4004BC  - The day God created Adam -according to Archbishop James Usher, a 17th century Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University. Although there are 14 conflicting versions of the date, Usher's is the only one matching the chronology of the authorised version of the bible.

1923 -  US patent is issued to American inventor Sebastian Hinton for playground climbing structure popularly known as 'monkey bars' .
1933 - World WarII, the start of the decisive battle of El Alemein between Allied forces commanded by British Field Marshall Montgomery and the German and Italian North African armies commanded by Field Marshall Rommel. The Allies gain a significant victory at the end of 16 days' fighting.
1946 - The United Nations holds its first General Assembly in New York.

1970 - Gary Gabelich sets auto speed record 622.4 mph (1,001 kph).

1972 - Access credit cards introduced in Great Britain.

1981 - US national debt hits $1 trillion.
2001 - Apple announces the first iPod Player.

2004 - A powerful earthquake and its aftershocks hit Niigata prefecture, northern Japan, killing 35 people, injuring 2,200, and leaving 85,000 homeless or evacuated.

2011 - A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Van Province, Turkey, killing 582 people and injuring thousands.

2018 - World's oldest intact shipwreck, ancient Greek vessel 2,400 years old, found at bottom of the Black Sea by archaeologists.

2023 - 'Superfog' conditions near New Orleans cause a motorway pile-up involving 158 vehicles, causing seven deaths.

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There was a young Irishman who volunteered for military service during World War II. He had such a high aptitude for aviation that he was sent right to Flight Centre skipping boot camp.

The very first day at Flight he solos and is the best flier on the base. All they could do was give him his gold wings and assign him immediately to an aircraft carrier in the Pacific.

On his first day aboard he took off and single-handedly shot down 6 Japanese Zeroes. Then climbing up to 20,000 ft., he found 9 more Japanese planes and shot them all down, too. Noting that his fuel was getting low, he descended, circled the carrier and came in for a perfect landing on the deck. He threw back the canopy, climbed out and jogged over to the captain.

Saluting smartly he said, "Well sir, how did I do on my very first day?"

The captain turned around, bowed, and replied, "You make one velly impoltant mistake!"

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These are entries from the mechanics' logs of repairs done on airplanes:

Discrepancy: "Left inside main tire almost needs replacement."
Corrective Action: "Almost replaced left inside main tire."

Discrepancy: "Test flight OK, except autoland very rough."
Corrective Action: "Autoland not installed on this aircraft."

Problem #1: "#2 Propeller seeping prop fluid."
Solution #1: "#2 Propeller seepage normal."
Problem #2: "#1, #3, and #4 propellers lack normal seepage."

Discrepancy: "The autopilot doesn't."
Signed off: "IT DOES NOW."

Discrepancy: "Something loose in cockpit."
Corrective Action: "Something tightened in cockpit."

Discrepancy: "Evidence of hydraulic leak on right main landing gear."
Corrective Action: "Evidence removed."

Discrepancy: "Number three engine missing."
Corrective Action: "Engine found on right wing after brief search."

Discrepancy: "DME volume unbelievably loud."
Corrective Action: "Volume set to more believable level."

Discrepancy: Dead bugs on windshield.
Corrective Action: Live bugs on order.

Discrepancy: Autopilot in altitude hold mode produces a 200 fpm descent.
Corrective Action: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

Discrepancy: IFF inoperative.
Corrective Action: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.

Discrepancy: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
Corrective Action: That's what they're there for.

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Not Long Now

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.  Psalm 2:8-9. References from Revelation 12.

In April  2022, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom celebrated her Platinum Jubilee... she has reigned as queen for 70 years. Flags and banners waved in celebration all over England, and observers noted a surge in national morale. Whatever challenges the royal family has faced in recent years, the national mood seemed to focus on what people appreciated in their long-ruling monarch.

Queen Elizabeth's many years on the throne of the United Kingdom may be impressive, but she was only keeping it warm for Christ, who will rule all the nations of the world forever (v5). This image of Jesus has its origin in our verse for today from Psalm 2, where we see the royal authority of the Messiah from the line of David, manifested in His rule of the nations with a rod of iron.

This rule of Christ means that God's Son will defeat all worldly enemies. They will be subject to Him, and no power will be able to come between Jesus and His people (Rom 8:37-39). Again, we see that the blood of the Lamb is the basis for His authority, His rule, and the victory over Satan (v10-11).

This passage in the final book in the Bible also fulfils God's promise made in the first book of the Bible. In Genesis 3, He promises that Christ will ultimately defeat Satan, and here we see the beginning of that final triumph. Satan is cast out of heaven... with even greater defeat to come at the hands of the Lamb.

We may not always be able to see God's hand working in our world, but we do have the assurance that no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes in Christ' (2 Cor 1:20). Christ began the defeat of Satan through His shed blood on the Cross, and He will one day destroy this ancient serpent called the devil, utterly.

Finally, what does the iron sceptre signify? This image in Revelation 12 directly refers to Psalm 2. It does not mean that Christs reign is brutal or cruel; rather, it pictures the complete control that He exercises over the nations. No one will be able to resist or challenge Him... not even the great dragon Satan. When we read the Book of Revelation, it may be tempting to think, 'Those things are so far away! How can it possibly affect me today?'

Christ's final triumph over Satan is still to come, but He has already begun the defeat. Through our trust in the work of Jesus Christ, we too can have victory over the temptations and snares of the devil. If you are struggling with a certain sin or weakness, confess it before the Lord and ask for His power and victory to become a reality in your life today. 


The Manger

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Luke 2:12.

Everything great begins in a small way. Everything glorious seems insignificant to begin with. God is found in the details of life, and through them He does mighty things. A person who only sees details might miss the whole... the overall picture. A person who only sees the big picture misses out on all of life's nuances. We need to see the small in the great and the great in the small.

The greatest event of all began in a manger. A manger that undoubtedly smelled of manure. A manger that surely was cold, wet and uncomfortable. It was a place where the powerful of this world never would have come. It would have been below their dignity. 

But He who was to identify with all people of the world, from every age, every nation and every culture, was born in a manger. 

He was laid upon straw and hay. There was nothing beautiful there. There was no decorative touch and nothing aesthetically pleasing. It was not a place of choice; He was laid there because there was no room at the inn. No one had time for His arrival. No one focused on His birth. Yet, when the time was fulfilled, in God's time, God sent His Son under the law so that He could deliver those who were under the law and award them the rights of sons.

This mighty act of deliverance began in a manger. It began in such a humble way that it seems almost repulsive. It can be a stumbling block. Or it can be a cornerstone, a rock of salvation. What does it mean to you? 

Many were casual about this event; others knew nothing of it. Yet some fell to their knees and worshiped before Him. Let's remind ourselves of these very humble beginnings, because they are a true picture of our life before we received the Holy Spirit.