No, I Have Never Met A Perfectly Righteous Person... And Neither Have You

When Jesus said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt.5:48), did He mean you can be as righteous as God is righteous? Some people profess to believe they can be that righteous. But the Greek word translated "perfect" here is "teleios" and means complete or mature. So, how can we be as "perfect, complete or mature" as God? Well, God is as "perfect as it is possible for Him to be... as God, and we can be as "perfect" as it is possible for us to be... as flesh and blood humans. It is comparative not synonymous. A grain of sand is sand and a mountain of sand is also sand, but they are not equal.

To clarify the issue, the Apostle Paul paraphrased a commonly known biblical fact,"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one ..." Rom.3:10.  
Then he concluded, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God...." Rom.3:23. He was rehearsing what all Jews had read and been taught in
1 Kings 8:48 which declares, "... There is no man that sinneth not...." and as 
Isa.53:6 warns us .... "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him (Messiah/Christ) the iniquity of us all."
Isa.64:6 continues the thought ... "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags ...." 

So don't try to convince yourself, God or anyone else that you or someone you know is perfectly righteous except as true believers are seen, in the eyes of God, under the blood of Jesus.... forgiven, redeemed, cleansed and born again. 

Even the great prophet of God, Isaiah, testified,,,

" I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness...." (Christ's) Isa.61:10

"He (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." Rom.4:20-25.

GOD IS !

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Heb.11:6

If there were a more logical, provable explanation for the existence of the universe, the earth, the incredibly intricate human body, the animal, vegetation and sea world, than a Creator, I might accept it as God's anonymous means of creation. If evolution were, with no sign of the billions of missing links and miracles required, and that without a miracle working God, were present in earth's crust, I might yield a thought to it. But the infinite number of reasons a Creator God is absolute, undeniable fact, scream with a trillion voices heard only in the soul .... "God Is". To deny a Creator is willful self delusion. As clear as the star studded sky, and the sun's radiant glory, the universe, the earth and all they contain testify in a silent language which every human hears and with vision every human sees ... "GOD IS". Jesus emphasized this in Luke 19:40 "And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. " 

Psalms 19:1   The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psalms 19:2   Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 

  Psalms 19:3   There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 
 Psalms 19:4   Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun ....

The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.  Psalms 97:6

The Spiritual Equivalent Of A 400 Pound Word Hog Who Sees Not His Master Who Owns Him

Whilst gluttonously gobbling up every mouthful of slop, rotten meat and soured shred, and standing knee deep in a lifetime of his own muck, yet thinking his miserable little nasty pen is the throne room of the universe, he never looks up. RB

 "Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children." 2 Peter 2:14.


For Leftists, It's Open Season on Christians 

From TownHall.com

David Limbaugh | Jun 16, 2015




If you doubt that Christians are fair game for ridicule by the cultural left, take a look at the hit piece on Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia by Jeffrey Tayler for Salon. I can't decide which is worse, the title or the subtitle. The title: "Antonin Scalia is unfit to serve: A justice who rejects science and the law for religion is of unsound mind." The subtitle: "The justice claims to be an originalist, but his real loyalty is to religion and a phony man in the sky."

The writer is trying to be cute, but don't conclude that any part of his thesis is intended to be tongue-in-cheek. He opens by telling us that "faith-derangement syndrome" has now infected the Supreme Court as it has the executive branch.

He writes: "Sufferers of faith-derangement syndrome (FDS) exhibit the following symptoms: unshakable belief in the veracity of manifest absurdities detailed in ancient texts regarding the origins of the cosmos and life on earth; a determination to disseminate said absurdities in educational institutions and via the media; a propensity to enjoin and even enforce (at times using violence) obedience to regulations stipulated in ancient texts, regardless of their suitability for contemporary circumstances; the conviction that an invisible, omnipresent, omniscient authority (commonly referred to as 'God') directs the course of human and natural events, is vulnerable to propitiation and blandishments, and monitors individual human behavior, including thought processes, with an especially prurient interest in sexual activity."

Tayler is particularly exercised by his assumption that Scalia rejects Tayler's sainted opinions on both "anthropogenic global warming" and "the fact of evolution -- the foundation of modern biology -- in favor of the opening chapter of a compendium of cockamamie fables concocted by obscure humans in a particularly dark age, evidence that his faculty of reason has suffered the debilitating impairment associated with acute FDS." Tayler continues, "He therefore cannot be relied upon to adjudicate without prejudice and should be removed from the bench henceforth."

Sorry for the extensive quotes, but I have to assume you'd think I were exaggerating if I paraphrased this harangue.

What apparently got Tayler's attention was an interview of Scalia a few years ago by Jennifer Senior, a contributing editor for New York magazine. Tayler was disgusted that Scalia accepts the Catholic teaching about homosexuality and incredulous at his admission that he believes in heaven and hell and that the devil is "a real person."

Senior asked Scalia, "Have you seen evidence of the devil lately?" I wish Scalia had cited the left's glorification of abortion as Exhibit A, but he chose instead to point to the devil's wiliness in getting people not to believe in him or God.

Scalia's confessions of faith, by Tayler's lights, constitute an "outrage against reason," calling the devil "a comic-book bugaboo the pedophile pulpiteers of (Christianity) have developed to warp the minds of their credulous 'flocks' for two millennia." He condemns Scalia as a self-confessed "biblical literalist," which means Scalia is "an enemy of historical fact."

I wrote a book last year presenting evidence and arguments supporting Christianity's truth claims, so I won't re-litigate that case here except to say that in my humble view, many who espouse Darwinian evolution as if it were gospel despite the gaping holes in the theory or man-made global warming as an unchallengeable fact that represents an existential threat to humankind often are arrogant, curiously incurious and close-minded and don't know a fraction of what they think they know.

Further, the aggressive anti-theists who mock Christians for believing in the God of the Bible and his Word believe at least one thing that requires far more faith: that something arose from nothing without a Creator. Oh, sure, some of them tell you they don't believe that, saying that they believe in multiverses, that we are the spawn of aliens or that the universe has always existed, even though science, which they tend to deify when it is convenient, points to a definite beginning to the universe. Even if it didn't and even if there were no such thing as entropy, it would still take a formidable suspension of disbelief to believe in an eternal universe.

I am not nearly so troubled by Tayler's beliefs or non-beliefs as I am by his derisive, contemptuous and tyrannical attitude toward believers. You should know that he acknowledges that 6 in 10 Americans believe in the devil yet still implies the belief is insane. Christians, in his view, are "devotees of an invisible celestial tyrant."

What I suspect animates Tayler's angst regarding Scalia (and other Christians) is Scalia's faith-based view against same-sex marriage. Why else would Tayler single out a justice of the Supreme Court poised to rule on a case involving this issue? Why else would he sneer at God's "especially prurient interest in sexual activity," which, by the way, is a perverse mischaracterization of the God of the Bible? Why else would he allude to "the many Religious Freedom Restoration Acts disgracing legal codes of far too many states"?

In the end, however, Tayler's motives are beside the point, which is that he feels not only free to unleash this kind of slander against the belief system of the majority of Americans but also that there is no risk that he will be considered, much less called, a bigot or intolerant for doing so. That's because in the leftist-dominated media culture, you can, with limitless vile, insult individuals and groups outside those protected by political correctness with impunity and often with confidence that you'll be praised.

Believe It Or Not ... There Is Always A Way

Yes, there is always a way back, over, under, around or through every obstacle, every reversal, every crisis and even every mistake and failure. There is a way!
However painful the problem or hot the temptation, remember this promise in
1 Cor. 10:13  "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." So when the load, the trials and temptations seem too heavy or painful to bear ... throw your pride aside and your burdensome cares to our Lord "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."  1Pet.5:6-7. You are not the first to face what you face. God's people have always been tested and tried, but remember Romans 5:3 "...We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience (endurance)." Trials work for us if we accept them and deal with them and look to God to make a way.


Noah and his family lived in a wicked, wicked world upon which God warned of a global flood of destruction, but God provided a way of deliverance ... an ark. The flood came, as God said, and the entire population of the earth drowned except those in the ark who believed and accepted God's warning. They lived only because God made a way, but only one way of salvation. Gen.6 & 7.

Job's calamities were greater than he was able to endure. But there was a way which reversed his downfall and loss with healing, greater faith, friends and wealth ... When he prayed for his disloyal friends. Job. 42

Moses and the children of Israel were at an unchangeable dead end, hemmed in by Pharaoh's armies, surrounding them on three sides, and a sea on the other.But there was a way. Straight ahead, God made a way through the impossible sea ...on dry ground. Ex. 14:13-16.

The armies of Israel faced fear and certain death by the Philistine army and the Philistine giant, Goliath. But God provided a way. He sent the most unlikely deliverer ... a boy named David with a sling and 5 smooth stones. God used a mere boy to kill a ten feet tall armored giant and routed the entire army of their enemy. 1 Sam. 17.

The adulterous women was caught, condemned and about to be executed. But God provided a way. Jesus faced down her accusers, religious hypocrites who held the stones to crush her body. Only then, Jesus stepped in and told her of a way of deliverance and life. Jesus made a way for that poor sinful woman. John 8:1-12.

Saul of Tarsus (Paul) was at his wits end, blind and without friends on either side of righteousness. The Christians feared and hid from him and his compatriots would hate him, but there was a way ... through Damascus and a man named Ananias who prayed for him. Acts. 9:1-10.

God has always made a way for those who believe Him, follow him and seek His will for their lives. If you are one of those, He will make a way for you too, in your day of crisis, loss, fear, sickness and even death. Death is not the worst thing that can happen to a Christian. If you are walking with Him and it is His will to take you, that will be, second only to your moment of salvation, the best thing that every happened to you.... not the worst.

Rom. 6:9 "Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him" and therefore, none over us ... we who believe on Him.  "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Rev.20:6.

So if the worst thing that can happen to you, death, turns out to be your best day, your coronation day, your promotion into God's presence, in Heaven, to eternal life with Him, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and all the born again Christians of all time... how is that bad? That being the case, all of the other troubles, problems and heartaches of life are less than death and should not be allowed, by God's grace and by our holy faith, to wreck our lives, make us sick, drive us insane or cause us to give up on God making a way out of any impossible situation. As Jesus said in  Matthew 19:26   "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."  So face those impossible, mountainous obstacles with your "mustard seed faith" and God's miracle working power, and rest in His ability to make a way for you.... But keep your Christian eyes of faith open so you don't miss God's way of salvation and deliverance... even if it is your departure from this old terminal body of flesh and a personal rapture into His presence. When you get my age ... it comes to you ... that's a bargain not a loss. God will make a way. RB

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength
For each new day
He will make a way
He will make a way

.

Destination River Man

By Rayburn Blair at 84

Time is the river where his destiny flows

Destination River is the river he chose

Salvation the boat in which he goes

River banks a jungle of merciless foes

Works are the oars with which he rows

Avoiding the banks, snags, falls and shoals

Jesus Christ, his destiny, is all he knows

"For I determined not to know any 
thing among you, save Jesus Christ, 
and him crucified." 1 Cor.2:2

Last Days "Falling Away" Of Professing Christians Before Christ's Return

When the "falling away" begins, we can know that the "revealing" of a popular world leader, who will soon thereafter be recognized as the "antichrist", will make his debut upon the world stage. Where his fame begins, we do not know, but this we do know. His fame and popularity will rapidly advance him to the pinnacle of power at the capstone of the one world governmental infrastructure.

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." 2 Thess. 2:1-4 

Notice two signs, in those verses, which will precede "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ...and our gathering together unto him." Those two signs are, 
(1) "a falling away first" and (2) "that man so sin the son of perdition,(Antichrist) be revealed".

The first of those two signs began, n to be fulfilled with the turn of the millennium. Since the year 2000, the signs of the times, including the "falling away" of professing Christians, have exploded upon the whole world, especially America.

Only now are recent polling organizations picking up the fact that being a CINO (Christian In Name Only), is no longer a "popular profession". The most recent poll, done by the Pew Research Center, reports that in 2014, the number of "professing" Christians in the U.S., fell by 8%, about 5 million adults, since 2007.  Do not overlook the fact that this poll included all denominations and people who have "professed" to be Christian, even in the loosest meaning of the term.

The New York Times reported, in May of this year, on the Pew survey. These are excerpts.... I added the word (professing) and underlined "raised" in bold. It is my opinion that, thus far, most drop-outs are "professing" not "possessing" Christians. As persecution of Christians increases, there will no doubt be more "falling away" from faithfulness and service on the part of some true Christians. Consider Apostle Peter. I underlined and bold typed "raised" because though Christian parents raise their children under Christian standards and atmosphere, one cannot be raised a Christian. We must each personally, willfully believe on Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  RB

New York Times:
Overall, the religiously unaffiliated numbered 56 million and represent nearly 23 percent of adults, up from 36 million and 16 percent in 2007.... The ranks of the unaffiliated have been bolstered by former (professing) Christians. Nearly a quarter of people who were raised as Christian have left the group, and ex-Christians now represent 19 percent of adults.
Attrition was most substantial among mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics who have declined in absolute numbers .... Not all religions or even Christian traditions declined so markedly. The number of Evangelical Protestants dipped only slightly as a share of the population, by 1 percentage point, and actually increased in raw numbers.

______________________________

Here is just one area of "falling away" in CINO churches and among CINO religionists.

____________________________

Marco Rubio calls same-sex marriage a 
'real and present danger' to Christianity

By Sahil Kapur

Bloomberg News

Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio told the Christian Broadcasting Network that the push for nationwide same-sex marriage represents a threat to Christianity.

"We are at the water's edge of the argument that mainstream Christian teaching is hate speech, because today we've reached the point in our society where if you do not support same-sex marriage, you are labeled a homophobe and a hater," the Florida senator said. "So what's the next step after that? After they're done going after individuals, the next step is to argue that the teachings of mainstream Christianity, the catechism of the Catholic Church, is hate speech. And that's a real and present danger."

The remarks, posted Tuesday on CBN's website, are a strong denunciation of the gay-rights movement just weeks before the Supreme Court is set to rule on whether same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. Many legal experts believe the court will invalidate gay marriage bans, in part because there are five justices who voted to advance gay rights as recently as 2013.

Rubio's comments appear aimed at the evangelical base, a core Republican constituency that remains strongly against same-sex marriage even as a growing majority of Americans want it to be legal. 

That dichotomy makes it a thorny issue: Respected party strategists, including Rubio's own pollster Whit Ayres, have warned that a candidate perceived as anti-gay won't be able to connect with voters under 30. The Republican National Committee warned in a brutally candid 2012 election post-mortem that the party must be more "welcoming and inclusive" when it comes to gay rights or "young people and increasingly other voters will continue to tune us out."

The rhetoric from Rubio, who is locked in a tough fight for the Republican nomination, was more aggressively opposed to gay marriage in the CBN interview than last month when he was asked about the issue by MSNBC, a cable provider that attracts a largely left-of-center audience.

"Ultimately the decision on how we define marriage has always belonged to the states," he said in the April 14 interview. "If in fact, as the polls indicate, a growing number of Americans believe that marriage between two individuals of the same sex should be legal, then they can petition their state legislatures and change their state laws. And, in fact, I suspect you'll see that happen. It's already begun to happen." 

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/orlandosentinel/~3/S50HGlYUyaY/fl-tns-bc-rubio-gaymarriage-20150526-story.html

The Revelation Is Unfolding Like The Arms Of Destiny Before Our Very Eyes

Here are the first drafts of Antichrist's Religious, Political and Humanitarian Platform which will appeal to both the world's Liberal Socialist Politicians, Religious leaders and the great mass of world humanity. And it makes perfect sense ... if you do not believe in God or His Holy word.... the Bible. RB

Central Planning Goes Global As UN Unveils 

Major Sustainable Development Agenda "For 

The Good Of The Planet"

Submitted by Michael Snyder 

via The Economic Collapse blog,


The UN plans to launch a brand new plan for managing the entire globe at the Sustainable Development Summit that it will be hosting from September 25th to September 27th.  Some of the biggest names on the planet, including Pope Francis, will be speaking at this summit.  This new sustainable agenda focuses on climate change of course, but it also specifically addresses topics such as economics, agriculture, education and gender equality.  For those wishing to expand the scope of “global governance”, sustainable development is the perfect umbrella because just about all human activity affects the environment in some way.  The phrase “for the good of the planet” can be used as an excuse to micromanage virtually every aspect of our lives. 

So for those that are concerned about the growing power of the United Nations, this summit in September is something to keep an eye on.  Never before have I seen such an effort to promote a UN summit on the environment, and this new sustainable development agenda is literally a framework for managing the entire globe. 

If you are not familiar with this new sustainable development agenda, the following is what the official United Nations website says about it…

The United Nations is now in the process of defining Sustainable Development Goals as part of a new sustainable development agenda that must finish the job and leave no one behind. This agenda, to be launched at the Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015, is currently being discussed at the UN General Assembly, where Member States and civil society are making contributions to the agenda.

The process of arriving at the post-2015 development agenda is Member State-led with broad participation from Major Groups and other civil society stakeholders. There have been numerous inputs to the agenda, notably a set of Sustainable Development Goals proposed by an open working group of the General Assembly, the report of an intergovernmental committee of experts on sustainable development financing, General Assembly dialogues on technology facilitation and many others. Posted below are the 17 sustainable development goals that are being proposed so far.  Some of them seem quite reasonable.  After all, who wouldn’t want to “end poverty”.  But as you go down this list, you soon come to realize that just about everything is involved in some way.  In other words, this truly is a template for radically expanded “global governance”.  Once again, this was taken directly from the official UN website… 

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture

3. Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages

4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 

7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 

8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all

9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation

10. Reduce inequality within and among countries

11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (taking note of agreements made by the UNFCCC forum)

14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss

16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development

As you can see, this list goes far beyond “saving the environment” or “fighting climate change”.

It truly covers just about every realm of human activity.

Another thing that makes this new sustainable development agenda different is the unprecedented support that it is getting from the Vatican and from Pope Francis himself. 

In fact, Pope Francis is actually going to travel to the UN and give an address to kick off the Sustainable Development Summit on September 25th…

"His Holiness" Pope Francis will visit the UN on 25 September 2015, and give an address to the UN General Assembly immediately ahead of the official opening of the UN Summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda. This Pope has been very open about his belief that climate change is one of the greatest dangers currently facing our world.  Just a couple of weeks ago, he actually brought UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the Vatican to speak about climate change and sustainable development.  Here is a summary of what happened…

On 28 April, the Secretary-General met with "His Holiness" Pope Francis at the Vatican and later addressed senior religious leaders, along with the Presidents of Italy and Ecuador, Nobel laureates and leading scientists on climate change and sustainable development.

Amidst an unusually heavy rainstorm in Rome, participants at the historic meeting gathered within the ancient Vatican compound to discuss what the Secretary-General has called the “defining challenge of our time.”

The mere fact that a meeting took place between the religious and scientific communities on climate change was itself newsworthy. That it took place at the Vatican, was hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and featured the Secretary-General as the keynote speaker was all the more striking. In addition, Pope Francis is scheduled to release a major encyclical this summer which will be primarily focused on the environment and climate change.  The following comes from the New York Times…

The much-anticipated environmental encyclical that Pope Francis plans to issue this summer is already being translated into the world’s major languages from the Latin final draft, so there’s no more tweaking to be done, several people close to the process have told me in recent weeks. I think that we can get a good idea of the kind of language that we will see in this encyclical from another Vatican document which was recently released.  It is entitled “Climate Change and The Common Good”, and it was produced by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. 

The following is a brief excerpt…

Unsustainable consumption coupled with a record human population and the uses of inappropriate technologies are causally linked with the destruction of the world’s sustainability and resilience. Widening inequalities of wealth and income, the world-wide disruption of the physical climate system and the loss of millions of species that sustain life are the grossest manifestations of unsustainability. The continued extraction of coal, oil and gas following the “business-as-usual mode” will soon create grave existential risks for the poorest three billion, and for generations yet unborn. Climate change resulting largely from unsustainable consumption by about 15% of the world’s population has become a dominant moral and ethical issue for society. There is still time to mitigate unmanageable climate changes and repair ecosystem damages, provided we reorient our attitude toward nature and, thereby, toward ourselves. Climate change is a global problem whose solution will depend on our stepping beyond national affiliations and coming together for the common good. Such transformational changes in attitudes would help foster the necessary institutional reforms and technological innovations for providing the energy sources that have negligible effect on global climate, atmospheric pollution and eco-systems, thus protecting generations yet to be born. Religious institutions can and should take the lead in bringing about that change in attitude towards Creation. 

The Catholic Church, working with the leadership of other religions, can now take a decisive role by mobilizing public opinion and public funds to meet the energy needs of the poorest 3 billion people, thus allowing them to prepare for the challenges of unavoidable climate and eco-system changes. Such a bold and humanitarian action by the world’s religions acting in unison is certain to catalyze a public debate over how we can integrate societal choices, as prioritized under UN’s sustainable development goals, into sustainable economic development pathways for the 21st century, with projected population of 10 billion or more. Under this Pope, the Vatican has become much more political than it was before, and sustainable development has become the Vatican’s number one political issue. 

And did you notice the language about “the world’s religions acting in unison”?  Clearly, the Vatican believes that it has the power to mobilize religious leaders all over the planet and have them work together to achieve the “UN’s sustainable development goals”.

I can never remember a time when the United Nations and the largest religious institution on the planet, the Catholic Church, have worked together so closely.

_______________________________
_______________________________

And, of course, our American, Liberal Socialist Politicians
are co-operating to the fullest with this Antichristic change
to this "New World Order" which V.P. Joe Biden speaks of
to this year's graduating West Point Cadets in March 2015. RB

Click here for Bidens West Point Speech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDACY15Jxa0

OK, OK, I Confess .... I Am Abnormal

Considering the direction the world is going and the fact that most government leaders are in office at the will or consent of the majority of their constituencies, I therefore,, must conclude that .... I am peculiar, different ... abnormal. I am not in agreement with the majority of the world's people. Whether inferior or superior is not the question here. The question is, do I agree or disagree with the majority of the human race. The percentages of various religions in the world, rounded off, are approximately this .... 7 % in a host of lesser religions,  7% Buddhist, 13% Hindus, 14% Atheists and Agnostics, 24% Muslim, 32% "professing" Christians and 3% lost in the shuffle. So, if all 32% of "professing" Christians were indeed born again disciples of Christ, I would still be in a 1/3 minority. But that isn't the case. I probably don't closely agree (Doesn't mean that many of these others aren't saved) with more than ten percent of professing Christians. Which means I am in a minority of about 3% of the world's population. So I am not in agreement, at least concerning my faith, with 97 % of the people in the world. You can't call that "normal". So I am abnormal.

The majority obviously chooses minimal security and food in preference to freedom. The majority prefer Socialism, Communism, fascism or some other 'ism' to free enterprise. Judging by what the majority demands of TV programming, movie pornography and public sexual display, abortion and same sex unions ... I must conclude that .... My beliefs are those of a small minority.  But, after three and a half years of ministry, miracles and holy majesty, Jesus only had 120 gathered in the upper room before he was crucified. That was a smaller minority than I am part of.  That was even more abnormal than me.  No wonder the majority of the world dislikes Bible believing Christians more than any other religion. Jesus said to those early Christians in John 15:18-20..."If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you .... "

Since Jesus forewarned us eight or ten times that his disciples, his followers, would be persecuted, if we choose to be his disciples, we should expect his warnings of persecution to be true. So "voluntarily" following Jesus is asking for trouble from the world and is not "humanly" normal. That means it is abnormal. If you are a Bible believing, born again Christian, you too are abnormal and as peculiar as I am.

My conclusion to these realities is .... Jesus Christ was and is, among the world's populations, also in a minority and I am in His minority ... exactly where I want to be, where I must be. But I would not exchange my relationship to Christ for all the gold, silver, precious stones, money, power and fame in the world. I would not exchange it for the whole world itself, the universe, or a million years of perfect health and happiness or even eternal life ... without Christ.  What is "normal" about that? So I might as well confess it ... I am abnormal, odd, peculiar, strange .... But my problem is not that I am so terribly abnormal, but that I am not nearly abnormal enough.... more like Jesus. What about you? RB

Mustard Seed Faith Hears Mustard Seed Voice, Sees Mustard Seed Light

Mustard Seed Faith, Voice, Light

If God speaks to us in that "still small voice",
As he whispered to Elijah of faith and right,
He can reveal himself for your free will choice
By candle light in this latter day dark night 
And if that small voice or light cause to rejoice,
We need no louder voice, no brighter light.
 So Seek your Savior... His light, His voice. 
         ........ Rayburn Blair at 84........

"And Jesus said unto them .... verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Matt. 17:20.

"And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he ... stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 19:12-13.

"The same (John the baptist) came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe ....That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."  John 1:7&9.

"Every man" means:
"EVERY MAN"... EVER WO MAN ... EVERY HU MAN. RB

I Profile Snakes, Spiders, Very Young Drivers, And Judge Greasy Cafe Floors, Electric Wires, And Toilet Talk

When God sent Samuel to interview the sons of Jesse to choose a new king of Israel, Samuel started with the oldest, tall, dark and handsome, and most obvious choice, and then worked his way down to the youngest, and least obvious choice. God rejected each of  his older brothers. God's choice was David. If God hadn't been there, Samuel would have anointed the first son king and would never have seen or cared to see young David. But God was there and told Samuel, a very good and spiritual man, he was wrong and instructed him ...."... Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." 1 Sam.16:7. 

We understand that God looks beyond the flesh, the "outward appearance" into the heart to the true, inner feelings, thoughts, lusts and ambitions of a person. It is much more difficult for we humans to understand that the outward appearance of a person does not usually reveal much about the true inner character. We cannot see the mind or heart, the love or hate the faith or doubt, the sincerely or deception within someone. We can only see or hear what a person does or says. We see their actions, clothes, cleanliness, tattoos, and rings in their noses or tongues. We cannot hear their thoughts or beliefs. We hear their words, comforting or cursing, lying or laughing. So if we cannot see the true person, inside the flesh, all we have left is, as God said, "the outward appearance", plus our past experiences with them, and God's word, to judge who and what they really are. And be sure, we will judge people if we have any dealings with people at all. You will judge the "baggy britches gang" of cursing, sneering, young men, wielding guns, and coming toward you in the Detroit ghetto you get lost in some night ..... The con-artist who calls you on the phone and won't let you say no but rattles off his sales pitch on and on. The guy or gal at work who continually hits on you.... or your wife or husband. The other guy who constantly wants to borrow more money.... The guy who curses every other word. We will judge people. But Jesus said "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." Jn.7:24. The word "appearance" is limited to what we see. How can we "Judge righteous Judgement" if we cannot see into the heart and mind of a person? He must mean to judge people only by the standards of God's word. Jesus was looking into the hearts of the religious leaders, of that day, when he said...."Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." Matt.23:27. These men looked holy on the outside, in their religious regalia, but inside were full of rottenness. 

Good works are mostly outward, visible things like giving, helping, teaching, witnessing, encouraging and showing kindness like the "good Samaritan" in Luke 10. A traveler was attacked, robbed, beaten and left for dead on the Jericho Road. A very religious priest came along and walked around the wounded man. A religious Levite walked by, looked the man over and went on his way. Then an outcast, half-breed Samaritan came along, treated the man's wounds, put him on his donkey, took him to an inn, took care of the man, then left money for the inn-keeper to care for him until he was well and promised to repay any extra when he stopped there the next time. If you looked upon the "appearance" of the priest and Levitt in their religious vestments and upon the common, outcast Samaritan, who would you judge would have showed compassion and helped the helpless man?

James, the half-brother of Jesus, challenged, "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: (but) shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  Jm.2:18. James went on to say, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." Jm.2:26.  Faith itself is invisible, but the "works" of faith are clearly seen by everyone. And yet good works do not necessarily reflect a good heart. Even so, good works, an outward show of true faith, is all we can see and know of a professing Christian's inner faith, heart and commitment to Christ. Those things cannot be seen except by the person's outward actions.

The only way to judge the danger of a spider or snake is by outward appearance.
When my son Rex, his mother and I were discussing this, he saw a small woolly black spider on the door. I looked the spider over (profiled him) and said "He isn't a Black Widow or Brown Recluse so he is probably harmless." Then I realized I was judging that spider by his "outward appearance" not by his little heart which I could not see into. I judge snakes the same way. There are only four poisonous ones natural to the U.S. If the snake isn't a Rattler, Moccasin, Copperhead or Coral, he is not poisonous so I pardon him for looking evil, and let him live. Like it or not, almost everyone judges certain characteristics of people, unknown to them, as a good sign or a bad sign of that person's potential for good or harm and much of the time we will be wrong.

The Apostle Paul warned us to ..."Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil." 1 Thess.5:21-22. We have to judge a thing if we are to "prove" it and "abstain" from it, and if that thing is being offered to us by someone, we have to judge them to be wrong in what they are doing. "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God...." 2 Cor.10:5. Sometimes we have to judge or discriminate or conclude that a person is not the kind of friend God would have us run with. Parents must help their children cull out certain friends whose words and actions reveal who they really are inside. It isn't enough for you teens to second guess your parents by saying,  "Just because he curses, lies, does drugs, steals and gets drunk doesn't mean he is all bad.... nobody is perfect".  The parents opinion is nearly always more perceptive, but even when wrong, they are still God's appointed authority over you.

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."  Eph.5:11. "fellowship" signifies at least one other person. So he is saying, you must determine or judge if the actions and lifestyle of that other person are "unfruitful works of darkness" and then "have no fellowship" with that person but "reprove them". Tell them what they are doing is wrong.

"Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly...." 2 Thess.3:6. Are you judging him if you tell him he is wrong and "withdraw" from him? Not if you are judging his actions or words, as contrary to God's word, and are not condemning him but "reproving" him. I think that would be, in the 
words of Jesus, "righteous judgement". Jn.7:24. RB

How Are We Like Our Creator God ... And Heavenly Father?

The beginning of the human race, of each of us, in the loins of our first father and mother, is recorded in Genesis 1:26-27. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Clearly, God made human beings in His own "image  and likeness" and commanded that we have "dominion", or sovereignty, on earth over every other creature as He has sovereignty over the universe and everything in it. He intended us to be His Children, the King's sons and daughters, princes and princesses to love Him and be loved by Him. 

The word "image" in v.26 is the Hebrew word "tselem" and it means "a visible appearance or presence". Adam and Eve "looked kin to" their Creator, Father, God. A related Hebrew word is "tselel" and means the "shadow" of a visible person or thing of substance and presence.  Real things of substance and presence make shadows. One of the attributes of God is Omnipresence or All-presence. Our Father, God is an infinite presence and we are a tiny finite presence in His "image". This word "image" is exactly the same word which the Prophet Daniel used when he interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar's dream and said, "Thou sawest a great image...." An "image" is an iconic replica of something else. We are, in appearance, in the image of our Father God.

The second word, in v.26 regarding our similitude to our Father, God, is "likeness". The word likeness in Hebrew is "demuth" and means more like "a life in action, emotions, seeing, hearing feeling, tasting, loving and reasoning. We are a finite "image" of our Infinite Creator, Father, as children are in the image of their earthly father. And we are a finite "likeness" of our Infinite heavenly Father's mind, emotions, knowledge, power, presence, talents, reason sovereignty, and free will. He created us sinless as He is sinless but gave us a finite free will to choose, as He has an Infinite Free Will To Choose. We are not God or gods but are "Children" of our Father, who is God.. We have a small "presence" and small "likenesses" of our Heavenly Father. God is Omnipresent; We are mini-present. God is Omnipotent; We have mini-powered, God is Omniscience; We are mini-knowledgeable. God is OmniSovereign; We are mini-sovereign. God has OmniAgape Love; We can receive His love and in turn give a smaller bit of His Agape Love to others. God has OmniWill; we have a mini-will.

The words "image" and "likeness" are two different words. "Image" has more to do with God's outward appearance. "Likeness" has to do more with His inner attributes of character. Likeness is a much deeper characteristic than image and speaks of God's marvelous, inner qualities.

So, since it was our Creator God's infinite,  sovereign will, when He made us, to give us humans a tiny, earthly bit of His universal "dominion", or sovereignty, for our use, free will choices, and responsibility,  He will not overrule Himself. His own sovereign will created us with a will that we might be thinking, decision making, likenesses of Himself , as his children to voluntarily obey and serve Him.

Man's God-given free will to choose was first exercised in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose, by their own human sovereign will, to disobey God and do what He told them not to do. We can't blame their free will, disobedient sin on God. It was His sovereign will that they have a will to decide, but it was their choice to sin ... not His. God allowed Adam and Eve to sin; He did not make or want them to sin. He wanted "children" who would choose to love and obey Him not just images but likenesses of Himself to love and be loved as children not will-less dolls, puppets or pawns.

As a pastor, I have been asked many times, "Why does God let wickedness happen?" The answer is that He, in His sovereign will, gave us a bit of sovereign will and will not override His own sovereign will with another sovereign will. If He did it would mean He made a mistake and was wrong in giving that bit of His own "likeness" to us. He does not make mistakes.

That is why he came to earth as the Son of God, in a human body, so that body of flesh could die and pay His own determined price of sin, death, in our place for our sins. Thus, He opened the door of redemption that "whosoever will" may be saved. Rev.22:17. He paid the price and bought us back to restore us, as He first created us in the Garden .... as His children, in His image and likeness .... if we will accept Jesus Christ's death to cover our guilt of sin. RB

Suspicion, Surmising, Gossip, Rumor, Accusation, Arrest And Conviction Of Innocence

It is hardly true that "things are not always what they appear". Things are never exactly what they appear. Situations are far too complicated for all their facets to appear ... on the surface. People are always, at least somewhat, different in public than at home and even more different in their heart of hearts than even there. Only God and they know their true self. That is why Jesus cautioned us, "Judge not, that ye be not judged". Matt.7:1. The Judging person will always judge either too harshly or too leniently ... but never exactly accurately.

We are all complicated and uniquely designed, widely and variably experienced, and each exposed to millions of differing environments and associations, thoughts and responses.

Of necessity we must draw certain personal conclusions and suppositions of situations and of people, in order to make decisions. But human surmisings are never quite on target and must, therefore, be controlled lest they become unjust, suspicious and "evil surmisings". "He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings ...." 1 Tim.6:4.

It happened to Jesus. He was mistrusted, then suspected, then rumored, then accused of being a "glutton", of being a "drunkard", of being allied with "evil" associates, and finally of being possessed of the devil and was crazy....
Matthew 11:19   "The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners." It got worse in John 10:20 "And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?"

All of these accusations, no doubt, played a part in the public outcry that Jesus be executed. Now, how do you suppose God judged those judgers of Jesus?

We must be very careful about suspicions, "gossip" and "evil surmisings". This means guarding our thoughts, our tongues .... and our ears, against hearing, thinking or gossiping about others. The consequences are far too destructive and we shall give an account for "evil surmisings", and "gossip" to our great judge. Each of us has control or what we think and say to the detriment of others. RB
"And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets."  1 Cor.14:32. 

Just One Remedy For This Terminal Condition

Be sure of this .... If you allow a sin, any sin, to remain in your life, without dealing with it, like a single cancer cell, it will reproduce itself, compounded into a multitude of other cells or sins ... and eventually destroy your life. That is why God's word declares flatly ... "The wages of sin is death...." Rom.6:23.

Sin, unrepented to God,  destroys our closeness to Him, if not his love for us. The word "death" literally means "separation". Physical death is separation of the spirit (life) from the body. Spiritual death is separation of life and body from God for eternity and is called the "second death" in Rev.21:8. "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

Sin has become the substance and punch line of most comedians. It is the cause of most divorces and the reason for wars, crime, drug addiction, prostitution and all manner of corruption and dishonesty. As bad as all that is, it does not even begin to reveal the full measure of it's awfulness, in the mind of God. Heb.1:9 says, "God hates iniquity...." 

There are only three ways to measure how much God hates sin. One is by the enormous consequences He assigns to it. "Death ... the lake of fire ... for eternity. Eternal damnation upon all sin unrepentant of and unforgiven of God. That is sin which has not been washed away under the blood of Christ's crucifixion which only happens to those who have not repented and accepted Him as their Savior. That is what the entire Bible and Christs first coming is all about.

That brings us to the second means of measuring  the awfulness of sin, in God's mind. And that is by the price He was willing to pay to redeem us from our sin's equally awful consequences .... the hellish pain and horrific death of His only begotten Son on  that Roman Cross, in our place, for our sins, to save us sinners.

Finally, the third way to measure the awfulness of sin .... the amazing grace and the amount of agape love God had to have for us sinners that would cause Him to be willing to pay "the wages of sin" for us with the awful agony and death of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

All of that being considered, within our limited ability to even comprehend it, it makes no sense and deserves no mercy upon sinners who neglect or reject God's only remedy.... Christ's death... "...So that they are without excuse." Rom.120.

An Intellectual once asked me, "Blair, doesn't it bother you that sophisticated people might think you ignorant for believing that stuff?"  My answer, as best I remember, was ... "There are several tribes of fire ants in my back yard, all of whom believe only in the circle of their territory, what they can see, eat and defend ...  within the bounds of their senses and brain power. In their brains, my yard is all there is and the rest of the world, the sky, the Bible, God and eternity do not exist." RB 

Denzel Washington An Avowed Christian?

I haven't been to a movie in many years so I am not aware of the parts Denzel Washington plays or anything else about him except that he is a famous actor.
His pastor father and his mother are obviously Christians ... but what about him?
A secular news source, The Political Insider, did the following story about him in which he testifies to being a Christian. If he has the courage and conviction to admit it publically, in spite of Hollywood's influence, he very well might be.
Jesus said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Matt.7:1. Remember this is being reported on by a secular news source, The Political Insider. RB

Famous Actor Denzel Washington 
Said THIS About the Bible
From The Political Insider

There are plenty of reasons to think famous actor Denzel Washington would be a liberal. He’s a talented black actor who has been a success in Hollywood (two Academy Awards!). Statistics would make him highly likely to be an Obama-supporting secular liberal.

But that’s wrong! And Denzel’s comments about the Bible and his relationship with the Holy Scripture are extraordinary. He is a patriot, and is unafraid to reject the radical atheists on the Left Coast.

As he said in an interview, Denzel Washington is a proud Christian:

“I read from the Bible every day, and I read my Daily Word,” he told a reporter, adding that it was not difficult for him to grow up as the son of a preacher. “He wasn’t a taskmaster, but there were certain things you couldn’t do,” Washington said. “He had his own church, and it was a long Sunday, because you had to be there all day.”

“Everyone I grew up with didn’t have a father,” he continued. “I had a father. My father was a decent man. He was a very spiritual man and a gentleman.” He didn’t like going to Church when he was younger. But then he had a truly personal experience with Jesus Christ. And the rest is history!

“The minister was preaching, ‘Just let it go,’” Washington recalled. “I said, ‘I’m going to go with it.’ And I had this tremendous physical and spiritual experience.” “It did frighten me,” he said. “I was slobbering, crying, sweating. My cheeks blew up. I was purging. It was too intense.” He had plenty of questions – like any Christian does – and he continues to pray on a daily basis to guide him through his career:

“It almost drove me away. I called my mother, and she said I was being filled with the Holy Spirit,” he recounted. “I was like, ‘Does that mean I can never have wine again?’” Ever since that day, Washington has been a proud Christian, even going so far as to consider becoming a preacher.

“A part of me still says, ‘Maybe, Denzel, you’re supposed to preach. Maybe you’re still compromising,’” he said during a 1999 interview.

In the end, Washington decided to stick to playing preachers in the movies. He did, however, offer some creative advice for staying close to God every day.

“Put your slippers way under your bed so when you get up in the morning, you have to get on your knees to find them. And while you’re down there, start your day with prayer. Ask for wisdom. Ask for understanding,” he said. “Don’t aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference.” What a role model! He looks to a higher power, and is humbled by his God-given talents. By showing others how he lives his life, he is a great example for young people who might try to make it in Hollywood. No matter what, prayer and a personal relationship to God are essential to live a good life.

Where Is The Righteous Premium?

The rich sometimes think their wealth is the best measure of human success, purpose and ... even righteousness. The educated often see higher education in the same light ... as godliness. The famous are also susceptible to that same illusion. Strangely, a similar illusion exists in some people who are in poverty, uneducated or feel like they are nobodys. They sometimes worship the wealthy, highly educated, famous, movie stars, sports idols and even preachers, which is worse. There are even people in poverty or ignominy who think their lack of wealth, fame and education is a sacrificial, righteous order of some kind and see the rich and famous as their enemies.

The truth is, there is no special premium or goodness in any of it ... in God's eyes. God so loved the whole world that he gave Jesus to die that whosoever believes on him will receive everlasting life. God puts the premium on believers in Christ and obeyers of His word. More exactly, righteousness is not so much what is seen, outwardly, as it is an inner grace of God in the heart and mind.  "... The LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." 1 Sam.16:7.

The "righteous premium" is accurately measured only by God and never by man or woman. And that righteousness is not even their own, who possess it, but God's righteousness bestowed upon them when they repent and are converted.  As Isaiah testified in Isaiah 61:10.... "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the  robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth  herself  with her jewels." All true righteousness is God's righteousness ... within Himself or bestowed upon those who were created to be in His image and likeness before sin marred us. Jesus came to restore us to that image and likeness. Here is where eternity hangs, not in our personal goodness, not in our self-righteousness. RB

Image Of The Beast, Cyber Person & New Human Information Warehouses

Common Sense Commentary: Technological developments and recent signs of the latter days are somewhat like a heavily loaded freight train going downhill with brakes burned out. Its speed, regardless of braking, continues to increase as it descends, faster and faster to the bottom ... where the track ends. Enjoy the trip ... Jesus will return before this trip terminates at the bottom of time.

The Image of the Beast

Revelation 13:13-15

"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed."

The "Image of the Beast" is probably a technological means of replicating the mind and global agenda of the Beast in a virtual, cyber, robotic form. RB

Another Brain/Machine combination
development article I found in the
British, Daily Mail under Science &
Tech, is this: RB

The real-life Matrix: MIT researchers 
reveal interface that can allow a 
computer to plug into the brain 

.

It has been the holy grail of science fiction - an interface that allows us to plug our brain into a computer. Now, researchers at MIT have revealed new fibers less than a width of a hair that could make it a reality. They say their system that could deliver optical signals and drugs directly into the brain, along with electrical readouts to continuously monitor the effects of the various inputs. 

HOW IT WORKS 

The new fibers are made of polymers that closely resemble the characteristics of neural tissues. Combining the different channels could enable precision mapping of neural activity, and ultimately treatment of neurological disorders, that would not be possible with single-function neural probes. 'We're building neural interfaces that will interact with tissues in a more organic way than devices that have been used previously,' said MIT's Polina Anikeeva, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering. The human brain's complexity makes it extremely challenging to study not only because of its sheer size, but also because of the variety of signaling methods it uses simultaneously.

____________________________________

The absolute global control the Antichrist will have on the entire world of people would seem to indicate his use of ultra high-tech computer development  which enables him to maintain a detailed record of every human being on Earth and all human necessities and services. This global ID system will obviously give the beast or Antichrist the ability to not only "equalize" goods and services globally, but also give him the means of cutting off those things to people unmarked, unidentifiable, uncooperative or undesirable.

Even now our government and those of other countries are developing human records warehouses of personal information. They are letting out contracts to hi-tech companies to develop and run these so called "Information Warehouses".  RB


This From The Weekly Standard

National and Global Warehouses of personal Information being developed on every human being on earth.


Feds Looking for Company to Run 'National Data Warehouse' for Obamacare, Medicare

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is looking for vendors to run its "National Data Warehouse," a database for "capturing, aggregating, and analyzing information" related to beneficiary and customer experiences with Medicare and the federal Obamacare marketplaces. Although the database primarily consists of quality control metrics related to individuals' interactions with customer service, potential contractors are to "demonstrate ... experience with scalability and security in protecting data and information with customer, person-sensitive information including Personal Health Information and Personally Identifiable information (personal health records, etc.)." Vendors are also instructed that one of the requirements of a possible future contract would be "ensuring that all products developed and delivered adhere to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance standards."

For a number of years, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the division of HHS responsible for Medicare and now Obamacare also, has maintained a "national data warehouse" (NDW) related to the 1-800-MEDICARE helpline. The passage of the Affordable Care Act and subsequent establishment of the Marketplaces has expanded the scope of the NDW. The CMS notice explains the NDW as follows:

The NDW acts as the central repository for capturing, aggregating, and analyzing information related to the beneficiary experience with Medicare and the consumer experience with Marketplaces. The NDW also serves as a foundation for operational and management reporting to support improved decision-making, business practices, and services to callers.
The type of data included in the NDW "includes information for CMS’ Virtual Contact Center operations including, but not necessarily limited to" items such as "Workforce management data,""Quality monitoring," "Medicare disenrollments," "Beneficiary satisfaction surveys," and "Web Chat metrics." The NDW is part of CMS's larger $15 billion "Virtual Data Center" program awarded to multiple vendors in 2012. The eventual vendor for the NDW must be able to integrate and share data with the other Virtual Data Center vendors.
The description for the "NDW Functional Requirements" included thirty-six items, several with multiple subpoints, and even this list is not meant to be "all inclusive" according to CMS. In addition to these functions, the "contractor shall implement a security program that adheres to CMS security standards." Interested vendors have until January 19, 2015, to respond.

_______________________

And this from Discover Magazine.com

Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and 

the Risks of Artificial Intelligence

Technology enhanced with artificial intelligence is all around us. You might have a robot vacuum cleaner ready to leap into action to clean up your kitchen floor. Maybe you asked Siri or Google—two apps using decent examples of artificial intelligence technology—for some help already today. The continual enhancement of AI and its increased presence in our world speak to achievements in science and engineering that have tremendous potential to improve our lives. Or destroy us.

At least, that’s the central theme in the new Avengers: Age of Ultron movie with headliner Ultron serving as exemplar for AI gone bad. It’s a timely theme, given some high-profile AI concerns lately. But is it something we should be worried about?


Artificial Intelligence Gone Rogue

How bad is Ultron? The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe lists his occupation as “would-be conquerer, enslaver of men” with genius intelligence, superhuman speed, stamina, reflexes, and strength, subsonic flight speed, and demi-godlike durability. The good news is that Ultron has “normal” agility and “average hand to hand skills.” Meaning if you can get in close to an autonomous robot with superhuman speed, you should be good to go. At least briefly.

But perhaps most importantly, Ultron represents the ultimate example of artificial intelligence applications gone wrong: intelligence that seeks to overthrow the humans who created it.

Subsequent iterations of Ultron were self-created, each one getting stronger, smarter, and more bent on fulfilling two main desires: survival and bringing peace and order to the universe. The unfortunate part for us humans is that Ultron would like to bring peace and order by eliminating all other intelligent life in the universe. The main theme in Age of Ultron is this fictional conflict between biological beings and artificial intelligence (with a mean streak). But how fictional is it?

Thinking Machines

The answers are found in scientific research related to the fields of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and artificial life. These are fields that continue to expand at a ridiculous, if not superhuman, pace.

One of the most recent breakthroughs was a study in which Volodymyr Mnih and colleagues at Google DeepMind challenged a neural network to learn how to play video games.

The point was to see if the software (rather ominously called a “deep Q-network agent”) could apply lessons learned in one game to master another game. For more than half of the games examined, the deep Q-network agent was better than human level. This list includes Boxing, Video Pinball, Robotank (a favorite of mine), and Tutankham.

And though arcade games may seem trivial, the takeaway here really had nothing to do with games per se. The relevance is that an AI system could adapt its skills to situations for which its programmer had never prepared it. The AI was effectively learning how to apply skills in a new way, basically thinking on its own. Which is relevant in considering the possibility of an AI going rogue.

IBM's Watson computer is a well-known instance of AI. Credit: Clockready IBM’s Watson computer is a well-known instance of AI. Credit: Clockready Sounding an Alarm

So, is this a problem? Coverage in popular media often seems to give the spin that machine learning and artificial intelligence are things to fear. There is a boundary that separates helpful applications of AI—imagine a scenario of robot-conducted surgery performed in a remote community and overseen by a physician in a distant location—from truly frightening scenarios of near-future military applications. Imagine the combination of current combat drone technology with artificial intelligence computer engines giving independence to machine warfare.

The real problem is that we don’t often recognize that we have crossed these kinds of boundaries until we are already on the other side. In science we often push to discover and apply things before we truly understand all the implications—both positive and negative—that will accompany them. We often do things because we can without fully considering if we should, in fact, do them at all.

It’s a sentiment that has been surprisingly echoed among various tech cognoscenti in recent months. In late 2014, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told an MIT symposium, “I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it’s probably that.” And in January he put his money behind the cause, donating $10 million to a non-profit for AI safety.

Bill Gates revealed his reservations about AI in a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session later that same month, writing, “I agree with Elon Musk and some others on this and don’t understand why some people are not concerned.”

And last year, Stephen Hawking co-authored an article on the risks of AI, saying it could be the “worst mistake in history.”

A Different Vision

Central to these concerns is artificial intelligence’s theoretical independence from human regulatory interaction. To avoid such extreme independence—and that sci-fi end-game of Ultron—maybe we’d be better off adopting the approach of “collaborative intelligence” as computer scientist Susan Epstein proposed in a recent study.

We traditionally build machines because we need help, Epstein writes. But perhaps a less-capable machine could be equally helpful, by allowing humans to do things that they’re better at anyway, such as pattern recognition and problem solving. In other words, built-in inabilities in our intelligent robots could allow them to perform their jobs better while keeping them in check—though at the cost of requiring more interaction with their human overseers.

In the tradition of sci-fi futurists Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and Isaac Asimov, the future is “supposed to be a fully automated, atomic-powered, germ-free utopia” Daniel H. Wilson wrote some years back. A collaborative view of AI, on the other hand, equates to thinking about robots as tools—sometimes very smart ones—that humans can employ and work with rather than a replacement for humans altogether.

This view, though, is at odds with the imperative to instrument and mechanize operations of all sorts wherever they are found. The end game—as Ultron’s creators discover—has disastrous ramifications. We all get to enjoy watching this dystopian future play out on the big screen this week. Luckily for our future selves, in the real world these conversations are still happening as we continue to progress toward smarter and smarter machines.

But maybe not too smart. I still want to win at Robotank.

Top image courtesy Marvel