they deliberately distanced themselves and the Law from the common people and used it to control. Romans says that the works of the law can never justify a man. However, a close study of the actions of the Pharisees will show that they controlled the people by dictating what the law was and why one needed to follow it. This earned them many rebukes from Christ. John the Baptist even called them a "brood of vipers." So how does this relate to the Roman Catholic Church? In the same way that the Pharisees took the Law and made themselves its figurehead, the hierarchical system of the Roman Catholic Church has trapped the doctrine of Grace in a web of sacraments and ritual. The Pharisees told the people, "You must obey the Law, so do what we tell you." The RCC says, "Salvation is by grace through faith, but in order to get that grace you must obey us and follow all our rituals. Jesus said that the traditions of man make the Word of God useless. This goes for both Law and Grace. The Roman Catholic Church promises that we can obtain grace by doing what they tell us to do. But God's Word says that there is but ONE Mediator between God and man: Jesus Christ. In Him, David S. MacMillan III

TeenPact 2006

Ahhhh . . . blogging again. As most of you know, I was at TeenPact 2006 State Class this past week. Everyone who was there agreed that it was the greatest TeenPact experience they had ever had. TeenPact is a one-week intensive government and civics training class. Students arrive on Monday afternoon and launch into the Capitol firsthand. TeenPact participants are introduced to the legislative process in several ways, the most notable being the mock legislature run by the staff according to the rules and regulations of the State legislature. Students bring bills and debate them in a parliamentary forum with strict operating guidelines. Freedom can also mean power. This year, the TeenPact alumni put their heads together and submitted a House Floor Resolution "respectfully impeaching" the Speaker of the House (a staff member) and instituting one of the alumni in his place. At first, the staff denied that the resolution was actually binding. But after a concerted effort on the part of the students and the aid of several friendly staff, the majority finally won over and put Michael Brantingham, a 4th-year TeenPacter, behind the gavel. Victory at last! Unfortunately, this all happened the day before TeenPact ended. So Michael only held the gavel for about ten minutes; not long enough to have any fun. Next year, we will try to set everything up the first day so that the students will be in control for the duration. And you never know: maybe I will be the new Speaker. . . . At night, many of the students stayed at Cedarmore Baptist Camp in Baghdad. Through evening praise-and-worship, lecture sessions, and the TeenPact official sport (Ultimate Frisbee!), the TeenPacters grew closer to the Lord and closer to each other. I would definitely advise everyone who reads my blog to attend TeenPact next year. The program is open to 14-18 year-olds. To find out more, go to www.TeenPact.com!

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I have a ton of things to do this week, including school work, office work, Student Leadership Council duties, and writing an article for the second edition of Regenerate Our Culture. For those of you who have not yet checked out this awesome effort, I would advise you to do so now! Thanks to all my readers! I will be coming out with a few more articles in the next few days dealing with some very critical issues . . . keep checking back in! In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Regenerate Our Culture has just launched!

In my last post, I mentioned the new blog action, Regenerate Our Culture. This has just launched! Click on the link to check it out! In Him, David S. MacMillan III

In Absentia: TeenPact!

This week, I will be attending my state's TeenPact Youth Leadership Camp. TeenPact has been a great part of my government curriculum, and I would encourage all homeschooled teens, civics-minded or not, to attend. But more on that later.

There is a new blog action on the horizon! In just a few days (see above), Regenerate Our Culture will be launching! This admirable drive by such notables as Tim Sweetman and Alex King is a culmination of the blogability of 15 top bloggers. I am honored to be a part of this team. I will start writing for this group during their second issue on Creation and Evolution. Check out the goals of Regenerate Our Culture here! In the meantime: State Capitol, here I come! In Him, David S. MacMillan III

His Word is Exalted Above His Name

Forever, O LORD, Your Word is settled in heaven. (Psalm 119:89)

In a world of knowledge, rampant with scientific inquiry, is it possible to really believe that the ancient Scriptures are reliable? Many would say no. In the first chapter of Matthew, a genealogy is given that traces Christ's lineage from Abraham to Joseph. In verses 8 and 9, the text reads

Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, Uzziah the father of Jotham,

. . . and so on. When we delve into the Old Testament, however, we find a disturbing inconsistency. It turns out that Jehosaphat indeed was the father of Jehoram, but that Jehoram's son was Ahaziah. And Ahaziah was not the only person left out. The line of the kings given in II Chronicles 21-25 has Jehoram, the father of Ahaziah, the father of Joash, the father of Ahaziah, the father of Uzziah. Many clergy have explained this apparent contradiction in this wise: the three kings that were left out of the record were notorious for giving honor to Baal rather than God. As a result, the Jews omitted them from the line of kings, and this record was what Matthew had as he wrote the Gospel of Matthew. This approach, however well-meant, ignores the fact that God divinely inspired Matthew to write his book. I Peter 1:21 tells us that Scripture came about as God spoke through man not the other way around. II Timothy 3:16 says that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." How, then, could the Bible be God-breathed if it omits names from a vital record? We recently received a book entitled "The Chronology of the Old Testament" from Answers In Genesis. This book explains why it was that these three names were left out in the God-inspired genealogy of Christ. If you look closely at II Chronicles 21-23, you realize that King Jehoshaphat married his son Jehoram to a queen named Athalia. The king did this in a fateful attempt to reconcile the broken nation of Israel; Athalia was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. This attempt was direct disobedience to God's instructions to shun the house of Omri and Ahab. As a result, Jehoram's son Ahaziah only had half of the royal bloodline of David. The other half was from the house of Jezebel, Omri, and Ahab. It was crucial that Christ's bloodline be pure, so Ahaziah had no place in Christ's lineage. Ahaziah further compounded matters by marrying again into the house of Ahab. His wife Zibia bore Joash, who now only had 25% of the Davidian line. There is no way that he would be included. But with Joash, explained the Chronology of the Old Testament, things began to look up. He married Jehoaddan, a "daughter of Jerusalem". This brought the concentration of the pure blood of David's line back up to around 60% in their son, Ahaziah. This was not enough to get him entered on the record of Christ's ancestors, but it was a step in the right direction. Thankfully, Ahaziah married again into the house of David by taking another "daughter of Jerusalem", Jecoliah. Their son Uzziah now was over 80% Davidian; plenty of the right bloodline to gain entry. This is what the Chronology of the Old Testament says. And it makes a certain degree of sense. But my family was not absolutely sure, so we decided to take a closer look. My mom suggested that I look up the meaning of Queen Athalia's name in our hardbound copy of Strong's Concordance. So, I did. Athalia: Restrained by God. Wow, I thought to myself. Just as the right of entry into Christ's lineage was removed from the line of kings, the name of the offending party is "Restrained by God." I wondered what the other names in this colossal dinner party meant.

• Jehoram, the king who was 100% Davidian: Raised up by God.
• Ahaziah, the first king who was omitted from the lineage: God has held back.
• Joash, the kind with only 25% of the Godly bloodline: God has burned [out].
• Jehoaddan, the first queen on the way back to the pure bloodline: God is delighted.
• Amaziah, the king who was 60% Davidian: God has increased.
• Jecoliah, the queen whose son was the first person to get back in the Matthew lineage: God will overcome.
• Uzziah, the first king who was back in "synch": The Strength of God.
• Jerusah, the wife of Uzziah whose son was 90+% Davidian: God has possessed.
• Jotham, the son of Uzziah who was 90+% Davidian: God lives on.

A rose by any other name. . . . Truly God's Word is forever settled in heaven! In Him, David S. MacMillan III

The Law of the Lord . . . WORKS!

Today at the office, I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with one of my attorney's clients. The Way of the Master program has a great outline on how to share your faith in a few quick steps, so I ran them through in my brain and started in. The system used by Way of the Master is based on a variation of the popular acrostic, "WWJD". They have changed it just slightly; instead of "What Would Jesus Do?" the question is now "What Did Jesus Do?". I like it better that way myself. The first letter of "WDJD" stands for the casual question, "Would you consider yourself to be a good person?" Rarely will anyone be offended if you ask them this, as it affords them an opportunity to talk about themselves. Everyone enjoys doing that. The man I was speaking with, John (not his real name), told me that he was a pretty good fellow overall. "At least," he laughed, "I'm not a criminal or anything." So I moved on to the second letter in WDJD. "Do you think you have kept the Ten Commandments?" God's Word makes it very clear that the convicting power of the Law is necessary to show a person their need for salvation. I was punctuating my equilibrium with an occasional "Mind if I ask you another question?" and "I'm not trying to offend you or anything." I walked through three of the Commandments: No lying, no stealing, and no adultery. When I came to adultery (John had confessed flippantly to the first two) he assured me that he had never cheated on his wife or anything like that. I reminded him that Jesus said "If you look on a woman with lust, you have already committed adultery with her in your heart." He now grudgingly assented that he "sorta" had commited adultery, but "not really." I could sense that John had a pretty good idea that he was not perfect. So I moved on to the third letter in WDJD, "Judgement". I asked him, "If God JUDGED you by the Ten Commandments on the day of Judgement, do you think you would be innocent or guilty?" Generally, people will half-heartedly assent that they would probably be guilty, and then you can ask them whether they think they would go to heaven or hell. Once you have surmounted their philosophical obstacles and they have admitted that they are currently hellbound, then you can move on to the final letter: "Does this concern you?" Only then is it appropriate to share the good News of Jesus' death and ressurection with them. But John did not answer the question about whether he would be innocent or guilty. Rather, he told me that all his sins had already been forgiven. Okay, I thought. I guessed that perhaps John was already a Christian, but I wanted to make sure. I asked him how it was that all his sins against God had been so easily forgiven. He informed me that it was his priest who had forgiven all his sins. "I'm Catholic, ya know." This literally blew me away. Whenever I think about witnessing to someone who has been deluded by the Roman Catholic Apostacy, I immediately attack the Pope and perhaps the Mass, then I move on to prayers to saints and Mariolatry. But suddenly I realized why Catholics had been deceived! It is still the Law that convicts people of their sin, and it is their sin that drives them to the cross. And once people realize that no human being, including themselves and their priest, can forgive sins, they know that they must turn to Jesus for repentance. I realized all this in the blink of an eye, and as I assimilated it I asked him why on earth did his priest have the authority to absolve him of his sins? After all, I thought, the Psalmist said that "Against God only have I sinned" after he had taken another man's wife and ordered the murder of the man he had thus robbed, because it was God's Holy Law he had violated first. John thought for a moment, obviously puzzled. Apparently, it had never occurred to him to question why the priest could go between him and God when he could not. After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "I suppose he is closer to God than I am, so-" he trailed off as he tried to justify going to a priest for absolution when he had always heard how much God loved him. I told him that the Bible says that only God has the authority to forgive sins. The Roman Catholic Apostacy teaches that the Bible is the lowest authority and that the traditions and doctrines of "THE CHURCH" have more power than Scripture. So John quickly questioned whether the Bible could really be depended on when he had his very own priest telling him what the truth was. Unfortunately, John had to leave then. But he thanked me for speaking with him and said that we would continue the conversation at a later time. So pray for "John". Pray that the spiritual blinders that the Devil has placed on him will be removed, and that the Truth I was able to convery to him will implant deeply in his heart. And start evangelizing too! It is as easy as "WDJD!" I would encourage all of you to watch the videos that the Way of the Master has. You can watch them streaming at www.LivingWaters.com, but if you do not have a broadband internet connection, leave a comment indicating that and I will upload a few of the videos to the web so that you can download them for easier viewing. In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Jobs, School, and Whatnot

As most of my readers know, I am getting my associate's degree this as a certified paralegal through OakBrook College of Law. I just completed my second quarter a few weeks ago, and so my mother suggested that I make up a resume and send it out to a few different law offices in the hopes that one of them could use a blogger-on-his-way-to-paralegal. So, Thursday before last I typed up my resume with some help from Mom (she used to work in a job bank and is an expert at this kind of work) and addressed it to 6 or 7 different offices. I threw on the first polo I could find and headed into the job-hunting world. The first place I entered was the office of "R. Mitchell Berryman, Atty". As soon as I walked in and handed Mr. Berryman my resume, he told me that he had been without a secretary for three weeks and needed one right away, so could I interview right then? As you might expect, I was rather shocked. But I told him that my mom had a few errands to run with me but I would be back in a few minutes for the interview. Needless to say, I moved fast. To make a long story short, Mr. Berryman is a strong Christian and granted me the on-the-spot interview because the shirt I had randomly picked said "God Reigns". 30 minutes later, I walked out of his office with instructions to start work the next Monday afternoon! So now I am employed part-time as a secretary and legal assistant in the firm of Mitchell Berryman. I have great hours (1-4 PM, Monday-Thursday), and my employer attends the same church that my family used to attend years ago! Of course, this amazing opportunity has its downsides as well. As you all noticed, I was absent from the blogosphere last week. Since I was in my second week of my third quarter in my paralegal course and in my first week at my job, my day went from 6 AM to 10 PM without that many breaks. This has been my first real chance to relax and contact all my friends in cyberspace. This next week should be a bit better as I will have about an hour on the computer regularly in the evenings. So expect to see plenty of hurried but powerful blogposts! On another note, I will be moving this blog over to WordPress pretty soon. I am slowly customizing a decent template I found and will transfer over as soon as I can get it all set up correctly ... which may be a while due to the lack of time I have at the moment. Until next time, In Him, David S. MacMillan III

But Israel isn't Really God-ordained, is it?

"Israel is controlled by a bunch of atheists. There is no reason why America should support that country!" I really never had a real good rejoiner for that one. At least, not until now. Read this excerpt from the epilogue of The Third Millenium:

In the Torah, Moses wrote (Leviticus 26:18 and elsewhere) that in the furture, whenever Israel sins greatly as a nation God will allow calamity to come their way. he will howver give them time to repent. If they, as a nation, do not repent after their warning period, then the remainder of their punishment will be multiplied by seven.

Over 600 years before the birth of Jesus, God used Ezekiel, a contemporary of Daniel, to show Israel her sin. In Ezekiel 4:3-6, God told the prophet to lie on his side for 430 days to signify the 430 years Israel would spend in exile for her sins. ANother contemporary of Daniel's and Ezekiel's, the prophet Jeremiah, predicted that the first 70 years of the 430 years would be a Babylonian exile (Jer. 25:11). That was Israel's warning period.

Sure enough, as predicted, Nebuchadnezzar came along and transported the Jews from Jerusalem to Babylon in 606 B.C. Then, 70 years later, Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon in 536 B.C. and said he would pay for the millions of Jews to go back to Jerusalem. But the Jews refused. Only 50,000 devout Israelites went back. The rest didn't want to interrupt thier businesses in Babylon.

This obviously made God angry, so take 430 years of exile, subtract 70 years of warning, and multiply the remaining 360 years times 7, as Moses instructed in the Torah. You will get 2,520 prophetic years of 360 days each (the Jews measured prophetic years with 360 days) = 907,200 days from the day Cyrus made his decree to return to Jerusalem, which comes out to May 14, 1948, the day Israel became a nation.

So never let anyone tell you that Israel should not be supported! In Him, David S. MacMillan III

A Froggy Situation

The weekly science journal Nature reported an amazing factoid yesterday. They now have a "classic example" of Darwinian evolution in action! Its name is Bufo marinus (a cane toad). This fat, ugly, poisonous creature is the next straw that evolution is clutching. Why? Well, its legs are long. That in and of itself is not that amazing. But here is the clencher: the toads with shorter legs cannot hop as far! In a series of tests run by researchers from the University of Sydney, it was confirmed that the toads with shorter legs did not move as fast as toads with longer legs. "[The researchers] were astonished to find that the creatures can hop up to 1.8 kms (1.1 miles) a night during wet weather, a record for any frog or toad," said the Agence France-Presse in an article at Yahoo! News. "But even more remarkable was the discovery that the first toads to arrive at the front invariably had longer hind legs than those which arrived later." This particular toad has historically expanded its range by around 10 miles per year. However, a mutation has apparently destroyed the gene that prevents uncontrolled leg growth, so the lengthened legs are allowing toads to expand up to 30 miles per year. In order for Darwinian evolution to occur, there would have to be an actual increase in genetic material. Mutations are copying errors that result in a loss of genetic material, not a gain. Sorry, scientists. Next time, try learning the difference between natural selection (less capable creatures cannot pass their genes on) and Darwinian evolution (creatures increase their genetic material, sprout wings and feathers, and start flying). In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Are You or Your Loved Ones Soundly Saved? Part II

If you have not read Part I of this post yet, please do so here.

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After this, one came and said to Jesus, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" But He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into heaven, keep the commandments." The man asked Jesus, "Which ones?" Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19:16-22)

A man comes to you and asks "What should I do if I want to go to heaven?" "Yes!" you think to yourself as you pull the 'Roman Road' laminated calendar out of your wallet. "This is what I have been waiting for!" You explain that "Jesus can get you to heaven, and besides He will fill the hole in your heart you have always been seeking to fill and give you lasting fulfillment." Then you walk the seeker down the 'Roman Road' and lead him in a 6-point prayer that would make Billy Graham proud. But What did Jesus do? When He was approached by a rich young man seeking eternal life, the subject was not His impending death, burial and resurrection, nor how He could improve the man's life. Jesus, following scripture, went straight to the Ten Commandments and how they applied to this particular person. Jesus understood that it is God's divine Law which converts a person (Psalm 19:7), not a desire for personal gain or other ambition. The rich young ruler told Jesus that he had kept all the commandments in the law from his youth. Well, there he went breaking number 8, "Thou shalt not lie." Jesus had told him a few moments before that "No one is good except for God." This man had a pride problem that had to be conquered before the law could convict him of his sin. But it is a novel idea, is it not? Using the law, given before Christ in preparation for His coming, as a signpost to point a person to their intrinsic need for grace. A novel idea indeed, especially when you consider what Paul tells the Galatians in his letter to them:

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24)

That was simple. The law existed to point us to Christ so that His grace could save us. So what business do we have ignoring the message of condemnation in the law when bringing someone to Christ? "But we cannot condemn someone!" That is right. We cannot condemn them, because those who do not believe in the name of Christ have been condemned already! (John 3:18) Again, the law is used to convert the soul by convicting a person of sin (Psalm 19:7, Romans 7:7), and the resulting need for Christ is what drives them to repentance and to salvation by grace through faith. Our haughty, man-centered gospel of life enhancement is churning out unrepentant, false converts every Sunday morning because the participants never understand the real reason that they need Jesus! If the reason we seek the Gospel is for life enhancement, one of two things will happen. Either our life will not be enhanced the way we wanted it to, and we will become disgruntled and fall away, or our life will be enhanced and we will decide "I do not need Jesus any more!" and fall away. Either way, the life enhancement message produces false converts who will not inherit the Kingdom of God, because as Jesus said, "Depart from me, you accursed. I never knew you." (Luke 13:27) The theme for these two posts was taken from a new website called The Way of the Master. This site is run by Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, and Todd Friel. I encourage everyone to take a good look at the vital message of this site. So now it is your turn. Use the Ten Commandments (can you even name them?). Get out there and win some souls the right way! In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Israel, US, EU Sever Ties With Hamas-Controlled PLO

Breaking News On January 26th, 74 members of the radical Islamic group HAMAS were elected as members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Parliament. This gives the terrorist organization a majority for the first time in PLO history. With the swearing in of Hamas leader Abdul Aziz Duaik as the Parliament Speaker yesterday (see image at right), the PLO is now controlled by a terrorist organization, making it an official terrorist state. In response to the abrupt shift in power, the U.S., EU, and Israeli governments have closed commerce with the PLO, Israeli interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert even going so far as to freeze $50,000,0000 in tax receipts which was to constitute almost a third of the Palestinian budget. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has begun a Middle Eastern tour cautioning countries against giving financial support to the Hamas-controlled government. What she fails to understand is that for Middle Eastern countries, Hamas policies equal Islamic policies which demand fanatic support from every Muslim. It remains to be seen whether the more moderate governments in the area will succeed in stemming the flow of cash to the terrorist's coffers. The less moderate governments have no qualms about supporting the PLO. Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told the Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal that "Annual financial assistance to Palestine is one way that Muslim nations can share the responsibility of Palestine." In other words, it is our job as Muslims to help you terrorists kill all the Jews. It is interesting to note that Saudi Arabia, the number one supplier of oil for the U.S., is the only Middle East country fulfilling its full promises of support to the PLO. The dollars you spend at the pump go directly to the pockets of Hamas, with the federal and state governments and the Saudi oil sheiks getting a buck or two in the transit.

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With their cash flow thinning, the new, more terroristic PLO will revert to its old tactics of simple military might. The other leading party in the PLO, Fatah, will also be striving to regain power, and the only way Hamas will be able to curry favor and unite the country is to focus on what unites Palestinians: attacking Israel. Jerusalem Post columnist Barry Rubin (left) predicts that a shadowy Islamic group which consists of Hamas people but lets Hamas deny responsibility will emerge to claim "credit" for renewed full-scale military attacks on Israel. " 'Hamas will not attack Israel until it decides to do so, but it reserves the right to commit genocide against Israel.' " My prediction: with the new, overt terrorist control of the PLO, the blinders will be partly removed from the Israeli leadership. They have already broken off economic and political ties with the Muslim aggressionists and will begin to treat terrorist bombings as direct military attacks - unless, of course, they are fooled by a shadow terrorist organization as predicted by Mr. Rubin. This in turn will bring an end to the deceptive "Roadmap to Peace" plan and will trigger full military aggression from the boiling PLO government. Israel will be forced to respond with military rather than police force, and we all know where that will lead. So what is going to happen? Opinions, anyone? In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Are You or Your Loved Ones Soundly Saved? Part I

Disturbing statistics indicate that over 80% of professing Christians fall away from the faith soon after conversion. The International Church of Christ reports here that more than four out of five of those that are baptized leave church within months. The September 1977 issue of Eternity Magazine reported the results of an evangelistic crusade that involved 178 churches. Out of 4,106 decisions for Christ at the altar, only 3 percent joined a local church. That series of meetings created 3,981 backsliders! And this was almost 40 years ago! A more recent campaign reported a 92% rate of real conversions. For every hundred people who make a profession of faith at the altars of American churches, often less than 10 stay in a local fellowship.

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Most of these statistics are taken from Ray Comfort's book, Hell's Best Kept Secret. How is it that our best methods of evangelism are failing miserably? As popular as the slogan "What Would Jesus Do" has become, I frankly admit that I do not like it. It allows people to create a Jesus in their own image, according to their own desires. Canadian Senator Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, in comments made during debate of impending same-sex "marriage" legislation, made the astonishing claim that Jesus Christ would have voted in favor of the legislation just like she did. "As a Christian, I often ask myself 'What would Jesus do?'" the senator stated. She answered with, "In this case, in this time, I believe He would say yes. After all, we have come a long way from Old Testament days when adulterers were put to death; and we have come a long way in our understanding of human sexuality." It is so easy for people to rationalize when asked what Jesus would do. So instead, I prefer to ask "What DID Jesus Do?" So, when we are faced with statistics that show 80-90% of converts are falling away, we should immediately ask whether our evangelistic methods concur with the words and actions of Jesus Christ. Since early in the 20th century, modern evangelism has centered around what Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort call the "life enhancement" message. In other words, the idea that "There is a God-shaped hole in you that only God can fill. You will never be satisfied unless you come to Jesus. So just admit you are a sinner and ask for Jesus, and you will be happy and joyful and fulfilled and rich and everything else you ever wanted!" The problem with this approach is that it is totally opposed to Scripture! In Matthew 24, Jesus tell His disciples that that the enemies of the Gospel "will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake." This is anything but a gospel of joy, peace, and lasting fulfillment! Psalm 19:7 says that "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul." How can this be? Haven't we always been taught that Jesus did away with the law of Moses at Calvary? Humans are not under the law any more, or so some would have us to believe. But in Romans 7:7, Paul tell us that "I would not have known sin except through the law." What does the Psalm say? "The law ... is perfect, converting the soul." How is one converted? Jesus said over and over that we are to repent of sin, not to "Try Jesus"! Let us now suppose that I walk up to a person on the street and tell him, "I have some great news for you! Someone you do not even know just paid a $25,000.00 speeding fine on your behalf! That is great news, isn't it?" The man would probably stare daggers at me. "Are you insinuating," he would demand, "that I broke the law? I have not been speeding, and I do not have a $25,000 fine!" Then, I would probably get a sock in the nose for my pains and the man would walk away. But let us suppose that I try this approach: "Excuse me, sir. I have some really bad news for you. Yesterday, you were clocked at 55 miles per hour going through a zone set aside for a blind children's convention. There were ten clear warning signs showing the top speed limit to be 15 miles per hour, but you ignored them all and went through at over three times the legal limit. What you did was incredibly dangerous, and a judge has levied a $25,000 fine on you." Now, if I tell the man his fine has been paid, he will be grateful. But if I omit the bad news, the good news will be foolishness to him. Likewise, if I tell someone that "Jesus died on the cross for your sins," he will be offended and my words will sound like foolishness to him (1 Cor. 1:18). But if I explain that he has broken God's law and is on his way to Hell first, he will be much more likely to welcome the Gospel with open arms. Or try this example. Two men are on an airplane. The flight attendant gives the first man a gigantic parachute backpack and tells him to strap it on. "It will improve your flight!" He is skeptical at first, but he puts it on as an experiment. The first man soon notices that the parachute prevents him from sitting upright in his seat. But he consoles himself with the thought that he was told it would improve his flight. Before long, however, the other passengers are laughing at him, and he is growing more and more uncomfortable. He gets up to use the lavatory and the weight almost pushes him to the ground. Disgusted, he rips the parachute off and throws it to the ground. Now he is "inoculated" against parachute-wearing, because after all "I tried it and it didn't work." The second man, however, is told to "Put this parachute on, because in less than 15 minutes you will be jumping 25,000 feet." He eagerly straps the backpack on, ignoring the weight on his shoulders and the ridicule of those around him. His only thoughts are for the jump to come. Telling someone to "Trust in Jesus!" without telling them about the jump to come is foolishness. Charles Spurgeon said that he preached "90% law and 10% grace." God law, the Ten Commandments, are necessary to show a sinner his need for God. Only when he is thoroughly convinced that he will stand before God guilty can he given the good news that Jesus already paid his fine. The message that Jesus will "improve your flight" is one of the most damaging messages ever created. We need to get back to the way Jesus taught. When the rich young ruler came to Him asking "What must I do to inherit eternal life," Jesus did not walk him through the Roman Road. He went straight to the Law: the Ten Commandments. More later. In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Legislative Assistant

This past week I worked 9 hours a day at my state capitol. As a result, new articles have been conspicuously absent (has anyone noticed?). This week, I am planning to write a few articles on evolution, the authority of Scripture, and what real salvation means. Keep checking back daily or load my RSS feed into your web reader. While you are waiting, check out a great new website, The Way of the Master. It is run by such notables as Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, and Todd Friel. I encourage everyone to really take a close look at what they have to say! Thank you to all my readers who have left comments in my absence this week. God bless you all! In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Attention from Answers In Genesis

Today, Answers In Genesis published my article about my encounter with a biology professor at Dort College. Check it out! Just click here! In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Sorry!

My sincerest apologies for my slight hiatus from blogging over the past week. Between juggling my paralegal course, working on a website for the CHC Student Leadership Council, and designing a new jet engine that works equally well in space, I have simply had no time for the blog. But hopefully this will change. Yesterday I attended the 6th annual Men's Night Out at Porter Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington, KY. They had a very interesting speaker for the night: ex-mobster Michael Franzese. I will be making a few posts on his testimony soon. Until later. . . . In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Photos of Petrified Peach

I promised in my last post to share some photographs of a petrified peach loaned to me by George. So, without further ado:

From the top, this looks much like an ordinary rock. Flat on one side, but still rather mediocre But take a look at the other side!

Here you can make out the distinct impression left by the peach pit. The discoloration on the left side is not a scooped-out portion of the rock; it is just a different color of stone.

This is a nice view of the basic peach shape. Note the bubbly depression in the top forward portion. Apparently, the peach half was discarded due to rotting, and the rot spread to the outer skin before petrification.

I am holding the peach half here to give you a better idea of the size and overall shape. It is composed of very hard, nonporous rock. However, the outside and the inner portion still show amazing detail when viewed up close.

So what do you think?

In Him,

David S. MacMillan III

Petrified Peach Squashes Long-Age Dogma

In my last post, Katrina Victims Finally Come Home, I spoke about a family left homeless by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that we are helping to move into their new house in my city. The youngest son, George (not his real name), showed me a chunk of rock that looked suspiciously organic in origin as we moved dresser drawers and other furniture. "Take a look at this petrified peach half I found, David! I dug it out of our backyard in Mississippi." I examined it, and sure enough this was all that was left of a peach that had been cut in half with a knife and thrown out for some reason. The features were preserved so beautifully that I could see the individual lines left by the peach pit in the flesh. I was going to post a photo on this site but I was unable to obtain it to take pictures. Perhaps I will post an image later. This family used to live near the mineral-rich Mississippi River delta. So I did some research and discovered that peaches originated in China and were not introduced into the Americas until colonists settled in Virginia around 1630. The appearance of having been cut by a very sharp object and its location near the Delta (which was not settled by Europeans until the 1820s) would make it seem that this peach was even younger than the 370 years old stipulated as a maximum by the first introduction into Virginia. We are generally told that petrification take hundreds of thousands or even millions of years as minerals slowly replace plant tissue. But obviously this peach was petrified less than 400 years ago and probably less than 200 years ago. Not only that, but the process was fast, judging from the intricate details now preserved in solid rock. Maybe the dogma of millions of years and long geologic ages is not that well founded. . . . In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Katrina Victims Finally Come Home

My readers may remember the family I spoke of several months ago that lost their home in Hurricane Katrina. Since some of their relatives attend our local fellowship, this family has stayed in my city for around 4 months. The family consists of Mrs. Sarah and her two sons, Ryan and George (not their real names). Their father is on a police force in the Gulf area. I was able to help Ryan set up a website to try to help teens displaced by Katrina and Rita find out where their friends are. Mrs. Sarah is battling cancer and cannot drive, so our family was able to take her to and from her chemo appointments. Our families have grown close over the past few months. Recently we located a home for sale that the owner was willing to rent out. Its size and location was perfect for Mrs. Sarah and her family, so today we were able to move most of their belongings into their new dwelling. Everyone in this area has been extremely generous. A local carpet store gave hundreds of dollars worth of carpets to warm the new home free, and other businesses gave the family discounts and other things to help make the new house a home. Please thank the Lord for these generous people, and keep this family in your prayers. This is a hard time for them, but things are beginning to look up. In Him, David S. MacMillan III

Bush Lied! Don't blame me, I voted 4 Kerry.

Bumper stickers like the one above really show a lack of mental capacity. Especially the use of the word "lied". I can handle "Bush was wrong". After all, it is a free country and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But using the word "lied" . . . come on! One would have to think that the left would have gotten over it 15 months after the election. Wikipedia defines a "lie" as:

"A statement made by someone who believes or suspects it to be false, in the expectation that the hearers may believe it."

So in order for someone to lie, they must believe or strongly suspect that their statement is false. I would assume that the bumper stickers proclaiming "Bush Lied" refer to his allegations of WMDs by Iraq. This, they say, was the reason we went to war and subsequently Bush lied to get us into war. Actually, we had ample reason to declare war on Iraq ever since they fired on our planes after the Gulf War. But since the liberals would never listen to that, I will meet them on their own grounds: the infamous WMDs. It is debatable whether there were actually WMDs in Iraq and in Saddam's power. Remember that absence of evidence is never evidence of absence, especially when Saddam was warned repeatedly by France that the U.N. weapons inspection was coming. By going through the U.N., our inspectors waved a flag at the Iraqis advertising our intent to end their schemes long before we actually did any inspecting. And we did find "weapons of mass destruction", no matter what the media would have us to believe. Not only were many of Saddam's missiles too large for the range imposed by U.N. sanctions after the Gulf War, but our military also found warheads used to transport chemical weapons and chemical weapons factories. But again, the issue of whether there were any WMDs is irrelevant. The question is whether Bush thought there were any WMDs or not. And the answer to that question is an emphatic "YES!" Every intelligence force on the planet firmly believed that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.

"I think Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction are a threat, and that's why I voted to hold him accountable and to make certain that we disarm him." (John Kerry, March 2003) "Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts chides the administration for waiting too long to make the case for invasion and do "the hard diplomatic work" of enlisting allies. But he says leaving Saddam Hussein "unfettered with nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction is unacceptable." (USA Today quoting John Kerry, February 2003) "Convincing evidence of Saddam Hussein's possession of weapons of mass destruction should trigger, I believe, a final ultimatum from the United Nations for a full, complete, immediate disarmament of those weapons by Iraq. Over the next hours, I will work with my colleagues in the Senate to fully examine the evidence offered by the secretary for a complete and close reading. But, on its face, the evidence against Saddam Hussein appears real and compelling." (John Kerry, February 2003) "Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime. He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. He miscalculated an eight-year war with Iran. He miscalculated the invasion of Kuwait. He miscalculated America's response to that act of naked aggression. He miscalculated the result of setting oilrigs on fire. He miscalculated the impact of sending scuds into Israel and trying to assassinate an American President. He miscalculated his own military strength. He miscalculated the Arab world's response to his misconduct. And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction." (John Kerry, January 2003)

Senator Kerry was on the U.S. intelligence committee investigating the possibility of Saddam having WMDs. Kerry had access to the same information that President Bush had.

"Saddam Hussein's regime represents a grave threat to America and our allies, including our vital ally, Israel. For more than two decades, Saddam Hussein has sought weapons of mass destruction through every available means. We know that he has chemical and biological weapons. He has already used them against his neighbors and his own people, and is trying to build more. We know that he is doing everything he can to build nuclear weapons, and we know that each day he gets closer to achieving that goal." (John Edwards, October 2002, emphasis mine) "If Saddam rejects peace, and we have to use force, our purpose is clear: We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." (Bill Clinton) "We urge you, after consulting with Congress and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions, including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." (Senators Levin, Lieberman, Lautenberg, Dodd, Kerrey, Feinstein, Mikulski, Daschle, Breaux, Johnson, Inouye, Landrieu, Ford and Kerry in a letter to Bill Clinton. Emphasis mine.)

Need I say more? In Him, David S. MacMillan III