Tom Fisher

 

Dear Pastor Jackson,

I want to ask my readers to earnestly pray for Constitutional Attorney Robert Barnes. He is 70% recovered from a very near brush with death during 10 day hospitalization for very rare infection. Doctors wondering if he may have been poisoned.

Attorney Robert Barnes is defending Amish Farmer Amos Miller from unjust and STUPID jail sentence for producing superior food products. They wrongfully destroyed $100,000 worth of his superior food products. To learn more just type in Amos Miller Amish Farmer lawsuits.

He is also defending whistleblower Brook Jackson.

In Christ,

Tom Fisher

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Advent 2 - "Aristotle clearly teaches that these are but natural phenomena.” Let us pass these by and know that God’s Word and tokens are despised by the wisdom of the gods. Do you hold fast to the Gospel — this teaches you to believe that storms and detonations in the sea are signs and tokens. And however many times such signals have been given in other days, they shall nevertheless become more numerous and terrible as the day of doom approaches."

 

Second Sunday in Advent, Luke 21:25-36. Christ’s Second Coming: or the Signs of the Day of Judgment; and the Comfort Christians Have from Them

19. It is indeed true that the masses do not become so afflicted, but only the few and generally the most sensible, scrupulous, and good-hearted individuals who have no desire to harm any one and would live honorable lives. It may be they foster some secret sin, as for example unchastity. This burdens them day and night so that they never are truly happy. But this is game for the monks and priests, for here they can practice extortion, especially with women; here people confess, are taught, absolved, and go whithersoever the confessor directs. Meanwhile the people are the Lord’s token of the last day. To such the Gospel is light and comfort while it condemns the others.

20. Neither can anyone deny this sign, for it has been so common these hundreds of years that many have become insane over it, as Gerson informs us. Although at all times there have been people so distressed and perplexed, it was formerly not so common as now. From the beginning of the world no human doctrine exercised, the tenth part or even the hundreth part of the influence, or tortured and seared so many consciences as the doctrines of the pope and his disciples, the monks and priests. Such perplexed hearts will necessarily grow out of the papal doctrine of confession which has never been so earnestly promulgated as now.

Therefore this has never been a token of the judgment until now. There must be many and great signs, therefore, and they be despised by most men. “For the roaring of the sea and the billows.”

21. This will take place through the winds, for all roaring of the waters comes by means of the storm. Therefore the Lord would say by these words that many and great storms will arise. By sea, however, is not to be understood simply the ocean, but all gathered waters, according to the language of Scripture, Genesis 1:10: “And the gathering together of the waters called he seas,” be they oceans, seas or lakes. Rivers on the other hand are changeable flowing waters.

22. It is not to be supposed that all waters, streams, lakes, seas, oceans, will, at the same time and in the same way, be come stormy and boisterous.

Some seas are thus to be moved and this is to be the sign unto us. For as not all stars fall and not all nations are distressed in perplexity, so shall not all waters roar nor all places be visited by the storm.

23. Here heathen art will sit in the schools and with wide open mouth will say, “Did you see the storm or hear the sea and the waves roaring?

Aristotle clearly teaches that these are but natural phenomena.” Let us pass these by and know that God’s Word and tokens are despised by the wisdom of the gods. Do you hold fast to the Gospel — this teaches you to believe that storms and detonations in the sea are signs and tokens. And however many times such signals have been given in other days, they shall nevertheless become more numerous and terrible as the day of doom approaches.

24. It seems to me that within the space of ten or twelve years, there have been such storms and tempests and waters roaring as have never before been seen or heard. We are to consider, therefore, that although in former times these signs came singly and at less frequent intervals, now they appear many and frequent. In our time both sun and moon are darkened, stars fall, distress of nations is present, winds and waves are roaring, and many other signs are being fulfilled. They are all coming in a heap. 

CFW Walther was always a Pietist and he learned Universal Objective Justification from his syphilitic mentor, Martin Stephan, whom he deposed by creating a riot that made Walther into the leader.

25. We have lately also seen so many comets and so many calamities have fallen from the skies and there has arisen the hitherto unknown disease, syphilis. Also how many signs and wonders have been seen in the heavens, as suns, moons, stars, rainbows, and many other strange sights. Dear hearer, let them be signs, great signs, tokens that mean much; so that neither the astronomers nor heathen astrologers can say they simply follow the ordinary course of nature, for they knew nothing of them before nor did they prophesy of them.

The self-appointed bishops - Stephan, DeJaynes, Heiser.

DeJaynes was an LCA pastor. Do they wear home-plate hats in the Lutheran Confessional Synod?  Jay Webber and Kincaid Smith brought DeJaynes into the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, with the blessings of ELS Bishop John Molstad. They even prayed together.

Pearl Harbor Attack, December 7, 1941

 

All the Nutrition And Weight Loss Books Distilled in One Post

 

These Are the Bad Categories - Easy To Remember To Avoid

Dairy 

Milk products - milk, cream, ice cream, cheeses, cottage cheese, yogurt. The fat content is high and the protein is over-done, except for baby cows.

Eggs

Eggs are very satisfying but loaded with fat.  They attract salt the way milk attracts sugar, which is not good.

Prepared And Fast-Food Meals, Often Frozen

Swanson TV Dinners bequeathed the Swanson House in Fayetteville to M/M Bill Clinton  (not my fault). The Jacksons ate those salted up frozen dinners while watching TV in the 1950s. Lots of salt and a tiny dessert. 

Frozen pizza - easy to microwave, loaded with cheese, salt, and fat.

Fast-food joints - the product is delivered to the little restaurants, thawed and often soaked in grease to make them delicious (ha!). Lots of salt is used in them and on them, with the addition of mustard (salt) and ketchup (salt) etc. Anything made in a real restaurant is far worse in fast-foods. Sugar and sweeteners add to the disaster.

Candy and Treats - Heavy with Sugar, Salt, and Fat

Candy and treats are mostly sugar and oil, often stale but who cares when the cravings crave and no one is watching? The main advantage in retail is their high volume, high cost, and long shelf life, or rather, stale life. The instant jolt of sugar is enhanced with fat and some salt. Added nuts make sweets look more like food. 

The candy aisle at Walmart is simply gigantic, competing with only small areas of various frozen vegetables and fruits, tip-toing into ready made versions (seasoned? you mean salted!). A dash of salt vastly increases frozen food prices and profits.

Stop! Lots of Nutrition Below in Simple Categories

Fresh Produce - Paradise Forgotten

The best part of a grocery store is filled with apples, oranges, peaches, berries of all types, pineapples, bananas, vegetables, and more. The juices are merely colorful delicious sugar water but not nutrition.

Note that cashiers are appalled that a septuagenarian is filling his cart first with fruit, especially apples, bananas, blueberries, and oranges. Fresh fruit makes up two out of three meals each day, which means an enormous amount of God's Medicine is being consumed. 

The pharmacy knows - most of their products are very expensive but seldom heal, and only treat symptoms. Cough syrup is a sweet potion that can make matters worse not better. Apples help - a lot. 

Enormous jars of powdered protein (milk) are sold in pharmacy, without doubting the long-term effects. Numerous over-the-counter meds and magic formulae make much more money to the store than fresh produce. 

Greens and the Incredible Creation Factory 

As far as I know, lettuce is worthless, except for decoration on a plate.

In contrast, leafy greens are ignored, shunned, and ridiculed. Whether fresh or frozen, leafy greens are the Mayo Clinic of genuine healing and strength.

Let's be frank, even when Frank is not frank anymore, but calls himself Franklin.  God has given us the miraculous system of turning delicious foods into effective medicines of all types.

Without asking, the body starts the use of foods by chewing, swallowing, and mixing in the stomach. Shamelessly, the body shifts the food into the small and large intestines. This slow process allows the bacteria and other helpers take apart food, to combine what is needed at the right point. Fiber and resistant starch slow down the action that turns food into healing and support for the body.

My blood results were horrible in 2022. Worst was blood sugar in the diabetic range, with cholesterol and blood pressure high. I was eating walnuts to reduce cholesterol, but I always enjoyed them on vanilla ice cream, sometimes taking second helpings. The doctor saw great results later, and his successor was equally astonished - 40 pounds of fat storage gone from a menu of greens, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and some meat.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book convinced me about leafy greens and the enormous internal factory provided by all the foods I used to ignore in favor of fast-food joints, ice cream, candy, donuts, pizza, colas, and similar low nutrition foods. The medicinal value of  greens, beans, vegetables, and nuts is difficult to comprehend in variety and power. Best of all, eating valuable foods changes the craving to modest amounts of all those things generously given by the Creator for our benefit.

Lutheran Library - Alec Satin

 

Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry Weekly Updates May God bless you now and always. From your Lutheran Librarian, 📅 NEW PUBLICATIONS AND UPDATES Life's Golden Lamp: A Treasury of Texts from the Words of Christ by Robert Offord This daily devotional is made up of short messages based on Scriptural texts. Each has been written by a different minister of the Gospel. ‘May the Lord whose words are the vital portion of the book grant that as these are read from day to day… they may not return to him void!’ - from the Preface Level of Difficulty: Primer: No prior subject matter knowledge needed. Contents About the Lutheran Library Titlepage Preface These Sayings of ... Read more An Easy Guide to Scripture Animals by Vernon Morwood “An Easy Guide to Scripture Animals, being a description of all the animals mentioned in the Bible, with the Scripture References, numerous anecdotes, etc. For home use and for day and Sunday schools.” Level of Difficulty: Primer: No prior subject matter knowledge needed. Contents About the Lutheran Library Original Cover Titlepage Presented to Frontispiece Preface Contents Vocabulary Scripture ... Read more How I Found the True Faith by Samuel McGerald “The story of a remarkable conversion from Roman Catholicism, with additional chapters on subjects vital and fundamental.” Level of Difficulty: Primer: No prior subject matter knowledge needed. Contents About the Lutheran Library Titlepage What’s said about the book by Distinguished Men of Both Continents Autograph Frontispiece Epigraph Contents Foreword 1 My Early Years 2 Boyhood Experiences 3 Coming to America 4 A Turning Point in My Life 5 Reading the Sealed Book 6 The Word Winning Its ... Read more Reasons Why I Cannot Return to the Church of Rome by Samuel McGerald “In view of the persistent and unflagging efforts of my friends to win or force me back to the Roman faith, I am led to give the following reaosns why I cannot return to the church I broke away from sixty-five years ago…” -From the Foreword Level of Difficulty: Primer: No prior subject matter knowledge needed. Contents About the Lutheran Library Titlepage Frontispiece Contents Introduction Epigraph Foreword 1 The Glories of Mary 2 Rome an Apostate Church 3 The Roman Church Founded on ... Read more Handbook to the Controversy with Rome by Karl von Hase “This Handbook… has been fitly called indispensable for a knowledge of the Roman controversy, and a masterpiece of Protestant theology, both in form and contents, unrefuted and irrefutable.” - The Translator Level of Difficulty: Intermediate: Some prior subject matter knowledge helpful. Contents About the Lutheran Library Titlepage Contents of Volume 1 Note Analysis of the Argument Translator’s Preface Prefaces Book 1. The Church 1 Catholicism A Unity B Infallibility C The Sole Means of ... Read more The Doctrine of Justification by Matthias Loy “Human reason and inclination are always in their natural state averse to the doctrine of Justification by Faith. Hence it is no wonder that earth and hell combine in persistent efforts to banish it from the Church and from the world.” — Matthias Loy Level of Difficulty: Primer: No subject matter knowledge needed. The Great Doctrine of Christianity “This great doctrine of the sinner’s justification by faith in the Redeemer of the world, who lived and suffered and died to save our lost ... Read more 🚀 SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS Liked this week's issue? Don't forget to spread it out!

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Advent 2 - "This sign is given in Matthew 24:29, to the effect that “the moon shall not give her light”; that is, it will lose its brightness. The same is to be said of this as of the signs in the sun, no matter how natural it may be. Is it not true that scarcely a year has passed of late in which sun or moon or both have been eclipsed, sometimes one of them twice a year? If these are not signs, then, what are signs? It may be that at other times more were seen than now, but surely not in more rapid succession. When Jerusalem was to be destroyed, some signs preceded which had occurred before, but they were still new tokens. “And in the stars,”

 

Second Sunday in Advent, Luke 21:25-36. Christ’s Second Coming: or the Signs of the Day of Judgment; and the Comfort Christians Have from Them

15. "This sign is given in Matthew 24:29, to the effect that “the moon shall not give her light”; that is, it will lose its brightness. The same is to be said of this as of the signs in the sun, no matter how natural it may be. Is it not true that scarcely a year has passed of late in which sun or moon or both have been eclipsed, sometimes one of them twice a year? If these are not signs, then, what are signs? It may be that at other times more were seen than now, but surely not in more rapid succession. When Jerusalem was to be destroyed, some signs preceded which had occurred before, but they were still new tokens. “And in the stars,”

16. According to Matthew 24:29, “the stars shall fall from heaven.”

This is seen almost daily. Whether it was seen as frequently in former days as now, I cannot say. Aristotle again talks about the nature of the thing; but the Gospel, which is the word and wisdom of God, pronounces the falling of the stars a sign and there let the matter rest. Wherefore if the stars fall or the sun and moon fail to give their light, be assured that these are signs of the last day; for the Gospel can not utter falsehood. While in these years there have been so many showers of stars, they are all harbingers of the last day, just as Christ says; for they must appear often in order that the great day may be abundantly pointed out and proclaimed. These signs appear and pass but no one considers them; so it shall be that they will wait for other signs just as the Jews are waiting for another Christ. “And upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity.”

17. This is not to be understood that all nations and all people among these nations will so suffer; for you must note that these are to be signs. Stars do not fall from the heavens at all times; the sun does not lose its brightness for a whole year or a month, but for an hour or two; the moon does not refuse to give its light for a whole week or a whole night, but, like the sun, for an hour or two — that all these may be tokens without changing or perverting the order of things. Hence not many will suffer distress and anxiety, but only a few; and even with these it will be only at times that they be signs to those who despise the idea, and attribute all to the complexion or to the melancholy or to the influence of the planets or to any other natural cause. Meanwhile such clear harbingers of the day pass by unobserved, and there happens what Christ said of the Jews in Matthew 15:14, that though hearing and seeing they do not understand.

18. “Distress of nations in perplexity” does not refer to the body. For, as we have already heard, there will be peace and joy in abundance. People will eat and drink, build and plant, buy and sell, marry and be given in marriage, dance and play, and wrap themselves up in this present life as if they expected to abide here forever. I take it that it is the condition of agonized conscience. For since the Gospel, by which alone the troubled conscience can be comforted, is condemned, and in its stead there are set up doctrines of men, which teach us to lay aside sin and earn heaven by works; there must come a burdened and distressed conscience, a conscience that can find no rest, that would be pious, do good and be saved, that torments itself and yet does not know how to find satisfaction.

Sin and conscience oppress, and however much is done no rest is found.

By these the sinner becomes so distressed that he knows not what to do nor whither to flee. Hence arise so many vows and pilgrimages and worship of the saints and chapters for mass and vigils. Some castigate and torture themselves, some become monks, or that they may do more they become Carthusian monks.

These are all works of distressed and perplexed consciences, and are in reality the distress and perplexity of which Luke here speaks. He uses two words which suggest this meaning, a man gets into close quarters as though he were cast into a narrow snare or prison; he becomes anxious and does not know how he may extricate himself; he becomes bewildered and attempts this and that and yet finds no way of escape. Under such conditions he would be distressed and perplexed. In such a condition are these consciences; sin has taken them captive, they are in straits and are distressed. They want to escape but another grief overtakes them, they are perplexed for they know not where to begin — they try every expedient but find no help.

Midweek Advent 1 - 2024

The Zoom linked while it was live, and I created the YouTube. Getting past the thorns and tangles of the platforms means that I have the YouTube for the Midweek but cannot get some things working together.

 

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7 PM Central Time

The Hymn #58         O Lord How I Shall Meet Thee

         
The Order of Vespers                                                p. 41

The Psalmody                          Psalm 24                  p. 128
The Lections                             

                                                 
The Sermon Hymn #345  Jesus Lover of My Soul

 

The Sermon –  Only One Power Rules the World  

 
The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect for Grace                                            p. 45

The Hymn #554         Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadows

The Sermon –  Only One Power Rules the World

Jesus was born when the Holy Land was owned and taxed by the greatest empire on earth - The Senate and People of Rome, SPQR. Julius Caesar had already visited England. Caesar Augustus used his power and wealth to create a staggering group of buildings, still filling people with tourists today.

Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary in the meekest of circumstances, as we all know. By popular standards today, He had no land, no known titles, no money. These things are so important today but they were revealed only to Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds.

The Gospel spread in the most humble ways, ordinary people spread the Gospel, especially through persecution, not enormous buildings or giant libraries. When the cry-babies ask, "Why don't we have more ancient New Testaments?!" - the answer is clear. They were worn to death by use and copying and then burned to keep the crumbling paper out of the hands of heretics.

So they had very little power and a lot of horrible experiences, but they crushed the evil ones by the force of their patience under suffering and their praise of Jesus the Savior. Faith in Jesus Christ has two impacts - 

1. one is opposition, which will never go away;
2. the other is teaching the Gospel, evangelism, preaching, and guarding the Word of God. 

I like the New Testament phrase - guard the Word, often written as keep the Word. Unfortunately, many people today guard their seminary and guard their own books while despising the genuine Scriptures. The most powerful thing on earth is that Word of God, which is the precise teaching of Father and Son through the Holy Spirit.

Although people are cowed by the powerful, most of that comes from bluffing, bullying, takings things for granted, and using common phrases like "Do you know who my father is?" 

A. We had Vimeo bills a second year - $900 - and I responded and heard nothing. I emailed, "I already contacted my attorney about this." Minutes later they promised to refund the $900 at once. 

B. I saw that happen with the same phrase. One was an excessive $2,000 bill for surgery. 

C. The other was a botched case where the hospital set up a panel to refuse to remove the $600 overcharge. All I did was say, "I spoke to _____ law firm." And I did. A member of the congregation was a specialist in such cases and told me, "No chance the parents will win." It was only the name of the law firm that drove them into a frenzy with some nasty words, dramatic yelling. About a week later, the bill was erased.

Verbal bullying is a plague on our society. Some of it is outright lying and threats. But others hint at the falsehoods and use them as tools against someone more quiet, shy, and polite. Faith in Christ gives us the strength to do what is right as a believer. I pointed out in two additional cases that standing up, putting knuckles on the table, and yelling are the sign of a gorilla who is afraid. (I don't want to test that.) It worked very well because the yelling lawyers ran out of ammo... or flying spittle.

We can be crushed by spiritual forces, too, because Satan will battle the believers as long as he can before his empire collapses. Emotions are far more fragile than our bodies, and they can pull us down until we feel helpless. We are not helpless.

We worry about running out of gasoline, but more important is running out of spiritual energy. That requires -

• Daily going over all things important and spiritual - confessing sin, helping with our difficulties, guiding others, praising Christ for all He does, thanking God.
• Methodical Scripture reading. The Gospel of John is best.
• Enjoying great Christian music, such as Handel's Messiah, Bach, TLH hymns, and modern efforts.

In Our Prayers

Dr. Lito Cruz - operation; Sarah Buck; Pastor Jim and Chris Shrader; Kermit Way.

ELCA Becomes a Sanctuary Church - The Four Waltherian Cults - LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) Sure To Follow

In its simplest form, becoming a sanctuary denomination means that the ELCA is publicly declaring that walking alongside immigrants and refugees is a matter of faith.

In baptism, we are brought into a covenantal relationship with Jesus Christ that commits us to strive for justice and peace in all the earth. Following the example of Martin Luther, we believe that advocacy is a crucial expression of baptismal identity. As a church, we have advocated for stopping the detention of children and families for decades. We have spoken out against family separation, sought a pathway to citizenship for community members who have lived in the U.S. for many years, and have taken steps to address the root causes of migration in a way that honors the humanity in people who must flee.

Through the ELCA’s AMMPARO strategy, we continue this work. Talking points, articles, videos and resources are housed here so this church can have conversations about what sanctuary means with many of our members in their context to discern future action and direction. Becoming a sanctuary denomination was voted on and passed by the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Milwaukee.

Being a sanctuary denomination means that we, as church together, want to be public and vocal about this work. It will look different for everyone, but welcoming people is not a political issue for us – it is a matter of faith.

Resources

• Talking Points
• Videos
• Overview
• AMMPARO resources
• Memorials Committee Report Original memorial language
• Legislative Update - 8/7/2019 Passed action item
• Sanctuary Bible Study
• Sanctuary Memorial FAQ
• Sanctuary Memorial FAQ - Spanish
• ELCA Sanctuary Church Guidelines

 

Female Lutheran pastor leads church in 'sparkle creed' prayer to 'nonbinary' God, says Christ Jesus had '2 dads'

By Ian M. Giatti, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, June 29, 2023

A female Lutheran pastor in Minnesota has gone viral for leading her congregation in a “sparkle creed” prayer in honor of LGBT pride month in which she described God as “nonbinary” and Christ Jesus as having “two dads.”

Anna Helgen, co-pastor of Edina Community Lutheran Church (ECLC) in Edina, a suburb of Minneapolis, delivered the prayer during a Sunday service live stream on June 25, when she called on members of the church to stand in honor of the “sparkle creed.”

In this prayer, Helgen recited a statement of faith known on social media as the “sparkle creed.”

“I believe in the nonbinary God, whose pronouns are plural,” Helgen said. “I believe in Jesus Christ, their child, who wore a fabulous tunic, and had two dads and saw everyone as a sibling child of God.

“I believe in the rainbow spirit who shatters our image of one white light and refracts it into a rainbow of gorgeous diversity. I believe in the church of everyday saints, as numerous, creative and resilient as patches on the … quilt, whose feet are grounded in mud and whose eyes gaze at the stars in wonder. I believe in the calling to each of us that love is love is love, so beloved let us love. 

“I believe, glorious God, help my unbelief, Amen.”

Can ELCA pastors have too many tattoos? Nadia Bolz Weber

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Advent 2 - "The course of the heavens has been so arranged from eternity that before the last day these signs must appear. The heathen say that the comet is a natural product; but God has created none that is not a token of future evil. Thus also the blind leader, Aristotle, writing a book about the phenomena of the heavens, attributes all to nature and declares these are no signs. Our learned men follow him and thus one fool fills the world with fools."

 

Second Sunday in Advent, Luke 21:25-36. Christ’s Second Coming: or the Signs of the Day of Judgment; and the Comfort Christians Have from Them

11. We also read in the history of the destruction, of Jerusalem that many signs were fulfilled, yet they would not believe them to be tokens of the coming destruction until judgment was executed. Finally, from the beginning of the world, it has ever been so, that the unbelieving could not believe the day of calamity to be near — they always experienced it before they believed it. This is in fulfillment of Psalm 55:23: “Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days,” for they presume upon the continuance of their days and have no fear, and so the hour must come unawares. So here people are putting off the judgment for yet a thousand years when it may break in upon them in a night. This is the first class of signs which presage the nearness of the day of God. Let us now consider the second class. “And there shall be signs in the sun.”

12. This sign to be given in the sun is that it will lose its brightness, after the manner in which it has often occurred, as Matthew 24:29, says: “The sun shall be darkened.” I will not trespass here again but express my opinion. Some think that the sun is to be darkened as never to shine again; but this cannot be the meaning, for day and night must continue to the end, as God foretells, Genesis 8:22: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” This sign must therefore, not interfere with day and night and still be fulfilled before the judgment day, for it is a token of its coming.

It cannot, therefore, be more than a darkening of the sun in its accustomed course.

13. Now at all times such a sign in the sun has been looked upon as foreboding misfortune or disaster, which also often followed, as history abundantly shows. Thus we have had, it seems to me, the last few years more and more frequent eclipses of the sun than in any other like period of time. God has spared us and no great evil has come upon us. For this reason these signs are not noticed. In addition, astronomers have told us, and rightly so, that these eclipses are but natural phenomena. As a result the tokens are still more despised and carnal security increased.

Nevertheless God in carrying on his work in silence, gives us security and moves forward in his plans. Whatever the natural course of the heavens may be, these signs are always tokens of his wrath and predict sure disaster for the future. If these are not seen, shall God make other suns and moons and stars and show other signs inthem?'

14. The course of the heavens has been so arranged from eternity that before the last day these signs must appear. The heathen say that the comet is a natural product; but God has created none that is not a token of future evil. Thus also the blind leader, Aristotle, writing a book about the phenomena of the heavens, attributes all to nature and declares these are no signs. Our learned men follow him and thus one fool fills the world with fools. Let us know that though the heavenly bodies wander in their courses according to law, God has still made these to be signs or tokens of his wrath. “And in the moon.”

15. This sign is given in Matthew 24:29, to the effect that “the moon shall not give her light”; that is, it will lose its brightness. The same is to be said of this as of the signs in the sun, no matter how natural it may be. Is it not true that scarcely a year has passed of late in which sun or moon or both have been eclipsed, sometimes one of them twice a year? If these are not signs, then, what are signs? It may be that at other times more were seen than now, but surely not in more rapid succession. When Jerusalem was to be destroyed, some signs preceded which had occurred before, but they were still new tokens. “And in the stars,”