Afghanistan quagmire

Can we believe that fighting in Afghanistan will make the streets of Britain safer?  I would have thought that the reverse is true. With no clear exit strategy and the frequent loss of life by British servicemen, how long will this conflict continue and how many more servicemen and women will have to die? For what?  Why are we fighting this war?

We seem to be asking a great deal of our servicemen.  They have been inadequately equipped.  The costs are enormous in terms of helicopters, daily weaponry, logistics, injuries, deaths of highly and expensively trained personnel, and medical support.  Is it worth sacrificing our people in a country where there is widespread corruption, political turmoil, administrative bedlam, systemic failures and factional fanaticism?  There is no end in sight. We are regarded as impostors, invaders and an occupying force.  For hundreds of years the tribal groups have been fighting foreign invaders;  we are seen in the same light.  Will we succeed where others have failed?  The infrastructure needs a radical overhaul which we are not able to provide.  The people of Afghanistan must eventually solve this mess, this quagmire. There should be far more support for internal democratic institutions. Education rather than military action should be given much more thought. Hearts and minds need to be won. Warfare will not change minds but will cause resentment and the desire for revenge, spirals of violence. The massive cost of military investment in Afghanistan would be put to better use in our home intelligence service, health service and our educational system.  That investment would make Britain a safer and a better place.

The Second Coming of Jesus will be after the tribulation

The clearest teaching of Jesus about the Second Coming taking place after the tribulation is found in Matthew 24: 29-31.  This is no secret event at all.  The passage indicates that this is a very public and glorious occasion.  Let's look closely at the words of Jesus.


Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall down from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.


Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.


And He will send His angels with a great trumpet sound, and they will gather up His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other end.



If the tribes of the earth see Jesus, and His coming is with power and great glory, and also with angels and the great trumpet sound, then it will not be a secret event.  Far from it!  His elect will be gathered up (επισυναξουσιν τους εκλεκτους αυτου).  In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 its says caught up in the clouds (αρπαγησομεθα εν νεφελαις) which refers to the rapture.

Perichoresis

I am truly fascinated by the theological term perichoresis.  Some associate it with a divine dance of mutual love in the Trinity.  It was something of a buzz word when I was studying for a Master of Theology degree at Oxford and beloved by Professor Paul Fiddes.  It is interesting that his book Participating in God: a pastoral doctrine of the Trinity  uses the term over thirty times and one edition of the book has on the front cover a painting by Henri Matisse of a group of dancing naked females.  In the Middle Ages perichoresis became linked with the image of a divine dance, as Fiddes points out.  Fiddes argues that the image of the perichoresis of the Trinity as movements in a dance - not as a group of dancers - accords well with the identification of the divine persons as relations.

I understand perichoresis to refer to the mutual indwelling and interpenetration in the Trinity. Apparently perichoresis was originally used by the Stoics and meant interpenetration.  It has been traced back in Christian theology to the Cappodocian Fathers in the fourth century.  Its trinitarian roots go back to Pseudo Cyril and John of Damascus and they both used the term to emphasize reciprocity and exchange in the mutual indwelling and penetration of the Trinity.

Recommending Bzel333 on YouTube.com

I now subscribe to Bzel333's channel on YouTube.  His messages are sound, full of insight and biblical truth.

I enjoy seeing his videos. I particularly like his teaching on the second coming of Christ, especially against the secret rapture theory and dispensationalism, and his exposure of false teaching. Please find out more about his eschatological views, i.e. views about the end times, the last days. They are well thought out and intelligently argued.

Bzel333 clearly has a love for the Bible and the glorious Gospel message.  Download his videos; new ones are produced frequently. Try and see for yourself.  Long may his ministry continue.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=bzel333#g/u

My videos are now on YouTube

Today I started to show some of my videos of Pembrokeshire on YouTube.   My first one was uploaded a few hours ago and features Barafundle Bay on a glorious June day, earlier in this year.  I have registered under the name of Johlibaptist, so I hope you can find and view them easily.  So far all the videos are related to the Pembrokeshire Coast in Wales.  It is officially recognized as a place of outstanding natural beauty and the coastal path is a national park. Enjoy!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-izCK3AVbTE


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW_vBB29aJ4




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwrb-M0sqSU&feature=channel




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQR0z4umVUE&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BTp6WEDGn0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8stZExCRcgY&feature=related

Beautiful Barafundle Bay

Barafundle Bay is my favourite beach.  It is very beautiful on a bright sunny day.  I can recall some very happy moments there.  Next year a film called Barafundle Bay will be released at the end of April, directed by Hattie Dalton and starring Hugh Bonneville, Benedict Cumberbatch, JJ Feild and Tom Burke.  There is an interesting and amusing blog about the making of this film with some fine photographs.  No doubt this film will make Barafundle Bay even more popular and crowds of people will be visiting it.  I just hope that it does not get spoilt, because part of its wonderful charm is its calm, peaceful and natural setting.  I love Barafundle Bay as it is, without the litter and pollution.  I hope there is never a hotel, bar, restaurant or leisure facility by the beach.  I also hope that you enjoy my photographs of Barafundle Bay. Such a beautiful place!

For information about the film Barafundle Bay please see:
twitter.com/BarafundleBay
http://barafundlebay.wordpress.com/

Footprints in the sand at Barafundle Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

I have inserted, among my photographs down below in this blog, a photograph of footprints in the sand at Barafundle beach, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It reminds of the famous Footprints in the Sand Christian poem. The authorship of this poem has been hotly disputed. Its message has been a blessing to many people all over the world and has been translated into many languages. There is a popular ballad sung by Leona Lewis based on the famous words from an idea by Simon Cowell.

For information about the authorship and versions of the poem please click on the hyperlink
www.wowzone.com/fprints.htm

For information about the song please go to the website
www.songlyrics.com/leona-lewis/footprints-in-the-sand-lyrics

I have discovered that the fossils of dinosaur footprints can been seen in the rocks at low tide.