A few more pics of Fairytale Courthouse in Salem Indiana
Courthouse - built in 1885 of local limestone, still in operation today.
Astronomy Forecast
There is supposed to be a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter this Saturday evening.
Lance Vs. The Scales
Today is the day I go in for my final weigh in as a paying member of Weight Watchers. Unless I eat a small horse between now and noon I’ll be earning my lifetime membership today. Today marks one year and one day since my first weigh in. If you’d asked how long it would take when I started I’d have said never. By Christmas last year I thought I could do it by July. Well, cocky is just as bad as wimpy as neither are right. I’ll come back and let you all know the final weight this afternoon. EDIT: Though up 1 lb for the week, I was still well below my goal weight and received my lifetime membership today at noon. Thanks to my special friends Patty, Annette, and Elke who cheered me on and kept me going all the way. Thanks also to all you xanga buddies for all your encouragement this past year. Special thanks to the Lord for giving me life, enriching my life, and for all the good He is and does.
Quake Report
Japan M6.2
Sandwich Islands M5.8
About Today’s Lesson
On Monday nobody challenged the idea that God does not deceive people. I’m a little surprised based on the amount of evidence to the contrary. Not that the evidence really means God deceives, but a lot of people seem to think God would deceive. What follows are some popular passages used to try and make the claim God does lie and therefore shows the bible as a false document and our faith to be false. I’ve done my best to refute each, but if you’ve got more to add (to either side of the argument) I’d be very pleased to hear from you.
James 1:16
Do not err, my beloved brethren. — KJV
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.— NIV
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. — ESV
1.16.6 If God doesn’t deceive, then what about these verses?
There are many seeming contradictions people point to in the bible in an effort to prove it wrong and, by extension, to destroy the faith of those who believe the bible to be true and accurate. What follows are four passages used for that purpose which at first appear to contradict Titus 1:2 and similar verses. With each verse is an attempt to explain logically how these verses are misinterpreted, misunderstood, or taken out of context.
1 Ki 22:20-23 and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.” This passage is an excerpt from a story about a messenger named Micaiah who was – in these verses – telling the king what God had told him. The events that followed showed the prophesy was true. Perhaps this is only a technicality, but it is important to note from this passage that God himself used a willing spirit to go and lie. God didn’t personally lie, though he did allow a lie. This should not be viewed as unreasonable or unusual since he allows us to lie all the time. We do not know the nature of the spirit God used.
2 Thess 2:11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, The Greek for delusion in this sentence is Plane, a form of the word translated err or deceived in James 1:16. Since God doesn’t lie this is difficult to reconcile. One interpretation might follow 1 Kings 22, particularly since it is stated that God sends the delusion. It doesn’t say God delivers or even authors the delusion. Perhaps he only is controlling the routing of a lie and not actually creating it. Another interpretation would suggest that the purpose of the delusion is to prove for the public what God himself already knows about the hearts of the people described in the context.
Rev 17:17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. In this passage no technicality can rescue God. Of course with God no technicality is actually required, but that’s beside the point. First of all, notice that God had previously said he would do something and now he must fulfill what he said. This shows God will keep his earlier promise. Next, examine this verse in context. It falls within an angel’s explanation of the vision of the great prostitute and the beast. Those who would have it “put into their hearts” to submit to the beast, at least for a certain time, are people who were already being presented with a lie by the beast. In actuality God is merely withdrawing from those men so that they would follow their own natural inclination to follow the beast.
Eze 14:9 And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. This passage is included in the text describing a test of sorts. In the greater context God is telling his prophet that some Israelites were worshiping idols, but was offering a chance for them to come to his prophet and seek God’s council via that prophet. The Lord goes on to say he will listen and answer. Eze 14:9 is essentially saying if the prophet gets deceived he’s really a false prophet and will die. In following verse God warns that both the false prophet and those who sought council from the false prophet will die. | 
This is my book. It is for sale online. Ask James is a bible study in Q&A format. It is perfect for individual or small group studies. This book covers a multitude of topics from joy to anger, death to salvation, faith to doubt, temptation to religion, and many more. Learn to ask hard questions and how to find satisfying answers. Buy my book today. Buy enough for your next group study.
RYC, yes, Kerry Livgren's (Dust In the Wind, etc.) story is an interesting one. I don't know if it's still in print, but he had published an autobiography called 'Seeds of Change'. I found it interesting reading - I'va always appreciated his music and lyrics, and he turned out to be quite a thoughtful guy and not your typical 'rock star'.
