this cooking thing takes time, you know

.

Besides relying on a restricted meaning of the phrase "this generation," another essential of Preterist theology involves what are called the "timing texts." These are preterist proof-texts which contain an imminency factor, representing eschatological events as "near," "soon," and "at hand." Treating the canonical New Testament writings as purely human documents, Preterists use these texts in an attempt to show that these events (the second advent, resurrection, and judgment) all occurred within the lifetime of the first-century saints.

In our last article, we showed that the Preterist interpretation of "this generation" is false. So in this article we are prepared to show that their view of the "timing texts" is likewise mistaken. In contrast, however, to the great majority of Pre-Millennialists, I do hold that the Scripture teaches an imminent first-century coming of Christ.

For instance, when the time came for John Baptist to accomplish his ministry and prepare the way for the coming King, he went out into the wilderness around Jordan, and cried: "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3: 2). We learn, then, that the kingdom of heaven (the same kingdom described in Daniel 7) was "at hand" in the first century. As in the parable of the marriage supper, all things were ready (Matt. 22: 4) when the invitation was first sent out. Yet merely because the kingdom was at hand then doesn't mean that it was not subsequently postponed for reasons which God saw fit.

We must remember that John, in accordance with his role as Elijah, preached repentance to the Jewish nation. And in the Old Testament, the one abiding condition of national restoration is repentance (Isaiah 58: 6-14; Jer. 4: 1-2; 17: 24-26; 22: 3-4; etc.). When the Jews refused to repent, and in fact delivered the Lord Jesus Christ to the Romans to be crucified, the prophecies concerning Messiah's sufferings and sacrifice were fulfilled, and all things held in abeyance until Christ had ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father, and the apostles received the promise of the Holy Ghost.

Then, after the Lord's resurrection and ascension, the kingdom was re-proclaimed for forty years (A.D. 30-70), first by Peter and the twelve, and later by Paul, under the administration of the Holy Spirit. During the greater part of this period, at least until the first imprisonment of Paul (in A.D. 62) the Jews were given priority of hearing the message.

This new proclamation of the kingdom, which had for its subject the exaltation of Christ as a risen Messiah, was none other than the "sign of the prophet Jonah." The burden of the apostolic message was that Christ was about to come and restore all things, on the condition of national repentance (Acts 3: 19-21). But when after the probationary period had almost expired, the Jews refused to meet the condition, Jerusalem was destroyed, and the then-imminent kingdom was postponed to a future time.

The present age is The Ecclesiastical Dispensation, or "Dispensation of the Mystery," mentioned by Paul in Eph. 3: 9 (where the critical texts read "oikonomia," and not "koinonia"). It is a "parenthesis" which comes between the Legal and the Messianic (Millennial) dispensations. The character of this dispensation is given by Paul, in which he reveals that blindness in part is happened unto Israel, UNTIL the fullness of the Gentiles be come in (Romans 11: 25). It will end when, under the Great Tribulation, the Jewish nation repents, and Jesus Christ returns to destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem (Zech. 12: 9-10; Zech. 14: 4; cf. Jer. 30: 15-16, 20; Micah 5: 15; Zeph. 3: 8). Then will the kingdom, which would have been established in the first century had the Jews repented and accepted Christ, have its perfect fulfillment.

This postponement factor, far from being an invention of man, is evidenced by the Old Testament Scriptures. To give an example, we'll remember that God sent His prophet Isaiah to tell king Hezekiah, "Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live" (Isaiah 38: 1; 2 Kings 20: 1). But after Hezekiah prayed for mercy, his then-imminent demise was postponed, and his life prolonged by fifteen years (Isaiah 38: 5; 2 Kings 20: 5-6). To show Hezekiah (and ourselves) that He alone has power to defer judgment and lengthen days, God brought the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz ten degrees backward (Isaiah 38: 8; 2 Kings 20: 8-11).

As also witnessed in the history of Jonah and the repentance of the Ninevites, God can and does often postpone judgments that are declared to be imminent (Jonah 3: 10). In fact, it is no misstatement to say that often this very element of imminency plays a key part in the working of that repentance which postpones His wrath. Of course Preterists will probably not acknowledge this. But it seems incomprehensible why God would bring the nations of the world into judgment during a time when they, the very antitype of the repenting Ninevites, received the Gospel with joy, evidencing their faith with the fruits of the Spirit (Col. 1: 6).

Then, too, the apostles were called the "salt of the earth" (Matt. 5: 13). And what is the purpose of salt? Is it not to prevent moral putrefaction that brings on judgment? (see Amos 8: 1-2). The moral state of the world in the first century has been outlined by Paul in Romans ch. 1. And therein he reveals the purpose of the grace and apostleship which he received. It was "for obedience to the faith among all nations" (Romans 1: 5).

If the world was judged in A.D. 70, then the apostolic salt is proved to have been of no avail. But are we to believe this? On the contrary, we hold that the salt of the Gospel was spread so effectively during the first century, that Christ postponed the judgment that was then-imminent. And now we must await certain events to unfold; events which, in fact, will make the moral conditions of the world similar to those in the days of Noah and of Lot (Luke 17: 26-30). According to His own words, Christ will only return when the world is ripe for judgment.

But the Preterist theory of "Time texts" breaks down further, when we come to realize that many of these same expressions used by Preterist as proof-texts occur repeatedly throughout the Old Testament prophets. The established usage only demonstrates that phrases like "near," "soon," and "at hand," while implying imminency at any time, do not enforce immediateness of fulfillment. We trust that after a closer study the discerning Bible student will give up the Preterist view. For the Old Testament time-texts show us that not only is fulfillment often delayed, but that, because so, all imminency must be referred to God's standard of time, and not ours.

Let us take a look at some of these texts. After a diligent reading of the Old Testament prophets, I've discovered 19 verses that speak in terms of "near," "soon," and "at hand." The expressions contained in these verses will be found to match those in the New Testament; and so we must grant that they have a uniform usage throughout the BIble. In most cases, it will be very difficult to make these statements match up with the Preterist point of view.

When the prophets said that something was "at hand," did the Spirit of Christ which was in them (1 Peter 1: 11) signify that it would inevitably fall out within a few years? Or are the time-indicators Hebraistic expressions which denote imminency from God's perspective? Let us see.

(Isaiah 10: 25) "For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and my anger in their destruction."

(Isaiah 13: 6) "Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty."

(Isaiah 56: 1) "Thus saith the Lord, keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed."

(Jeremiah 51: 33) "For thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like threshing-floor, and it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come."

(Ezekiel 30: 3) "For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen."

(Ezekiel 36: 8) "But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come."

(Joel 1: 15) "Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come."

(Joel 2: 1) "Blow ye a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, it is nigh at hand."

(Zephaniah 1: 14) "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty men shall cry there bitterly."

(Haggai 2: 6) "For thus saith the Lord of Hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of Hosts."

In my opinion, these verses effectively refute the Preterist interpretation of timing-texts. In the ten examples given above, terms such as"in a little while," "soon," and "at hand," while certainly denoting imminency, do not in any case necessitate immediacy of fulfillment. In fact, Haggai 2: 6 was quoted by Paul in Hebrews 12: 26, some 580 years after Haggai had told the Jews that the ONCE "shaking of all nations" would occur "in a little while." Since no such "shaking" occurred within a short compass of human years, it is evident that the imminency of the event must be referred to God's standard of time, and not man's. According to God, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3: 8).

Those who wish to study the matter further will do well to investigate Deuteronomy 32: 35, which further strengethens our view of the timing-texts. "To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste." It is no mistake to say that Moses himself was the originator of the Hebraistic expression at hand; and that in his concept of the term, delay is implied in the phrase in due time. In other words, while judgment is always impending, it may be, and often is, delayed through the Divine mercy. For "mercy rejoiceth against judgment" (James 2: 13).

Conclusion: So then, by way of authority, all imminency-texts are referable to God's standard of time. By way of application, they may refer to any epoch of human history; albeit, removal of the application can never nullify the authority.

As we've shown above, the Preterist theory of imminency is erroneous-- First, because it fails to adhere to the Old Testament standard of prophetic usage; Second, because it submits canonical writings to the interpretive standards of mere human documents. This latter tendency, in itself a product of the rationalistic school of exegesis, is to be deplored inasmuch as it logically limits the Christianity of the Bible to a forty-year period. And yet when we study the post-Apostolic writings, we never find the church fathers drawing any such inferences as Preterists do from the same texts. It is evident therefore that the Preterist method of interpretation constitutes spiritual and Satanic error, and is worthy of our strongest condemnation.

  Besides relying on a restricted meaning of the phrase "this generation," another essential of Preterist theology involves what are called the "timing texts."  These are preterist proof-texts which contain an imminency factor, representing eschatological events as "near," "soon," and "at hand." Treating the canonical New Testament writings as purely human documents,  Preterists use these texts in an attempt to show that these events (the second advent, resurrection, and judgment) all occurred within the lifetime of the first-century saints.

  In our last article, we showed that the Preterist interpretation of "this generation" is false. So in this article we are prepared to show that their view of the "timing texts" is likewise mistaken.  In contrast, however, to the great majority of Pre-Millennialists, I do hold that the Scripture teaches an imminent first-century coming of Christ. 

   For instance, when the time came for John Baptist to accomplish his ministry and prepare the way for the coming King, he went out into the wilderness around Jordan, and cried: "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3: 2).  We learn, then, that the kingdom of heaven (the same kingdom described in Daniel 7) was "at hand" in the first century.  As in the parable of the marriage supper, all things were ready (Matt. 22: 4) when the invitation was first sent out.  Yet merely because the kingdom was at hand then doesn't mean that it was not subsequently postponed for reasons which God saw fit. 

   We must remember that John, in accordance with his role as Elijah, preached repentance to the Jewish nation.  And in the Old Testament, the one abiding condition of national restoration is repentance (Isaiah 58: 6-14; Jer. 4: 1-2; 17: 24-26; 22: 3-4; etc.).  When the Jews refused to repent, and in fact delivered the Lord Jesus Christ to the Romans to be crucified, the prophecies concerning Messiah's sufferings and sacrifice were fulfilled, and all things held in abeyance until Christ had ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father, and the apostles received the promise of the Holy Ghost.

  Then, after the Lord's resurrection and ascension, the kingdom was re-proclaimed for forty years (A.D. 30-70), first by Peter and the twelve, and later by Paul, under the administration of the Holy Spirit.  During the greater part of this period, at least until the first imprisonment of Paul (in A.D. 62) the Jews were given priority of hearing the message. 

   This new proclamation of the kingdom, which had for its subject the exaltation of Christ as a risen Messiah, was none other than the "sign of the prophet Jonah."  The burden of the apostolic message was that Christ was about to come and restore all things, on the condition of national repentance (Acts 3: 19-21).  But when after the probationary period had almost expired, the Jews refused to meet the condition, Jerusalem was destroyed, and the then-imminent kingdom was postponed to a future time. 

  The present age is The Ecclesiastical Dispensation, or "Dispensation of the Mystery," mentioned by Paul in Eph. 3: 9 (where the critical texts read "oikonomia," and not "koinonia").  It is a "parenthesis" which comes between the Legal and the Messianic (Millennial) dispensations.  The character of this dispensation is given by Paul, in which he reveals that blindness in part is happened unto Israel, UNTIL the fullness of the Gentiles be come in (Romans 11: 25).  It will end when, under the Great Tribulation, the Jewish nation repents, and Jesus Christ returns to destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem (Zech. 12: 9-10; Zech. 14: 4; cf. Jer. 30: 15-16, 20; Micah 5: 15; Zeph. 3: 8).  Then will the kingdom, which would have been established in the first century had the Jews repented and accepted Christ, have its perfect fulfillment.

   This postponement factor, far from being an invention of man, is evidenced by the Old Testament Scriptures.  To give an example, we'll remember that God sent His prophet Isaiah to tell king Hezekiah, "Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live" (Isaiah 38: 1; 2 Kings 20: 1).  But after Hezekiah prayed for mercy, his then-imminent demise was postponed, and his life prolonged by fifteen years (Isaiah 38: 5; 2 Kings 20: 5-6).  To show Hezekiah (and ourselves) that He alone has power to defer judgment and lengthen days, God brought the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz ten degrees backward (Isaiah 38: 8; 2 Kings 20: 8-11). 

   As also witnessed in the history of Jonah and the repentance of the Ninevites, God can and does often postpone judgments that are declared to be imminent (Jonah 3: 10).  In fact, it is no misstatement to say that often this very element of imminency plays a key part in the working of that repentance which postpones His wrath.  Of course Preterists will probably not acknowledge this.  But it seems incomprehensible why God would bring the nations of the world into judgment during a time when they, the very antitype of the repenting Ninevites, received the Gospel with joy, evidencing their faith with the fruits of the Spirit (Col. 1: 6).

  Then, too, the apostles were called the "salt of the earth" (Matt. 5: 13).  And what is the purpose of salt?  Is it not to prevent moral putrefaction that brings on judgment? (see Amos 8: 1-2).  The moral state of the world in the first century has been outlined by Paul in Romans ch. 1.  And therein he reveals the purpose of the grace and apostleship which he received.  It was "for obedience to the faith among all nations" (Romans 1: 5). 

   If the world was judged in A.D. 70, then the apostolic salt is proved to have been of no avail.  But are we to believe this?  On the contrary, we hold that the salt of the Gospel was spread so effectively during the first century, that Christ postponed the judgment that was then-imminent.  And now we must await certain events to unfold; events which, in fact, will make the moral conditions of the world similar to those in the days of Noah and of Lot (Luke 17: 26-30).  According to His own words, Christ will only return when the world is ripe for judgment.

  But the Preterist theory of "Time texts" breaks down further, when we come to realize that many of these same expressions used by Preterist as proof-texts occur repeatedly throughout the Old Testament prophets.  The established usage only demonstrates that phrases like "near," "soon," and "at hand," while implying imminency at any time, do not enforce immediateness of fulfillment.  We trust that after a closer study the discerning Bible student will give up the Preterist view.  For the Old Testament time-texts show us that not only is fulfillment often delayed, but that, because so, all imminency must be referred to God's standard of time, and not ours.

   Let us take a look at some of these texts.  After a diligent reading of the Old Testament prophets, I've discovered 19 verses that speak in terms of "near," "soon," and "at hand."  The expressions contained in these verses will be found to match those in the New Testament; and so we must grant that they have a uniform usage throughout the BIble.  In most cases, it will be very difficult to make these statements match up with the Preterist point of view. 

  When the prophets said that something was "at hand," did the Spirit of Christ which was in them (1 Peter 1: 11) signify that it would inevitably fall out within a few years?  Or are the time-indicators Hebraistic expressions which denote imminency from God's perspective?  Let us see.

  (Isaiah 10: 25) "For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and my anger in their destruction." 

  (Isaiah 13: 6) "Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty."

  (Isaiah 56: 1) "Thus saith the Lord, keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed."

  (Jeremiah 51: 33) "For thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like threshing-floor, and it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come."

  (Ezekiel 30: 3) "For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen."

  (Ezekiel 36: 8) "But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come."

  (Joel 1: 15) "Alas for the day!  for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come."

  (Joel 2: 1) "Blow ye a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, it is nigh at hand."

  (Zephaniah 1: 14) "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty men shall cry there bitterly."

  (Haggai 2: 6) "For thus saith the Lord of Hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of Hosts."

  In my opinion, these verses effectively refute the Preterist interpretation of timing-texts.  In the ten examples given above, terms such as"in a little while," "soon," and "at hand," while certainly denoting imminency, do not in any case necessitate immediacy of fulfillment.  In fact, Haggai 2: 6 was quoted by Paul in Hebrews 12: 26, some 580 years after Haggai had told the Jews that the ONCE  "shaking of all nations" would occur "in a little while."  Since no such "shaking" occurred within a short compass of human years, it is evident that the imminency of the event must be referred to God's standard of time, and not man's.  According to God, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3: 8).

   Those who wish to study the matter further will do well to investigate Deuteronomy 32: 35, which further strengethens our view of the timing-texts. "To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste."  It is no mistake to say that Moses himself was the originator of the Hebraistic expression at hand; and that in his concept of the term, delay is implied in the phrase in due time.  In other words, while judgment is always impending, it may be, and often is, delayed through the Divine mercy.  For "mercy rejoiceth against judgment" (James 2: 13).

   Conclusion: So then, by way of authority, all imminency-texts are referable to God's standard of time.  By way of application, they may refer to any epoch of human history; albeit, removal of the application can never nullify the authority.

   As we've shown above, the Preterist theory of imminency is erroneous-- First, because it fails to adhere to the Old Testament standard of prophetic usage; Second, because it submits canonical writings to the interpretive standards of mere human documents.  This latter tendency, in itself a product of the rationalistic school of exgesis, is to be deplored inasmuch as it logically limits the Christianity of the Bible to a forty-year period.  And yet when we study the post-Apostolic writings, we never find the church fathers drawing any such inferences as Preterists do from the same texts.  It is evident therefore that the Preterist method of interpretation constitutes spiritual and Satanic error, and is worthy of our strongest condemnation. 

"Wait? You say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
"Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I relate,
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to Wait?"
I'm needing a 'yes,' a go-ahead sign.
Or even a 'no,' to which I'll resign.

You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply.

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting . . . for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .
And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me,
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

You'd never experience the fullness of love,
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask,
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

You'd never know should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But oh, the loss if I lost what I'm doing in you.

So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see,
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still "WAIT".

We have tremors, then major aftershocks.

And we have Anthony Bolton, President of Fidelity Fund Managers, saying in the FT Money section (things are so bad that people are reading the Money sections - see below!), that he's not been more optimistic in years. See 'We've seen the bottom of the abyss'.

We might be riding through mental hell, but there seems to be a sense that we are getting settled with the uncertainty, that there can't possibly be any more uncertainty, that 2009 is already written off, that the Bank of England, Feds and Governments are in the process of taking extraordinary, bedazzling steps. But, at least, action is underway.

So, it's right to call the bottom. And, while the whole system seems to be creaking. The statistics of BIG start to look very attractive. Because you can start small, start low, start from the minus-zone. And, any move in the positive direction will register big percentage hikes up.

You start when the tide has gone out, the waves have sucked out all the water... and a sense that there must be some swishing, gushing jet to ride back up the beach of capitalism. So, timing is key to the Next Big Thing.

There are many articles about winners and losers. I'm mentally preparing for pain a-plenty all round, because it only seems fair that the pain is widespread. But, as with other water analogies... Archimedes Principle holds true: displacement. If people aren't using cars, they are getting their bike repaired. If they aren't buying Champagne, they will still treat themselves to Cava. Look on the bright side. Turnip sales are up 75% at Tesco!

And, as Bolton points out, there are sectors that are oversold. He points to Media and Marketing Services. To Reed Elsevier. Buy buy buy... into the world of B2B communities...

So... to my earlier point...

In times of massive uncertainty, people devour news. And, Barry Diller has tried to show impeccable timing with the launch of The Daily Beast, headed by editorial doyen (or is that dinosaur?) Tina Brown, who described the internet as Terra Incognita before she was hired to Da Beast. She looks to me to be trying to do 'The Week' online before Felix Dennis has got there. (Only, I love The Week because it's print!!!)

As earlier on Opencast, I say that Barry Diller has spotted that the web is turning into TV channels... and he's packaging up demographics... so The Daily Beast is staking out an audience space in the Baby Boomer age group (my mum, I think that means... particularly if they have elderly Andrew Neil blogging!). I'm not betting against it, but it all looks a bit pre-RSS and post-Huffington Post if you ask me...

Timing... yes, timing...

In doing this McCain strategists opened another door and hit themselves squarely in the face. That would be John McCain’s connection to Charles Keating and the savings and loan scandal which Senator McCain was in up to his neck.

Today the Obama campaign is launching a web site, KeatingEconomics.com, and releasing a 13 minute video documenting McCain’s close relationship to Keating and the similarities between the savings and loan scandal of the 80's and the meltdown of the financial markets we are facing today.

Obama is also bringing up the McCain mud-slinging in his campaign speeches.

“Sen. McCain and his operatives are gambling that they can distract you with smears rather than talk to you about substance. They’d rather try to tear our campaign down than lift this country up,” Obama said at an event in Asheville, North Carolina.
“That’s what you do when you’re out of touch, out of ideas, and running out of time,” he said.

All these elements taken together could make tomorrow night’s debate very interesting. That volcano known as the infamous John McCain temper could erupt in full force if and when these topics are raised. What was grinding of teeth and refusing to look at his opponent in the last debate could become one of the profanity-laced tirades for which Senator McCain is well-known.

We shall see.

Scripture for today:  Esther 3; Esther 4; Esther 5; Esther 6; Esther 7; Esther 8; Luke 18 (New International Version) 

Scripture-My special verse today:  Esther 8:3 Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. 4 For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king. ^[a] " 

Observation:  What a beautiful story of love and redemption.  Esther, a Jew, becomes the Queen purely through the providence of God in order to save her people.  At this point, she tells the King that Haman has tricked the king into destroying her people.  She risks her life at this point to come to him and beg his intervention in the matter.  It is a time when the King truly retracts his order and orders Haman to be killed.

 Application:  I truly love the story of Esther.  She is both strong and beautiful, a woman who holds on to her convictions through it all.  Although she could have easily forgotten her people once she got to a place of regality, she risks her own life to save her people from the evil plot of Haman.  She is unable to just tell the King until the time is right and when she does it is said in such a way that he believes her immediately.  She bides her time until it is right and allows him to right a terrible wrong.

How many times do I blurt out things when it would have been easier to wait for my opportune time?  I would be wise to learn from Esther that God is always in control and that he always provides a way out, no  matter what the situation.

 Prayer:  Let me let you lead me each and every day.

As far as the "what is in it for me to learn an unproven music theory" factor, know that this song by Vanessa Carlton can be applied on your own mood.  Using the James N Neumann Standard Tempo Scale, you can see that this song by Carlton is right in the middle of a range of speed, approximately 90-97 beats per minute, that has been recorded on a metronomic click which does not budge from approximately 95 beats per minute.  If you look at songs at this speed, such as those songs on the lists provided on meanspeed music home page, it is predictable that songs at 95 bpm will emote confident enthusiasm and controlled exuberance.

Meanspeed-Carlton Summary

song title="A Thousand Miles"

performer=Vanessa Carlton

standard tempo/mean speed/average velocity=94.9 beats per minute

average beat=0.632 seconds mean-emotion according to the meanspeeed music conjecture=enthusiasm

The meanspeed music conjecture is outlined on the scale below, produced by James N Neumann

/Ian Andrew Schneider/

Meanspeed Music Company

October 5, 2008

I understand what they mean by  "being in the right place at the right time," but I truly believe they are trying to say that they were anticipatory.  When opportunities swoop in, it would be nonsensical to say they weren't even partially expected, or at least partially sought for.

When I think of the challenges I've overcome, or the minor successes that I've accomplished, yes I was in the right place the right time.  But, most of all, I anticipated the challenge or success because I was mentally prepared.

Sometimes there will be light around the corner, and sometimes there won't be.  The best way to make sure is to be actively peaking.

Take a look at the example below. The capturing flop would normally violate setup requirements due to the deep logic cloud. By intentionally adding delay we could help make the clock arrive later and thus meet the setup condition. Nothing comes for free though, if we have another register just after the capturing one, the timing budget there will be cut.

This technique can also be implemented on the block level as well. Assume we have two blocks A and B. B's signals, which are headed towards A, are generated by a deep logic cloud. On the other hand A's signals, which arrive at B, are generated by a rather small logic cloud. Skewing the clock in the direction of A now, will give more timing budget for the B to A signals but will eat away the budget from A to B's signals.

Inserting skew is very much disliked by physical implementation guys although a lot of the modern tools know how to handle it very nicely and even account for the clock re-convergence pessimism (more on this in another post). I have the feeling this dislike is more of a relic of the past, but as we push designs to be more complex, faster, less power hungry etc. we have to consider such techniques.

Had dinner with the family tonight!  Weird that Bob is gone and I'm doing things without him!  Doesn't seem right!  I decided tonight that I dont' want to be a widow or divorced!  Life is just too quiet without him.  I got blessed in the husband dept. I can promise you that!

Ashley sounds like she is doing so much better!  I know that God has such awesome plans for her life I just wish things were happening faster than they are.  I still believe that God has something for her and Brian I just can't figure out what it is for the life of me!  Did their paths cross for a reason???  I believe they did!  I don't believe that God would have given me that song in less than 20 minutes and ALL the coincidences that have happened if something weren't suppose to happen!  Oh Well, we will just have to wait and see!  I waited for the best for 4 years!  YIKES that sounds like a long time!  Now we have been together for 25 years + four years of dating! 

Well God, just in case you are listening???? So am I!!!!

It's almost October. That's so hard to believe! I thought if I waited long enough that the next thing I blogged would be the amazing news of how my Father had provided this perfect job for my husband but I don't have that reality to blog just yet. It's getting harder and harder to ride the roller coaster of emotions on a daily, well, almost minute by minute, basis! I freaked out yesterday and cried out to my friends and family! It's like I'm hanging on by a thread these days! Not knowing which direction is God's will for our lives! Wondering when and how He will deliver us from our present day reality! Or, if it's even His will that we be delivered! I know the promises of the Scriptures, I know He loves us, I know a lot of things but it's not the things I know that bothers me, it's all those uncertainties that I let Satan turn into doubt. A friend of ours sent us this encouraging verse yesterday:

I have to remember that His ways are not my ways and that has to be ok with me! This too shall pass.....

I've finally received my Pencil Check Pro application license so I can now render and posts the animations I'm working on.  Here's my first real lesson.

Grim Natwick, the creator of Betty Boop, who animated 83 scenes on Snow White once said, "Animation, it's all in the timing and the spacing."  I've struggled with applying both concepts, but the light bulb went off last night and I think I'm finally beginning to truly understand both concepts.

Animation legend, Richard Williams, says, "The bouncing ball says it all."  This is very true.  Everything learned from a simple ball animation can be applied to the complex stuff.  So, here's the first of several, if not many ball animations.

]]> http://wescartoons.wordpress.com/?p=3 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:33:01 +0000 Rio http://wescartoons.de.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/timing-and-spacing/ I've finally received my Pencil Check Pro application license so I can now render and posts the animations I'm working on.  Here's my first real lesson.

Grim Natwick, the creator of Betty Boop, who animated 83 scenes on Snow White once said, "Animation, it's all in the timing and the spacing."  I've struggled with applying both concepts, but the light bulb went off last night and I think I'm finally beginning to truly understand both concepts.

Animation legend, Richard Williams, says, "The bouncing ball says it all."  This is very true.  Everything learned from a simple ball animation can be applied to the complex stuff.  So, here's the first of several, if not many ball animations.

"Whenever God gives a vision to a saint, he puts the saint in the shadow of His hand, as it were, and the saint's duty is to be still and listen... When God gives a vision and darkness follows, waiting on God will bring you into accordance with the vision He has given if you await His timing. Otherwise, you try to do away with the supernatural in God's undertakings. Never try to help God fulfill His word."

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest: An Updated Edition in Today's Language, ed. by James Reimann (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 1992), entry for January 19.

These candidates have been hopping all over the country - all over the world really - campaigning for almost two years! Who is doing their jobs while they're fundraising? That's a subject for another day. Back to the issue at hand...

I won't argue with skeptics who will surely point out the convenient timing of the disasters which McCain has used to justify the intermissions in his campaign. First, the hurricane allowed him to keep President Bush II away from his nominating convention. And now, the tumbling down of the walls of The Street has allowed him to put country first because, clearly, any dope can see that the health of the economy is a more pressing issue than debating with Obama tonight.

It's not like we don't know the position of these men on the issues. And it's not like they can't debate after a bailout deal is reached. What's the hurry? Any voter who is undecided at these stage of the game can wait another week to see the men side by side. Is the manner in which these men speak to the issues really going to make a difference? Isn't it really about what we believe these men will do and not about what they say they will do?

I don't know how McCain's camp intends to pull out this election. But they sure don't look confident in the video clips I see on TV. Sarah Palin, in particular, looks very nervous. It seems as though she's afraid of saying something stupid that will hurt the campaign. Even if it's taken out of context. Like maybe suggesting the U.S. has 60 States. Or for the first time in her adult life, she's proud to be an American. Or God d_ _n America. Or we'll be in Iraq for the next 100 years. Or the Presidency of the United States is not the place for on-the-job training.

None of these statements, or misstatements, are important. What is important is who is going to get this government working efficiently. The answer is... NONE OF THEM. So, you're left asking yourself whether you lean to the conservative side or the liberal side on the majority of the issues and that's where you go. I, for one, can't vote for someone who supports murdering babies. But that's just me. Yours may be the vote that cancels mine out because you can't vote for someone who would infringe on a woman's rightto kill her baby. That's your prerogative.

One thing that I'm confident that most people will agree with is that this campaign has gone on for way too long and thankfully it will be over soon (assuming Obama doesn't put us through a Gore-ish recount — duh! of course he will).

Rantai timing (atau lebih lazim disebut rantai keteng) adalah komponen yang berfungsi untuk menggerakkan klep hisap dan klep buang. Dengan demikian maka proses pembakaran pada sepeda motor menjadi sempurna. Normalnya komponen ini diganti setiap 25 ribu km (tergantung kondisi pemakaian).

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