December 8, 2008, PART THREE DISCOURSE ON GAY AND LESBIAN MARRIAGES”: COMMENTS TO BERNARD KRUGER, BY IVAN ERICKSON, REGARDING PART TWO: “DISCOURSE ON GAY AND LESBIAN MARRIAGES”:

Dear Bernard;

I pray to the Beloved Lord that the words of which I am writing herein will be inspired by the Holy Spirit of Wisdom, in order that God’s words may be infused into the heart of your soul and into the souls of others who read these words, that you and others may be led to His Truth and Light through His Son, Jesus Christ.

INTRODUCTION:

1. What anguish, tumultuousness, loneliness and despair must course through the heart and soul of the beloved young boy or girl, when first they are struck by that shattering, lightning-bolt-like realization that he or she has sexual urges that are diametrically opposed to those of the majority of God’s sons and daughters – that is, of their heterosexual peers! What prayers, thoughts and words do they cry out silently in the passing darkness of the nights to their God, or god? – Those prayers, thoughts and words that go aloft into the heavens… seemingly to return as hollow echoes to them each time… unanswered… like clouds formulated by the sunlight acting as a catalyst to warm the surface of the sea… which subsequently arise as water vapor… to be carried aloft on the prevailing winds… to continuously pass over the parched, burning deserts of life… without providing any life giving, nourishing rains! Do these poor souls cry out, intermittently, in the darkness throughout all the days of their lives without end? Or do their cries slowly dissipate over time… like the water of the inland desert sea that is not replenished by the seasonal rains, or by a tributary flowing from nearby mountains? How often do their parents, peers, or friends take these poor souls into their arms, to console them with God’s words of love, with their own kind words of love, tell them that they understand and that they will love them all the days of their lives without end, and forever more? How many people are there that care enough to tell these beloved souls that Jesus Christ loves them… that He is waiting tearfully and patiently for each of them to come into His arms in order that He may tell them that He loves them… that He died in order that they may live… if only they will turn away from the lifestyle that they have chosen, pick up His Cross, and follow in the path that He and His Father have instructed mankind to walk in; that they and all mankind may achieve the promised, Life giving, Eternal Waters?

2. And yet, in spite of their loneliness, torment, anguish and despair I must ask each of you the following… should the gay or the lesbian respond instead by drifting away from the love and the Truth and Light of God… to believe the false words of others that profess that these and other acts of sinfulness are normal, acceptable, and that what they are doing is not against God’s Will? And should they allow themselves to drift so far away from the Truth and the Light – to put themselves in jeopardy of being induced by Satan and the antichrist to deny that the Holy Bible is the Inspired Word of God… to disbelieve in God and His Son and His Holy Spirit? What fools we mortals are, in our fruitless chases after the perennial, ever switching-in-direction, elusive winds! …

3. I will interject here, in recapitulation regarding my first reply to your initial comment, Bernard, that I based my premises specifically on: eternal salvation in Jesus Christ; the earthly, material, and the here and now, versus the Spiritual, the hereafter, and the eternal aspects of the sinfulness of mankind; on avoiding the occasions of sin; on the quote from Sirach, 15:11-20 on free-will choices; on some apropos suggestions on what you and others must do in order to put your faith in Jesus Christ, to repent and change, and to do God’s will in all things, in order that you and others may be saved. In this discourse, I will direct my comments to your specific contentions, utilizing the words of God in the establishing of my premises

ON THE RAISING OF GOD’S BELOVED CHILDREN IN A HOMOSEXUAL ENVIRONMENT – WHETHER THIS BE IN A SINGLE OR SAME-GENDER-COUPLE SITUATION:

4. Most boys and men are cognizant of the fact that they are homosexuals prior to the age in which they decide to make a decision in life regarding: marriage to a member of the opposite sex; or whether or not to lead a chaste life away from homosexuality; and/or whether or not to lead an active, homosexual lifestyle! Therefore, to marry a woman while knowledgeable of ones inherent, homosexual tendencies, and in a state in which you do not have these urges under control, is an incorrect choice in life – a choice that for many eventually leads to the anguish and despair of divorce, and to living a future life as a possible single parent, or as a possible member of a same-gender couple struggling to parent a child or children in today’s society. Thus, the first incorrect choice to marry a woman while cognizant of one’s homosexuality leads to another future situation, in which one is confronted with other choices, which generally entail whether or not to leave the parenting of the child or children to: their mother, and to have visitation rights; or to adoptive, heterosexual parents; or to be a single parent or a member of a same gender couple, in the rearing of the child or children on either a shared or non-shared basis with their mother(s).

5. Since mans flesh is by nature sinful, it is probable that he will make mistakes, such as the above stated initial choice to marry a woman in spite of one’s inherent homosexuality. However, you must not allow the first mistake – that of marrying a person of the opposite sex in spite of knowledge of your inherent homosexuality – to ensnare you, or to allow Satan to lead you further into sin, which It most certainly will do if you allow It to. Thus, you must not add sin upon sin by rearing your own child, or children, in either a single parent or same-gender homosexual environment while you are actively gay; for you are then living in sinfulness by doing so, as well as incurring the debt of sin for those poor, misled children of God of whom you are leading astray – for you are surely leading children astray by your immoral acts and by the condoning of these acts; and whether these acts may be inferred or implied as not sinful – or as being normal and acceptable by the children – is immaterial in regard to your incurring the debt of sin.

6. Thus, the only viable solution for the unfortunate man who finds himself in the position of being either an actively gay single parent or a member of a same-sex couple in the rearing of a child or children, is to first of all find another home for them – temporarily – until such time that you have repented, changed and have isolated yourself from all occasions of that particular sin in which Satan has you ensnared! This again means that you must dissolve any partnership or union with that person or persons with whom you have lived with in a state of the sinfulness of homosexuality. A repentant and changed gay or lesbian person who is not living with a partner of the same sex, and who is not actively involved in homosexual activity, and who is not condoning homosexuality in any manner whatsoever, of course may follow the guidance of his or her conscience in the rearing of their beloved children. In making this decision, please bear in mind that the best environment for the rearing and maturation of children is in the home of a man and a woman who are living their lives according to God’s Commandments and the Golden Rule.

ON THE GRANTING OF BENEFITS OR SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS OF ANY KIND TO HOMOSEXUALS – OR TO ANY INDIVIDUAL, GROUP OR SECT LIVING OUTSIDE OF AND IN DIRECT DISOBEDIANCE OF GOD’S LAWS AND COMMANDMENTS:

7. As to the receiving of those benefits granted by our government to those gay or lesbian couples who are living together in a union as a married husband and wife do, this is also evil and is tantamount to adding sin upon sin. In the enacting and upholding of those laws that allow union in marriage, insurance or tax benefits, or other benefits of any kind to gay or lesbian couples – or to any individual, group or sect living outside of and in direct disobedience to God’s laws and Commandments – our lawmakers and their constituency are condoning, aiding and abetting sinfulness, and are thereby accruing the debts of their own sins for doing so, as well as accruing the additional debt of sin for all those poor souls of whom they are responsible for their living in sin. I will state succinctly here that this same premise holds true in all cases in which Heterosexual couples are living together in a state of sin – whom are not married to one another under the strictest laws of God – and who are “legally” allowed to receive benefits of any kind! The citizens of our country are also aiding and abetting in the sinfulness of these actions by: their apathy; by their inaction in not making certain that these benefits already granted by law in these situations are expunged from all law books; and by failing to ensure that these types of laws are not enacted in the first place. For as harsh as this may sound, the citizens who are sinning in this manner are, in effect, paying their own supportive tax money, as well as allowing benefits to others, in order that they may live in sin! Thus, we not only continue to increase in our sinfulness, but we are at the same time paying Satan to keep us ensnared in Its bondage! We are, in effect, paying our way to future and certain punishment! What fools we humans are, in our fruitless chases after the elusive wind!

ON THE SPIRITUAL, PHYSICAL OR MENTAL ABUSE OF ANY KIND TOWARD ANY OF GOD’S BELOVED CHILDREN AND PEOPLE OF ANY RACE, ETHNICITY, FAITH, RELIGION, GROUP OR SECT, NO MATTER WHAT THE CAUSE OR RATIONAL FOR SAID ABUSE MAY BE:

8. As to the prejudicial treatment or spiritual, physical and mental abuse by their peers toward homosexual children, or to the children of homosexuals, or to any other person of any ethnicity or faith, for any reason or cause – whether on or off of the school premises – these are just a few more in an ever increasing number of resultant problems that stem from the rhizomes of a society and nation whose people are being drawn further and further from the Truth and Light of God, and into the bottomless depths of the dark abyss – that black hole alleged to be in the center of each galaxy from which scientists state that not even light can escape. Any person – whether he is a child or an adult – will accrue the debt of sin for all behavior of which he or she exhibits that is not in the strictest compliance of God’s Commandments and laws, their own consciences, and the Golden Rule, which is to love others as you love yourself.

9. In defining the root causes of the unkindness and abuse exhibited by our youth and young adults in their ill treatment of others as tersely as possible, I will state unequivocally that the evilness, hatred, violence, undisciplined and many times desensitized and sadistic behavior, rudeness and lack of love being displayed by many of our beloved children of all ages, are the resultant, putrefying harvest that we are reaping due to our degenerate and sinful society; as well as in the parents failure in their lack of discipline and in not ensuring that our youth receive religious instruction in many of our churches, homes and schools. Thus, rather than God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of Wisdom, the Bible, the parents, the clergy, our churches, and religious instruction in our public schools acting as catalysts of Truth and Light in the maturation, instruction and guidance of our children, Satan and the antichrist have become their teachers, as they ensnare them as slaves in a deadly web of Conditioning, Compulsion and Control – a deadly snare in which our children’s only hope of escape is through repentance, change, prayer, good works, and through faith, hope, love and trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The catalysts being utilized by Satan and the antichrist are myriad! They are Satan’s “Pavlov’s bells” – the ostentatious “lures” of drugs, pornography, materialism and consumerism, and all forms of violence, illicit sex, promiscuous sex, fornication, adultery, and other acts of degeneracy that are being propagated by Satan in our media, and via other methods, such as peer pressure, to mesmerize and induce our children into Its snare; and subsequently, to continue to ensnare them through Its afore stated Conditioning, Compulsion and Control in slavery. I will not elaborate on this subject, as I have written extensively about these matters in my novel, “Song of the Storm Winds”, as well as in my Discourse on Prayer and Religious Instruction in America’s Public Schools, which you can view and comment on my website.

ON WHY I (IVAN) “LAMENTED” ABOUT THE GROTESQUE, PUBLIC SHOWS AND DISPLAYS OF FLAMBOYANCE IN THE STREETS AND OTHER PUBLIC PLACES BY MANY OF THE GAYS, LESBIANS, TRANSVESTITES, AND DRAG KINGS AND DRAG QUEENS IN MY DISCOURSE… ON YOUR (BERNARD) BEING BRANDED A SELF-CONFESSED HOMOSEXUAL:

10. For the sake of the other readers, Bernard, what I was referring to by this statement was regarding the following excerpt taken from my novel, “Song of the Storm Winds”, in which the hero, Gianni Corelli, is speaking to four high school youths – in one of their homes, at their invitation – regarding their homosexuality:
“Tantamount to these questions, I also ask you: should you proclaim your lifestyles brazenly on TV shows, in movies, in books, in music, in videos, in marches and demonstrations, or in Mardi Gras parades, in which those who call themselves gays, lesbians, Transvestites, drag queens, or drag kings, march in the streets of major cities of the world, prancing, dancing and gyrating grotesquely in all stages of offensive dress or undress, presenting odious figures of affronted-ness to our LORD and shouting out to the whole world in their wanton pride from the very rooftops, if possible” i

What I was saying through my fictional character, Gianni Corelli – who is the spiritual, driving force for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame football team – is that no sin, and especially those sins classified by God as an abomination to Him, should be magnified by any public displays of pride, lack of remorse, or disregard for God, His Commandments, His Son, or the Holy Spirit! God will not stand for either the sin or for the accompanying displays of pride, hatred and disrespect! His “storm winds”, or the hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, economic chaos, and other acts of God being demonstrated throughout the world in these times attests to this fact! – And this is true not only for these sins, but for all of the combined sins of mankind!

11.You made the following statement, Bernard: “…I was branded a ‘self-confessed homosexual’, and was shunned by one and all. For years now my father and brothers have refused to have any contact whatsoever with me…”
For the enlightenment of your father, brothers, and all other poor souls who are shunning or treating any person of God – sinner or non-sinner – in any manner that is not conducive to the laws and Commandments of our Beloved Father, I will quote the following:

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. Matthew 22:39.ii

“If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions”. Matthew 6:14,15.iii

“…But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her’”. John 8:7.iv

ON YOUR (BERNARD’S) DENIAL OF THE VALIDITY OF THE HOLY BIBLE AS THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD:

12. Bernard, your statement that you – “…reject the Bible as an authority on morality for more obvious reasons, a few of which I will outline for you here…” – I must state emphatically, that the four reasons that you established to substantiate this false belief are being propagated by many other poor souls in these times, by myriads of “Christians”, non-Christians, and by former Christians. You state emphatically that you “…know the Bible better than most Christians…” and that “… If you [Ivan] are truly willing to put the Bible’s authenticity to the test, I am indeed willing to engage in a more detailed discussion with you, because I know the Bible better than most Christians”. These proclamations reminded me just now of what that poor, lost soul, the retired Bishop, John Shelby Spong made in his book, “The Sins of Scripture”, when he stated, in effect, that he did not believe that God could prophesy, and also that he did not believe that Jesus Christ was God’s Son, or that He had died on the Cross for our salvation. By uttering these fallacious words – including his statement that he did not believe in Biblical prophesies – John Spong became a living personification of God’s prophetic words in 1 John 2:18 – 23:

“Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of our number; if they had been, they would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number. But you have the anointing that comes from the holy one, and you all have knowledge. I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth. Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. No one who denies the Son has the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the father as well”.v

13. Thus, you must know that a Christian or a non-Christian or an atheist or an agnostic can read the Holy Bible countless times, but this will not guarantee any of them that they will either understand all that they read, nor will they adhere to these words, unless the reader believes in God’s words, puts his faith, hope, love and trust in Jesus Christ, and tries his best to do God’s will in all things, and loves his neighbor as himself. If they truly do God’s will, and have successfully passed God’s “trial by fire”, God will pour forth His Holy Spirit of Wisdom through His Son, Jesus Christ, upon each of these beloved whom he wills. It is only when one has the Spirit of God within him, that he can verily obtain the wisdom to began to comprehend the breadth, depth, height, width and scope of some of those mysteries hidden in the depth of each Book, verse, chapter and Word that God has inspired His special prophets, editors, transcribers, disciples, apostles, and other holy men to record for our prudent teaching and instruction. The key here is in the fact that God’s Spirit must first be within us! If God’s Spirit is not within us, or if Satan or Its cohort’s spirits are within us, or if we are being veiled from the Truth and the Light by these evil ones, God will not enlighten us with the wisdom of His Holy Words, you must understand. For God’s Spirit will not enter any of those of whom are sullied!

14. Therefore, those who have God’s Spirit within them, willingly and joyfully accept God’s Word, and try to do His will as best they can in all things! They are willing to overlook and forgive the inconsistencies and errors of man found in the Holy Bible. Those of whom have Satan’s and Its demons spirits within them cannot do God’s will or except His Word, even if they want to! For Satan hates God and all those whom God loves, and therefore It does not want anyone to believe in God’s words, or to do His will, you must understand! This, then, is the very reason why those whom have Satan’s spirit within them hate God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and God’s Holy words so vehemently! So much so that myriads of these lost souls actually snarl when they read or hear God’s words, or even when they are in proximity with a holy person of God!

15. Countless poor souls in this world have been in the past, are currently, and will in the future be tried by the fire of God! Only in Jesus Christ can any of us hope to overcome all of our trials, repent, change and do God’s will. You yourself are currently undergoing this trial by fire, Bernard. God leaves the choice up to each of us, as to whether we wish to follow either Jesus Christ or Satan! I will repeat the following apropos extract from the Holy Bible:
Man’s Free Will: From The Book of Sirach, 15:11 – 20:

“Say not: ‘It was God’s doing that I fell
away’; /
for what he hates he does not do. /
Say not: ‘It was he who set me astray’; /
for he has no need of wicked man. /
Abominable wickedness the LORD
hates, /
he does not let it befall those who fear
him. /
When God, in the beginning, created
man, /
he made him subject to his own free
choice. /
If you choose, you can keep the com-
mandments; /
it is loyalty to do his will. /
There are set before you fire and water; /
to whichever you choose, stretch
forth your hand. /
Before man are life and death, /
whichever he chooses shall be given
him. /
Immense is the wisdom of the LORD; /
he is mighty in power, and all-seeing. /
The eyes of God see all he has made; /
he understands man’s every deed. /
No man does he command to sin, /
to none does he give strength for lies”. / vi

16. I will insert the following extract from chapter 23 of my novel, “Song of the Storm Winds” for the prudent enlightenment of all readers who are not knowledgeable of the fact that, while the Holy Old and New Testaments of God contain His Inspired, Infallible words, Commandments and laws, the Bible does, in fact, contain many discrepancies and errors committed by some well meaning copyists and editors. I believe in the heart of my soul that not so much as one Word of God, poured forth to His chosen prophets, writers or oral traditionists, originally contained so much as one error or discrepancy:

[The hero, Gianni Corelli, is here speaking to an audience at a Convo on the University of Notre Dame campus]:
“It is of utmost importance that we never lose sight of the fact that all of the words in the Holy Old and New Testaments of the Bible were originally Inspired by God, and that Jesus Christ, His Son – speaking for His Father – warned mankind for all time and forever in Revelation 22:18,19 that we must not add to or take away from the words of His prophetic Book. Thus, even though God has inspired words and Books to be added to His Bible in the past over a vast period of time during its composition and revisions, He has made it very clear to all mankind that no one is to do this again after the Book of Revelation was completed. For again, God knew that the antichrist and false prophets would appear many times in the future to attempt to add to, delete, adulterate and change His Holy words of the Bible, and this is why He gave us His warning in Revelation – His last Book”!

The Old and New Testament writers utilized some God Inspired fictional stories, symbolism, allegories, parables, and analogies to teach the people of their time – as well as all future generations – the Word of God. Also, at least one tradition in the Old Testament was a combination of two separate earlier traditions. The Inspired prophets and writers also used – such as in Judges – hero sagas, burlesque features, etiological elements as well as reinterpretations for their own generation. Also, as most biblical scholars are aware, God has revealed Himself a little at a time to mankind throughout history – from Adam and Eve to the present – and as He will continue to do until the end of time as we know it, and as He will continue to do, forevermore!

Some of the written words and passages on the original papyrus and materials on which they were written became corrupted over time, making the task of transcribing parts of these very difficult, if not impossible, you must understand. They did not have computers, CDs, typewriters, copy machines, laser printers, reams of paper, pens, pencils and other methods of creating, filing, storing and preserving records in either the Old or in the onset of the New Testament times, you see!

The Bible is comprised of the words of God written exactly as dictated to the prophets by God! It is comprised of God Inspired history, tales, stories, and myths utilized to teach and instruct the people during the Inspired writers specific times in which each of them lived, as well as for all future generations, about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit of Wisdom, the prophecies, the Commandments, mandates, decrees, Jurisdictions and laws of God, exactly as He desired them to be written. They have been written for our prudent instruction and as a test, that we may learn and follow God’s words that lead to Jesus Christ and thus to salvation and everlasting life!

In the final analysis, several things can be attributed to the inconsistencies in the Bible, but these detract in no way from the fact that it is the Inspired Word of God! God does not commit errors, ever! Humans commit errors! Forgive those beloved of God who toiled for most of their days under the sun, went without most of the pleasureful things in life, and lived their lives totally in obedience to God, keeping His Commandments as best they could in order to do His Holy Will in their role as prophets, disciples, apostles, editors, servants and scribes for Him. God love them all!

The man who does not accept the Holy Old and New Testaments due to their discrepancies can be likened to a starving man in a desert, who on the fortieth day – as he lay dying – is found by a man who brings him a loaf of bread and a sheepskin bag full of water. Finding the water to be too warm because of the desert sun, and finding a few bugs – that had been typically ground up in the flour – in the otherwise edible loaf of bread the starving man refuses to eat and drink, and thus quickly parishes for lack of knowledge”.vii

17. I will add to this extract that I sincerely believe in the heart of my soul that not so much as one Word of God that has been poured forth through His Holy Spirit of Wisdom to God’s chosen prophets – including His chosen prophets that passed His Word down from generation to generation orally – originally contained so much as one error or discrepancy. Rather, these came about after the fact via the above stated editors, copyists, corrupted papyrus scrolls, and other human frailties. The Catholic Church currently has attributed the majority of the Biblical errors to the copyists and to errors in the ancient transcribing from generation to generation of manuscripts from their original language into other languages, such as Syriac, Coptic or Latin.

ON THE REJECTION OF: THE BIBLE AS THE AUTHORITY ON MORALITY; OF GOD, BECAUSE HE APPEARS TO SOME TO BE A GOD OF VENGENCE, RATHER THAN A GOD OF LOVE; AND OF THE BIBLICAL HEROS, KINGS AND PROPHETS, BECAUSE THEY ARE OFTEN PORTRAYED AS SINFUL MEN, RATHER THAN AS HOLY MEN OF GOD, AS WE WOULD EXPECT THEM TO BE:

18. The phenomenon of the rejection of God, Jesus Christ, and of the Word of God, as written in the Old and New Testaments of His Holy Bible, are among the many key signs that the world in these current times is falling exponentially further and further into the darkness of chaos, decadence, and decay. Myriads of people of all races and faiths are increasingly setting their own moral standards and laws, based entirely on their own pride and the desires of their evil hearts and corrupt flesh. Thus, when we continue to disobey God and turn our backs to His Word, Commandments and laws, the ever watchful Father of lies, Satan, quickly enters our hearts and lives; and thus, through Its Conditioning, Compulsion and Control, we are led steadily further and further away from the Truth and the Light and into the darkness of the abyss of Satan’s abode, where the Law of God dissipates over time, and is then eventually replaced completely by the antichrist and the Lawlessness of this evil power.

19. As mankind falls further and further into sin, and as we approach the fullness of sin, we then become what I term, “slaves of Satan”! Love of God and man flees from us! We are instilled with a burning hatred for God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and all that They personify! The Conditioning, Compulsion and Control of Satan put us in a perennial, opium-enhanced-like stupor, and our increasing pride and hardness of heart dull our consciences; and if this cancerous onslaught is left unchecked, our conscience dies within our beings – we are as zombies and no longer feel remorse! God and His Laws become an abomination to each of us, just as the sins of the unrepentant sinner become an abomination to God! The manifestations of this stage in humanities downfall can readily be seen throughout the world in these times of darkness under the sun; it arises as a vast, evil specter – as a phantasmagoria in the pornography that permeates our media, in the senseless murders, gang killings, genocide, euthanasia, abortions, wars, pedophilia, homosexuality, adultery, fornication, lies, greed and other displays of sinfulness.

20. Therefore, as a single generation reaches the above stated “fullness of sin”, and as the people with hearts of stone refuse to turn away from sin, repent, change, and do the Will of God, the evil “genes” of this sinful generation are passed on to the next generation; and again, if left unchecked, to the next generation and the next… Like a computer virus from hell, or a plague, this sinfulness spreads from person to person, from community to community, from state to state, from nation to nation, until such time that we reach the stage of which the whole world has evolved in these current times – as evidenced by the conflagrations that are spreading faster than we can put out these fires of burning evilness! This “fullness of sin” that has been passed down from one generation to the next is also manifested by our beloved youth in these current times – in their killing sprees on and off the school premises and campuses, in their sexual promiscuity, in their adultery, fornication, pedophilia, and homosexuality, and in their disobedience of God, parents and human laws.

21. In my book, “Song of the Storm Winds”, I have premised that these evil “genes”, of which are passed down from generation to generation, are also manifested by the fact that human birth defects and other propensities for diseases are passed down from generation to generation from parents to their children.
Thus, God’s punishments are being justified and carried out! The sins of the fathers [and mothers] are visited upon their sons [and daughters]. This again is the same fullness of sin that is portrayed in the Bible regarding the people at times such as that of Sodom and Gomorrah, and during the time prior to the Great Flood, and many times by the Israelites – such as in the time prior to their being taken captive into exile in Babylon. God’s punishment for the sins of the current and past generations are therefore being meted out in the form of AIDS, drug addiction, heart defects and other diseases that many innocent babies have inherited and are born with in these times. Thus, our beloved children are not only suffering for the debt of their own sins that they accrue in their life times, but also for the penalty of sin of the fathers, mothers, grandparents, great grandparents… And many whom are the root causes of this plight, and who are still living, are not even remorseful or ashamed of this fact, so steeped in sin have they become!

22. Now, Bernard, as to the sinfulness of some of kings, prophets, disciples, apostles and other holy men and women of God that you mentioned – as written in the Old and New Testaments – I will address this matter as follows. In spite of the fact that these were men and women of God, possessed souls, and that they loved God exceedingly, they too were comprised of human flesh and blood, and thus were susceptible to human frailty, sinful temptations and sin, just as we are today. Their flesh constantly waged war against their spirits, just as ours do! As depicted in the words of the Bible, these men and women had to face daily temptation, as well as trails and the “trial by fire” of God, in order that they might grow in faith, hope, love and trust, which enabled them to eventually overcome sin and become God’s beloved saints. Adam and Eve were perfect souls – yet they were tempted and fell into sin. Satan even had the audacity to tempt Jesus Christ Himself, after He had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert – but of course He did not sin. One of the reasons that Jesus did this was to instruct us that we too could deny Satan every time we are tempted to sin, if we are in a state of grace and have God’s Spirit within us.

23. In our states of sinfulness, man continues to display both internal and external signs of Compulsiveness. Myriads deny God and all that He represents! Myriads deny that those acts that they are committing – of which are contrary to God’s will and laws – are sinful! They rationalize to themselves and to others why those acts that they are committing – against God’s will – are not sins! They deny God’s words! They deny that God is the Creator of all that exists! They deny Jesus Christ; that He is the Son of God, and that He died on the cross for the salvation of all mankind whom God loves! They deny the Holy Spirit of Wisdom! They utilize projectionism, and blame God and others for their own sinfulness, weaknesses, failures and faults. “My sin is not a sin”! – They continue to shout from the very rooftops, it would seem. Why are we sinners such fools, in our perennial, fruitless chases after the winds? – The winds that are forever changing in their courses. And even if someone might someday miraculously find a way to catch these elusive winds, would he not discover that his prize is, in fact, just wind, and nothing more?

And as mankind continues in sinfulness and in denial, myriads continue to fall further and further into the darkness of Satan’s abyss – and as we do, the once faint, far away laughter of Satan and Its demons becomes louder and louder… as our souls cry out within us all the while… pleading with us to turn away from sin… to call out to Jesus and to God… that They may reach down into the depths of the abyss and carry us back to the Truth and the Light!

24. As to God’s treatment of the Canaanites and other enemies of God and the Israelites – you must understand, Bernard that this is an example of what God has termed as His “Sword”! The extermination of entire nations, including their women, children and cattle of course sounds cruel to us! However, we are told that these people of whom God was exterminating – via the Israelites and via natural and supernatural phenomenon in the Old Testament times – were evil people, as they did not live their lives according to what their consciences told them was righteous living! They did not treat others as they wished to be treated! They worshipped idols and immolated their children! God did not want His people to emulate the pagan’s way of life – to worship idols and to live outside of His law, as these evil people did! This is why He had them exterminated and drove them from the midst of His people!

25. Again, we must not lose sight of the fact that since Jesus Christ came into the world, and thus the prophesied New Covenant came into being, the murder or the genocide of God’s people of any race, religion, society or country by others is no longer valid; only those wars and actions carried out as the “Sword of God” are valid under the New Covenant; for we are now commanded to love others as we love ourselves! God was also showing and instructing those of us whom have eyes to see with and the ears to hear with, that He knows the heart of man; that if man is placed in or places himself in the proximity of evilness and sin – if he or she does not avoid temptation and the occasions of sin – he is more likely to be tempted to fall into the same snare of Satan that the pagans were, and are, and will be, entrapped in!

26. As we have been instructed in the words of the Bible, the Israelites did, in fact, fall away from God time after time – to worship idols in high places, and even to sometimes immolate their children. There were still pagans from other nations in the region in which the Israelites lived who had not been defeated in battle, or exterminated! And the pagans were the personification of the sinfulness that God had continuously prophesied and warned His people to avoid. We also know that each time that God’s people fell away from Him and sinned, they were first warned by God to cease their sinfulness, and if they did not obey Him, God punished them! – Just as the people of the world are being warned and punished by His “storm winds” in these current times – His storm winds that drive fear into the hearts and souls of the sinners, while the men and women of God at the same time remain in His peace and love.

IN YOUR [BERNARD’S] REFERENCES TO THE ARRIVAL OF JESUS CHRIST INTO THE WORLD, AND OF YOUR ALLEGED CHANGES IN THE TEACHINGS REGARDING HOMOSEXUALITY BROUGHT ABOUT BY GOD’S NEW COVENENT

27. You of course were correct in stating that Jesus Christ associated with sinners, and was a kind and compassionate Man. However, your statement that the teachings regarding homosexuality in the New Testament changed from that of the Old Testament teachings is incorrect! I will again utilize the following quote, not only for your sake, Bernard but also for the sake of all readers who may not be familiar with this New Testament passage from Romans:
The Letter to the Romans, 1:18-32:

“The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes.

“Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Therefore, God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God handed them over to their undiscerning mind to do what is improper. They are filled with every form of wickedness, evil, greed, and malice; full of envy, murder, rivalry, treachery and spite. They are gossips and scandalmongers and they hate God. They are insolent, haughty, boastful, ingenious in their wickedness, and rebellious toward their parents. They are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know the just decree of God that all who practice such things deserve death, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”viii

28. This quote from Romans is very explicit regarding the fact that homosexuality is evil. This is manifested in several ways, and especially in the words from v 24, “Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies”.ix

Of course these verses are not solely concerning homosexuality! Homosexuality is, in fact, the final stage of depravity of a society that has already become steeped in sin! This is quite obvious in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and their surrounding cities. For you must recall that at Lot’s continuous pleas, God could not find even 10 people in the entire city who were not steeped in sin, in order that He may relent from exterminating them all!

29. The society depicted in Romans 1:18 – 32 have turned away from God as their One True God, and are worshiping idols! They had no excuse for not knowing, loving and serving the One True God Who Lives, as we see plainly again here from the above quote from Romans 1:19 – 23:

“For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes”.x

30. All people, societies and nations from the beginning of time have either had God revealed to their holy men directly via the Holy Spirit, and/or have an innate, inherent belief in God in their souls. And, as stated in the above quote from Romans, since God has manifested Himself in all of His Creation, mankind has no excuse for not knowing Him! If you have studied the major religions of the world, as I have, you are cognizant of the fact that – although all but the Jews, Catholics and other Christians believe in the One True God – other faiths and religions of whom believe in many gods, a god, supernatural beings in the earth, air, sky, or sea, in animals, or an Enlightenment, have many beautiful beliefs, some of which correspond to the Golden Rule. Therefore, although countless of these beloved non-Christians live just and righteous lives – many of them more so than countless people of whom call themselves Christians – they have not yet been enlightened as to whom the One True God is. These people will be judged according to whether or not they lived their lives according to what their consciences led them to believe as righteousness and truth, you must understand.

However, all of those whom hear the Gospel and the words of God and Jesus in their lifetimes, and who have failed to listen to Their words and to convert to Christianity throughout their lifetimes; or whom have been Christians and have turned away from the Truth and the Light for the last chance that they are given in their lives, will be answerable to Jesus Christ for these sins on Judgment Day!

Thus, in spite of the fact that myriads of non-Christians, atheists and agnostics in these current times profess openly that they do not believe in God, or in Jesus Christ and His Salvific Power, this will not stand up as a valid excuse on the Day of Judgment, when we all stand before Jesus Christ – myriads of us in fear and trepidation, including yours truly; for I, like all of mankind, am also a sinner. The difference between those continuing on in their sinfulness and others like myself, is that we have repented, changed, and are now doing our best to do God’s Will in all things and to have faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. And because we have been saved in His Body and Blood, we have been called by Jesus Christ to be His disciples in bringing the words of Truth and Light to all who will but listen.

31. I must interject here that the fact that I did not include the Islam faith above as being believers in the One True God, along with the Jews, Catholics and other Christian faiths, was not a mistake. By utilizing God’s words, I have proved that the One True God and Allah are not the same Entity in my six-premise Discourse entitled, On the Truth and the Light Regarding the Christian and Islam Faiths, which you are invited to read and comment on my web site.

ON YOUR [BERNARD’S] INCORRECT STATEMENT THAT JESUS CHRIST NEVER SPOKE OUT AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY:

32. You stated that Jesus Christ never spoke out against Homosexuality! This, as stated above, is incorrect, Bernard! You must understand that the writers of the New Testament either had learned directly from Jesus because they knew Him, or had learned from others of whom had known Jesus and had learned from Him directly, or had written only of those matters of which they had been inspired to write by the Holy Spirit – the Paraclete – that Jesus Christ promised to send each of them, and which He, in fact, did. Jesus Christ told His apostles and disciples that the words that He spoke to them were from His Father, who of course Is God. This is another case in point of that which I stated above; that being, no matter how many times one may read the Bible, he will not understand the deepest mysteries that God Has written therein, unless he is living a holy life and has the Spirit of God within him. For it is the Holy Spirit of Wisdom – poured forth as the rays of a thousand suns through the Prism of Jesus Christ upon those chosen by God – whom are capable to comprehend and give mankind the exegesis of God’s Holy words! These exegetes are thus in direct communication with God’s inspired messages, you must understand; just as those steeped in sin are in direct communication with Satan’s and the antichrist’s compulsory and diametrically opposed, telepathic messages.

ON YOUR (BERNARD’S) REFERENCE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL REGARDING HIS ‘TRAVELING COMPANION’ TIMOTHY; AND, ON ‘MEN WITH MEN, WORKING WHAT IS OBSCENE’:

33. On your reference to the Apostle Paul and his ‘young traveling companion’, Timothy, I realize here that this was an innuendo on your part alluding to your belief that Paul was a homosexual. Paul had admitted that he was a sinner, in that he had persecuted the Christians prior to his conversion, and that he had even stood by while many of them had been tortured and/or killed. However, I personally do not believe that Paul could have been a homosexual! In 2 Corinthians, 12:7 – 10, Paul wrote, “Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”xi Since Paul states, in effect, that the “thorn is his flesh’ was given him, that he ‘might not become too elated’, it should be overt to all of us that his thorn in the flesh was not homosexuality, for he obviously would not become elated over anything that was sinful!

Jesus Christ taught the Apostle Paul and all of us that we must avoid sin and the occasions of sin for each of us, and that we must in fact, flee from sin whenever we are tempted by Satan. Therefore, Paul would not have consistently placed himself into the occasions for sin if he had been a homosexual! Also, Timothy would have to have been a homosexual also! Paul would not have traveled with a person who was living in sin, you must understand. Jesus Christ would not have allowed either of these men to go forth and preach His Gospels to the people if they had been living in any type of sin; for slaves of Satan are not chosen to carry out God’s work, until such time that they have repented, changed, are doing God’s will in all things, are no longer Satan’s slaves, and have the Spirit of God within them. The important aspect of this lesson is not regarding what type of thorn in his flesh or what “elation” Paul was suffering from, but rather that God promised that His grace would be sufficient for Paul to overcome the temptation. Therefore, God did not remove the thorn from Paul’s flesh! This should instruct each of us that God’s grace will suffice for each one of us also, to enable us overcome all sin, no matter what our particular sin or sins may be, and no matter how many times we may be tempted, if we sincerely avoid the occasions of sin, have faith, and do His will in all things, always.

ON YOUR [BERNARD’S] INCORRECT INTERPRETATION IN YOUR STATEMENT: “PAUL IS THE ONE WHO TELLS THE CORINTHIANS TO EXCOMUNICATE A SINNER FROM THEIR MIDST”, WHICH YOU CITED AS 1 COR. 5:4,5:

34. Bernard, Bernard, my friend from afar – here again is another of myriads of examples of someone who has read the Bible, no matter how many times, yet continues to misinterpret and to misquote the words of God; many times leading other poor souls away from the truth. Hence the words of God from Sirach 3:23, “/…Their own opinion has misled many, / and false reasoning unbalanced their judgment. /”.xii Misunderstanding of the words of God is typical, as the deep mysteries of this greatest of Books are difficult for even the most skilled exegete to fathom, without great faith, inspiration from the Holy Spirit of Wisdom and much prayer.

35. I will now quote 1 Corinthians 5:1 – 13 in its entirety, in order that you and others may be enlightened to know that you have taken the verses out of context, and have thus interpreted the passage as Satan would have you to, rather than as God meant His words to be interpreted; just as Satan and the antichrist do in all cases in which they are leading poor souls away from the Truth and the Light:

“It is widely reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans – a man living with his father’s wife. And you are inflated with pride. Should you not rather have been sorrowful? The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst. I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit, have already, as if present, pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed, in the name of [our] Lord Jesus: when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people, not at all referring to the immoral of this world or the greedy and robbers or idolaters; for you would then have to leave the world. But I now write to you not to associate with anyone named a brother, if he is immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a robber, not even to eat with such a person. For why should I be judging outsiders? Is it not your business to judge those within? God will judge those outside. “Purge the evil person from your midst.””xiii

36. The person who has committed the grievous sin of incest is a slave of Satan, and this is the reason why he must be cast from the midst of the Christians, lest the same demons and corruptive forces that have ensnared the grievous sinner in sin, ensnare the entire batch of dough, that is, the entire community. The community has already fallen into the sin of pride, and Paul wants the people to understand that their sinfulness must cease promptly, lest they too become corrupted, as had the man who was involved in an incestuous union. To help you further understand the words written in this passage, I will quote the following footnotes:

5, 1-13: “Paul first deals with the incestuous union of a man with his stepmother (1-8) and then attempts to clarify general admonitions he has given about associating with fellow Christians guilty of immorality (9-13). Each of these three brief paragraphs expresses the same idea: the need of separation between the holy and the unholy”.
5, 2: “Inflated with pride: this remark and the reference to boasting in v 6 suggest that they are proud of themselves despite the infection in their midst, tolerating and possibly even approving the situation. The attitude expressed in 1 Cor 6, 2.13 may be influencing their thinking in this case”.
5, 5: “Deliver this man to Satan: once the sinner is expelled from the church, the sphere of Jesus’ lordship and victory over sin, he will be in the region outside over which Satan is still master. For the destruction of his flesh: the purpose of the penalty is medicinal: through affliction, sin’s grip over him may be destroyed and the path to repentance and reunion laid open. With Paul’s instructions for an excommunication ceremony here, contrast his recommendations for the reconciliation of a sinner in 2 Cor 2, 5-11.
5, 6: a little yeast: yeast, which induces fermentation, is a natural symbol for a source of corruption that becomes all-pervasive. The expression is proverbial”.
5, 9-13: Paul here corrects a misunderstanding of his earlier directives against associating with immoral fellow Christians. He concedes the impossibility of avoiding contact with sinners in society at large but urges the Corinthians to maintain the inner purity of their own community”.xiv

37. The essence of what you have misinterpreted, Bernard, has thus been enlightened by the words of God, in their entirety, and by the exegesis of the men of God who have provided these and myriads of footnotes in the Holy Old and New testaments for our prudence and instruction. This is especially manifested in the above quoted 1 Cor. v 5, in which it is made apparent that in spite of the seemingly sorrowful fact that the incestuous man was ordered cast out from the community, it was being done – not only for the good of the people – but also for the hopeful salvation of the spirit of the sinner himself! I will repeat verse 5 for your edification, that you and other readers may teach others this important lesson of truth:

“… You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord”.xv

ON YOUR [BERNARD’S] QUESTION – UTILIZING IRONY – ON WHY I DID NOT QUOTE MEN SUCH AS NOSTRADAMUS OR GALALEO, RATHER THAN TO QUOTE THE BIBLE AS I DID IN MY FIRST COMMENT TO YOU ON MY WEBSITE:

38. First of all, while acknowledging that I realize that you were being facetious, I would not quote Nostradamus in anything, for I do not believe that he was a prophet of God! I state this because: he utilized methods of prophesy that the Bible tells us to avoid; and he prophesied the date for the ending of the world – Jesus told His disciples that He himself did not yet know the answer to this mystery – that only His Father in Heaven knows. I write this, in spite of the fact that his quatrains were quite nebulous as to the exact date for the end of the world – as they were in most of his predictions. Some experts have interpreted this date to be 3786; others state the year to be 3797. The important fact here is that Nostradamus seemingly attempted to predict the world’s end. As to Galileo, he was not a prophet of God either. He was a great Italian physicist and astronomer! But to direct my answer to the point that you were making, which was, that the Catholic Church has made errors in the past regarding matters of a scientific and earthly nature, I of course must agree with you.

39. Since you have again questioned the authority and authenticity of the Holy Bible, Bernard, I will now quote from Romans 8:7 – 13, in order that you may garner further evidence regarding the reason why you falsely believe those things that are contrary to God’s teachings, as well as the consequences thereof. If you and others persist in obeying Satan rather than God, you will be liable to Christ for your failure to repent at Judgment Day! I do not judge you, nor do I judge any man or woman – Jesus Christ will judge us all one day, on that Day of Days of pitch blackness and the most brilliant of Lights:

“For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”.xvi

ON YOUR [BERNARD’S] REFERENCE TO THE BLOODTHIRSTY WARS AND KILLINGS OF MASSES OF PEOPLE BY THE CHRISTIAN ARMIES, CRUSADERS, THE INQUISITION, THE FIRST AND SECOND WORLD WARS – ALL ATROCITIES IN HUMAN HISTORY… OF WHICH IT HAS USUALLY BEEN UP TO THE SINNERS TO TRY TO CLEAN UP THESE MESSES… ON YOUR IMPRISONMENT IN 1970 BY THE WHITE CHRISTIANS FOR 15 MONTHS IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT FOR YOUR REFUSAL TO FIGHT IN THE MILITARY AGAINST TERRORISTS:

40. I will direct my response to all of these atrocities as succinctly as possible by restating that all of those responsible for instigating, perpetrating or taking part in murder, unjust wars, Apartheid, genocide, or, as you experienced personally, false imprisonment, will be liable to God’s just punishment, as well as to the Final Judgment by Jesus Christ! It is imperative that we always keep foremost in our minds when addressing these particular situations, that wars, exile, and other similar tragedies are, in many cases, God’s instruments of justice, warnings and punishments! And these warnings and punishments are a two-edged sword – that is, these may be afflicted by sinful nations upon God’s chosen people, such as the Jews or Christians; or by the Jews and Christians upon any of those sinful nations of whom God wishes to be warned and punished. The former was manifested many times in the case of the Israelites being punished, defeated in wars, slaughtered in battle, or exiled into another nation – such as was written of their exile to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. when, after many warnings of God through His prophets, their nation continued to disobey God. Thus, you see that God uses both the sinful nations and the God-fearing nations as instruments in carrying out justice and His Will!

41. It is also imperative, Bernard, that you bear in mind when analyzing and meditating on these matters, that Satan and Its demons are also instruments in carrying out God’s Justice! Hence the reason for the actions performed by both God’s people and the sinners in the slaughter, immoral acts, and demonic atrocities in their bloodthirsty, senseless, and depraved manners in which these wars and other inhuman acts are performed! Also, Satan, Its demons and the humans involved in these atrocities that occur act in these depraved manners because sin had entered the world, you must understand. God simply allows these things to occur; and the evilness of Satan and our own human flesh accomplish these things according to their depraved natures. And this degeneracy, evilness and their accompanying atrocities are overtly also present in many other facets of daily life in this world, such as in murder, terrorism, and other violent, senseless acts.

ON YOUR (BERNARD’S) COMMENT: WHY SHOULD THERE BE ANY VESTIGE OF RESPECT LEFT IN ME FOR CHRISTIANITY?:

42. Do not confuse Christianity with evilness and false prophesy! A Christian, as you are aware, is one whom knows, loves and serves God with his or her whole heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit, and with all of their strength, and who loves and puts their faith in Jesus Christ, and who loves their neighbors as themselves. Christians are those whom have God’s laws imprinted indelibly in their hearts! Christians are those whom are no longer under the law! Christians are apparent as such to others, through their consistently good, just and holy acts! Thus, those whom do not have God’s Spirit in them, or who do not put their faith in He and Jesus, or who have the spirit of Satan and the antichrist in them, or who perform evil acts, are not Christians, in spite of the fact that many of these poor souls are duped into calling themselves or thinking of themselves as Christians. These poor souls are still under the law and are enslaved by Satan in sin! Therefore, Bernard, the enemy that you speak of is not God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, or Christianity, but is rather Satan, Its demons, and the antichrist that has sprung from and is being propagated via their Godlessness to enslave the corrupt flesh of mankind!

RELIGION HAS CAUSED MORE HATRED AND DISUNITY IN THIS WORLD THAN ALL THE SINNERS COMBINED…

43. Hatred and disunity are the root and the rhizomes of the evilness that has sprung forth and that is continuously propagated by Satan. Therefore, the true religions of the Jewish and Christian faiths are neither the root nor the causes of hatred and disunity in the world, but rather are the Institutions established and guided by God, His Son and the Holy Spirit, to bring justice, love and unity into this world. It is therefore the sinfulness of mankind that produces these atrocities! God and His Institutions are infallible!

ON YOUR (BERNARDS) COMMENT: ‘NOW, I JUST ASK MYSELF, WILL YOU THROUGHOUT ALL THAT ETERNITY OF BLISS EVER PAUSE ONCE TO GIVE A THOUGHT TO ME, AS I’M BEING ROASTED WHILE BEING KEPT ALIVE? WILL YOU EVER REMEMBER THE CONVERSATION WE’RE HAVING NOW’?:

44. Your final, eternal destination is up to you, Bernard, just as the final destination for all of mankind is up to how each of us responds to the multitude of free-will choices with which we are confronted throughout each of our respective lives! As stated previously, God endows each of us with a free will, and we are allowed to choose between good and evil. God gives us no power to sin, nor does He command any of us to sin. In the final analysis, in my humble opinion it simply comes down whether or not each individual sinner has the courage to call out to God and His Son for their help to lead him or her out of the darkness of the abyss of sin, and into the Truth and the Light! Many of us humans just do not seem to be tough enough to turn away from sin, to repent and change, and to strive consistently to remain in God’s grace and in His Spirit, once He has granted us these precious gifts. But then, we need not be strong, for God can save each of us, even in our weakness and in the most desperate moments of our lives. I will not judge you or any person, Bernard. Again, Jesus will be our Judge! And how many of us will deny Jesus Christ, or deny that He is the Son of God, when we each face Him in fear and trepidation on Judgment Day?

45. Thus stated, Bernard, I pray that rather than my thinking of you and your self-proclaimed perpetual punishment in hell one day in eternal time, that I will instead muse on greeting you face to face as a beloved friend in heaven’s resplendent beauty from time to time, on the various, infinite planets of the universe, where we and all those Judged worthy in the Blood of the Lamb will bask in the awe-inspiring, eternal Love and the Light and the Glory and the Splendor of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit for all the days of our existences without end, and forever more…

CONCLUSION:

46. One of the major problems, I think, regarding our perspectives on the plight of mankind down through the ages, is that the majority of us seem to consider only the insignificant, microscopic view of self, of the individual, rather than to meditate on the all-encompassing perception of God, His plan for mankind, and of the collectiveness and Oneness of the community, the church, the state, the nation, and of all those whom make up the Body of Christ.

In God’s mysterious plan for mankind, He continues to reveal Himself, seemingly one frame at a time in the time-lapse photography of the motion picture of life, from generation to generation over the ages here on earth, under the darkness of the sun. And, since God is concerned with all-mankind, the Biblical depiction’s of the wars, destruction and or eradication of entire cities or nations, enslavement, exile by captive nations, and in the suffering plight of mankind as a whole down through the ages since time begin, has therefore been allowed to perpetuate itself by God for our collective edification, instruction, and salvation through Jesus Christ.

47. Therefore, the Bible and life itself must be interpreted in light of the total, all-encompassing perspective concerning all people of all faiths, religions, races and ethnicities throughout the entire world, and on how we can establish a peaceful, cohesive existence together on earth in the Love and the Truth and the Light of the Father, together with His Son and His Holy Spirit. To achieve this end, each of us must seek the Truth and the Light of the One True God Who Lives, learn His Commandments and laws and act positively on them, love God with our whole being, put our faith in Jesus Christ, and love our neighbors as ourselves. Then, as we continue to strive daily in God’s grace to do His Holy Will, and after we have been tried by fire for a time to be purified and for God to ensure that we are truly with Him, Jesus will instill His Holy Spirit, His Paraclete within each of you… that you may know in the heart of your souls that you are on the righteous path to the Truth and the Light… Each of us, therefore, must cast behind ourselves Satan, Its demons and its earthly slaves, including all the false prophets that are springing forth from the darkness of the abyss… to spew their lies and false religions and false prophecies upon all those gullible enough to be duped into believing them…

48. In my book, “Song of the Storm Winds”, I have compared this world to a kind of Purgatory, in which we poor souls must suffer and be tormented, sometimes seemingly unceasingly in our sojourns under the darkness of the sun. And unfortunately, most do not understand why. They simply continue to go about their daily lives in a torpor, in their chases after the ever changing-in-direction, elusive winds. They are like the mythical tale of the hapless lemming, in the depicting of their rushing blindly onward in their mad pursuit of an undetermined destination, only to hurl themselves into the sea upon arrival on its far off cliffs… How do I know these things? I know, because I too was once one of these poor sinners, before finally, decades ago, – from the bottom of the abyss – I called out in the anguish of my sins, from the depths of despair in my soul, to God and to Jesus Christ to save me… and God reached down into the darkness of the abyss and drew me forth into the Light, in which I pray that I will remain all the days of my life… and for this gracious gift I will give glory, thanksgiving, praise and my love to the Glorious Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit all the days of my life without end, and hopefully in heaven, forever more…

49. Written throughout the Bible – especially in the Old Testament – there are many stories that have been recorded for the beneficial edification and prudence for all mankind, from generation to generation until the end of time, as we know it on this earth. The specific stories of which I write are regarding the prophetic warnings that our Beloved Father continued to instill into the hearts, minds and spirits of His prophets, with His strict directives that these must be passed on to His people exactly as He had mandated. And sadly, time after time, His people refused to listen to Him until such time that He had to mete out a severe punishment upon them.

50. These prophetic warnings from God still hold true today! In spite of the fact that myriads of us Americans have become anesthetized to the predicament that the people of the world find themselves ensnared within in these current times, even to the point that they no longer believe in the awesome, punishing power of our Lord despite the “storm winds” that continue to roil around us daily, I must relate to you, Bernard and all beloved readers, that although I am not a prophet, I do understand the prophesies portrayed in the Holy Bible; and what I feel in the heart of my soul is that God is telling us that we all must repent soon, and change, en masse, before He pours forth His wrath upon many of us. I believe that in the very near future God will exponentially increase the power of His storm winds – which are economic chaos, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hail, floods, fires, pestilence, plagues, and all other Acts of God of which are in His power to dispense, including those from the universe! Therefore, I warn all sinners to turn away from your lives of materialism, consumerism, adultery, fornication, pedophilia, drunkenness and addiction to drugs, lives of debauchery and sexual perversion, and all other modes of living your lives in sin and of which are diametrically opposed to God’s Commandments and laws!

And to you poor men and women who are living your lives as homosexuals, I will add another warning to all of you here for your safety and well-being. Do not continue to march in the streets of the cities of the world, or to gather in the parks, with arms upraised in defiance to God and man! Remember! God has told us clearly in His Holy Bible that what happened to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and their surrounding cities was not only meted out by Him for their just punishment, but He also told us that He had done this as a warning to all future generations, in order that they too do not make the same ill-fated choices that the people of those times continued to make, least God’s wrath soon be poured forth upon many of you poor souls also; including many of the other sinners, such as the unenlightened souls who are inviting you into their cities, ostensibly only for the purpose of making a profit off of you!

51. I will leave you with this final passage from the Old Testament Book of Sirach 39:28-31; this is one of the reoccurring themes in my novel, and this phenomenon is becoming more and more relevant in these times:

“There are storm winds created to punish, / which in their fury can dislodge mountains; / When destruction must be, they hurl all their force / and appease the anger of their Maker. / In his treasury also, kept for the proper time, / are fire and hail, famine, disease, / Ravenous beasts, scorpions, vipers, / and the avenging sword to exterminate the wicked; / In doing his bidding they rejoice, / in their assignments they disobey not his command.”xvii

May the Beloved Lord enlighten and bless each of you readers and all of your loved ones in all things, always.

Ivan Erickson

icerickson@yahoo.com

www.ivan-erickson.com

i Song of the Storm Winds, Volume I, Chapter 10, by Ivan Erickson, Published by La Belle Immortelle © 2005, Revised 2007, Renton, WA pg. 265
ii New American Bible, N.T., Matthew, 22:39, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD), Washington, D.C., (1969, 1970, 1986, 1991), pg. 51
iii Ibid, N.T., Matthew, 6:14, 15, (CCD), pg. 19
iv Ibid, N.T., John, 8:7, (CCD), pg. 158
v Ibid, N.T., 1 John, 2:18 – 23, (CCD), pg. 375, 376
vi Ibid, O.T., Sirach, 15:11 – 20, (CCD), pg. 784, 785
vii Song of the Storm Winds, Volume II, Chapter 23, by Ivan Erickson, Published by La Belle Immortelle © 2005, Revised 2007, Renton, WA pg. 858
viii New American Bible, N.T., Romans, 1:18 – 32, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD), Washington, D.C., (1969, 1970, 1986, 1991), pg. 224
ix Ibid, N.T., Romans, 1:24, (CCD), pg. 224
x Ibid, N.T., Romans, 1:19 – 23, (CCD), pg. 224
xi Ibid, N.T., 2 Corinthians, 12:7 – 10, (CCD), pg. 280, 281
xii Ibid, O.T., Sirach, 3:23, (CCD), pg. 774
xiii Ibid, N.T., 1 Corinthians, 5:1 – 13, (CCD), pgs. 248, 249
xiv Ibid, N.T., 1 Corinthians, Footnotes: 5:1 – 13; 5:2; 5:5; 5:6; 5:9 – 13, (CCD), pgs. 248, 249
xv Ibid, N.T., 1 Corinthians, 5:5, (CCD), pg. 248
xvi Ibid, N.T., Romans, 8:7 – 13, (CCD), pg. 231
xvii Ibid, N.T., Sirach, 39:28 – 31, (CCD), pgs. 809, 810