Monday quote

When an organization has more of its decisions made by committees, that gives more influence to those who have more time available to attend committee meetings and to drag out each meeting longer. In other words, it reduces the influence of those who have work to do, and are doing it, while making those who are less productive more influential.

Thomas Sowell

Monday quote

Atheism is not the result of objective assessment of evidence, but of stubborn disobedience; it does not arise from the careful application of reason but from willful rebellion. Atheism is the suppression of truth by wickedness, the cognitive consequence of immorality. In short, it is sin that is the mother of unbelief.

James S. Spiegel, The Making of an Atheist.

Monday quote

The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. This is good because hospitality frequently uncovers a multitude of them.

Douglas Wilson, My Life for Yours.

Monday quote

John Wesley said when he was told that there are a handful of things a minister must know in order to be a servant of Jesus Christ: How to share his faith, how to study the Bible very carefully, how to get his prayers answered, and fourth and finally, philosophy.

JP Moreland.

Monday quote

He grew at this time faster in body than in mind—with the usual consequence, that he was getting rather stupid—one of the chief signs of which was that he believed less and less in things he had never seen. At the same time I do not think he was ever so stupid as to imagine that this was a sign of superior faculty and strength of mind.

George MacDonald, The Princess and Curdie.

Monday quote

Androgyny occurs in the late stages of culture.

Camille Paglia (1947–)

Monday quote

While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious not to violate the conscience of others, ever considering that God alone is the judge of the hearts of men, and to Him only in this case are they answerable.

George Washington, Letter to Benedict Arnold.

Monday quote

Advice is like cooking—you should try it before you feed it to others.

Monday quote

One cannot have superior science and inferior morals. The combination is unstable and self-destroying.

Arthur C Clarke (1917–2008).

Monday quote

Judgment [discernment] is the precondition of all enjoyment.

Roger Scruton

Monday quote

I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science.

Wernher von Braun (1912–1977)

Monday quote

Individuals—the ultimate in diversity.

Monday quote

The Bible has always linked sex to covenant rather than consent.

Richard Beck, Reviving Old Scratch.

Outline of Revelation

Introduction and blessing
Greeting
Vision of Jesus

Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. (1:19)

Letters to the 7 churches
Letter 1. Ephesus
Letter 2. Smyrna
Letter 3. Pergamum
Letter 4. Thyatira
Letter 5. Sardis
Letter 6. Philadelphia
Letter 7. Laodicea

Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. (4:1)

Throne in heaven
Sealed scroll
Slain Lamb

7 seals
Seal 1. White horse (conqueror)
Seal 2. Red horse (war)
Seal 3. Black horse (poverty)
Seal 4. Pale horse ridden by Death and Hades (war, famine, pestilence, wild beasts)
Seal 5. Martyrs appeal
Seal 6. Earthquake, black sun, red moon, stars fall, sky rolls up, men hide
144,000 sealed from Israel
Multitude of the nations clothed in white gathered before the throne
Seal 7. Silence in heaven

7 Trumpets
Trumpet 1. Hail and fire with blood. Burned a third of earth, third of trees, all grass.
Trumpet 2. Burning mountain into sea. Third sea became blood, third sea creatures die, third ships destroyed.
Trumpet 3. Star Wormwood falls on waters. Third waters wormwood (bitter) and men die.
Trumpet 4. Third sun, moon, stars struck. Third light removed. Third of day and night lose light.
3 Woes
Trumpet 5 (Woe 1). Star fallen from heaven open abyss. Dark smoke and locusts of Abbadon. 5 months of torment.
Trumpet 6 (Woe 2). 4 Angels bound at Euphrates released to kill a third of men. Plagues of fire, smoke and sulphur.
Refusal of men to repent
Mighty angel with little scroll

7 Thunders

Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down. (10:4)

In the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled. (10:7)

John eats scroll. Tastes of honey but bitter to stomach.
Court measured
Nations trample holy city for 42 months
2 witnesses prophesy for 1260 days
Beast kills witnesses. Witnesses revived. Witnesses ascend to heaven.
Earthquake. 7000 die.
Trumpet 7 (Woe 3). Kingdom of earth becomes kingdom of heaven. Temple in heaven opened.
Signs in heaven: woman then dragon. Woman flees for 1260 days.
War in heaven. Satan cast down.
Dragon pursues woman. Woman protected for time, times, and half a time. Dragon pursues the rest of the woman's offspring.
The beast from the sea. Beast exercises authority for 42 months.
The beast from the land.
Number of the beast 666

The Lamb on Mount Zion with 144,000
3 angels

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on (14:13)

Harvests of earth and vine

7 bowls (plagues)
Bowl 1. Painful sores
Bowl 2. Sea blood
Bowl 3. Rivers and springs blood
Bowl 4. Sun scorches men
Bowl 5. Beast's kingdom darkness
Bowl 6. Euphrates dries up for kings from the East. Dragon, beast and false prophet have unclean spirits come from their mouths. Battle at Armageddon.
Bowl 7. Earthquake, city split, hailstones.
Great prostitute
Seven mountains and seven kings
Fall of Babylon
Rejoicing in heaven
Marriage supper of the Lamb
Rider on the white horse
Beast and false prophet thrown into the Lake of Fire
Angel binds Satan 1000 years
Martyrs raised and reign with Christ
Satan released. Deceives nations. Destroyed by fire from heaven. Cast into Lake of Fire.
Great White Throne
New Heaven and Earth
New Jerusalem
River of Life
Jesus promises to return

Monday quote

But if [someone] agrees with you and you threaten to punch that [person] for not agreeing with you exactly the right way, that might be an oversized reaction.

Scott Adams