As some of you may know, I grew up Roman Catholic. I went through 12 years of Roman Catholic indoctrination education. But now I am a recovering former Roman Catholic.

I'm being flippant. Forgive me.

One of my Facebook friends is my high school alma mater. The other day, the school posted a story about how the remains of Saint Don Bosco will be on tour making a pilgrimage to 130 countries around the world. The website--"Don Bosco Among Us"-- has the the full schedule of tour dates and maps of where the wax replica will be. One of those stops will actually be at my old high school.

As a Bible-believing Christian--just like Roman Catholics should all be, right?--I had some issues with the "veneration" of the remains.  According to Merriam-Webster, the word "veneration" has the following meanings:

1. respect or awe inspired by the dignity, wisdom, dedication, or talent of a person
2. the act of venerating
3. the condition of one that is venerated

The verb "venerating" is defined as: "to honor (as an icon or a relic) with a ritual act of devotion."

Don Bosco's Tour website explains:

The Church honors God through the relics of the bodies of the saints, the things they used, and the lives they touched. The relic of Don Bosco is being brought to the world so Christians may honor him as a Servant of God, as well as view him as a source of inspiration for those still living.

That all sounds really nice. But it reminds of the Bronze Serpent from Numbers 21. God commanded Moses to create this serpent on a pole to heal those who were bitten by serpents so they might live. What happened to this--if I might use the term--relic 700 years later? The people turned it into an idol! Kin Hezekiah destroyed it as a result!

He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nahushtan. --2 Kings 18:4.

Someone else will have to confirm it for me, but I'll be willing to bet that Don Bosco's "relic" will have incense burned to it at each stop.

In any event, I posted a comment to the Facebook news article. It went something like this:

Brothers & Sisters, do you not see the danger of idol worship here? Don Bosco is absent from his body and is with the Lord. Flesh is flesh. We need to get our eyes off idols and back on the Lord Jesus, the Creator of us all. God shares His glory and worship with no one and nothing.

I spoke the truth of the Word. I was not in attack mode, necessarily, but I felt compelled and lead to share what I felt God's Word says about this sort of thing.

Soon after, the attacks came.

• "Keep your opinions to yourself. No one likes a Bible Thumper."
• "I heard Looney Toon music play in my head as soon as I read Joe's comment."

Part of me was surprised because, though Roman Catholics and Protestants disagree on a number of items, we both believe in the same God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We both believe in Jesus' death, burial and resurrection and His Second Coming. Then it made me sad and Zechariah's words came to me:

"And one will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will say, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'" --Zechariah 13:6.

These words are prophetic of Jesus' wounds on the cross. And yet, He shows us over and over again how He experienced our pain of rejection. He reminds us that those who would persecute us are really persecuting Him!

And I suppose that is what makes me so angry. So many well-meaning Roman Catholics are deceived by false doctrines and out-right lies from Satan! I cannot understand how my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ could actually insult me by calling me a "Bible Thumper." We read the same Bible!

Should I have stayed out of it? Should I have kept my opinion to myself? These are questions that haunt me a little as I think about this situation. But maybe my comments will actually drive someone to the Bible to see what God has to say about idols and relics. Don't take my word for it. Take God's Word for it. Seek out the truth of what God has to say.

Have you run into a similar situation where you kept quiet or spoke out? What was the result?

May He Increase!

One of the most popular Christian blogs is currently Tim Challies'.

When I grow up, I'd like to be able to write like he does: as of 8/29/2010, he has blogged for 2,494 consecutive days!

The other day he had a post called "Prudes and Puritans." He included an excerpt out of the book Saving Leonardo, by Nancy Pearcey.

The portion of the quote I liked best was:

Liberalism treats sex as instrumental to extrinisic goals, such as physical pleasure or expressing affection. That’s why liberals do not object to any form of sexual relation as long as it meets those extrinisic goals—as long as it involves mutual pleasure or affection. By contrast, a biblical worldview treats sex as intrinsically good in constituting the one-flesh relationship. Humans are an image of God not only as individuals but also in their relationship with one another—and most intensely in the intimate sexual-emotional-spiritual unity of marriage.

This explains why marriage is used throughout Scripture as a metaphor for the intimate relationship God aspires to have with his people. In the Old Testament, Israel is the unfaithful wife. In the New Testament, the church is the bride of Christ. The marital metaphor means that our sexual nature possesses a “language” that is ultimately meant to proclaim God’s own transcendent love and faithfulness.

This gets to the heart of the matter over homosexual marriage and the lunacy around the opposition to Proposition 8 here in California.

You can read the entire post by clicking here.

May He Increase!

There is a verse in the Bible that should either embolden your faith or shake you up.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. --Genesis 1:1.

In Hebrew it is:

בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ

It's only a mere 10 words in the English. If you truly believe this verse then there should not be anything in this world that would cause you worry or concern.

On the other hand, if you don't believe this verse then you have some bigger problems in this life and the life to come!

Do you find comfort in this verse? Or do you scoff at this verse?

May He Increase!

I wanted to add some additional information to last week's posted video of Greg Laurie talking about "The Bible Predicts the Future."

Here is some video by my favorite Bible teacher, Chuck Missler of Koinonia House. Part three expounds on the video last week by Greg Laurie.

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

Would love to get your thoughts on these, especially if you do not yet know Jesus.

May He Increase!

A short, but powerful message from Paul Washer.

This presents, in video form, some of the things we talked about in the last post.

I have to say that I see myself in a lot of things he said.

What do you think?

May He Increase!

I ran across a recent quote by Nobel economics laureate Paul Krugman:

"The lights are going out all over America . . . America is now on the unlit, unpaved road to nowhere."

Indeed, if you look around, the cardiac patient is on the table, hooked up to IVs but the medications are doing any good to a patient that has lived far too fast, on borrowed time (money!) for far too long!

I also ran across some recent YouTube videos by self-help guru, Tony Robbins. I actually watched the videos which were posted on a Christian blog over at The Economic Collapse. Makes for interesting viewing. The second of the two videos I found more worthwhile.

We've covered topics about the Decline of the United States here at May He Increase. We asked the question "Are We Past the Point of No Return?" We have even looked at what could possibly be one instance of America In Biblical Prophecy.

America: we need to repent! Christians: we need to get back to the basics of our faith. We need to start walking our talk! This goes firstly for me.

My family and I are partly responsible for this financial crisis America finds itself in. We are just as guilty as the next guy for buying stuff we didn't need. We need to repent for getting our eyes off God and putting them on the false gods and idols of comfort and entertainment. We need to humble ourselves and seek the Lord's face again.

As Christians, I'm sure many of us can see what we are starting to go through as possibly a judgment of God. And why shouldn't God judge America? I think the question is: How can God not judge America soon?

Think I'm over-emphasizing this point? Check out these statistics from the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families.

By the time I finished the list, I felt nauseated and like a dark spirit entered the room.

You might be asking: where is the linkage between America's financial crisis and pornography? Friend, it's all related! Look at what we are choosing over our Creator! How much longer do you think God is going to allow this?

"For we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it." --Genesis 19:13.

You've probably heard of "this place": Sodom and Gomorrah.

Ruth Graham, the wife of Billy Graham, had this to say of America and its relationship to Sodom and Gomorrah:

“If God doesn’t judge America, He will need to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!”

Wake up American Christians! Let us all repent, turn from our wicked ways, and seek God's face for our bankrupt--in every way--nation!

May He Increase!

Continuing the recent theme of prophecy here at May He Increase, we bring you a great video of Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship.

May He Increase!

One of the recent shows I've been watching is "Chasing Mummies" on the History Channel. I'm a big history fanatic and, of course, with my love of God's Word, anything that is somehow related to it--especially in a historical sense--I'm all over it. Though he can be a bit caustic at times, I really like Dr. Zahi Hawass.

Although Dr. Hawass' interests are primarily in Egyptology, I'm confident that one mummy or one tomb he will never find is that of Moses.

Bold statement, I know, coming from a peon such as myself. The casual Bible reader or even the average Christian may not realize that the Bible is very specific on the burial site of Moses!

So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day. --Deuteronomy 34:5-6.

Two verses out of the Old Testament that many of us have probably glossed over. Did you pick up on what the text said?

"And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab." The "He" is referring to God. The "him" is Moses. What is this passage saying?

God Himself buried Moses in the valley in the land of Moab!

Furthermore, the Bible explicitly says that "no man knows his burial place to this day." Conclusion: Moses' tomb will never be found without God revealing its location.

This verse leads to the inevitable question of "why?"

Jesus' Half-Brother Weighs In

Probably one of the least studied books is Jude. I went through an podcast study of Jude earlier this year and it was just fascinating. I'd like to do a series on it at some point myself.

There is a verse tucked away in Jude that references the time period in Deuteronomy we just looked at.

But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" --Jude 9.

This is probably one of those verses that either we've read through and just accepted it at face value, or read it and didn't think much about it, or read it and wondered "when did this argument take place?"

We don't know for certain how Jude knew about this argument. Some commentators think that Jude was possibly given this revelation by God directly, or he read about it from the apocryphal book known as the Assumption of Moses. (Note: My personal belief is that it's the former because Jude says in this letter, in verse 3, that he was initially intending to write about "common salvation" but the Holy Spirit guided him into a different direction.)

What is the Point?

We know that God must have buried Moses Himself because God must have a purpose for the body of Moses. Certainly there were occasions after Deuteronomy 34 where Moses appears (Matthew 17:1-3 notably). Some believe that one of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 might be Moses.

Either way, it would serve Satan's purposes if he obtained the body of Moses. Had he done so, he could have: turned it into an object of worship for the Israelites, desecrated it so that it could not be used for either Matthew 17:1-3 or Revelation 11. We don't know for sure, but we do know Satan's tricks and his schemes and therefore we can deduce that--from the Deuteronomy 34 and Jude 9 passages--that God protected Moses' body from Satan's purposes.

Where is Moses' Tomb? Clearly, only God Almighty knows!

Sorry Dr. Hawass.

May He Increase!

My son is just over two and-a-half years old now. I love him dearly. He's so smart and truly a very loving child. I'm not sure if I'd say that--at least up to this point--that he's "in his 'terrible twos,'" but I'm slowly beginning to see where he is starting to need regular discipline.

Don't misunderstand me or the word, "discipline." I mean just that: discipline. This isn't the same thing as punishment. Some of you might say, "That's obvious," but perhaps there are some who don't see or can't make the distinction.

Today was one of those days where I can see that my son is starting to need discipline. He's a boy, and yes, boys will be boys. Boys, generally, are not as compliant as girls. And you know what? That's okay! We don't need to make them like girls. We need boys to be the way our Father made them.

Having said that, however, I'm not advocating that we let them run wild. Just like a wild horse needs to be brought under control in order to be ridden, a wild horse is still a wild horse.

A week or so ago, I wrote about "getting beaten by God." While the tone of that post wasn't necessarily on discipline, I feel as though God is showing me through my son how He feels when He needs to discipline me! Speaking only for myself, I hate having to discipline my son at times. As upset as he can make me at times, I look in his sweet face and part of me says: "Oh let it go. Look at those beautiful brown eyes," etc. But then the other part of me, that little voice inside, says: "No, you are raising a man. You need to teach him right from wrong and if you screw up, there are consequences."

Indeed, I've never been a fan of the school of thought that says corporal punishment "harms" the child and damages their self-esteem. That's bunk. My parents didn't shy away from giving me a swat when I deserved it as a child--and I know I deserved it many times! What kind of man would I be had they let things go all the time and not shown me that when you make bad choices, there is pain involved? What kind of parent would lie to their child by withholding discipline and making the child believe that there are no consequences to bad behavior?

He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently. --Proverbs 13:24.

I how how clear the Bible is. Do you hate your child? Don't discipline them. Do you love your child? Then discipline them diligently!

Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod and rescue his soul from Sheol. --Proverbs 23:13-14.

Did you get that? If you discipline your child you are saving their life! Why won't so many parents step up and love their children by disciplining them?

It's not easy. Parenting takes courage. Parenting is not for cowards nor the neglectful. This is especially true for fathers and sons. I believe that of all parental relationships, the relationship of father and son is the glue that holds any nation together. Don't agree with me? Check out how quickly neighborhoods deteriorate when fathers neglect their sons. Neighborhood declines lead to cities declining. Get enough large cities in decline and you have entire nations at risk.

Take a look at the United States. You tell me how our nation can continue without fathers stepping up to their responsibilities to teach their sons how to become men?

May He Increase!

In the last few months, we've taken a look at a few examples of how God beautifully "conceals a matter" (Proverbs 25:2) in the Old Testament books of the Bible.

To recap, we've looked at:

• Rahab and the Spies
• The Genealogy of Noah
• The Mourning of an Only Son
• The Ark and the Cross

One of my favorites is found in the book of Numbers.

The Cross and the Camp

Numbers might very well be one of those books that people gloss over because of all the names, generations and, well, numbers listed in various forms. One thing to always keep in mind while reading the Bible is that no detail is unimportant. Every name, every place, and yes, even every number serves God's purposes.

Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, "The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers' households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance." --Numbers 2:1-2.

Beginning at verse 3 and ending in verse 34, God gives Moses and Aaron specific instructions on how the people were to be encamped around the Tabernacle. A basic rendering of this passage would look something like the image below.

What this ends up being is that the three tribes at the top of this picture are at the North (Asher, Dan and Naphtali) and the tribes at the bottom (Gad, Reuben and Simeon) are at the South. The tribes on the left (Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh) are on the west side and the last grouping on the right (Issachar, Judah and Zebulun) are on the east. The Levities are part of the tabernacle.

But these groups are numbered in this chapter by taking a census. The populations of these tribes are:

• Benjamin 35,400
• Manasseh 32,200
• Ephraim 40,500
• Naphtali 53,400
• Asher 41,500
• Dan 62,700
• Judah 74,600
• Issachar 54,400
• Zebulun 57,400
• Gad 45,650
• Simeon 59,300
• Reuben 46,500.

The Levities were not numbered. Outside of them, the total population was 603,550.

What's the point? Well, using the image above, if we plot this out each "leg" of the camp will extend out from the Tabernacle according to the populations of each group of three tribes, yes?

What would this look like from 30,000 feet? See below.

The boxes represent more-or-less proportions against each population. What does the image appear to be?

A cross!

And this is from the Torah, one of the five books of Moses! This is centuries before crucifixion was even invented! Read Numbers 2 for yourself and just draw out a picture of what the camp would look like. Try it for yourself.

There is no way you can convince me that the Bible is anything but God-breathed. There is no way that Jewish rabbis would have tried to conceal this into the text. There is no way!

I close this post with the same point I made in my last post: if the Bible is authenticated over-and-over again by way of prophecy, thereby clearly making it a message outside of our domain of time and space, what is the implication?

You need to answer the question for yourself. You entire eternity depends upon the answer!

May He Increase!