The Watchman The Watchman Exalting our blessed savior and his wonderful Word! Articles
Enoch Walked With God
2009-05-18 06:00:00 "And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." ~ Genesis 5:21-24There are two notable dispositions in the life of Enoch: before and after he begat Methuselah. The Bible teaches that he was sixty-five years old when his son was born, and after that he walked with God. Therefore the first disposition is that he did not walk with God in the first sixty-five years of his life; the second then being that he walked with God for the remaining three-hundred years before his death. The significance of his latter disposition will be dealt with in this article. In Genesis 5 the phrase "Enoch walked with God" is repeated twice. (This repetition, however, is not verbatim in the original language. The Hebrew text in the original MS includes the wo...
What You Do
2009-05-16 06:00:00 Nina and I have a friend ? sounds like the start of a bad joke doesn't it? Shocking as it is, we have more than one, but this particular friend is going through an unusually difficult time right now. Almost constantly, for the last several years, her family has been served tragedy and hardship with a side of grief. They have continued to put one foot in front of the other each day, at times stopping simply to ask ? why? Casualties have abounded and shame has been an unwelcome yet frequent house guest. For the record, let it be said that last year irritated so many like a bad boil. It festered and oozed and only seemed to worsen with its ever-maddening pain. Thank the Lord that just before midnight last Wednesday it finally popped. Her struggles began before 2008 and sadly may last through 2009. When she called last week, her first words were, ?I need help.? No, "Hello, how are you?" Just, ?I need help.? She began to pour out her heart to us and with a shaky voice while quickly wipi...
What You Do
2009-05-16 06:00:00 Nina and I have a friend ? sounds like the start of a bad joke doesn't it? Shocking as it is, we have more than one, but this particular friend is going through an unusually difficult time right now. Almost constantly, for the last several years, her family has been served tragedy and hardship with a side of grief. They have continued to put one foot in front of the other each day, at times stopping simply to ask ? why? Casualties have abounded and shame has been an unwelcome yet frequent house guest. For the record, let it be said that last year irritated so many like a bad boil. It festered and oozed and only seemed to worsen with its ever-maddening pain. Thank the Lord that just before midnight last Wednesday it finally popped. Her struggles began before 2008 and sadly may last through 2009. When she called last week, her first words were, ?I need help.? No, "Hello, how are you?" Just, ?I need help.? She began to pour out her heart to us and with a shaky voice while quickly wipi...
From Such Turn Away
2009-05-12 06:00:00 "This know also..." Paul's words to Timothy (and to the Church), describing the perilous times to come, were not just a warning to turn away from these characteristics, but to turn away from those who portray or embody them as well. To any child of God it is obvious that these characteristics absolutely define the times we live in now. There is no place in history where these things have been so utterly fulfilled as to the point where they seem to be overflowing and ready to explode, as today. If fallen, sinful man is a vessel for these things, I cannot imagine how he could hold any more of it. Even the world's heroes, icons, leaders and entertainers manage to glorify and justify these things to those who follow them. Simply turn on your tv, or walk through a bookstore, or go to a university campus, or even sit down to dine at a local restaurant. These characteristics are pervasive, invasive, and almost overpowering. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall ... More About: Turn
The Frustrating President Farkas
2009-05-10 06:00:00 Do you remember the scene in the movie, "The Christmas Story" when Scut Farkas, the consummate bully goads Ralphie into crying after pelting him in the face with a ginormous snowball? Something snaps in the mild mannered Ralphie, and he commences to unleash a torrent of tiny fists and swear words in an unknown tongue rendering the bully humiliated, bloodied, and reformed. Well, smack dab in the middle of the winter of our economic depression, the spirit of Scut Farkas has been channeled into the US government. They have pitched snowball after taxing, hypocritical snowball toward the quiet, unassuming Ralphies across the country. How many more snowballs will it take to reach critical mass? What will be the final salvo launched to insight the bullied and bespectacled to punch back? For the record, I believe that we should pray for our leaders on every level that we may live a quiet and peaceable life. I would never advocate anarchy or revolution; however, I firmly believe if the gover... More About: President
Obama's Post-Christian America
2009-05-08 06:00:00 Just two days ago I posted the article The Coming Destruction of America where I pointed out that the cause of America's greatness politically, economically, militarilly and in every other way is due to our nation's relationship to Israel and to rightouesness. The more we strengthen those two relationships and work as a nation to exalt and defend both Israel and righteousness then the more our nation will be blessed by God. Our nation's strength comes from our nation's rightouesness. Yet our newly elected president seems to believe that exactly the opposite is true. In fact, let me quote a few of his recent remarks on this subject so that you can try to wrap your mind around the wickedness that this man is spewing to the world. "One of the great strengths of the United States," the President said, "is ... we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of valu... More About: Post
The Coming Destruction of America
2009-05-06 06:00:00 God is not a patriotic America n. Before you try to crucify me for making a statement like that, let me explain what I mean. God has no preferential treatment among nations. He would be just as pleased to bless Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine, or America. It is all the same to Him. In fact, I believe that Scripture teaches clearly that God would be very happy to bless every nation on earth. Yet if this is true then why is it that God has blessed America so abundantly as compared to every other nation on earth. The current international climate seems to indicate that God does favor America...that perhaps God is an American patriot. Scripture defines two standards by which God judges nations. Those nations that practice these two principles, he blesses. Those who ignore these two end up living in the dark ages for thousands of years. God has blessed America so greatly not because we are the bastion of liberty or because of our national pride, or because he is an American pat... More About: Destruction
Politicians, I Just Don't Trust Them
2009-05-04 06:00:00 I consider myself to be like most American citizens. Contrary to what the national news media portrays, I believe that most Americans families, while flawed, still retain some core values. I understand that we are on a downhill slide morally and we are losing our children with breaknecking speed; however, I still cling to the somewhat antiquated idea of the quiet, small town American family who leads a typical, traditional life. I don't believe that everyone has a meth lab in their basement. Neither do I believe that most postal workers live with suppressed and untreated psychotic tendencies, just waiting to slaughter unsuspecting patrons and co-workers.No, deep down I hold the conviction that most Americans believe in God ? the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that is taught in Sunday schools around the country. I trust that most Americans want a job, and a home, and a family, and I trust that most of us want to work for those things. I dare say that most Americans hold dear firew... More About: Politicians , Trust
Cash Card Winners Announced
2009-05-02 06:00:00 A lot of exciting things happened at the Baptist Muse during the month of April. First, the Baptists Muse was moved away from a Godaddy.com server onto a more conservative and a much faster, more reliable server. Hopefully you all will notice the much faster load times of each page here. You can read more about that move here: A Faster, More Exciting Website! But perhaps the most exciting thing that took place at the Baptist Muse this past month was $50.00 in cash card giveaways. The first place winner is going to be rewarded with forty dollars and the second place winner is going to be rewarded with ten dollars. And of course, we said that our third place winner would recieve a strong pat on the back. Throughout the month members have been competing to earn points toward the cash card giveaway. You have earned points by leaving comments on the blog, by commenting on the forums, by inviting friends to the site, by voting on polls, and through getting involved here at the site... More About: Card , Winners , Cash
Politicians, I Just Don't Trust Them
2009-05-02 06:00:00 I consider myself to be like most American citizens. Contrary to what the national news media portrays, I believe that most Americans families, while flawed, still retain some core values. I understand that we are on a downhill slide morally and we are losing our children with breaknecking speed; however, I still cling to the somewhat antiquated idea of the quiet, small town American family who leads a typical, traditional life. I don't believe that everyone has a meth lab in their basement. Neither do I believe that most postal workers live with suppressed and untreated psychotic tendencies, just waiting to slaughter unsuspecting patrons and co-workers.No, deep down I hold the conviction that most Americans believe in God ? the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that is taught in Sunday schools around the country. I trust that most Americans want a job, and a home, and a family, and I trust that most of us want to work for those things. I dare say that most Americans hold dear firew... More About: Politicians , Trust
God Save The King
2009-04-30 06:00:00 One of the phrases frequently attacked in the King James Bible is "God save the king". A modern version proponent recently wrote our Which Version club with the following criticism. "There is another set of passages in which the King James Version translators used a dynamic equivalence method in which they inserted God's name where it is not in the original. This is in the phrases "God save the king" and "God save king [king's name]" in 1 Samuel 10:24; 2 Samue16:16; 1 Kings 1:25,1 Kings 1:34, 1 Kings 1:39, 2 Kings 11:12; and 2 Chronicles 23:11. This person then goes on to say that the King James translation of "God save the king" is "DEPLORABLE" because 1. a literal, word-for-word translation method was not used 2.the translators used colloquialism and idiom 3.they deceive the reader into thinking that these words are in the original 4.they take God's name in vain. I am often amazed at the criticisms against the King James Bible that the modern version proponents bring up. They... More About: The King , Save
Just a Bunch of Cowards
2009-04-26 06:00:00 Coward. That's what the Attorney General of the United States just called you. A coward. No, you're not the only one who lacks the courage to do something unpleasant. Apparently the entire nation is, and just to make sure that he topped the icing with a nice red cherry, he also denigrated over 200 years worth of our majestic heritage. His words are forthcoming, but I want to make sure that you understand that in the mind of Mr. Eric Holder, the greatest nation on the planet is made up of a bunch of milquetoasts. He must have gone to the same history class as our finally-proud-of-my-country First Lady. His exact words, according to an AP story were, ?Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards.? He said, ?we have always been? cowards. Besides being both childish and elitist, I think it was a good strategy. I mean, didn't schoolyard insults alway... More About: Cowards
Just a Bunch of Cowards
2009-04-26 06:00:00 Coward. That's what the Attorney General of the United States just called you. A coward. No, you're not the only one who lacks the courage to do something unpleasant. Apparently the entire nation is, and just to make sure that he topped the icing with a nice red cherry, he also denigrated over 200 years worth of our majestic heritage. His words are forthcoming, but I want to make sure that you understand that in the mind of Mr. Eric Holder, the greatest nation on the planet is made up of a bunch of milquetoasts. He must have gone to the same history class as our finally-proud-of-my-country First Lady. His exact words, according to an AP story were, ?Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards.? He said, ?we have always been? cowards. Besides being both childish and elitist, I think it was a good strategy. I mean, didn't schoolyard insults alway...
Unicorns in the Bible
2009-04-24 06:00:00 Is the word "unicorn" an erroneous translation in the King James Bible ? The English word unicorn occurs nine times in the KJB, and is found in Numbers 23:22; 24:8; Deut. 33:17; Job 39:9,10; Psalms 22:21; 29:6; 92:10; and Isaiah 34:7. It is translated from the Hebrew word reem, which comes from a verb used only once, and found in Zechariah 14:10 "Jerusalem, and ?it shall be lifted up' and inhabited in her place." This animal is characterized by something lifted up or high and in a prominent position. It is very strong - "God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn." Num. 23:22. It is also used in a symbolic way in our Lord's prophetic prayer as recorded in Psalms 22:21 "Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns." There was no literal lion present when Christ died, but Satan, as a roaring lion, was present, for it was his hour and the power of darkness. There were no literal unicorns present either, but the...
Unicorns in the Bible
2009-04-24 06:00:00 Is the word "unicorn" an erroneous translation in the King James Bible ? The English word unicorn occurs nine times in the KJB, and is found in Numbers 23:22; 24:8; Deut. 33:17; Job 39:9,10; Psalms 22:21; 29:6; 92:10; and Isaiah 34:7. It is translated from the Hebrew word reem, which comes from a verb used only once, and found in Zechariah 14:10 "Jerusalem, and ?it shall be lifted up' and inhabited in her place." This animal is characterized by something lifted up or high and in a prominent position. It is very strong - "God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn." Num. 23:22. It is also used in a symbolic way in our Lord's prophetic prayer as recorded in Psalms 22:21 "Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns." There was no literal lion present when Christ died, but Satan, as a roaring lion, was present, for it was his hour and the power of darkness. There were no literal unicorns present either, but the... More About: The Bible
A Faster, More Exciting Website
2009-04-20 06:00:00 I'm very excited to announce to the Baptist Muse community that we have just moved the site to a new server. We perviously had this site located on servers that we were renting from Godaddy but there were two main reasons that I've been wanting to move away from them. First, their servers are painfully slow and I'd recieved many, many reports about the time that it takes to load a page on the site. Second, I don't like the promotional efforts of godaddy and I don't want to support their business any longer. Godaddy is run by a man named Bob Parsons who, if I'm not mistaken, was also the creator of QuickVerse Bible software. When I originally selected Godaddy as our hosting company for this site, I thought that I would be supporting a man who creates software that honors Jesus Christ. I have learned that quite the opposite is true. If you visit the Godaddy website you will find a link that says "Too-Hot for TV Internet Only Commercials." Those types of promotions don't... More About: Website
Pastor Are You Really Busy?
2009-04-18 06:00:00 I received a surprise call a few weeks ago on a Monday afternoon from a friend. While I was in my office, I wasn't particularly busy as Mondays normally function as my only real day off. I try to let my mind rest, sort out what happened the previous week and prioritize for the upcoming week. Pastoring means Saturday is a day of preparation and of course Sunday in the minds of many is the ?only day preachers work anyway.? However, immediately after the normal pleasantries, came the question. Not just any question, but the one that sends up the pastoral antennae. "Pastor, are you very busy?" Asking that question to a pastor is like asking President Obama to produce his long form original birth certificate. That is, you would get the same response in about the same amount of time. ?No, why?? Seriously, understand that when a minister who has any salt about him hears those five words, or variations of such; the house could be on fire, his wife could be in labor, and his favorite footb...
Struggling Against the Angel of Death
2009-04-14 06:00:00 As I continue to work at Arlington National Cemetery, I often hear amazing stories of love, valor, and heroism. It is no joke that Arlington National Cemetery truly is filled with thousands and thousands of real American heroes. If you are ever in the national capital area, I invite to take a walk through this garden of stones and contemplatively muse over the stories of honor and valor that rest within this place. Early last spring, in fact, I heard a story that really made me stand in awe at the determination of one such soldier who served in World War II. I had the privilege of driving the chaplain to the funeral that day and his widow shared with the Army Chaplain this amazing story that I will never forget. Late one night this lady was awakened in the middle of the night. Her husband was overseas fighting for our freedoms during the peak of World War II. She had heard no noise. The phone had not rang. There was nobody at the door. Yet something, she said, had awoken her and her... More About: Life , Love , Angel , Death , Laughter
Resurrection Sunday Every Week
2009-04-12 06:00:00 This is a week in which religion in America will reach its zenith. We have only to look at the daily newspapers to see the enormous emphasis placed on "Holy Week ." The god of "church on Sunday and live as you please the rest of the year" will never be more alive and well. This view of "Easter" would have astounded the early Christians. The followers of Jesus were avowed enemies of institutionalized religion. They had no time for formalism, for pious "Holy Days." Instead, they celebrated the victory of Jesus' risen presence each and every Lord's Day. It is an insult to Jesus and a shame on our churches that "Resurrection Sunday" has been reduced to a once-a-year solemn ritual. The whole New Testament makes it clear that it is in the Lord's Supper - not in Christmas or Easter - that Jesus seeks to be remembered and honored by His people. You will recall that the first Christians, in accordance with Jewish custom, met in the temple (Acts 2:26; 5:42; cf. Luke 24:53). Their precedent...
A Missionary Day
2009-04-10 06:00:00 I'm having a day. I know that we all have them, but today is my day. It's not often that I get to have a day because I live with five women. Their hormones take up too much time and space for any of my fits or tantrums. As the man of the house, I expend all my energy trying to make them whole. On their days, I deal with emotions on steroids and waste time trying fix whatever seems to be broken. One day I'll quit and just empathize. One day, I'll say that I'm very sorry, tilting my head slightly to one side, give a hug, and never mention a word about trying to remedy anything.Right now though, that goes against every molecule of my manhood. Obviously, there exists precious little time for my complaints. Ashamed as I am to say it, my problems pale in comparison to so many others. I'm happily married, cancer-free, live in peace, and am on my way to heaven. None of those things fix today. Regardless of my long term situation, I'm still having a day. My day, this kind of day I ha... More About: Life , Love , Laughter
Welcome to Joomla!
2008-08-12 12:00:00 Joomla! is a free open source framework and content publishing system designed for quickly creating highly interactive multi-language Web sites, online communities, media portals, blogs and eCommerce applications. Joomla! provides an easy-to-use graphical user interface that simplifies the management and publishing of large volumes of content including HTML, documents, and rich media. Joomla! is used by organisations of all sizes for intranets and extranets and is supported by a community of tens of thousands of users. More About: Joomla
Newsflash 4
2008-08-12 02:25:00 Yesterday all servers in the U.S. went out on strike in a bid to get more RAM and better CPUs. A spokes person said that the need for better RAM was due to some fool increasing the front-side bus speed. In future, buses will be told to slow down in residential motherboards.
Newsflash 5
2008-08-12 02:17:00 Joomla! 1.5 - 'Experience the Freedom'!. It has never been easier to create your own dynamic Web site. Manage all your content from the best CMS admin interface and in virtually any language you speak.
Newsflash 1
2008-08-10 08:30:00 Joomla! makes it easy to launch a Web site of any kind. Whether you want a brochure site or you are building a large online community, Joomla! allows you to deploy a new site in minutes and add extra functionality as you need it. The hundreds of available Extensions will help to expand your site and allow you to deliver new services that extend your reach into the Internet.
Newsflash 3
2008-08-10 08:30:00 With a library of thousands of free Extensions, you can add what you need as your site grows. Don't wait, look through the Joomla! Extensions library today.
Newsflash 2
2008-08-10 00:30:00 The one thing about a Web site, it always changes! Joomla! makes it easy to add Articles, content, images, videos, and more. Site administrators can edit and manage content 'in-context' by clicking the 'Edit' link. Webmasters can also edit content through a graphical Control Panel that gives you complete control over your site.
The Peace of a Real Salvation
2008-06-10 06:01:00 I was raised in a Christian home. My father has been a pastor since I was five years old. At that time I had seen a lot of people get saved and all I knew about it was thateveryone ought to get saved, people getting saved made my mom and dad real happy, and when people got saved they went to the front of the auditorium, prayed, and then they were saved!I thought, "Hey! I can do that!" So I did. I went forward, prayed the prayer everyone prayed when they got saved, and then excitedly told my parents that "I got saved!" My mom and dad gave me a funny look and said, "oh, that's nice." and dropped it. That was very wise of them. They never told me, "Now you're saved!"Years later, we went to a showing at a church nearby of some movies about the end times. The Bible tells us that Jesus is coming back, and that He will come like a thief. This knowledge convicted me because I knew that if I did not prepare for His coming, I would be left alone. This thought really gripped my imagination. ... More About: Peace , Salvation , Testimony , Real
Broken to Beautiful
2008-06-09 06:01:00 When I was really little,About the age of three or four,I would get really scared,When I'd hear a slamming door.Mom and Dad would yell a lot,Us kids never understood,We knew that there were problems,And we'd have fixed them if we could.They never got along you see,It's God's love that they did lack,So when they did split up,Dad said I won't be back.My mom worked with a Christian,Who asked her to come to church,My mom said I'll try it,Since nothing else has worked.When my mom went that day,And she fully realized,That she was a rotten sinner,She let that old man die.Now that she was saved,She began to really pray,That God would bring her husband home,For good and there to stay.One day when my Daddy called,About a few weeks later,He said that he was on his way,To file a divorcement paper.Mom then went into her room,To pray to God in Heaven,About what Daddy said,And about the situation.The next thing that we knew,Dad was walking through the door,He said that he was home,They neede... More About: Beautiful , Testimony , Broken
Lovers of Their Own Selves
2008-06-08 06:01:00 In 2 Timothy 3, God gave Paul a list to characterize ?the last days?, or as it is also referred to, ?perilous times?. The first trait written was that people would be lovers of their own selves: ?For men shall be lovers of their own selves?? (vs. 2). People in the last days would be known as being fond of self, or having self-love, i.e. selfish.Now we can clearly see that this selfishness, this self-love, is normal in the human heart. In fact, it shows itself in a person as soon as that person is able to express himself! For example, no one has to teach a cute, cuddly, little baby how to throw a temper tantrum to get his own way. That selfishness comes naturally.So what does a people, a society, a nation do to curb this selfishness in the individual? Well, a healthy society will impose restraints on this self-love. It will recognize the need to teach children respect for authority, such as with their parents at home, their teachers at school, their preachers at church, and with the ... More About: Lovers
Updating the Style at the Baptist Muse
More articles from this author:2008-06-04 06:01:00 Many of you have probably noticed that I haven't been on the forum or commenting on the blog much this week. I am working on massively overhauling the style and file systems here at The Baptist Muse . The organization of this site is completing chaotic due to the fact that I really didn't know what I was doing when I got started. I am know trying to remedy that by revamping the theme and moving some files around. Starting tomorrow or Thursday, you will probably see some strange things here. By Saturday, I should have the updates complete and then be able to jump back into the swing of things. Thank you for all of your support! More About: Style 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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