LOOKING BEYOND THE VEIL

In May this year, I wrote a post titled Heaven and Near-Death Encounters - which turned out to be personally prophetic! My post was prompted by reading the book titled, Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, Gods Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You . The book is based on more than 1,000 near-death stories, and it is definitely worthwhile reading or listening to as an audiobook. Even though according to Benjamin Franklin, death and taxes are our only certainties in life, we can spend our lives trying to avoid both.

The other quote that I like is attributed to Muhammed Ali - Live every day as if it were your last, because someday you’re going to be right. The first time I heard this quote was in 2005, from Steve Jobs great commencement address at Stanford University. If you haven’t heard the address before, it is worthwhile taking 15 minutes to listen to some important distilled wisdom from a man who had faced death and was able to share important insights about life  – see the video below.

My Glimpse Beyond The Veil

My own glimpse beyond the veil, came two weeks ago about the time I recorded my last Sons of Issachar Newsletter podcast. I experienced some concerning symptoms – shortness of breath, heart irregularities and extreme exercise intolerance. My excellent local doctor recommended that I attend the emergency centre at my local hospital, but I sensed that the problem needed the attention of a heart specialist. So my wife drove me off to Sydney to see the cardiologist, and by the time I arrived at the clinic, I felt close to the end. I remember thinking – If I am having a heart attack, being in a cardiac centre must be the best option.

The cardiologist examined me about 4pm on a Friday afternoon and swung into action. It was impressive, given that hospitals normally wind up their activities at this time. I had myriad tests in a short period and he discovered that I had large clots in the major lung vessels and that the right side of my heart was ballooning trying to cope with the additional load. This problem is called “pulmonary embolus” and is most commonly found in people who have been on long-haul  flights. The problem usually comes from clots that have formed in vessels in the legs. Ultrasounds showed that I had significant clots in both legs although it is still uncertain about what caused these clots. I asked the doctor what the main symptom was and he told me “sudden death”. This is a very bad symptom!

I was immediately whisked away to a hospital room and put on intravenous heparin, an anti-clotting drug and had ultrasound and CT examinations. The treatment regimen necessitated blood tests every two to three hours for three days. The constant process of being awakened for blood collection eventually had me feeling like a Guantanamo Bay detainee, placed on a sleep deprivation protocol. However, my condition improved over the three days, and I had many clever cardiologists come to visit and also a haematologist. I spent one week in The Mater Hospital and I have never had such a remarkable experience at a hospital, although I have been involved with many over the years. It is difficult to build a large organization where there is commitment at every level – from receptionists, cleaners, volunteers, chaplains, blood collectors, imaging staff, nurses and doctors  - to outstanding professional care and compassion. I have marveled at what this hospital has managed to achieve and, ultimately I think that it demonstrates a commitment to the mission statement that they have on their website. Their mission states simply: We bring God’s love to those in need through the healing ministry of Jesus.

I have had substantial experience working with organizations in the development of mission statements. Usually, it ends up being a motto on a wall somewhere rather than something that permeates an entire organization. The healthcare sector could do well to send people to study how excellence is achieved at The Mater. Rishi Sunak should send some of his NHS bureaucrats to discover the factors that could transform the failing British health system.

The Healing Ministry of Jesus

Given the Mater Hospital’s mission, I thought that it was worthwhile exploring a bit further what the hospital declares is “the healing ministry of Jesus”.

Most people with even a rudimentary knowledge of Jesus, know that he was a top healer. The Book of Matthew tells us:

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them” (Matthew 4:23-25).

After listing an array of spiritual and physical ailments, the Bible verse simply says, “and He healed them”. You can imagine the impact that this must have had as crowds flocked to Jesus for healing. It is interesting, though, that earlier in his ministry, when he returned to His home region in Galilee, the Bible tells us:

“Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.” (Mark 6:5-6).

As a boy who grew up and was well-known to local people as simply the son of a carpenter in Nazareth, Jesus had no credibility amongst those who were closest to him. This verse provides a clue that our own faith and belief have an impact on the bigger story of healing.

Does Jesus Heal Today?

The answer seems to be – it depends on whom you ask! The issue of Jesus healing and the power of prayer is quite contentious amongst Christian denominations. The key argument among theologians is whether you are a continuationist or a cessationist. In essence, continuationism is a belief that the miraculous gifts, that were demonstrated by Jesus and His disciples, continue until the current day.  In contrast, cessationism is the view that the miracles ceased after the death of the apostles and had a purpose mainly in establishing the early church. For readers interested in knowing more about the arguments for continuationism or cessationism, you can read information at these links. See this link at Theopedia, this link at compellingtruth.org and this link to the gospelcoalition.org .

Those who ascribe to cessationism have a lot of evidence on their side because widespread healing is not a general phenomenon in the Christian church today. Nonetheless, over the last 20 years, I have read dozens of books about miraculous healings that have taken place in Africa and South America in particular. It is worthwhile reading about the ministry of Rev John G. Lake, an American evangelist who had a powerful healing ministry in South Africa in the early 20^th century and later set up healing rooms in the US, notably Spokane, Washington State. You can read more at John G. Lake’s website. In Lake’s collected sermons, titled On Healing – he says:

 “Now healing is not a difficult matter. It does not take a bit more faith to be healed from your sickness than it does to be saved from your sins. The only difference is that in your own consciousness, you knew there was no place to get forgiveness except from God. You had sense enough to know you could not get it from the devil; you had to get it from the Lord.”

I like Lake’s key point – it is just as easy to be healed by faith as to be saved from your sins. Both depend on faith in God, to do a great work that we cannot do ourselves.

Another book that provides a very helpful framework for understanding whether God still heals today is F.F. Bosworth’s great work – Christ The Healer, originally published in 1924, Bosworth noted that many in the church needed to explain away the lack of healing in the modern church and so had developed a theology to support their experience. However, Bosworth’s son notes, in his preface to the 1973 edition of Christ The Healer:

“Yet, deep within the hearts of sincere men, there is a longing to rescue the Book of Acts from becoming nothing more than a historical record and to put it back in its proper place as a pattern for the modern church. In this way God can continue to confirm His Word and give proof of the resurrection of His Son in this day of universal unbelief.”

The book of Acts, which describes the miraculous work of Jesus’ apostles after his resurrection, indicates that there is much more to divine healing than we have been prepared to believe. After all, Jesus is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). It does make you think about Jesus’ early ministry in his hometown, where “…He could do no mighty works”. Perhaps it is because of unbelief in the Western church and reliance on the medical and hospital system?

Faith in the Medical System?

I have high regard for the medical and hospital system but have lost some trust after the profession's response to COVID-19. It has been horrifying to see the way that doctors were strong-armed by governments into promoting untested, experimental and dangerous vaccines which have killed and injured millions (see the books by Naomi Wolf and colleagues and Ed Dowd - for starters). After talking to dozens of doctors and discovering that they were ignorant of the large numbers of studies highlighting vaccine dangers, I realized that it is unwise to put your trust in the medical system, without doing your own research. So, I have formed a view like President Reagan in his negotiations with the Soviet Union in 1987, when after signing a nuclear treaty, he was reported to have said : “Trust, but verify”.

I am grateful for the wonderful doctors whom I have encountered over the years. However, increasingly this profession, which has taken a sacred oath to put the welfare of patients first (see the Hippocratic Oath), is now subject to increasing government control and is directed towards various pharmaceutical treatments by propaganda from Big Pharma. “Trust but verify” should be our motto for any medical advice today.

The Power of Prayer

These musings bring me back to The Mater Hospital mission statement that is probably offensive to many in our society, given that belief in Jesus is now only held by a tiny minority. Nevertheless, my own experience of the hospital was remarkable and demonstrated that whether the staff knows it or not, I experienced the reality of the hospital’s mission statement - We bring God’s love to those in need through the healing ministry of Jesus.

It reminded me that Jesus has a remarkable healing ministry even today. After exploring the subject of the power of God to heal, for many years, I am convinced that Jesus does heal today. It may be though that like 2,000 years ago in the region around Nazareth, Jesus can do “no mighty works” in the West, because of unbelief?

For me, as I lay in hospital and had a “glimpse beyond the veil” I knew that I needed Jesus’ healing power and being in a hospital committed to the “healing ministry of Jesus” seemed providential. My wife Kate, mustered a team of people to pray for me and I had a sense of peace, knowing that I was in God’s hands.

In hospital, I felt buoyed by the prayers of many friends and relatives. I wondered if there had been any scientific studies about the power of prayer? I found a scientific literature review published in 2016 by authors in Brazil and Portugal titled: The effect of prayer on patients’ health: Systematic Literature Review. Of twelve studies reviewed, prayer was considered beneficial in seven studies. The positive effects included: reduction of anxiety in patients or relations and “improved physical functioning in patients who believe in prayer”.

I suppose, once again, the key is in whom you place your belief and trust. It is difficult to carry out a scientific study into the power of prayer. From my viewpoint, I feel confident during a significant health crisis that prayer helped pull me through. I am very grateful to Sons of Issachar readers, who prayed for me and sent messages of encouragement. I am on the mend, but I think that it will be many months before the clots in my legs and lungs gradually resolve. In the meantime, I will continue with the weekly newsletter and hope that this brief outline of my own hospital experience may be of interest to my readers and encourage you in a journey of faith and prayer.

STORIES THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION

Riots in France

It has been shocking to see the violence and looting that apparently was induced by the shooting of a youth by police on the outskirts of Paris in Nanterre. We are now very close to the French equivalent of the US 4^th July holiday, with La Fête Nationale or Bastille Day just ahead on 14^th July. This “celebrates” a horrific period in France with the French Revolution devolving into violence, anarchy and executions – referred to as la terreur. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands were killed and up to 45,000 people executed by guillotine, including many Catholic priests in the period after 14^th July 1789 when the Bastille was seized.

France always seems to be close to civil unrest and when I travelled frequently to France for work, I often encountered a new large protest somewhere in Paris. The big challenge for France, as now with many other European countries, is how to assimilate a Muslim migrant population into mainstream French life. The task of course is almost impossible as Islam is an economic, cultural, religious and legal system that is at odds with everything France stands for. Islam actually means submission and so the demographics in Europe indicate that in the years ahead, Islam will become dominant in Europe and there will be ongoing agitation and violence. I read an interesting substack article this week by Sam Faddis

France May Not Have Fallen - But It Is On The Edge

– that summarizes the situation very well. He makes the point that much of the unrest has come from the challenges of assimilation of Muslim immigrants into French society and writes:

 “Invasion and immigration are two distinct things. Immigrants come to a new country intending to become part of its fabric and contribute to its well-being. That does not require giving up their identity, their religion, or family history. It does require dedicating yourself to your new home.”

The lack of interest in assimilation by the group of immigrants is intentional. He writes: “They do not just live apart and retain their cultural identity, they openly reject any suggestion that they assimilate.”

The problem seems insoluble and is intensified on all sides by the perceived arrogance of President Macron who was living it up at an Elton John concert when the troubles first broke out in Nanterre.

I have been studying Islam for the last 15 years and it is evident (at least to me) that there is no rapprochement possible between the liberal West and the “submission” required by Islam. Undoubtedly, this cultural divide will continue to be a challenge throughout Europe and violent uprisings will occur more frequently. With the current violence, it is shocking that President Macron allowed such widespread destruction before a serious police response was implemented. Macron has completely damaged what little authority he had left and the opposition leader, Marine Le Pen gave an excellent speech this last week and improved her credibility. However, French presidential elections are only held every five years and the next elections are not due until April 2027. Failing a “revolution”, Macron will remain in place until then. It’s difficult to forecast what France will look like by 2027, but undoubtedly the violence and looting of the last week will have a big impact on tourism. This will further impact France’s precarious financial situation, and companies will be reluctant to invest. A majority of French workers already work for the state in some capacity and France has large financial commitments to its overseas territories. I’ve always wanted to own a house in a French village but now a dacha in Russia is starting to look more appealing!

Joe and Hunter Biden

For the last few weeks, as I lay stricken in hospital, in between my many blood tests and intravenous infusions, I read and listened to everything I could related to the increasingly bizarre story of what many are calling “the Biden crime family”. This is a difficult story to understand and it has been largely ignored by the mainstream media. However, it is an important story and I will attempt to summarize the key details for my readers.

Hunter Biden’s laptop, dropped at a repair shop in Delaware in 2019, was never collected and so was legally repossessed by the store owner. A complete copy of the laptop hard drive eventually made its way into the hands of Rudy Giuliani during the US presidential election campaign in 2020. It was passed onto the New York Post. The original laptop had been in the possession of the FBI almost one year earlier, but no action had been taken. A New York Post Reporter, Miranda Devine, published many of the laptop findings in her riveting book Laptop from Hell and this brief interview with Miranda on Fox News is worthwhile viewing to get a flavour of the book -

One of the interesting parts of the book is that in the last few weeks of the presidential election campaign, the New York Post ran a story about the evidence that incriminated Joe Biden, based on materials on Hunter’s laptop. Miranda Devine writes:

“…October 14, 2020, the New York Post published the first of a series of front-page bombshells, written by Emma-Jo Morris and Gabrielle Fonrouge, culled from the contents of Hunter’s laptop. The story, headlined “Biden’s Secret Emails,” revealed a bombshell 2015 email indicating that Joe, as vice president, had met in Washington with a high-ranking representative of the corrupt Ukrainian energy company that was paying his junkie son a million dollars a year to sit on its board. Eight months after the meeting, Joe flew to Kyiv and threatened to withhold $1 billion in US aid unless the Ukrainian government fired its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who was pursuing Burisma for corruption at the time. The email was news, in anyone’s language.”

Amazingly, the New York Post report was censored by social media, as it turns out, because of pressure brought to bear from the CIA and FBI. In fact, Michael Morell, a former Deputy Director of the CIA was “leant on” by the current Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, to get 51 intelligence officials to declare that the story in the New York Post was a Russian disinformation campaign – see. This false statement provided a shield for Joe Biden in the concluding stages of the election campaign.

The ”Biden crime family” story seemed to have disappeared but has been reactivated by whistleblowers from the IRS who have been investigating Hunter Biden for tax evasion. These whistleblowers have come forward to the House Ways and Means Committee and provided evidence of political interference. There also was an incriminating WhatsApp message sent while Hunter was with his father Joe. The New York Post reported this as follows:

“First son Hunter Biden angrily threatened a Chinese businessman over a deal in 2017, saying the associate would “regret not following” his direction and using his father, Joe Biden, as leverage.

Hunter told CEFC employee and translator Raymond Zhao that he was “sitting” with his dad and the two “would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,” according to a July 30, 2017, WhatsApp message disclosed to Congress by IRS whistleblowers who were investigating the first son’s finances.

“Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight,” Hunter told Zhao.

“And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction.”

Joe Biden has always denied any knowledge of Hunter’s business dealings but on Hunter’s laptop there are multiple references to Joe as “The Big Guy” and his cut of Hunter’s deals. Now the net is tightening and moving closer to Joe as Hunter’s WhatsApp message indicates his father was sitting with him as he threatened a Chinese “partner”. If you have time, you can acually view the contents of Hunter’s laptop on this website.

It seems that just as with Watergate, the coverup may be more important than the original event. It does appear that at multiple levels within the US Justice Department and IRS, there has been an attempt to sideline any possible Hunter Biden conviction because of its significance related to apparent corruption by a US President. Joe Biden has been protected by the Democratic Party and Big Media but increasingly could become a liability. It seems likely that he will be tapped on the shoulder and persuaded for “the good of the country” he shouldn’t run for president again. Californian Governor, Gavin Newsom seems likely to run when Biden drops out – see this link. Newsom’s candidacy appears certain because he has announced that he “definitely won’t run”!

It is clear to everyone that Biden is declining in mental acuity but is a convenient figurehead for those behind him because he will do whatever he’s told. With corruption charges and impeachment looking more likely, the ruthless Democrats won’t leave the outcome to chance. I believe that we will see Biden pull out of his re-election campaign and even stand down as President before the end of the year.