Ancient Romans Considered Life In Prison Inhumane

Proverbs 12:10, “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”

This video is very interesting, about punishments in ancient Rome.

Here's What It Was Like For Prisoners In Ancient Rome

Incarcerating citizens for life was unheard of in ancient times...

Wealthy Romans and government officials grappled with how to confine individuals ethically. Figures like emperors and jurists criticized imprisonment as a form of punishment, suggesting it should only serve to keep individuals until their trial or penalty was decided. Execution was common, especially for serious offenses.

During this period, provincial governors were restricted from condemning anyone to life imprisonment. Prominent Romans, if punished, often faced house arrest or opted for exile instead. Overall, this led to a growing network of holding areas, which included underground dungeons, private creditor-owned jails, and even family homes with makeshift cells. The increase in places of confinement reflected a society grappling with complex legal and social changes. SOURCE

As of early 2020, there were 1,465 people serving Juvenile Life Without Parole (JLWOP) sentences in the United States for crimes committed before turning age 18. This number has been decreasing as more states eliminate such sentences. I think such cruel sentences should be outlawed completely! I wish we'd get rid of prisons entirely. God never intended for humans to be locked in cages, which the good Lord didn't even intend for animals.

That being said, although the ancient Romans didn't incarcerate citizens for life, they did impose cruel forms of punishment. For example: Poena cullei (Latin, 'penalty of the sack') under Roman law was a type of death penalty imposed on a subject who had been found guilty of parricide (murdering one's parents). The punishment consisted of being sewn up in a leather sack, with an assortment of live animals including a dog, snake, monkey, and a chicken or rooster, and then being thrown into water (the alternative was being thrown to the beasts in the arena). Can you imagine?

The penalty for adultery was that the Roman government would confiscate part of your land and wealth. I sure wish we had harsh punishments for adultery in the United States today. The state of Maryland mocks God's laws, imposing a mere $10 penalty for the crime of adultery. Proverbs 14:9, “Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.”

The Unfair Prosecution Of Daniel Holtzclaw

I was reading recently about a former Oklahoma police offer named Daniel Holtzclaw. The sad story caught my attention because Daniel was born in 1986 and grew up on the island of Guam, where I also lived for 17 years (2004-2021). Daniel allegedly abused his position and authority as a law enforcement officer, sexually taking advantage of prostitutes and African American women as a trusted officer of the law. Daniel was convicted by a jury in court. If guilty, which it appears that he is, he certainly deserves to be punished, but 263 years in prison? No way! The average time served in prison for murder in the United States is 17.5 years. What they did to Daniel was politically motivated in my opinion. It is obvious.

I much better like Norway's penal system. Norway's maximum custodial sentence is 21 years, with life imprisonment applicable only under military law. For crimes against humanity, the maximum sentence can be extended to 30 years, but traditional life imprisonment is not used in the civilian penal code. Something is broken in our American court system! They might as well have given Daniel Holtzclaw 263,000 years in prison, leaving him no hope. That is cruel and inhumane. The guy never murdered anyone. He allegedly took advantage of prostitutes who were drug addicts, which hardly puts him in the same boat as a killer.

In the state of Oklahoma a life sentence is considered 38 years. The state of Oklahoma effectively gave Daniel Holtzclaw seven life sentences (263 years) for the crime of rape, which is cruel and unusual punishment. The average murderer in America only serves 17.5 years! They gave him the equivalent prison sentence as if he had murdered 15 people.

Child Rapist Gets Probation In Oklahoma

In February of 2018, a convicted child rapist in Oklahoma was sentenced to 15 years… of probation. Benjamin Lawrence Petty pled guilty to first degree rape and forcible sodomy of a 13 year old girl following his arrest. Petty, who is blind, was issued the light sentence by Judge Wallace Coppedge partially on the basis of his disability. An online petition to remove Judge Wallace received over 60,000 signatures from outraged citizens. Judge Wallace, however, remains on the bench. SOURCE

What is wrong with the justice system in Oklahoma? You crucify one criminal by showing no mercy, but insanely set the next one free? Although I would never exonerate a guilty criminal, I do believe that Daniel is the victim of a politically motivated racial agenda, since all of his alleged victims were black females. The cowardly state's attorney general and politicians were more worried about Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton showing up at the courthouse than they were about giving the victims and Daniel justice. You know it's true!

“There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” ―Montesquieu (1689–1755)

This quote highlights how tyranny can disguise itself as a legitimate authority, making it more oppressive. Daniel was 29 years old when sentenced. He never should have received more than 20 years time in prison at most, which the victims I am sure would have been content with. But 263 years is cruel and unusual inhumane punishment by an out of control abusive injustice system that wanted to make an example of the poor guy.

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” ―C.S. Lewis (1898–1963)

That's the only reason why officer Derek Chauvin is rotting in a Minnesota prison, for simply doing exactly what his official training taught him to do, by putting his foot on the perpetrator's neck. That man ought not be in prison! He lost his wife, his home, his wealth and his life. George Floyd passed a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenient store (which is why the police were called in the first place), he was high on an assortment of illegal drugs, and he resisted arrest by refusing to get into the police car. What is wrong with our country today? Derek Chauvin, like Daniel Holtzclaw, are both victims of racial pressure upon our legal system. You couldn't pay me enough money to become a police officer in this insane American society today.

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

There Is Such A Thing As Carnal Christians

1st Corinthians 3:1, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.”

I ran across a disturbing YouTube video today by Evangelist Phil Kidd, in which he teaches that if you are still living in unrepentant sin you were never really saved. ...

Can You REALLY Lose Your Salvation?
(Evangelist Phil Kidd)

Kindly, Dr. Kidd is making the same error as the Lordship Salvation crowd. In fact, he is preaching Lordship Salvation. I love what Pilgrim's Progress author John Bunyan (1628-1688) said:

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan

Phil Kidd is mixing service with salvation. He is confusing discipleship with sonship. He fails to put a difference between the change (fruit) which the Holy Spirit produces versus salvation (justification) itself.

Consider also these helpful words by Pastor M.R. DeHaan (1891-1965):

"There is a vast difference between coming to Jesus for salvation and coming after Jesus for service. Coming to Christ makes one a believer, while coming after Christ makes one a disciple. All believers are not disciples. To become a believer one accepts the invitation of the Gospel, to be a disciple one obeys the challenge to a life of dedicated service and separation. Salvation comes through the sacrifice of Christ; discipleship comes only by sacrifice of self and surrender to His call for devoted service. Salvation is free, but discipleship involves paying the price of a separated walk. Salvation can't be lost because it depends upon God's faithfulness, but discipleship can be lost because it depends upon our faithfulness." —Pastor M.R. DeHaan, “Hebrews”; Zondervan Publishing House; 1959 (p. 117)

Yes, bravo! Not all believers are disciples! Not all believers choose to walk in the Spirit. The fact that Galatians 5:25 exhorts believers to “walk in the Spirit” proves that some believers don't. The Bible is full of carnal saints who dropped the ball for God, living sordid lives of sin (Lot, Samson, Solomon, Demas). When Jesus raised up from the dead, he found the Apostle Peter butt naked in public. The problem is not the Biblical truth of eternal security which Dr. Kidd denies; but rather, pastors today have stopped preaching holy living and crying aloud against the wickedness of this perverse generation.

There is such a thing as a carnal Christian. The church at Corinth proves this (1 Corinthians 3:1). And the Apostle Paul challenged them to make sure they were saved (2 Corinthians 13:5). But Paul didn't say they would all "fry like a sausage in Hell" (Phil Kidd's favorite line) for being carnal and immature. Like it or not, there are millions of carnal Christians who live open lives of fornication, adultery, substance abuse and misery, but they are saved.

The inspired King James Bible warns if you can sin without any conviction whatsoever from the Holy Spirit, you are a bastard and not a child of God (Hebrews 12:8). That is to say, If you can sin and win you're not in. But there are countless saints today who choose to live another day with the frogs, like Pharaoh who refused to repent when Moses warned him.

I am sick and fed up and tired of hearing ignorant preachers teach that Christians who choose to live lives of sinfulness are not saved. We all live lives of sinfulness. The only difference is that some believers live above reproach, but NO ONE can live above sinning (Romans 7:14-25). Psalm 130:3, “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?”

I need to warn you about Phil Kidd, because he is a subtle false prophet. In 2020, he preached a heretical sermon titled: 'The Heresy Of Eternal Security,' in which he foolishly says:

This eternal security stuff. They believe that God can move in you, and it doesn’t necessarily change you. [13:22 time in sermon]

I do believe that when someone is indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God, something inside that person's soul will change (2nd Corinthians 5:17). However, the claim of some preachers that, “Where there is fire there will be smoke,” is unbiblical and wrong. I read this heresy on Twitter by Pastor R. A. Torrey (1856-1928):

"Many attempt to be disciples of Jesus and not let the world know it. To be a secret disciple means to be no disciple at all. If one really has received Christ he cannot keep it to himself."

What saith the Scripture? John 19:38a, "And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews..." Clearly, the Holy Bible DOES teach that a person can be born-again and yet keep it A SECRET. Beware of everything you read and hear dear friend, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1st John 4:1, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

Dr. Kidd further states:

You’re distorting the Scripture, if you think the grace of God is a license for you to live ungodly. [14:50 time in sermon]

I fully agree (Romans 6:1-2), but if a believer does choose to use their liberty in Christ to live like the Devil, God's saving grace will more abound (Romans 5:20) so that they do have ETERNAL SECURITY. To wrongly accuse carnal believers of never being saved is unbiblical.

Here is a long quote from Dr. Kidd:

Lasciviousness means a license to sin. I worry about people, that when you address them about something in their life that is Biblically wrong, they say back to me: “Well, I'm saved anyhow it doesn't make any difference.” You didn’t get the same grace of God I got in my heart! Oh yeah, I don’t care if you shout or pout, I don’t care. When you confront somebody about drinking and the first thing they want to talk about is eternal security, that's lasciviousness! When you talk about people and shacking up, and say: “Look here's what the Bible said” and they say: “Well I'm saved anyway,” that's lasciviousness! Here's what your Bible said, “the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” What’s that grace of God do? “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present evil world.” If you say, “I know Jesus therefore I can live like I want to — that's eternal security,” that is heresy! You have been deceived! You are twisted in your doctrine, and you're gonna fry like a sausage in Hell when you die! You don't live like that and stay right with God. That is heresy! And for all you've fallen-from-gracers and free-willers, and all of you all that are hanging on; the next time I hear you go around talking about Baptists giving people a license to sin, I'm going to flat out call you a liar! I've never given anybody a license to sin. You get born again; you'll get out of the sinning business! [15:11 time in sermon - emphasis added]

Dr. Kidd is very wrong. Now, it is wrong for a Christian to have the bad attitude that they can live in sin, using their liberty in Christ as an occasion to sin; but just because a believer may have that negative attitude doesn't mean that they are not a born again child of God. The very fact that the Bible warns against using our liberty in Christ as an occasion to sin, proves that some believers do use their liberty to commit sin without worrying about going to Hell. ...

Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

Galatians 5:13, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

This is why we read in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Do you see friend? Do you see what happens if a redeemed child of God chooses to live a lifestyle of sinning? The Bible doesn't warn that you might lose God's free gift of salvation, it says that GRACE WILL ABOUND!!!

We must be alert to the danger of the pulpit. Evangelist Phil Kidd is a FALSE PROPHET!

My Bird “Bebet” Died Yesterday

James 4:13-14, “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: 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.”

I got married in August of 1987. Sadly, my wife of 19 years divorced me in 2006. We both remained divorced and alone for the next 19 years. I wanted to find another wife, but due to my constant neck pain and reclusive personality I never found anyone. I was delighted in 2025 when my former wife agreed to remarry me (I had asked her a dozen times over the years). We were remarried in May of 2025.

But sadly, she abandoned me again in February of 2026, only 9 months into our remarriage. She filed for divorce in June and it was finalized on September 8th of 2026. I told the judge in writing that I did not want the divorce, but it didn't matter. This country is so evil and far gone into depravity today that anybody who wants a divorce can get one. I am heartbroken and lonely again. But my faith in God and website ministry since 2002 keep me going for the Lord. God is faithful (1st Corinthians 1:9). My Redeemer liveth! Job 19:25, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.”

When my wife abandoned me in February of 2026, I inherited three Zebra finches (Dr. Pepper, Gigi and Bebet) and a 5-year-old cockapoo dog (Miss Pickles). I had never owned birds before. I learned how to care for them. I gave them spray millet, cuttlebone for calcium, plenty of water and finch food, and chopped up lettuce. They are the only companions I have. Having some small birds and a dog adds life to the house, without which an empty house can feel like a coffin. God hates divorce for a very good reason, because He knows what it does to people.

Yesterday morning a little after 6 am I turned on their cage light. They have a nice 4' tall cage. I didn't see Bebet. She likes to forage at the bottom sometimes, so I looked down there but didn't see her at first. I kept looking up and down but didn't see her anywhere. Then I noticed her lifeless body laying at the bottom and I wept bitterly. My friend was dead. I had fed her every day. I had greeted the birds each morning to acknowledge them as living creatures. I invested into their happiness and did everything I could to give them a good life. I dug a hole in my backyard 18" deep yesterday morning at about 7 am and I buried Bebet with dignity. I know she's just a little bird, but she was my friend and I loved her.

I wept much after I found Bebet dead in her cage yesterday. That is why I never wanted any pets, and these were suddenly abandoned to me; because it is too painful when they die. I hate death! The Bible calls death “our enemy.” 1st Corinthians 15:26, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” Thanks be to God, through faith in Jesus Christ we need not fear death, who took the sting out of death for the saint (1st Corinthians 15:55-56).

I watched Bebet day by day enjoy pecking at her cuttlebone for the calcium she needed to lay eggs. I watched her enjoy eating the food, flying around and foraging at the bottom. I read that birds need 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness, so that is what I set their Full Spectrum light for, that I bought for them. Dr. Pepper and Gigi are brothers. Zebra finches only live for be around 4 to 5 years old. I am not sure how old Bebet was. My former wife bought them in 2024, so she is not sure either. But at least I know I gave them the best life I could.

Although I was sad all day yesterday at the passing of my friend, I praised God for His goodness and for the gift of His precious only begotten Son. 1st Peter 2:7, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.” 1st Corinthians 1:18, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” I thank God I am born again! I thank God that I am a Christian! This world is a dark place of sin, shame and wickedness.

Life is so short dear friend. Larissa Nicole Rodriguez in Texas died at the age of 17 in October 2025 from drinking caffeine drinks. Chance Gainer age 18, died in September of 2024 while playing football. His heart failed. We never know what another day may bring. In March of 2009, 18-year-old Whitney Hendrickson of Colorado Springs was standing at a gas pump when another vehicle struck hers and pinned her underneath the vehicle, starting a fire. She screamed for help as the gasoline fire slowly burned her alive. Dear reader, today could be the last day of your life. Are you prepared to meet your Creator?

I know Bebet was just a little bird, but God created her. How much more is mankind precious to our Creator? Ecclesiastes 3:21, “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?” As I grow older I have a greater respect and appreciation for all living creatures. Bebet was my friend and I already miss her. Watching her play each day was a delight for me, and now that she is forever gone, my heart aches to see her again just for one more day, but I cannot. Life is a veil of tears.

God loves and cares about little birds, and He loves and cares about you too dear reader...

Luke 12:4-7, “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

The Bible says that God cares and watches every bird. Jesus said in Luke 12:6 that NOT ONE OF THEM IS FORGOTTEN BEFORE GOD. Jesus tells us this, so that we will realize the extent to which God cares for us too, for even the number of hairs on our head are numbered by God. Think about that!!! If God keeps track of the ever-changing number of hairs on your head and mine, do you think He has missed the malicious people who have hurt you, cheated you, slandered and lied about you, and done evil against you? Not a chance! And the Lord sees all the little good and helpful things that we do as well.

Hopefully you're not the abusive and evil one. Jesus said in Matthew 12:36 that men will give account on Judgment Day even for the words they speak. God doesn't miss anything and nothing is too small a matter to our omnipotent and omniscient faithful God. The Bible tells us not to fear mankind; but rather, to FEAR God whose eyes are upon the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”

The Bible teaches respect for animals and life. In the law of Moses, God forbade anyone from harming birds in a nest if it was in their way:

Deuteronomy 22:6-7, “If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam [mother] sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam [mother] with the young. But thou shalt in any wise let the dam [mother] go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.”

God is so wonderful! When I first read this Scripture passage, I immediately thought about pregnant Salmon and other species of fish, how they are often released by law to give birth to more fish. It very likely could be that God wanted the mother bird to be able to reproduce again, which is why He insisted that she be released back into the wild. God is a conservationist more than anyone, caring for His earth (1st Corinthians 10:26).

Whether that's what this passage means or not, it is certainly the ethical (right) thing to do to respect motherhood. I think that this Scripture passage is teaching respect for reproduction in life. Look at all the endangered species in the world today, and how many birds and animals are now extinct because of man's recklessness. It would certainly make sense that God, who cared to preserve His creation through the flood of Genesis Chapter 6, would be concerned about the preservation of the different species of life.

Little Things Matter To God

Matthew 10:29-30, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

I was thinking this week about some general observations about people that Pastor Jack Hyles made in a sermon titled, “Who Cares Anyway?,” as he watched some uninterested teens idly pass by their 89 year old great grandmother's casket at a funeral...

“If you have one person in this world, one, in or out of your family, who really cares for you; and will care for you when you mistreat them, and will care for you when you cannot give them a thing; if you have one person who cares for you with Bible care, you're above average.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Who Cares Anyway?”

“If you really care about one person, you're above average.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Who Cares Anyway?”

Bebet's death reminded me yesterday of how short life is for all of us. Hebrews 9:27 warns that we all have an appointment with death someday. I am ready to meet my Maker. Are you dear friend? Thank you as always for reading my ministry blog. Jesus is precious!!!

Seeing Jesus Will Not Remove Your Doubt

Matthew 28:16-17, “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.”

When I was a truck mechanic, I worked with an older man named Andy in the late 1980s who was an atheist. His wife was a Catholic. One afternoon Andy said to me: “Until God knocks on my door and says, 'This is my Word,' I will not believe.” What a foolish man! My heart goes out to Andy and his family, because unless he repents of his unbelief, Hell will be his eternal home.

Many people have the wrong attitude: “If I could just see Jesus I wouldn't doubt.” Christ had already miraculously risen from the dead. The disciples saw Jesus after His physical resurrection from the dead, yet SOME still doubted. Wow! That is astounding! ...

Matthew 28:16-17, “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.”

I cannot even imagine such unbelief. The dear Savior had been spit upon, mocked and beaten beyond recognition, nailed to a cross and crucified to death; yet, some people still refused to BELIEVE. Can you imagine?

On the road to Emmaus Jesus spake with two disciples concerning the rumors of what had happened concerning Jesus. The two men were speculative. Luke 24:25-27, “Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” So many people are foolishly “slow of heart to believe” the inspired Word of God. Do you believe the inspired King James Bible dear friend?

When the rich man died in his sleep and woke up in the fires, agony, regrets and torments of Hell in Luke 16:19-31, he begged Abraham to send Lazarus from the grave to warn his five living brothers, lest they also end up trapped in Hell forever. ...

Luke 16:27-31, “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

The inspired Word of God, in numerous passages as I have shown you, plainly teaches that if everyone could visibly see God and meet Jesus personally, that it wouldn't change a thing. If you are reading this article it is not too late for you to be saved. GET GOD'S GIFT.

Lord Willing

James 4:13-17, “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: 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. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

I cherish this passage of inspired Scripture. The Holy Bible teaches that it is a sin to boast of future plans without regarding the Lord. The Bible says that we don't know what may happen each day. Proverbs 27:1, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Today could be the last day of our life.

The phrase "God willing and the creek don't rise" is an American slang expression that implies strong intentions that may be thwarted by unforeseen events, particularly referencing the unpredictable nature of creeks rising due to heavy rain. Its earliest documented use dates back to 1851, and while some suggest it may refer to the Creek Indians, most researchers agree it relates to actual water bodies and the challenges of travel in rural areas.

I personally don't use the adage aout the creek rising, but I continually preface all future plans, whether it be something that I plan to do in an hour or in five years, with “Lord willing” or “God willing.” I hear 99% of people boasting of their future plans, retirement, travel plans, family plans, et cetera, without saying “Lord willing.” They clearly take their life for granted, and God, assuming that they will be alive down the road.

Unexpected Deaths in The U.S. Are Rising at an Alarming Rate 

by PATRICK Heuveline

The Conversation | June 14, 2023

People in the U.S. are dying at higher rates than in other similar high-income countries, and that difference is only growing. That's the key finding of a new study that I published in the journal PLOS ONE.

In 2021, more than 892,000 of the 3,456,000 deaths the U.S. experienced, or about 1 in 4, were "excess deaths."

In 2019, that number was 483,000 deaths, or nearly 1 in 6. That represents an 84.9 percent increase in excess deaths in the U.S. between 2019 and 2021. SOURCE

We never know what tomorrow may bring. Lord willing we will be here to find out. I am ready to go home to be with the Lord in His good time. Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

I encourage you dear reader, if you are a Christian, to get into the biblical habit of prefacing all future plans with the phrases, “Lord willing” and “God willing.” It is proper and pleasing to God. I have oftentimes used this statement in the presence of unsaved sinners, and they just look at me, but I am not ashamed to be a Christian.

I have a dear neighbour friend who is 86 years old, born in 1940. She invited me to her house one day to help her find her missing phone. So, I called her on my mobile phone to make her phone ring, and she found her missing cell phone. While visiting her home, I saw a dozen oxygen bottles for her COPD condition, which disease makes it hard for her to breathe. My heart breaks for her because she is an avowed atheist and is hostile against the Gospel. She had cancer and needed to surgically have a kidney removed last year. Her cancer is gone for the time being. I offered her a hard copy of Michael P. Bowen's excellent book, “I Never Knew You,” but she adamantly refused it. What saith the Scripture? 2nd Timothy 2:13, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” Her time is running out quickly. All I can do is continue praying for God to work in her soul. One day at a time.

For the unsaved person, God's wrath is abiding upon them every moment of every day of their life according to John 3:36, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” God's wrath is upon the Christ-rejecter, because they have knowingly rejected God's only remedy for their sin. Every sinner who wilfully rejects Christ has fallen from grace. They have missed the only bus that is going to Heaven, the grace line.

Lord willing, by His grace I plan to keep writing thousands of ministry articles for decades to come, but none of us know what each passing day may bring. Proverbs 27:1, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” I enjoy reading the biographies of famous people. The famous Robin Hood (1938) actor Errol Flynn (1909-1959) died at only age 50 from lung cancer.

So also did Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957) die from esophagus cancer at only age 57. At his death Bogart weighed only 80 pounds. He was 5' 8" tall. And John Cazale (1935-1978) died of lung cancer at age 42. So young! They were all chain smokers which ruined their health. I hate tobacco! And then there are people like Dana Reeve (1961-2006) and Donna Summer (1948-2012), two notable examples of individuals who died from lung cancer despite never having smoked. Approximately 15% of patients with lung cancer never had a cigarettes habit.

Rapper Tupac Shakur (1971-1996) was murdered at only age 25 in a drive-by shooting in Sin City Las Vegas. The Bible warns in Hebrews 9:27 that we all have an appointment with death, which time only God knows. River Phoenix died at age 23 from drug-induced heart failure, and Brandon Lee died at age 28 due to an accidental shooting on set.

Other notable actors include Stuart Sutcliffe, who died at age 21 from a brain aneurysm (it is purported that The Beatles' John Lennon caused his death after kicking him in the head); and Heath Ledger, who passed away at age 28 while abusing prescription drugs. Police found Ledger dead in Mary-Kate Olsen's apartment butt naked on the floor. Take a good look at ledger's body bag. When will people ever learn not to abuse drugs?

Olsen and Ledger were living for the Devil...

A report in People said, "Mary-Kate and Heath were casually dating for three months before Heath's death. They were hooking up, but neither was particularly interested in making it exclusive." SOURCE

“Casual dating”? “Hooking up”? You mean fornicating! As a sinner I do not have the right to condemn anybody, but we are all supposed to “judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24b). Sex outside of a legally binding marriage is sinful. Ledger had also starred in the sickening 2005 homosexual film “Brokeback Mountain” about a sexual relationship between two cowboys. Sick! What saith the Scripture? Proverbs 14:9, “Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.” It is not a “phobia” to call a sin a sin.

It doesn't surprise me that Health Ledger died in such a shameful manner, when he was living a decadent reckless deathstyle of glorifying sodomy, fornicating and abusing substances. The coroner listed Ledger's cause of death as “accidental overdose.” Wait... What? The guy had bragged to his sister the previous day that he was going to have fun abusing prescription drugs and she warned him not to, but he didn't take her wise advice. That was no accident.

Dear reader, life is unpredictably predictable. No one has ever escaped death. James 4:15, “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” Do you obey this Scripture teaching friend?

Many years ago, I was shopping in a Payless grocery store one day when I lived on Guam, and I heard a commercial on the store's radio system advertising one's future retirement. The advertiser spoke so confidently about the day you're going to retire. I couldn't help but think about what the Bible warns in James 4:15 about saying “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” We are living in a Godless culture in America today! I full agree with singer Ed Sheeran that 'America is a scary place right now.'

If Thy Riches Increase, Set Not Thy Heart Upon Them

Psalms 62:10, “Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.”

This Bible verse from the Old Testament caught my attention decades ago, and I have never forgotten it. The inspired King James Bible warns us in 1st Timothy 6:10 that the love of money is the root of all evil. Money in itself is merely a tool. It is the love of money, and not money itself, that is evil. The book of Proverbs has much wisdom to offer regarding finances and money.

Sadly, many churches (like the Harvest Baptist Church on Guam for a year) have become enamored with the subject of money. It is just my personal opinion that a church shouldn't be enamored with the subject of finances and money. The average pastor today in Florida gets paid $86,000 to $117,000 a year, MUCH more than the average U.S. worker earns. I have a problem with a Richie Rich pastor giving financial advice on how to live on a budget to church members who are trying to survive on only a fraction of what he is getting paid. Anybody making 50% above what the average American earns annually can live on a budget, but a man with a wife and kids simply cannot live on a budget. The family is broke all the time!

The Bible doesn't say “how” your riches increased in Psalms 62:10. It doesn't matter if Aunt Gertrude kicked the bucket, or you found a suitcase full of money in a field, or you worked hard to save it up—the Holy Bible commands, SET NOT YOUR HEART UPON THEM!

The desire for money is a dangerous thing. It is sad to see a young female strip naked and sell her virtue on the altar of some quick cash. These “fans only” smut websites are of the Devil. I read somewhere that the average “fans only” female gets paid about $170 per month. What a sad and wicked thing to sell one's self for cash.

Dear reader, money never made anybody happy. The world is full of miserable bitter old women, who have no children and no grandchildren, because they were too busy with their careers. Dolly Parton comes to mind, Deborah Harry (aka, “Blondie”), and Stevie Nicks (who aborted her child she conceived with Don Henley of The Eagles). Miss Nicks had only one child, but she murdered him. I say that kindly. If you search online to see if she has any children, every website will tell you, no, she doesn't. But in God's sight she does have a child, the one she terminated in her womb. Life begins at conception dear reader.

If you have any money, or ever run into a bunch of money, do not set your heart upon it. Read what the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, said about money in Proverbs 23:5, “Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” So true! Riches have a way of growing wings and flying away, like a bird escaping into the air. In other words, money doesn't last. You could spend days online reading about millionaires and even billionaires whose money vanished quickly due to their bad financial decisions, reckless spending habits and partying, et cetera.

A Virginia Man Was Cheated Out Of $700,000

When I lived in Chicago I read a horrible true story many years ago that broke my heart. A good man in Virginia had worked his entire life and diligently saved up $700,000. When the day for retirement came, he rejoiced and happily left his career. He wanted his acquired fortune to last, but he didn't know anything about investing, so he contacted a slick stock broker in Chicago. The evil broker stole every penny of the man's hard-earned money, and took off for Mexico with a cocktail waitress he knew. The distraught man in Virginia, upon learning that he had no retirement money, commit suicide.

While sleeping in a motel room in California, the shady cocktail waitress took the suitcase with all the stolen money and fled. When the wicked man woke up, he panicked when he saw that the woman and all of the stolen money was gone. 2nd Timothy 3:13, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”

So, the wicked stock broker went and robbed a local bank for $9,000. While he was making his getaway a few miles down the road, a police officer pulled him over. The broker took out a handgun and commit suicide in the driver's seat. In later testimony, the police officer said he had only pulled the man over for a cracked taillight, and had no clue that he had robbed a bank. He wouldn't have just given him a citation and let him go. The old adage is very true: “What goes around comes around.”

There is a common rationale among thieves that stealing from others is a victimless crime, because nobody is getting hurt. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible says when you steal from someone else, you are taking away their life. ...

Proverbs 1:17-19, “Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.”

You can ask any businessman worth his salt and he will confirm what I say that, “Time is money and money is time.” An employer is essentially paying you for your time. That dear man in Virginia worked hard for 37 years, to lay up a nest egg of $700,000 for his retirement. From paycheck to paycheck he felt the satisfaction of having laid up a little bit more toward his much-deserved retirement someday. But then some crooked, two-bit, dirty, ungodly, thieving monster just took it for himself, causing the defrauded man to kill himself, leaving his wife a widow. Woe, woe be unto that evil stock brother, who stole their money when he is judged by God!!!

It's Just Money

Dear reader, it's just money! I know that sounds crass but it is nonetheless true. I have made plenty of stupid and bad decisions in my life. I lost $50,000 in 2013 while making a series of bad decisions. I tried to move from Guam to the United States, but I was all alone and had no real plan, so it all fell apart and I ended up moving back to Guam. I lived out of a suitcase in a hotel for 4 months. With expensive rent cars, hotel rooms and everything else, it drained my bank account. The money was what remained after I lost my house from my wife abandoning and divorcing me in 2006. I've never gambled a day in my life, and yet I've lost so much!

And as much as I wanted to die, to go home to be with Jesus in Heaven, by God's grace and mercy alone I somehow hung in there are survived the journey. I cannot express in words the inexplicable pain of soul, emotional trauma and depth of misery that I endured for all those years after my wife divorced me and my life went sideways for the next decade and beyond.

One thing that I know is that God is faithful. He is a good God. I do not blame Him for anything. I admit that I do get quite frustrated with the Lord from time to time, because I know He has the power to make everything right, but He won't do it. But I know why, thankfully. The Bible tells us in Deuteronomy 8:3 that God intentionally led the Hebrews into the Wilderness to test them. God made them hungry and thirsty, to see if they would still trust Him.

Sadly, they utterly failed the test. Instead of trusting God, they whined and complained night and day. Ten times they moaned and complained, until the LORD had had enough and banned them from entering into the Promised Land. Their bad attitudes were like cancer, so I humbly think that God didn't want them to contaminate the Promised Land. God hates complaining!

Some of the happiest people have nothing. They have no money in the bank, no earthly possessions, their teeth are mostly gone and rotted, they have a big hole in their ceiling, but they are happy in their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When you know that your name is written in Heaven in the Lamb's Book of Life, you can rejoice even in the darkest of circumstances.

Jesus Will Make Everything Right

John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Have you ever said to yourself, “I just wish I could undo my life and make everything right?” Well, you can't, none of us can. The past is history, water under the bridge, it is gone forever. We cannot change the past, no matter how much we may try. Ah, but praise God, Jesus can make everything right. That's why Jesus came to die on the cross... TO MAKE EVERYTHING RIGHT! Amen and amen!

Many would-have-been mothers deeply regret aborting their baby in the past, and they wish-to-God they could bring back that precious life, but they cannot. What's done is done. But praise God, Jesus can make everything right, and that little baby is in Heaven. King David's baby died, but David said he will go to the child one day in eternity. 2nd Samuel 12:23, “But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” Only if you are a born-again Christian, you will see your baby again in Heaven!

Only Jesus can make everything right. We may ruin our lives, or someone may ruin it for us; but Jesus came into the world to make everything right by His precious literal blood sacrifice for our sins (1st Peter 12:18-19). Jesus said in John 16:33, “be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Amen and amen!

I don't care how messed up your life is, Jesus can and will make everything right if you are saved. We could never make everything right. We may be able to make some things right, but there are times when there is simply nothing we can do to make things right. In fact, there are oftentimes when this is the case. There are things in most people's lives that they could never fix. Although you may wish by the grace of God that you could go back in time and change some things, you might have made it worse by doing so. Let go, let God.

There is always something you thought you could have done to make things better. God only knows the things that would have happened, had the things that happened, hadn't happened. We must not live in the unfair world of “I could of, I should of, I would of,” because everything in life is what it is. Life is what it is! We cannot change the past.

I have learned as a Christian that God can take even the worst failures and tragedies in our lives and use it for His glory. Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers, and then falsely accused and thrown into prison; but God raised Joseph up to be governor in Egypt during the years of famine. King David stole a man's wife and then murdered the husband; but God used David's broken heart, and all the miseries that came upon David because of his sins, to write the beloved Psalms. God used David's sins and faults for His glory. One-third of the Bible was written by murderers (Moses, David and Paul).

Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Notice that God didn't promise that all things would be good; but rather, that all things would “work together for good to them that love God.” If you are a born-again Christian, then this means you. Everything will work out for good in the end. There will be tears of failure in Heaven for many believers, and loss of rewards, and regret over wasted lives that could have been spent soul-winning; but God will eventually wipe away all tears and make everything right (Revelation 21:4).

The big question is... are you on the winning team? Are you saved? have you ever been born-again? You cannot enter into Heaven unless you've been born again of the Spirit of God, by the Word of God (John 3:3; 1st Peter 1:23). Salvation happens when a person acknowledges their guilt of sin for breaking God's Law (Romans 3:19); and believes on Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, for the forgiveness of sins. Acts 10:43, “To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.” Amen and amen! We are the SINNERS and Jesus is the redeeming SAVIOR. Salvation is receiving, not giving. Eternal life is the gift of God (Romans 6:23), paid for by Jesus precious literal blood (Colossians 1:14; Revelation 1:5; 7:14).

Simply by faith (taking God at His written Word) accept Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for your sins, believing that Jesus was buried, but then resurrected bodily from the dead three days later and you will be immediately, irrevocably and permanently saved. This is the Gospel (the Good News) by which all who just BELIEVE IT are saved (Romans 1:16).