The Writing on the Wall a Warning for Tall Trees

We are studying the book of Daniel on Sunday mornings. I can’t think of a better book to encourage those who place their trust in the LORD than Daniel.

I received an email from a young man named Camden who is a freshman in college. He spoke of what he learned from Daniel yesterday, as well as something he learned from his study of the fall of Czechoslovakia to communism.

It’s emails like the one below that give me encouragement for the future of the United States.

________________________________________________________________

Hi Pastor Wade!

I just wanted to share this neat little occurrence that just happened to me.

In Bridge this morning, I was captivated by the story of Belshazzar’s fall, and your explanation of the euphemism of seeing the “writing on the wall” as God’s message to the tall trees of this world. I had been thinking of your lesson from earlier today whenever I started to read Rod Dreher’s book “Live Not By Lies.” It starts by giving a story about Father Kolaković, a Slovak Catholic who, while living under Nazi oppression, had been preparing his church community for the possibility of future Soviet oppression (which as you know ended up happening) and how he is attributed to inspiring a generation of Christians who founded underground churches and ultimately challenged communist rule.

*Side note: I was immediately intrigued by this man Father Kolaković, and I believe part of the reason why is because I detect that the goals of his teachings are similar to yours, in the regard of strengthening the church and preparing for possible persecution of our faith and beliefs. If you haven’t already, I think he may be an interesting studying topic for you!*

Anyway, I continued on in the book. It explained how this line of people who were prepared for difficulties and prepared for persecution, specifically in Czechoslovakia, led to the Velvet Revolution in the late 1980s. Not knowing too much about this topic, I did a quick search and found an article on it from history.com. At the end of this article, my mouth dropped open when I read "the writing was on the wall for one-party rule in Czechoslovakia. The Communist Party’s leadership resigned on November 28 and an anti-communist government was in power by December 10.” Here I had a direct correlation between how Biblical Babylon, as well as the Soviet rule, fell. These people had remained strong and vigilant in their faith for half a century in the face of Soviet persecution, and I can only imagine the relief they must have felt when God fell that tall tree. It came as a relief to me because this specific story with the Velvet Revolution caused the light bulb to go off in my head that He was not finished toppling tall trees just when the Bible was finished, and that if he can do all of that barely a decade before I was born, then what safety do the sinful rulers of this present day have!


On a final note, I’ve been really interested in this study of Daniel, and I’ve also been attending Hey Jude, which I’m equally enjoying. I’m not sure why exactly, but I have been soaking up this Biblical wisdom lately more so than I have ever before, while simultaneously thirsting for more Biblical wisdom! With that said, I would like to say keep up the great work, and I’m excited for what is next!

Best,

Camden

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Shake Off the Dust, ARISE, and Sit Down! - Is. 52:2

There are two theological errors in modern Christian evangelicalism that stunt the spiritual maturity of God's people. 

The first is from theological Calvinism in neo-reformed evangelical churches. Reformed pastors who focus exclusively on the sovereignty of God in saving sinners are prone to emphasize, re-emphasize, and further emphasize that "you are a sinner" in need of a Savior. In an attempt to exalt God's grace and Christ's cross, reformed pastors unintentionally excuse saints' sins. "We are but sinners..." becomes the excuse for continuing to roll in the dust of one's sins.

On the other hand, the "feel-good" me-oriented "self-care" churches with little interest in the Bible only focus on what makes them feel good. From the songs to the small groups, everything is about "finding balance for my life and family." The error of this kind of evangelicalism results in the same error as the first. Rolling in the dust of sin is excused because sin is not thought of in terms of bondage but "self-care."

The Old Testament Jews in Babylonian bondage (609 BC to 539 BC) picture God's people in bondage to sin and death. Isaiah 52 is a beautiful chapter of God's redemption of His people Israel, but it is also a beautiful picture of how God redeems spiritual Israel (the church). This chapter precedes the great Messianic chapter of Isaiah 53, the chapter that beautifully describes how the Suffering Servant would die on a cross for the sins of His people. 

Isaiah 52:2 is a prescription against the error of both neo-reformed evangelicals and "self-care" evangelicals of our day. 

"Shake off the dust, ARISE, and sit down!" 

What does that mean? 

Servants are people of the dust. When Ruth and Naomi became slaves in Bethlehem because of their debts, they rolled in the dust to glean from the fields of Boaz. When the Jews were taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, they were "people of dust," in bondage to the wicked Gentiles who mocked the name of their God. Dust is a picture of slavery.

"Shake off the dust." When the LORD redeems you by His grace, you are called to "shake off your sins." What you used to serve - that is yourself and your sins - you now "shake off." You die to self, and you die to your sins for the sake of your Redeemer and His Kingdom.

"ARISE" - to a new life and a new you. If any person is in Christ, he or she is a NEW person with a NEW life. Arise and live differently than you did in your days of servanthood to your sins. 

"..and sit down." But what does it mean to "ARISE and sit down"? The Jewish Targum translates this, "ARISE and sit on your throne." You have become a child of the KING, a co-heir with Jesus Christ. Take your place on the throne, and rule this world with the power and grace of your Master. 

In other words, a BELIEVER REDEEMED is BEHAVIOR REFORMED.

Suffering has a way of separating the dross from the pure. Christianity has been too comfortable in America for too long. We are about to find ourselves imprisoned by the Gentiles who mock the name of our God. Redemption, however, has come.  

"Shake off the dust, ARISE, and sit down!"

Separate from your sins, stand up with Christ with your new life and take your seat on the throne of His Kingdom. Man's kingdoms come and go, but you've been given an unshakeable Kingdom so don't settle for something less than the Kingdom that will never end. 

Teaching Cows to Poop and Pee Defines Liberalism

I have a friend who calls political, academic, environmental, and social liberalism is a mental disorder.

I'm beginning to agree. 

A new academic study titled “Learned control of urinary reflexes in cattle to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions” has just been published by Cell, an academic journal.

According to these liberal Ivory Tower liberal academics who published the report:

“Young calves can be successfully trained to poop and pee in designated areas. And the researchers think if expanded on a broader scale, this practice could have a big impact on controlling ammonia waste — one of agriculture’s dirtiest greenhouse gas and pollution problems."

Sixteen calves were essentially potty trained by animal psychologists at the Germany-based Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology.

“Cattle, like many other animals, are quite clever and they can learn a lot. Why shouldn’t they be able to learn how to use a toilet?” the researchers asked.

The process, by the way, is called “MooLoo Training.”

If these liberal academics ever came to Oklahoma and attempted to coerce our dairy farmers and beef ranchers to potty train their cattle, they'd receive a quick lesson in Gun Safety.

I posted about liberals attempting to potty train cows on my Facebook page, and guess what? The liberal social media POLICE tagged my post (see below).

Facebook Police

The America of our past is gone.  What has taken its place is a milk-toast, weak-kneed, liberalism that will be the death of our great country. Radicals no longer need to march and shout "Death to America," hoping one day to conquer what they call "The Great Satan." 

Liberalism has conquered us, and the asinine stupidity of those in charge of politics, academics, science, and the media have done a great job in bringing down a once-great country. 

It's time to take it back. 

"The Ride of Sybil Ludington" by the Future Poet Laureate Maci Nichols from Enid, Oklahoma (USA)

Future Poet Laureate Maci Nichols

Every so often you come across a teenager who elevates your belief that the future of the United States of America is bright. This week, I read a poem written by 14-year-old Maci Nichols of Enid, Oklahoma. 

Maci has been homeschooled her entire school career by her parents, Matt and Kayla Nichols. Maci works part-time at Kristi's Kitchen and volunteers at her church's food pantry. She is active in her church's youth group and is great friends with the adult women in her mother's Life group. Maci is also a pianist, taking lessons regularly to become a classical pianist. 

In addition to writing and playing the piano, Maci enjoys outdoor adventures (camping, backpacking, spending time on her grandparents’ farms, etc..) and drawing. Maci is the oldest of 3 siblings and her siblings love their older sister!

Maci is a devoted Christian and gave her life to Christ at the tender age of 9. She is a lover of liberty, a defender of truth, and is utterly unshakeable in her convictions. Her mother, a woman of conviction as well, says of Maci:

"Maci's writing terrifies me at times. I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t understand it at all.  I love it; I can’t comprehend it. We’ve always been a family who reads aloud, and only well-written books at that. We’ve read poetry to Maci since she was an infant. We all enjoy it immensely! We don’t teach formal writing in our homeschool until 9^th grade.  Yes, you read that right. In fact, she began her first online writing class today. Up until this point, all she has done is read the best “real” books we can find on each subject and write a short, daily essay retelling the passage. No formula. No thesaurus. No five paragraphs of undeniable stupidity.

The method is seemingly working okay. My other two kids write well for their age. Maci, though, is different. She doesn’t only write her assigned essay; she writes in her free time. From the age of 9, Maci's been composing poems that rival "The Ride of Sybil Lubington." Maci has bits of paper and notebooks all around her room where she catalogs every inspiring idea that crosses her mind and every beautiful new word or turn of phrase that she falls in love with. She refuses to write poetry from assignments. It must be inspired.  I’ve asked her before how in the world she does this. Her response is basically that she doesn’t “do” it. She waits for it to come to her, and when it does, she writes it down – as if this is the most natural, normal thing in the world.  

You will be hearing from Maci Nicols in the years to come!

Sybil Ludington, the subject of this poem by Maci Nicols, is the most heroic person of the Revolutionary War, a woman whom most Americans are unfamiliar with.

Sybil was a heroine of the American Revolutionary War. On April 26, 1777, the 16-year-old daughter of a colonel in the Colonial Militia, Henry Ludington, made an all-night horseback ride to alert militia forces in the neighboring towns of what is today's Putnam County, New York of the burning of Danbury, Connecticut by British forces.

Sybil Ludington rode her horse 40 miles through the night in Putnam County, New York, to warn approximately 400 militiamen under her father's command that British troops were planning to raid Danbury, where the Continental Army had a supply depot. Ludington was said to have warned people asleep in their homes by banging on their shutters with a stick and yelling "The British are burning 
Danbury!"

She used a stick to prod her horse and knock on doors. She returned home soaked with rain and exhausted, but most of the 400 soldiers were ready to march. The American militia arrived too late to save Danbury, but they were able to drive General William Tryon and his men to Long Island Sound. Ludington was congratulated for her heroism by friends and neighbors and also by General George Washington

In 1935, New York State erected a number of historic markers along Ludington's route. A commemorative statue sculpted by Anna Hyatt Huntington was erected near Carmel, New York, in 1961. Smaller versions of the statue were erected on the grounds of the Daughters of the American Revolution headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the grounds of the public library in Danbury, Connecticut, and in the Elliot and Rosemary Offner museum at Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.[23] In 1975, Ludington was honored with a postage stamp in the "Contributors to the Cause" United States Bicentennial series.

The Sybil Ludington 50k Run has been held in Carmel, New York each April since 1979, a 50-kilometer (31 miles) foot race. The course of the race approximates her historic ride and finishes near her statue on the shore of Lake Gleneida. 

Have you never heard of Sybil Ludington? 

Allow future poet laureate, Maci Nicols, to introduce you to Sybil. . It's because of people like Maci Nicols that I have hope in the future of our great country Maci is a modern Sybil.

The Ride of Sybil Ludington

By Maci Nichols

 

On a cold, dark night in seventy-seven

When a faint light glowed ‘round the frame of heaven,

When the breath of the wind waged war on the rain

And the battle betwixt them was fought in vain,

Then out of the darkness there came a sound

Like a distant, rhythmic drumming.

A sound which echoed the stormy night

And taunted the winds and the sky;

The sound of a rider who rode in spite

For Liberty willing to die.

 

With courage Ludington handled the reins

Despite the storm, the fear, the pain.

All through the night Sybil Ludington rode.

Her cry of defiance continually flowed.

Her eyes with valor and bravery glowed.

Ludington’s warning echoed the night;

The sound of a rider who rode in spite.

Her horse’s hooves like thunder rung,

Like the thrum of a distant beating drum.

 

Her name no less than Paul Revere’s;

Her task no less than vital.

Yet fame, it faded with the years

As did the reins and bridle.

In the hour of peril the people shall hear

The hurrying hoofbeats of Paul Revere.

But listen closely in hour of need

For those hoofbeats are backed by another steed.

Not the soul of one, but two, go riding,

Daring the wind and the rain.

Two souls in tandem riding, riding –

Riding in Liberty’s name!

 

Sybil Ludington's Ride

"Humane Without a Brain" Is Liberal Government

I just returned from New York City after spending three days in the Bronx, Times Square, and Midtown. New York City has historically been one of my favorite cities to visit, and Rachelle and I have been in NYC on numerous occasions.

I was shocked at the negative transformation that has taken place since the last time I was in NYC (2019).

Homeless are sleeping on the streets, even in Times Square, Manhattan, and Midtown. Drug deals - hard drug deals (cocaine, heroin, etc.) -  are conducted in the open without the threat of arrest. Crime is skyrocketing. A little four-year-old girl was hit with a stray bullet in Times Square a few weeks ago during broad daylight. The video of the police officer carrying the limp, bleeding wounded girl to safety went viral. Trash is everywhere on the streets, and the city feels unsafe. 

Liberalism has destroyed New York City. More specifically, liberal government leadership on the city, state, and federal levels has destroyed NYC. 

We went to New York City to connect with the New York Police Department, encouraging them on the 20th Anniversary of 9.11, and to hand out school supplies to kids and minister to families in the Bronx Burrough, the place New Yorkers themselves voted as "the most difficult and dangerous place to raise a family."

The NYPD officers were wonderful. We prepared hamburgers for them, gave them prayer grams from people in Oklahoma, and encouraged them. They said, "It's nice to be recognized and encouraged. We know there are people in New York City that appreciate us, but they keep quiet. We only hear those who are targeting us."

A sergeant for the NYPD took me around his precinct. I asked him why crime is skyrocketing. What he told me is very revealing about why New York City is in such terrible straights in 2021. 

When Mayor Rudy Guliani came into power (1994), he implemented what he called "broken windows policing."  Mayor Guliani believed smaller crimes prosecuted lead to larger crimes prevented. Mr. Guiliani said in 1998:

"Obviously murder and graffiti are two vastly different crimes. But they are part of the same continuum, and a climate that tolerates one is more likely to tolerate the other."

Crime rates plummeted in New York City during Guliani's tenure (1994-2001). Felony arrest rates rose 50 to 70 percent. When arrests for burglaries increased 10 percent, the number of burglaries fell 2.7 to 3.2 percent. When the arrest rate of robbers rose 10 percent, the number of robberies fell nearly 6 percent.

But liberals have taken over in New York.

I asked the NYPD officer, "Why are Times Square and Manhattan so different than they were just a
decade ago?" 

He responded: 

When Covid-19 hit, the New York City government moved tens of thousands of homeless people in high dollar hotels that were "empty" because tourism had come to a halt. For over a year, the homeless stayed in the hotels. Just this past spring (2021), the city began removing the homeless from the $400, $500, and $600 a night Manhattan hotels. 

The hotels were destroyed. 

The homeless had nowhere to go.

The skyrocketing crime in Times Square and Manhattan is a direct result of the liberal government leaders being humane without a brain. 

Our church and Forgotten Ministries in Enid are providing shelter to the homeless. But one of the requirements to have shelter is to work on addiction recovery and personal responsiblity. 

Handouts help nobody. Helping people find transformation in Jesus Christ elevates an entire culture. 

Wisdom is Personified in Jesus the Messiah. Christ transforms lives. 

Liberalism is a person being humane without a brain. 

It's an Agenda when the FDA Lies about Ivermectin

Covid-19 is a contagious disease. Though over 99% of people infected with it will survive, hundreds of thousands of Americans will die from complications related to catching Covid.  All Americans will eventually be infected with Covid since it is more contagious than the flu and there will be no cure. Some people will have Covid and experience long-haul symptoms. Most people will get sick with Covid and recover fully. 

One death is too many. That is why the United States should do everything possible to mitigate Covid's disease symptoms.

And that is why it is a crime against humanity for the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as other U.S. government agencies to lie about ivermectin to U.S. citizens. 

That's right. Government agencies charged with public health are outright lying to us, trying to pretend ivermectin is "dangerous to humans," "made for animals," and should be avoided at all costs. 

There are 63 peer-reviewed scientific studies on the effectiveness of ivermectin in the battle against SARS-CoV-2. Ivermectin works. Ivermectin saves lives. It's been proven over and over again. But the United States FDA and CDC, as well as America's media, seem intent on either covering up the effectiveness of ivermectin or outright lying about it. 

For example, a recent national story appeared declaring that people in Oklahoma were "overdosing on ivermectin" and keeping emergency rooms clogged. I know a thing or two about Oklahoma hospitals. That story is not true. It is an outright lie, In fact, the very hospital mentioned in the story released a statement this past weekend. 

"Although Dr. Jason McElyea is not an employee of NHS Sequoyah, he is affiliated with a medical staffing group that provides coverage for our emergency room. With that said, Dr. McElyea has not worked at our Sallisaw location in over 2 months. NHS Sequoyah has not treated any patients due to complications related to taking ivermectin. This includes not treating any patients for ivermectin overdose. All patients who have visited our emergency room have received medical attention as appropriate. Our hospital has not had to turn away any patients seeking emergency care. We want to reassure our community that our staff is working hard to provide quality healthcare to all patients. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify this issue and as always, we value our community's support."

You would have thought that the New York Times, ABC News, the Washington Post, and other leading news media outlets would have checked their facts before publishing such a nonsensical story about ivermectin overdoses. But no, it seems the agenda is to keep American citizens from thinking ivermectin is a safe, effective drug that mitigates Covid-19 symptoms. 

As another example, the FDA tweeted the following:

For the FDA to lie so blatantly, so publicly, about ivermectin, tells me that there is an agenda in the highest levels of government. The FDA themselves APPROVED Ivermectin for human consumption in 1996. Pharmaceutical-grade Ivermectin has been used for human consumption for DECADES. It is safe, cheap, accessible, and most of all, effective against the symptoms of Covid-19.

In fact, the U.S. federal government through the CDC is giving ivermectin to all AFGHANI REFUGEES that they are bringing to the United States. Do they think Afghanees are horses or cows? Of course not. They know that ivermectin is safe and effective against parasitic disease or they would not be prescribing it.  The following is from the CDC's own guidance for incoming refugees from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. 

Ivermectin saves lives. Look at this chart from Africa. It is a comparison of the death rate in countries that use Ivermectin with those that don't use Ivermectin. Look how stunningly low the death rates are where Ivermectin is used.

But it is not just African lives that have been saved by Ivermectin. India's Covid-19 problem disappeared with the widespread distribution of Ivermectin to India's massive population.

Ivermectin is not a cure for Covid-19. There is no cure. Ivermectin is a cheap, effective, accessible, and safe drug that mitigates Covid-19's symptoms. If a person takes Vitamin C, D, and Zinc daily, and then has access to human-grade pharmaceutical ivermectin at the onset of symptoms, they can greatly reduce their risk of hospitalization and death, by as much as over 90%. 

"I have long been convinced that Nature has all the solutions we need to solve our past ... that will be the primary source of the treasures and solutions that we seek." ~Professor Satashi Omura, Nobel co-laureate for the discovery of ivermectin.

In March 2020, Dr. Satashi Omura, the Nobel Laureate discoverer of ivermectin, wrote in the Japanese Journal of Antibiotics that he hopes "ivermectin will be utilized as a countermeasure for COVID-19 as soon as possible." Ten years ago, Dr. Omura observed: "Ivermectin has continually proved to be astonishingly safe for human use. Indeed, it is such a safe drug, with minimal side effects, that it can be administered by non-medical staff and even illiterate individuals in remote rural communities, provided that they have had some very basic, appropriate training."

There are 8 things ivermectin does in mitigating the symptoms of Covid-19, keeping those who take it out of the hospital. Dr. Ryan Cole, a brilliant Mayo Clinic-trained pathologist, succinctly listed these eight different mechanisms in an exclusive interview with TheBlaze:

1. It inhibits binding at ACE2 and TMPRSS2, keeping the virus from entering our cells.

2. It blocks alpha/beta importin (the virus cell taxi), keeping it from getting to the nucleus.

3. It blocks the viral replicase zipper (RdRp).

4. It keeps the virus from assembling (3-Chimotrypsin protease inhibition).

5. Ivermectin strengthens our natural antiviral cell activity by increasing our natural interferon production (this counters SARSCOV2 activity, which inhibits cellular interferon).

6. It decreases IL-6 and other inflammatory cytokines through NF Kappa Beta downregulation, taking the patient from a cytokine storm to calm.

7. It binds NSP14, necessary for viral replication, and blocks it (equals less virus).

8. The most important mechanism is inhibiting binding to CD147 receptor on red cells, platelets, lung, and blood cell lining. Ivermectin keeps the virus from binding here and decreases deadly clotting.

There are several effective ways to mitigate the symptoms of Covid-19, but our United States government seems to want the masses to conform to only one - a therapeutic shot - and then to "keep track of those who have the shot" while making life difficult for those who don't.  

Covid will never be eradicated like measles and polio because Covid comes from the animal kingdom, unlike measles and polio. Even though we can not eradicate Covid, we all should do our part to decrease its symptoms. 

I write about Covid a great deal because there are two huge issues that Americans need to think through:

1. First, though Covid-19 is serious, it is minor compared to previous worldwide pandemics. However, the "powers that be" (WHO, the World Economic Forum, the FDA, the CDC, and the CCP) seem to have chosen Covid-19 as the trigger for a "great reset" for our world, moving nations toward a one-world unified government, a digital world currency controlled by the WEF, and top-down governmental control of the masses. 

2. My second concern, is that people are believing the lies and letting government leaders get by with their crimes. When the CDC declares that NOBODY HAS TO PAY RENT ANYMORE because COVID IS SO SERIOUS, then the United States has turned into a communistic government run by dictators. Sure, the United States Supreme Court OVERTURNED the absurd CDC guideline, but our PRESIDENT supported it. 

We are in trouble in the United States. And it is NOT COVID.  

We have leaders in our government lying to "we, the people" and either too many people are disengaged and quiet or too trusting and naive to do anything about it. There's a "great reset" coming. It will affect your finances, your ability to travel, your bank accounts, and your job. 

That's why I write about Covid-19 so much. 

Be Daniel In These Dark Days and Take Your Stand

A four-minute clip from Sunday, August 29, 2021. "All the trees of the field will know I am the LORD. I bring down the tall tree and exalt the low tree" (Ezekiel 17:24). The LORD humbles the proud and exalts the humble who bow their knees to His reign and not any earthly kingdom's reign.

 

Masks, Vaccines, and ... RENT? CDC and the CCP

I spent three hours this week with a NY Times award-winning investigative reporter. She came to Enid to do a feature story on the increased Asian population in Enid and Garfield County (Oklahoma). She messaged me, "I found a story about you online. You said in that article that you believe your greatest legacy as pastor of Emmanuel Enid has been to raise the awareness of the needs of Pacific Islanders and to lead your church to do something about it. I'd like to meet you and interview you." She to Enid and spent three days researching for her soon-to-be feature story. 

It seems that Garfield County is in the top five counties in the United States of America for the largest percentage increase in Asian population from the 2010 Census to the 2020 Census. Our church sent a pastor, Yohanes Arwakon, to the Marshall Islands to live for two years. Yohanes was trained by the U.S. State Department in helping immigrants and underprivileged communities to assimilate into the national culture. Our Pacific Island ministry, led by Pastor Yohanes, is superb.

I really liked this reporter. She is an intellectual, a compassionate human being. She identifies as a political liberal. She asked great questions, and I could tell she was at times a little confused by my answers. 

Today's interview (08.26.2021) took a surprising twist. Rather than talking about the Asians and our church's ministry to this community, she asked me questions related to my opposition to "mask mandates, mandatory vaccines, and other related Covid-19 issues." 

Why was she confused with my answers? She has believed the official narrative that only "red-necks, unscientific, and ignorant people" speak out against mask mandates or mandatory vaccines. She said, "Wade, to be honest, I'm struggling. Help me out. Why did you oppose the wearing of masks in July 2020? What's the big deal to you about wearing a mask?"

I smiled, and said, "No. You misunderstand. I am not opposed to anyone wearing a mask. When you first met me this past Tuesday, you got into the front seat of my car, with Yohanes and Yenni (Yohanes' wife) in the back seats, and you politely asked, "Do you mind if I wear a mask?" I responded, "Of course not!" Then you told me about your elderly parents that you will be visiting in Massachusetts next week. You were wearing a mask for them. Had you then asked me to wear a mask, I would have put on a mask. I am NOT opposed to masks. I am opposed to government MASK MANDATES." 

"But why?", she said. "I don't understand. It's just a mask." 

"Do you know anything about the Enneagram?" I asked. 

"No," she responded. "What is it?"

"It is a personality test that really helps us understand other people. I think you may be a ONE on the Enneagram. Details, facts, truth, and contemplative thinking are very important to a ONE."

I continued, "I am an EIGHT. I am a big picture guy. I see the big picture and I act the way I do because I look far ahead to the consequences of actions today. I took my stand against government MANDATORY MASK MANDATES in 2020 because I could see that when any government (local or national) is allowed to force every citizen to wear a mask, then that government will most likely begin to MANDATE other things, infringing on citizens' individual liberties. You give an inch, the government takes a mile. The immigrants that have come to this country love the United States because of our enjoyment of personal LIBERTY. I opposed MASK MANDATES in 2020 because I could see it was the beginning of a massive government overreach and an infringement on our individual liberties. Social fascism - i.e. "communism" - is becoming rampant in the United States. At some point, Americans must say, "Stop!" 

The reporter then asked, "So you opposed mandatory masks because you could see that our country was headed toward becoming a socialist/fascist country? I just don't see it, Wade!" she said, and continued, "Our government is interested in public health. That's all. This is a pandemic. Can you give me some examples of government overreach that illustrate your concern that we are losing our liberty in the United States of America? 

She asked me, so I answered. 

My answer startled the reporter. I could tell that I had gotten through to her with my illustration. Here is what I said.

"Two weeks ago, a Pacific Islander that our church has helped came to see me. We had assisted him, his wife, and his kids in multiples areas. He had learned some financial principles through us, his wife had been helped by our English as a Second Language ministry, and we ultimately worked to successfully obtain legal United States citizenship for this entire family. He came to me in tears: 

"Pastor Wade, I am about to go bankrupt. Three years ago I began investing the money that I had save from my two jobs to purchase small rental homes. My wife and I worked to restore those homes and then we rented them out. We only bought, remodeled, and own FOUR HOMES, but it was enough to pay for our son's college education. However, since February 2020, I have NOT BEEN PAID ANY RENT by those living in my homes. The United States' Centers for Disease Control (CDC) came out and told our RENTERS that they did not have to pay RENT for their residence (OUR homes) because of COVID-19. They have extended "No Rent" for eighteen months. We are going broke!" 

I looked at the reporter and said, "THAT is why I opposed mask mandates in 2020. When the CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL (CDC) begins to make UNILATERAL DECISIONS (approved by a President) as to what a "landlord" in the United States can and cannot do, then we have a government gone berserk. The United States is becoming a communist government. I opposed mask mandates in 2020 because I could see back then that our government overreach on masks could become government overreach on vaccines, rent, work, and other things."

In short, the United States CDC has become strikingly similar to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). 

I make no apology for opposing government mandates on health. Winston Churchill once said,

"Our inheritance of well-founded slowly conceived codes of honor, morals, and manners, the passionate convictions which so many hundreds of millions share together of the principles of freedom and justice, are far more precious to us than anything which scientific discoveries could bestow."

When did the United States turn to scientists to run our country? I'll tell you: When the World Health Organization became dominated by members of the Chinese Communist Party. 

The Friendship of Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neal

We're living in a day when people seem willing to sacrifice friendships for the sake of politics. Polarization is the norm. "Unite with me in politics, or I'll separate from you in friendship" becomes the mantra of many.

George E. Demacopoulos of Fordham University opines, “Most of us allow political allegiances to predetermine the moral calculus that we perform individually.”  Politics is the easy path. We find a problem, blame someone else, and nothing gets done.

But for disciples of Christ, we must refuse to take the easy road. 

Love should trump our politics every day. There used to be a day when placing friendship and love before politics was the norm in America, for both Christians and non-Christians.

I remember those days. When I first began to vote at the age of 18, I had the pleasure to cast my first Presidential ballot for Ronald Reagan. I watched as the new Republican President of the United States formed a friendship with Tip O'Neal, the Democratic Speaker of the House.

Listen to essayist Stefan Kleinhenze describe the Reagan/O'Neal friendship of the early 1980s.

"(They) were opposites politically–yet they never allowed that to define their relationship. One time Reagan confronted O’Neill about some nasty things said in the newspaper, and O’Neil replied with: “That’s just politics, after 6 o’clock we’re buddies–we’re friends.” And that’s exactly what they were–frequently going out after work and simply having a beer together, and after Ronald Reagan was shot, the first person to come and visit him was Tip O’Neill. Reagan took it, that when things would get a little heated in some of their meetings, he would visibly set his watch to 6 o’clock, as a frolicsome reminder of their true identity in friendship.

The Christian life is to love. Mark Dayton, the governor of Minnesota, was once giving a speech to both state legislatures, when he suddenly collapsed. As he falls, the entire room of opposing opinions and beliefs stand up in unison out of concern for their fellow man, and those who were close, rush to catch him before he hits the ground. It’s a simple story, but a profound testament to the nature of humanity–that we are created to love. It is in the love of one another that we draw near to God, and it is in the love of one another that we find our political party. We should absolutely welcome politics, but never at the expense of our neighbor–because our opinions, discussions, and debates won’t be there to catch us when we fall. My brothers and sisters in Christ, the course of history has arrived at our hour, it is time we ask ourselves: is it 6 o’clock yet?"

I'm setting my watch.

How about you?

"I Just Don't Want You To Think..." Reveals Much

A gambling addict, a believer in Jesus Christ, recently found himself on the front page of our local newspaper for confessing to embezzling thousands of dollars from his employer (he's given me permission to tell his story).

A few weeks earlier this man had called me and confessed to his crime.

Having been accused of embezzlement by his employer, this man told me that he faced prison time if the courts convicted him of stealing. His attorney counseled him "not to confess, but to plead 'not guilty.'" The attorney was hoping to get a reduced sentence that could possibly include no prison time."

This man asked me, "What should I do?"

I responded, "Are you guilty?"

He answered "Yes."

I said, "Then go to the police station, turn yourself in, and tell them the truth."

He did.

His picture and the story of his confession appeared on the front page of our paper the following day.

Very few criminals turn themselves in and confess to a crime. To me, what this man did is evidence that God's grace is at work within him.

Anyway, back to the appointment with the gambling addict after his public exposure in the paper.

He told me he thinks he finally has come to an understanding of "why" he gambles.

Pay attention.

"Throughout my life, I've always had the goal of people liking me. I need people to accept and love me. I purpose to get acceptance from others. But most of the time I feel rejected. I feel lacking as a human being. Whenever I feel like a failure (which is most days), and whenever I feel rejected by people (which is very often), I find myself desiring to gamble. It's finally dawned on me that every time I win at the casino, lights go off, people praise me, and I get the "substitute high" of being good enough and being "approved of" as a human. I feel like a "winner," whereas in life I most often feel like a loser.  I'm not giving you an excuse for my gambling addiction; I'm only telling you that I believe I've put my finger on the source of why I gamble."

Wise words indeed.

I believe if all of us will take a close look at any maladjustments in our lives, we'll find the roots of our problems in our misplaced goals and purpose.

I tell people all the time:

"If you ever think, 'I just don't want people to think,' or if you ever say 'I just don't want you to feel,' then you have a misplaced goal and reveal much about yourself.

Those who are concerned and try to control what other people think or feel are addicts in waiting. By the way, addiction to sugar, religion, beauty, work, and other legal (and good things) can be as harmful to the individual person as addictions to gambling, drugs, illicit sex, and other illegal things are. It should go without saying that the latter things (eg. "illegal things") often bring far greater pain to other persons.

With Wrong Goals and Purpose in Place, People Become Addicted

Everyone knows what goals and purpose are. We all set goals, and we all think about purpose.

Without goals and purpose, a person becomes aimless. With wrong goals and purpose, a person becomes addicted.

Now, let's talk about our goals in terms of God.

What is your goal spiritually? What is your purpose in terms of your relationship with God?

99% of all people would respond to those two questions by saying:

 "My purpose is to be pleasing to God."

Then, when it comes to "how" one is pleasing to God, the answer is usually:

 "By doing what He commands."

I propose to you that any attempt to please God by obedience to His standards is a wrong goal that leads to addiction. 

To seek to become pleasing to God by your actions is a misplaced purpose.

You already are pleasing to God through the Christ, who is the end of the law to everyone who believes, for it is written:

"For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Romans 10:4). 

"But wait," you may say, "I read the Bible for myself and it says that God's acceptance, blessings, and favor are on us when we obey His Law!"

"Listen to this, Wade!"

"If you obey the Lord your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, both the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out…. The Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground in the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you. The Lord will open for you his rich storehouse, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all your undertakings." (Deuteronomy 28:2-7; 11–12)

"And Wade, listen to these three paragraphs from the Law":

"However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. 

The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. The Lord will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish. The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. The Lord will turn the rain of your countryinto dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.

The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth. Your carcasses will be food for all the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away. The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. At midday you will grope about like a blind person in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you." (Detueronomy 28:15-29). 

"Wade Burleson, how can you read those two passages above and ever suggest to anyone that attempting to please God by a goal of obedience to Law is a misplaced goal or a meaningless purpose in life?"

Good question.

Let the New Covenant Scriptures answer that question:

Christ Is the End of the LAW to Them Who Believe

"For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Romans 10:4). 

The word translated "end" is the Greek word τέλος which was used by ancient Greek writers to mean goal or purpose.

Most of the anti-Nicene Christian fathers (pre-3rd century AD) translated τέλος as "goal" or "purpose." 

What does it mean that Christ "is the goal or purpose of the Law"? 

Simply put:

"Jesus Christ is God's consummate goal and purpose for which God gave the Law."

The Law's purpose was not given for you to obey and to become "pleasing to God."

Nope.

 In fact, when God introduced the Law, all that did was make you a worse sinner by revealing even more of your sin.

"I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the Law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the Law had not said, 'You shall not covet'" (Romans 7:7). 

Any church, religious organization, or lifestyle that emphasizes obedience to Law to be pleasing to God has missed the Gospel. 

Christ is the purpose of the Law to everyone who believes.

The Law is about Him.

Whether it's His life which is a fulfillment of the Festival Law, or His death which is the purpose of the sacrificial Law, or His resurrection which is a fulfillment of the prophetical Law, the entire Law was given to point us to Jesus Christ. 

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

So if you wish to ever be free from addictions in this life (legal or illegal), then get an understanding that you are pleasing to God by the performance and Person of Jesus the Anointed One (Messiah) on your behalf. 

Theologians call this imputed righteousness.

I call it living life feeling the pleasure of God independent of my performance.

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:7-11). 

I'm a Christ Supremacist, Not a White Supremacist

Today I am a guest on the Dinesh D'Souza podcast. 

Dinesh is a friend. He is not white like I am. I have many friends like Dinesh who are not caucasian. However, Dinesh and my other friends of color make it clear to all who will listen that they are followers of Jesus Christ.

And Jesus was a Man of color.

Jesus was not white like I am. His skin was darker hue, and His hair was wooly and textured. Jesus was a brown middle-eastern Man, not a white European man. The only biblical text we have of how the Messiah looked physically is "there was nothing in his appearance that we should desire Him" (Isaiah 53:2). 

On Dinesh's podcast, I am telling a couple of stories about two white men who were followers of Jesus Christ in the 1800s: 1. I will tell the story of U.S. Brigadier General Richard Pratt and his passion to lead American Indians to faith in Jesus Christ, and 2. I will also tell the story of African explorer Henry Stanley and his passion to lead African natives to faith in Jesus Christ.

In our modern-day Critical Theory society, there are "cancel culture" advocates who would call Richard Pratt, Henry Stanley, and me "white supremacists." 

Nothing could be further from the truth. I follow a Man of color. I see nothing "supreme" about the white race.

I'm a Christ supremacist, not a white supremacist. 

The Creator of the world sent His Son into the world as our Kinsman-Redeemer. The LORD says of His Suffering Servant (the Messiah): 

"It is too small a thing for You to be My Servant to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.

I will also make You a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6).  

When Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch in Pisidia on their first missionary journey, Paul told the people in Pisidia (what we call Turkey today) the Good News that salvation (deliverance) from despair, destruction, and death is found in Jesus the Messiah. The people who heard the Good News from Paul and Barnabas were Gentiles - in a faraway nation - and they "rejoiced" at what they heard. But there were objections made by the intellectuals of Antioch. They were angry that Paul had "come from Jerusalem" to share Jesus with natives of Pisidia. Paul responded to their forcible objections (they eventually persecuted him and ran him out of town) with these words:

"For this (taking the Good News of Jesus to foreign lands and to the Gentle people) is what the LORD has commanded us to do. For the LORD said, "I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth." (Acts 13:47). 

Paul quotes Isaiah 49:6 for the reasons why he unashamedly, unabashedly, and unapologetically takes the Good News of Jesus Christ to other nations and other peoples.

Paul was a Christ supremacist. 

There is no other religion, no other god, no other faith that brings individual liberty and freedom from lifestyles and behaviors that lead to despair, destruction, and death, but the life that follows Jesus and receives His Word as truth. 

Don't get confused. Don't let this mad, modern culture mislead you. If you follow Jesus, you are following a Man of color. You don't believe in white supremacy.

But you, like I, believe the only way to deliverance is to listen to the One who tells you how to live and to obey Him.

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor durnkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." (I Corinthians 6:9-10).

I listen to Jesus and His Word. I believe in Jesus and His Word. I follow this Man of Color.  

I'm a Christ supremacist, not a white supremacist. 

By God's grace, may the immoral nature of every human being of every nation be destroyed by the power of Christ that the individual may be saved.   

This Man of color is the Light of the world. Christ reigns supreme. You and I will either bow to Him now, or we will bow to Him at the judgment (Philippians 2:10-11).

The Media Blackout on Covid-19's Defeat in India

This article is authored by Justus R Hope, MD, via the DesertReview.com

Ivermectin Wins in India

News of India's defeat of the Delta variant should be common knowledge. It is just about as obvious as the nose on one's face. It is so clear when one looks at the graphs that no one can deny it.

Yet, for some reason, we are not allowed to talk about it. Thus, for example, Wikipedia cannot mention the peer-reviewed meta-analyses by Dr. Tess Lawrie or Dr. Pierre Kory published in the American Journal of Therapeutics.

Wikipedia is not allowed to publish the recent meta-analysis on Ivermectin authored by Dr. Andrew Hill.

Furthermore, it is not allowed to say anything concerning www.ivmmeta.com showing the 61 studies comprising 23,000 patients which reveal up to a 96% reduction in death [prophylaxis] with Ivermectin.

One can see the bias in Wikipedia by going on the "talk" pages for each subject and reading about the fierce attempts of editors to add these facts and the stone wall refusals by the "senior" editors who have an agenda. And that agenda is not loyalty to your health.

The easy way to read the “talk” page on any Wikipedia subject is to click the top left “talk” button. Anyone can then review the editors’ discussions.

There is a blackout on any conversation about how Ivermectin beat COVID-19 in India. When I discussed the dire straits that India found itself in early this year with 414,000 cases per day, and over 4,000 deaths per day, and how that evaporated within five weeks of the addition of Ivermectin, I am often asked, "But why is there no mention of that in the news?"

Yes, exactly. Ask yourself why India’s success against the Delta variant with Ivermectin is such a closely guarded secret by the NIH and CDC. Second, ask yourself why no major media outlets reported this fact, but instead, tried to confuse you with false information by saying the deaths in India are 10 times greater than official reports.

Perhaps NPR is trying so hard because NPR is essentially a government mouthpiece. The US government is “all-in” with vaccines with the enthusiasm of a 17th century Catholic Church “all-in” with a Geocentric Model of the Universe disputing Galileo. Claiming that India’s numbers are inaccurate might distract from the overwhelming success of Ivermectin.

But in the end, the truth matters. It mattered in 1616, and it matters in 2021.




The graphs and data from the Johns Hopkins University CSSE database do not lie.

On the contrary, they provide a compelling trail of truth that no one can dispute, not even the NIH, CDC, FDA, and WHO.

Just as Galileo proved with his telescope that the earth was NOT the center of the Universe in 1616; today, the data from India shows that Ivermectin is effective, much more so than the vaccines. It not only prevents death, but it also prevents COVID infections, and it also is effective against the Delta Variant.

In 1616, you could not make up the telescopic images of Jupiter and its orbiting moons, nor could you falsify the crescent-shaped images of Venus and Mercury. These proved that the earth was NOT the center of the Universe – a truth the Catholic Church could not allow.

Likewise, the massive drop in cases and deaths in India to almost nothing after the addition of Ivermectin proved the drug's effectiveness. This is a truth that the NIH, CDC, and FDA cannot allow because it would endanger the vaccine policy.

Never mind that Ivermectin would save more lives with much less risk, much less cost, and it would end the pandemic quickly.

Let us look at the burgundy-colored graph of Uttar Pradesh. First, allow me to thank Juan Chamie, a highly-respected Cambridge-based data analyst, who created this graph from the JHU CSSE data. Uttar Pradesh is a state in India that contains 241 million people. The United States’ population is 331 million people. Therefore, Uttar Pradesh can be compared to the United States, with 2/3 of our population size.

This data shows how Ivermectin knocked their COVID-19 cases and deaths - which we know were Delta Variant - down to almost zero within weeks. A population comparable to the US went from about 35,000 cases and 350 deaths per day to nearly ZERO within weeks of adding Ivermectin to their protocol.

By comparison, the United States is the lower graph. On August 5, here in the good ol’ USA, blessed with the glorious vaccines, we have 127,108 new cases per day and 574 new deaths.

Let us look at the August 5 numbers from Uttar Pradesh with 2/3 of our population. Uttar Pradesh, using Ivermectin, had a total of 26 new cases and exactly THREE deaths. The US without Ivermectin has precisely 4889 times as many daily cases and 191 times as many deaths as Uttar Pradesh with Ivermectin.

It is not even close. Countries do orders of magnitude better WITH Ivermectin. It might be comparable to the difference in travel between using an automobile versus a horse and buggy.

Uttar Pradesh on Ivermectin: Population 240 Million [4.9% fully vaccinated]

• COVID Daily Cases: 26
• COVID Daily Deaths: 

The United States off Ivermectin: Population 331 Million [50.5% fully vaccinated]

• COVID Daily Cases: 127,108
• COVID Daily Deaths: 574

Let us look at other Ivermectin using areas of India with numbers from August 5, 2021, compiled by the JHU CSSE:

Delhi on Ivermectin: Population 31 Million [15% fully vaccinated]

• COVID Daily Cases: 61
• COVID Daily Deaths: 2

Uttarakhand on Ivermectin: Population 11.4 Million [15% fully vaccinated]

• COVID Daily Cases: 24
• COVID Daily Deaths: 0

Now let us look at an area of India that rejected Ivermectin.

Tamil Nadu announced they would reject Ivermectin and instead follow the dubious USA-style guidance of using Remdesivir. Knowing this, you might expect their numbers to be closer to the US, with more cases and more deaths. You would be correct. Tamil Nadu went on to lead India in COVID-19 cases.

Tamil Nadu continues to suffer for its choice to reject Ivermectin. As a result, the Delta variant continues to ravage their citizens while it was virtually wiped out in the Ivermectin-using states. Likewise, in the United States, without Ivermectin, both the vaccinated and unvaccinated continue to spread the Delta variant like wildfire.

Tamil Nadu off Ivermectin: Population 78.8 Million [6.9% fully vaccinated]

• COVID Daily Cases: 1,997
• COVID Daily Deaths: 33

Like the JHU CSSE data, Galileo's telescope did not lie either, and the truth can usually be found in plain sight. Ivermectin works, and it works exceedingly well. Harvard-trained virologist Dr. George Fareed and his associate, Dr. Brian Tyson of California's Imperial Valley, have saved 99.9% of their patients with a COVID Cocktail that includes Ivermectin. They have released versions of their new book published in the Desert Review that everyone should read.

I could talk about how every one of my patients who used Ivermectin recovered rapidly, about my most recent case who felt 90% better within 48 hours of adding the drug, but I won't. I could write about how Wikipedia censors more than Pravda, about how you should always read the "talk" section of EVERY Wikipedia article to go behind the scenes and understand what the editors DO NOT want you to read, but I will refrain.

I could write about VAERS and how it is so much easier to navigate by following Open VAERS or how Wikipedia has unfairly portrayed Dr. Peter McCullough, one of the world's sharpest and most credible doctors. But I will hold back.

I could recite the history of early outpatient treatment of COVID-19 with repurposed drugs, including Ivermectin, with all the specifics, and EXACTLY WHY this lifesaving information has been censored, but instead, I will leave researching these topics to each of you readers as individuals.

Because you already know what will happen if you simply sit back and swallow what the media are feeding you. You MUST question what the government tells you, and always DO YOUR OWN research.

Following the 1616 Inquisition of Galileo, the Pope banned all books and letters that argued the sun was the center of the Universe instead of the Earth.

Similarly, today, the FDA and WHO have banned any use of Ivermectin for COVID outside of a clinical trial.

YouTube and Wikipedia both consider Ivermectin for COVID as heresy.

“YouTube doesn’t allow content that spreads medical misinformation that contradicts local health authorities or the World Health Organization’s (WHO) medical information about COVID-19… Treatment misinformation: claims that Ivermectin is an effective treatment for COVID-19.”

Wikipedia defines heresy as:

“Any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religious teachings, but is also used of views strongly opposed to any generally accepted ideas. A heretic is a proponent of heresy.”

Heresy is disagreeing with the government, or their health authority, even if they are all wrong and even if their policies harm people. Today we no longer call it heresy; it is labeled as misinformation.

Galileo was found guilty of heresy and sentenced on June 22, 1633, to formal imprisonment, although this was commuted to house arrest, under which he remained for the rest of his life.

The LORD'S Supper Every Time You Eat Or Drink

I hope to show you in this post how the biblical LORD'S SUPPER is simply followers of Jesus individually and intentionally  "Remembering Jesus" every time we eat or drink. 

In most churches, what is called either "communion" or "the LORD'S Supper," is a sacred ceremony of ritualism. A "sacred wafer" and "cup of wine" are shared by men who typically wear Hawaiian shirts and jeans on Sunday (deacons), but dress in jackets and slacks when they serve communion. 

On communion Sundays, evangelical pastors will give solemn warnings about harboring sin before "being served" the Lord's Supper, appealing for Christians to come to "the altar" to confess their sins before they eat and drink, lest they do so "unworthily" and receive the just punishment for their sins (death).

Many of us have been members of churches where if the youth group ever attempted to have "The Lord's Supper" without ordained men serving the elements (God forbid!), there would be a holy war. And, if anything other than a flat, unleavened wafer and a small cup of something other than Welch's grape juice was to be served ("Hold on Martha, here comes the big one!"), the entire church would be in an uproar.

The formalism and traditionalism surrounding the Lord's Supper come from the mistaken notion that Jesus ate the Seder or "Passover Meal" with his disciples the night before He was crucified. The Hebrew Passover meal of the Old Covenant had specific requirements, including the use of "unleavened bread." For this reason, some evangelicals are offended if anything other than "unleavened wafers" is used in the Lord's Supper. They hold to a mystical, ritualistic view of the Lord's Supper. They ordain "authorized" men with "spiritual authority" to guard the Eucharist against corruption, and they caution commoners to ne'er "eat nor drink unworthily" lest they be damned. 

In the Baptist circles in which I grew up, the altar call before the Lord's Supper was the time people really thought about their sins. Usually, it was once a quarter (every three months). In very circumspect congregations, a weekly review of one's sins occurred, for the Lord's Supper was solemnly served every Sunday.

However, the meal Jesus shared with His disciples the night before He died at Calvary was NOT the Passover Meal (e.g., the "Seder") but was actually a normal meal of everyday bread and wine that the disciples ate and drank daily.

If I'm correct, then the injunction that Jesus gives His followers - "every time you eat or drink, remember Me" - means simply what He says. Remember Jesus every time you eat or drink.

If you argue with your spouse on Monday morning and you happen to go get a drink of water at the office water fountain later that same morning, pause and "remember Jesus." Or if you go to the cafeteria to eat something for lunch, don't take a bite until you pause and "remember Jesus." 

In other words, don't let any drink pass your lips or any food enter your mouth without REMEMBERING JESUS and what He did for you. Eating and drinking become the actions that trigger the remembrance of Christ. 

We are to use the act of consuming our daily food and drink to prod us to "focus on Christ," to remember His authority in our lives, and to recall everything HE teaches us about how we are to live. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

If you think of Jesus and what He teaches you before you eat or drink something, He'll bring to your mind those harsh words you said to your spouse earlier in the morning, and remind you of HIs Royal Law which is "to love one another as I have loved you!". You'll then go and make it right with the person you've not loved like Jesus before you eat or drink. 

If I'm right, the Lord's Supper doesn't mean you examine yourself and "remember Jesus" quarterly - or even weekly - but every time you put food or drink to your lips.

Jesus and His Disciples Ate Real Bread (Leavened Bread) and Drank Regular Wine at the Last Supper

The meal that we call "The Lord's Supper" occurred on WEDNESDAY NIGHT during the week Jesus died. This last supper on Wednesday night with His disciples was not "The Passover (Seder) Meal,", which would have occurred the FOLLOWING NIGHT after "Passover Preparation Day" (Thursday, Nisan 14). Passover could only be eaten AFTER the lambs were killed and roasted and the unleavened bread had been baked during Preparation Day (the day Jesus died). You can't have a Passover meal prior to the Passover lamb being killed.

Jesus died on THURSDAY AFTERNOON (Nisan 14), the day after He ate a normal, regular dinner with His disciples in the room they reserved to "prepare for the Passover."

THURSDAY, Nisan 14 is Preparation Day, the day the Lamb of God died.  Preparation Day, on the Jewish calendar, begins the eight days of the festival called Passover. It is called "Preparation Day" or "Passover Day" because, at 3:00 pm on that day (Nisan 14), the Jews would "slay the lambs" that they would eat THAT NIGHT as their Passover meal. After the lambs were slain, the Jews roasted the lambs and served the roasted lamb with bitter herbs and UNLEAVENED BREAD for the "Passover Meal (Seder)," which - again - ALWAYS occurred AFTER the lambs had been killed earlier in the day (Nisan 14).

It was on this day, Preparation Day, that Jesus died (Nisan 14) at 3:00 pm. The Jewish women would have been in their homes "sweeping out the leaven," as well as cooking some "unleavened bread," PREPARING for the PASSOVER MEAL that they would eat that night (Thursday). The Passover would be eaten after sunset of the day that "the Passover lambs" had been slain. 

IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER that a new day for the JEWS begins at 6:00 pm in the evening. In Western countries, the "new day" begins at midnight, but in Jewish culture, the "new day" begins at sunset (6:00 pm). 

Therefore, the Jewish Passover Meal during the week Jesus died would have been eaten by the Jews on THE SECOND DAY of  Passover Week (NISAN 15), which would have been THURSDAY night in our western mind, but the beginning of a NEW DAY in the Jewish mind (Nisan 15). 

This Passover Day, Nisan 15, was always a high and holy day (e.g., a High Sabbath) on the Jewish calendar. On this day (Nisan 15), the Jews observed "The Feast of UNLEAVENED BREAD." It was at THIS MEAL that unleavened bread was first consumed during Passover Week.

Jesus couldn't have eaten this meal (the Passover) with His disciples. because He had died for our sins on Preparation Day (Nisan 14). By nightfall (the beginning of Nisan 15), Jesus was already in the tomb "sweeping away our sins" as the Jews ate their Jewish Passover meal.

So Jesus ate a regular meal of leavened bread and wine - daily staples for His disciples - on Wednesday night, hours before He died on Thursday afternoon, Nisan 14, at 3:00 pm.

The Days of Passover

According to Exodus 12:1, the Passover lamb was chosen on the 10th day of Aviv (Nisan). The Hebrew month of Aviv was later given the name Babylonian name Nisan (during the Babylonian Jewish captivity (586 B.C. - 516 B.C.) Both the words "Aviv" and "Nisan" mean "Spring," but Aviv is a Hebrew word and Nisan is a Syriac or Assyrian word that the Jews later adopted as their own. 

After the Passover lamb had been chosen on the Nisan 10, the people would inspect the lamb to make sure there were no spots or blemishes. The lamb could not have any broken bones or be defective in any way. Four days after the lamb was chosen, the lamb was slain. Don't forget, Jesus entered Jerusalem on Sunday, Nisan 10, during what we call "Palm Sunday" and for "four days" He was examined, and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate eventually declared to the people, "I find no fault in Him!" (Luke 23:4). Likewise, the Jewish people during crucifixion week would have chosen their "lambs" on Sunday, Nisan 10, examined them to ensure there were "no blemishes" for four days, and then sacrifice their lambs on Thursday afternoon, Nisan 14, the same day Jesus died. Jesus died Thursday afternoon of Nisan 14 at 3:00 pm.

The lambs were then all killed on Thursday, Nisan 14, because Nisan 14 was "Preparation Day" for the Passover meal that would occur after sunset. Thus, the Bible calls Nisan 14 the week when Jesus died "the day of Preparation for Passover" (see John 19:14). As already stated, the Jewish women would use this Day of Preparation (Nisan 14) to sweep away any leaven in their houses in preparation for The Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread would then begin after the sunset of Thursday, Nisan 14, around 6:00 pm, which in the Jewish mind would be "the next day," Nisan 15. The actual Passover Festival (also called "The Days of Unleavened Bread) would last seven days, beginning with the Passover meal, but if you count Preparation Day (Nisan 14), the entire Passover Festival is eight days long.

But again, to repeat for emphasis, only at the Passover Meal (Nisan 15) is unleavened bread begun to be eaten during Passover.  Every other day of the year, including Nisan 14 (Preparation Day), regular, leavened bread was eaten by the Jews.  That's why Jesus would have eaten normal, daily bread and consumed the normal, regular drink with his disciples during Wednesday night's "Lord's Supper" or "Last Supper," just hours before He died on the afternoon of Jewish Preparation Day (Nisan 14).

Leaven in Scripture is a picture of sin or evil. After the Passover lamb died the leaven was gone. All sin and evil disappeared in the Jewish homes (symbolically) as they brought the Paschal lamb into their homes and celebrated Jewish redemption from Egyptian bondage during the days of Moses.

Jesus couldn't have eaten the Passover Meal (Seder) with His disciples because He had already died and was in the tomb (sweeping away our sins).

You must get this fixed in your mind: The Passover meal that the Jews ate during the week of Jesus' crucifixion would have been eaten on Thursday evening as we westerners reckon it, for it was after sunset of Nisan 14, the day that Jesus died. However, the Jews considered that evening of Passover, when the Paschal lamb and bread were eaten (6:00 pm to 10:00 pm) the beginning of the NEXT DAY, Nisan 15, a "high and holy Festival day."

Pay attention: Friday, Nisan 15, during the week Jesus died, was an extremely important holy day on the Jewish Calendar. The Jews observed on that day (Nisan 15) "The Feast of Unleavened Bread" (e.g. "The Passover " or Seder) - and NO CRIMINAL could hang on the cross on this day by Jewish law.

The Feast Day of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15) was considered a High Sabbath for the Jews. 

The High Sabbath of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15)  was not the regular Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) for the Jews but a special annual High Sabbath, similar to how Americans celebrate Independence Day.

In America,  Independence Day (July 4) can fall on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc... depending on the year. So too, in the Jewish Calendar, the Festival of Unleavened Bread on Nisan 15 can fall on any day of the week. HOWEVER, in the year Jesus died (A.D. 30), Nisan 15 fell on a FRIDAY. That means that Friday, Nisan 15, was a High Sabbath, and Saturday, Nisan 16, was a regular Sabbath.

This would mean that the resurrection of Christ occurred on Sunday, Nisan 17, AFTER TWO SABBATHS, back to back (Friday - the High Sabbath - and Saturday - the regular Sabbath). 

This is precisely what the New Testament teaches. The gospel writer Matthew describes the time when the disciples came to the empty tomb of Christ on Sunday morning by writing, “After the Sabbath(s), at dawn on the first day of the week...” (Matthew 28:1a). The Greek word translated Sabbath in Mark 28:1 is “Shabbaton” (plural), not “Shabbat” (singular). Any English translation that does not use "Sabbaths" has mistranslated the Greek text. Jesus' crucifixion week had the High Sabbath on Friday plus the weekly, regular Sabbath on Saturday. He rose "after the Sabbaths."

The Romans went to "break Jesus' legs" Thursday afternoon, Nisan 14, while Jesus hung on the cross "to speed up His death" in order to have Him removed from the cross before "The Sabbath began" - NOT the normal, weekly Saturday Jewish Sabbath, but the special HIGH SABBATH of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15) which just so happened to fall on FRIDAY of crucifixion week, the day before the regular Sabbath. Of course, when they came to Jesus with clubs to break His legs to speed up His death, they discovered He was already dead, fulfilling the Law that the Passover lamb must have no broken bones and the Messianic psalms that "Not one of His bones will be broken" (Psalm 34:20).


In Summary:

Jesus entered Jerusalem as "The Chosen Lamb" on Sunday, Nisan 10.

Jesus died on the day of Passover Preparation Day, Thursday, Nisan 14.

The next day, Friday, Nisan 15, was the First Day of Unleavened Bread and a special High Sabbath for the Jews, when no leaven could be in the homes. Jesus was in the tomb this day.

The following day, Saturday, Nisan 16 was the normal, weekly Sabbath for the Jews, and Jesus remained in the tomb.

On Sunday, Nisan 17, Jesus rose from the dead.

This day of Resurrection (Sunday, Nisan 17) was another important holy day to the Jews during Passover. "The day after the regular Sabbath" (during Passover week) was always observed with "The Waving of the Sheaves of First Fruits" (Leviticus 23:15). The Jewish farmers would enter the Temple courtyard "on the morrow after the regular Sabbath" (e.g. Sunday morning) during Passover Week, and wave a handful of grain to the Lord and pray, "as you have blessed the first fruits of this harvest, please bless the rest of the harvest." This is the morning (Sunday, Nisan 17) that Jesus rose from the grave.

Jesus is "the first fruits of the resurrection," and it is a guarantee that you and all others in Christ will be blessed with resurrection (e.g. "the full harvest of resurrection"), as Christ our First Fruits was raised from the grave.  Paul teaches us about the resurrection in I Corinthians 15. He uses the language of "first fruits" when speaking of Christ's resurrection and "full harvest" when writing of the general resurrection. Paul knew the day Jesus rose from the grave was the Jewish festival of "Waving the Sheaves of First Fruits."

So since Jesus died at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nisan 14, at the very time the national Passover lamb was being sacrificed in the temple and individual families were sacrificing their family lambs, Jesus would spend 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb prior to His resurrection, just as He said He would! Jesus was placed in the tomb on Thursday (Nisan 14) before sunset, remained in the tomb all night/day Friday (Nisan 15)  all night/day Saturday (Nisan 16), and through the night (6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. of Sunday, (Nisan 17). Three days and three nights. If He died on Friday, as most wrongly say, you might be able to get "three days" (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - even though He arose before daylight on Sunday), but there is NO WAY you can get "three nights." No way. I believe Jesus when He said He would spend three days AND three nights in the tomb.

Jesus rose from the grave sometime between the sunset following Saturday (Aviv 16) and sunrise of the first day of the week (Mark 16:9), which was Sunday (Nisan 17) for the Scripture says it was still night when Jesus rose. The time Jesus spent in the grave fulfills the prophecy Jesus said about His own death and resurrection: 

"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40).

Therefore, the Meal Jesus Ate with His Disciples on Wednesday Night Was a Regular Meal, Not Passover.

What are the implications? 

It means that in the New Covenant, the Lord's Supper is nothing more, nothing less than remembering the Lord Jesus Christ every time you eat or drink.

This is consistent with the teaching of the New Testament.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31).

How can you get drunk if every time you drink, you think of Christ? How can you sleep with your stepmother (as was the sin of a Corinthian Christian in I Corinthians) if every time you eat, you think of Christ? How can you speak poorly to your spouse in the morning and not make it right by lunch if you "think of Christ every time you eat or drink." How can you continue in idolatry if you take every opportunity to eat and drinking to think of Jesus Christ? Your LIFE is in HIM!

Jesus is "your Bread of Life."

Jesus is "your Water of Life." 

Jesus is your LIFE.

As often as you eat or drink, remember Jesus Christ.

This is the practice of New Covenant Christianity. It is living every moment of your life for Jesus Christ. 

Not waiting for a quarterly ritual called the Lord's Supper.