I John 1:10: “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

The Bible is very clear about this: all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Despite what Catholics will tell you, this includes Mary, the mother of Jesus.) We are all born with a sin nature. We are not basically good people; the Bible teaches us that we are basically evil people. We are all dead in our trespasses and sins. All of us have sinned. There is no getting around this.

The only one who never sinned was Jesus, and that was because He was not just a man – He was the God-Man, the incarnate Son of God. That is why the virgin birth is so critical: it allowed Jesus to be born without inheriting the sin of Adam. If there was no virgin birth then Jesus was born in sins and died in sins. If the virgin birth did not happen then salvation is impossible and we are all damned to Hell with no hope. The virgin birth is not an optional doctrine; it is absolutely essential. Christianity is impossible without it.

“We found an old movie theater in Tikal today, but it didn’t have any films. We could probably repair the equipment but without any movies to show it would just be a waste of time. I’m going to have its located logged and then seal off the area. We just have too many other things to do right now. Maybe when things have calmed down a bit we can come back and explore further. It makes me wonder, though – what kind of movies did people watch five thousand years ago? I suppose even if the movies had been preserved we wouldn’t be able to understand them. Miles taught a few people how to read ancient Martian but even he doesn’t know how the words are pronounced. Amy’s probably the only person alive who knows, but when I talked to her yesterday she seemed pretty busy. I doubt she has the time to teach a class on ancient languages.”
–Noel Lawson
July 13, 7243
 

Monroe slowly regained consciousness. His head was throbbing, and the pain made it difficult to focus. He felt weak, unsteady, and more than a little nauseated. He struggled to open his eyes and saw that he was in the back of an electrically-powered mining cart. The cart was battered and rusty and looked as if it hadn’t been used in ages. When the scribe opened his eyes he saw that his hands and feet were chained together, and the chains were attached to the side of the cart. In the front of the cart was General Maldonado, who was driving it along a series of tracks. A wooden crutch was lying on the seat next to the general.

As Monroe looked around he saw that he was in a dark tunnel. The only light came from the headlights on the mining cart. On the walls he could see thick seams of black rock.

“This is a coal mine,” Monroe commented.

The general said nothing, so Monroe continued. “You know, that’s interesting. Adrasta hasn’t used coal in more than a thousand years. The city’s power plant is fusion-based. That means this mine must be truly ancient. In fact, I’m not even sure were it is – as far as I know there are no ancient mines near the city. All of the nearby mineral deposits were depleted long ago, and even the Founders used more distant sources. This place is really quite a find.”

“There are very few who know about it,” Maldonado said curtly. “I have records of everything, of course, but I assure you that others do not. Even your Order is unaware of this place. No one will ever think to look for you here.”

“You’re making a very foolish decision, general. I don’t know what you are hoping to gain by this but I assure you that this will not end well. You are making a very foolish decision.”

Maldonado laughed. “Don’t kid yourself! You know exactly what’s going on. There’s no way you can win this one. You have just conveniently disappeared right before the public meeting, and all evidence of your so-called cure is gone as well. With you gone, the cure gone, and the boy gone, all of the evidence will be missing and the council will be forced to dismiss the entire thing as a hoax. Everything will go back to normal and I will be able to eradicate the savages, exactly as planned.”

Monroe felt in his pocket and noticed that the bottle of cure was gone. Something else bothered him, though. “I don’t see the boy here.”

“Oh, my men are looking for him. In our little meeting you neglected to mention where he was being kept, but I assure you he won’t be able to hide for long. We’ll get him, just as sure as my men got you. It won’t even be a challenge.”

“This is a very serious thing you’re doing,” Monroe replied. “You have escalated the situation dramatically. You can no longer claim that your purpose is to provide a merciful end to a race of incurable lunatics. Now you are deliberately trying to exterminate millions of people simply so you can rule this planet and build your empire. Of course, that has been your true purpose all along, hasn’t it? You don’t care how many millions must die. You are truly a monster.”

“Oh, get over yourself,” Maldonado barked. “You’re too old-fashioned for your own good. Your fabled Stone Hall was created by a bunch of pathetic losers. The Law of Nature dictates that the weak must die and the strong must live. The savages are weak so it’s our duty to massacre them all. I’m going to enjoy killing them, Monroe, and you won’t be able to stop me. No one will. Then the Earth will be reborn and we will go on to conquer the planets and rule over the galaxy. I will win and your kind will be utterly stamped out.”

“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. You are showing a remarkable lack of judgment. Do you really believe that my sudden disappearance will go unnoticed? Do you think that the council will not have any questions? Do you think that people will not realize you are behind this?”

“It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks. They will never find you, or your cure, or your boy, so it won’t matter. I will win by default.”

The general steered the decrepit cart into a side-room. Monroe noticed that the room had a giant steel door and thick metal walls. The room was empty, but Monroe guessed that at one time it had been a vault.

Maldonado stopped the cart. “Well, Monroe, this is it. I hope you have a pleasant eternity. Oh, wait, no I don’t. I would kill you myself but, honestly, I’d rather you just starved to death. It will kill you just as surely as a bullet would but it will take a whole lot longer. Knowing that you are trapped here, slowly starving, will make me a very happy man.”

The general got a flashlight out of his pocket, then turned off the lights on the mining cart. The room plunged into darkness, so he turned on his flashlight. With his other hand he removed the key from the cart and slipped it into his pocket. Next, while still holding onto his flashlight, he took his crutch and gingerly walked out of the room. Once he was outside he dragged the giant metal door closed and then locked it. The room went pitch-black.

Monroe heard him turn on the engine of another mining cart. As the general drove away the sound got quieter and quieter, until all was completely still.

I John 1:8: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This is the point exactly. There are sins in our life; we battle against the flesh, and as Paul said we must die daily. However, if we confess our sins then the Lord will forgive us and “cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. What we must not do is pretend that everything is fine and that we have no sin at all. God wants us to confess it and repent, for repentance leads to forgiveness and cleansing.

What we often do not realize is that God is the one who will cleanse us from our sins. It is not our efforts that will change our heart, but His grace and mercy – and this grace is obtained through repentance and confession. “Ask, and ye shall receive.”

Christianity is not a do-it-yourself religion. God saves us; God forgives us; God changes our heart; God brings us home to Heaven; God raises us from the dead. These things do not happen by our trying really hard to be good people; they happen as we come to the Lord and seek His grace and mercy. They happen as we repent and seek for God’s grace. They happen as we ask God to “cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. What matters are not our efforts but His grace. He and He alone can change our hearts.

A Ned Steele Space Explorer adventure!

I John 1:6: “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

You cannot walk with God and hold onto your sins; it is one or the other. There is no salvation apart from repentance. You must ask for forgiveness for your sins if you want to have fellowship with God. If you leave the darkness and walk in the light – that is, if you choose a path of holiness and righteousness, as the Lord gives you grace – then you will have fellowship with God. However, if you choose to hold fast to your sins, then you will not have fellowship with God. It is as simple as that.

Many claim that they can have it both ways, but that is a lie. John is quite straightforward about this: “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth”. You simply cannot have fellowship with God if you are holding onto your sins. If you want to have a relationship with God then you need to pursue holiness. There simply is no other way.

This does not mean that we will never sin, as John goes on to explain in other verses. But there is a huge difference between holding onto your sin for dear life, and praying earnestly for the grace to “lay aside the sin that so easily besets us”.

Works do not and cannot save you. However, true belief will always result in a changed life and a pursuit of holiness. A belief that does not result in a longing for holiness is not true belief at all. Those who love their sins and hold onto them and sneer at holiness are not saved, no matter what they might claim. You cannot cling to darkness and have fellowship with God.

I’ve uploaded my paper on the Holy Spirit to this blog. You can find it here:

The Holy Spirit, PDF

Normally I post these as actual posts, but given the paper’s length (10 pages) I thought this would be a better approach.

After Christ celebrated the passover with His disciples, and after Judas left to betray Him, Jesus had a few final moments alone with His followers. During that time He told them a great many things. One of them was this:

John 14:2: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

A generation ago pretty much all Christians believed that they had a mansion waiting for them in Heaven. Today, though, very few people believe it. The idea that we have a building waiting for us in Heaven has been abandoned as silly and ridiculous. It’s just not believed anymore.

I looked up the word “mansion” in Strongs. It means pretty much what you would expect:

#3438 (“Mone”): a mansion, habitation, abode. Also related to monos – alone, only single.

In other words, the verse could also read “In my Father’s house are many individual dwelling places”. The word seems to carry with it the idea of a place for one person to live. What Christ was telling His disciples was that in His Father’s house there were many dwelling places; Christ was leaving His disciples so He could prepare a place for them, but one day He would come back and bring them to the place He had prepared.

Lately I’ve seen people claim that this is actually talking about our resurrection body, and not an actual house. The idea comes from this passage:

2 Corinthians 5:1: “For we know that if our earthly house (#3614) of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house (#3614) not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.”

At first this argument looks pretty convincing. I would be inclined to believe it, except for the fact that the word used for “house” in this passage is not the same as the one used for “mansion” in John 14:2. The word used for “house” here is:

3614 (“Oika”): a building, a house, a dwelling.

Both words mean “house”, but they’re not the same word. More importantly, in 2 Corinthians 5 Paul makes it very clear that he’s speaking metaphorically – but Jesus does not do that. Paul goes through a lot of trouble to explain that he is talking about our bodies, and not about our actual physical homes. What Paul is saying is that right now we live in a corruptible, fallen body, but one day the Lord will return and transform our bodies into something that is incorruptible and immortal. There is no question that 2 Corinthians 5 is referring to our bodies, and not to an actual house.

Jesus, however, offers no further explanation in John 14. All Jesus says is that He is leaving them so that He can prepare a dwelling place for them – and He offers no hint that He is speaking metaphorically. Jesus could have said “I’m going to prepare a new body for you so that you will be incorruptible and immortal”, but He didn’t say anything like that. The disciples are given no reason to think that Jesus is not talking about an actual house!

This is important, because Jesus had touched on this subject before. In the book of Luke we find this instruction from Jesus:

Luke 16:9: “And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations (#4633).”

Here we find yet another Greek word – Skene. It means tent, or tabernacle. Once again, it is not the same word that Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 5.

What is Jesus saying? Well, in Luke 16:1-8 Jesus gave a parable about a man who was about to get fired from his job. This man was worried about how he would pay his bills once he lost his job, so before he was fired he went around and did favors for people. That way, once he was unemployed, those same people would turn around and help him, and he could survive. Jesus commended this person and said that Christians ought to use their worldly possessions to help others, so that in the next life these people “may receive [them] into everlasting habitations”.

In this particular passage, interpreting “habitation” to mean “body” results in a very uncomfortable verse! Inviting someone into their physical body is a very different thing from inviting someone into their home. Given that the entire context is about someone doing favors so that he will not be homeless and would be received into other people’s homes, it seems only logical to conclude that the habitation Christ spoke of refers to an actual home, and not a body. After all, the only way people in Heaven can invite you into their home is if they have a home in the first place.

So when Jesus talked about Heavenly homes a second time in John 14, the disciples would have remembered this earlier parable. There is no way they would have been thinking about a letter to the Corinthians that hadn’t been written yet. As far as I have been able to determine, Jesus never used “Heavenly home” to refer to a person’s physical body.

Which brings us back to the question: will we have homes in Heaven? Let me ask the question a bit differently: will the New Jerusalem be populated entirely by homeless people? Is that our future?

We need to keep a few things in mind here. First of all, our eternal destiny is not to sit on a cloud somewhere, strumming a harp. God has promised us a city:

Hebrews 11:16: “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”

This city is not a metaphor for something else. We know this because in Revelation 21 we actually see this city:

Revelation 21:2: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

The Bible then spends quite a few verses telling us what this city is like. The New Jerusalem is a real, actual city – a really big city that’s around 1500 miles wide. This is the city that God has prepared for us; it will be our eternal home. We will one day live in this city.

I’m not going to say a great deal about what it’s like to live in this city because I’ve already done that elsewhere. The question I want to address here is this: are we going to be wandering around this city as homeless vagabonds?

What is a home? It is a shelter, yes, but it is more than that. After all, an umbrella can shelter you from the elements but an umbrella is not a home! A home is where you keep all of your possessions. It is your base of operations. It is the place where you invite friends over so you can spend some time with them. (How, exactly, are we going to invite people into our homes if we don’t have homes to invite people into?)

What people are suggesting is that the great New Jerusalem, with streets of gold and the Lord God as its ruler, is filled with billions of homeless people. These people live in a city that covers more than 3 billion cubic miles, but yet they don’t have a single room or square inch of ground to call their own! Is that really reasonable?

For that matter, have you ever stopped to think about what it would be like to be homeless forever? You would have an endless life ahead of you, but you wouldn’t have a single bookshelf or end table to your name. There would be no places where you could invite people over because you wouldn’t own any places. You would just live in a great big area that isn’t owned by anybody, where billions of people wander around as they please. For that matter, you wouldn’t really be able to own anything. After all, where would you put it?

People say “Well, you’re not going to possess anything in Heaven. It doesn’t work that way.” But Jesus said we should lay up our treasures in Heaven so that moths can’t eat them (Luke 12:33). These treasures cannot be spiritual blessings because moths cannot break into your closet and eat your spiritual blessings. The only thing that moths can eat are physical goods. Christ is saying we ought to lay up our physical goods in Heaven so that we will still have them. This interpretation makes people uncomfortable, but it’s what Jesus actually says! Jesus does not say “Turn your physical goods into spiritual blessings”. No, what He actually says is “Move your possessions to a place where moths can’t get at them.” If you have possessions, then you have to have a place to keep your possessions. You could keep them in the bank, I suppose, but most people keep their possessions at home. It seems highly unlikely that we would have possessions but not have a home to keep them in!

Just imagine trying to live in a giant city and not having a home! Even animals have homes: birds have nests and foxes have holes, as the Bible says. But yet I am told that mankind, the redeemed children of God, are doomed to wander the streets for eternity?

I am not concerned about the size of the home. What concerns me is this idea that we will not have a home. I think that what Jesus said in John 14:2 should be taken in a straightforward manner: Jesus has left to prepare a dwelling place for us, and one day He will return and bring us to the home He has prepared. It’s that simple.

One thing I do know about God is that He is amazingly extravagant. During the creation week God decided that the Earth needed light, and so He created 125 billion galaxies in order to provide the Earth with a night-light. That is extravagance on a scale that boggles the imagination!

Jesus has spent two millennia preparing a home for His children. I don’t think we’re going to get there and discover that we’re doomed to wander the streets for all of eternity. I also don’t think we’re going to discover that the home we’ve been provided is in a giant apartment building that’s filled with one-room hovels. God, after all, has infinite resources; He paves His streets with gold.

Our problem is that we think far too little of God. When we think of Heaven we tend to think that we will have much less than what we have now. We may not say this out loud, and we may publicly proclaim that “Oh, life will be much better there”, but we don’t actually believe it. We see Heaven as a place where we’re going to miss out on all the good things of life. So we start assuming that we won’t have any possessions, and we won’t have a home, and we’ll just sit on a cloud somewhere bored out of our mind. We start to dread the idea of going to Heaven, and we cling to our life as firmly as we can.

That sort of thinking is tremendously unbiblical, and it does not honor God. Heaven is not a place where we will live as paupers; it is a place where we will be “kings and priests”, as Revelation tells us. It is not a place of poverty, but one of unimaginable wealth. It is not a place where we will have less, but where we will have very much more. It is not a place of boredom, endless tedium, and nothingness. We need to expand our minds and embrace the full scope of what God has promised us – because the things that He has promised are truly astounding.

“The old, underground city is not faring well these days. It has lost almost all of its technically-oriented people, its creative people, its motivated people, and its adventurous people. The only people left are politicians and people who are too apathetic to do anything with their lives. I haven’t been back in years but I’ve heard that systems are failing right and left and no one has any idea how to fix them. I expect that sometime over the next five years something critical will fail and they’ll finally be forced to evacuate the place. It’s only a matter of time.”
–Noel Lawson
July 13, 7243
 

When Monroe and Nate left the council’s private chambers they saw Doyle for them. “How did it go?”

The child spoke up. “I like Conrad. But I don’t like Evan. He doesn’t like me very much.”

“That’s certainly one way to put it,” Monroe remarked. “But to answer your question, it went very well. I think that the council is beginning to see things our way. Forbes said that they would hold a public meeting in two days.”

“In two days? Why two days? Is there some sort of problem?”

“Oh, I don’t think it’s anything to be alarmed about. The council just needs some time to study the matter. If the city is going to launch an effort to cure ten million people then there’s quite a lot of planning that needs to be done. Administering the cure will be a significant project that will probably have to be done over the course of many years – unless the Rangers help us, of course, but they may have other matters to attend to. We can’t expect them to continue to babysit us forever. I’m actually quite pleased that the council wants some time to study the matter. It’s a sign that the tide is beginning to turn.”

“I suppose you’re right. It is a good sign. By the way, how did the general take it?”

“Not well at all! He’s quite upset. I believe he sees that the end is coming and he does not like it. But I don’t see what he can do to stop it. He was unable to stop Forbes from scheduling the public meeting, and rumors are already spreading fast. He’s going to find it quite difficult to defend his plan when Nate is standing right there for all the world to see.”

“Yes, he is. So what are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“Why, study history, of course! Now that I know a bit more about the cause of the Ranger-Empire conflict I’d like to reread some of the ancient accounts. It’s possible that I might be able to see things in them that I missed before.”

“All right,” Doyle said. “I’ll stop by this evening and see how you’re doing. Come along with me, Nate. We’re going home.”

Monroe said goodbye to the two of them and began a leisurely walk home. He was in no particular hurry and felt happier than he had in years. The terrible stress that had burdened him for so long was gone. At last everything was going to be all right. A cure had been found. The general was going to be stopped. The council was going to listen. The people were going to change. Instead of destroying the tribes they were going to cure them. His people – his world – had a future. It was a deeply satisfying feeling.

The scribe made it back to his apartment and settled into one of his chairs. He took a book off the end-table and was soon lost in its pages.

About an hour later he heard a noise. Monroe looked around but didn’t see anyone. “Is anyone there? Is that you, Doyle?”

There was no reply. The old man was almost convinced that he had imagined it when he smelled a faint odor. At first he was puzzled, but then he realized what it was. Panic shot through him, but he was already growing sleepy. He tried to climb out of his chair but his strength was gone. The old man slumped to the floor, unconscious.

A few minutes later a team of three men entered the apartment through its unlocked front door. All three men were wearing gas masks.

“Where’s the cure?” one of them asked. “Please tell me that it’s here.”

His friend went through Monroe’s pockets. “Here it is! Huh. I was expecting a fancier bottle, or something. Well, at least he hadn’t hidden it. If he had placed it behind a book we might never have found it.”

“Lucky for us,” the third man commented. “This place is a real rat’s nest.”

“Be sure that you give Maldonado that bottle,” the first man ordered. “He wanted to destroy it himself. Don’t you dare let anything happen to it. If you lose that bottle he will have your head.”

“All right, all right,” his friend grumbled. After putting it in his pocket the three of them grabbed the unconscious Monroe carried him out of his apartment, locking the door behind them.

I John 1:5: “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

This is very important! Here we are told that God does not sin and cannot sin. There is no darkness in Him at all. He is completely pure, holy, righteous, and just.

Other religions have very different views of God. Islam, for example, teaches that Allah is quite capable of doing both good and evil. The God of the Bible is completely different: He is incapable of evil. He will not go back on His word and He will keep His promises. This is why we can trust Him – because He is ever faithful, never lies, and never changes.

A Ned Steele Space Explorer adventure!

I John 1:1: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

Here we see another reminder that the testimonies we find the New Testament are actual eyewitness accounts. John wrote about the things that he saw. He knew Jesus; he touched Him, ate with Him, followed Him, and listened to Him. John was there in the garden of Gethsemane, at the trial, at the crucifixion, at the empty tomb, and at the resurrection. He saw the Lord crucified and he saw Him alive again. John is not relating something that happened to a friend of a friend; instead he is talking about things that he saw personally. We can have tremendous confidence that these things are true. John is declaring things that he has “seen and heard”.

Does this matter? Yes, absolutely. The Gospels are not fables; they were written by people who were actually there – some of whom were put to death for their testimony. What we are dealing with is nothing less than a firsthand account.

“One fact I’ve found a bit surprising is that the stars seem largely deserted. Our astronomers have been searching the former locations of Ranger colonies and have found only ruins – and there aren’t even very many of those left. Miles had warned me that they were all gone, but I was hoping that maybe that wasn’t the case. It was just hard to believe that every single colony failed to survive. Sadly, it looks like Mars is the only beacon of civilization left – unless there is some other, alien civilization out there that we haven’t discovered yet. Perhaps it’s time we turned our attention to more distant areas of the universe.”
–Noel Lawson
July 12, 7243
 

“Hey!” Nate exclaimed. “How did she do that?”

Monroe shook his head. “Only God knows. She is a most curious person.”

“Did you understand anything she said?” Doyle asked.

The scribe nodded. “I understand that the bottle I’m holding in my hands has the ability to cure any child six years of age or younger. I understand that with this cure we may be able to stop Maldonado once and for all. I also understand that if we fail to stop him the Rangers will allow us to suffer the consequences of our actions and Adrasta will be dead a century from now. The future of our people depends entirely on what happens next.”

“That much I understood. It was her personal history that didn’t make sense. How can she be from Mars and yet have shut down the Wall? What did she mean when she talked about a sparrow? Did that make any sense to you?”

“I’m not sure. I feel like it ought to have made sense, but there are some pieces missing. I will have to look into it.”

The child spoke up. “Are we done? I’m hungry.”

Monroe smiled. “Yes, young man, we are done. My friend Doyle is going to take you home with him and you can get a good meal. In the meantime I will try to arrange a meeting with the council but I suspect I will not be able to do so until tomorrow. Forbes is a hard man to find when he’s not in his office, and I’m getting too old to walk all over Adrasta looking for him.”

Doyle stood up. “Do you want me to take the cure home as well?”

Monroe shook his head. “No, I’ll keep that for now. I’d like to study it a bit longer. I’ll need to know everything I can about it for my presentation to the council.”

“That you will. I have to say, this will come as quite a surprise to people! Word of this is going to spread fast. Forbes might hear about it before you’re able to track him down.”

“I hope he does! That would make setting up a meeting that much easier. By the way, do come back after supper, if you can. If I’m able to find Forbes we’ll need to make some arrangements.”

“I’ll do that,” Doyle agreed. He then took Nate by the hand and let him out of the apartment.

Late that night Doyle knocked on the door. “Come on in,” Monroe called out.

His friend tried to open the door but it wouldn’t move. He struggled with it for a few moments and then knocked on it again. A moment later Monroe opened it. “There, you see? Wasn’t that painful? Isn’t it more convenient to leave it unlocked?”

Doyle sighed and took a seat in the living room. His friend shut the door and took a seat across from him. “I don’t think you quite understand the concept. You have something in this room that is irreplaceable, and you have a lot of enemies. Why do you not feel the need to keep it safe?”

Monroe shrugged. “If someone wanted to destroy my documents they could have done so a long time ago. The truth is that people simply do not care. Apathy can be a very powerful and potent force.”

“I’m talking about the cure, not your books! Don’t you realize what a terrible position we’d be in if something happened to it?”

“Nothing is going to happen to it. I’m sure that the Rangers are keeping an eye on this place. We have nothing to worry about.”

“I suppose,” Doyle said. “By the way, I heard that you were able to set up an appointment with Forbes.”

Monroe nodded. “Your earlier guess proved correct – news did travel fast. By the time I was able to track him down he had already heard rumors of the boy. He thinks they’re preposterous lies but he’s willing to meet him privately and hear me out.”

“Do you mean it won’t be an open meeting?” Doyle asked, surprised.

“Yes, but I think that’s understandable. He wants to understand the situation before holding an open session in the debate hall. The only people who will be there will be myself, him, and Maldonado.”

“Maldonado! Are you sure that’s wise?”

“I don’t see why not. I’ve been present at his private council meetings, so it seems a bit childish to keep him out of mine. Besides, the general is not popular with the council right now – and this does directly affect what he’s doing. I think he has a right to be there. You also need to keep in mind that this one meeting is not going to decide the fate of the world. It’s just a preliminary meeting so the council can understand the issues. Forbes assured me that an open meeting would be held later.”

“Well, if you say so. I trust that you’re right. It just strikes me as a bit shady. I would be careful if I were you.”

Monroe laughed. “You know, friend, you really are an odd breed. You are so optimistic and hopeful and yet you are a thousand times more suspicious and cautious than I am. It’s really quite strange.”

Doyle smiled. “Being an optimist doesn’t mean you also have to be stupid, you know. Just because I have hope for the future doesn’t mean I’m blind to present dangers. But tell me – I know it’s only been a few hours, but have you had any more insights about Amy? Is there a way to verify her story?”

“Now that’s an interesting question! When she said her last name was Stryker that rang a bell. I knew I’d seen that name somewhere before. A quick search uncovered something fascinating.”

Monroe reached onto the end table beside him and picked up a copy of Annals of Martian Legal History. “One of the many fascinating things this book contains is a list of all of the Martian rulers, from the time the Mayans founded their first Martian colony in 938 to the day Mars elected Richard Stryker as planetary governor in 1836. I have to say it’s really quite remarkable that any copies of this book have survived. It was published just two years before the Wall was erected.”

“Did you say Richard Stryker?”

“Yes, exactly! What’s even better is that the book includes photographs of all of the leaders. On page 874 there is a picture of Governor Stryker, posing with his wife Laura, his son Tim, and his twin daughters Amanda and Amy. Take a look.”

Monroe handed the book to his friend, who looked at the page in amazement. “But that isn’t possible! That girl in the picture looks exactly like the girl who was standing in this very room a few hours ago. But this picture was taken five thousand years ago! It simply can’t be her. It can’t be!”

Monroe took the book back and laid it on the end table. “Yet it looks just like her, doesn’t it? In fact, it looks so much like her that I believe it must be her. There are not exactly an abundance of people out there who look like the twins in that photograph. I find it hard to believe that someone born in this era, after five thousand years of genetic mutations, happens to have the same name and look exactly like the girl in that photo. As astonishing as it may seem, it must be her. Apparently the Rangers had found a way to stop the aging process. If Amy is still alive then I suspect everyone else in this picture must be alive as well. The implications are simply staggering.”

“But what about the sparrow? I don’t see how that fits into all of this.”

“Actually, that part is finally beginning to make sense. According to the popular legend the war between the Emperor and the Rangers broke out when the Emperor shot a sparrow out of the sky. Notice, however, that Amy said she was on the sparrow when it was shot down. All this time we thought the sparrow was a bird, but I believe it was actually a starship named Sparrow. She – and quite possibly, her illustrious father and the rest of her family – must have been on board when the Emperor attempted some kind of assassination. The ship must have been damaged but apparently those on board survived. The attempted assassination of a noted political leader like Richard Stryker must have sparked the war that led to the creation of the Wall. Her family must have escaped the star system before the Wall was erected, which would explain why she could shut it down from the outside. Since then the Stryker family has apparently served as statesmen in the Ranger civilization. If she is still working for them after all this time then it’s quite likely that her father is as well. He may still govern one of the planets, or even be their leader.”

“But how could she possibly live that long?”

“Well, there’s always the possibility that they found the cause of aging and were able to develop some sort of nanomachine to prevent it. Another possibility is that long life was one of the Gifts. According to the ancient documents, in the days before the Wall there were people endowed with supernatural gifts. Some were discerners and could not be lied to. Others were seers and could foretell the future. Perhaps there was another category of people who were gifted with exceptionally long lives. The Stryker family may have been given that gift.”

“But I thought those stories were myths!”

“We only think that because the Gifts no longer exist today. The fact is they are well-documented in the ancient manuscripts, and our ancestors treated them as if they were real. We should not let our current situation color our view of the past. It is foolish to say ‘Well, they no longer exist so they must never have existed.’ You might as well say that since you great-grandfather no longer exists he must never have existed either.”

“It’s just hard to believe,” Doyle said. “So you honestly think that Amy Stryker is the daughter of Richard Stryker, a near-immortal who has lived for five thousand years, and has come here at this point in history on behalf of the Rangers to free the Solar System and cure the tribes?”

“I don’t see why not. As unlikely as her story seems, at this point I see no reason to accuse her of lying. We cannot disprove anything she has told us and she has always done exactly what she said she would. I see no reason to doubt her.”

Doyle nodded. “You do have a point there. It’s just a lot to take in. If her story is true then she was an eyewitness to the events that led to the creation of the Wall! She knows exactly what happened at that fateful moment in history. In fact, she even remembers what life was like before the Wall was created, during the reign of the Spanish Emperor. She is a living piece of ancient history, from an era where very little has survived.”

“Exactly!” Monroe exclaimed. “Is it not exciting? And what’s more, there may be millions – perhaps even billions – of other Rangers who are also from that era. Imagine what a civilization of immortals must be like! I sincerely hope that when she returns we will have a chance to interact with more of the Rangers. It’s possible that they have preserved a great deal of the history of that era – to say nothing of the countless events that have been going on among the stars. This is an astonishing opportunity!”

“Yes, it is – but don’t forget about the cure. You have a very important meeting tomorrow.”

“Yes, I suppose I do. You’re quite right. It’s just so easy to get lost in all the excitement. So much has happened in the past few weeks.”

“Yes, it has,” Doyle agreed. “I will look forward to hearing how it turns out, but I’m afraid that I have to get home. It’s getting late and we both need our sleep.”

“By the way, how is the boy doing?” Monroe asked, as he led his friend to the door. “I meant to ask earlier but I’m afraid I got sidetracked.”

“He’s doing quite well! He’s a very sweet and charming child. My wife was thrilled to meet him – she always wanted to be a mother. You know, the difference between Nate and the rest of the uncured savages is just astonishing. I really would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself. That cure really works.”

“I am glad to hear it,” Monroe replied, pleased.

“Have a good night,” Doyle called out.

“Good night to you as well,” the scribe replied. He closed the door and, after thinking about it for a moment, locked it behind him.

The next morning Monroe knocked on Conrad Forbes’ office door. Nate was standing beside him, holding his hand.

“Come in,” a voice called out.

Monroe opened the door and led his young friend into the room. Inside he saw Conrad Forbes sitting behind his desk. General Maldonado was already there. As soon as they entered the room both men stared at Nate in astonishment. Forbes simply sat there, wide-eyed. His mouth opened slightly but he said nothing. The general stood up and stared in amazement. “It can’t be,” he whispered. “It’s got to be a trick of some kind. It’s just not possible!”

“It’s very real and very possible,” Monroe replied. “This young man’s name is Nate.”

“Hello,” Nate said. He looked around and then offered his hand to Forbes. “I’m Nate. Who are you?”

The head of the council looked surprised, then shook the young man’s hand. “My name is Conrad Forbes. Please, take a seat.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Nate replied. He looked at Maldonado and frowned. “I know who you are. Amy told me all about you. You’re the bad man who wants to kill us. I don’t like you.”

“It’s not possible,” Maldonado repeated. “This can’t be real!”

Forbes spoke up. “Monroe, will you please ask Nate to sit down?”

Monroe gestured to one of the empty chairs, and Nate walked over and sat down. The scribe sat down beside him. The general eventually retook his seat, but he kept staring at Nate.

Since no one else was saying anything Monroe spoke up. “I hope it’s clear to both of you that Nate is quite real. His red hair alone makes it clear that he is from the tribes, and his facial features and bone structure give additional evidence. You can test him genetically if you wish but I assure you that it is not necessary. He is quite genuine.”

“It just can’t be,” the general protested. “How could you possibly have come up with a cure? Who authorized you to do that?”

“The project to find a cure was authorized thousands of years ago. In fact, it is engraved in the Hall of Stone. I did not need anyone else’s permission to work on it, nor did I use any of the council’s scarce resources. This was achieved entirely on our own, and as you can see it is entirely successful.”

“And where is this cure?” the general asked suspiciously.

Monroe removed the glass bottle from his pocket and placed it on the councilman’s desk. Forbes picked it up and looked at it curiously. “The cure is in that bottle; I present it to you for your examination. How it works is quite technical, and since neither of you are scientists I will not bore you with the details. The point is that it does work and I am prepared to prove it. If the council wishes we can arrange a public demonstration to show beyond a doubt that the cure is real.”

Forbes read the label on the bottle and then handed it back to the scribe. “Hmm. It would appear that the cure takes several days to work.”

Monroe placed the bottle back into his pocket. “That is correct. The cure is not magic, councilman. It takes time to undo the madness of a lifetime. The point is that it does work, and as I said we can prove it. The cure in that bottle is sufficient to heal a hundred people, and we can produce enough of it to cure everyone on the planet. Once it is administered sanity will return to the tribes in a matter of days.”

The general clenched his fists. “It’s a trick! It’s just another dirty trick. That’s all this is.”

Monroe nodded. “I’m sure that many people will be inclined to agree with you, which is why we would like to propose a public demonstration. We can easily prove that it works, and we can do it in public under the watchful gaze of as many observers as you care to post. We have nothing to hide.”

Forbes spoke up. “Why are we only hearing about this cure now? You stood before the council in the debate hall many times, but you never told us that you had made progress on finding a cure. That is very significant information.”

“There is a great difference between looking for a cure and finding one. It would have been folly to stand before the public and proclaim that we were trying to find a cure. People have been trying to find a cure for thousands of years! Only now have we developed something that is effective and can be proven publicly.”

“Have you told others of this?”

“I am sure that there are rumors, but I have not made any public announcements. I thought that the council should be the first to know.”

“That was a wise decision. In the event that your cure is tested and found to be genuine, what is your proposal?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I want you to stop the bombing campaign immediately. This city was founded with the express purpose of helping people like the tribes, and after five millennia of trying we finally have a way of doing exactly that. We can finally fulfill our charter. We can fulfill our Founders’ dreams. The day they longed for is finally here.”

“Administering this will be no small task,” Forbes commented. “Curing one person is a very different thing from scouring the planet and administering ten million doses. Doing that would take years – perhaps even decades. Then there is the logistical challenge of what to do with all the cured people. Adrasta is not big enough to house all of them, nor do we have the resources to take care of them. This is going to require a lot of planning.”

“You can’t possibly be considering this!” Maldonado exclaimed. “The council already agreed to my plan. You can’t change course now! We’ve got to finish what we’ve started. Now is not the time to turn back!”

“In case you haven’t noticed, general, the situation has changed. Rumors are already spreading. We must have a public meeting and discuss this matter. You cannot simply pretend that nothing has happened.”

“But–” Maldonado sputtered.

“Enough!” Forbes replied. “We will do this publicly, in the open, and present it to the people. However, the council will need time to prepare. As I said, this is no small matter, and the ramifications and logistics are quite staggering. Monroe, do you have any objections if I schedule the meeting for the afternoon of the 15th?”

Monroe shook his head. “No, I do not. That seems fair.”

“Very well. In the meantime, continue to take care of the child.”

“I will do so. It will be an honor.”

The general spoke up. “This is outrageous! You can’t do this to me.”

“You are dismissed,” Forbes replied. “This meeting is over.”

I have uploaded my summary of the book of Galatians. You can find it here:

Summary of Galatians, PDF

Enjoy!

II Peter 3:15: “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

Notice that Peter refers to Paul’s writings as Scripture! In verse 16 he talks about “the other scriptures”, placing Paul’s letters on par with the Old Testament Scriptures. This should come as no surprise; after all, his letters are a part of the New Testament. They are just as much the words of God as Genesis or Isaiah.

The reason this is important is because many people today work very hard to discredit Paul. They say that he had “issues”, or was just plain wrong, or whatever the excuse may be. The reason they do this is because they don’t like what he had to say, so they just reject his letters. Yet here we see that they are indeed Scripture.

God does not divide His word up into sections of “good stuff” and “mediocre stuff” and “teachings that are false” and “teachings that are optional”. All of it is inspired, perfect, and flawless. God simply does not give anyone the option of believing some parts and not believing the rest.

A Ned Steele Space Explorer adventure!