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Смотреть Угол. Раиса Скрынник. Что даёт молитва Духом онлайн.
Должен ли человек всегда соглашаться с тем, что приходит в его жизнь, принимать и смиряться с тем, что диктует объективная реальность? Проблемы, потери, болезни, страдания. Насколько предназначена наша судьба и где рамки человеческих возможностей что-то изменить?
Угол. Раиса Скрынник. Что даёт молитва Духом
Смотреть Угол. Раиса Скрынник. Что даёт молитва Духом онлайн.
4 комментария
I understand this story happen 4 year ago. You talk about rheumatoid arthritis, osteomyelitis and have no idea what it really is. What doctors did for your son? They put him in wheelchair,even Stanford doctor look so unproffesional and unethical. Who has any knowledge in medicine know that story has many make up moment. It is not helpful for christianity and faith.
Fedor, you expressed too much of misunderstandings. Perhaps, you need an appropriate translation. My son was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. All Med. staff was ethical and appropriate. They operated within the scope of the hospital's policies. However, because my son couldn't step on his foot, I was concerned and decided to get an answer from God. During my prayer, God showed me a vision that my son has an infected hip (osteomyelitis), and that God is healing him. My son received a divine healing (during the prayer the bone infection found a way and migrated to the muscle space). Med. Doctor has changed the diagnosis after I requested MRI and proper drainage procedure. All records are well documented and available. After all procedures, I received a phone call from the Infectious Department stating that it is scientifically impossible to explain the process of the illness, therefore, they asked me if they can research my son's immune system regarding his reaction to recent bone infection.
i do not understand,how you let your kid to practice karate,where you now this isnt just a sport.It is spiritual based marshal art. Parents wake up! To whom you give your child.
Tolik, Sport in my family is used for self-defense reasons. My husband was practicing it, and like any sport, karate helps you to stay in good shape. It is just a sport. In this case there were no spiritual connections. If you want to go deeper and practice spiritual bases with marshal art, you can. However, neither my son nor my husband ever practiced spiritual marshal sport.


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Springfield, Mo , 65804
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We are very excited about our newest addition to the PQ Bookshelf. WOODCHUCKcase. Started by two young Minnesota entrepreneurs who are creating beautiful real wood skins for iPhones, iPad's, laptops and more. Their story is not unlike Mrs.PQ's and myself. Started out of their houses, prototyping and eventually brought these gorgeous USA made products to market.
Their passion is to make beautiful wood products, keeping it local and employing sustainable processes throughout manufacturing. The fit could not be better as we love: Minnesota, wood, keeping it local and really cool devices. PQ always offers FREE domestic shipping so try out a Woodchuck skin for iPhone 5 or 4/4S with one of our cases. 30 Day money back guarantee makes it fairly risk free!
Keep and eye out for more Woodchuck products at PadandQuill.com and a TOP SECRET future collaboration that is stunning. Let's just say aluminum, wood and leather can make something quite stunning.
Mr. PQ


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Wiggly SafariReviewing: The Wiggles Wiggly Safari | Rating:
This Wiggles dvd has Steve Irwin and he sings and dances with The Wiggles, what's not to love? It is a good dvd, some of the songs aren't our personal favorites but other kids I know like them so it depends on the kid. I find myself humming the songs even when the video isn't one, they are catchy.
We got this dvd after Steve Irwins death so it was a little hard to watch at first, I got teary but after a few minutes just the fun he had making this show with his wife and daughter and the Wiggles, I forgot about him being dead and just enjoyed what I was seeing.
It holds her attention even better than the TV show, and she sits as if in a trance when it's on. This DVD is set outdoors, at the Australian Zoo so had a lot of animals and informative bits about them. It's a good video and I highly recommend it.
the special features are good too, lots of animal pictures and a way to choose just the songs and not have to watch the whole video.


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Star Wars Rebels™ is now airing on the Disney XD network! Keep the excitement growing by adding our Star Wars Rebels playing cards to your store shelves.
Star Wars Rebels takes place in a time where the Empire is securing its grip on the galaxy, hunting down the last of the Jedi Knights as a rebellion begins to take shape. This deck of playing cards, available in a standard tuck box, as well as a really cool embossed, collectible tin, features all your favorite characters and vehicles with unique images on each card.
Contact our VP of Retail Sales, Mike Snider, and get these popular decks in your stores now!
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Hello world!
I've spent a good many years completely oblivious to the blogging community, so the welcome message that was put up as my first post was nice to see. I can't help but appreciate a world where I can reach millions of people I don't even know, with material that may not really be worth reading…….… Continue reading Hello world!


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Tacoma Police Department
Officer Involved Domestic Violence Policy
From the City of Tacoma, Washington
February 11, 2004
Captain Tom Strickland, Tacoma Police Department, (253) 591-5556
Scott Huntley, Communications Supervisor, (253) 591-5791
Tacoma Police Department unveils new domestic violence policies
The Tacoma Police Department will present its new officer-involved domestic violence policies to the Council's Committee of the Whole 4:30 p.m. Feb. 12. The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers, first floor Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St.
The policies are the result of an extraordinary collaboration between local and regional law enforcement personnel, City and community leaders, domestic violence advocates and victims from across the nation. Experts were consulted and specific ideas on officer-involved domestic violence were gleaned from other police department policies throughout the nation.
"The Tacoma Police Department seeks to implement a policy that promotes victim safety, allows for intervention, and holds abusive officers accountable for their actions while protecting their rights to due process," said Diane Wettendorf, nationally-renowned domestic violence advocate and author.
The new Tacoma policies will implement the most effective strategies for dealing with police as perpetrators and/or victims of domestic violence. The goals of the policies are:
Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell commented, "These policies underscore our commitment to maintaining a work environment that does not tolerate domestic violence. We aim to ensure a secure reporting process for victims of domestic violence and to respond swiftly to their need for safety and confidentiality."


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Or spend a quiet evening, chatting over a cuppa.
Earlier, this place used to be very quiet and serene. People, mostly the ones from abroad, sit around with something to eat or drink and with a paper or a book. Away from the noisy main road, the mornings are especially beautiful here ... with the morning sun streaming in through the few casurinas that dot the courtyard.
Of late, as more and more people came to know about this, it is not as serene anymore. People come in droves, shout and laugh and talk loudly, yell at the servers and demand numerous changes to their menus, etc. etc.
It is because of this noisy crowd that we have almost stopped going there in the mornings. But when in need of a quick homely dinner, we do go down and take a table inside. The fluffy hot rotis, the beautiful dal and very light on spices sabzi satisfies us hugely. And lulls us to a quiet peace .... makes us ready to face another mad week the next day.
This weekend, as we sat waiting for our lunch to arrive, I noticed a group of young men in a table outside. There must have been around 8 or 9 of them .... all well dressed in casuals except two who were in formals. Chatting and laughing a lot.
A couple more joined them later and there was a lot of handshakes, hugs and back slapping and laughing. They arranged chairs and adjusted their seating.
I was watching their bonhomie and thought of my college days and my friends .... almost all of whom are now settled in different cities.
And as I sat there watching them, something struck me odd.
And then I knew what it was!
There was no noise or sound coming from them.
All that laughing and talking would have surely created a cacophony by now .... yet, it was very quiet everywhere.
I did notice that they were moving their hands a lot when talking but all that gesticulating did not strike odd to me until I realised that they could not speak or hear!!
They were talking through their hands!
I watched them, totally mersmerised now. Luckily they were outside in the sun, and hence could not see me gawking rudely at them.
The server came and took their orders. They communicated with a lot of smiles.
Then they went back to chatting again.
And I watched them .... with just a little hint of jealousy.
Nobody could know what they were talking or joking about.
They were so happy in their own world.
And somewhere deep inside me, I secretly wished I could be a part of their quiet, peaceful world.
But since this was for lunch, I quickly clicked a few photos.
There is not much to making this fried rice. I follow Kylie Kwong when it comes to Chinese cuisine.
I love her simple, quick dishes with light and fresh ingredients.
I make this fried the same way she had made once on her show.
She had used just spring onions and eggs but I do throw in lots of vegetables to make this a complete, one pot meal. Some left over cooked rice from the fridge, a couple of eggs and some of your favourite vegetables ... and you are good to go.
Need :
Leftover cooked rice - 1 cup
Eggs - 2
Chopped ginger - 1 tsp
Chopped garlic - 1 tsp
Chopped vegetables - I used baby corn, red capsicum, onions, green chillies, green peas, etc.
Chilli vinegar - 2 tsp
Fresh ground pepper - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - a pinch
Cooking oil - 2 tsp
How to :
Beat the eggs with salt + a little chilli vinegar.
Heat oil.
Add eggs and scramble.
Remove while still soft.
Add chopped garlic + ginger + baby corn+ red capsicum + onions to the oil.
Toss well on high heat.
Add left over rice + salt + a pinch of sugar.
Add the eggs.
Toss well on high heat.
Do not lower heat and keep tossing well.
I add a dash of chilli vinegar and soy too. You may or may not.
Add freshly crushed black pepper.
Sprinkle green chillies and serve hot.
Quick and easy.


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RALEIGH — The North Carolina Historical Commission Confederate Monuments Study Committee will meet via conference call at 4 p.m. Monday.
During the meeting, the committee intends to determine parameters for an upcoming public meeting where members of the public may express their views on a proposal to relocate three Confederate monuments from the State Capitol grounds in Raleigh to the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site in Four Oaks.
Listen to the meeting via Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/ncculture.
Members of the public may also use an online portal to comment on the proposal to relocate three Confederate monuments from the State Capitol grounds to the Bentonville Battlefield. The online comment portal is available at https://www.ncdcr.gov/comment-relocation-monuments.


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lousubcap said:
Gives the salsa a subtle smoke flavor and gets the skin out of the game. Make a batch one way and the other and see what you prefer.
XL BGE, Klose BYC, ProQ Excel, Weber Kettle, Firepit, Grand Turbo gasser, and a portable Outdoor Gourmet gasser for tailgating
San Antonio, TX


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Louis Vuitton 2017 Petite Malle iPhone CasesAccessories
In 2014, Louis Vuitton debuted the still-coveted Petite Malle, a mini bag that resembles a classic, luxury trunk and nods to the brand's history in trunkmaking.
And today, the fashion house introduced an even smaller version to the world: the Petite Malle phone case. It made its debut on the runway during Louis Vuitton's Spring 2017 Ready-to-Wear show at Paris Fashion Week. As seen on Teen Vogue's Instagram story, shown to us by up-and-coming runway model Theresa Hayes, the seriously chic cell phone holder looks exactly like a tiny Petite Malle bag — complete with the structured, accented trim and metallic hinges — and it can even be carried like one, too. The case has a carrying strap and key ring attachment, so you can wear it just like you would your most sophisticated purses.
It's been an uphill battle successfully selling the notion of wearable tech to a luxury shopper—but if there's anything that could make the notion seductive, it might just be a Petite Malle iPhone case. While it's not "wearable tech" in the truest sense of the word, this snap shared by Nicolas Ghesquière has whet our appetites for what might come down the house's Spring catwalk tomorrow.
In it, the designer holds a phone kitted out in what looks to be a case modeled after the house's much-coveted Petite Malle. Debuted with Ghesquière's inaugural Vuitton collection back in 2014, the purse style nods to the storied brand's beginnings as a maker of luxury trunks and steamers. Whether this newest iteration of the tiny It bag is a one-off for Ghesquière, or a piece that will be shoppable come Spring 2017, we'll wait with bated breath to see. Check back tomorrow to see the full Vuitton Spring 2017 collection.
Sure there were bags galore that came down the runway during Louis Vuitton'sSpring-Summer 2017 presentation in Paris held just yesterday. Some old, some new and if I might add now, some that are really pretty as well. But the one thing that enthralled everyone at the show and on social media has got to be these: Petite Malle iPhone cases that will come in most every colour under the sun by way of the exotic options, as well as others that come in the luxury house's iconic monogram, from regular Monogram Canvas with black trim to the new Reverse Monogram. There's even one in Black and White, which is love.
No word yet on their exact release dates or if they will come in iPhone7/iPhone7Plussizes, but I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) so crossed on this. One more thing before I sign off, you see the dangling luggage tag that hangs from each case? Look closely and you'll see earbuds as well, which is a pretty swish way of storing them when they are not in use.
If you own one of the chicest phones (read iPhone) in the world, it is only legit to wrap it in a case that is equally luxe. Although each one of us are constantly clinging to our handy's, the poor phone case is clearly an accessory that stays ignored. Rescuing this sinking fate of designer phone cases is artist Nicolas Ghesquiere, who recently created uber-fancy covers for the iPhone, as part of the LV Spring 2017 collection.
Taking inspiration from the brand's petit Malle trunk bag (that immediately turned into a sensation post its 2014 release), Ghesquiere's dapper covers are already garnering much attention. Apart from the iconic monogram version, the case will also be seen in a golden metallic, a blue and red crocodile print as well as in the brand's signature Damier print. Further, it comes with four solid metallic corners, toggles and tiny studs. Functionally on track, the case also gives users an identical holder for the easily displaceable AirPods.
Hours before its ultimate debut at the Paris Fashion week, Ghesquiere was also seen teasing fans through a series of posts on Instagram. While the LV Malle bag retails for $5,200, not much is known as to the pricing of these luxury iPhone cases at this point. However, since we are all clamoring for the perfect hair, clothes and make up, why leave our iPhone from basking in some luxury of its own?
Tag: Louis Vuitton iPhone Petite Malle Cases
Louis Vuitton Petite Malle Souple BagHandbags
First the idea was simple – take the classic trunk and shrink it into a shoulder bag. Of course the idea was not only legendary, but it was also mixed with Louis Vuitton's craftsmanship. The bag represents boldness and stylish statement. The original Louis Vuitton Petite Malle Bag was launched in the Fall Winter 2014 Collection, it was adorned with the crosses signature of the world traveler Albert Kahn. (p.s. also available in Monogram Canvas, as well as in Epi Leather)
When a bag becomes hot, expand! For the Cruise 2015 Collection, Louis Vuitton took the Petite Malle Shoulder Bag to the next stage. Now instead of mirroring the Maison's heritage trunkmaking style, the fashion brand literally modernized it. Each side features a strong and bold stick.
And they are getting better and better, for the Spring Summer 2015 Collection, Louis Vuitton announced the new Petite Malle Souple Bag. It's not easy to carry a boxy and hard bag around your shoulder, so Nicolas designed a new one that is so much softer. Instead of the crosses signature, it comes with a chic tag and its perfect for casual use.
So what do you think?
Tag: Louis Vuitton Bag Petite Malle Souple
Louis Vuitton Petite Malle BagHandbags
Well, well, well, looks who has been launched? Something that we've been waiting for, far too long!
Already featured and interviewed on our site, for at least twice in the past six months, I don't think the Louis Vuitton Petite Malle Bag needs any extensive introduction. Let's just say that it's from Nicolas Ghesquière's first collection, and let's us just say that its inspired by the iconic trunks created in the 1800's and let's just say that its mixed with Louis Vuitton craftsmanship and deliciously embellished with either Monogram Canvas, Damier Canvas and Epi Leather.
A historical bag with an inspiring story on your shoulder, Nicolas wants you to own a piece of Louis Vuitton's rich heritage of travelling. He wants you to understand the design is breathtaking, exceptional and never-seen-before. You're the fashion garl, the street is your catwalk, take this bold and stylish statement and flaunt it like there is no tomorrow.
The Louis Vuitton Petite Malle Bag comes in three bodies; the Monogram Canvas, the Damier Canvas and in Epi Leather or Metallic Epi Leather. It features a calfskin leather strap that can be removed anytime. Refined with golden hardware including the S-lock and magnetic closure. The bag is lined with super soft lambskin.
For those who have an exceptional love for fashion, the Louis Vuitton Petite Malle Bag is not just a bag, it's a long-lasting piece, something that you can keep forever, timeless. It's also printed with three crosses signature of beau monde photographer Albert Khan, which makes it more desirable.
Louis Vuitton Monogram Petite Malle Bag
Size: 7′ x 4.7′ x 1.5′
Louis Vuitton Damier Petite Malle Bag
Size: 7′ x 4.7′ x 1.5′
Louis Vuitton Epi Petite Malle Bag
Size: 7′ x 4.7′ x 1.5′
Louis Vuitton Epi Petite Malle Bag
Size: 7′ x 4.7′ x 1.5′
Tag: Louis Vuitton Bag Petite Malle
Let's Take A Look At The New Replica Louis Vuitton Petite Malle Bag!Handbags
Even though I don't usually trust blogs for buying replica bags, I know that is a safe place. You get to find out more details about their replica bags before you actually buy them, which is a good thing.
If you've ever wanted to order from them and never knew how it actually works, you'll find your answer in this Mybagsshoes.com review. Plus, this is our occasion to take a look at a brand new replica Louis Vuitton bag!
Mybagsshoes.com is a blog for designer bags lovers that is actually meant to promote their replica bags. You can find reviews of the bags they have and then at the end of the post they usually mention the colors and the models they have in stock and the prices. If you want to order, all you have to do is write a comment or contact them by email or by WeChat.
Now here is the Mybagsshoes.com review I received and some photos of the replica Louis Vuitton Monogram Petite Malle bag!
"Hi Eva!
I'm excited to tell you I am now the proud owner of the replica LV Petite Malle bag. The bag is pretty new and it wasn't easy to find a good replica, but I think I made the right choice in the end.
I found a blog post about it on Mybagsshoes.com and I knew I just have to have it! The bag is a bit pricey though so I had to save up some money first. I sent them an email a month ago asking if the Monogram Petite Malle is still available, they said it was and then I requested some photos of the bag. I was happy with how we communicated by email, they were always prompt and answered all my questions.
They said it would take about 10 days for the bag to arrive and it actually arrived after 11 days, which I think is really ok.
Now I don't know if this is the best replica or not but overall I am very pleased with it! Since the bag is new, I couldn't find any guides and not even many photos of it, so I'd really appreciate your thoughts!
Can't wait to hear from you!"
I understand why you couldn't wait to own this Louis Vuitton replica bag, it's an amazing piece! Still, just like you said, this is a new model and it usually takes about 6 months to get it right. So it's too soon to say if this is the best Louis Vuitton replica Petite Malle bag or not, since some of the replica sites I trust the most for replica LV bags don't even have it yet.
Overall the bag looks good: I like the shape, the Monogram Canvas and the lining; the leather looks really beautiful! The color of the hardware is also spot on.
Still, some essential details of the original bag got seriously overlooked! First, it should be printed with three red crosses on the front left side. The bag should also feature the LV signature S-lock with a keyhole in the middle. On the left of the keyhole you should see the "Made in France" engraving and on the right "Louis Vuitton". This only goes for the Monogram model, the Epi leather, Metallic Epi and Damier Petite Malle bags don't feature the keyhole in the middle.
I'm sure that we can expect a better version of the replica Louis Vuitton Petite Malle bag in the future, we just need to give it some time! But don't get me wrong, this bag looks surprisingly good too considering how new it is!
What do you girls think of this LV replica bag?
Tag: Louis Vuitton Bag replica Petite Malle
Louis Vuitton Petite Malle Bag For Cruise 2015 CollectionHandbags
The Cruise 2015 Collection? You ask…
But, but the Fall Winter 2014 Collection has just been released?
Oh yes, I know what you mean. It's like going to a restaurant and when the main dish has just been served, they throw a dessert card in your face. Ouch! But that's the way it works in the fashion world, nothing to do about it.
Please meet the Louis Vuitton Petite Malle Bag from the Cruise 2015 Collection, the evolution version of the Petite Malle Bag from the Fall Winter 2014 Collection. And oh boy, how they altered the design.
The original Petite Malle Shoulder Bag was made to mirror the classic trunks, which is lovely. But the new Petite Malle from the Cruise 2015 is nothing like that. I mean, it still got the iconic S-Lock, but the body has been totally modernized. It's like a cosmetic box, but a more luxurious version.
While the original version comes with a strap, the latest version is beautified with removable chain straps. It can be changed into a clutch bag anytime, to help you go through the nights, with glam.
Finished with Epi Leather, it's a true luxury item, make it a part of your collection. This is the first-look, meaning the prices and sizes has not been published yet. More information will follow soon.
Tag: Louis Vuitton Bag Petite Malle
La Petite Malle Fine Jewelry CollectionJewelry & Watches
In his Fall 2014 fashion show, Nicolas Ghesquière paid tribute to the legendary Louis Vuitton trunk with a piece of fine jewelry, "La Petite Malle", to wear as a distinctive pendant.
With over 150 years of history, Louis Vuitton trunks are the secular emblems of the House, synonymous with travel, adventure, exploration, secrets, and treasures. For his very first women's collection, Nicolas Ghesquière specifically designed miniature trunks to wear as a minaudière bag and as a refined 18 carat yellow gold pendant, as seen here.
This precious talisman will now dress women's necklines in the form of three different trunks to choose from: a cubic trunk in Epi gold, an open trunk with compartments, and a rectangular trunk in sandy gold. Welcome from parajumpers shop to purchase.
The exact design of the historical Louis Vuitton trunk is recreated with thorough craftsmanship: corner pieces, delicate padding, handles, saddles, "LV" initials engraved, nails, Epi leather effect, and a gold bar in the back engraved with hallmark, gold weight and composition. Last but not least, a "lock hole" chain carries each pendant.
Petite Malle Cube Pendant
Metal: 18k yellow gold
Price: US$6350
Petite Malle Open Pendant
Metal: 18k yellow gold
Price: US$6800
Petite Malle Rectangle Pendant
Metal: 18k yellow gold
Price: US$6350
Tag: Petite Malle Fine Jewelry La


text: Other Religions Atheism and Agnosticism Godless Morality: Being Good Without Gods or Religion Is Possible Share Flipboard Email Print RapidEye/E+/Getty Images Belief Systems Atheism and Agnosticism Logic Ethics Key Figures in Atheism Evolution Atheism Myths and Misconceptions by Austin Cline Austin Cline, a former regional director for the Council for Secular Humanism, writes and lectures extensively about atheism and agnosticism. Updated March 08, 2017 Presumption of Religious Morality: Can there be a godless morality? Can we assert a superiority for a godless morality over traditional, theistic, and religious morality? Yes, I think that this is possible. Unfortunately, few people even acknowledge the existence of godless moral values, much less their significance. When people talk about moral values, they almost always presume that they have to be talking about religious morality and religious values. The very possibility of godless, irreligious morality is ignored. Does Religion Make One Moral? One common yet false assumption is that religion and theism are necessary for morality — that without belief in some god and without belonging to some religion, it's not possible to be moral. If godless atheists follow moral rules, it's because they have "stolen" them from religion without accepting their religious, theistic basis. It's obvious, though, that religious theists commit immoral actions; there is no known relationship between being religious or being a theist and being more moral. Does Being Moral Mean One Is Religious? Even more insulting is the common assumption that when someone does something moral or generous, then it's a sign that they must also be a religious person. How often has a person's generous behavior been greeted with a "thank you" that includes something like "that's very Christian of you." It's as if "Christian" were a normal label for simply being a decent human being — which suggests that such decency doesn't exist outside of Christianity. Morality as Divine Command: Religious, theistic morality is inevitably based, at least in part, on some version of "divine command" theory. Something is moral if God commands it; immoral if God forbids it. God is the author of morality, and moral values cannot exist outside of God. This is why acceptance of God is necessary to be truly moral; acceptance of this theory, however, probably inhibits real morality because it denies the social and human nature of a moral behavior. Morality and Social Conduct: Morality is necessarily a function of social interactions and human communities. If a single human being lived on a remote island, the only sorts of "moral" rules that might be followed are whatever they owe to themselves; it would be strange, though, to describe such demands as "moral" in the first place. Without any other people to interact with, it just doesn't make sense of think about moral values — even if something like a god exists. Morality and Values: Morality is necessarily based upon what we value. Unless we value something, it makes no sense to say that there is a moral requirement that we defend it or prohibit harm from coming to it. If you look back over moral issues which have changed, you will find in the background larger changes in what people value. Women working outside the home changed from being immoral to moral; in the background were changes in how women were valued and what women themselves valued in their lives. Human Morality for Human Communities: If morality is indeed a function of social relationships in human communities and based upon what human beings value, then it follows that morality is necessarily human in nature and origin. Even if there is some god, this god is in no position to determine the best ways to conduct human relationships or, more importantly, what human beings should value or not value. People might take a god's advice into account, but ultimately we humans are responsible for making our choices. Religious Morality as Entrenched, Deified Tradition: Most human cultures have derived their morality from their religions; more than that, however, human cultures originally codified their morality in religious scriptures to ensure their longevity and to give them extra authority through divine sanction. Religious morality is thus not a divinely ordained morality, but rather ancient moral codes which have persisted far beyond what their human authors could have predicted — or perhaps desired. Secular, Godless Morality for Pluralistic Communities: There are always variations between the moral values held by individuals and the values required of an entire community, yet what moral values are legitimate to impose on a community defined by religious pluralism? It would be wrong to single out any one religion's morality to elevate above all the other faiths. At best we could pick those values which all have in common; even better would be to employ secular moral values based upon reason rather than any religions' scriptures and traditions. Establishing a Presumption of Godless Morality: There was a time when most nations and communities were ethnically, culturally, and religiously homogenous. This allowed them to rely upon common religious principles and traditions when crafting public laws and public moral requirements. Those who objected could be either suppressed or ejected with little problem. This is the historical background and context of the religious moral values which people still try to use as a basis for public laws today; unfortunately for them, nations and communities are changing dramatically. More and more, human communities are becoming ethnically, culturally, and religiously diverse. There is no longer a single set of religious principles and traditions which community leaders can unthinkingly rely upon for crafting public laws or standards. This doesn't mean that people won't try, but it does mean that in the long run they will fail — either their proposals won't pass, or if the proposals pass they won't gain enough popular acceptance to stand. In place of traditional moral values, we should instead rely upon godless, secular values which are themselves derived from human reason, human empathy, and human experience. Human communities exist for the benefit of human beings, and the same is true for human values and human morality. We need secular values as a basis for public laws because only godless, secular values are independent of the many religious traditions in a community. This doesn't mean those religious believers who act on the basis of private religious values have nothing to offer public discussions, but it does mean that they cannot insist that public morality should be defined according to those private religious values. Whatever they believe personally, they must also articulate those moral principles in terms of public reason — to explain why those values are justified on the basis of human reason, experience, and empathy rather than acceptance of the divine origins of some set of revelations or scriptures. Continue Reading


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Among the book's tantalizing facts is information about the Acts of Thecla, a popular Christian work I'd known about. Ehrmann finds it fascinating and adds it to his list of "forged" Christian documents. He applies the term "forged" to all literary works that are not what they purport to be, a standard that would indict many writings in the Bible. The Acts of Thecla was the equivalent of a novel in a time that did not strictly distinguish fact from fiction.
Thecla was "a household name" in Christian antiquity, the most famous convert of Paul, and the heroine of outlandish miracle stories. Enraptured by Paul's message of sexual renunciation, she devotes herself to Paul and to chastity, but this distresses her mother and Thecla's fiancé. Ehrmann writes,
Her following was huge. Pilgrims flocked to her shrines in Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. Devotees committed their lives to her adoration. Revered as a model martyr and worshiped as a saint, in some parts of the Christian world Thecla vied for centuries with Mary, the Mother of Jesus herself, as most important person outside the Trinity.She would appeal to voyeurs today as well, because she is stripped naked and thrown onto a fire, rescued by God, then stripped naked and thrown to beasts, again rescued and brought through more martyr trials, and the miraculous rescues continue.
We know that the accounts were fabricated but not whether they give any factual information at all, a point debated by scholars, who also wonder how to account for her huge popularity. I suspect that the stories' similarity with romance novels was one draw, that a female protagonist (rare at the time) was another, and that below-the-surface voyeurism drew people to this virgin martyr, although this story tells us that early Christianity was as fervently anti-sexual as our time is besotted with sex.
Thecla got the attention of Tertullian because she teaches men and apparently baptizes herself, a terrific no-no for Tertullian, who considered women unfit for any sacred function. No one in Christian history surpasses Tertullian for sexism. He is quoted as saying every woman is Eve, the gate of hell, the temptress of the forbidden tree.
Two things draw me to Thecla's story: My grandmother Blonigen's name was Thekla (spelled this way), and Tertullian is always fun to read about.
While Thecla reigned as the virgin with sex appeal, knock-down, drag-out fights in the form of fierce debates raged in the religion. From the second through fourth centuries, there were many Christianities. The conflict threw orthodox against Gnostics. (This simplifies it almost to distortion, because there were many variations.) Gnostics de-emphasized Jesus' bodily presence, some to the point of denying that he had a normal body. The orthodox insisted, rightly, that he had a normal body. This they could not relinquish because they believed Jesus' bodily suffering bought our redemption.
This theory of salvation through Jesus' death comes from Paul, and it became a central pillar of Christian belief. But very early writings reveal that apparently not all followers of Jesus focused on the redeemer Jesus.
Q and the Gospel of Thomas contain nothing but lists of Jesus' sayings. Thomas was found many centuries after the New Testament took form, but Q is hidden in plain sight in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. German Lutheran scholars figured out that the authors of these gospels must have been working with the same source document—a list of Jesus' sayings. Q comes from Quelle, meaning "source" in German. Anyone comparing Matthew and Luke can easily compile a list of nearly identical sayings from these gospels, and scholars debate about the most authentic forms of each saying. Sayings in the Gospel of Thomas are similar to those in Q, and both focus on Jesus' teachings, not his death.
Gnostics also believed his teachings had paramount importance ("gnosis" means "knowledge" in Greek); they believed Jesus brings salvation with secret knowledge, NOT by dying and rising! But, they believed, only certain select people were privy to this secret knowledge. Their undemocratic selection has no appeal for us today, but their type of knowledge does. "Gnosis" meant, not knowledge of facts, but reflective or insightful knowledge—know thyself. Dig deep below the surface and intuit the wisdom of the ages. Know self, know human nature, and this leads to knowledge of God.
The point is that our religion could have evolved differently; it could have included more symbolic interpretation from Gnosticism and less emphasis on worship of the redeemer god-man.
Few Christians today are aware of these facts, well known by scholars, that subvert the assumptions of the typical Christian today.
• Jesus of Nazareth had no intention of letting people worship himself or starting a new religion. He was a committed Jew, but the New Testament and centuries of teaching have hidden this fact. In my writings I attribute the founding of Christianity to Paul, but he didn't intend to start a new religion either.
• In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus' enemies are Satan (1:23-26), the Scribes (3:22-27), his own family (3:31), and the people of his native place (6:4-6). In Luke his enemies are "the chief priests, officers of the temple guard, and elders" (22:52)—a shift toward marking Jews as bad people.
• "The loaded phrase 'the Jews' appears a total of 16 times in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke, while in John it appears 71 times." So writes James Carroll in Constantine's Sword. He brings to light another unhappy detail. In John 8, Jesus debates the Jews who say, "Our father is Abraham," and Jesus tells them (8:44), "The father you spring from is the devil." Scholars today don't attribute to the historical Jesus these words that build antagonism toward Jews. Carroll's point is the gospels' trashing of Jews. My added point is the gospels' unreliability as history.
• The first followers of Jesus did not think of him as God but, by about 70 years after his death, the messenger was becoming the message in the natural progression of human discourse. Titles implying divinity were applied to Jesus as well as to God.
• Before the 4th century, there was wide divergence of Christian beliefs. Some emphasized Jesus' humanity; others downplayed it to the extent of denying he was a normal human being. Palestinians, the people of Jesus' family and native region, did not divinize him.
• Beliefs about Jesus expected of Christians now—that he is one of three persons who make up God—grew from a demand by the Roman Emperor Constantine that bishops get together and decide what Christians should believe. There followed a series of councils called by emperors along with fierce disagreements. Men called "saint" today were among the most vicious contenders, and of course politics entered the discussion.
• As sun gods were popular in ancient religions, Yahweh and Jesus also became sun gods. According to Catholic scholar Hugo Rahner, the Israelites (ancestors of the Jews) worshipped Yahweh as a sun god. The Book of Malachi, which immediately precedes the New Testament, refers to "the sun of righteousness . . . with healing in its wings." This, writes Rahner, "sounds much like the winged solar disc of Babylon and Egypt," and the phrase "Sun of Righteousness" was often applied to Jesus by early church fathers. (Chapter 4 of Malachi appears in the RSV translation but does not appear in the NAB approved by Catholic bishops. I wonder why.)
• Jesus was widely perceived as a sun god, as evidenced by the worship day of Christians being called "Sunday," the birthday of Jesus celebrated on the winter solstice, the sun's birthday, and churches orienting their altars toward the East. A fourth-century calendar entry for December 25 lists the birth of Christ along with the birth of the sun. (A later calendar adjustment accounts for the solstice now occurring earlier.)
These facts suggest that historical circumstances created Christianity, that religious beliefs shift and borrow from competing beliefs, and that New Testament writers contributed to the scapegoating of Jews by Christians.
Ehrmann's Lost Christianities reminded me about the Didache, a very early church document that also indicates how our religion could have evolved differently. Its style and message differ from all the books that made it into the Bible. It doesn't preach the message that Jesus Christ died for us, but tells people how to live well. "Lord" and "Spirit" are mentioned more that "Christ."
A large piece of the Didache gives instructions for treating itinerant prophets and warns against "false prophets" who exploit their hosts by staying too long—freeloaders, as Ehrmann puts it. Apparently walking from town to town to preach was a popular occupation.
The communities are told to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, not on Mondays and Thursdays "like the hypocrites" (we don't know who those were), and they are to say the Lord's prayer three times a day. The prayer is surprisingly identical to ours. Of greatest interest are the Didache's instructions on how to baptize and to have Eucharist. The baptized are to fast two or three days beforehand (Baptism for infants was unknown) and they are baptized with running water.
Eucharist instructions contain only words of thanksgiving—no lengthy Mass—and the words are like nothing we hear at Mass. The words of blessing/thanksgiving over the cup come before those over the bread. To give some background, the first Christians gathered together in houses for meals that included the ritual of Eucharist. This evolved into the Mass known to modern Catholics. The Mass has elements similar to pagan mystery religions, which also had sacred meals in honor of redeemer deities and initiation rites like Baptism.
Many other elements from paganism became part of Christianity. The god Mithra was more popular than Jesus Christ in the early centuries of the new era. There were seven Mithraic sacraments, one of them a meal with bread marked with a cross. It was called mizd, in Latin missa, in English mass. The myth of Mithra included a virgin birth, twelve disciples, Magi, and miracles.
A person, who often submits comments that I don't publish because of their rudeness and repetitiveness, denied that Mithra had a virgin birth. So I looked for more evidence, and found it from Mia here.
There is reference to Mithra as being born of "Anahita, the Immaculate Virgin Mother of the Lord Mithras." Anahita was said to have conceived the Mithras from the seed of Zarathustra preserved in the waters of Lake Hamun in the Persian province of Sistan. In other contradictory traditions, he is also born without any sex but from the rock wall of a cave. One must know that there were separate Mithra traditions that may have changed and been adapted over time. This information comes from a Temple that bears this inscription dedicated to Anahita and dated to about 200 B.C.E.Hugo Rahner, brother of theologian Karl Rahner whom I like to quote, admitted that "much of the stock of ideas and verbal images that belonged to the mystery cults found its way into Christianity." Indeed it did.
They used the simple human acts of eating, washing, and anointing as symbols of sacred power. They fasted, made sacrifice, sang hymns, recited litanies, walked in processions, bore sacred vessels, kissed the altar, communed with their God by partaking of a sacred meal, and had a professional priesthood. Their words and phrases endure in our literature: "mystery," "sacrament," "salvation," "epiphany," "the handing on of truth," and the good religious life as "victory" in a "war." Every time we recite the Gloria of the Mass with its paeans to the "most High," we revert to Hellenistic piety. From it, likewise, comes our gesture of priestly blessing—thumb and first two fingers raised, the other two bent. And our ideas of hell or Hades. And our saints who took on the traits of their lesser deities. And our halo which first adorned Mithras.
Christian apologists cite Old Testament verses as prophecies of Jesus Christ, proof to them that Christianity was more ancient than paganism. And so, the argument goes, pagans borrowed from Christians instead of the reverse! It's nonsense. The influence went both ways but mainly from pagan to Christian, because pagan religions existed in the Mediterranean region before the Christians arrived.
Non-evangelical theologians acknowledge our debt to Hellenistic paganism, and it does not necessarily insult Christianity. It can affirm the Christian myth by showing its deep seat in the human psyche.


text:
Chapter IV
By Timothy S. Morton
Since in the book of Acts salvation became predominately Gentile, it is only logical the following books of the Bible (Romans-Philemon) apply doctrinally to the Gentile Church. Most of the three epistles of John also apply to this age as well as much of the epistles of Peter. We know this because the books are addressed to either New Testament churches (Rom.-2 Thes.), to individual ministers (1 Tim.-Tit.), or to other Christians. The books Hebrews and James, however, are not written to born again Christians but to Jews. Hebrews means Hebrews, not Gentiles, and James is addressed to the "twelve tribes" (Jam. 1:1), not the body of Christ. Remember, knowing who a book or epistle is written to is imperative for sound Bible study.
Paul's epistle to the Romans is clearly a Gentile, church age book, and because of its emphasis on doctrine, it is often called "the Constitution of the Christian faith." The Holy Spirit caused this book to be placed immediately after Acts even though it was written later than most of Paul's other books because He wanted the Bible reader to be grounded in sound Christian doctrine. In the first eight chapters, Paul explains how salvation is by faith alone apart from any works (4:5) and then defines salvation's exceedingly rich blessings with terms like justification, propitiation, adoption, imputation, redemption, reconciliation, sanctification, etc. These are all doctrines that apply to every Christian NOW, not to blessings he will receive in the future. Romans should be studied by the believer until he knows its rich doctrines by heart; only then can he begin to appreciate what God has done for him.
The rest of the epistles of Paul following Romans further explain New Testament salvation and reveal other truths essential to Christian doctrine; every Christian has a responsibility to study these also. The truths found in these books make up what is called "my gospel" by Paul. This gospel is the gospel of the grace of God with the added doctrines revealed only to Paul. It is one of the four different gospels found in the Scriptures. The author has heard prominent ministers proclaim with certainty, "There is only one gospel from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, and it is the gospel of Jesus Christ..." They imply with these words anyone who believes otherwise is in error and not true to the Bible. But what does the Bible say? Anyone who tries to study the Scriptures objectively will soon see it contains more than one gospel. There is the "gospel of the kingdom" found in Christ's ministry; the "gospel of the grace of God" valid during this age; Paul's "my gospel," mentioned above; and the "everlasting gospel." These gospels are all different and anyone who makes them the same has to forcefully wrest the Scriptures to do it.
The "gospel of the kingdom" of Heaven (Matt. 4:23) Christ preached was the good news that the kingdom promised to Abraham and David was nigh and ready to be entered when the King was received. It had nothing to do with the new birth or individual salvation, it dealt with a physical, visible, literal kingdom. This gospel has been replaced with the "gospel of the grace of God" for the time being but will again be preached to the Jews during the Tribulation before Christ's return.
The "Gospel of the Grace of God" (1 Cor.15:1-4) is the familiar gospel of today and speaks of the suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It declares how He suffered and died for man's sins and rose from the dead to supply His salvation to all who will receive Him.
Again, Paul's "my gospel" (2 Tim. 2:8) is simply this gospel with added revelations concerning the Body of Christ, the Church, the mysteries, etc. Even though Paul's gospel includes the Gospel of the Grace of God, the two are not identical. The former includes the latter, but one only needs to receive the latter to be saved.
The "everlasting gospel" (Rev. 14:6) is a gospel that does not even mention Christ. It is a message of repentance to Gentiles beginning with the Tribulation and continuing on into eternity. It in no way resembles the other gospels in content or doctrine, destroying the idea there is only one. All the "everlasting gospel" says is man is to fear, worship, and give glory to God because He is about to Judge somebody. It says nothing about Christ's substitutionary death even though it is called "everlasting." Interesting.
The Holy Spirit has shown us there is a difference between the gospels in Galatians 1. In verse 8 Paul says, "though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." In Revelation 14:6, however, we find an angel preaching another gospel and he is not accursed. The difference is in the dispensations. The "everlasting gospel" is cursed in this age and Paul's gospel will be out of place in the Tribulation. Even the "gospel of the kingdom" is cursed in this age because it does not match the gospel Paul preached.
With the book of Hebrews, the Bible begins to take on a Jewish twist again. With the thirteen books preceding it dealing with the Body of Christ, the Holy Spirit now begins to again address the Jews. As the title of the book is Hebrews, why would anyone think it applied doctrinally to Gentile Christians? Of course, there is much in the book a Christian can learn and profit from, but if he tries to apply it all doctrinally to the Church Age he will soon run into "contradictions." The writer of Hebrews is trying to convince both lost and saved Hebrews that the new covenant established by Christ's death is superior to the old covenant of the Law. The temptation of saved Hebrews backsliding back into the bondage of the Law is very great, and Paul wants to strengthen the hearers of this book in what Christ's redemption has done for them.
The thought that Hebrews was written to both lost and saved people should not be strange to the reader, Paul addressed parts of other letters to lost people also (1 Cor. 15:4, etc.). The emphasis of Hebrews appears to apply to Hebrews in the Tribulation when Israel is again the main object of God's dealings. This is why the believers who believe a Christian can lose his salvation appeal to Hebrews as their "proof." There are passages in the book that do indicate someone can fall from salvation, but as we will see, they do not refer to a regenerated Christian.
Hebrews 3:6 and 14 is the first place the "Endurers" stop, but look at the whole passage. Verse 6 says "whose house are we IF we hold fast...unto the end." The "if" is the word pointed to by these people, "What "if" you don't hold out to the end" they say. First of all, do you find any reference to a blood washed, regenerated, Holy Spirit sealed Christian in the passage? Also, what is "the end" in both verses referring to? What makes you think it is the end of a person's life after reading Matthew 24:13-14? The "end" is the end of a period of time just like in Matthew 24:14. The "rest" in Heb. chapter 2 shows this to be true by illustrating how the Israelites in the wilderness had to endure in faith to the end of their wanderings before they could enter into God's rest-Canaan land (vs. 7-19). The "we" throughout the passage refers not to Christians but to Hebrews; "...whose house are we (Hebrews) if we (Hebrews) hold fast unto the end" (vs. 6); "for we (Hebrews) are made partakers of Christ if we (Hebrews) hold...unto the end" (vs. 14). See how keeping in mind who a book is written to clears things up? There is no reference to a born again Christian anywhere in the passage, neither is there any mention of anyone going to hell. The passage applies doctrinally to Hebrews in the Tribulation period enduring to the end of it in faith so they can enter into the promised land (Millennium) and partake of Christ. Don't allow those who refuse to rightly divide the Scriptures misapply them and talk you out of your security in Christ. Hebrews deals with Hebrews.
The next controversial passage is in chapter 6, and here the "Security-deniers" have a field day. The passage "For it is impossible...if they fall away to renew them again unto repentance..." (vs. 4-6) is often quoted by the "Arminians," but they have bitten of more than they can chew. The passage clearly says it is "impossible" to renew again those who fall away, but all the Endurers claim one can be saved again after he falls away. These verses also give fits to many Baptists, who correctly believe a Christian cannot lose his salvation, but cannot understand the verses as they stand. They come up with all kinds of "interpretations" to force the verses to conform to their doctrine. Some Fundamentalists insist the passage is "hypothetical," but the text doesn't even hint this. Others claim it refers to people like the spies at Kadesh-Barnea (Num. 13-14) who were not saved but on the threshold of salvation. However, verse 4 says those who can fall tasted of the "heavenly gift" and partook of the "Holy Ghost." To "taste" something means to have it, just like Christ tasted death for every man (Heb. 2:9). This one passage has those on both sides of the eternal security issue squirming to appear "scholarly" and save face.
Obviously, someone in Hebrews 6:1-4 is in danger of losing his salvation, but again, it is not a born again Christian. Did you notice in verses 1-2 where the writer refers to the principles of the doctrines of Christ (repentance, faith, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment), that he does not mention ONE doctrine unique to salvation in the Church Age? Regeneration, the new nature, the Body of Christ, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, justification, imputation, etc., are not mentioned. How can one explain this? Simple, the writer is not referring to a regenerated Christian. He is again referring to Hebrews in another dispensational setup.
It is very likely Hebrews (at least the first 12 chapters) was written early in the book of Acts (probably before chapter 12; certainly before chapter 15) when no one knew much at all about a new birth or that a new, non Hebrew, dispensation was made possible at the cross. This explains a lot. The writer didn't mention Church Age doctrines because he didn't know of such things. He may have not even yet known Gentiles could be saved. Therefore, anybody who uses Hebrews to teach Gentile Church Age doctrine is ignorant of God's dispensational arrangments. At the time it was written, Hebrews applied to Jews who believed Christ was the Messiah before the Church Age doctrines were fully known and established in Acts 15. However, now, Hebrews speaks directly to Hebrews who will be alive during the Tribulation after the Church is gone. Remember, the Bible speaks to people of all ages; it is not limited to Fundamentalists in the Church Age.
If there is any doubt that Hebrews applies doctrinally in the Tribulation look at verse 11. There we find the characteristic "the end" again-the end of the Tribulation. When one realizes this the passage easily falls into place. The "those" in vs. 4 are saved people in the Tribulation sense, not the Church Age sense. If the saved person falls away in the Tribulation (takes the mark of the Beast, for instance), he forfeits his salvation and cannot get it back (Rev. 14:9-12)! Furthermore, if the Church goes through the Tribulation as many today claim, then a Christian must in some way be able to lose his salvation or else the Scriptures contradict! Thank God Christ's bride will not suffer this wrath (1 Thess. 1:10).
This passage in Hebrews fits perfectly with the other passages we have looked at concerning salvation after the Church Age (Matt. 5-7, 24-25; Heb. 3). The Hebrews that will be saved then will be decreed saved like those in the Old Testament. Each individual is in danger of losing his salvation if he doesn't do the right works or fails to endure to the end (vs. 11). If (remember "if" in Hebrews chapter 3?) he endures and does make it, he will become a partaker of Christ (3:14). The "powers of the world to come" (Mill.) will be the signs and wonders performed by the "two witnesses" and others during the Tribulation (Rev. 11). All the passages coincide. The writer of Hebrews says in 6:9 he is persuaded of better things of those who he wrote to at the time (around 35-40 A.D.), but the reason he says this is because of their works (vs. 10-11)! Works play an important part in the Tribulation, and we will deal more with salvation during that time shortly.
The third passage in Hebrews the Arminians and others use to prove a Christian can fall out of Christ and go to hell is in chapter 10. This passage gets heavy use by the "Endurers" because of the way it is worded, "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries." The Endurers point to this passage and glibly say, "See there? If a Christian sins willfully after he is saved he can lose his salvation and go to Hell!" Really? Are there any Born again Christians found anywhere in the passage? Is there any hint of a Spirit sealed believer being plucked out of Christ, unborn again, forsaken by Christ and God, severed from the Body of Christ, etc., and cast into the Lake of Fire? Nonsense. You couldn't find a regenerated Christian in the passage with a microscope. True, someone in the passage can lose his salvation, but, again, it is not anyone in the Body of Christ.
Though the Arminians wrest this passage to teach their saved-today, lost-tomorrow theology, the Fundamentalists fare little better. They either won't allow the person who sins to be a true believer but only one who had "knowledge" of the truth, or they "Greekify" the verses and force them to conform to Church Age doctrine. Concerning their first argument, verse 7 says the fallen man was "sanctified" by the blood of Christ. This speaks of more than just a head knowledge of Christ, the man was sanctified by Him. This is knowledge in the sense of experience.
Concerning the "Going to the original Greek" method of dealing with this passage, many will contend a Christian will not willfully sin habitually and appeal to the tense of some Greek word to "prove" it. But the passage says nothing about one habitually continuing in sin; it plainly says if one sins "wilfully"! One sin can be enough. (When the English Bible God has used for nearly 400 years (AV 1611) won't support these "scholars," they immediately run to the "Greek" to change it and usually distort the text so much they themselves can't make sense of it after they change it!)
Even though the text says nothing about someone sinning habitually, to say a Christian cannot willfully sin habitually is absurd; millions do it all the time. To say different is to deny a Christian his free will and pretend his old, Adamic nature is powerless. Every Christian is just as capable of sinning as a lost man because he still has the old nature of a dead, lost man in him! This fallen nature is not eradicated at conversion. True, every believer also has the new, righteous nature of Christ in him, but the old is still there to tug and pull for its own way. Because of his new nature, no Christian HAS TO sin at anytime, but he is always capable of sin until death or the rapture.
In general, Christians as a whole usually don't sin openly as much as lost people, however, sometimes they do, and some in an backslidden state will habitually sin more (visibly) than some lost people. Though every lost person is dead in sin and can only sin, the rebellious believer may do things a "moral" lost person deems immoral and would never do! Every believer should realize, however, open sin is just the outward manifestation of sin that has already occurred in the heart. A person's heart can harbor and entertain sin whether the sin is outwardly seen or not. Who can forget the words of Christ in Matthew chapter 5 where he brands the lustful person an adulterer and also 1 John 3:15 where the Holy Spirit calls the hater a murderer? Sins don't have to be outward to be sin; the secret sins of envy, jealously, pride, selfishness, greed, lust, hate, resentment, contempt, self-pity, self-will, worry, not content, etc., are sins all Christians entertain willingly to some degree and many habitually! All one has to do is talk to a few to find this out. Nevertheless, even with these wicked and vile sins, no Christian can lose his salvation. The difference is in the dispensations.
Now, since this passage doesn't doctrinally refer to Christians in the Church Age, where does it apply? Again, in the Tribulation period. This is clear from the Old Testament quotations found in verse 30 (Deut. 32:30-36) referring to the song of Moses sang after the exodus and in the Tribulation (Rev. 15:3). You didn't check the cross-references did you? Blindly following to interpretation of your favorite "scholar" and failing to personally compare Scripture with Scripture will lead to a "private interpretation" more times than not. Also, the mention of "his people" in a book called Hebrews should indicate to the most jaded eyes that the passage applies distinctly to Hebrews. The passage is clearly Jewish and can only deal with Jews in the Tribulation. Since there is no new birth in the Tribulation to regenerate and seal believers, a person then can be on the right path, taste of the heavenly gift, believe in Christ, be sanctified by the Christ's blood, have good works, etc., in essence be saved as much as anyone then can be and then "sin willfully" and loose all he had. Whether he denies Christ and His blood atonement, takes the mark of the Beast, or fails to continue in the required works (Matt. 25), he has fallen from his salvation. During this period people likely will be initially saved by faith alone, but each must continue in the right works and keep the commandments of God to stay saved. If one sins willfully in an area that can cost him his salvation, he has had it.
Verse 31 says "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," and it will be for the Hebrews who fall away in the Tribulation, but it is not fearful for a Christian. Every Christian is IN God's hand permanently, and no one can take him out (John 10)! Furthermore, every born again believer is a part of Christ's Body, and thus also a part of or connected to His hand! What speaks of terror and judgment to a rebellious Hebrew in the Tribulation speaks of peace and security to a believer in Christ. Again, the difference is in the dispensations.
The book of Hebrews loses much of its difficulty when one rightly divides it and does not force the distinctly Jewish passages to apply to a period where they do not belong. As we mentioned forcing these passages to doctrinally apply in the Church Age will either lead one to believe a Christian can lose his salvation or cause him to wrest them by his "private interpretation" to make them line up with his doctrine. Either way the Scriptures are misused. The "Endurers" are at least honest in trying to take the verses at face value, they just apply them to the wrong people. The Fundamentalists, however, refuse to take them as they stand, showing their infidelity, and change their obvious meaning by appealing to "the Greek" and "scholarship." The verses as they stand simply give them fits. Nevertheless, for one reason or another many of them will cling to their shallow and inconsistent "historical positions" rather than yield to the plain words of the Scriptures. Unfortunately, the ethics of many Fundamentalists in their treatment of the Scriptures is often inferior to their Arminian counterparts.
Like Hebrews, the book of James is another epistle that is not addressed to Gentile believers in the Church Age. James 1:1 says, "to the twelve tribes scattered abroad" clearly stating this book is also written to Hebrews. As with the other Jewish passages, there is much one can learn in James, but he must remember doctrinally it is Jewish. This explains why in chapter 2 works are connected with saving faith. The last 13 verses of chapter 2 have been used by people for centuries to "prove" works are required before one can become a true Christian, and many genuine Christians also use the same passage to prove one must work to remain a Christian. What is interesting is the verses seem to support them, "though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" (vs. 14); "that faith without works is dead" (vs. 20); "ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (vs. 24); etc. But do these verses apply to Christians in the Church Age? Surely you know the answer by now. They doctrinally apply to Hebrews with full application during the Tribulation.
Needless to say, there is no contradiction between the theology of James and Paul even though it may appear so to those who refuse to study. Paul says no less than five times that works are in no way connected with a person receiving salvation (Rom. 3:20, 4:5; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5; etc.) and James says in his book they are. The difference, again, is in the dispensations. See, again, how important it is to understand who wrote a book, who it is written to, and who it applies to when studying the Bible? Without constantly keeping these essentials in mind sound doctrine will bypass you. If Hebrews and James do fully apply to believers in the Church Age then the Bible would contradict! But the Holy Spirit has removed all contradiction and much exegetical difficulty by showing us these books apply to Jews and for the most part in another dispensation. Like Hebrews, James was likely written early in the book of Acts before the Church Age doctrines were fully revealed and understood. It may have been written by the original apostle James before he was murdered in Acts 12. This would easily explain its Jewish message from an historical standpoint.
When the rapture occurs and Christ takes His Church into Heaven with Him, things will never be the same on earth again. When all those in Christ are raised up to meet their Savior in the air, a whole dispensational system will go up with them. Eternal salvation as we know it today (by grace through faith apart from works) will no longer be valid because the Holy Spirit will no longer regenerate and seal those who become saved after the "trump" (1 Thes. 4:16). Believers in the future will not have a new nature, be placed in Christ, or have Christ permanently indwelling them. Simply put, the means of salvation as we know it today will no longer exist. The difference in the dispensations will make it impossible for a believer to be born again, placed into Christ's Body, or keep eternal life by faith alone. Salvation will be very similar to the way it was in the Old Testament.
In light of this, consider how thankful and grateful we who are saved today should be. Many of the blessings God bestows upon the Church today are blessings He bestows upon no other group at any other time. How gracious and generous God is to us. It seems He picked the Church to show all creation just how kind gracious, and loving He can be. He not only took our sins and died for them in our place, He by the NEW BIRTH placed every believer into His family and gave each His own eternal life and very nature! He did not do this for Abraham, Moses, or David. It is all by grace, pure grace. How much more we should love, praise, and serve Him.
When the rapture occurs the number of people making up the Body of Christ will be complete and fixed. No one then or now can possibly fall out of the body, and no one in the future can enter it. When the voice of the archangel is heard, the door to the Church will be forever sealed.
Contrary to the theology of many of today's prophetic preachers, nowhere in the Bible does it say that the Tribulation will begin immediately after the rapture. It very well may, but it doesn't have to. Nevertheless, whether immediately or months or years later, the Tribulation will began with the Antichrist signing a seven year covenant with Israel. As we mentioned earlier after the rapture Israel again becomes the main object of God's dealings with man and salvation will again have a Jewish ring to it.
The Tribulation will be a very difficult time for one to try and live for God. Christ declared in Matthew 24 this period will contain terror, horror, and death on a scale the world has not yet seen. One reading of the book of Revelation with all the catastrophes, judgments, and sorrows found in it should awaken any believing reader to the shear horror many will endure during this period. As we have repeatedly said, during this seven year period faith alone will not be enough to permanently secure ones eternal salvation. Faith will likely be the means of the believer initially being saved, but his faith must motivate the proper works for him to keep his salvation, and he must be faithful in keeping them to "endure to the end." Remember how James said, "Faith without works is dead," and one shows his faith by working? In the Tribulation one must show his faith and work to overcome evil and clinging to good or else he won't make it through saved (Rev. 3:5). There are around 200 verses in the New Testament that indicate someone can lose his salvation-they must fit somewhere-and the Tribulation is the place. Remember Matthew chapters 24 and 25, and Hebrews chapters 3, 6, and 10? The Tribulation is where they all doctrinally apply: the "time of Jacob's trouble" (not the Church's trouble). Again, someone in the Bible can lose his salvation, but it is not a born again Christian.
During the Tribulation salvation will be identical to salvation under the law as far as what happens to and inside a believer is concerned. Since there is no longer a new birth available, nothing will happen inside the believer to secure his salvation. Though he won't be saved on credit as those in the Old Testament were (because Christ's atonement has since been made), he will still be saved on a trial basis like they were. Believing on Christ will just be the first step in his process of salvation, for along with believing he must "keep the commandments of God" (Rev. 12:17, 14:12, 22:14, CHECK THESE!). Since this is, again, a Jewish dispensation, the commandments must be the Ten Commandments and other commandments given under the law. Gentiles will likely not be obligated to keep the distinctly Jewish commandments, but they must keep the moral commandments as much as they know them even if their conscience is their only guide.
The quickest way for anyone in the Tribulation to forfeit his salvation is to take the mark of the Beast. Anyone who takes that mark is doomed without any hope of future salvation (14:9-11). One in the Tribulation may be saved by faith, keep the testimony of Jesus (12:17), and have adequate works to retain his salvation, but the moment he gives in to temptation and receives that mark, he is dead lost. "Any" means any in Revelation 14:9. A person could believe like the Phillipian jailer, be baptized like the Ethiopian eunuch, and follow the Law like John the Baptist and loose it all by taking the mark. This alone proves salvation then will be little like it is today.
Even with this faith and works setup great multitudes will refuse to take the mark, and, as a result, most of them will be killed (13:15, 20:4). Motivated be jealously and pride, the Beast will slaughter believers wholesale (13:7) with no restraint, but even this will not hinder yet others from "the faith of Jesus." Also, during this time there will be 144,000 Jewish "missionaries" sealed and protected by God preaching the gospel of the kingdom (not the gospel of the grace of God) and two witnesses (most likely Moses and Elijah) performing signs and wonders and declaring the truth to the world. It will be a drastically different situation than it is today. Then it will more often than not cost one a great deal to be saved, likely even his life! Nevertheless, many will "love not their lives unto death" and refuse to blaspheme God by taking the mark. Like James said, they will show their faith by their works (Jam. 2:18).
In a nutshell salvation in the Tribulation will be obtained and secured by having faith in Jesus as Savior and Messiah, keeping the commandments and doing what one knows to be right, and avoiding the mark of the beast at all costs. Failure to do these things and endure faithfully to the end can cost a person everything he has gained. Many today teach Church Age believers will go through the Tribulation. If so according to Revelation 14 they can lose their salvation by taking the mark.
As we have said, the typical Fundamentalist method of dealing with Tribulation salvation is to pretend it is identical to salvation today. But unfortunately, many Baptists and Fundamentalists are much more loyal to their pet "historic positions" than to the Bible. They utterly refuse to take the verses as they stand. They will not hesitate to twist, distort, wrest, spiritualize, and "Greekify" these plain verses to make them conform to their doctrine. The author says this being a Baptist and Fundamentalist himself, however, his allegiance is to the Scriptures alone and not some "historic Baptist position." He has found from reading Fundamentalist material that some Baptist doctrines are just as much heresy as those of Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. The only real difference between the heretical Baptist doctrines and those of the cults is the lies of the cults are lethal to the soul while the "positions" of the Fundamentalists are lethal to dispensational truth.
You may be thinking, "You say most Baptists are wrong on Tribulation salvation, but I am not convinced." Good, neither this book nor any other like it should settle doctrinal matters in the mind of any believer. Only one book is to do this and every Christian's duty is to search it out and determine what it says. If you want to know the truth get in the BOOK! Never mind the commentators when they refuse to believe it. God expects every believer to search the Scriptures and study them out personally for himself and learn Bible doctrine first hand (Acts 17:11). Preachers, sermons, commentators and teachers all have their place, but they are no substitute for personal study of the Scriptures.
After the mass death and destruction of the Tribulation and second coming of Christ, there will be relatively few people left on the earth. There will be a certain number of Jews from each tribe left to inherit the land promised to Abraham, and also a number of Gentiles who didn't take the mark to dwell in other areas, but compared to today the earth's population will be much reduced. In many respects man will have a fresh start. As mentioned in chapter 1, The Millennium will be the fulfillment of the Kingdom of Heaven Christ preached to the Jews at the beginning of His ministry (Matt. 3).
In the "sermon on the mount" Christ declared the principles and doctrines of this kingdom to the Jews and all they had to do to receive it was repent as a nation and receive Jesus as their Messiah and King. Of course they did not do this and in the end they even killed their Messiah, but the offer of the kingdom was nonetheless valid. After murdering their promised King, the offer of the kingdom was postponed until Israel repents and is willing to receive the one they slew. God was merciful towards them and gave them more opportunities to repent in the book of Acts, but Israel again vehemently refused. We now know they won't get right until Revelation chapter 20. It is the same kingdom described in Matthew chapters 5-7 only postponed for at least 2000 years.
The Sermon on the Mount tells us a great deal about the doctrines that will be valid during the Millennium, and one reading should convince any unbiased reader that they are based on WORKS. Faith and belief in God are not even mentioned. In the kingdom one can be tried by a judicial council for calling his brother "Raca" and be cast into Hell for calling him a "fool" (5:22)! He can be judged as a adulterer for only lusting after someone (5:28) and be judged as a murderer for entertaining hate. Then it will be profitable for a person to cut off parts of his body if it will keep him from doing wrong works (5:29-30)! Cutting off his hand may keep him out of Hell! Is that not what the verses say? See how "obscure," "unclear," and "difficult" verses clear up when they are rightly divided and kept in their proper context?
A lost person today could cut off every member of his body and it wouldn't keep him out of Hell one second, but in the Millennium it may keep him out for eternity. Today one must be born again, but not so in the Millennium. The problem most Christians have with passages like Matthew 5:29-30 is not that they can't understand them, it is that they can't BELIEVE them. They readily receive clear and easy verses like John 3:16, but verses like this are hard for them to swallow. The problem is not in "interpretation" but in believing. Actually, very little of the Bible needs to be interpreted; it only needs to be believed.
During the Millennium Christ will be personally reigning over the entire earth from the throne of David in Jerusalem (Zech. 14:9). He will rule with a "rod of iron" enforcing His law of righteousness upon all and judging those who rebel (Matthew 5:22). Since Christ will be physically on earth, no one then needs to have faith that He exists or wonder if He can do what He has promised. All those who make it through the Tribulation will see Him for who He really is, "God manifest in the flesh." Therefore in the Millennium faith will not be the deciding factor in a person receiving salvation, obedience will be the key. Furthermore, preaching the "gospel" and witnessing to the "lost" will be nonexistent. In fact, Zechariah 13:2 says anyone who does preach or prophesy will be killed! Also, there will be no place for evangelism because everyone (at least all Jews) will know the Lord (Heb. 8:11).
The Jews who enter in from the Tribulation will be saved, but they can lose their salvation if they fail to work or perform evil works. The "sheep" (Gentiles, Matt. 25) who enter in will also be saved, but they can lose their salvation the same way, too. Another group will be those born during the Millennium and they will have to be saved once they are old enough to understand. Faith may have a part with their initial salvation, but, nevertheless, from then on they must work to keep it. This is where the "beatitudes" come in. There is no mention of faith in the Beatitudes; they deal solely with works. It is a work to be "poor in spirit" when man by nature is not. Likewise it is work to "mourn," be "meek," to "hunger and thirst after righteousness," be "merciful," be "pure in heart," and a "peacemaker." The obvious domination of this passage by works is the reason it is used by Modernists and Liberals to teach salvation by works today. They understand what the verses say, they just apply them to the wrong people. "Today's heresy is tomorrow's truth," and, again, the difference is in the dispensations.
Like those saved in the Old Testament and the Tribulation period, no one in the Millennium will be born again, part of the body of Christ, partakers of the divine nature, sealed by the Holy Spirit, etc. Individuals will have only their old Adamic nature and will be saved by faith and works on a trial basis with works now being the major component. With the lack of works or the wrong works one could quickly find himself in Hell. Also, during the kingdom there will be a temple (Eze. 40-48) in Jerusalem and animal sacrifices will again be offered pointing back to the cross. All people from every nation will be required to come to Jerusalem and worship Christ and keep the feast of tabernacles (Zech. 14:16). Does this sound like the "Church Age"?
Another group of people in the Millennium will be the "Bride of Christ" who went up in the rapture at least seven years earlier. As mentioned in chapter 1, all believers who make up the Body of Christ will have a glorified, resurrection body like Christ's and be literally dead unto sin; that is, unable to sin. They will then have only the righteous nature of Christ. Apparently, born again Christians will be Christ's ministers or ambassadors, doing His bidding throughout the Kingdom (Rev. 20:4). This is also the period referred to in 1 Corinthians 6:2 where Christians are said to judge Angels. Furthermore, there is good indication that some Old Testament saints will be resurrected to enjoy the Millennium. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are said to be in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 8:11) as well as David (Eze. 34:23-24) and Job (Job 19:25-27). Many more, if not all, Old Testament believers may be raised up to partake of the promised kingdom. Those that are will be dead to sin just like those saved in the Church Age, but they will not be part of the Body of Christ.
The Satanic revolt at the end of the Millennium will likely be peopled by those who were born during the Millennium (the "children of the kingdom" Matt. 8:12?) since they never experienced the Tribulation or the consequences of sin unrestrained. Satan will surely capitalize on their pride and ignorance to fuel his last diabolical charge against God-then God will consume them all (Rev. 20).
After the Millennium, renovation of the earth by fire, and the White Throne Judgment, God will establish a New Heavens, a new Earth, and a New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:1-2). Clearly the New Heaven is for the saved Gentiles, the New Earth for the Jews, and the New Jerusalem for the Body of Christ (21:9). The three distinct groups of people mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10:32 are apparently established as groups for eternity with separate places of abode. The New Jerusalem like the old Jerusalem will be the dwelling place of God and house His throne forever. This city is the Christians Heaven, actually the "third Heaven," and when it descends to earth Christ in all His glory will come with it and dwell in the midst of His bride for all eternity. The city will radiate with the glory of God (vs. 11) and have no need of the sun. Also, it will contain no temple because God Himself will be present, finally dwelling among His redeemed creation as He desires.
The concept of the Tabernacle in the wilderness revealed to Moses 3500 years ago gave man the first indication of the desire of God to dwell in the midst of His people. It is amazing to think that the infinite God of Heaven would chose to dwell in a tent in a wilderness just so He could be near His people! How much He desired their company, but they didn't desire His. Likewise, how much must God love born again Christians that He is willing to dwell inside each individual's body just so He can have true fellowship with him. Yet, sadly, most seldom take advantage of His presence and usually live like He is not even there! Anyway, in the 4500 years following the revealing of His desires to Moses, God devised a redemption plan and placed those who believed in and accepted His redemption in a position in which He could dwell in and among them for eternity. No one can enter this city except their name be found written in the "book of life" (21:27) or are found worthy to partake of the "tree of life" (22:14).
As for the Jew, the earth will belong to the Jew. The meek were promised the earth in the "Sermon on the Mount," and this is fulfilled with the New Earth. The Jews who don't revolt against Christ in the Millennium and make it through the White Throne Judgment appear to inherit the whole earth. Likewise the Gentiles appear to get the heavens with all the stars and planets. When dealing with things in or near eternity we admit certain matters are hard to pin down. There are many details about this "period" which are not yet revealed and hard to be certain about. For one, there is no verse that mentions the Jews or Gentiles getting a new body, so it is possible there will still have their "repaired" natural bodies at least until they eat of the "tree of life." In natural bodies the Jews can reproduce and fill the earth, and likewise the Gentiles can populate outer space. They may even be able to reproduce after they eat of the "tree of life" but the condition of their offspring is uncertain. Whether their offspring would be born with eternal life or have to eat of the tree themselves is unknown. One thing for certain, however, is that to obtain eternal life then one is not to "believe" in anything or have "faith" in anybody. He is to only keep the commandments of God so he may eat of the "tree of life."
Those saved in the Tribulation and Millennium will likely have to eat of this tree also to get eternal life since the new birth was unavailable to them. With the privilege of eating from this tree based entirely upon works there is always the possibility of failure, and those who fail must be cast out (21:27). Nevertheless, none of this will affect the Bride of Christ in any way. They are permanently secure and each individual received eternal life the instant he received Christ. No Christian will ever need to eat of the "tree of life" to get or keep eternal life, but those saved in other dispensations and not in Christ must eat of the tree to get it. See the difference? You, if you are saved, did not get eternal life from any tree, you got it from a PERSON, Jesus Christ, the Author of life. But after the rapture no one will be a part of Christ as a Christian is, thus he must have eternal life imparted another way. Check the verses! What do they say? The difference is in the dispensations.
Of the three groups of people in eternity only one is fixed in number (the Church), and the others will have the job of increasing the kingdom (Isa. 9:6-7). The Jews will expand and cover the earth, and maybe beyond, and the Gentiles will begin on earth but then multiply and cover the universe. Ever wonder why the stars and planets are in the heavens? There is good indication they were put there for more than just man to look at. It appears God will populate them with men who love Him and desire to serve Him. Both Jews and Gentiles that are found worthy will have to come into New Jerusalem to the life giving trees that border the river and eat of them to get the blessing of eternal life. God has come full circle. Time began with man and a tree, and it ends with man and a tree; but in the meanwhile God showed man what kind of gracious, merciful, loving God He is. Without man's fall and God's redemption, no one would ever know!
We are well aware that the position we take concerning salvation in the dispensations is controversial, and we may even be branded as a heretic because of it, but our duty to the Scriptures remains. We contend that the Scriptures must be taken as they stand and not twisted to support any popular "historic position." Of course we could use the typical Baptist method of handling verses like Matthew chapters 5-7; 24:13-15; chapter 25; Hebrews 3:6, 13-14; 6:1-6; 10:26-31; 12:14-15; James chapter 2, 5:1-5, 11-20; 2 Peter 2:21-22, 3:17; Revelation 3:5, 12:17, 13:7, 14:9-12, 22:14; etc. (not to mention all the Old Testament verses!), and insist theses verses don't really mean what they say and must be "interpreted" or "explained" to understand them, but we will no longer do that. By Christ's strength our allegiance is to God and His book (AV 1611), and when any doctrine, teaching, or position runs contrary to what God has revealed in His book, God help us to recognize it and abandon it. We believe the Bible is to be taken literally wherever possible (else one could "interpret" the Scriptures to say whatever he wanted), and when the above verses are taken literally, all is clear, somebody can lose their salvation. But, again, it is NOT a born again Christian.
Some may think this whole matter is irrelevant since everyone who is saved today is saved by faith alone and is secure in Christ, but they are misguided. Christ said man lives "by every word that proccedeth out of the mouth of God" so every word in the Bible is relevant, important, and alive. Though Christians are not under the Law of Moses and will not have to endure to the end like those in the Tribulation, the knowledge that some will endure those things helps believers today better understand what God is doing. Bible believers have a great advantage over believers who fail to treat the Bible literally. They have an excellent picture of the past, present, and future from God's perspective as He has revealed it. God very much wants His people to know where they came from, the state they are in now, and where they are going, else He wouldn't have given this revelation. And though God's revelation admitingly has some sometimes perplexing differences found among it pages, one is usually able to make sense of them when he realizes that most often, the difference is in the dispensations.


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Whether you are using a laser pointer in a classroom, business meeting, lecture hall or even if playing with a children's toy that incorporates a laser pointer-use caution to avoid eye injury!
Laser pointers are popular tools, but could be a cause for concern as the greater a laser pointer's output power, the more likely it will cause serious eye injuries.
Understanding Laser Pointers & Potential Eye Injury
As the power of a laser pointer increases above five milliwatts, the time margin for safe exposure decreases and permanent eye and skin damage can occur quickly. However, the output power of laser pointers may not be obvious to the user. timberland homme Laser pointers often lack appropriate labeling or are mislabeled, and definitive testing of individual pointers is beyond the reach of the average consumer. ugg soldes 2017 timberland pas cher What we know for sure is that even the briefest exposure to high-powered blue handheld laser products can cause serious eye injuries.
Researchers reporting the results of a study in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology found that if a laser with less than five milliwatts of output power is directed at someone's eye, that person can blink or turn away without suffering an eye injury. ugg australia pas cher However, the natural protective mechanisms of the eye-such as the blink reflex- are ineffective against lasers with an output power greater than five milliwatts, and severe retinal damage may occur, even after momentary exposure.
Here's what the FDA advises:
- Never aim or shine a laser pointer at anyone.
- Don't buy laser pointers for your children.
- Before purchasing a laser pointer, make sure it has the following information on the label:
- a statement that it complies with Chapter 21 CFR (the Code of Federal Regulations);
- the manufacturer or distributor's name and the date of manufacture;
- a warning to avoid exposure to laser radiation; and
- the class designation, ranging from Class I to IIIa. nike free trainer christian louboutin Class IIIb and IV products should be used only by individuals with proper training and in applications where there is a legitimate need for these high-powered products.
The problem is that many laser pointers lack labels or have inaccurate labels and the researchers found that 60 percent of the sampled laser pointer products that the FDA tests are overpowered compared with what the label says. Those pointers may be powered in the 10s or 100s of milliwatts!
How do you know if your laser pointer is overpowered?
Ideally, you could buy a laser pointer with the certainty that it is less than 5 milliwatts but this isn't possible based on the poor labeling and compliance.
The FDA says that if you have a laser pointer that isn't labeled or if you don't trust the labeling, consider the following:
- If the pointer is small and runs on button batteries, its output probably is less than five milliwatts.
- If it's pen-sized and runs on AA or AAA batteries, it's likely to be more powerful and may exceed five milliwatts.
- If it's flashlight-sized and runs on a cluster of AA or AAA batteries or runs on lithium batteries, it likely exceeds five milliwatts.
- Pointers sold with battery chargers probably drain their batteries quickly and are likely to be overpowered.
- Some pointers are sold with a removable cap that spreads the beam into a pattern. fjallraven kanken bag new balance pas cher If used without the cap, the beam becomes a single beam that could exceed 5 milliwatts.
- Look for keywords that sellers might use to indicate a pointer is highly powered without saying that it's over five milliwatts: powerful, bright, ultra, super, military, military grade, super bright, high power, ultra bright, strong, balloon pop, burn, burning, adjustable focus, lithium battery, lithium powered.
- Look for videos or photos that show the laser burning, melting, balloon popping or show a bright, well-defined beam of light
- Look for purchaser comments on websites that tout the brightness or power of the product.
Blue & Violet Laser Pointers Are the Most Dangerous!
Blue and Violet laser pointers are the most dangerous because the human eye actually is less sensitive to blue and violet. UGG Bottes Pas Cher So, while a person would react quickly to a red or green laser, that person may not blink or turn away as fast from an equally powerful blue or violet light, creating a greater likelihood of injury.
If you or someone you know is concerned about laser pointer use and eye safety, please call The Eye Clinic of Texas, an affiliate of Houston Eye Associates, at 800-423-3937, visit The Eye Clinic of Texas or facebook.com/ecot.lasik. Cheap Fjallraven Kanken The Eye Clinic of Texas is an affiliate of Houston Eye Associates, the largest ophthalmology clinic in the nation.