The Playground Game of Charge

This is basically a rock-paper-scissors type game but with different rules and moves. We played it all the time as a child in elementary school. I'm pretty sure we invented it.

The Basic Game:

You move your fist like when you do rock-paper-scissors, and then do a move. However, the moves are different. Moves consists of Charge moves, Attack moves, and Defense moves. You also say the name of the move when doing said move. You win when an attack move "hits" an vulnerable opponent, usually Charging. Same moves usually cancel out each other. If no one wins, repeat until one wins.

Basic Moves:

Charge: Charge. Say "Charge!". Put your arms in a muscle flexing position. This gives you a charge to be able to Shoot a Fireball. You use up one Charge per Fireball, and use  three Charges per Teleport. You may bank on Charges as long you can keep count of them. If both do Fireball, both cancel out.

Shield: Defense. Say "Shield!". Cross your arms in front of you like an X to block a Shot (Fireball). This renders the Shot ineffective. You do not need a Charge to use the Shield. But it is not advisable to Shield infinitely as allowing your opponent to get 3 Charges and Teleport behind you will kill you.

Shot: Attack. You must have a previous unused Charge to use Shot. Say "Shoot!". "Fireball" also works. Put your palms together and extend them out as if making a dragon breathing out a fireball from your hands. A Fireball kills someone who is in Charge.  A Fireball is blocked by Shield. A Fireball does not hit someone who has Teleported behind you. This uses up your previous Charge.

Teleport: Attack. If you have 3 or more Charges, you may use Teleport. Say "Teleport!". Put your index and middle finger like a gun and put it on your forehead. Teleport kills opponents in Charge, Shield, and Shot (as it Teleports behind you). If both Teleport, nothing happens as it is canceled out. This uses up 3 Charges.

The Teleport ensures the game will not go on indefinitely unless both opponents do infinite Shields.

Optional Rules:

Three Lives or Health.

Maximum of 3 (or so) Charges. 

Add more House Rules as you wish.

Optional Moves:

Shieldbreaker: Attack move that uses 2 Charges. Yell "Shieldbreaker"! Kills Shield as well as Charge, but not Teleport. You may do a sword slash move. Two Shieldbreakers cancel out. A Shieldbreaker and Fireball cancel out.

Backstab: Attack move that uses 1 Charge. Defeats only Teleport, but is vulnerable to all other Attack moves, and does not do anything to other Defense and Charge moves. Backstab cancels out Backstab.

Absorb: Defense and Charge move that uses up 3 Charges and absorbs opponent Attack move Charges. A Fireball gives 1 Charge, Teleport 3 Charges, etc. If there are no opponent Attack moves, 3 Charges are drained. (This allows an attack to the next turn).

Super Shield: Like Shield but cancels out Shieldbreaker, and uses up a Charge.

Make up new moves as you wish. Make sure they are balanced.

Why Frank Lodgson's Statement on the NASB is Valid

"I must under God denounce every attachment to the New American Standard Version. I'm afraid I'm in trouble with the Lord...We laid the groundwork; I wrote the format; I helped interview some of the translators; I sat with the translator; I wrote the preface. When you see the preface to the New American Standard, those are my words...it's wrong, it's terribly wrong; it's frightfully wrong...I'm in trouble;...I can no longer ignore these criticisms I am hearing and I can't refute them. The deletions are absolutely frightening...there are so many. The finest leaders that we have today haven't gone into it [new versions of Wescott and Hort's corrupted Greek text] just as I hadn't gone into it...that's how easily one can be deceived...Are we so naive that we do not suspect Satanic deception in all of this?"

- Frank Logsdon

Audio Recording: https://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/logsdon-repudiates-nasb.html

https://www.defendproclaimthefaith.org/dr_frank_logsdon.html

Lockman Foundation Statement:

The Board of Directors of The Lockman Foundation launched the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE translation work in the late 1950’s following the completion of the AMPLIFIED NEW TESTAMENT. Dr. S. Franklin Logsdon was acquainted with Dewey Lockman, president of The Lockman Foundation, prior to Mr. Lockman’s death in 1974. Mr. Logsdon was never a member of the Board of Directors, nor was he an employee of The Lockman Foundation. Mr. Logsdon had no authority to hire employees or translators for the Foundation, to set policy, to vote, to hold office, to incur expenses, etc. He cannot be considered “co-founder” of the NASB, nor part of The Lockman Foundation, nor part of the NASB translation team, nor did he write the forward of the NASB. According to our records, he was present at board meetings on two occasions — once to hear a travel report; and once to deliver an “inspirational thought.”

Mr. Logsdon last wrote to Mr. Lockman in fall of 1973 that he was moving to Florida. Mr. Lockman replied that he was surprised and saddened by his decision to leave the area. Mr. Lockman passed away in January of 1974, and no further correspondence was exchanged between Frank Logsdon and The Lockman Foundation. He resided in Florida until his passing some years ago.

The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8 (NASB)

The assumption here is that Lodgson's statements have no validity as he was not part of the board of directors, which means he had no official capacity at all.

But as someone who is very used to not working with "official capacity", I find this statement ridiculous. A lot of times there are influencers and leaders who for some reason or another are not part of the official list of people involved, sometimes because they want no credit or other valid reasons, but sometimes with sinister agendas, yet wield massive influence, even sometimes the most influence, over a project. An unofficial or undocumented capacity does not mean no capacity at all.

Notice the Lockman Foundation does not directly contradict Lodgson's statements of interviewing translators, rather he just did not have the official capacity to hire or incur expenses.

Now, I find it interesting the statement does not say he did not write the preface, just the forward. The preface is signed "Editorial Board, The Lockman Foundation". Who wrote it then? And could have Mr. Lodgson ghost written it? 

My aim at this post is not to prove Lodgson's statement true, just valid, even in light of the Lockman foundation statement. And it is valid. 

Science Fiction And Fantasy "Tropes" In The Bible

These are not meant to be exact identical references of the trope, though some arguably are, but rather the essence of each trope.

Advanced Ancient Precursor Race:
Pre-Flood world

Artificial Intelligence and Super AI:
Revelation 13:15
“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

Singularity and Hive Mind:
Revelation 17:13
"12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."

We could take this literally to an extent that one mind here is talking about a singular hive mind.

We know the churches are of to be of one mind:

1 Corinthians 2:16
"16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ."

Philippians 2:2

"2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." 

1Corinthians 12

"24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: 

25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 

26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 

27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular."

 

Since today our churches are not of one mind perfectly except when the Spirit intervenes, a more perfect one mindedness will come in the future.

Omega Point (Universe Singularity):
1 Corinthians 15:28
"28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all."

Apocalypse and Post-Apocalypse: 
Revelation, duh?

Ascension to Energy Beings:
The Rapture
1 Corinthians 15
"50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."

Human-Alien Hybrids:
Nephilim

Genesis 6:2-4
"2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Human-Animal Hybrids (Mermaids, Centaurs, etc.):
Genesis 6:11-12
"11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth."

Jude
"6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."

Implying all flesh, not just humans, were subject to angelic reproduction. And hence why Noah had to get an Ark for animals.

Insectoid Invaders (Starship Troopers, Zerg, Tyrranid):
Revelation 9:7-10
"7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months."


Metallic Megapolis:
New Jerusalem
Revelation 21

Reincarnation:
Luke 1:17
“And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Matthew 17:12-13
“12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.”

If we are body, soul, spirit, and John the Baptist is in the spirit of Elias/Elijah, then that can be reincarnation to some degree.

Space Travel:
Obadiah 4 "Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord."

A possible reference to Apollo 11 ("The Eagle Has Landed"). And a reason why space colonization before the end is not realized by humanity, God is literally against it.

Space Empires and Space Colonization:
New Jerusalem
Revelation 21
"2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

Revelation 22
"2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

Deuteronomy 4:19 “And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.”
God has divided all the stars for each of the Gentiles nations, implying there will be a space empire.

Holy Terra:
Hosea 2:23
“And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.”
Deuteronomy 32:8 “When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.”
 
Israel will become a planetary priesthood.

Space War:
Revelation 12:7
"7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,"

Star Gods:

Job 38:7

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Revelation 12:4

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Supersoldiers/Superheroes:
Joel 2 (whole chapter)
"4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief."

Context is Tribulation.

Revelation 19:14 "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."

Implying that the saints of God will perform feats of superheroism at the end of time.

Teleportation:
Acts 8
"39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea."

Time Travel:
Revelation 1:10
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,"

Notice the same mode of transportation, the Spirit, is used in Acts 8 for the Teleportation trope.

UFOs and Alien Encounters:
Ezekiel 1 (whole chapter)
"16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
17 When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went."


This is one of the reasons that Christianity believes that UFOs and alien encounters are demonic in nature, as the Bible records a similar angelic encounter.


Zombies and Immortality Science Gone Wrong:
Revelation 9:6 “And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”

Not counting resurrections as they do not fit the zombie archetype of the undead, such as Lazarus or Jesus Christ.

Wormholes:
2 Samuel 22:10-12
"10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies."

What Comparing English Translations To Original Languages Actually Means

When people say they compare English translations to original languages:
1. They still have to depend on uninspired Hebrew/Greek to English lexicons and dictionaries by someone else, and they all contradict
2. A translation is literally someone else who already has compared the original languages to its current language, like, are you sure you're knowledgeable enough than those people who already have done it?
3. In the end, comparing basically just results in your personal translation of the text

The LXX Septuagint Doesn't Exist, But The Greek Pentateuch Does

A quick rundown of LXX Septuagint "evidence":

Here are all actual evidence we have of the Septuagint, in a neat timeline:
Aristobulus, assumed to be a high priest, but actually a Jewish Greek philosopher 110 BC
Philo of Alexandria 50 AD inspired by Aristobolus only says 5 books were translated
Josephus 93AD recounts the translation by Philo's words
Origen 250 AD
Eusebius 260AD apparently quotes Aristobulus, but only mentions that only 5 first books of the Bible was translated to Greek
Oldest copies we have of Letter of Aristeas in its modern form 11th-15th century AD name drops Aristobolus, and it is not clear that it mentions only 5 books, but it is a known forgery and hoax as it messes up historical events.

So what we see is while the Septuagint does not exist, the first five books of Moses probably were.

What Is Free Will According To Scripture?

People seem to be confused what free will actually is.

People also claim that "free will" does not appear in scripture. But "free" and "will" do appear in the same verse, and also "freewill".

So using those verses, we will construct what free will actually is.

1. Free will is a choice, but not an ability.
Romans 9:16
16 So then it is not of him that WILLETH, nor of him that RUNNETH, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Here, we see a verse making a difference between "willing" something and "running" something.
What Calvinists ignore in this passage is that it doesn't say man doesn't have will (We'll get into compatiblist, that is, limited, free will in a bit, and why that does not exist). It does say man has a will, it just that God trumps whatever the will does.

Point is, people thing that free will means "unlimited ability to execute unlimited choices", when it just means "unlimited choices". Free will is not omnipotence.
So what's the difference? Choosing something does not guarantee you getting what you chose. It depends on your ability to get what you chose, or someone else putting forth their ability.

2. Free will is a desire separate from the action.
Revelation 22:17
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever WILL, let him take the water of life FREELY.
Notice that the will is separate from the action. Willing came before taking.

3. Free will is planning, but not the execution.
James 4
13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we WILL go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord WILL, we shall live, and do this, or that.
Planning is free will, the execution and result's are God's. But it cannot be denied that free will came first before God corrects.

4. Free will is of the mouth.
Psalm 119:108
108 Accept, I beseech thee, the FREEWILL offerings of my MOUTH, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments.
Romans 10:10
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

So what does that mean?
1. When people confuse free will with unlimited ability, and we get things like, "Well, did Lazarus raise himself from the dead? (an ability) So why do you believe you have free will to choose salvation, huehuehuehue? (a choice)".

2. A good rule of thumb based on the prior verses above is, if the mouth (as in voice, not the teeth and all that) can do it, free will can do it. If a mouth can't do it, free will can't do it.
For example, as it states above, by the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. So, a mouth can confess, free will can confess. A mouth can put forth plans. A mouth can make a choice ("Would you like fries with that?", "Yes"). A mouth can put forth desires.
So using the Calvinist strawman above, Lazarus did not raise himself from the dead. He believed in Jesus, a mental act free will can do. Or in salvation, asking Jesus Christ to save you is an act of free will, as, the mouth can do that. Lazarus asking is not the same as raising himself from the dead.
But Calvinists think that someone asking God to save them is equal to someone raising himself from death and taking salvation from force.

3. Now what about compatiblists, ie, man does have free will, but it's limited and can't choose God?
There are no verses that state the will of man is sinful. The heart of man is sinful, the flesh of man is sin is sinful, but nowhere does it state that the will itself is sinful. And nowhere does it state that the will is a slave of heart and flesh. This is just a Calvinist presupposition.
Now, does the heart and flesh have influence on the will? Probably.
But there's more to it than that. The Calvinist assumes that belief in God is an inherently righteous thing, which it is not.

James 2:19
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

So if belief in God is not inherently righteous, then it is under free will. In fact, God honors belief as righteousness only in specific circumstances afterwards, not before.

Galatians 3:6
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

It being counted means it isn't inherently righteous, God had to make it righteous after the act.
Why? Because faith is not works. Righteous acts are works. Faith is not a righteous act until God counts it as such. Which is why the devils' faith does not save them (on top of them not believing Jesus is the Son in the flesh 1 John 4:1-2). if faith is righteous, it makes it a work and thus not anymore grace through faith.

So if free will is simply a choice and not an ability
If faith is neutral, mental act and not a righteous work
Then free will has the power to choose God.

Romans 1 and Anderson's Reprobate Doctrine

Regarding "reprobate" doctrine of Steven Anderson. Specifically Romans 1.

Ever notice that the context of Romans 1 is not unsaved people, but saved people?

How? It says they that know God are the ones that are reprobated.

Romans 1
21 Because that, when THEY KNEW GOD, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

John 17:3
And this is life eternal, that THEY MIGHT KNOW thee the only true GOD, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

It says here they are covenantbreakers:

Roman's 1:31
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Proverbs 2:16-17
16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the COVENANT OF HER GOD.

But the clincher here is in the next chapter:

Romans 2
1Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

Paul literally says you, whoever was reading, as a saved person, are guilty of the same things.

Reprobation has more to do with the saved rejecting God, than the unsaved rejecting God.

1 Corinthians 5:5
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.