The Simpson's 24 Year Assault On Beloved Bible Stories Will Come To A Halt Soon!

I spend some time looking at recent news items on Youtube.com. That should not be a surprise to anyone who searches for information online. Youtube is the second largest search engine trailing only Google. As I was looking at news items concerning current events I stumbled upon a clip from an old Simpson's episode entitled "Thank God For Doomsday". This episode is a good example of the Simpson's continual assault on the great stories of the Bible. This particular episode makes fun of the rapture and the judgment of mankind.  Here is a summary of that episode that I borrowed from tv.com. , go ahead and read it and I'll comment more afterwards.

The Rapture from Thank God It's Doomsday

Bart and Lisa want to start getting their hair cut at the mall. They go to the mall with Homer and while getting their haircut they get into a fight, which results in them each getting really bad haircuts. Out in the mall they are spotted by fellow school students who have cameras in hand. They find Homer and go on the run; they sneak into the back entrance of a movie theater and see the film "Left Below," which is a movie about the apocalypse. The images in the movie are disturbing to Homer, who fears the worst. Marge assures him that there needs to be some ominous signs before the rapture will come. When Homer is out driving, he sees what he believes to be the signs. Homer gathers some books on the subject and he calculates that the "rapture is nigh" at 3:15 PM on May 18th, seven days from now. He starts to spread the word and tells everyone on television a passage from Revelations 6:13 that says before the rapture "the stars will fall to Earth." At the Springfield Stadium, there is a celebrity filled blimp accident that causes the stars on board to fall to the Earth and Homer gains instant credibility. He gets a bus full of people to join him at Springfield Mesa. When the appointed time comes and goes, Homer loses credibility and everyone return back to their normal lives. Homer later realizes that he made a mistake in his calculation and the new time is only 30 minutes away. When no one in his family will join him Homer goes to the Mesa on his own. The rapture comes and Homer goes to heaven, but despite all that heaven has to offer, Homer needs his family. He gets an audience with God, but when God won't grant his request to have his family join him; Homer begins raising hell in heaven. To put a stop to it, God agrees to turn back time and put off the rapture.less

The bizarre thing about this episode which was produced in 2005 is that it was produced by the Simpson's new writer, Don Payne. I bring that to your attention because Don Payne died of bone cancer in March of this year. I think that there are some sobering things about this story which we should consider.  First, I don't think it is ever a good idea to mock or ridicule God and His Word under any circumstances. The Bible tells us that making fun of God's promises will be epidemic in the last days.

Mr. Don Payne

 Jude 1:18

How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Second, we should be mindful of every word and action that proceeds from our lives because we don't know what the immediate future holds.

 James 4:13-14

¹³ Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

¹⁴ Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Third,  the time to admit our need for a Savior and trust Christ to save us is right now! I don't know where Don Payne is spending his eternity. Only God knows the eternal destination of all men. But I do know that Mr. Payne's opportunities to trust Christ occurred only during the time he spent here on earth. Dear Reader, the events unfolding in our present time indicate that Christ may come at any moment. Are you ready? Are you ready for a disastrous diagnosis like Don Payne received last year? Come to Christ, run to Jesus now.

George Jones: His Death And His Faith

George Jones the legendary voice of country music died today at Vanderbilt University Hospital, he was 81. I was saddened by his death because I have long recognized his immense talent. In fact, it was a George Jones song, A Picture Of Me Without You, that was sung at my wedding nearly 38 years ago. My wife really introduced me to his music.
As I thought about Jones and his life I did a little research and found this article written by Dr. Russell D. Moore, President of the School of Theology at Southern Seminary. This article and several others that I read today lead me to believe that George Jones had a trust in Jesus Christ as his Savior
I think that George represents the story of a lot of Christians who make poor choices and get out of fellowship with God. But in the end he made the fellowship with the Lord a priority and quit destructive habits for good. Here is a song that George recorded that reveal his struggles with sin and the goodness of God.

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Here are the lyrics to the song above...

I say, Christian pilgrim, so redeemed from sin
Called out of darkness a new life to begin
Were you ever in the valley where the way is dark and dim
Did you ever drink the cup of loneliness with Him

Did you ever have them laugh at you and say it was a fake
The stand that you so boldly for the Lord did take
Did you ever have them mock at you and laugh in ways quite grim
Did you ever drink the cup of loneliness with Him

Did you ever try to preach then hold fast and pray
And even when you did it there did not seem a way
And you lost all courage then lost all your vim
Did you ever drink the cup of loneliness with him

Oh my friends 'tis bitter sweet while here on earthly sod
To follow in the footsteps that our dear Savior trod
To suffer with the Savior and when the way is dark and dim
To drink from the bitter cup of loneliness with Him

It is important to remember that George Jones was influenced as a child by a Sunday School teacher and the pastor's wife. It was in church that Jones began to sing and to develop a life-long love for gospel music. I don't know the exact time that Jones trusted Christ as his Savior but I do know that the moment one looks to Jesus in faith they are wondrously saved. I am reminded of the wonderful lyrics of Fanny Crosby...

 O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Much of George Jones life was not useful in service to the Lord but was mired down in sin. Jones was always very honest and candid about his failings. But the faithfulness of Jesus Christ is what keeps us saved it's not our own works that maintain our relationship with the Almighty.

Galatians 2:20

King James Version (KJV)

²⁰ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith (faithfulness) of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Trust in Jesus as your Savior and receive a pardon today!

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What Is Wrong With Stephen Hawking?

When someone asks the question "What is wrong with Stephen Hawking?" they should qualify their question. If you want to know what is wrong with Dr. Hawking from a physical stand point the answer is simple. Dr. Hawking has battled Lou Gehrig disease for 50 years. In fact, we can congratulate Hawkings courage and perseverance against this disease because it claims most of its victims in a relatively short time.
If you want to know what is wrong with Dr. Hawking from a spiritual perspective the answer is pretty simple as well. Dr. Hawking used to acknowledge a small role for God in the creation of the universe. However, in recent years he no longer sees God as a necessary ingredient in the story of origins. He has made the following statement.."The universe can and will create itself out of nothing." He is also credited with the following quote..."We are each free to believe what we want, and it's my view that the simplest explanation is; there is no god". I personally don't see how anyone could come to the conclusion that all that can be seen with the eye and all that is invisible to us just "created" itself! Maybe it's just me but I think it takes more blind faith to believe that nonsense then to believe that "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". You can read more about Dr. Hawkings beliefs or lack thereof at this site.
So then, what is Dr. Hawking's spiritual problem? He is a fool according to the Word of God.

Psalm 14:1

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

I know what you are thinking, I don't have a Ph.D. in physics and I wasn't a professor in mathematics at Cambridge for 30 years. You're right, I'm just a simple man who believes the Bible is the Word of God. The Bible makes it very clear, if you don't acknowledge God's existence and His essential part in all the universe then you are a "fool". 

I hope for a couple of things for Dr. Hawking. I hope that his physical condition could improve and that his suffering could be eased. Most of all, I hope that Dr. Hawking will one day acknowledge Jesus Christ as His Savior and Lord.

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