After extra time, with the aggregate score level at 3-3 and both teams having one away goal, it is no surprise to see a German side win on penalties, even in the magnificent Bernabeu against the Galaticos. Real Madrid thought it was going to be their year to win the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo really believed it, but the resolute Bayern Munich team had other ideas. Ronaldo scored two goals this evening, but he failed to score in the penalty shoot out. Sebastian Schweinsteiger scored the winning penalty to knock out mighty Madrid. The Special One, Jose Mourinho, was hoping to achieve a record of three Champions League wins with three different clubs. He had already won with Porto and Inter Milan. But a win with Real Madrid in 2012 against his old club, Chelsea, was not to be.
Wednesday 25 April 2012
Tuesday 24 April 2012
Chelsea performed magnificently at Camp Nou
It was truly a sensational win for Chelsea tonight at Camp Nou when they knocked out the European Champions League holders. Chelsea won the tie by three goals to two on aggregate, drawing 2-2 on the night.
At half time Chelsea were a goal down, with the score at 2-1, and had only ten men on the pitch. After 43 minutes Chelsea had been two goals down, but Ramires scored a magnificent goal just before the half time whistle. Chelsea captain John Terry had been sent off after receiving a straight red card. This dismissal came after 38 minutes of the game. At the end of the second half Chelsea managed to score a killer goal, with only ten men. Barcelona did not score at all in the second half. Amazing!
It was not pretty football but Chelsea's defence was resolute. The whole team fought so well in one of the most remarkable games in the club's history. Many critics had written Chelsea off. Who would have believed that they would do so well in the second half with so many odds against them? It was a remarkable result. Barca were stunned. Lionel Messi missed a penalty at the beginning of the second half, and he has never scored against Chelsea. There has been an all Italian final and there has been an all English club Champions League final, but the anticipated first all Spanish final will not take place in 2012.
At half time Chelsea were a goal down, with the score at 2-1, and had only ten men on the pitch. After 43 minutes Chelsea had been two goals down, but Ramires scored a magnificent goal just before the half time whistle. Chelsea captain John Terry had been sent off after receiving a straight red card. This dismissal came after 38 minutes of the game. At the end of the second half Chelsea managed to score a killer goal, with only ten men. Barcelona did not score at all in the second half. Amazing!
It was not pretty football but Chelsea's defence was resolute. The whole team fought so well in one of the most remarkable games in the club's history. Many critics had written Chelsea off. Who would have believed that they would do so well in the second half with so many odds against them? It was a remarkable result. Barca were stunned. Lionel Messi missed a penalty at the beginning of the second half, and he has never scored against Chelsea. There has been an all Italian final and there has been an all English club Champions League final, but the anticipated first all Spanish final will not take place in 2012.
Friday 20 April 2012
The Three Ducks in Lovejoy
For those who follow the Lovejoy television series and wish to identify various locations, the public house in the episode Ducking and Diving, broadcast today, is in Pin Mill, Suffolk. It is not The Three Ducks but Butt & Oyster, The Quay, Pin Mill, IP9 1JW. It is a CAMRA pub. You can find more information on the Heritage Pubs' website.
Thursday 19 April 2012
A Tribute to Arthur Carver
As a tribute to the late Reverend Arthur Carver, I have decided to insert a passage from his book The Great Consummation.
This is from page 34 of chapter 4, The True Biblical Character of the Kingdom
SUMMARY OF OUR LORD'S TEACHING
We have seen that the Advent and its vast attendant happenings were no minor part of that ministry. Rather that Day was the grand climax to which a large part of his utterances were directed. He sets it before His hearers in a manner calculated to illumine the mind and solemnise the heart. We have seen that here a no darkly-veiled mysteries, but an embracive, detailed setting forth of the events connected with the Great Consummation, in language so clear and plain that "the wayfaring man need not err therein ". To suggest that our Lord would speak otherwise betokens lack both of wisdom and reverence.
What, then, have we discovered? If we adopt a dispensationalist point of attitude and look for "significant omissions", the result of our labour is clear. There is no statement of a "pre-tribulation Rapture", no word about a "two phased Coming", no sentence about distinguishing between the "coming of the Lord" and the "coming of the Son of Man", no announcement of a series of resurrections and judgments, no mention of an earthly throne of David, no pointing to a thousand years' reign on earth, with a further Satanic outbreak; in fact NOTHING AT ALL ABOUT THE VERY THINGS DISPENSATIONALISTS ARE FOREVER TALKING ABOUT.
We put the obvious question: "If all these things, which form the marrow and substance of Futurism, are part of the Doctrine of Christ, why is it that they are nowhere to found reading of the Master's words?" Can it be because they are, after all, only the innovations of mistaken men?
When we look at the positive side, the results are just as clear, and the conclusions equally destructive to the 19th Century prophetic theories. They can be summarised as follows:
There are only two Ages from the time of Messiah's Advent, "this age" and "the age to come"; The end of "this age" is accompanied by the severance of the righteous and the wicked to their eternal portion ( e.g. Matthew 13 ); The "age to come" is the age of "ever- lasting life", where there is no marriage, sin or death ( Luke 20:36 ), but the "righteous shine forth in the Kingdom of their Father" ( Matthew 13 ); The "end of the age" is attended by "The judgement", "The Throne of His Glory", and "the furnace of fire"; It is, indeed, "The Last Day" of Time for both saint and sinner; The only event. set before Christians, for which they are to watch is the Son of Man appearing in His Glory; There is but one appearing when He comes in the threefold glory of Himself, His Father and the holy angels; this Appearing will be as the Flood of Noah and the Sodom Judgement, bringing destruction to all the ungodly, but east and west enjoy everlasting bliss, "eating at His table" and reigning on thrones; From this Kingdom, every evil thing has been forever banished.
The full text of Arthur Carver's book, The Great Consummation, is available from
http://www.stilltruth.com/2012/great-consumation
Please my blog of 31 March 2011 for further comments about Arthur.
This is from page 34 of chapter 4, The True Biblical Character of the Kingdom
SUMMARY OF OUR LORD'S TEACHING
We have seen that the Advent and its vast attendant happenings were no minor part of that ministry. Rather that Day was the grand climax to which a large part of his utterances were directed. He sets it before His hearers in a manner calculated to illumine the mind and solemnise the heart. We have seen that here a no darkly-veiled mysteries, but an embracive, detailed setting forth of the events connected with the Great Consummation, in language so clear and plain that "the wayfaring man need not err therein ". To suggest that our Lord would speak otherwise betokens lack both of wisdom and reverence.
What, then, have we discovered? If we adopt a dispensationalist point of attitude and look for "significant omissions", the result of our labour is clear. There is no statement of a "pre-tribulation Rapture", no word about a "two phased Coming", no sentence about distinguishing between the "coming of the Lord" and the "coming of the Son of Man", no announcement of a series of resurrections and judgments, no mention of an earthly throne of David, no pointing to a thousand years' reign on earth, with a further Satanic outbreak; in fact NOTHING AT ALL ABOUT THE VERY THINGS DISPENSATIONALISTS ARE FOREVER TALKING ABOUT.
We put the obvious question: "If all these things, which form the marrow and substance of Futurism, are part of the Doctrine of Christ, why is it that they are nowhere to found reading of the Master's words?" Can it be because they are, after all, only the innovations of mistaken men?
When we look at the positive side, the results are just as clear, and the conclusions equally destructive to the 19th Century prophetic theories. They can be summarised as follows:
There are only two Ages from the time of Messiah's Advent, "this age" and "the age to come"; The end of "this age" is accompanied by the severance of the righteous and the wicked to their eternal portion ( e.g. Matthew 13 ); The "age to come" is the age of "ever- lasting life", where there is no marriage, sin or death ( Luke 20:36 ), but the "righteous shine forth in the Kingdom of their Father" ( Matthew 13 ); The "end of the age" is attended by "The judgement", "The Throne of His Glory", and "the furnace of fire"; It is, indeed, "The Last Day" of Time for both saint and sinner; The only event. set before Christians, for which they are to watch is the Son of Man appearing in His Glory; There is but one appearing when He comes in the threefold glory of Himself, His Father and the holy angels; this Appearing will be as the Flood of Noah and the Sodom Judgement, bringing destruction to all the ungodly, but east and west enjoy everlasting bliss, "eating at His table" and reigning on thrones; From this Kingdom, every evil thing has been forever banished.
Such then, are the teachings of the Lord Jesus. There is no
room in them for millennialism of any kind. It was the unanswerable challenge
of this teaching that shattered the writer's traditional belief in the
eschatology of Brethrenism, and showed an earthly millennium to be a useless
mirage. We have pleasure in presenting the same challenge to the reader. All we
ask is, that he should honestly endeavour to divest his mind of the theories he
has been taught for years regarding the Coming of the Lord, and then come
simply to the reading of the four Gospels. Let him listen to the Beloved
Master; examine all He said on this momentous subject. We are confident that
not one in ten thousand would ever discern there the intricate system of
Comings, resurrections, judgements and Kingdoms which adorn the Temple of
dispensationalism. This temple has been reared upon ideas as mistaken as filled
the minds of the apostles in the Holy Mount; as for us, the voice from Heaven
speaks once again: "This is My Beloved Son; hear ye Him."
The full text of Arthur Carver's book, The Great Consummation, is available from
http://www.stilltruth.com/2012/great-consumation
Please my blog of 31 March 2011 for further comments about Arthur.
Thursday 12 April 2012
Patrick Heron and eschatological errors?
Patrick Heron, the Irish author and not the English artist, has written best sellers on the end times or what is referred to as Christian eschatology. His book Apocalypse Soon was a best seller in the Republic of Ireland and his more recent The Return of the Antichrist and the New World Order is particularly popular in the USA.
There is concern in the Christian community about some of his novel and controversial claims concerning prophecies and the end times. Some would say that his eschatology is not only novel but bizarre and highly speculative rather than soundly biblical.
In the above mentioned books and in YouTube videos, Patrick Heron claims:
The Antichrist or Beast of the Apocalypse is Apollo, the Greek god, a fallen spirit being who will be incarnated as the leader of the New World Order.
New York City in the United States of America is referred to in Revelation 17 and 18. New York, according to Patrick Heron, is identified in Revelation 17: 5 as "Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth."
The Beast will operate from the United Nations building in Manhattan.
The apostasy (η αποστασια), rebellion or falling away mentioned in the text of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 refers to the secret rapture and not to any abandoning or falling away from the faith.
In fact Patrick Heron buys into the secret rapture theory doctrine, which means a two stage second coming of Christ. This theory was made popular in the Left Behind books by Tim LaHaye.
You can find a sound refutation of Patrick Heron's twisting of the meaning of apostasy, which is eisegesis rather that exegesis, in various websites. Please see Cris D. Putnam's Logos Apologia http://www.logosapologia.org/?s=Patrick+Heron The identification of the word apostasy with "spatial departure" and then the rapture is trying to insert a meaning that is foreign to the text. Apostasy in this context clearly means a falling away from the faith or sound teaching. 1 Timothy 4:1 helps us understand the meaning of the word apostasy as abandoning or departing from the faith. It is not a spacial departure or rapture! The New Testament word here is αποστησονται.
Patrick Heron's interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 has a very recent historical background. This verse was not connected with the rapture until the late 19th century. Before that no Christian writer understood it in this way. In fact the fully developed doctrine of the two stage second coming cannot be found before the 19th century at all. Even convinced pretribulationists (those who believe that Christians will be raptured before the great tribulation) do not believe that this verse in any way refers to the rapture.
There is concern in the Christian community about some of his novel and controversial claims concerning prophecies and the end times. Some would say that his eschatology is not only novel but bizarre and highly speculative rather than soundly biblical.
In the above mentioned books and in YouTube videos, Patrick Heron claims:
The Antichrist or Beast of the Apocalypse is Apollo, the Greek god, a fallen spirit being who will be incarnated as the leader of the New World Order.
New York City in the United States of America is referred to in Revelation 17 and 18. New York, according to Patrick Heron, is identified in Revelation 17: 5 as "Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth."
The Beast will operate from the United Nations building in Manhattan.
The apostasy (η αποστασια), rebellion or falling away mentioned in the text of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 refers to the secret rapture and not to any abandoning or falling away from the faith.
In fact Patrick Heron buys into the secret rapture theory doctrine, which means a two stage second coming of Christ. This theory was made popular in the Left Behind books by Tim LaHaye.
You can find a sound refutation of Patrick Heron's twisting of the meaning of apostasy, which is eisegesis rather that exegesis, in various websites. Please see Cris D. Putnam's Logos Apologia http://www.logosapologia.org/?s=Patrick+Heron The identification of the word apostasy with "spatial departure" and then the rapture is trying to insert a meaning that is foreign to the text. Apostasy in this context clearly means a falling away from the faith or sound teaching. 1 Timothy 4:1 helps us understand the meaning of the word apostasy as abandoning or departing from the faith. It is not a spacial departure or rapture! The New Testament word here is αποστησονται.
Patrick Heron's interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 has a very recent historical background. This verse was not connected with the rapture until the late 19th century. Before that no Christian writer understood it in this way. In fact the fully developed doctrine of the two stage second coming cannot be found before the 19th century at all. Even convinced pretribulationists (those who believe that Christians will be raptured before the great tribulation) do not believe that this verse in any way refers to the rapture.
Saturday 7 April 2012
Trenton Oldfield is the swimmer who disrupted the Boat Race today
Trenton Oldfield is the swimmer who managed to disrupt the Boat Race today. He believes that his stupid act was a protest against elitism. He is a marked man, named and shamed, and many fans of the Boat Race are furious and seething about his selfish and stupid protest, particularly supporters of the Oxford crew. Oldfield clearly has a chip on his shoulder and his protest is an act of vanity. Trenton Oldfield's blog will no doubt get a lot of hits and publicity, but few will have much sympathy for him and his lost cause.
I hope that he is fined heavily for his actions; he should be charged for the costs of his rescue. This stupidity should not be tolerated.
I hope that he is fined heavily for his actions; he should be charged for the costs of his rescue. This stupidity should not be tolerated.
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