The Death Of Neil Armstrong - A Look At His Religous Views And Beliefs

Neil Armstrong died this past week in Cincinnati on August 25th. He was born August 5, 1930. He will be best remembered as the first man to walk on the moon. We will never forget those famous words "That's one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind". In fact, I can still remember lying on the floor in front of the television watching the whole amazing event.
Armstrong was the quintessential "all American boy". He graduated from our nation's finest institutions, Purdue, M.I.T. and USC. He was a pilot for the U.S. Navy in the Korean conflict and an Eagle Scout. Mr. Armstrong had a life-long passion for Scouting and even had a Scout badge in his possession when he walked on the moon.
While Neil Armstrong did many wonderful things and made the world a better place for a lot of people he may have neglected the most important matter in all the world...a belief in the Saviour, Jesus Christ. Armstrong defined his religous beliefs as those belonging to Deism, he said that he was a Deist. Here is a definition of Deism by gotanswers.com...

Deism is essentially the view that God exists, but that He is not directly involved in the world. Deism pictures God as the great “clockmaker” who created the clock, wound it up, and let it go. A deist believes that God exists and created the world, but does not interfere with His creation. Deists deny the Trinity, the inspiration of the Bible, the deity of Christ, miracles, and any supernatural act of redemption or salvation. Deism pictures God as ambivalent, uncaring, and uninvolved. Thomas Jefferson was a famous deist, referring often in his writings to “Providence.”

If indeed Armstrong actually held to these beliefs then he left this world totally unprepared for the next. His superior training and eduction qualified him for success on Earth but in Eternity there is only one action that has value and that is personal faith in Christ. Evidently Armstrong was a Deist because his own mother had serious doubts about his Christian faith. She was a devout Christian and was very concerned about his lack of Christian convictions. 

 

 "[Neil Armstrong's mother] wrote on October 27, 1969, to a Methodist minister in Iowa ... “but when he was a senior in high school, and even more in college, he began wondering about the truth of Jesus Christ. I felt sure he was praying less…. [Today] he is not teaching his own two fine sons about Jesus Christ. This fact causes a million swords to be pierced through my heart constantly.”"

 

Those are sad words aren't they? A "million swords" pierced through her heart. Oh that we had more mothers like her that have a heavy heart for the salvation of their children. We need moms and dads who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to lead their children to believe on the Saviour! 

There is little evidence to suggest that Neil Armstrong ever came to the same conclusion that Peter arrived at in Matthew 16 of the Holy Bible...

 

  ¹³ When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? ¹⁴ And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
¹⁵ He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Jesus is the Christ, the Savior, the Son of the living God. Only those who trust in Jesus as Savior will be re-united with their believing mother, father, sister, brother, wife, children and friends. Reader, you may have great life accomplishments and a grand resume but if you don't have Jesus you will have lost "all" at the day of your death.  Come to Jesus, believe on His work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. Do it now!

 

Iran's Inflation Rate Soars As They Continue To Blaspheme God's People

Iran's "loose cannon" president continues to run his mouth concerning the nation of Israel. Here is a sampling of his latest ranting.

 "The existence of the Zionist regime is an insult to all humanity," Ahmadinejad said. He was addressing worshippers at Tehran University after nationwide pro-Palestinian rallies, an annual event marking Quds (Jerusalem) Day on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan. - Associated Press

Little does Ahmadinejad know that he is belittling the very people that God calls the apple of His eye. There is great peril to all people who curse Israel. The fact that a man like Ahmadinejad could acquire the presidency in a country like Iran is the real "insult to all humanity".

Genesis 12:2-4

King James Version (KJV)

² And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
⁴ So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

Iran's leader continues to curse Israel and his nation is paying the price. Iran's inflation rate is becoming painful to all their citizens. The current inflation rate is slightly higher than 25%! You can read more about this incredible condition here.

The text I just cited concerning blessings and cursings tells us what a gift Israel has been to the nations. It was Israel that God chose to give us the prophets, disciples, apostles, the church, the Bible and most importantly "the Savior"! One only needs to read the pages of history to see how nations have been judged for their poor treatment of the Jew and the nation of Israel. Iran is marching toward their ultimate destruction. The Bible predicted their annihilation centuries ago in the the book of Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39. The world is perched on the very edge of thermo-nuclear ww3.

When you take into consideration the bizarre and record setting drought, floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, solar storms and animal deaths it is hard to deny that we are living in pivotal times. The greatest preparation anyone can make now is to secure their eternal destiny by trusting Christ as Savior. I want to urge you to watch the little 3 minute video in the right sidebar and decide to cast your sin and faith upon Jesus.

The World Food Shortage Crisis Is Being Driven By Record Drought And Pests!

Revelation 6:6

King James Version (KJV)

⁶ And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Right before our eyes we are witnessing a developing world food shortage crisis. The combined inventories of wheat, corn, rice and soybeans will drop 1.8 percent to a four year low before the 2013 harvests. This information is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They are reporting that crops in the U.S. are in the worst shape in over 24 years. This is bad news and combined with the effect of drought in Europe and epic monsoon rains in India the problems will now escalate even further. In fact, there are reports out of China that their corn crop is being plagued by a historic invasion of "army worms". You can read more about that here.
The Scripture I cited in this article is a warning about extreme food cost inflation that is coming to this planet during the terrible time of God's wrath coming to this earth which is called the Tribulation. The time is coming when hyper-inflation will cause folks to spend a days wages (penny) for a loaf of bread (measure of wheat). Americans have been so spoiled that we think the convenient trip to the grocery store will always be part of our lives but it is becoming more and more evident that bizarre events on this planet are bringing us to a crisis of Biblical proportions.
The Bible tells us that all of those who have trusted Christ as their Savior are not "appointed to wrath" First Thessalonians 5:9. This wrath involves the coming Tribulation and an eternal state called Hell. Those are two of the many reasons that the gospel of Jesus Christ is referred to as "good news".  
The real question is "do you believe we are headed to a crisis and do you believe that you need to make provisions to avoid the calamities"?
Of course, you might consider stockpiling some freeze dried food, storing up potable water and buying silver. I think there is definitely some merit in taking these steps as far as the short term is concerned.  We don't know how much of the hard times we might have to endure until Jesus "raptures" us into glory. But the more pressing matter is the eternal state called Hell. Storing food and commodities will not prepare you for that reality. The only solution for avoiding that place is to trust Christ as Savior. The Bible calls this decision "redemption" or "being saved". 
So what about you, are you saved? Have you made Jesus your Savior? You can do it right now and it would be a good idea to do it now because tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us. Watch the little video in the right side bar and let me know what you think or if you have any questions. I would be glad to help you avoid the storm that is coming.

Dead Fish, Dead Rivers And A Dead Economy!

The Marilyn Monroe Death Anniversary Reminds Us About Eternity

The iconic Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson June 1, 1926 and died August 5, 1962 under suspicious circumstances. This past weekend marked the 50th anniversary of her death. I found an article on the Huffington Post about her life which was entitled "Marilyn Monroe:  50 Years Dead And More Alive Than Ever". Here is a portion of that article...

Marilyn's early passing, the scandals and speculations about her death and her life (especially her love life) have fueled interest in her. She remains a vital part of 2012 pop culture. But even during her lifetime, despite Hollywood's disdain, she was a star apart; there was something different, strange, endearing about her. It was a quality that could never quite be explained.

Natalie Wood said, shortly before Monroe's death, "When you look at Marilyn on the screen, you just don't want anything bad to happen to her." The New York Times in its obituary, referred to MM in its first sentence as "One of the greatest stars in Hollywood history." An astounding compliment--in her brief career Monroe had left only a handful of superior films. No longer a legend, she is now a mythological figure, an historical charter. She's up there with Cleopatra and Marie Antoinette, Joan of Arc! When she was alive, a story went that a man ventured into the wilds of Borneo, and encountered some natives. The adventurer announced he was from America. One native said: "America. Marilyn Monroe!" Probably apocryphal, but it gives you an idea. 

I think that it is fair to say that Marilyn is a historical charter and a mythological figure. I also believe that the title of the Huffington Post article has a spiritual message for us as well. It is true that Marilyn is more alive than ever. You see, the Bible says that all of humanity will live forever...somewhere. The Scriptures speak of two eventual destinations for every living soul and that is Heaven or Hell. I do not know the eternal destination of Marilyn Monroe because I just don't know the details of her life and I don't know if there was ever a time if she trusted Christ as her Savior. But I do know that she is more alive than ever...somewhere.

I read this article and was instantly reminded of a statement made by the great evangelist of the 19th century, Dwight Moody. Here is the famous quote that he made about the day he would die...

"Some day you will read in the papers, 'D. L. Moody of East Northfield is dead.' Don't you believe a word of it!

"At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now;
I shall have gone up higher, that is all,
out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal --
a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint;
a body fashioned like unto His glorious body.
I was born of the flesh in 1837.
I was born of the Spirit in 1856.
That which is born of the flesh may die.
That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.

Those were the words of a man who knew where he was going to spend eternity! Those words can be the words of any man, woman, boy or girl who will simply place their faith, their trust, in what Christ did on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. Have you trusted Christ? Make that decision today because you will be more alive than ever a hundred years from today.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Is War With Iran Imminent? Khamenei Says It Is "Weeks" Away

On July 27, just before Friday prayers, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei summoned top Iranian military chiefs for what he called “their last war council.“We’ll be at war within weeks,” he told the gathering.
Meanwhile Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Tuesday, July 31, that he hasn’t yet reached a decision on attacking Iran. He then went on to say, “The ayatollahs have inscribed Israel’s destruction on their banner” and stressed his personal commitment “not to permit Israel to come under Iranian atomic threat.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta said this week "I think the president has made clear that the United States stands with Israel and the international community in making very clear that we will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon,"
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that we are heading to a showdown in the Middle East. More and more characters are entering the stage too. This past week saw the movement of a Chinese Navy vessel into the region. This move is unprecedented and indicates just how perilous the situation is growing. The fulfillment of the great Gog / Magog war is coming into focus. While the Iranian drama continues to intensify the Syria conflict is racing to what may soon be fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy concerning the destruction of Damascus.

Isaiah 17:1-3

King James Version (KJV)

17 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

² The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
³ The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the Lord of hosts.

It should be clear even to the most casual Bible reader that we are living in pivotal times. Big changes in the way we live and perhaps where we live are coming very soon. Do you  know Jesus as Savior? Have you come to the point in your life where you know for certain that if you were to die today you would go to Heaven? You can know for sure and this certainty can only come by trusting Christ. Watch the little video in the right sidebar. Let me know if you have trusted Jesus. I would like to rejoice together with you!