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Swiss diplomats ditch Tokyo
AFP - [email protected] • 22 Mar, 2011 Updated Tue 22 Mar 2011 13:37 CEST
Swiss authorities said Sunday their embassy in Tokyo will temporarily move to Osaka amid fears that wind changes could carry more radioactive particles from Japan's stricken nuclear plant to the capital.
"According to Swiss experts, the development of the situation of the damaged nuclear facilities in Fukushima is very uncertain," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"In addition, a change in wind direction is expected in coming hours, which could bring an increase in radioactivity rate to Tokyo.
"Due to the uncertain development of the situation in the agglomeration of Tokyo, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has decided to temporarily transfer the Swiss embassy in Japan to Osaka," it said.
The ministry urged Swiss citizens to leave north-east Japan, where the damaged nuclear plan is located, as well as the greater Tokyo and Yokohama regions. It said it has booked all available seats aboard Swiss airlines' flights from Tokyo to Zurich between March 18 to 20 to bring citizens home.
Japanese workers have been struggling for the past week to bring down the temperatures and prevent a meltdown at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant, whose cooling system was damaged by a ferocious earthquake and tsunami on March 11.
Food contaminated with radiation has been found outside Japan -- where milk and spinach have already been tainted by a plume from Fukushima -- as Taiwan detected radioactivity in a batch of imported Japanese fava beans.
Traces of radioactive iodine has also been found in Tokyo tap water, fueling anxieties although authorities said there was no threat to health.
#diplomacy #japan #foreign #quake
AFP 2011/03/22 13:37


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Bible verses about Presumption
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Using Christmas as an excuse, men have added foreign beliefs and practices to the worship of God the Father and Jesus Christ. They have combined pagan ideas, beliefs and practices with Christianity without examining whether God approves.
This implies presumption by the syncretizer. Presumption is "an attitude or belief dictated by probability." Facts play little part in presumption, just probability and likelihood. Its first synonym is "assumption," followed by "arrogance," "boldness," "impertinence" and "imprudence." Presume, its verb form, means "to undertake without leave or clear justification; to expect or assume especially with confidence; to suppose to be true without proof; to take for granted."
When combining the concepts of syncretism, presumption, and the Israelitish characteristic of misguided zeal for knowledge (Romans 10:1-3), it is easy to see why a holiday like Christmas could become and remain a practice in modern Israel. The Israelitish people—especially the sons of Joseph—seem to be imbued with a spirit of zeal that is both a blessing and a curse. It is almost paradoxical that Israel's zeal for God is often its greatest hindrance, as it retards true righteousness that comes by faith and submission to God. Virtually all of Israel's religious zeal is wasted because it stampedes in the wrong direction.
Christmas, Syncretism, and Presumption
According to Webster's New World Dictionary, presumptuous (the adjective) means, "too bold or arrogant; taking too much for granted; showing over confidence [and, normally, it's over self-confidence]; and showing arrogance or effrontery."
Synonyms include arrogant, proud, bold, brazen, impertinent, audacious, pompous, pretentious, rash, self-assured, conceited, insolent, egotistic, and self-reliant.
To assume is to suppose something to be true. To presume is to suppose something with confidence—to be confident about something that you suppose, and then it has the further connotation of acting upon it. It is not only to assume, but it means to assume with confidence and then to act.
Both words are based upon supposition rather than fact, but the one is stronger than the other is. Assume is just to suppose; but presume is to suppose with confidence and then to take action.
Presumption (or presumptuousness), then, is the arrogant attitude of one who confidently assumes a thing to be true and then acts upon it.
It is taking upon oneself the authority to do something that 1) he has either not been given to do at all or 2) has been given to another.
Colloquially, it is "getting too big for your britches." Or, in Britain they might say it is "rising above one's station," that is, it is going byond the bounds of one's position. It is taking upon oneself the duties and the prerogatives of another—normally, one with more authority than you. It is a very serious sin.
Presumptuousness
The observance of Christmas and Easter are visible examples of presumption from the world, as is the doctrine that once one accepts Jesus as His Savior, his salvation is absolutely assured. Similarly, many in the church presume that, once converted, they will go to the Place of Safety.
These presumptions and many more have led to a wide variety of religions—actually mass confusion as to which is the true religion—and to a world in which true values are lost in an ocean of conflicting opinions as to how to live. The corollary to this confusing state—that everybody is worshipping the same God—can lead a rational but carnal person to conclude that, in fact, God does not care what one believes or that correct doctrine is unimportant to daily life! Presumption reigns over the whole earth because Satan has deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9).
Most people do not deliberately intend to go astray but drift or wander into their presumptions. For the truly converted Christian, to do this is a form of "neglecting one's salvation," as it is termed in Hebrews 2:1-3. Yet, whether one wanders into it or deliberately determines to do what is wrong, the result is the same. Proverbs 8:36 declares that such a one loves death! These processes have been taking place since Adam and Eve.
A huge body of religious beliefs and practices has accumulated, which Peter terms "aimless conduct" (I Peter 1:18). These presumptuous additions were deeply entrenched in the way of life of many Jews in Jesus' day, and He warned them that to follow these practices as part of the worship of God was vain, futile, and useless (Mark 7:7). They did not know it, but they loved death, as the proverb says, despite being quite religious.
Might God consider some practices of ours to be presumptuous?
The line between assuming and presuming is often very thin. To assume is to take for granted and can include the stronger sense of "arrogating to oneself." At the base of much presumption is an assumption.
It has been a long time since God has reacted with dramatic suddenness during the course of anyone's presumptuous behavior. Nevertheless, a pattern of His displeasure with presumption is clearly established in Scripture. God's pattern of executing divine justice reveals that presumption is very serious business.
Presumption and Divine Justice (Part Two)
They did this in their ignorance and their impatience to get things moving. Even though most of the people wanted it, and a renowned religious figure proclaimed it "a feast to the LORD," it did not make it so. God was definitely not positively impressed, nor was Moses. In one of the gravest acts of presumption shown in God's Word, and one of the largest in terms of the number involved, they took it on themselves to add this to the worship of God. What they did was very seriously disrespectful to God; they attempted to configure the nature of God according to their own desires.
Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." People say they keep Christmas and Easter to worship Christ, but they are also defining the nature of God according to their own ideas. Just as surely as the ancient Israelites blended paganism with what God truly revealed, so people do today. This is the basic principle of acts of presumption, and each of us has done this, not once, but sadly, repeatedly, even though we may know better.
Jesus says in John 4:24, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth," meaning we must worship to the fullest of God's intent as revealed in His Word, with every act guided and determined by His revealed truth. Yet, how many corners do we cut when we feel it serves us better at the time?
What did these men do that was so awful? They were priests, sons of Aaron, the High Priest, nephews of Moses. If anybody had a close relationship with God and would receive a measure of leeway in judgment, it was these two. Nevertheless, there was none; with God, there is no respect of persons in judgment (see Romans 2:11). He reacted swiftly and violently, wiping them out on the spot. This incident involved no Temple prostitutes, no human sacrifices, just "strange fire." Surely, such a little thing would not matter! God's reaction allowed no time for a trial; there was just a summary execution, a terrifying supernatural judgment by God.
Verse 6 contains an interesting sidelight to this violent event. Undoubtedly, Aaron was shocked into an emotional reaction that may have ranged from pitiful wailing to a consuming anger toward God, but Moses cautioned him to control himself and give no outward demonstration of his emotional state! Why? Moses understood that they had sinned grievously and got what they deserved. Aaron was told that, despite the shocking nature of what had happened, he should express no disagreement with God's judgment.
Consider this in a larger context. Beginning in Exodus 40:1, the Tabernacle, its altar, and the laver were erected and the interior furniture arranged, then all was consecrated in a solemn ceremony. At that point (verse 34), God came to dwell in the Tabernacle.
Leviticus 1 follows the sequence of events, showing God giving the sacrificial rituals to be performed at the Tabernacle. In Leviticus 8, Aaron and the priesthood are officially consecrated. In Leviticus 9:1, the priesthood's ministry formally begins. In verse 24, a startling occurrence takes place during that first offering: ". . . and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar." This signaled God's acceptance, showing that all had been done according to His will.
However, there is more to this story, giving us understanding of the term "strange fire" that follows in chapter 10. Within the instructions regarding the sacrifices, Leviticus 6:12-13 gives the priests an interesting charge:
And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A perpetual fire shall burn on the altar; it shall never go out.
The term strange means "what is alien to." Foreigners are called "strangers" in Scripture because they are aliens to Israel and to the covenant (Ephesians 2:12). In this case, the fire used by Nadab and Abihu was alien to what God had commanded regarding fire. Together with Exodus 30:7-9, their infraction becomes clear. The priests were to make the morning and evening incense offerings only with the special incense mixture God commanded, and they were to take the coals for these offerings only from the continually burning fire under the altar of burnt offerings, which He started in Leviticus 9:24.
Aaron was undoubtedly confused and displeased, not understanding what happened, but Moses gave him God's answer. In Leviticus 10:3, the Lord says, "By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified." Nadab and Abihu were among those chosen to come near Him in service. They revealed their disrespect for Him by treating His command regarding the fire as something common. They simply did not follow His instructions.
They added or subtracted to what God said and did, attempting to get by with what they carnally assumed was acceptable to Him. By this incident, holiness is defined. Among those who are consecrated to serve God, His instructions must be explicitly followed. Thus, this example appears especially pointed toward the ministry.
The instructions are not ambiguous. Each step and instrument in the process is designed to teach certain spiritual concepts. They had been completely instructed, so they blatantly twisted God's teaching. In response to Moses, Aaron remained silent, knowing the judgment was correct. This incident is of special importance to us because of the context and because of who we are. The context is the consecration of the priesthood in service to God, and we are, according to I Peter 2, a royal priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices. By this incident, God shows, perhaps more clearly than in any other place, what holiness is in relation to Him.
Holiness is not merely consecration or dedication to a god, but it is both moral and ethical as well. True holiness is what results from His consecration, but the consecration must be combined with our submission to His commands. In pagan religions, a person could be dedicated but not moral, as is clearly shown by the ritual prostitution practiced at their temples. The prostitute was indeed consecrated to her god, but she most certainly was not moral—nor were they who used her services.
Today, a person may claim that his god is the Creator God, but if he is not obedient to the Creator God's commandments, he is merely deluding himself. Sincerity is only part of the picture. We are to worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24). The closer one is associated with God's work, the more necessary it is to ensure that the relationship with God is not marred by spiritual blemishes. Otherwise, the person cannot function properly as a channel for God to work through. God will not be glorified before the people unless His servants submit to His commands.
A similar careless notion got Cain into trouble. If we add or omit with knowledge, it is presumption, and presumption springs from pride. It is as if we are telling God He does not know what He is doing. We have elevated ourselves to His level. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else than His will must be our attitude.
It almost sounds as if they are trying to be contrite. They are putting on a facade of being repentant. They are trying to make up for what they did wrong on the previous day, when they refused to go into the Land. But there are some times when you just cannot go back, and this is one of those times.
There was no offering or sacrifice for the presumptuous sin. The person who presumed in his sin 1) despised the Word of the Lord; 2) brought reproach to the Eternal; and 3) died in his guilt. That is a very serious situation.
Notice that it does not say that he will be "cut off" from his people. It says that he will be "completely cut off" from his people, that is, done—finished. There is no sacrifice for presumptuous sin.
This contrast here—between unintentional and intentional sin—helps define what presumptuousness is. Presumptuous sin is intentional willful. It is doing something boldly, brazenly, audaciously, arrogantly, rebelliously, defiantly.
Remember verse 31 says that it brings despite on God's Word. And, if we commit such a sin, we are doing it in defiance of what God has said. It is being headstrong, and haughty—no matter what God has said on the matter. It is just pushing "our agenda" right on through, no matter what God may have to say on it. We could say, it is taking matters into our own hands and damn the torpedoes.
In the sense that there is no sacrifice (or atonement) for this type of sin, there is a link to the unpardonable sin. There may be contrition after a presumptuous sin like this, and God may not forgive it. When we are talking about something done arrogantly, willfully, in despite of God's Word and bringing reproach upon God Himself—then you are talking of very serious guilt. Will the blood of Christ erase such despite?
They are accusing Moses of appointing himself. "You take too much upon yourself. We're just as good as you." Yet, that is not the issue. The issue is respect for God through the office He had appointed the man to.
Unity (Part 2): God's Pattern of Leadership
This would be similar to all the leading men of a worldwide church marching up to the person in charge of that church, and demanding that he kowtow to their terms.
Countering Presumptuousness
To paraphrase, they said, "Look! Who are you, Moses? You've taken this authority to yourself, but it should be shared among all the people, because we have all been called out. We are all holy before God. Why then do you exalt yourself above the congregation of the LORD?"
Notice what they say. It is quite ironic. They say, "You are taking too much authority to yourself. Everybody should have this authority." And then they accuse Moses of exalting himself: "You put yourself in this position." But were they not attempting to do the very same thing? These words would come back to haunt them very shortly.
Moses lays it right back on them! They had been appointed apart from the rest of the congregation just as he had been. They despised and took lightly that appointment, desiring the higher job! They did not despise hierarchy—they despised not being HIGHER in that hierarchy! They wanted to call the shots their way.
The same is true today. Even in those groups condemning organized church government, someone emerges as spokesman, organizer, and/or leader. Those who disagree with this then split off again. The process tends to continue until little or nothing remains. Are these fruits godly?
For the Perfecting of the Saints
These are strong warnings!
Mankind has an innate desire to worship God, but he wants to be free to do it according to the dictates of his own mind. The result is a wide variety of religions—in actuality, mass confusion as to which is the true religion—and a world in which true values are lost in an ocean of conflicting opinions about how to live. This, in turn, has helped persuade many people to reach the conclusion that all gods are equally good, or its counterpart, that everybody is worshipping the same god.
We all know God is not pleased with this situation, but He allows it to continue. However, even while allowing it to continue, He is calling people out of it. He has shown His called-out ones that they have been redeemed from the bondage to traditions, described in I Peter 1:18 as "vain," "aimless," or "futile," depending on the translation. However, in the vast majority of cases, someone, presumptuously taking it upon himself to inaugurate a tradition, began practicing them, sincerely thinking he was improving his life. We have all followed these traditions, but the Christian is responsible not to allow the world to squeeze him into its mold of conduct, character, and attitude.
Proverbs 21:16 describes the way many presumptuous sins begin: "A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the congregation of the dead." Like this man, most people do not deliberately set out to depart from God. Nevertheless, carelessness invariably enters the picture, and a person drifts from his former sure fix on his goal. Once his focus on the goal is blurred, he is more easily deceived into foolishly assuming certain things. An especially sad part of this is that the result is the same as if he were deliberately presumptuous.
The author of Hebrews uses a metaphor in Hebrews 2:1-3, portraying a boat slipping from its moorings and drifting away. A person "neglect[s] so great salvation" by allowing himself to be caught in the current of the world's attitudes and conduct. Presumption frequently begins with careless drifting, but the drifting quickly advances from neglect to presumption unless one carefully checks whether he actually has God's permission to behave as he does.
In Proverbs 8, wisdom is personified as a woman crying out to people along the way—to God's Kingdom?—to take heed to her instruction. In verse 36, she utters a profound warning: "But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death." None of us likes to think of himself as foolishly loving death. However, the Bible consistently shows that those who do not consciously, purposefully, and carefully direct their lives toward obedience to God do indeed love death rather than life! Such a person is in effect presuming that all is well with him in relation to God. God does not like being taken for granted—because it is bad for us!
I Samuel 13:1-15 recounts the story of an act of presumption by another well-known figure, containing another valuable lesson for us. Saul arranged with the prophet Samuel to perform sacrifices in an appeal to God to intervene before Israel went into battle with the invading Philistines. Saul's sin was in presumptuously stepping in to perform Samuel's responsibilities when the prophet arrived later than the appointed time. Saul gave Samuel three justifications for his presumption: 1) The people were growing distressed and deserting him; 2) Samuel's late arrival; and 3) the growing threat of the Philistine army (verse 11).
On the surface, it appeared Saul and the Israelites were indeed in a difficult situation, yet Saul's reasons did not justify presuming to disobey what was commanded. He should have waited for Samuel to arrive and perform his responsibility. Saul, a Benjamite, could request a sacrifice be made and provide the animal for it, but he was not authorized by God to perform the sacrificial ceremony. Samuel was merely later than both he and Saul thought he would be.
Saul excused himself further by saying he "felt compelled." The King James Version records that Saul said, "I forced myself." This suggests that he was not ignorant of what he was doing but convinced himself it was more important to make the sacrifice than to obey God's instruction. He was immediately stripped of the opportunity of having his dynasty continue forever (verses 12-13), as God later promised David.
Many circumstances arise in a Christian's life when following God's commands runs counter to prevailing opinion and to our own fears about the threatening conditions we imagine are building around us if we obey God. Strong thoughts are then likely to mount, urging us to turn aside from what He says - "just this once" - to relieve the swelling pressures.
As our own children do not always understand what we tell them to do, we cannot always see why God tells us to do this or that. But can we trust God that His reasons are good? For instance, He tells us to set aside three tithes and to travel to far places to keep His feasts. He commands us to love our enemies and do good to them. He asks us to become like little children and to sacrifice ourselves in service when we would rather give orders. He tells us to submit ourselves to one another in love and to be subject to corrupt and unjust governments. Keeping these instructions is sometimes far easier said than done. Can we see God in the picture even in difficult circumstances and trust Him? In this case, Saul did not.
2 Samuel 6:1-9
David was afraid of the Ark - and of God! Let us notice, however, that God did not rush down and give David the answer. He did not say, "David, do you see what you have done wrong?" He did not explain to David just why He struck Uzzah. He made David work through the problem.
He does the same thing with us. When we find that we are out of sync with God, He does not simply rush to intervene and say, "Now there, there, my son." He does not pat us on the head and say, "You are alright."
Rather, He says, in effect, "Now do you understand that you are in hot water?" He asks, "Are you feeling pain?" And you say, "Yes!" Then He says, "Well, can you figure out why?" So we have to do that.
Upon close examination, we find that those who had advised David were complacent and neglectful. They thought that, because the Ark came to them on a cart from the Philistines, they could simply send it on to where it was supposed to go in the same way. Obviously, that did not work out so well!
The instructions for how to carry the Ark properly are found in I Chronicles 15:2, 14-15. These instructions were learned correctly because David had to work his way through the problem.
Can we make mistakes like this? David was "a man after God's own heart"! Of course we can! David made mistakes left and right, yet God loved him. When God puts us through such things, it does not mean that He does not care for us. David committed adultery with Bathsheba; killed Uriah the Hittite; caused the death of thousands and the death of his son, Absalom. All because he, at times, took God's laws for granted.
We, too, can become complacent and neglectful as to how we live our lives. If we do not respond to God, He will increase the pressure on us.
Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 are the "blessings and cursings" chapters of the Bible. Consider these in light of the increasing pressure that God applies to draw us closer to Him and to stop taking Him for granted.
John O. Reid (1930-2016)
Don't Take God for Granted
I Chronicles 13:1-3 introduces an episode containing a presumptuous act, immediately followed by a sobering display of divine justice. However, this time, one of the most respected names in Israelite history is directly involved. It is the story of Uzza's sudden death while moving the Ark of the Covenant, the most sacred and revered of Israelite objects. The Ark, representing the throne of God and containing the tablets of stone Moses received from God on Mount Sinai, normally resided in the Holy of Holies.
David desired to move the Ark to Jerusalem to continue to consolidate the kingdom under himself. As they were moving it on an oxcart, the oxen stumbled, and the Ark appeared to be toppling to the ground. Uzza, in what may have been pure reflex, put out his hand to steady the Ark, but upon touching it, he was immediately struck dead (verses 9-10)! At first, David was angry that God ruined his party (verses 8, 11) - as the whole atmosphere of the Ark's transfer was celebratory - but shortly after, he became extremely fearful (verse 12).
The Bible shows God to be longsuffering and slow to anger. Why did they not hear His voice from heaven saying, "Thank you, Uzza, for keeping the Ark from getting damaged and dirty"? Instead, He exploded in anger and slew Uzza on the spot! However, God had given strict instructions for transporting the Ark, found in Numbers 4:4, 15, 17-20:
This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting, relating to the most holy things: . . . And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry. . . . Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: "Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; but do this in regard to them, that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy things; Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint each of them to his service and his task. But they shall not go in to watch while the holy things are being covered, lest they die."
The Bible nowhere indicates that Uzza was a Kohathite. If he was, what God did is even more understandable. Everyone in the whole procedure from David on down was guilty of disobeying God's instructions regarding the most holy things. David failed to consult with the High Priest - or any priest, for that matter - regarding how the Ark should be moved. Evidently, no priest protested that proper procedures were not being followed.
The Kohathites were not even supposed to look on the uncovered Ark. To God, when Uzza reached out and touched the Ark as it seemed about to topple off the cart, it was no act of heroism but the final act of desecration, arrogance, and presumption. The last thing presumed was that Uzza's hand was less defiling than the earth that he feared would contaminate the Ark.
God's instruction in Exodus 20:24-25 regards building Him an altar. An altar made for His worship had to be constructed of earth or unhewn stones. No altar defiled by man's sinful hand was suitable. Dirt cannot sin; it always follows the nature God established. God did not want the symbol of His throne contaminated by the evil that manifested itself in a whole string of rebellions against His specific instructions. There was nothing arbitrary, capricious, or whimsical in God's action.
Jesus teaches us to address God as "Father," a title suggesting familiarity, yet we are also to pray, "Hallowed be Your name." God shows in these two incidents that, if reverence is due to the symbols used in His worship, how much greater reverence must be given to the realities of the New Covenant?
Those involved in this incident were well-intentioned, but it illustrates for all generations that God still requires conformity with His directives concerning holy objects. Deviation from orthodoxy can be deadly.
The evil person is so presumptuous. He has become oblivious of God just as Satan did—so oblivious that he thinks that God will not punish or require any payment, that God simply will not care about what he does.
Faith (Part 6)
The Reader's Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary defines presumptuous as "unduly bold, audacious, and arrogant." Strong's Concordance also defines the corresponding Hebrew word as "arrogant." Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines the root word, presume, as "to undertake without leave or clear justification." The word identifies acts done in domineering, haughty insolence with a scornful, contemptuous disdain for respect, convention, and even law. It is the opposite of "humble," "modest," and "unassuming." In a religious context, it can be said that presumption is taking unorthodoxy to its extreme.
We owe a duty to God and to the affairs of this life. We are to be diligent in our business in providing for ourselves and our families. God, at the very beginning of the Book (Genesis 1-3), when He put Adam and Eve in the Garden, says that they are to dress and keep it, meaning that they are to embellish it, to add to it, and to guard it from deterioration.
Part of our responsibility is to be diligent in doing our job for our employer. We are to be careful not to squander and waste what we have. We are to look ahead and plan to provide for future demands, taking into consideration that there will be emergencies like accidents, illness, death, natural disasters. We are to prepare for such things.
If we fail to do that, it is not showing faith that "God will provide," but rather presumption and irresponsibility in throwing all the responsibility on God while we ignore ours, failing to fulfill what God instructs us to do. There is much to be learned about God's Kingdom and getting prepared for it by carefully using our resources.
The danger lies in our human proclivity to tend toward extremes. The most common is following human nature's inclination to be overly concerned about the things of this life and devoting too much time and energy to it. Jesus points this out in Matthew 6:25, advising us to "take no anxious thought."
The Christian and the World (Part 8)
Not all presumption is careless drifting. Unfortunately, strong evidence exists to show that much of modern liberalism in religion was deliberately planned and executed. A Layman's Guide to Protestant Theology by William Hordern, p. 74, refers to this:
The method of liberalism includes the attempt to modernize Christianity. The world, liberals argue, has changed radically since the early creeds of Christendom were formulated; this makes the creeds sound archaic and unreal to modern man. We have to rethink Christianity in thought forms which the modern world can comprehend. Fosdick argued that we must express the essence of Christianity, its "abiding experiences," but that we must not identify these with the "changing categories" in which they have been expressed in the past. For example, says Fosdick, an abiding experience of Christianity has been its conviction that God will triumph over evil. This has been traditionally pictured in the category of Christ's second coming on the clouds to destroy evil and set up good. We can no longer retain the outworn category, but we can still believe the truth which this ancient thought form was trying to express. We can continue to work in the faith that, through His devoted followers, God is now building His Kingdom and that there will be a renewing of life, individual and social, to bring it into conformity with the will of God. The essence of the faith is thus retained, argues Fosdick, which the thought form in which it was once clothed has been abandoned.
A second aspect of the method of liberalism is its refusal to accept religious belief on authority alone. Instead, it insists that all beliefs must pass the bar of reason and experience. Man's mind is capable of thinking God's thoughts after Him. Man's intuitions and reason are the best clues that we have to the nature of God. The mind must be kept open to all truth regardless of from whence it comes. This means that the liberal must have an open mind; no questions are closed. New facts may change the convictions that have become hallowed by custom and time. The liberal will venture forth into the unknown, firmly believing that all truth must be God's truth. In this spirit, the liberal accepts the higher criticism of the Bible and the theory of evolution. He refuses to have a religion that is afraid of truth or that tries to protect itself from critical examination. (emphasis added)
Is it any wonder, when those who are supposed to be the primary protectors of religious purity think the way they do, that the laity behaves as they do? Does it really make any difference? Certainly, because the almighty God on high definitely thinks it makes a difference!
Hardly anything more clearly illustrates the self-deceived perverseness of human nature as its presumptuous additions of the observation of Christmas and Easter to the worship of the God of the Bible. That Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea is indisputable, but among other things, He was not born on December 25, nor did anybody exchange gifts on that date. Scripture nowhere says there were three wise men, and it is clear they gave gifts only to Christ as King.
Regarding Easter, Jesus was not resurrected on a Sunday morning, nor was He crucified on a Friday afternoon. It is impossible to squeeze three days and three nights, which Jesus Himself said would be the length of time He would spend in the tomb (Matthew 12:40), between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. Even so, fantastically detailed and emotionally appealing traditions have presumptuously been built around both these events and have been taught to a deceived public as though they were true.
Beyond what has been already mentioned regarding these days, where in God's Word does He command that we believe and do these commonly accepted practices? Men have presumptuously taken them upon themselves.
The addition of Christmas and Easter to Christianity happened so long ago that they have come to be accepted as part of the Christian religion, and most people celebrate them without thought. Nevertheless, adding to so-called Christian beliefs has not ended—in fact, it is still happening.
The late Pope John Paul II was an ardent ecumenist. He circled the globe many times in his travels and embraced in conference many non-Catholics in his effort to bring all into one fold. His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, has pledged to continue that effort. Recently, their representatives achieved a decisive victory in forging a much closer alliance with the Anglican Church. However, Anglican leaders could take this step only by abandoning the firm foundation of a former doctrine and thus joining Catholics in accepting a presumptuous addition that the latter already believe.
A headline in the Seattle Post Intelligencer, May 17, 2005, reads, "Catholics, Anglicans reach accord on Mary: Statement closes big gap between churches." The article explains:
The historical separation between Roman Catholics and Anglicans has narrowed after both found common ground on the position of Mary, mother of Jesus, according to a document conceived at the highest church levels. . . . Anglicans, already close to Catholics because of liturgy and traditions, have moved even closer through their understanding of Mary as outlined in the joint statement, which took five years and an international committee to complete.
Bringing back the departed brethren has been a strong focus of the Catholic Church since the Counter-Reformation that followed the Protestant Reformation, which had dealt Catholicism a powerful blow in the sixteenth century. However, it was not until the "New Age Movement" began in earnest during the mid-1970s—with its strong, insistent call for a paradigm shift toward greater tolerance and radical thinking in religious beliefs and values—that the stage was set for ecumenical efforts to succeed.
The following quotation from the same article publicly undressed, as it were, the Anglican Church:
The document seeks to transcend past controversies on Catholic dogma, including the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary. While not spelled out specifically in the Bible, such beliefs can be interpreted through Scripture, according to the 80-paragraph document.
The result might be an elevation, or at least a heightened acknowledgment, of the place of Mary—particularly for Anglicans, the denomination born in England during the Reformation and called the Episcopal Church in the United States.
Anglicanism is considered closest to Catholicism because it gives Mary a pre-eminent place among the saints, includes her in Communion prayers and holds six Marian feast days.
Among other matters, Catholics and Protestants disagree over the Catholic dogmas of the Immaculate Conception—the assertion that Mary lived a life free from sin from the moment she was conceived—and the Assumption, the belief that her body and soul were taken into heaven when her earthly life ended.
Those dogmas have "created problems not only for Anglicans but also for other Christians," the document said, largely because they are not explicitly supported by Scripture.
But those dogmas also "can be said to be consonant with the teaching of the Scriptures and the ancient common traditions," said the document, titled "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ." (emphasis added)
How can either of these two doctrines be biblically derived? They cannot! The Catholic Church has long acknowledged that the role they give Mary cannot be supported by Scripture alone, so now both the Catholic and Anglican churches have admitted through the publication of this document that these teachings are based upon mere human tradition.
In the distant past, someone decided that honoring Mary in this way would be "nice," or perhaps he used the word "appropriate," because she was chosen by God to bear His Son in her womb, and besides, she seems to be such a good woman. However, the Scriptures call for no such elevation in status, and they certainly never claim that she lived a perfect, sinless life! Now the Roman Catholic Church has gone so far as to claim she is co-savior with Christ!
Such presumption seems beyond the bounds of honest, spiritual reasoning, but the Catholic Church has similarly declared Sunday to be the day of worship, replacing God's Sabbath. They have published articles openly admitting that, if one uses the Bible alone, then the Sabbath is the only acceptable day of worship. In those same articles, they have also been honest in stating that they have made this change from Sabbath to Sunday on their own authority. On these issues, their presumption is not hidden!
But this is arrogant and bold hubris on a massive scale, enabled only because Satan has managed to deceive the whole world (Revelation 12:9). The overwhelming majority of people calling themselves Christian are so unconcerned—that is, tolerant and careless—they live thinking that it does not matter to God.
Proverbs 30:1-6
Agur claims no great intelligence or superior understanding. He feels his education is lacking in the more important areas of life, like the proper way to live and the knowledge of God. He is only a common man with no special abilities, powers or privileges—in fact, he would like to know the person who could do some of these things.
In verses 5 and 6 he states his conclusion: To get the most and the best from life, we should believe God, not presuming that we can comprehend the effects of our actions without advice from God in His Word. God's Word cannot be improved upon; every word of God is pure, as gold and silver are pure (Psalm 12:6). The value of God's Word cannot be increased by adding to or taking from it, anymore than gold can be increased in value by alloying it with something else. He advises that we strive to do nothing that God forbids and leave nothing undone that God commands. This is the approach of a man whose sole aim is to please God, and who does not want to do or not do anything that might strain the relationship.
Biblically, God's throne is in the north—way in the north of heaven. What Helel had decided to do (he was already in the attitude of Satan) was to exalt himself and his throne by attacking God and supplanting Him.
Self-indulgence promotes, among other things, attitudes of fanaticism, false security, presumption, and fun-seeking. Fanaticism is unbridled obsession, and though most do not recognize it as form of self-indulgence, it is a gratification of selfish desire. The apostle Paul says that we should avoid those who are driven by lust and greed and have no self-control.
Martin G. Collins
Overcoming (Part 8): Self-Indulgence
"I've had nothing to do with them," God says. "Yet they went on their own, presumptuously, to speak their own words in My name."
The work that God says needs to be done in the latter days is to turn the people from their sin, and back to God. It is a message of repentance, of returning and then strengthening the relationship that we have with God. In the latter days, you will understand it. Not only will you understand what needs to be done, but you will also understand why it needs to be done—and do it because what good is understanding if it is not done? Any other kind of work at this time appears to be either window dressing or contrary to the will of God—and presumptuous.
Consider what he was. He was the pinnacle of what God can create by fiat. That is what is suggested in the wording of this passage - he was the "seal of perfection," the most perfect creation, full of wisdom and beauty. He was made with precious stones as part of his body. Music - beautiful music - was intrinsic to him. He had an exalted position as the "covering cherub." He walked where God ruled, amidst the fiery stones. He had it all. It should have been enough for him, but he began to think, "I'm still one step down from the top. I really don't have it all. I want to rise to the next level of management. I want to be the CEO of the universe. I think I'll overthrow God."
His own splendor blinded him to what was real and true. What was real and true is that God will always be supreme. He will always be the chief authority in the universe, and no created thing can supplant its Creator. It was total hubris—overwhelming pride—that caused him to do this, because he was discontent with his position, and he presumptuously thought he could overthrow God. He even tried to stage a coup, and God slammed him right back down to earth.
Matthew 7:1-5
We cannot avoid judging. As the stock in trade of the mind, appraisals are inevitable. If we were witnesses to a flagrant violation of law in which innocent people were harmed, could we keep quiet because we are not to judge?
Does not Jesus command us to judge in verse 6? "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces." Do we not have to judge who are "dogs" or "swine"? Considering verse 15 ("Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves"), do we not have to judge whether a man is a false minister? Do we not have to reject his teaching based on an appraisal of his fruits?
We must therefore take care to understand clearly what Jesus meant. He obviously did not mean we should not judge at all. Within the context of Luke 6:35-38, Jesus uses "Judge not, and you shall not be judged" to urge us to love our enemies, be merciful, forgiving, and generous. This very greatly modifies Matthew's account, showing that "Judge not . . ." is a warning against self-righteous severity, sharp-tongued criticism, and condemnation. Thus, it is not a command to be absolutely neutral and tolerant regarding moral issues, but a warning to be careful and loving when we judge. We can apply this admonishment to Romans 14:10-13 and James 4:11-12 as well.
There are practical reasons why Jesus would advise us about this. Of prime importance is that even though it is important that we judge rightly, it is even more important that we do not usurp the place of God! "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:4).
Paul begins this letter to the Romans calling himself a servant of Jesus Christ. He reminds us that we are all His servants (verses 7-8). A servant does not have the same rights and responsibilities as a master. Though we are permitted the right of making an appraisal of conduct, we are not permitted the right of passing judgment upon a fellow servant. A fellow servant does not stand or fall at the bar of our judgment. The only judgment that matters is the judgment of our mutual Master. If He is satisfied or displeased, He will act in His good time and in His way. To usurp His responsibility is an act of sheer presumption.
This in no way means we cannot approach a brother to inquire about and understand his conduct so that we might know whether our appraisal is correct. Assuming that our intent in questioning him is for his good, why would we even approach him? Would it not be because our evaluation of his conduct had led us to conclude—yes, to judge—that he was in serious moral or spiritual trouble?
Judgment, Tolerance, and Correction
"Be careful," He says. "You are stepping into a minefield when you begin to judge your brother!" Because the dangers are hidden, minefields are especially deadly, and judging beyond our area of authority is just as dangerous. If we ignore the warning and continue pressing forward, judging beyond our authority will blow up in our faces, ripping us to shreds!
Why are we warned so strongly against judging others? In The Complete Word Study Dictionary, p. 892, Spiros Zodhiates writes, explaining the difference between the words krites and dikastes (both meaning "judge"):
Krites, as used of God (Hebrews 10:30; 12:23; James 4:12) involves the inherent power to discern the character of a person. Similarly it is an attribute of Christ in the same manner as it is an attribute of God (Acts 10:42; II Timothy 4:8; James 5:9). On the human level, a krites is one who makes a judgment as to the character and actions of others without receiving such appointment from someone [i.e. God did not give us the authority] whereas dikastes implies a responsibility attributed by society and others. Therefore dikastes is more of a forensic term, a judicial judge, while krites is one who uses his subjective criteria to evaluate others.
Judging Our Brothers
Jesus gives us practical instruction on this matter of judging. In a word, we are unqualified. We are not qualified to make these judgments. Setting ourselves up to judge another—even to "help" him in whatever problem he may have—is self-exalting, proud, presumptuous, vain (in terms both of vanity and futility), and as Jesus says, hypocritical because we are guilty of the same problems. In fact, He implies that our problems are worse! They are planks versus specks in the other person's eye.
The great overriding problem here is that it arrogates to ourselves a prerogative of God. He is the Judge. What are we doing taking one of His jobs from Him? In James 4:12, the apostle asks, "Who are you to judge another?" It sounds rather harsh to hear it put that way. "Who are you to take upon yourself the authority to judge this other person?" He says in verse 11, "He who speaks evil of his brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law." That is what happens when we take it upon ourselves to judge another person.
What's So Bad About Busybodies?
Many stay-at-home members use this verse to justify not fellowshipping with a larger organization. On the surface, it seems to support their argument. However, we must look at it in context.
The chapter begins with Jesus teaching about our need for humility (verses 1-5). He uses the analogy of body parts to show the importance of not offending little ones (verses 6-10). He then gives the Parable of the Lost Sheep to show His concern for every sheep (verses 11-14). He instructs about how we should deal with offenses among us (verses 15-20). The context of the entire chapter is interpersonal relations and offenses, not church administration. Peter understood this, for he immediately asks how often one should forgive a brother (verse 21).
God requires two or three witnesses lest injustice come from one man's word against another (verse 16; Deuteronomy 19:15). He will honor the decision based on the judgment of two or three along with the accuser. If the offender will not listen to them, the offense should be taken to a larger forum—the church. The very context assumes the existence of a larger group. God prefers, however, that matters be handled privately in a smaller group whom He will be among rather than escalating every personal problem to the attention of the whole church. Notice the instruction: Go to the offender ALONE first, then escalate it only as necessary to solve the problem.
In I Corinthians 5, Paul shows how this works in practical application when a church member was unabashedly committing sexual sins. Notice that Paul had ministerial, hierarchical authority over the Gentile church in Corinth. He even made his judgment of the situation—disfellowship that man!—without being present! Later, upon the man's repentance, he ordered him restored, and forgave even as they forgave (II Corinthians 2:10). He also legislated what their attitude and approach to a repentant sinner should be!
Did he allow every group of two or three in the congregation to make a judgment? How would God have bound the conflicting judgments that surely would have arisen between the people of varying levels of understanding and maturity in Corinth? The church would have been divided into many small groups had Paul not exercised his authority.
Is that not what we have seen as groups have misapplied Matthew 18:20, lifting it out of context, and justifying their own doctrinal and administrative decisions? This misapplication and twisting of this one scripture automatically repudiates any authority God placed in an ordained ministry and splinters the church. Is that how Paul understood Scripture, or did he constantly defend his own position as an apostle and that of the local ordained ministry to preserve unity?
We are told to judge by the fruits. What are the fruits of two or three people deciding they can make doctrinal and administrative judgments? We need look no further than the dividing and redividing of groups in today's greater church of God to see that the fruits are not good.
Scattered sheep are just that: scattered and in grave danger. Contrast the dubious idea of Christ giving administrative authority to two or three scattered sheep to the very clear and powerful administrative authority given to Peter as head administrator of the church in Matthew 16:18 (see also John 21:15-17). Compare also Hebrews 5:4 where no man can take the office of high priest to himself. Can any of us decide we are the final word? Can we take any office in the priesthood to ourselves? God compares presumption to witchcraft (I Samuel 15:23).
We can perceive a mixed bag of Ananias and Sapphira's sins involved in this tragedy. Acts 4:36-37 informs us of Barnabas' sacrificial gift for the well-being of the newly formed church. Pride and desire for acclaim motivated the couple to give a gift but without the honesty or sacrifice exhibited by Barnabas and others.
"Why has Satan filled your heart" (verse 3) is the equivalent of "Why have you dared?" They were free to give whatever percentage they set, for Peter says that the entire property sale price was under their control. Their sin lay in deceitfully alleging that the amount they gave was the whole of the sale price, when it was actually only a part. They deviously exaggerated their offering.
Some think this judgment was harsh, but Peter did not. He spoke of the sin as inspired of Satan, and the passage makes clear that both Ananias and Sapphira were fully aware of what they were doing (verses 2, 9). Conscious deceit is spiritually disastrous because trust is completely violated. They should have known better.
God interpreted their action as tempting Him, seeing how much they could get away with. Their way of reaching their goals is so opposed to the gospel that God could not allow it to go unchallenged; it would have set the whole mission of the church off course. Honesty and integrity are the standard of God's way of life. Sin is no light thing with God.
These people were living behind a deceptive façade, one similar to the idea that, if one keeps the front windows clean, it does not matter how dirty the back ones are. They allowed themselves to become tools working to destroy the family relationship of trust within the church. God forcibly reminded them and us that He will not abide that.
We must treat one another with fairness and loving kindness, or we will not be in His Family. Ananias and Sapphira are shocking reminders to us that we will not get away with deceitfully cheating or taking advantage of our brethren. God may not appear to be in the picture, but only the faithless have this blindness. The penalty will be paid—unless repented of, it is only a matter of time. Ananias and Sapphira paid quickly as a lesson to us.
Interestingly, a commentator writes that "they being ignorant of" (verse 3) could be translated into "for they ignoring," which puts a different sense on Paul's thought. When one is ignorant, he just does not know. Perhaps knowledge was withheld from him. On the other hand, when one ignores knowledge, it is readily available, but he turns his back on it.
Are modern Israelites who celebrate Christmas really deceived? Is the deception so strong that they cannot see it? A self-deceived person is ignoring truth rather than ignorant of it, and if that indeed is Paul's emphasis, it makes this Christmas question much more serious. It means that people are accountable for what they are doing, and therefore, they will pay more for it than if they acted in ignorance.
Most Americans are aware that many of the Christmas traditions have no connection with Christianity. Almost every year, articles on the origins of various Christmas customs appear in the newspapers, especially in the larger cities. The authors of these articles cannot trace any of the "modern" traditions back to the Bible because most of the customs came from pre-Christian traditions in Germany, Norway, Russia, Holland, and other nations. Thus, people cannot claim that such knowledge was withheld from them.
Christmas, Syncretism and Presumption (1994)
Yes, God has given us a promise of becoming judges, kings, and priests in the World Tomorrow, but He has not given us the authority to be judges now. We are to be making evaluations and learning how to judge. But, right now, unless we have been appointed to a certain position in which such judgments must be made, if we take it upon ourselves to make them, we are stepping into the muck. We have gone beyond our sphere.
He is telling us that, if we decide to take it into our own hands to judge another man's servant (think of it in terms of every other person being God's servant), then we have begun to be presumptuous. We are meddling in another's matters.
Jesus would have been meddling in somebody else's affairs had He decided to arbitrate the dispute in Luke 12:13-14. He would have been what the Bible calls a busybody—someone who is doing something that he has not been called to do or been given the authority to do.
Paul twice says, ". . . lest I should be exalted above measure." God gave him this "thorn in the flesh" so that the apostle would not get too big for his britches, as it were, because God had given him some revelations. That sort of communication from God could swell a person's head. Thus, the apostle says God allowed Satan to afflict him so that Paul would not venture beyond what he had been given.
A spiritually immature person in an office of authority like this will follow the same course that Satan took. He will get a big head and try to grasp beyond his position.
This is similar to my own experiences regarding people who are unemployed. If they are unemployed for any period of time, if they do not have strength of will, they learn to be idle. "Learn to be idle" is a difficult Greek construction, though the New International Version renders it well: "They get into the habit of being idle." It is not that they sit down and study how to be idle, but over a period of time—even though they may start out looking for a job and using their spare time in a profitable manner—inertia sets in.
Notwithstanding their good intentions, they start rising a little bit later, taking their time doing this or that. They find over time that it is far easier to sit around and drink their coffee, call their neighbors or brethren, chew the fat, and talk about this or that person:
"How is he doing?"
"Oh, fine!"
"But you know he has a problem."
"Oh, does he?"
"Yes. His marriage is not going well."
"Well, you know, I went through a problem like that back a few years ago. Maybe I'll give him a call and give him some advice. It is tried and true! It worked for me. If he needs me to, I'll go over and watch his kids for him."
And pretty soon they are fully involved in somebody's marital crisis when they should not have even known about it! It is evident that being a busybody is linked with gossip, tale-bearing, and scandal-mongering. They usually go hand in hand.
Once a person starts messing in other people's business, before long he is telling his friends what is happening and how wonderfully he is advising and helping these people. Soon all sorts of rumors are flying back and forth about so and so and this and that. Like a law of nature, it is only a matter of time before a relationship conflict erupts. What is then present in the church? War and disunity!
Experience shows that it often comes back to bite the meddler! The Old Testament provides a graphic image of what happens to such a person: "He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears" (Proverbs 26:17). And just a few inches away from those dog's ears are big, sharp teeth! When we meddle in other people's affairs, it comes back to hurt us. No one wins when meddling happens.
Self-will is insisting stubbornly and arrogantly on one's way, as opposed to following the will of God. Paul states that a minister of God must not allow himself to be self-willed but must be led by and do God's will. What kind of minister would a person with false pride and stubbornness make?
Overcoming (Part 4): Self-Will
Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders - Peter adresses presumption by starting with the young people. Just as young people are supposed to submit to their elders, so are we to submit in whatever positions we are in.
Yes, all of you be submissive to one another - Peter broadens the instructions. It is not just whether you are younger than another person, or that you are in a lesser position than another person is. It says all of you be submissive to all of you. One another—whatever your rank, whatever your position. Whether you are a toenail on the body or the left elbow. All of you submit to the other.
And be clothed with humility - Not only are we to submit, but we are to do it in humility. And have it clothed—fully draped over us—because that is the attitude that will keep presumption at bay.
"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" - This is where the favor will come—to those who are humble. "God resists the proud"—that is an understatement! God backhands the proud. God will not give even the time of day to the proud. That is how much He "resists" the proud.
This passage gives the antidote to presumptuous sin: 1) submitting, 2) being humble, and 3) waiting for God to exalt—not taking it upon ourselves to do it ourselves.
Who is this Diotrephes? Perhaps a better question is, "Who does this Diotrephes think he is?" Was he an apostle? Was he an evangelist? Was he a pastor? Was he a leading man in the congregation? Was he an "ordinary" member? John does not say, but it is interesting that John mentions that Diotrephes just loved to have the preeminence among them. It almost sounds as if he was only a member of the church or perhaps an elder. We do not know.
One of his most marked characteristics is he liked to be "Number One." He had to be the important guy, the one everybody came to for answers to their questions, the one to make the big decisions. He even went so far as to say malicious things against John - one of the original twelve apostles. He prated against him with malicious words. He spoke down on him.
John was the disciple that Jesus loved, and here some little man, probably in the church at Ephesus, was talking against the apostle who had put his life on the line for the church many times, who had spent years in exile on the Isle of Patmos, who (tradition says) was put in a vat of boiling oil and was not harmed a bit, a man whom God was obviously with - and this Diotrephes thought he was so important that he could point out John's flaws to the rest of the congregation.
Then he started disfellowshipping people because they did not agree with him. He kicked people out of the church who wanted to fellowship with their brethren whom he had put out. John promised, "When I get there, I'm going to take care of this. I will call to mind all these things and make what this man is apparent."
Given the way he treated the congregation, Diotrephes was a "Satan in the flesh." What he did was evil, which is what John writes in verse 11: "Beloved, do not imitate what is evil." He is warning, "Do not imitate the actions of this man, Diotrephes. He is doing exactly what Satan did."
The drifting of the Laodicean happens so subtly that he is unaware of the decline of his spiritual perception and vigor. What happens when a person begins drifting is that human nature deceives him to judge two things wrongly: 1) the quality of his own spirituality and therefore, 2) the use of his time.
Consider the process of the Laodicean's decline: Does he stop to consider himself as loving death? On the contrary, his nature is selling him on what it calls "enjoying life." However, the reality is that because he enjoys it so much, he thinks that he is fine the way he is. He, though, is guilty of a very serious sin: presumption. This is a sin in which ignorance frequently plays only a small part. When someone is presumptuous, knowledge of what is right is usually available, but he does not think his intent and conduct through to a right conclusion.
On the other hand, carelessness plays a large role in presumption. The Laodiceans should have known better than what their actions reveal. Their lackadaisical approach to spiritual matters, to their Savior who died for them, has earned His stinging rebuke.
Leviticus 4:2 zeroes in on this sin, revealing that it may be more serious than one might suppose. The word "unintentionally" includes more than simply lack of intention, as when a person sins and says, "I really didn't mean it." That is not wrong, but it misses some of the point because that conclusion is shallow and broad. In spite of the sinner's feelings about his intent as he actually committed the act, the term "sin" still appears in God's charge, and he continues to turn aside, wander, err, make a mistake, miss the mark, and go off the path. Though unintentional, the act is still a sin.
Consider the possible effects of such a sin. How many deaths have occurred where a person did something seriously wrong yet claims, "I didn't mean for that to happen"? What could happen if someone is cruising along, not concentrating on his driving, and drifts into oncoming traffic, smashing into another car and killing its occupants? How many people have been killed because a driver's attention was diverted by a cell phone? Just because a sin is unintentional does not mean it is not serious. Such a sin is often one of careless, impatient, lackadaisical neglect. It is the ignoring of a higher priority.
It is in reality often a sin of presumption, an ignoring of God and His law. It includes sins done with a degree of consciousness, a level of awareness of what one's responsibilities are. Even though not arrogantly and deliberately done, they are in reality done willingly.
These can be quite serious. Exodus 20:7, the third commandment, reads, "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." Because we have been baptized and have received God's Spirit, we have taken on the name "Christian." We are children of God, followers of Christ, and as such, we bear the Family name, an honor not lightly bestowed. Recall again that to whom much is given, the more shall be required.
God warns that we must not bear that holy name carelessly, that is, to no good purpose. He will not hold us guiltless. That name must be borne responsibly in dignified honor to Him, to His Family, and to its operations and purposes. Can we afford to be presumptuously negligent in this privileged responsibility? It is right here that knowledge of God's justice should come to a Christian's mind. It does this because the Christian "sees" God—not literally, of course, but spiritually, in his mind's eye, because he knows Him.
Living by Faith and God's Justice
Find more Bible verses about Presumption:
Presumption {Nave's}
Presumption {Torrey's}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Entries from one file not in second file I'm writing a library-management program. I've got a code, that asks if the entered username is in the user list and not in the list with locked persons (who haven't got the permissions to borrow books), but it doesn't work! Here's the code:
borrower=input("User ID: ")
        userlist = open("userlist.txt", "r")
        locked = open("locked.txt", "r")
        if borrower in userlist and borrower not in locked:
            #dosomething
        elif borrrower in userlist and borrower in locked:
            print("User",borrower,"isn't allowed to borrow books!")
        else:
            print("[ERROR] User",borrower,"doesn't exist!")

Please tell me what's wrong with this.

A: You want the actual lists from those files.
userlist = open("userlist.txt", "r").readlines()
locked = open("locked.txt", "r").readlines()

Depending on how the data is actually structured, reading the file into a string would also be beneficial:
userlist = open("userlist.txt", "r").read()
locked = open("locked.txt", "r").read()

The difference between these two:  readlines() gives you back a list, and read() gives you back a string.  The difference in behavior of in between these two:  if it's a list, if it's embedded in a string, it won't pick it up; if it's in a string, it'll pick it up.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Monday: Marlins at Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m.
RHP Tom Koehler (6-6, 3.48) vs. Arizona RHP Chase Anderson (5-4, 3.91): Koehler, coming off the paternity list, tossed his third quality start Wednesday against the Phillies with six shutout innings. He allowed three hits and struck out seven. He has allowed four earned runs his past three starts combined. Opposing batters are hitting .225 against him. Anderson, who allowed three earned runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 IP Wednesday against the Pirates, has lost his last four starts after winning the first five of his major-league career. He has a 5.52 ERA in his past three starts.
Marlins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria was activated from the 15-day disabled list Sunday and was in the starting lineup for the series-finale against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. "He said he was ready to go," Manager Mike Redmond said. "It's definitely nice to have him back."


text:
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Patron Posts
Days Gone By - stories from the past
Busy Bee Cafe, in Cullman, Alabama established 1919 now rebuilt
July 22, 2016 June 21, 2016 by Donna R Causey
On April 27, 2011, the citizens of Cullman, Alabama lost many of their original structures, when an EF4 tornado struck downtown Cullman, Alabama. Many historic buildings were destroyed including the Busy Bee Cafe. Established in 1919 the Busy Bee Cafe is Cullmans oldest restaurant. It was originally opened in by Milford Ford.
"When people would come in to town, you wouldn't say 'Go down to Fifth Street and turn,' you would tell them to go down to the Busy Bee Cafe and take a right," Cullman Museum curator Elaine Fuller said. "But, (after the tornado) the Busy Bee wasn't there anymore. It's just devastating the number of businesses lost, and they were landmarks."
Photographs in Cullman by Carol Highsmith 2010 – Library of Congress
This was the site of the Busy Bee Cafe after the 2011 Tornado
However, the resilient residents of Cullman did not let the tornado discourage them and have rebuilt. One year after the tornado hit, the Busy Bee reopened.
The Spears family has owned the café since 1967. "The café's owner, Kitty Spears, was inside the building on April 27, 2011. She suffered a broken pelvis when the tornado hit. Despite her injuries, Spears started planning the reopening of the café while lying in her hospital bed. Today, she can be seen cooking for customers behind the counter."
WALB NEWS 10
ALABAMA FOOTPRINTS Exploration: Lost & Forgotten Stories (Volume 1) is a collection of lost and forgotten stories about the people who discovered and initially settled in Alabama.
Some stories include:
The true story of the first Mardi Gras in America and where it took place
The Mississippi Bubble Burst – how it affected the settlers
Did you know that many people devoted to the Crown settled in Alabama –
Sophia McGillivray- what she did when she was nine months pregnant
Alabama had its first Interstate in the early days of settlement
About Donna R Causey
Donna R. Causey, resident of Alabama, was a teacher in the public school system for twenty years. When she retired, Donna found time to focus on her lifetime passion for historical writing. She developed the websites www.alabamapioneers and www.daysgoneby.me All her books can be purchased at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. She has authored numerous genealogy books. RIBBON OF LOVE: A Novel Of Colonial America (TAPESTRY OF LOVE) is her first novel in the Tapestry of Love about her family where she uses actual characters, facts, dates and places to create a story about life as it might have happened in colonial Virginia. Faith and Courage: Tapestry of Love (Volume 2) is the second book and the third FreeHearts: A Novel of Colonial America (Book 3 in the Tapestry of Love Series) Discordance: The Cottinghams (Volume 1) is the continuation of the story. . For a complete list of books, visit Donna R Causey
Liked it? Take a second to support Alabama Pioneers on Patreon!
Cullman, Alabama – a city reborn after devastating tornado
The picturesque, historic town of Cullman, Alabama was hit by EF4 tornado in 2011, but did not let…
Clarkson Covered Bridge, Cullman County – one of the longest covered bridges standing in the…
Cullman County was settled by German immigrants – here are early settlers
Silverhill, Baldwin County, Alabama – immigrants from throughout the World settled in this…
Wonderful films from 1930s of Carbon Hill in Walker County, Alabama
More hilarious correspondence sent to Family History Department
DeKalb County, Alabama – home of Cherokee Native American Sequoyah is a beautiful place
Have you ever wondered what the Rebel Yell sounded like? Here it is.
Alabama's worst tornadoes in March 1932
Tags: 2011Alabama history
Donna R Causey
How many caves have you visited around Alabama?
MONDAY MUSINGS: Did you know this about Alabama?
John Pierce opened the first school in Alabama
February 19, 2018 January 26, 2018
Photographs of Greensboro Confederate veterans & generals
The town of Barton, Alabama didn't move but was located in two counties at various times
Karla Calhoun July 25, 2014
Barbara S. Daniels July 25, 2014
That was a sad day all over the state.
Terri Hildreth July 25, 2014
Hate to be the grammar police or anything, but shouldn't that be "…April 27, 2011…"?
Diane Revooh December 14, 2015
Haha. I noticed that typo too. I don't think Alabama was a state in 1011.
Donna R Causey December 14, 2015
Thanks for catching that. Sometimes my fingers don't obey me.
Christopher Leland Cobb July 27, 2014
Lori Crabtree Clark
Ted Harper July 23, 2016
Best breakfast in Cullman, but don't tell anybody.
Lorrine Kimbrough October 12, 2017
I have read and searched for e past, almost 3 hours, every post concerning Busy Bee Cafe. Probably missed it, but I enjoy entering contests, so I was searching for the answer to, "When did Busy Bee add FRIES to their menu?"
Support Alabama Pioneers on Patreon!
We are excited here at AP. Our latest volume in our popular Alabama Footprints series has been released.
The eighth edition, BANISHED, documents The Indian Removal Act called for the "voluntary or forcible removal of all Indians" residing in the eastern United States to the west of the Mississippi River. Between 1831 and 1837, approximately 46,000 Native Americans were forced to leave their homes in southeastern states. Available in paperback and ebook at this link
Our Grist Mill Podcast
Listen to the latest episodes of our new Alabama Grist Mill Podcast
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Support Alabama Pioneers with your Donation, any amount helps!
More Alabama Pioneers Stories
The picturesque, historic town of Cullman, Alabama was hit by EF4 tornado in 2011, but did…
Vintage photographs from around Cullman – Do you have more information about them?
Did you know Birmingham was almost named Muddtown?
Clarkson Covered Bridge, Cullman County – one of the longest covered bridges standing…
Small town – Do you live in one?
Old Vernon was once an active town in Autauga County, Alabama
All Right Reserved by Alabama Pioneers
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Sexual Harassment – The Speak Out Evolution: Are you prepared?
Sexual harassment claims continue to grab headlines at a pace and intensity like never before. No company is immune from potential exposure. All employers—regardless of industry, size or geography—must be prepared to address claims of harassment in an effective and meaningful way, as the "speak out evolution" continues to reshape the workplace as we know it.


There is no bad time to visit Sanbona. During the rains the reserve blooms with wild-flowers and during the dry season game is often drawn to the areas of permanent water. The Sanbona team tailors the program to suit the season and ensure a memorable safari.
Sanbona Dwyka Tented Lodge is an exclusive nine-tented safari lodge in a dramatically picturesque corner of this vast wilderness area. This tented camp is the most luxurious of the accommodation options across the reserve. The spacious tents all have large en-suite bathrooms, king or twin beds and private decks with plunge pools.
The reserve is home to the big five, as well as a wide variety of African wildlife and prolific birding. Guests can enjoy day and night game drives, walking safaris, boat safaris, visits to bushman cave paintings and all sorts of special surprises orchestrated by the professional guiding team.
Sanbona is the finest big game wildlife reserve within easy driving distance from Cape Town. The Klein Karoo is an arid area of the country so the volume of wildlife is not that of other safari areas. However, you will be surprised by the richness of life supported in this area, and blown away with the beauty of the landscape, the quality of guiding and the hospitality of the Sanbona team.
There are just nine tented suites at Sanbona, seven king and two twins. Each tent features a luxurious en-suite bathroom, outdoor shower and private deck with plunge pool. Some of the tents are positioned slightly closer together, great for families.
The Klein (Little) Karoo is a jaw-droppingly beautiful corner of South Africa. The reserve gives visitors a great feeling of space with endless views, towering mountains and a wide variety of habitat.
The reserve is home to the big five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, and the professional guides will give all visitors the chance to track these animals and enjoy memorable sightings. Beside this famous five cheetah, hippo, giraffe, brown hyena and a great variety of general game can be found across the vast area.
The reserve offers a lot of flexibility of experience, day and night game drives, walking safaris, boating safaris on the Bellair dam. Besides the wildlife, Khoisan rock art gives evidence that this area of South Africa was home to the bushman hunter-gatherers. The clear skies of the Karoo, and lack of light pollution make this area one of the best places to enjoy mesmerising night skies.
Explore the landscape of Sanbona Wildlife Reserve on thrilling game drives in the Big 5 area with a brilliant guide who will teach you all about the bush of this part of Africa.
Head out on a boat safari on board the Peregrine, on the Bellair Dam situated in the middle of this vast reserve, and see all of the game from a wholly new perspective.
Sanbona Wildlife Reserve is an easy three hour drive, 270km from Cape Town. The reserve is found in the Klein Karoo approximately 40km past Montagu.
International flight to Cape Town, followed by a 3-hour drive into the Klein Karoo to Sanbona.


iTourNepal.com P Ltd was established to promote sustainable tours in the Himalayas of Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. We are team of tourism professionals involved in Himalayan tourism for about couple of decades. During the period we realized how tourism was benefiting only small group. The employment of local guides, consumption of local products and positive exploitation of the local resources were not guaranteed. iTourNepal.com P ltd. is dedicated to 'giving back to locals' to sustain their culture and environment. We train and employ local youths as our guides and ensure that our tour consumes maximum of local products.
Beside selling regular popular tours, we also develop and promote new destinations, homestay and cultural tours, Nepali cooking class, festival tour and more.


text:
Is New York's Hold on Publishing Smothering It?
Filed under: Edward Nawotka,John R. Austin,new publishing models,new publishing technology,new tech in publishing,New York,publishing,publishing business models,publishing contracts,publishing industry,publishing industry changes,publishing industry problems — gator1965 @ 7:54 pm
Tags: Edward Nawotka, John R. Austin, New York City, New York's Hold on Publishing Industry, publishing, Publishing Center, Publishing Perspectives
Oh, New York, New York!
No denying, New York is the publishing center of America … And, it might even have been a good concept at one time under older business models that were more horizontal and where grouping tangental businesses in close proximity was desirable for expediency.
But, todays publishing landscape is everywhere, instantly … So, why does New York still have such a hold over the publishing industry?
Good question … Reluctance to change. Old habits are hard to break. Old power brokers don't want to give up power (although it's been steadily seeping away), etc., etc.
Anyway, here is a good insight on this subject by Edward Nawotka in PublishingPerspectives.com:
Is Publishing Too New York-centric?
New York's outsized influence on publishing is felt across the US, but is it good for the other 99%?
The outsized influence New York, and Brooklyn in particular, has on the current literary scene is undeniable. It is the center of publishing in the United States.
But is it good for the other 99% of the country?
New York publishers have been accused of publishing books for each other – and the writers, for writing for each other. Has a kind of group-think has set in where people — consciously or not — are perhaps working to impress each other rather than a wider audience?
You often hear publishing personalities and literary journalists on the coasts moan that "the rest of America" doesn't read books. To this I say, the rest of America does read, they just don't necessarily want to read the books New York sometimes publishes. How many novels can someone in, say, Chicago or Atlanta, read about a twenty-something Manhattan editorial assistant, junior Wall Street trader, or cupcake shop owner in Cobble Hill looking for love?
But isn't some of this our own fault. After all, with the end of the year lists, how is it that book critics in Denver, Minneapolis, Kansas City and San Diego all manage to come up with basically the same "top ten" book lists? Shouldn't they be looking at more worthy regional titles? Nah, cause if they don't weigh in on the big important books of the year, they won't be taken seriously by their more-influential colleagues in New York.
Get this stupendous Publishing/Writing Blog on Kindle 🙂
Do Books Exist in Alien Worlds?
Filed under: alien life,Digital publishing,do books exist in other galaxies?,John R. Austin,new media,new tech in publishing,New York Times,Ray Jayawardhana — gator1965 @ 7:39 pm
Aliens Dialing Up an E-Book on Their Palms!
Ever wonder about that? Ever wonder about the very existence of alien intelligence? (Hell, I wonder about it's existence here on this planet!)
"Nature is often richer and more wondrous than our imagination"…Excerpt from referenced article below.
One thing's for sure, with the ever-increasing discoveries of other planets and stars in completely new and larger galaxies utilizing more and more sophisticated technical equipment, we are feeling smaller and smaller and smaller…You do realize, of course, that our little planet is peanut-sized when compared to other planets within our own earth's galaxy (look at galaxy as a celestial neighborhood). Damn, man, we are not even the biggest planet in a smaller galaxy!
Talk about NOT being the biggest fish in the pond…
Pretty damn insignificant are we…AND, we can't even seem to live together in some kind of semblance of peace on this peanut planet in this peanut galaxy…much less accept a pretty puny new tech format in e-publishing!…We in bad shape, Kimosabe.
I thought everyone would enjoy this insight from a New York Times article by Ray Jayawardhana, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Toronto AND the author of "Strange New Worlds: The Search for Alien Planets and Life Beyond Our Solar System.":
Alien Life, Coming Slowly Into View
I REMEMBER the first time the concept of another world entered my mind. It was during a walk with my father in our garden in Sri Lanka. He pointed to the Moon and told me that people had walked on it. I was astonished: Suddenly that bright light became a place that one could visit.
Schoolchildren may feel a similar sense of wonder when they see pictures of a Martian landscape or Saturn's rings. And soon their views of alien worlds may not be confined to the planets in our own solar system.
After millenniums of musings and a century of failed attempts, astronomers first detected an exoplanet, a planet orbiting a normal star other than the Sun, in 1995. Now they are finding hundreds of such worlds each year. Last month, NASA announced that 1,235 new possible planets had been observed by Kepler, a telescope on a space satellite. Six of the planets that Kepler found circle one star, and the orbits of five of them would fit within that of Mercury, the closest planet to our Sun.
By timing the passages of these five planets across their sun's visage — which provides confirmation of their planetary nature — we can witness their graceful dance with one another, choreographed by gravity. These discoveries remind us that nature is often richer and more wondrous than our imagination. The diversity of alien worlds has surprised us and challenged our preconceptions many times over.
It is quite a change from merely 20 years ago, when we knew for sure of just one planetary system: ours. The pace of discovery, supported by new instruments and missions and innovative strategies by planet seekers, has been astounding.
What's more, from measurements of their masses and sizes, we can infer what some of these worlds are made of: gases, ice or rocks. Astronomers have been able to take the temperature of planets around other stars, first with telescopes in space but more recently with ground-based instruments, as my collaborators and I have done.
Two and a half years ago, we even managed to capture the first direct pictures of alien worlds. There is something about a photo of an alien planet — even if it only appears as a faint dot next to a bright, overexposed star — that makes it "real." Given that stars shine like floodlights next to the planetary embers huddled around them, success required painstaking efforts and clever innovations. One essential tool is adaptive optics technology, which, in effect, takes the twinkle out of the stars, thus providing sharper images from telescopes on the ground than would otherwise be possible.
JOHN'S NOTE: So, are there books out there in galaxy-land where no man has gone before?…I believe so.
Kindle owners, don't forget you can get the "Publishing/Writing: Insights, News, Intrigue" blog delivered right to your Kindle here
Is Publishing Becoming a Minimum Wage Trade?
Filed under: new tech in publishing,pay cuts,publishing,publishing downsizing,self-publishing — gator1965 @ 6:46 pm
It's no secret today…many publishers are hurting to the point of hemorrhaging due to the (probably long over-due) upheaval in their industry caused by new technological advances affecting all logistics, suppliers, readers desires and, in the process, birthing new attitudes and procedures.
And NOT lost in all of this is the major publishing houses abandoning real artistry and content for superficial glitz vomiting forth from celebrities writing their own stories, mostly ghost-written anyway, for the sure buck. And expounding on and pushing the concept that a writer must have a "platform" before s/he can get published; in other words…forcing you into doing their job of marketing you into a position for a chance at successful sales!
This new-tech leveling of the playing field, if you will, has empowered new writers and authors in numerous ways…one of which is the fallout of self-publishing becoming much more professional and accepted…and fast; allowing the writer to cut out the middle man and pocket all, if not most, of the profits.
Anyway, now the entire publishing industry is being downgraded somewhat both in remuneration and prestige…
Phew! Let me get off my soapbox. Here is an editorial by Matt Kinsman, Executive Editor of FOLIO magazine:
The memo received by BNP Media staffers this week alerting them to 25 percent salary cuts for the foreseeable future includes a line that jumps off the page almost as much as that "25 percent" figure: "Minimum wage will be the floor for this reduction."
It's a line that assures employees the company won't be cutting below minimum wage (which of course, would be illegal), and only applies to those support positions that may be hovering around minimum wage after the 25 percent cuts.
But still, are things so bad that we have to be assured now that salaries won't be cut to minimum wage? Salary cuts usually start at the top and the Henderson family (who owns BNP) have taken theirs as well. However, an associate editor making $40,000who is hit with a 25 percent salary cut is suddenly making $30,000. Forget trying to live on that in publishing capitals like New York City-that's a tough hit anywhere (BNP) is based near Detroit.
As publishers continue to make cuts to keep their businesses alive, they need to be mindful of labor rules and regulations in their state, particularly with employees below a certain salary level. As Southern Breeze editor Mark Newman noted in FOLIO:'s March issue, many high level employees (particularly editors) need to "stop being figureheads and do some work." But for those entry and associate level employees, for whom the historic trade-off has always been "low pay but great experience," the returns are getting harder to justify.
The company leaders who impose these cuts will need to balance their contribution margins against the eventual pushback: The unwillingness of their teams to tolerate major pay cuts even as they're being asked to do significantly more work. It's a dangerously narrow line to walk.


The Last Backup Details window displays the following information about the last backup.
Started - The start time of the backup.
Ended - The end time of the backup.
Total files - The total number of files to be backed up.
Total size - The total size of the files to be backed up.
Files missed - The number of files that were not backed up.
Bytes transferred - The size of data (in bytes) backed up.
Note: Because inSync client optimizes data before backup, this value can be less than the actual size of the files.
Bandwidth limit - The bandwidth used during the backup.
Encryption status - Indicates if the backup folders were encrypted.


Roll! Inch balls of aluminum foil to tuck around salami to hold in place. Bake until salami is crisp (about 15 minutes). Remove from oven, let cool slightly In pan, discard foil.
In a medium bowl, mix all other ingredients.
Place salami cups on a platter. Fill with mixture. Top with more basil.


sooo…. i'm not too big on before and after photos…. mostly because feel the before photos can often seem so contrived. be that as it may… i gotta say that Jenna is j'adorable before AND after!
Jenna wanted a haircut from her long one-length hair to make her different, soft and individual. this beautiful modern pixie does just the trick!
Previous Post loose gorgeous waves… easy as pie!
Next Post ombré or reverse ombré color… is it for you?
The pixie cut you did is really neat and presentable. Wish more New Yorkers would adopt this style.


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isis-jrebel-plugin
==================

[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/danhaywood/isis-jrebel-plugin.png?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/danhaywood/isis-jrebel-plugin)

This is a plugin for [Apache Isis](http://isis.apache.org) plugin for [JRebel](http://zeroturnaround.com/software/jrebel/).  By configuring it you can develop your Isis application without having to restart the app.  You do need to run Isis in [prototype mode](http://isis.apache.org/reference/deployment-type.html).

The plugin is designed for Isis configured with the [JDO (DataNucleus) objectstore](http://isis.apache.org/components/objectstores/jdo/about.html), and either the [Wicket viewer](http://isis.apache.org/components/viewers/wicket/about.html) or the [Restful Objects viewer](http://isis.apache.org/components/viewers/restfulobjects/about.html).

## Screencast

You can a demo of the Isis and JRebel working together in [this screencast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxVgbz3ae_g).

## Usage notes

In general you can change any domain class (entity or service) and those changes will be reflected when you next interact with the app.  That means you can change Isis annotations, add or remove methods, refactor methods, even add or remove properties and relationships, and those changes will be picked up without having to stop and start the app.

However, do be aware that:

* the enhancement of the domain class must be done by the IDE plugin.

* the changed class is only reloaded when you next interact with the app (the plugin writes the stderr, so you won't necessarily see a change immediately on compile).

* on occasion when using your app you may get an exception on the interaction that causes the domain class(es) to reload.  This is caused by a temporary mismatch between the loaded class and the JDO metadata.  However, things should correct themselves for the subsequent requests, so you can simply ignore the exception and carry on.

* new properties of persistent domain objects must be marked as optional (`@Column(allowNulls="true")`
  * or, you can make the column mandatory so long as you also specify a [default clause](http://www.datanucleus.org/products/accessplatform_3_2/jdo/orm/schema_mapping.html#nullsdefaults) ([annotation](http://www.datanucleus.org/products/accessplatform_3_2/jdo/annotations.html#Column) here).

## Prerequisites

* install JRebel into Eclipse.
   * this plugin has not been tested against other IDEs, but might well work...

* at the time of writing, Isis 1.4.0 hasn't been released, so grab the [Isis source code](http://github.com/apache/isis) (`1.4.0-SNAPSHOT`), and compile
   * as described on the [Isis website](http://isis.apache.org/contributors/building-isis.html)
   * you won't need to do this once Isis 1.4.0 is out there

* check out the source code for this project, and compile

Locate the `danhaywood-isis-jrebel-plugin-1.0.0-SNAPSHOT.jar` JAR file (in `target` folder).

## Configure projects in Eclipse

> The appropriate changes have been made to the "simple app" (with a hard-coded location for the JAR file.  This will be part of the next archetype when 1.4.0 of Isis is released).

To configure, use *Help>JRebel Config Center*, then select the `dom` project (and probably the `webapp` project too):

![](https://github.com/danhaywood/isis-jrebel-plugin/raw/master/docs/images/eclipse-jrebel-config-center.png)

## Update launch config

Then, the app needs to be updated to launch with the JRebel agent and the Isis-JRebel-plugin.

### Main tab

No changes required to the main tab:

![](https://github.com/danhaywood/isis-jrebel-plugin/raw/master/docs/images/eclipse-run-config-1.png)

### Arguments tab

The only change required is to the JVM arguments section on the arguments tab:

> **For further JRebel settings, see the [JRebel manual](http://manuals.zeroturnaround.com/jrebel/misc/index.html#agent-settings)**

![](https://github.com/danhaywood/isis-jrebel-plugin/raw/master/docs/images/eclipse-run-config-2.png)

To dissect this:

* `${jrebel_args}` is a placeholder for the JRebel agent

* `-Drebel.log` tells JRebel whether to write to its log or not

* `-Drebel.packages_exclude=org.apache.isis.core` tells JRebel to ignore any Isis framework classes

* `-Drebel.check_class_hash=true` is a performance optimization telling JRebel to not reload classes if the timestamp has changed but its content has not

* `-Drebel.plugins` points to this plugin

    Obviously, you should adjust the location of the JAR file, and the package prefix as necessary.

* `-Disis-jrebel-plugin.packagePrefix` argument tells this plugin to ignore all packages except that specified; set it to the parent package for all your domain object classes.  If your code is in more than one package, specify the argument as a comma-separated list of packages.

* `-Disis-jrebel-plugin.loggingLevel` argument tells this plugin how much logging to emit; valid values are `DEBUG`, `INFO` and `WARN`.

You might also want to increase the (infamous) `MaxPermSize`; add:

* `-XX:MaxPermSize=128m`

or some other, higher, figure.

### JRebel tab

The JRebel tab simply reflects the -D settings on the JVM arguments section (above)

![](https://github.com/danhaywood/isis-jrebel-plugin/raw/master/docs/images/eclipse-run-config-3.png)

## Editing the `.launch` config file directly

Alternatively, copy one of the example `Xxx-PROTOTYPE-no-fixtures.launch` files (under `ide/eclipse/launch` in the archetypes), and add:

    <stringAttribute
          key="org.eclipse.jdt.launching.VM_ARGUMENTS"
          value="${jrebel_args} -Drebel.log=false -Drebel.packages_exclude=org.apache.isis.core -Drebel.check_class_hash=true -Drebel.plugins=c:/github/danhaywood/isis-jrebel-plugin/target/danhaywood-isis-jrebel-plugin-1.0.0-SNAPSHOT.jar -Disis-jrebel-plugin.packagePrefix=dom.simple -Disis-jrebel-plugin.loggingLevel=warn -XX:MaxPermSize=128m"/>

(adjusting the location of the JAR file, the package prefix, and the `MaxPermSize` as necessary)

## Disable IDE hot-code replace warnings

As per JRebel's documentation, it's also a good idea to disable any warnings that your IDE might generate about hot-code replacement failing.  For example, in Eclipse this is done through *Windows>Preferences*:

![](https://github.com/danhaywood/isis-jrebel-plugin/raw/master/docs/images/disable-hot-code-replace.png)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub